Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a highly capable Counter-Strike 2 experience, but the data reveals a clear performance ceiling. This combination ranks in the 26th percentile of tested combos, yet its frame rates are more than sufficient for competitive play. The benchmark results indicate that while the GPU dictates performance at higher resolutions, the CPU’s strong single-threaded capabilities allow it to shine at lower settings, where frame rates skyrocket.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about which component is the limiting factor. At 1080p High settings, the combo averages 198.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p High reduces this to 129.8 FPS, a 35% decrease. Jumping to 4K High yields 71.5 FPS, which is a 64% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior; the RTX 2060 SUPER simply cannot maintain the same output as pixel count increases.

The gap between settings widens at higher resolutions, further confirming the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system hits 323.6 FPS, but at 4K Low, it falls to 119.5 FPS. The Ultra preset demonstrates the steepest decline, starting at 153.7 FPS at 1080p and plummeting to 56.7 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the 4K Ultra setting is beyond the comfortable range for this hardware, pushing the GPU to its absolute limits. The CPU, with its 10 cores and boost clock of 4.70 GHz, has ample headroom at these resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this specific configuration at rank 1203 out of 1632 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2. This ranking, while seemingly low, must be contextualized. The benchmark database includes a wide range of hardware, including top-tier enthusiast builds. This combo’s position suggests it is outperformed by more powerful setups, but its raw frames-per-second numbers show it is far from inadequate for the game's requirements.

The ranking reflects a balance of CPU and GPU power. The i5-14400F holds an 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, while the RTX 2060 SUPER sits at the 63rd percentile among GPUs. This mismatch means the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU, but in a game like Counter-Strike 2, the combination still produces very high frame rates. The combo's rank indicates that many other pairings offer more raw performance, but the measured FPS data suggests the experience remains fluid and responsive for most users.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture, is the primary driver of the frame rate differences seen across resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration proves sufficient for Counter-Strike 2, as the game does not appear to exceed the 8 GB capacity at any tested setting. The GPU’s boost clock of 1650 MHz, combined with its 2176 shading units, provides the raw compute power needed for the game’s rendering.

However, the GPU’s performance is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that while the 2060 SUPER can handle 1080p with ease, it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, especially on the Ultra preset. The GPU’s 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is the ceiling here. The transition from Low to Ultra settings at 1440p, for example, results in a drop from 212.8 FPS to 103.2 FPS, illustrating the significant load increase on the graphics card. This is not a case of VRAM limitation, but rather raw processing power.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of the system's capabilities across a grid of resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. The Low preset achieves an average of 323.6 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings yield 268.3 FPS, while High still delivers a very smooth 198.5 FPS. Even on the demanding Ultra preset, the average FPS remains high at 153.7, ensuring a competitive experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong. Low settings produce 212.8 FPS, Medium drops slightly to 175.6 FPS, and High maintains 129.8 FPS. The Ultra preset is still playable at 103.2 FPS, but this is where the GPU starts to feel the strain. For 1440p gaming, the High preset appears to be the sweet spot, offering a good balance between visual quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The Low preset averages 119.5 FPS, which is still respectable. Medium falls to 98.3 FPS, and High drops further to 71.5 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, averaging just 56.7 FPS. This makes 4K Ultra gaming a challenging prospect for this hardware combination.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings provides the highest average frame rate at 323.6 FPS, making it the best choice for maximizing competitive responsiveness.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Counter-Strike 2?

A: Yes, it can. At 4K with Low settings, it averages 119.5 FPS. However, at 4K Ultra, performance drops to 56.7 FPS, which may be below what some players consider acceptable for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 129.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 103.2 FPS. This represents a 26.6 FPS difference, favoring High for a higher frame rate.

Q: Is the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the 8 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor in Counter-Strike 2, as the game runs at all tested settings and resolutions without indication of memory capacity issues.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The combo is ranked 1203 out of 1632 total tested combinations for Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database.

Q: Which setting at 1080p offers the best balance of visuals and performance?

A: The High preset at 1080p averages 198.5 FPS, which is significantly higher than the 153.7 FPS of the Ultra preset, while still offering improved visual fidelity over Low and Medium.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. For players with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the Low preset is the clear choice, as its 323.6 FPS average ensures the display is fully utilized. If visual quality is a priority at 1080p, the High preset is recommended, as it still delivers an exceptional 198.5 FPS, a substantial improvement over the 153.7 FPS of Ultra.

At 1440p, the Medium and High presets are both excellent options. Medium achieves 175.6 FPS, while High is not far behind at 129.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 103.2 FPS is still playable but offers diminishing returns for the performance cost. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only setting that provides a high frame rate, averaging 119.5 FPS. The Medium preset at 98.3 FPS is also acceptable, but High and Ultra are not recommended for a competitive experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F serves as a strong foundation for this configuration. Its 10 cores and 16 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture, provide ample multi-threaded performance for the game and background tasks. More importantly for Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s performance is highlighted by its 4.70 GHz boost clock and a strong single-threaded benchmark score of 3723 in PassMark. This is crucial, as the game’s engine is known to be sensitive to single-core performance.

The CPU’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce latency, which is beneficial for the game’s physics and entity calculations. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 323.6 FPS, a figure that is more likely limited by the GPU’s rendering speed than the CPU’s processing capabilities. The i5-14400F provides enough headroom to ensure that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary factor determining the final frame rate, especially as resolution and settings are increased. This CPU is more than capable of keeping up with the GPU in this pairing.