Doom

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Doom across all tested resolutions, though the performance scaling reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher settings. This analysis examines the measured FPS data to explain how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the final frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable drop as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that drop depends heavily on the selected graphics preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 367.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 236.4 FPS, and at 4K Low it further falls to 131.3 FPS. This represents a significant 64% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling at Ultra settings is even more dramatic: 224.4 FPS at 1080p, 144.5 FPS at 1440p, and just 80.3 FPS at 4K, which is a 64.2% drop from the 1080p figure.

The percentage deltas between resolutions suggest that the limiting component shifts depending on the workload. At 1080p Low, the frame rate of 367.1 FPS is extraordinarily high, and the data indicates this is near the ceiling of what the CPU can feed to the GPU. The jump from 1080p Low to 1440p Low (367.1 to 236.4 FPS) is a 35.6% reduction, which is larger than the 25% decrease in pixel count, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a factor. However, the more telling comparison is between 1440p and 4K at Low settings, where the FPS drops from 236.4 to 131.3, a 44.5% reduction, which closely tracks the 2.25x increase in pixel count, confirming the GPU is the primary bottleneck at that point.

For High settings, the progression is 270.1 FPS at 1080p, 173.1 FPS at 1440p, and 97.1 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure is 64% lower than the 1080p figure. This pattern shows that while the i9-14900K has enough headroom to push very high frame rates at lower resolutions, the RTX 4070 Ti's rendering capabilities become the definitive constraint as resolution climbs. The data suggests that for maximum frame rates on high-refresh monitors, 1080p is the sweet spot, while 4K still offers a playable experience but with a significant compromise in speed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz. These specifications support a pixel rate of 208.8 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 626.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is rated at 40.09 TFLOPS. The data shows that this GPU is the dominant factor in determining the final frame rates at higher resolutions and settings.

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached at 4K Ultra, where the combo produces 80.3 FPS. This is the lowest measured frame rate across the entire dataset. The difference between 4K Low (131.3 FPS) and 4K Ultra (80.3 FPS) is a 38.8% performance penalty for enabling the highest preset. This gap highlights the GPU's workload sensitivity to visual effects. The RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for Doom at 4K, as the game's texture requirements do not appear to exceed this capacity, allowing the GPU to operate without memory-related stutters.

The GPU's 85th percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 44900 place it in a competitive position. However, its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores only 0.6% higher, and the Intel Arc A730M scores 1.5% higher, indicating that the desktop RTX 4070 Ti is a very strong performer in synthetic tests. In real-world Doom gameplay, the data shows the GPU scales effectively with resolution, but the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at any given setting is substantial, confirming that the RTX 4070 Ti is the limiting component in this configuration for high-resolution gaming.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. It has an L3 cache of 36 MB and a TDP of 125 W. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a single-core score of 7040. It sits in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79824. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7413, scores 0.3% lower, while the Intel Core i9-14900KF scores 0.7% higher.

In the context of Doom, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 367.1 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the i9-14900K's single-core performance is more than adequate to handle the game's engine. The boost clock of 6.00 GHz is particularly relevant for this type of workload, as Doom's engine tends to be sensitive to single-threaded performance.

The data indicates a shift in bottleneck between resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is likely not the primary constraint, as the frame rates are high across all settings. However, the gap between 1080p Low (367.1 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (224.4 FPS) is 38.9%, which is a larger percentage drop than the GPU's raw performance difference would suggest, indicating that the CPU is still keeping up with the GPU's demands. The CPU's multi-core capabilities, demonstrated by its 49872 score in Cinebench R23, ensure that background tasks do not interfere with game performance. The i9-14900K's performance relative to its rivals shows it is a top-tier processor, and the data confirms it does not hold back the RTX 4070 Ti in this game at any resolution tested.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Doom?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 367.1, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the absolute ceiling for this configuration in the tested scenarios.

Q: How does the frame rate drop between 1440p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 173.1 at 2560x1440 to 97.1 at 3840x2160. This is a 44% reduction in performance when moving to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p. The frame rate varies from 224.4 FPS at Ultra to 367.1 FPS at Low, showing that the GPU's workload is the primary determinant of performance, as the CPU has enough headroom to support these high frame rates.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce an average of 131.3 FPS, while Ultra settings produce 80.3 FPS. This is a 38.8% performance penalty for enabling Ultra settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 44900. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 0.6% higher, while the Intel Arc A730M scores 1.5% higher.

Q: Does the Core i9-14900K's performance exceed that of its nearest rival?

A: The i9-14900K has an average benchmark score of 79824. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7413, scores 0.3% lower. The Intel Core i9-14900KF and Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF both score 0.7% higher than the i9-14900K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 189th out of 1681 tested combos for Doom. This places it in the top 11.2% of all configurations tested for this game. The rank reflects the strong performance of both components working together. The CPU's 97th percentile ranking and the GPU's 85th percentile ranking combine to produce a system that is well above average for gaming. The data shows that this combo is capable of delivering high frame rates, with the lowest measured average FPS being 80.3 at 4K Ultra, which is still a playable frame rate. The high ranking is supported by the fact that the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU at any resolution, allowing the RTX 4070 Ti to perform to its full potential. While the combo does not reach the top tier of rankings, its position at 189 out of 1681 indicates it is a powerful pairing that can handle Doom with ease at high resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset offers an average of 270.1 FPS, which is ideal for 240Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers a very high 224.4 FPS, making it a viable choice for those who prioritize visual fidelity without sacrificing speed. For 1440p, the High preset at 173.1 FPS is recommended for 165Hz or 170Hz displays, as it balances visual quality with a frame rate that exceeds most high-refresh monitors' capabilities. The Ultra preset at 1440p provides 144.5 FPS, which is also an excellent option for 144Hz displays. At 4K, the High preset yields 97.1 FPS, which is suitable for 60Hz or 100Hz displays, while the Medium preset at 114.1 FPS offers a smoother experience with a modest reduction in visual effects. The data suggests that the Low preset is unnecessary for this configuration, as even the High preset provides substantial frame rates across all resolutions. For the best overall experience, the High preset is the recommended choice, as it provides a balanced combination of visual quality and performance, with the Ultra preset being a good alternative for users with monitors that have lower refresh rates or for those who prioritize graphics above all else.