Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rate and consistency often outweigh absolute visual fidelity. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 provides a clear picture of how this system handles the game across different settings and resolutions. The results show a configuration that is overwhelmingly capable, but the optimal experience depends heavily on the user's display and performance goals. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to determine the best settings, isolate the roles of the CPU and GPU, and contextualize the combo's performance within the broader database.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data across all three resolutions consistently shows that the "Low" preset delivers the highest average frame rates, but the "Medium" preset offers the most balanced experience for competitive play. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 527 FPS, while Medium averages 438 FPS with a recorded minimum of 372 FPS and a maximum of 503 FPS. The High preset drops to 327 FPS, and Ultra falls to 254 FPS. For most users with a high-refresh-rate monitor, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, as it maintains an average above 400 FPS while likely providing a more stable frame-time experience than the Low preset, which is often stripped of visual clarity.

At 2560x1440, the pattern holds. Low yields 349 FPS, Medium provides 290 FPS, High drops to 216 FPS, and Ultra sits at 168 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 246 FPS is still exceptionally high, ensuring that even in busy firefights, the frame rate stays well above the refresh rate of most 1440p gaming monitors. While the Low preset is technically faster, the jump to Medium only costs about 59 FPS on average, a trade-off that typically results in better visibility for distant enemies and smoother object rendering.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the situation changes. Medium averages 162 FPS, which is still very playable, but Low jumps to 195 FPS. High manages 121 FPS, and Ultra drops to 94 FPS. For 4K, the Low preset becomes more attractive if the user prioritizes maximum fluidity, but the Medium preset remains the best overall choice, as its 138 FPS minimum is still above the 120 Hz threshold that many 4K high-refresh displays use. The data suggests that Medium is the "sweet spot" for this combo, offering a significant performance buffer over High and Ultra while providing a more complete visual experience than Low across all resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 plays a critical role in the higher resolution and visual preset tiers. The GPU's VRAM and clock speeds are directly relevant to the observed performance scaling. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, the card has a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The base clock is 1920 MHz, which boosts to 2475 MHz. These specifications allow the card to handle the increasing graphical load as settings are raised.

The data shows a clear GPU-bound trend at 4K. When moving from Low to Ultra at 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 195 to 94, a decline of over half. This is a strong indicator that the RTX 4070 is the limiting factor at this resolution and these higher settings. The GPU's 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs are being pushed hard to fill those pixels. The fact that the Ultra preset at 4K only manages 94 FPS suggests that while the card is powerful, it is not over-provisioned for the most demanding visual configuration in this title.

However, the GPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the performance ceiling is clearly set by the CPU, as the frame rates scale dramatically with lower graphical settings, indicating the GPU has headroom to spare. The RTX 4070's capabilities shine in the 1440p High and 4K Medium ranges, where it delivers 216 FPS and 162 FPS respectively. The card's 200 W TDP and dual-slot design allow it to sustain these performance levels, and its Ada Lovelace architecture with 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores ensures it is well-equipped for the DirectX 12 rendering path that Counter-Strike 2 uses. The benchmark results show the GPU is a strong performer, but its dominance is only visible when the CPU is not holding it back.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is the primary driver of the exceptional frame rates seen at 1080p. This processor, part of the Raptor Lake Refresh generation, features 10 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. In a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is known for being CPU-intensive, the single-threaded performance is crucial. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect this strength, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3055 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2058.

The measured FPS data confirms the CPU's dominance at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system hits 527 FPS. This is a massive number that is largely independent of the GPU, as the graphical load is minimal. The CPU is able to feed the game engine with enough data to sustain this frame rate. The difference in FPS between Low and Ultra at 1080p (527 vs 254) is substantial, but the fact that even Ultra scores above 250 FPS shows the CPU's raw processing power is not the primary constraint, though the increased draw calls and physics calculations at higher settings do impact it.

The CPU's L3 cache of 20 MB (shared) and its 65 W TDP are also relevant factors. The cache helps with the rapid iteration of game state data, which is vital for a fast-paced shooter. The data indicates that the i5-14400F has enough headroom to allow the RTX 4070 to work efficiently at 1440p, but at 1080p, the CPU is the clear bottleneck, as evidenced by the massive FPS numbers. The CPU's passmark single-thread score of 3701 and its 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs underscore its capability for this specific workload.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Counter-Strike 2, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 holds a specific position. The combo rank is 858 out of 3719 total tested combos. This places it in the top 23% of all tested systems for this game, which is a strong showing given the high frame rates achieved.

Looking at the individual component rankings provides more context. The CPU's average benchmark score is 32279, which places it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U (32233, +0.1% for the Intel) and the Intel Core i9-11900 (32226, +0.2% for the Intel). The GPU's average benchmark score is 37648, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P4, scores 37628, a negligible 0.1% difference.

The combo rank of 858 is a result of the synergy between these two components. While neither is in the top-tier percentile (both are in the low-80s), their combination is particularly effective for this game. The data suggests that the i5-14400F's high single-thread performance complements the RTX 4070's rasterization power perfectly for Counter-Strike 2. The system is not the absolute fastest available, but it outranks the vast majority of the 3719 combos, indicating that it is a well-balanced and highly capable setup for achieving competitive frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the shift in bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU. At 1080p, the system is clearly CPU-bound. The Low preset at 1920x1080 averages 527 FPS. When moving to 1440p, the same Low preset drops to 349 FPS, a 34% decrease. At 4K, it falls further to 195 FPS, a 44% drop from 1440p. This significant scaling with resolution indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as the pixel count increases.

The transition is most stark when looking at the Medium settings. At 1080p, Medium averages 438 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 290 FPS (a 34% reduction). At 4K, it hits 162 FPS (a 44% reduction). This consistent pattern of roughly a one-third drop from 1080p to 1440p, and another drop from 1440p to 4K, points to a classic GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The CPU is able to maintain a high frame rate, but the RTX 4070's rendering throughput is what limits the final output.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is the ceiling. The GPU is not working at its maximum potential, as there is a huge gap between the Low preset's 527 FPS and what the GPU could theoretically render. As the resolution scales up, the GPU's workload increases proportionally, and the frame rate settles into a range where both the CPU and GPU are more balanced. The scaling shows that the i5-14400F provides a massive performance headroom for the RTX 4070, and the GPU's capabilities are only fully utilized when the pixel count is high enough to keep it busy.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 527 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F or the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The massive frame rates (527 FPS on Low) and the significant scaling with resolution suggest the GPU has headroom, while the CPU is close to its maximum output for this game.

Q: How does the performance drop from 1080p to 4K on the Medium preset?

A: On the Medium preset, the average frame rate drops from 438 FPS at 1080p to 290 FPS at 1440p and further to 162 FPS at 4K. This shows a clear GPU-bound trend as resolution increases.

Q: What is the combo's rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 858th out of 3719 tested combinations for Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 23% of all systems in the database.

Q: The nearest rival to the CPU is the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U. How do they compare in raw benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32279, while the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U has a score of 32233. The Intel chip is 0.1% faster in this metric.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 94 FPS, which is recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average frame rates for the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination in Counter-Strike 2. Where available, minimum and maximum FPS values are also included to show the frame time variance.

1920x1080 (1080p)

| Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Low | 527 | - | - |

| Medium | 438 | 372 | 503 |

| High | 327 | - | - |

| Ultra | 254 | - | - |

2560x1440 (1440p)

| Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Low | 349 | - | - |

| Medium | 290 | 246 | 333 |

| High | 216 | - | - |

| Ultra | 168 | - | - |

3840x2160 (4K)

| Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Low | 195 | - | - |

| Medium | 162 | 138 | 186 |

| High | 121 | - | - |

| Ultra | 94 | - | - |

The data shows a consistent performance hierarchy across all resolutions. The Medium preset provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality, with the minimum FPS values indicating strong frame pacing. The Low preset offers the highest performance for competitive play, while High and Ultra presets are for users who prioritize visual fidelity and still achieve playable frame rates, except for 4K Ultra which dips to 94 FPS.