Doom

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is an extreme high-end combination, and in Doom (2016) the data shows it is heavily limited by the graphics card at every resolution. The FPS drops are consistent and predictable as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p, the combo produces framerates so high that they exceed the refresh rates of virtually all monitors, while at 4K it still delivers very playable performance, but the scaling reveals where the bottleneck truly lies.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear and consistent pattern: performance degrades by nearly the same percentage at each resolution step, regardless of the settings preset. Looking at the High preset, the average FPS drops from 306 at 1920x1080 to 198 at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 35%. Moving from 1440p to 3840x2160, the average falls from 198 to 107, another drop of about 46%. This steep, linear decline is the hallmark of a GPU-bound workload—the CPU is not the limiting factor here, as the framerate is directly tied to the number of pixels being rendered.

The Low preset shows an even more pronounced version of this scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 416 FPS average, which drops to 269 at 1440p (a 35% decrease) and then to 146 at 4K (a 46% decrease from 1440p). The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical across presets confirms that the rendering resolution, not the graphical complexity, is the primary driver of performance. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see the FPS gap between 1080p and 1440p shrink dramatically, as the CPU would be able to feed frames faster than the GPU could render them. That is not the case here.

The Medium preset provides the only min/max FPS data in the pack, which helps illustrate the consistency of the frame delivery. At 1080p Medium, the average is 363 FPS with a min of 308 and a max of 417, giving a spread of about 109 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 235 with a min of 199 and a max of 270, a spread of 71 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 127 with a min of 108 and a max of 146, a spread of 38 FPS. The shrinking spread as resolution increases further supports the GPU-bound conclusion—at higher resolutions, the GPU is working so hard that frame times become more uniform, while at lower resolutions, the CPU can occasionally push frames through faster, creating larger swings.

What this scaling tells a builder is that the i9-14900K is not holding this system back in Doom. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU has the least amount of GPU work to hide behind, the system still produces 416 FPS, which is far beyond what any current display can show. The RTX 5080 is the component that determines playability here, and the data suggests that anyone targeting 4K should expect to use a mid-range preset to maintain high framerates, while 1080p and 1440p are effectively overkill for this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a high refresh rate?

A: At 1440p, all four presets exceed 160 FPS on average, with High hitting 198 FPS and Low reaching 269 FPS. This makes 1440p the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors, as even the Ultra preset delivers 162 FPS average.

*Q: Can this system run Doom at 4K smoothly?*

A: Yes, but with caveats. The High preset averages 107 FPS, Medium averages 127 FPS, and Low averages 146 FPS at 3840x2160. Ultra is the only preset that dips below a typical 100 FPS target, averaging 88 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance gap is there between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1080p, Low averages 416 FPS while Ultra averages 250 FPS, a gap of 166 FPS. At 1440p, the gap is 107 FPS (269 vs 162), and at 4K, it is 58 FPS (146 vs 88).

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K a bottleneck for the RTX 5080 in this game?

A: No. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent and dramatic, which indicates the GPU is the limiting component. The CPU is capable of producing over 400 FPS at 1080p Low, so it is not holding back the graphics card.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The only min FPS data available is for the Medium preset. At 4K, the min is 108 FPS, at 1440p it is 199 FPS, and at 1080p it is 308 FPS. No min FPS data is provided for the Low, High, or Ultra presets.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 175th out of 3712 tested combinations for Doom, placing it in the top 5% of all systems tested.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for Doom, this pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 holds the rank of 175 out of 3712 total combos. This places it in the top 4.7% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing but not the absolute top tier. The data indicates that while this is a very high-performing combo, there are 174 other combinations that achieve higher average FPS in this game.

The rank is particularly interesting given the hardware involved. The i9-14900K is a top-tier consumer CPU with a strong synthetic benchmark score, and the RTX 5080 is a high-end GPU. However, the rank of 175 suggests that other combinations, likely featuring even newer or more specialized hardware, manage to edge out this pairing. The percentileVsAllCpus for the CPU is 95, and the percentileVsAllGpus for the GPU is 87, so both components are in the upper echelon, but the combo rank shows that there is still a meaningful group of systems that outperform it in this specific title.

For context on the CPU, the nearest rival is the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which has an average benchmark score that is 0.3% higher than the i9-14900K. This means the performance difference between the two is negligible in synthetic tests, so the rank is likely determined by the GPU pairing and system configuration rather than the CPU choice. The GPU's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon 8060S, which scores 0.6% higher on average, and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, which scores 2.2% higher. These small deltas suggest that the RTX 5080 is competitive with its immediate peers, but the 175th rank indicates that other factors, such as memory speed or driver optimization, can push other combos ahead.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a complete picture of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional framerates across the board. The Low preset averages 416 FPS, Medium averages 363 FPS with a min of 308 and max of 417, High averages 306 FPS, and Ultra averages 250 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is never at risk of dropping below playable framerates, even on the most demanding preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong but begins to show the GPU's workload. Low averages 269 FPS, Medium averages 235 FPS with a min of 199 and max of 270, High averages 198 FPS, and Ultra averages 162 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable—about 35% for each preset—but the absolute numbers are still high enough for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors.

The most demanding scenario is 3840x2160, where the GPU is pushed to its limits. Low averages 146 FPS, Medium averages 127 FPS with a min of 108 and max of 146, High averages 107 FPS, and Ultra averages 88 FPS. Even at 4K Ultra, the minimum framerate is not recorded, but the average of 88 FPS suggests that it remains playable, though not ideal for a 100+ Hz display. The Medium preset at 4K, with a min of 108 FPS, is the safest choice for a smooth 4K experience.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, Low is 66% faster than Ultra (416 vs 250). At 1440p, Low is 66% faster (269 vs 162). At 4K, Low is 66% faster (146 vs 88). This consistent percentage gap across resolutions further confirms that the settings are scaling GPU load uniformly, without introducing CPU limitations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this combo for Doom, and the measured FPS data makes its role clear. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This is more than sufficient for Doom, a game released in 2016, and the VRAM capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any resolution or setting tested. The game's texture and geometry demands are well within the 16 GB allocation, even at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's clock speeds are also relevant. The base clock is 2295 MHz, and the boost clock is 2617 MHz. These clocks, combined with the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and 10752 shading units, allow the RTX 5080 to push pixel rates of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rates of 879.3 GTexel/s. In a game like Doom, which relies heavily on raw rasterization performance rather than ray tracing or tensor core workloads, these figures translate directly to the high framerates seen in the data.

The synthetic benchmarks for the GPU place it at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56083. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S (0.6% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.7% faster), but also the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (2.2% faster). These small deltas indicate that the RTX 5080 is a high-end card, but not the absolute fastest, which aligns with its 87th percentile ranking. In Doom specifically, the GPU's performance is sufficient to drive 4K at playable framerates, but the data suggests that the card is the bottleneck preventing even higher FPS at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo in Doom, the ideal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, every preset is overkill. Even the Ultra preset averages 250 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all 1080p monitors. The Low preset's 416 FPS is theoretically useful only for extreme competitive scenarios, but in practice, the High or Ultra preset will provide a better visual experience with no perceptible downside. The Medium preset, with a min of 308 FPS and max of 417, is also a solid choice if you want to maximize frame consistency.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the recommended choice for most users. It averages 198 FPS, which is well above 144 Hz and close to 165 Hz targets. The Ultra preset averages 162 FPS, which still meets a 144 Hz target but with a smaller margin. The Medium preset averages 235 FPS with a tight min of 199 FPS, making it the best option for those with 240 Hz monitors. The Low preset at 269 FPS is unnecessary unless you are chasing maximum framerates for a 360 Hz panel.

At 3840x2160, the choice becomes more critical. The Ultra preset averages 88 FPS, which is below the 90 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. The High preset averages 107 FPS, which is suitable for a 100 Hz display but leaves little headroom. The Medium preset is the standout choice here, averaging 127 FPS with a min of 108 FPS and a max of 146 FPS. This provides a consistently smooth experience on a 120 Hz 4K monitor, with the min FPS ensuring no noticeable stutters. The Low preset averages 146 FPS, which is ideal for a 144 Hz 4K display, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth the extra frames for a single-player game like Doom.

In summary, the best experience per the measured rows is to use High settings at 1080p and 1440p for a balance of quality and speed, and Medium settings at 4K to ensure a stable, high framerate. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p, where the performance cost is irrelevant. The data shows that this combo is powerful enough to run Doom flawlessly at almost any setting, with the only compromise being at 4K Ultra, where the GPU finally meets its match.