Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 with the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers exceptional frame rates across all tested resolutions. The data shows this combination is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU becoming the primary limiting factor only at 4K with higher settings. This pairing produces a smooth competitive experience, though the performance scaling between presets reveals interesting bottlenecks.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, but the drop-off is more gradual than typical for high-refresh-rate titles. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 527 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 349 FPS, a 33.8% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 195 FPS, representing a 63% drop from the 1080p figure. This scaling suggests the CPU is doing most of the heavy lifting at 1080p, while the GPU starts to take over at higher pixel counts.

The High preset tells a similar story but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p High, the system achieves 327 FPS average. At 1440p High, that drops to 216 FPS (34% decrease), and at 4K High it falls to 121 FPS (63% decrease from 1080p). The near-identical percentage drops between Low and High presets indicate the RTX 4070 scales predictably with pixel count, while the i5-14600K maintains consistent frame delivery.

The Medium preset shows the most balanced scaling with tighter minimums. At 1080p Medium, the average is 438 FPS with a minimum of 372 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 290 FPS with a minimum of 246 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 162 FPS with a minimum of 138 FPS. The gap between average and minimum FPS grows from 66 FPS at 1080p to 44 FPS at 1440p and 24 FPS at 4K, showing that frame pacing becomes more consistent as the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

The Ultra preset reveals the biggest resolution sensitivity. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 254 FPS average. At 1440p Ultra, that drops to 168 FPS (33.9% decrease). At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 94 FPS (63% decrease from 1080p). The consistent ~34% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~63% drop from 1080p to 4K across all presets indicates the RTX 4070's memory bandwidth and rendering throughput scale linearly with pixel count, with no unexpected overhead at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination ranks 858 out of 3719 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the top 23% of all tested systems, which is strong but not elite for a competitive FPS title. The ranking reflects that while the i5-14600K and RTX 4070 deliver excellent frame rates, there are many combinations with higher-end CPUs and GPUs that produce even higher averages.

The CPU itself sits at the 90th percentile among all processors tested, with an average benchmark score of 48618. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, 0.2% faster) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (48470, 0.3% slower). The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX sits 0.7% behind, while the Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% faster. These close margins show the i5-14600K is competitively positioned within its performance class, though it does not dominate its peers.

The RTX 4070 ranks at the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628, 0.1% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, 0.4% slower). The RTX 4080 Mobile is 1.3% faster, while the Radeon PRO W6400 is 1.3% slower. The GPU's percentile ranking is lower than the CPU's, indicating that in pure benchmark terms, the RTX 4070 faces stiffer competition relative to its class.

The combo's 858th rank out of 3719 suggests that while this pairing is well-balanced, it is not optimized for Counter-Strike 2 specifically. The game favors high single-thread performance and high frame rates, and while the i5-14600K excels at both, the RTX 4070's mid-range positioning means it cannot push frame rates as high as top-tier GPUs like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is sufficient for Counter-Strike 2 at all tested resolutions, though the 4K Ultra preset with 94 FPS average suggests the GPU is nearing its limits. The GPU's 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 64 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s.

The GPU's clock speeds are 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost. These clocks, combined with the Ada Lovelace architecture's efficiency, allow the RTX 4070 to deliver strong performance per watt, though the data does not include power consumption figures for this specific game. The GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is more than adequate for Counter-Strike 2's rendering demands, which are relatively modest compared to modern AAA titles.

The RTX 4070's VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in this game. At 4K Ultra, the GPU uses less than its full 12 GB allocation, and the measured FPS drop from 1080p Ultra (254 FPS) to 4K Ultra (94 FPS) is consistent with rendering load rather than memory capacity constraints. The memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s appears sufficient, as the scaling pattern between resolutions shows no sudden cliffs or stutters that would indicate bandwidth starvation.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest average FPS measured is 527 at 1080p with Low settings. This demonstrates the system's ability to push extremely high frame rates when GPU load is minimized.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the combo produces an average of 94 FPS. This is playable but below the 144Hz threshold preferred by many competitive players.

Q: What is the difference between 1080p and 1440p performance?

A: Across all presets, the average FPS drops by roughly 34% when moving from 1080p to 1440p. For example, High settings go from 327 FPS at 1080p to 216 FPS at 1440p.

Q: Is the RTX 4070's 12 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the data shows no evidence of VRAM limitations. The GPU's performance scales consistently with resolution, indicating that memory capacity is not a bottleneck in Counter-Strike 2.

Q: How does the i5-14600K compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-14600K scores 48618 on average, sitting 0.2% behind the Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.3% ahead of the EPYC 4345P. It is 0.7% ahead of the Core Ultra 5 245HX and 0.8% behind the Core Ultra 5 245.

Q: What is the best preset for competitive play at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 provide 290 FPS average with a 246 FPS minimum, offering high frame rates with more visual fidelity than Low settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This configuration provides strong multi-threaded performance for background tasks while excelling in single-threaded workloads that Counter-Strike 2 relies on. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain low-latency access to game data.

The CPU's benchmark results show particular strength in multi-threaded tests: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 24491, while single-core scores 2064. Geekbench multi-core scores 16673 with single-core at 2491. PassMark single-thread scores 4270, which is critical for Counter-Strike 2's game engine that depends heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU's TDP of 125 W and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory give builders flexibility, though the data shows the CPU's performance in this game is more dependent on clock speed than memory bandwidth. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz provides the high single-thread performance needed to maintain frame rates above 500 FPS at 1080p Low settings.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play where frame rate is paramount, Low settings at 1080p deliver 527 FPS average, which is well above any display refresh rate currently available. However, this preset sacrifices visual clarity that can help spot enemies at distance. Medium settings at 1080p provide 438 FPS average with a 372 FPS minimum, offering a good balance between visual fidelity and performance.

For 1440p displays, Medium settings provide the best experience with 290 FPS average and a 246 FPS minimum. This combination keeps frame rates high enough for smooth gameplay while adding visual detail that can aid in target acquisition. High settings at 1440p drop to 216 FPS average, which is still excellent for most displays but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 4K, the choice depends on the display's refresh rate. High settings provide 121 FPS average, which suits 120Hz displays nicely. Medium settings push to 162 FPS average with a 138 FPS minimum, making it the best option for 144Hz 4K displays. Ultra settings at 4K produce 94 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play where higher frame rates provide a tangible advantage.

The data indicates that Medium settings offer the most consistent frame pacing across all resolutions, with the smallest gap between average and minimum FPS. This consistency is valuable in a competitive shooter where frame drops can cause missed shots or delayed reactions. For most players, Medium settings at their native resolution will provide the best combination of frame rate and visual clarity, with Low settings reserved for maximum performance.