Doom

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER delivers a combination that is heavily skewed toward CPU capability, yet the benchmark results for Doom show a system that remains playable at most settings, with the GPU acting as the definitive performance limiter. The data indicates a rank of 1456 out of 1681 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower portion of the database, which is consistent with a processor that has no trouble feeding frames but a graphics card that struggles to keep pace at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-14900K compare to its closest rivals in average benchmark scores?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79824. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7413, scores 80041, which is only 0.3% higher. The Intel Core i9-14900KF and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF both score 79245 and 79240, respectively, making them 0.7% slower than the i9-14900K.

Q: What is the performance ranking of the GTX 1660 SUPER relative to other GPUs?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 14286 and sits in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 with a score of 14314 (0.2% faster) and the Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics with a score of 14315 (0.2% faster), indicating the 1660 SUPER is positioned near a cluster of similarly performing parts.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Doom?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 148.3 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the 39.9 FPS average seen at 3840x2160 with High settings.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low result compared to the 4K Ultra result?

A: The 1080p Low result of 148.3 FPS is roughly five times faster than the 4K Ultra result of 29.5 FPS. This stark difference highlights the GPU's inability to maintain performance as pixel count and graphical load increase.

Q: What are the key specifications of the GTX 1660 SUPER's memory subsystem?

A: The GPU comes with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The memory clock is listed as 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective.

Q: What is the launch MSRP for the components in this combo?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K has a launch MSRP of $589, while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER has a launch MSRP of 229 USD.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark database places this specific pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER at rank 1456 out of 1681 tested combinations for Doom. This rank, which sits in the bottom 15% of all tested systems, is a direct consequence of the massive imbalance between the two components. The CPU is a top-tier part, scoring in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is a mid-range part from a previous generation, sitting in the 55th percentile of all GPUs. The data shows that the combo's overall performance is not a sum of its parts but is instead dragged down by the GPU's ceiling.

When examining the CPU's synthetic benchmarks, the i9-14900K demonstrates its strength with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a single-core score of 7040. Its nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 7413, are within a fraction of a percent in average score, confirming that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this system. The GPU, however, tells a different story. Its Passmark G3D score of 12699 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 are modest, and its performance is nearly identical to the integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, which is 0.2% faster in average score. This data suggests that the GTX 1660 SUPER is operating at a performance tier that is fundamentally unable to leverage the full potential of the i9-14900K in a demanding game like Doom, resulting in the low overall rank.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the primary determinant of the frame rates in this combo. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 192-bit bus, the memory bandwidth is listed at 336.0 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 1785 MHz, with a base clock of 1530 MHz. These specifications, while adequate for 1080p gaming at the time of release, prove to be a limiting factor when paired with a high-end processor in Doom.

The role of the GPU becomes clear when analyzing the frame rate data across different settings. At 1920x1080, the GPU is able to maintain high frame rates, but the margin between settings is significant. The data shows a 39.1 FPS difference between Low (148.3 FPS) and Ultra (92.2 FPS) at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the difference between Low (54.9 FPS) and Ultra (29.5 FPS) is 25.4 FPS, but the absolute numbers are much lower. The GPU's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely saturated at higher resolutions and settings, causing the average frame rate to plummet. The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 5.027 TFLOPS for FP32, are the limiting factor here; the CPU is not being stressed by the game's logic, but the GPU is unable to process the pixel data fast enough.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Doom reveals a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution and settings increase. At 1920x1080, the combo performs admirably, with all settings yielding playable frame rates. The Low setting produces an average of 148.3 FPS, which is 39.4% higher than the High setting's 109.3 FPS. The Medium setting averages 128.3 FPS, and the Ultra setting averages 92.2 FPS, showing a clear performance cost for higher graphical fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably. The Low setting averages 99 FPS, while High averages 67.5 FPS. The Medium setting averages 85.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 60.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 38.5 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but represents a larger percentage drop from the Low baseline. At 3840x2160, the performance is severely constrained. The Low setting averages 54.9 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches a smooth experience. Medium averages 44.3 FPS, High averages 39.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 29.5 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. The data shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER is simply not equipped for 4K gaming in Doom, even at Low settings.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data provides a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the average frame rate drops from 148.3 FPS to 54.9 FPS, a reduction of 63%. Similarly, from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops from 92.2 FPS to 29.5 FPS, a reduction of 68%. This consistent ~60-70% drop when moving from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU is the limiting component.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain more constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not scale significantly with resolution. However, the data shows a drastic decline in performance, which is characteristic of a GPU that is overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count. The i9-14900K's substantial compute power, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872, is not the constraint. Instead, the GTX 1660 SUPER's 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are insufficient to handle the demands of 4K rendering in Doom. The scaling behavior confirms that users seeking higher resolutions would need a more powerful GPU to unlock the potential of this CPU.