Counter-Strike 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Counter-Strike 2 with the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER reveals a pronounced scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 667.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 445.2 FPS, a reduction of roughly one-third. At 4K Low, the figure falls to 250.7 FPS, less than 40% of the 1080p Low result. This steep decline indicates that at lower resolutions, the system is heavily CPU-bound, with the GPU having substantial headroom that gets progressively consumed as pixel count rises.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 322 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 213.7 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it reaches 117.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 63% reduction, which is steeper than the Low preset's 62% reduction but similar in magnitude. What is notable is the gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, Low beats Ultra by 345.9 FPS. At 4K, that gap narrows to 132.8 FPS. The shrinking delta suggests that as resolution climbs, the GPU becomes the limiting component, and the CPU-driven advantage of Low settings diminishes.

Between Medium and High, the data shows consistent behavior. At 1080p, Medium yields 559.2 FPS and High yields 413.6 FPS. At 1440p, Medium delivers 368.2 FPS and High 275.8 FPS. At 4K, Medium produces 204.2 FPS and High 152.4 FPS. The ratio between Medium and High remains relatively stable across resolutions, indicating that the GPU workload scaling is predictable. The limiting component shift is most visible in the Low preset's performance cliff from 1080p to 4K, where the FPS drops below the 300 mark, signaling that even a high-end GPU like the RTX 4080 SUPER begins to feel the strain of 4K rendering in this title.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 667.9, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

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

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 117.9, while at 1080p Ultra it is 322. This represents a 63% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings.

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

A: Given that 1080p Low produces 667.9 FPS and 4K Low produces 250.7 FPS, the data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p, as the GPU has significant headroom that gets utilized at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings deliver 445.2 FPS while Ultra delivers 213.7 FPS, a difference of 231.5 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The data does not indicate VRAM capacity being a limiting factor, as even at 4K Ultra, the game runs at 117.9 FPS. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory appear sufficient for the measured settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 113th out of 1632 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 7% of all configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER plays a critical role in this game's higher-resolution performance. The GPU's specifications include a boost clock of 2550 MHz, 10240 shading units, and 112 ROPs. Its memory subsystem consists of 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications directly influence the measured frame rates at 4K, where the GPU's rendering capabilities become the primary constraint.

At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 117.9, which is the lowest figure in the entire dataset. This suggests that the game's Ultra preset at 4K pushes the GPU's pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s to its limits. In contrast, at 1080p Low, the GPU is far from saturated, as evidenced by the 667.9 FPS result. The GPU's FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS provides ample compute for the game's shader work at lower resolutions, but the 4K Ultra workload demands more than the GPU can sustain at higher frame rates.

The GPU's 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are part of the Ada Lovelace architecture, though Counter-Strike 2's measured results do not explicitly indicate ray tracing usage. The texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s supports the High and Ultra presets' texture demands, as seen in the 152.4 FPS at 4K High versus 117.9 FPS at 4K Ultra. The GPU's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design reflect its high-end positioning, and the data confirms it delivers class-leading performance in this title, though the CPU still dominates at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its strongest results. Low settings yield 667.9 FPS, Medium 559.2 FPS, High 413.6 FPS, and Ultra 322 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 52% reduction, showing that the game's graphical presets have a substantial impact even at this resolution. The gap between Medium and High (145.6 FPS) is larger than the gap between High and Ultra (91.6 FPS), suggesting diminishing returns at the higher preset tiers.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but drop noticeably. Low delivers 445.2 FPS, Medium 368.2 FPS, High 275.8 FPS, and Ultra 213.7 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 33% at Low to 34% at Ultra. This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU is becoming more relevant but the CPU still has considerable influence. The 1440p Low result of 445.2 FPS is still higher than the 1080p Ultra result of 322 FPS, meaning players can achieve higher frame rates at a higher resolution by lowering settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low produces 250.7 FPS, Medium 204.2 FPS, High 152.4 FPS, and Ultra 117.9 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is severe: Low falls by 44%, Medium by 45%, High by 45%, and Ultra by 45%. This nearly uniform percentage drop across presets confirms that the GPU is now the primary constraint. The 4K Low result of 250.7 FPS is still playable for competitive gaming, but the 4K Ultra figure of 117.9 FPS is below the refresh rates of many high-end monitors.

How This Combo Ranks

In Counter-Strike 2, this Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination ranks 113th out of 1632 tested combos. This places it in the top 7% of all configurations, a strong showing for a desktop setup. The CPU itself holds a 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49166. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, scores 49062, a delta of 0.2%, meaning the i5-14600K is effectively tied with that competitor. The Intel Core i5-14600KF is 0.4% ahead, while the AMD EPYC 4345P is 0.9% ahead, and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H trails by 1%.

The GPU ranks in the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, scores 53489, a delta of 0.2%. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is 0.4% ahead, the AMD Radeon RX 7700S is 2.1% ahead, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is 2.9% ahead. The combination of a top-7% CPU and top-12% GPU yields a combo rank of 113, which is slightly worse than the individual component rankings would suggest. This is likely due to the game's CPU-bound nature at lower resolutions, where the GPU's high-end capabilities are not fully utilized.

The 1632-combo dataset includes a wide range of hardware, and this combination's rank indicates it outperforms the vast majority of systems. However, the gap to the top ranks is likely driven by CPUs with higher single-thread performance, as Counter-Strike 2's frame rates at 1080p Low (667.9 FPS) suggest the game is heavily dependent on CPU speed.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver playable frame rates, but the Low preset's 667.9 FPS is exceptionally high, making it the best choice for competitive play on high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 559.2 FPS offers a balanced experience, while High at 413.6 FPS and Ultra at 322 FPS still provide smooth gameplay for most displays.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 445.2 FPS, which is more than sufficient for 360 Hz monitors. Medium at 368.2 FPS is also viable for high-refresh displays. High at 275.8 FPS and Ultra at 213.7 FPS are acceptable for 240 Hz monitors, but players targeting 360 Hz should stick with Low or Medium. The data shows that at 1440p, the gap between Low and Medium is 77 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 92.4 FPS, meaning visual quality gains come at a measurable frame rate cost.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Low at 250.7 FPS is the only preset that exceeds 240 Hz, making it the recommended choice for competitive 4K gaming. Medium at 204.2 FPS is suitable for 144 Hz displays, while High at 152.4 FPS and Ultra at 117.9 FPS are better suited for 120 Hz or lower refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset's 117.9 FPS is the only figure below 120 FPS in the entire dataset, so players prioritizing frame rate should avoid Ultra at 4K. For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, Medium at 1440p or 4K offers the most sensible compromise, as it maintains high frame rates while providing a significant visual upgrade over Low.