Doom

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER presents a compelling study in system bottleneck dynamics. This combination, measured in Doom, shows a CPU with massive headroom being constrained by a GPU that, while capable, defines the performance ceiling. The data reveals a system where the processor’s theoretical might is largely irrelevant to the final frame rate, making the analysis a pure exercise in understanding graphics card limitations.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, representing the pinnacle of its generation. In synthetic workloads, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a single-core score of 7040, placing it in the 97th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7413 and the Intel Core i9-14900KF, with the i9-14900K trailing the EPYC by a mere 0.3% in average benchmark score but leading the i9-14900KF by 0.7%.

However, the benchmark results from Doom tell a different story. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 192 FPS, which is a high frame rate but not one that stresses the CPU’s capabilities. The sheer computational power of the i9-14900K, with its 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache, is far beyond what a game like Doom requires at these settings. The data implies that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this configuration. The processor’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and it does so with immense surplus. The performance bottleneck is clearly elsewhere, as the frame rates scale directly with graphical settings, which is a hallmark of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU’s high multi-threaded capabilities are effectively idle, waiting for the graphics card to catch up.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of settings presets. At 1080p, the Ultra preset yields an average of 117.8 FPS. The High preset increases this to 142 FPS, a significant jump. Moving to Medium yields 164.9 FPS, and Low maximizes the output at 192 FPS. The most substantial leap in performance occurs between Ultra and High, a difference of 24.2 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset imposes a heavy load that the GPU struggles to maintain, while High offers a much better balance.

For a 60 Hz or 144 Hz display, the High preset at 1080p is the recommended starting point. It provides a 142 FPS average, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay and maintains higher visual fidelity than Medium or Low. While the Medium preset offers more headroom at 164.9 FPS, the visual compromise is likely not worth the extra 22.9 FPS. At 1440p, the High preset averages 90.4 FPS, which is still excellent for most monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 76.9 FPS, which is playable but requires a high refresh rate display to fully appreciate. The data suggests that High is the "sweet spot" preset across all resolutions, offering the best trade-off between visual quality and performance in the measured rows.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The frame rate scaling across resolutions is the most revealing metric. At 1080p High, the system averages 142 FPS. When moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 90.4 FPS, a reduction of 51.6 FPS or about 36%. At 4K High, the average plummets to 50 FPS, a further drop of 40.4 FPS from 1440p. This pattern of degradation is steep and consistent, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint.

This scaling behavior is a classic sign of a GPU-bound system. As the resolution increases, the pixel count grows, and the rendering load on the GPU increases proportionally. The CPU’s frame generation time remains largely constant, so the frame rate is dictated by how quickly the RTX 2060 SUPER can process the additional pixels. The low preset at 4K achieves 69.9 FPS, which is higher than the 4K High result, but still demonstrates a significant drop from the 126.6 FPS at 1440p Low. The data strongly suggests that to achieve higher frame rates at 4K, one would need a more powerful GPU. The i9-14900K has no influence on this scaling; it simply waits for the GPU to deliver each frame.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific configuration, the Intel Core i9-14900K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, holds a combo rank of 1168 out of 1681 tested combos in Doom. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems, a result that directly contradicts the impressive standalone benchmark scores of the CPU. The rank is a holistic measure of the system's gaming performance, and it is dragged down by the GPU’s limitations.

The data implies that this pairing is not optimized for gaming. A lower-tier CPU paired with a higher-tier GPU would likely rank much higher in this game. The combo’s rank reflects the fact that gaming performance is a sum of its parts, and the weakest link determines the overall outcome. In this case, the RTX 2060 SUPER is that weak link. The i9-14900K’s premium positioning is wasted in this context, as its capabilities are never fully utilized. This ranking serves as a warning that high-end CPU choices do not compensate for a mid-range GPU in a graphics-intensive game like Doom.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the defining component in this analysis. It is built on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1470 MHz, with a boost clock of 1650 MHz. The GPU’s overall benchmark percentile is 63, and its average score is 19774. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN, which it leads by 0.3%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, which trails by 0.5%.

In Doom, the GPU’s performance characteristics are directly observable. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures, even at 4K, as evidenced by the playable frame rates. However, the GPU's raw computational throughput is insufficient to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS is a limiting factor. The data shows that the GPU’s performance degrades predictably as settings increase. The Ultra preset at 4K results in 40.7 FPS, which is a demanding scenario for this card. The boost clock of 1650 MHz is the peak performance point, but it is not enough to overcome the resolution and settings demands. The GPU is the clear performance bottleneck, and its mid-range standing in the benchmark percentile is reflected in its inability to push past 50 FPS at 4K High.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. The Low preset achieves 192 FPS, which is the highest measured result. The Medium preset follows at 164.9 FPS, High at 142 FPS, and Ultra at 117.8 FPS. The spread of 74.2 FPS between Low and Ultra demonstrates the GPU’s sensitivity to settings at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease noticeably. Low yields 126.6 FPS, Medium drops to 109 FPS, High to 90.4 FPS, and Ultra to 76.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 49.7 FPS, showing a more compressed range. At 3840x2160, the performance is severely constrained. Low averages 69.9 FPS, Medium 56.9 FPS, High 50 FPS, and Ultra 40.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is now only 29.2 FPS. This data shows that as resolution increases, the GPU’s inability to render at higher settings becomes more pronounced, but the relative impact of settings changes diminishes.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K the performance bottleneck in Doom?

A: No. The data shows that frame rates scale significantly with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s high benchmark scores (e.g., 49872 in Cinebench R23 multi-core) are not reflected in the game’s performance, indicating it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Based on the measured rows, the High preset at 1440p offers an average of 90.4 FPS, which is a strong balance of visual quality and frame rate. The Ultra preset provides 76.9 FPS, which is also playable but with a performance penalty.

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, but only with lower settings. The Low preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average of 69.9 FPS. The High preset at 4K only manages 50 FPS, falling short of the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 1168 out of 1681 tested combos. This places it in the lower third, indicating that the overall gaming performance is below average despite the high-end CPU.

Q: What is the GPU's performance relative to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 19774. It is 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN and 0.5% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070.

Q: Is the GPU's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Doom?

A: The data suggests yes. The system achieves playable frame rates at 4K, which indicates that the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is not a limiting factor in this specific game.