Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 produces a highly playable Counter-Strike 2 experience across most settings, though the data reveals a clear performance ceiling at 4K Ultra. This combination ranks in the 20th percentile of all tested hardware pairings in this game, indicating that while it is not a top-tier esports configuration, it delivers consistently high frame rates at standard resolutions. The measured results show a system that is well-balanced at 1080p and 1440p, but becomes GPU-limited at 4K, particularly when graphical settings are maxed out.

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

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake-R architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz, which can boost up to 4.70 GHz. Counter-Strike 2 is a title that typically responds well to high single-thread performance, and the 14400F's boost behavior is crucial here. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 275 FPS on average. This high frame rate is largely attributable to the CPU's ability to feed the GPU quickly, as the game's engine is known to be sensitive to processor clock speeds. The 4.70 GHz boost clock provides the necessary headroom for the CPU to handle the game's physics and entity updates without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache play a supporting role in maintaining smooth frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS drops to 229, which is still exceptionally high. The delta between Low and Medium settings at 1080p is 46 FPS, suggesting that the CPU is not the limiting factor at these settings; the GPU is doing more work per frame as settings increase. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 49, a dramatic reduction. This indicates that the CPU's influence diminishes at higher resolutions, where the GPU becomes the primary constraint. In synthetic benchmarks, the 14400F scores 21,645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,055 in single-core, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, scores 32,233 in average benchmark score, a negligible 0.1% difference. This suggests the CPU has ample headroom for esports titles like Counter-Strike 2.

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

The Intel Arc B570 is a Battlemage-generation GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 2,304 shading units and 80 ROPs. It comes with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes increasingly prominent as resolution and settings scale up. At 1080p High, the system produces 171 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common in competitive monitors. The GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is sufficient to handle the game's rendering at these settings.

The 10 GB VRAM capacity is more than adequate for Counter-Strike 2, which is not a particularly VRAM-hungry title. However, the data shows a significant performance cliff at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 49. This is likely due to the GPU's compute limitations rather than VRAM capacity, as the game's textures are not exceptionally demanding. The Arc B570's percentile rank of 65 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20,556, places it close to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20,534 (a 0.1% delta). The GPU's nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, scores 20,582, showing they are effectively performance peers. At 4K Low, the system still manages 102 FPS, indicating that the GPU can handle the resolution when graphical fidelity is reduced.

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

Examining the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 229, with a minimum of 194 and a maximum of 263. This provides a smooth, competitive frame rate with better visual fidelity than Low. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 151 FPS, with a minimum of 129 and a maximum of 174. This is still well above the 120 Hz threshold that many competitive players consider acceptable. The Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot, as it maintains high frame rates while offering improved lighting and texture details over Low.

The High preset is also viable but shows a more substantial performance hit. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 171, which is still good, but the drop from Medium is 58 FPS. At 1440p High, the average is 113 FPS, which is playable but may feel less responsive in fast-paced scenarios. The Ultra preset is not recommended for competitive play, as it reduces the average FPS to 133 at 1080p and 88 at 1440p. At 4K, the Ultra preset yields only 49 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for a competitive shooter. The Low preset at 4K produces 102 FPS, which is acceptable, but the visual compromise is significant. Therefore, the data suggests that Medium is the optimal preset for this combination, offering the best balance of frame rate and visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2,986 out of 3,719 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the 20th percentile of all configurations, which may seem low, but the context is important. The database includes many high-end CPUs and GPUs that achieve significantly higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions. The rank indicates that this combo is not among the top performers, but the measured FPS data shows it is still highly capable for the game. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 65th percentile ranking suggest a slight CPU bias, meaning the processor is relatively stronger compared to the graphics card.

This rank is influenced by the fact that many tested combos likely include more powerful GPUs, such as the RTX 3070 Mobile class or better. The Arc B570's performance, while close to the RTX 3070 Mobile in synthetic benchmarks, may not scale as well in Counter-Strike 2 due to driver optimizations or specific engine quirks. The 20th percentile rank means that 733 combos perform worse, but the absolute numbers are the more relevant metric. At 1080p Low, this combo achieves 275 FPS, which is far above the 60 FPS baseline. The rank is a relative measure, but the absolute performance is what matters for gameplay. The data shows that this combo is competitive for most players, even if it doesn't top the charts.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals the nature of the bottleneck in this system. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 275 at 1080p to 182 at 1440p (a 34% decrease), and then to 102 at 4K (a 44% decrease from 1440p). This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU is likely doing more of the work, allowing the GPU to render frames quickly. As resolution climbs, the GPU's pixel and texture processing load increases, and the frame rate drops accordingly.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The average FPS drops from 133 at 1080p to 88 at 1440p (a 34% decrease), and then to 49 at 4K (a 44% decrease). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest a predictable GPU bottleneck. The CPU's influence is minimal at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that the difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 53 FPS, which is smaller than the 142 FPS difference at 1080p. This confirms that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The GPU's 380.0 GB/s bandwidth and 160-bit bus are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K resolution requires more memory bandwidth and compute power than the GPU can deliver at high settings.

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

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. On Low settings, the average FPS is 275, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 229 FPS on average, with a minimum of 194 and a maximum of 263. High settings yield 171 FPS on average, while Ultra settings drop to 133 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is the resolution where this combo excels, with all settings except Ultra remaining well above the 144 Hz mark that many competitive players target.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows a clear step down. Low settings average 182 FPS, while Medium settings average 151 FPS, with a minimum of 129 and a maximum of 174. High settings produce 113 FPS on average, and Ultra settings drop to 88 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is notable because it maintains over 120 FPS on average, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors. The minimum of 129 FPS at Medium is also respectable, indicating consistent frame delivery.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates at demanding settings. Low settings average 102 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. Medium settings average 85 FPS, with a minimum of 72 and a maximum of 97. High settings drop to 63 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 49 FPS. The 4K Medium results show a minimum of 72 FPS, which is the lowest minimum in the dataset, indicating that frame pacing may become an issue at this resolution. The data suggests that 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings for this combo.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo achieves in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 275, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14400F compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 32,279, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U's score of 32,233, and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900's score of 32,226.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Intel Arc B570 and the Intel Arc A750?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20,556, which is 0.1% lower than the Arc A750's score of 20,582, indicating they are nearly identical in performance.

Q: At 1440p Medium settings, what is the minimum FPS recorded?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 129, with an average of 151 FPS and a maximum of 174 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the FPS drops from 102 at Low settings to 49 at Ultra settings, a 53 FPS difference that is smaller than the 142 FPS difference seen at 1080p.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: This combo ranks 2,986 out of 3,719 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the 20th percentile of all configurations.