Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 628th out of 3,719 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 17% of all recorded system pairings for this title. This is a measured configuration, with the CPU landing in the 83rd percentile among all processors and the GPU also in the 83rd percentile among all graphics cards, indicating a balanced pairing where neither component dramatically outclasses the other. The data shows a system capable of very high frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the most demanding settings at 4K still producing an average above 100 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

At position 628 of 3,719 combos, this pairing sits comfortably within the upper tier of systems tested for Counter-Strike 2. The rank reflects the combined capability of the Intel Core i5-14400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, both of which occupy the 83rd percentile in their respective standalone benchmark hierarchies. This percentile alignment suggests that the system is not bottlenecked by a glaring mismatch; the CPU and GPU contribute proportionally to the final result.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 32,279 places it near several close competitors in synthetic testing. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U scores 32,233, a deltaPct of 0.1% higher than the i5-14400F. The Intel Core i9-11900 follows at 32,226, also 0.2% ahead. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS trails slightly at 32,354, which is 0.2% behind, and the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32,121, a 0.5% deficit. These deltas are negligible, meaning the i5-14400F's synthetic performance is effectively on par with these mobile and older desktop parts, though its 10-core, 16-thread configuration in this desktop context serves a demanding esports title well.

For the GPU, the RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43,223. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, scores 43,262 (0.1% higher), the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile scores 43,268 (0.1% higher), the Quadro M6000 scores 43,301 (0.2% higher), and the RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43,667 (1% higher). The small deltas again show that in raw compute, the RTX 4070 SUPER is clustered with these products, but in game-specific measurement, the 628th rank out of 3,719 combos indicates that Counter-Strike 2 responds favorably to this particular CPU-GPU pairing, likely due to the CPU's high single-thread performance.

The rank itself must be interpreted with context. Being in the 83rd percentile for both components does not guarantee a top-100 in-game rank; Counter-Strike 2 has specific engine demands that favor certain architectures. The measured FPS data confirms that this combo delivers from 105 FPS at 4K Ultra to 587 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a wide operational envelope. The 628th rank suggests that while higher-performing combos exist, this system is far above the median, offering competitive frame rates for high-refresh-rate monitors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and the AD104 chip, containing 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die. Its base clock is 1980 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and memory runs at 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective on 12 GB of GDDR6X across a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. These specifications directly influence Counter-Strike 2 performance, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth and fill rate become more critical.

The GPU has 7,168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, 80 raster output units, 56 ray tracing cores, and 224 tensor cores. Pixel rate is 198.0 GPixel/s and texture rate is 554.4 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute at 35.48 TFLOPS. In Counter-Strike 2, which is not heavily ray-traced, the rasterization throughput is what matters most. The 80 ROPs and high pixel rate ensure that resolution scaling does not collapse performance; the data confirms that even at 4K, the GPU can maintain substantial frame rates.

The measured FPS across settings shows the GPU's capacity. At 4K High, the average is 135 FPS; at 4K Medium, it rises to 180 FPS; at 4K Low, it jumps to 217 FPS. The step from Medium to Low is a 37 FPS increase, indicating that shader complexity and texture filtering are significant loads. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 105 FPS, which is still playable but shows the ceiling of this GPU with maximum settings at 4K. The GPU's 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game; none of the measured rows indicate memory capacity being a limiting factor, as even the highest settings at 4K do not exceed the available memory in a way that would cause stutter or reduced average FPS beyond the expected GPU compute load.

Comparing to rivals in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4070 SUPER sits within 1% of the RTX 4090 Mobile, which is a high-end laptop part with different power constraints. The desktop RTX 4070 SUPER with a 220 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU operates in a higher sustained power envelope, which likely contributes to its consistent in-game performance. The boost clock of 2475 MHz is a moderate uplift over base, and the data shows that the GPU scales well with reduced settings, reaching 217 FPS at 4K Low, which is 2.07 times the 4K Ultra average.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake refresh, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. It has 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 indicate a mainstream desktop part that provides strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for Counter-Strike 2's engine, where game logic and draw call submission often rely on fewer cores.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-14400F scores 2,181 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 307 in single-core, 9,090 in R20 multi-core and 1,283 in single-core, and 21,645 in R23 multi-core with 3,055 in single-core. Geekbench scores are 11,268 multi-core and 2,058 single-core. The PassMark suite shows a multi-thread score of 25,470 and a single-thread score of 3,701. These numbers, particularly the single-core scores, explain why the CPU can sustain high frame rates in an esports title. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz is a key factor; the measured FPS at 1080p Low reaches 587 FPS, which is far beyond what the GPU alone could produce if the CPU were limiting.

The CPU's 20 MB of L3 cache is shared across all cores, reducing latency for frequently accessed data. The 10-core configuration with 16 threads (likely 6 performance and 4 efficiency cores) provides enough parallelism for background tasks without compromising single-thread responsiveness. The nearest rivals in synthetic scoring include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U and Intel Core i9-11900, both within 0.2% of the i5-14400F's average score, but the i5-14400F's higher boost clock and newer architecture give it a slight edge in game-specific scenarios where single-thread performance is paramount.

The CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 587, while at 4K Low, it drops to 217. The 1080p result is likely CPU-bound, as the GPU has less work per frame, and the i5-14400F's single-thread score of 3,055 in R23 and 3,701 in PassMark single-thread allows it to feed frames quickly. The CPU's percentile rank of 83rd among all CPUs means it outpaces most processors, but in Counter-Strike 2, the top 628 combos likely include CPUs with even higher single-thread scores, such as higher-binned 14th-gen parts or dedicated overclocking chips, which is why this combo does not rank higher.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS spans from 283 at Ultra to 587 at Low. The High preset yields 364 FPS, and Medium yields 487 FPS with a minimum of 414 and maximum of 561. The progression from Low to Medium is a 100 FPS drop, from Medium to High is a 123 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra is an 81 FPS drop. These step-downs show that at 1080p, each setting tier has a significant impact on frame rate, with the GPU becoming less of a bottleneck as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 388 FPS at Low, 323 FPS at Medium (min 274, max 371), 241 FPS at High, and 187 FPS at Ultra. The delta between Low and Ultra is 201 FPS, a 51.8% reduction. The Medium setting at 1440p (323 FPS) is still higher than the High setting at 1080p (364 FPS) is not; actually, 323 is lower than 364, so the resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p costs about 41 FPS when comparing Medium settings (487 vs 323). This indicates that resolution scaling is significant, but the system remains fluid at all settings.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 217 FPS at Low, 180 FPS at Medium (min 153, max 207), 135 FPS at High, and 105 FPS at Ultra. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured, but it still exceeds 100 FPS. The 4K Low result of 217 FPS is nearly double the 4K Ultra result, showing that for players who prioritize frame rate over fidelity, the Low preset at 4K is a viable option. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 153 FPS, which ensures a consistent experience.

Across all resolutions, the High preset shows a clear pattern: 364 at 1080p, 241 at 1440p, and 135 at 4K. The 1080p High is 2.70 times the 4K High. The Low preset scales differently: 587 at 1080p, 388 at 1440p, and 217 at 4K, where 1080p Low is 2.71 times 4K Low. This consistent ratio suggests that the GPU is the primary limiter when moving from 1080p to 4K, as the CPU's contribution becomes less relevant at higher pixel counts.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals the limiting component. At High settings, 1080p yields 364 FPS, 1440p yields 241 FPS, and 4K yields 135 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 123 FPS (33.8% reduction), and from 1440p to 4K is 106 FPS (44.0% reduction). The total reduction from 1080p to 4K is 229 FPS, a 62.9% decrease. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions; the CPU's ability to generate frames is not the limiting factor, as evidenced by the 587 FPS at 1080p Low.

At Low settings, the scaling is similar: 1080p at 587 FPS, 1440p at 388 FPS, and 4K at 217 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 199 FPS (33.9% reduction), and from 1440p to 4K is 171 FPS (44.1% reduction). The consistency in percentage drops (around 34% and 44%) across both Low and High presets is a strong indicator that the GPU's rendering load scales predictably with pixel count. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and 192-bit bus are sufficient, but the raw compute of 35.48 TFLOPS is what gets taxed as resolution increases.

The 4K Ultra result of 105 FPS versus 1080p Ultra of 283 FPS shows a 62.9% reduction, matching the High preset's scaling. This suggests that the Ultra preset does not introduce a disproportionate resolution penalty; the system's scaling is linear. The limiting component at 4K is clearly the GPU, as the CPU's single-thread performance would not degrade with resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect similar FPS across resolutions at Low settings, but the data shows 587 to 217, a 63% drop, so the GPU is dominant.

The Medium preset, which includes minimum and maximum FPS values, further illustrates this. At 1080p Medium, the average is 487 with a min of 414 and max of 561. At 1440p Medium, the average is 323 with a min of 274 and max of 371. At 4K Medium, the average is 180 with a min of 153 and max of 207. The min-to-max range tightens as resolution increases, from a 147 FPS spread at 1080p to a 54 FPS spread at 4K, indicating that at 4K, the frame delivery is more consistent, likely because the GPU is working near its limit and frame times are more uniform.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the target refresh rate and resolution. For 1080p displays with a 240 Hz or 360 Hz monitor, the Low preset at 587 FPS provides the highest frame rate, but the High preset at 364 FPS still exceeds 360 Hz. The Medium preset at 487 FPS also offers a high frame rate with better visuals. Given that Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive shooter, the data shows that even Ultra at 283 FPS is playable on high-refresh displays, but the Low preset's 587 FPS offers the lowest latency and maximum responsiveness.

For 1440p, the Low preset at 388 FPS is ideal for 360 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 323 FPS is still sufficient for 300 Hz displays, and High at 241 FPS works for 240 Hz. The Ultra preset at 187 FPS is suitable for 180 Hz or lower. The 1440p Medium preset has a minimum of 274 FPS, ensuring no drops below 240 Hz, making it a safe choice for competitive play. The High preset at 1440p, with an average of 241 FPS, is borderline for a 240 Hz monitor, but the lack of min FPS data means it could dip, so Medium is the more consistent option.

For 4K, the High preset at 135 FPS is suitable for 120 Hz or 144 Hz displays, but the Ultra preset at 105 FPS is also viable for 100 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 180 FPS is the best balance for 165 Hz or 180 Hz displays, with a minimum of 153 FPS ensuring no drops below 144 Hz. The Low preset at 4K at 217 FPS is an option for 240 Hz 4K monitors, which are rare, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The data suggests that for most 4K users, the Medium preset provides the best experience: it delivers 180 FPS average, which is 71.4% higher than Ultra, and the minimum of 153 FPS is still well above 144 Hz.

The recommendation is to prioritize the Medium preset across all resolutions if the display refresh rate is between 144 Hz and 240 Hz. At 1080p, Medium gives 487 FPS, which is 71.5% higher than Ultra. At 1440p, Medium gives 323 FPS, 72.7% higher than Ultra. At 4K, Medium gives 180 FPS, 71.4% higher than Ultra. This consistency means the Medium preset offers the best frame rate per visual cost. For maximum competitive advantage, the Low preset at 1080p or 1440p is the choice, as it maximizes FPS and minimizes input lag, but for visual clarity, Medium is the sweet spot.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's rank in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The Intel Core i5-14400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 628th out of 3,719 tested combos, placing it in the top 17% of all tested systems.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32,279. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U scores 32,233 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32,226 (0.2% higher), the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32,354 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32,121 (0.5% lower).

Q: What is the GPU's synthetic performance relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average score of 43,223. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB scores 43,262 (0.1% higher), the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile scores 43,268 (0.1% higher), the Quadro M6000 scores 43,301 (0.2% higher), and the RTX 4090 Mobile scores 43,667 (1% higher).

Q: What is the highest measured FPS for this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 587 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest measured average is 105 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: At 4K resolution, which settings preset provides the highest frame rate?

A: At 4K, the Low preset provides the highest average at 217 FPS, followed by Medium at 180 FPS, High at 135 FPS, and Ultra at 105 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 4K?

A: The GPU is the limiting component at 4K. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K by approximately 63% across Low and High presets, indicating that the rendering load on the RTX 4070 SUPER scales with resolution, while the CPU's single-thread performance is sufficient to feed frames at lower resolutions.