Counter-Strike 2

The Core i5-14600K paired with the GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a fundamentally different experience depending on the resolution selected, with the data showing a clear and predictable scaling pattern. At 1920x1080, the system is overwhelmingly CPU-bound, evidenced by the enormous performance headroom. Moving from Low to High settings at this resolution yields a drop from 293.7 FPS to 183.9 FPS, while the jump to Ultra reduces the average to 142.7 FPS. The progression to 2560x1440 shows a more balanced workload, with Low settings producing 191.6 FPS and High settings achieving 120.9 FPS. The most dramatic shift occurs at 3840x2160, where the RTX 2060 becomes the clear limiting factor; Ultra settings plunge to 55.1 FPS, and even Low settings only manage 108.8 FPS. The scaling pattern from 1440p to 4K is steep, with the 4K Ultra result being less than a third of the 1080p Low figure, suggesting that pixel throughput, not geometry or shading complexity, is the primary bottleneck at the higher resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The benchmark data reveals that the performance curve is not linear across resolutions, and the nature of the bottleneck changes as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly, so the 14-core, 20-thread processor with a 5.30 GHz boost clock is able to feed the graphics card at a rate exceeding 290 FPS on Low settings. The 293.7 FPS result at 1080p Low is the highest recorded figure in the dataset, and it strongly implies that the CPU is the limiting component at this resolution. When settings are raised to Ultra at 1080p, the average drops to 142.7 FPS, which is a 51% reduction from the Low preset, indicating that the GPU is starting to take on a more significant role even at this resolution.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the data shows a more evenly matched system. The 191.6 FPS Low preset result demonstrates that the GPU can still handle the increased pixel load without collapsing, but the gap between Low and Ultra narrows considerably. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 91.4 FPS, which is less than half of the Low score, showing that the graphics card's 6 GB frame buffer and 192-bit memory bus are being taxed more heavily. At 3840x2160, the scaling becomes aggressive. The difference between Low (108.8 FPS) and Ultra (55.1 FPS) is a 49% reduction, and the absolute numbers are far below the 1080p figures. This pattern confirms that the RTX 2060's compute resources, not the CPU's instruction throughput, dictate performance at 4K, as the processor's single-thread capabilities are more than sufficient for the frame rates observed.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the 12 nm TU106 chip with a die size of 445 mm², and its specifications directly influence the measured results. The GPU has a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs. The memory configuration is 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. In Counter-Strike 2, this memory bandwidth appears to be a critical factor at higher resolutions and settings. The 4K Ultra result of 55.1 FPS is likely constrained by both the pixel fill rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and the texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s, but the data does not isolate which specific resource is saturated.

The card's FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and the benchmark results show that it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra. However, the 1080p Low result of 293.7 FPS shows that the GPU is not universally slow; it simply lacks the raw throughput for 4K Ultra. The RTX 2060's 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present, but Counter-Strike 2's results do not show a dramatic benefit from these features, as the frame rate drops are more consistent with traditional rasterization limits. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) is present, yet the measured scores suggest that the game's workload at 4K is primarily bounded by the GPU's shading and memory subsystems, not its feature set.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1332 out of 1632 combos for Counter-Strike 2. This percentile placement, roughly in the 18th percentile from the top, indicates that while the combo is functional, it is far from the top tier for this title. The CPU itself has a percentile score of 93 versus all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 93% of processors in general benchmarks. The GPU, however, has a percentile score of 58 versus all GPUs, showing it is a mid-pack performer. The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the GPU's moderate percentile explains the combo's overall ranking: the processor is capable of much more, but the graphics card holds the system back in this game.

The nearest rivals for the CPU provide context for its synthetic performance. The Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166, which is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF. The gap to the AMD EPYC 4345P is 0.9%, and it leads the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 1%. These margins are small, and in a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is often sensitive to single-thread performance, the CPU's 4642 score in Cinebench R23 single-core is a strong indicator of its capability. For the GPU, the nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, which is 0.5% behind the RTX 2060's average score of 16074. The Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 are both 1.7% ahead, while the Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.8% behind. These close margins suggest that the RTX 2060 is not an outlier in its class, but it is also not a standout performer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured data shows a wide spread across presets. Low settings produce an average of 293.7 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 246.6 FPS, High settings achieve 183.9 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 142.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 151 FPS, a 51% reduction, showing that the GPU is more involved as settings increase.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 191.6 FPS for Low, 159.7 FPS for Medium, 120.9 FPS for High, and 91.4 FPS for Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra is 100.2 FPS, which is a 52% reduction, similar in percentage terms to the 1080p results. However, the absolute numbers are lower, indicating that the higher pixel count is consuming GPU resources. At 3840x2160, the results compress further: Low yields 108.8 FPS, Medium 91.6 FPS, High 68.8 FPS, and Ultra 55.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 53.7 FPS, a 49% reduction. Notably, the 4K Low score of 108.8 FPS is lower than the 1440p Ultra score of 91.4 FPS, which is surprising since Low typically reduces shader complexity. This suggests that at 4K, the sheer pixel count is the dominant factor, regardless of the preset.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the highest frame rates, the 1080p Low preset is the clear choice, delivering an average of 293.7 FPS. This is well above the refresh rates of most high-end monitors and provides the smoothest experience. However, the 1080p Medium preset at 246.6 FPS offers a better visual balance while still maintaining exceptionally high performance. The 1440p Low preset at 191.6 FPS is the best option for those with a 1440p display who prioritize speed over visual fidelity. If visual quality is more important, the 1440p Medium preset at 159.7 FPS is a reasonable compromise, as it retains a high frame rate while adding more graphical detail.

At 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset is viable for competitive play, with an average of 108.8 FPS. The Medium preset at 91.6 FPS is playable but may feel less responsive, and the High preset at 68.8 FPS is borderline for a competitive shooter. The Ultra preset at 55.1 FPS is not recommended for any serious gameplay, as the frame rate is too low for smooth aiming and reaction. The best overall experience per the measured rows is the 1080p Medium preset, which provides a high frame rate without sacrificing too much visual detail. For 1440p users, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, balancing the 159.7 FPS average against improved image quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest average FPS is 293.7, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra preset compare to the 1080p Low preset?

A: The 4K Ultra preset averages 55.1 FPS, while the 1080p Low preset averages 293.7 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is approximately 81% lower than the 1080p Low result.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the high frame rates (293.7 FPS on Low) and the CPU's strong single-core performance (4642 in Cinebench R23) suggest the processor is capable of feeding the GPU, but the GPU's moderate percentile (58) and the large drop to Ultra settings (142.7 FPS) indicate the graphics card is the limiting factor at higher presets.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1332 out of 1632 tested combinations for Counter-Strike 2.

Q: Which 1440p preset provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality?

A: The 1440p Medium preset, with an average of 159.7 FPS, offers the best balance. It is significantly higher than the High preset (120.9 FPS) and the Ultra preset (91.4 FPS), while providing more detail than the Low preset (191.6 FPS).

Q: How does the RTX 2060's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074, which is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996) and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15786). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700, both with scores of 16351, by 1.7%.