Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rate consistency often matters more than absolute visual fidelity. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B570 provides a clear picture of how this combination handles the game across common resolutions and settings. The i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from Intel's Core 14th Gen lineup, based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The Arc B570 is Intel's Battlemage-generation GPU, built on a 5 nm process, featuring 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Together, they form a mid-range pairing that shows predictable scaling patterns in Counter-Strike 2, but with some notable bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a steep and consistent drop in average frame rate as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 275 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 on the same Low preset, the average falls to 182 FPS, a reduction of 93 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average drops further to 102 FPS. This pattern indicates that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound, as the i5-14600K's strong single-core performance (evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 4270) is able to push very high frame rates, while the GPU has ample headroom. The 1080p Low result of 275 FPS is more than double the 4K Low result of 102 FPS, showing that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The scaling from Medium to High settings also shows the GPU's growing influence. At 1080p, Medium produces 229 FPS, while High drops to 171 FPS. At 1440p, the gap narrows slightly: Medium yields 151 FPS, and High yields 113 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Medium (85 FPS) and High (63 FPS) is 22 FPS, which is a smaller absolute drop than at lower resolutions, but a larger percentage drop relative to the starting point. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is working near its limits, and each incremental settings increase has a more pronounced effect on the final frame rate.

The Ultra preset demonstrates the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p, Ultra still manages 133 FPS average, which is playable for most users. At 1440p, it falls to 88 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to 49 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay, indicating that this preset is not viable at the highest resolution with this hardware. The data shows that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p to the GPU at 4K, with the crossover point occurring somewhere between 1440p and 4K depending on the settings preset. For competitive play, the 1080p Low preset at 275 FPS is clearly the best option, while for visual quality, 1440p High at 113 FPS offers a balanced experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this CPU and GPU combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 275 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only tested configuration that exceeds 250 FPS, and it indicates the system is CPU-limited at this resolution and preset.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only on Low and Medium settings. At 3840x2160, the Low preset produces 102 FPS average, and the Medium preset produces 85 FPS. The High preset falls to 63 FPS, which is still above 60, but the Ultra preset drops to 49 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p on High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average frame rate is 171 FPS. At 2560x1440 High, it drops to 113 FPS. This represents a reduction of 58 FPS, or approximately 34% lower performance, which is a significant cost for the resolution increase.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570 the bottleneck at 1080p Low settings?

A: No, the data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 275 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. Given that the i5-14600K has a high single-thread score of 4270 on Passmark, it is likely that the CPU's per-core performance is the ceiling, not the GPU's raw throughput.

Q: What is the difference in frame rate between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 151 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 88 FPS. This is a difference of 63 FPS, showing that Ultra demands significantly more from the GPU than Medium, cutting performance by over 40%.

Q: Does the 10 GB VRAM on the Arc B570 limit performance in this game?

A: The measured data does not show VRAM capacity as a limiting factor. The frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, suggesting that the GPU's compute capabilities and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, not the 10 GB VRAM pool itself.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 plays a decisive role in determining the frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. Its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a moderate figure for a modern GPU. In Counter-Strike 2, a game that is not known for extreme VRAM consumption, this capacity appears sufficient across all tested presets. The GPU's boost clock is fixed at 2500 MHz, with no separate game clock listed, and its 2304 shading units are responsible for the pixel and texture processing. The measured pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s, which are the key metrics for rasterization performance.

At 1080p, the GPU's role is less prominent because the CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them. The 275 FPS Low result shows that the GPU is not the constraint at this resolution. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's fillrate and shading capacity become more important. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The 4K Ultra result of 49 FPS is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result of 133 FPS, indicating that the GPU is struggling to maintain the required pixel throughput. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 14195 places it at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, which is a mid-range position. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A750, which has a nearly identical average score (20582 vs. 20556 for the B570), with a deltaPct of -0.1%, meaning the B570 is essentially tied with its predecessor in synthetic benchmarks.

The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s is a notable factor at 4K. Higher resolutions require more data to be fetched from memory, and the 160-bit bus may be a limiting factor compared to wider-bus competitors. The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 4K grows from 63 FPS on Low (275 to 102) to 84 FPS on Ultra (133 to 49), which suggests that the GPU's memory subsystem is increasingly stressed at higher pixel counts. The GPU also has a TDP of 150 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W, which are modest figures, but these do not directly impact the measured frame rates. The boost clock of 2500 MHz is relatively high for a mid-range GPU, but its impact is overshadowed by the memory bus width and shading unit count when rendering at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Counter-Strike 2, this pairing ranks 2286 out of 2870 total combos. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations, which is surprising given the individual component scores. The i5-14600K has a percentileVsAllCpus of 90, meaning it outperforms 90% of all CPUs in synthetic benchmarks. The Arc B570 has a percentileVsAllGpus of 65, which is above average. Yet, the combo's rank in this specific game is relatively low, indicating that Counter-Strike 2 is particularly demanding on this pairing, or that the game's engine favors certain hardware configurations over others.

The rank suggests that while the CPU is strong, the GPU holds the combo back in this title. The i5-14600K's nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (deltaPct -0.2%), the AMD EPYC 4345P (deltaPct 0.3%), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (deltaPct 0.7%). These are all very close in average benchmark score, confirming that the CPU is a top-tier performer. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1%), the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1%), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (deltaPct -0.5%). The Arc B570 is essentially tied with these GPUs in synthetic scores, but the combination's in-game rank of 2286 out of 2870 indicates that many other pairings achieve higher frame rates in Counter-Strike 2.

The discrepancy between the component's synthetic benchmarks and the in-game rank highlights that Counter-Strike 2 is a title where frame pacing and CPU-GPU communication are critical. The combo's rank of 2286 means that 584 other tested combinations performed better, which is a significant number. This is likely due to the GPU's mid-range positioning; while it can handle 1080p very well, it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K, which is where other combos with more powerful GPUs pull ahead. The rank also suggests that the i5-14600K's potential is not fully utilized at higher resolutions, as the GPU becomes the limiting factor before the CPU can stretch its legs.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for different priorities. For competitive play, the 1080p Low preset is the obvious choice. It delivers 275 FPS average, which is more than enough to take advantage of high-refresh-rate monitors, and it minimizes input latency. The 1080p Medium preset at 229 FPS is also viable for those who want slightly better visuals without sacrificing much performance. For a balance between visual quality and frame rate, the 1440p High preset at 113 FPS is the sweet spot. It offers a noticeable resolution upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a frame rate that is smooth on most displays, though it may not be ideal for 144Hz monitors.

At 4K, the options are more limited. The 4K Medium preset at 85 FPS is the best choice for those who prioritize resolution over settings, as it stays above 60 FPS and is playable. The 4K Low preset at 102 FPS is even better for frame rate, but it sacrifices visual fidelity. The 4K High preset at 63 FPS is borderline, and the 4K Ultra preset at 49 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. For users with a 1440p monitor, the 1440p Medium preset at 151 FPS provides a good balance, with the 1440p High preset offering a better-looking image at 113 FPS. The Ultra preset at any resolution is generally not worth the performance hit; the jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 38 FPS (171 to 133), and at 1440p it costs 25 FPS (113 to 88).

The data suggests that the best overall experience is achieved by running at 1440p with the High preset. This configuration offers a significant visual improvement over 1080p while keeping the frame rate above 100 FPS, which is sufficient for most gaming scenarios. If a player has a 240Hz monitor, the 1080p Low preset is the only way to fully utilize it, as the 275 FPS average is the only result that approaches that refresh rate. For 144Hz monitors, the 1440p Medium preset at 151 FPS is the safest bet, as it provides a buffer above the refresh rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rate ranges from 275 FPS on Low to 133 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset averages 229 FPS, with a minimum of 194 FPS and a maximum of 263 FPS, showing good consistency. The High preset averages 171 FPS. The Low preset has no min or max data, but the average of 275 FPS is the highest of any tested configuration. The Ultra preset drops to 133 FPS average, which is still playable but represents a significant step down from High.

At 2560x1440, the results are lower across the board. Low settings produce 182 FPS average, which is still high but 93 FPS lower than at 1080p. Medium averages 151 FPS, with a min of 129 FPS and a max of 174 FPS. High averages 113 FPS, and Ultra drops to 88 FPS. The delta between Medium and High at 1440p is 38 FPS, and between High and Ultra it is 25 FPS. The 1440p Low result of 182 FPS is the only 1440p configuration that exceeds 180 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are significantly lower. Low averages 102 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 100 FPS. Medium averages 85 FPS, with a min of 72 FPS and a max of 97 FPS, indicating some frame time variance. High averages 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra averages 49 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and not recommended for smooth gameplay. The 4K results show a clear pattern: each settings increase costs approximately 15-20 FPS, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 53 FPS. The min FPS data for 4K Medium (72 FPS) suggests that even the average of 85 FPS has some dips, which could be noticeable on a 60Hz display. Overall, the data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p competitive play, with 1440p High as a viable alternative for better visuals, and 4K only playable on Low or Medium settings.