Doom

The pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a distinct bottleneck profile in Doom. The data shows a classic scenario where a high-end CPU is paired with a mid-range GPU, resulting in performance that is heavily dictated by the graphics card, particularly at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second (FPS) to identify where the limits of this configuration lie.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent drop in performance as resolution increases, a pattern that points directly at the GPU as the primary limiting factor. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 128.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 80.6 FPS, a significant reduction of roughly 37%. The scaling continues to 4K, where the average plummets to 45.1 FPS, which is only about 35% of the performance seen at 1080p.

This steep decline is a textbook indicator of GPU-bound performance. The Intel Core i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, is more than capable of feeding frames to the RTX 2060 at lower resolutions. However, as the pixel count increases, the demand on the GPU's rendering pipeline grows exponentially. The data suggests that the RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and its processing power are saturated, creating a hard ceiling on performance. The scaling from 1080p High (128.3 FPS) to 1440p High (80.6 FPS) is a much larger percentage drop than the resolution change alone would suggest, reinforcing that the GPU is the bottleneck. The gap between the CPU's potential and the GPU's output widens with every step up in resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the decisive component in this configuration for Doom. Its specifications, including a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, along with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, provide a baseline for its performance. The measured results show how these specifications translate into real-world FPS. The GPU's average benchmark score is 16074, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, which indicates a solidly mid-range part.

The 6 GB VRAM buffer is a key factor. At lower settings and resolutions, the card is able to keep up, but the data shows its limits. For instance, at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 106.9, which is a 21.4 FPS drop from High settings. This suggests that the Ultra preset's increased graphical demands, possibly on memory bandwidth and shading units, are starting to strain the TU106 chip. The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is also telling. It performs within a few percentage points of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% faster) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (1.7% slower), showing it sits in a specific performance tier. The data confirms that the RTX 2060 is the component that will determine the playable experience, as the CPU is unlikely to be the constraining factor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking for Doom, this specific combination of components is placed at rank 1365 out of 1681 tested combos. This places it in the lower 19th percentile of all configurations, which is a surprisingly low position given the high-end CPU. The data indicates that while the i9-14900K is a top-tier processor, its inclusion in this pairing does little to boost the overall ranking because the RTX 2060 holds the system back.

This rank is a holistic view of the combo's performance. It shows that in the grand scheme of tested hardware, this pairing is not competitive for high-end Doom play, despite the CPU's power. The i9-14900K itself ranks in the 97th percentile of all CPUs and has an average benchmark score of 79824, putting it on par with rivals like the AMD EPYC 7413 and Intel Core i9-14900KF. However, the GPU's 58th percentile standing drags the combined score down to the 1365th position. The data strongly suggests that for the same budget, a more balanced pairing with a less powerful CPU and a stronger GPU would have ranked significantly higher. The combo's rank is a direct consequence of the severe performance mismatch between the two components.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend entirely on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, as it produces an average of 62.8 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K falls below 60 FPS at 55.3, and High and Ultra are not playable at that resolution.

At 1440p, the data shows more flexibility. The Low preset achieves an average of 115.6 FPS, while Medium hits 97 FPS, both excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. For a balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 80.6 FPS is a strong choice. However, the Ultra preset drops to 65.9 FPS, which is still playable but shows a significant performance cost. For 1080p, the story is about maximising quality. The Ultra preset at 106.9 FPS is perfectly playable and offers the best visual experience. The High preset at 128.3 FPS is also excellent, and Low at 173.2 FPS is ideal for competitive play on a very high refresh rate display. The best "experience" per the data is to use High settings at 1080p, as it offers high visual quality with a substantial FPS headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset for this combo shows a clear hierarchy across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the performance is strong across the board. The Low preset delivers an average of 173.2 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. The Medium preset achieves 154.8 FPS, and the High preset reaches 128.3 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset still manages a very respectable 106.9 FPS. This resolution is clearly where the combo is most comfortable, allowing the CPU to feed the GPU without significant bottlenecking.

At 2560x1440, the impact of the GPU becomes more pronounced. The Low preset averages 115.6 FPS, a drop of 57.6 FPS from 1080p. Medium follows at 97 FPS, and High at 80.6 FPS. The Ultra preset takes a significant hit, falling to 65.9 FPS, a 41 FPS drop from its 1080p counterpart. The scaling here is steep, showing the GPU's limitations as the pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 is clearly overwhelmed. The Low preset is the only one to break the 60 FPS barrier, averaging 62.8 FPS. Medium falls to 55.3 FPS, High to 45.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to a stutter-prone 39.7 FPS. The data at 4K shows that this combo is not suitable for high or ultra settings, and even low settings are only marginally playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a powerhouse, but its role in this specific configuration is to provide a theoretical performance ceiling that is never reached. With 24 cores and 32 threads, a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, and a 36 MB L3 cache, the CPU's specifications are top-tier. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a single-core score of 7040, placing it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs.

However, in Doom, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are entirely attributable to the GPU. The CPU is likely providing more than enough frame data, but the RTX 2060 cannot process it fast enough. This is evidenced by the fact that at 1080p, the FPS is high, but it does not scale linearly with the CPU's power. The i9-14900K's performance is essentially wasted in this pairing for this game, as it is never the bottleneck. The results would be identical with a much less powerful CPU, as long as it could feed the GPU adequately. The CPU's role is to ensure that the GPU is always saturated, and in this case, it does that job, but the GPU's own limits define the final performance.