Counter-Strike 2

# Counter-Strike 2 with Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER places at rank 994 out of 1632 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, landing in the lower-middle segment of the database. This pairing, built on a 10-core Raptor Lake processor and a Turing-generation GPU, delivers a wide spread of frame rates that range from highly competitive at 1080p to merely playable at 4K Ultra. The data reveals a system where the CPU can push very high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and Turing architecture become the primary constraint as resolution and settings scale upward.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 994 out of 1632 places this system below the median of all tested configurations, though the raw FPS numbers suggest the ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's age rather than any fundamental deficiency. In the context of Counter-Strike 2, a competitive FPS where high refresh rates matter, this system still produces respectable results, but it trails a significant portion of the field. The ranking reflects that many newer GPUs with higher VRAM capacities and more modern architectures achieve higher average frame rates across the tested resolution and settings matrix.

The CPU alone holds the 88th percentile among all processors, indicating strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance relative to the broader market. Its average benchmark score of 32508 sits nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-12800H at 32513 (0% delta), slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 at 32446 (0.2% delta), and marginally behind the AMD Ryzen 7 250 at 32584 (-0.2% delta). This suggests the processor is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. In contrast, the GPU's 65th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 22206 place it near the NVIDIA RTX A400 at 22307 (-0.5% delta), just ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z at 22006 (0.9% delta), and behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile at 22729 (-2.3% delta). The GPU's lower relative standing explains the overall combo rank, as Counter-Strike 2's frame rates at higher settings are more dependent on graphics hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications position the CPU as a strong performer for gaming, particularly in titles like Counter-Strike 2 that benefit from high single-thread performance.

The processor's benchmark results show strong single-threaded capabilities: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2333. Multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with Cinebench R23 multi-core reaching 21914 and Passmark multi-thread at 25783. In the measured FPS data, the CPU's contribution is most evident at 1080p Low settings, where the system achieves 355.1 FPS. This high frame rate indicates the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently at lower resolutions, and the gap between Low and High settings at 1080p (355.1 vs 224.2 FPS) suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

The core configuration of 10 cores with 16 threads provides ample parallelism for Counter-Strike 2's engine, which can utilize multiple threads for physics, audio, and game logic. The processor's 88th percentile ranking confirms it is a capable gaming CPU, and the near-identical average benchmark score to the Intel Core i7-12800H (0% delta) indicates it competes with higher-tier mobile processors. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache is particularly beneficial for gaming workloads, as it reduces memory latency and improves data access patterns.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU built on TSMC's 12 nm process, featuring 13,600 million transistors on a 545 mm² die. It operates with a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The GPU includes 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its compute capabilities include 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, 64 ROPs, 40 RT cores, and 320 tensor cores, delivering 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The GPU's 65th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 22206 place it in the mid-range of the database. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400 at 22307, is only 0.5% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 5700 at 21670 is 2.5% lower. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Counter-Strike 2 at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K Ultra settings, memory bandwidth and capacity become more significant factors. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the game's requirements, though the GPU's age is apparent in its performance relative to newer architectures.

In the measured FPS data, the GPU's influence becomes clear as resolution increases. At 1080p Ultra, the system achieves 173.9 FPS, which drops to 110.4 FPS at 1440p Ultra and 61.6 FPS at 4K Ultra. This scaling pattern demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom. The GPU's 12 nm process and 215 W TDP also indicate it runs hotter and less efficiently than newer 8 nm or 5 nm alternatives, though such comparisons are beyond the scope of this analysis.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 355.1 FPS, Medium reaches 297.3 FPS, High achieves 224.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 173.9 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system can drive high-refresh-rate monitors even at Ultra settings, with Low settings providing enough headroom for competitive play. The step from Low to Medium costs 57.8 FPS, while the step from High to Ultra costs 50.3 FPS, showing a relatively consistent performance penalty per settings tier.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show more pronounced scaling. Low settings yield 235.4 FPS, Medium produces 194 FPS, High reaches 148.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 110.4 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is 119.7 FPS (a 33.7% decrease), while at Ultra settings the drop is 63.5 FPS (a 36.5% decrease). This consistency suggests that both CPU and GPU are scaling proportionally, though the GPU begins to show more strain at higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become apparent. Low settings produce 128.5 FPS, Medium achieves 109.5 FPS, High drops to 81.1 FPS, and Ultra falls to 61.6 FPS. The 4K Low result is still playable, but Ultra settings push the system below the 60 FPS threshold, which is significant for a competitive FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 66.9 FPS, representing a 52.1% performance reduction, highlighting the GPU's difficulty with higher pixel counts and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear bottleneck shift. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 355.1 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that indicates the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU has spare capacity. By 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 235.4 FPS, a 33.7% decrease, while at 4K Low it falls to 128.5 FPS, a 63.8% decrease from 1080p. This scaling pattern suggests that the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as resolution increases, with the CPU able to maintain high frame rates but the GPU's rendering throughput limits overall performance.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more pronounced. The 1080p Ultra result of 173.9 FPS drops to 110.4 FPS at 1440p (a 36.5% decrease) and then to 61.6 FPS at 4K (a 64.6% decrease from 1080p). The fact that the 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result indicates that the GPU is severely constrained at higher resolutions, likely due to the 8 GB VRAM capacity and the Turing architecture's limitations with modern rendering techniques.

The data shows that this system is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates even at Ultra settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor, and users would need to reduce settings to maintain playable frame rates. The 128.5 FPS at 4K Low is still respectable, but the 61.6 FPS at 4K Ultra falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many competitive players consider minimum. The CPU's 88th percentile ranking and the GPU's 65th percentile ranking confirm that the processor is the stronger component, and upgrading the GPU would yield the most significant performance gains in this configuration.