Counter-Strike 2

# Counter-Strike 2 with Intel Core i5-14600K + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B390 is a combination that produces a fundamentally GPU-limited experience in Counter-Strike 2. The data shows a processor that ranks in the 90th percentile against all CPUs, paired with a GPU that sits in the 9th percentile against all GPUs, which sets up an extreme imbalance. The measured FPS results confirm that the Arc B390 is the decisive component in this pairing, as the i5-14600K's strong single-thread performance is largely left untapped at higher resolutions. The combo ranks 2535th out of 2870 tested combinations in this game, which places it in the lower tier of results despite the capable processor.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, which clearly indicates that the Arc B390 is the limiting component in this system. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 179 FPS at 1920x1080 to 118 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 61 FPS, and then further down to 66 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 113 FPS total drop from the 1080p baseline. This represents a 63% loss in performance from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a substantial scaling penalty that points directly at the GPU struggling to fill pixels at higher resolutions.

The Medium settings row shows a similar pattern with a narrower gap between resolutions. The average FPS at 1080p Medium is 149, dropping to 98 at 1440p, and then to 55 at 4K. The 1440p to 4K transition at Medium costs 43 FPS, which is proportionally larger than the 51 FPS cost of going from 1080p to 1440p. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being saturated as resolution increases, since the Arc B390 relies on system shared memory with bandwidth described as system dependent.

At High settings, the resolution scaling becomes even more pronounced. The 1080p High average is 111 FPS, falling to 73 FPS at 1440p, and then to 41 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings is 32 FPS, which is a 44% reduction, while the 1080p to 1440p drop is 38 FPS, a 34% reduction. The increasing percentage loss at each step up in resolution is a classic sign of a GPU that is running out of compute resources, not a CPU bottleneck.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates and the most severe scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 86 FPS, which drops to 57 FPS at 1440p and then to 32 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below playable thresholds for a competitive FPS, and the scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 54 FPS loss, which is a 63% reduction. The fact that the i5-14600K has a boost clock of 5.30 GHz and strong single-core benchmark results does not help here, because the GPU is clearly the bottleneck at every resolution above 1080p.

The data indicates that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo approaches competitive frame rates, and even then, only at Low or Medium settings. The 4K results across all settings are below the 60 FPS threshold, with the best 4K result being 66 FPS at Low settings. This resolution scaling analysis makes it clear that the Arc B390 with its 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs is not designed for high-resolution gaming in Counter-Strike 2.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy for settings selection based on the target frame rate. For players seeking the highest competitive performance, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers 179 FPS average, which is the best result in the entire dataset. This is the only preset-resolution combination that exceeds 170 FPS, and it provides the headroom needed for high-refresh-rate displays. The Low preset at 1440p also produces 118 FPS, which is respectable for a 120 Hz monitor, but the 1080p Low result is the standout for competitive play.

The Medium preset offers a balanced compromise between visual quality and performance. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 149, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS, which indicates consistent frame delivery without major dips. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 98 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS, which is still playable but begins to show the GPU's limitations. The 4K Medium result of 55 FPS is marginal for smooth gameplay, as the minimum of 47 FPS would cause noticeable stutter in fast-paced encounters.

The High preset is a reasonable choice only at 1080p, where it produces 111 FPS average. This is above the 100 FPS threshold that many competitive players consider acceptable, but it is 38% lower than the Low preset result at the same resolution. At 1440p High, the 73 FPS average is borderline, and at 4K High, the 41 FPS average is too low for a game where reaction time matters. The High preset appears to add visual features that disproportionately tax the Arc B390's limited compute resources.

Ultra settings are not recommended for any resolution in this dataset. The best Ultra result is 86 FPS at 1080p, which is lower than the Low preset at 1440p. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is effectively unplayable, and even the 1440p Ultra result of 57 FPS is below the 60 FPS standard. The Ultra preset provides diminishing returns in visual quality while exacting a severe performance penalty, and the data suggests that players should avoid it unless they are willing to accept sub-60 FPS gameplay.

For the majority of users, the optimal configuration is the Low preset at 1920x1080, which maximizes frame rate and minimizes input latency. Players with 1440p monitors who prioritize smoothness over visual fidelity can use the Low preset at 2560x1440 for 118 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p is the best option for those who want improved visuals while staying above 140 FPS, as the 149 FPS average with a 126 FPS minimum provides a stable experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2535 out of 2870 tested combinations places this pairing in the 12th percentile of all tested systems in Counter-Strike 2. This is a low ranking that reflects the GPU's severe limitations, as the i5-14600K is a processor that benchmarks in the 90th percentile against all CPUs. The gap between the CPU's capability and the combo's overall ranking illustrates how much the Arc B390 holds back the system.

The GPU's standalone benchmark results confirm this assessment. The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which places it in the 9th percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463, the NVIDIA GeForce 800M with 1460, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM with 1446, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 with 1443. The Arc B390 is 1.3% ahead of the GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710. These are all entry-level or legacy GPUs, and the small deltas indicate that the Arc B390 occupies the very bottom of the GPU performance spectrum.

The CPU, by contrast, is in a completely different performance class. The i5-14600K's average benchmark score is 48618, and it ranks within 0.8% of its nearest rivals. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, which is 0.2% higher; the AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, which is 0.3% lower; the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, which is 0.7% lower; and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, which is 0.8% higher. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, which shows that the i5-14600K is a solid mid-range performer, but its potential is wasted when paired with the Arc B390.

The discrepancy between the CPU's 90th percentile ranking and the combo's low rank in Counter-Strike 2 suggests that the game is heavily GPU-bound with this configuration. The measured FPS data supports this, as the frame rates scale more dramatically with resolution changes than they do with settings changes, which would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor. The data shows that this combo is ranked in the bottom 12% of all tested systems, and the GPU is the primary reason for that low placement.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS in the entire dataset at 179 FPS. The Medium preset produces 149 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS, which shows a 45 FPS spread between the minimum and maximum. The High preset averages 111 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 86 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a consistent drop of roughly 30-38 FPS between each preset level, with the largest single drop being 38 FPS from Medium to High.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 118 FPS, which is the only result above 100 FPS at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 98 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS, which means the average is just below the 100 FPS mark and the minimum is below 90 FPS. The High preset averages 73 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 57 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 61 FPS, which is similar to the 93 FPS gap at 1080p but proportionally larger relative to the starting frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 66 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS, which shows that even the maximum frame rate at 4K Medium barely reaches 60 FPS. The High preset averages 41 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 32 FPS. The 4K results demonstrate that this combo is not suitable for 4K gaming in Counter-Strike 2, as even the lowest settings preset produces frame rates that dip into the 50s during demanding scenes.

The minimum and maximum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 126 FPS and maximum of 171 FPS show a 45 FPS range. At 1440p Medium, the minimum of 84 FPS and maximum of 113 FPS show a 29 FPS range. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 63 FPS show a 16 FPS range. The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently saturated and has less headroom for variance, which is another indicator of GPU-bound performance.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a 3 nm process node from Intel. It has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, which gives it a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and the FP16 performance is 15.36 TFLOPS with a 2:1 ratio.

The memory configuration is entirely system shared, with the memory size, type, and bus width all listed as system shared. The memory bandwidth is described as system dependent, which means the GPU's performance is tied to the system's DDR4 or DDR5 memory configuration rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical limitation for Counter-Strike 2, as the game's texture streaming and frame buffering requirements can strain shared memory bandwidth, particularly at higher resolutions.

The GPU's TDP is 80 W, and it has no power connectors, which confirms its integrated nature. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which means it has the API support needed for modern games, but the hardware resources are severely limited. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts from the early 2010s.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role is clearly the bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that resolution changes have a larger impact on frame rates than settings changes, which is the opposite of what would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor. The i5-14600K with its 14 cores and 20 threads, 24 MB of shared L3 cache, and 5.30 GHz boost clock is more than capable of feeding frames to the GPU, but the Arc B390 cannot process them fast enough. The GPU's low ROP count of 24 and reliance on system shared memory are likely the primary factors limiting performance at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where this combo consistently exceeds 100 FPS across most settings. The Low preset at 1080p delivers 179 FPS, which is the highest measured result, while 1440p and 4K results are significantly lower across all settings.

Q: Can this combo run Counter-Strike 2 at 4K?

A: The measured results show that 4K is only playable at Low settings, where the average FPS is 66. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets produce 41 FPS and 32 FPS respectively, which are below acceptable thresholds for a competitive FPS.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. These are all entry-level GPUs with minimal performance.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14600K the limiting factor in this setup?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. The i5-14600K ranks in the 90th percentile against all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 48618, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile against all GPUs. The resolution scaling patterns in the measured FPS data confirm that the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

Q: What settings preset provides the most consistent frame delivery?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 shows a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS, which is a 45 FPS range. This is the only preset where minimum FPS data is available at all resolutions, and the 1080p Medium result provides the best combination of visual quality and frame stability above 120 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested systems in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The combo ranks 2535th out of 2870 tested combinations, which places it in the bottom 12% of all systems. This low ranking is driven by the GPU's limited performance, as the CPU's strong benchmark results cannot compensate for the Arc B390's constraints.