Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is notoriously CPU-bound at high frame rates, but the pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shifts that balance significantly at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a clear progression: as resolution increases, the GPU load rises and frame rates drop, but the absolute numbers remain exceptionally high across the board. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 814 FPS, which drops to 539 FPS at 1440p and 301 FPS at 4K. This scaling pattern indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames faster than the processor can feed it. By 4K, the GPU becomes more involved, yet the i5-14600K's strong single-core performance keeps the system from becoming fully GPU-bound even at the highest resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial but not linear, revealing how the workload shifts between components. At Low settings, the progression is 814 FPS (1080p) → 539 FPS (1440p) → 301 FPS (4K). That is a 34% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 44% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The 4K result is still over 300 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show, but the diminishing returns are clear. This pattern suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is the bottleneck—the RTX 5090 D is capable of far more than 814 FPS, but the i5-14600K cannot issue draw calls fast enough. At 4K Low, the GPU is doing more work per frame, yet the CPU still keeps up well enough to deliver 301 FPS, which indicates that even at 4K, this combination is not entirely GPU-limited in this lightweight esports title.

The High preset tells a similar story with different numbers. At 1080p High, the combo hits 505 FPS, dropping to 334 FPS at 1440p and 187 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are steeper here—34% from 1080p to 1440p, then 44% from 1440p to 4K—which is nearly identical to the Low preset scaling. This consistency suggests that the resolution scaling is independent of the quality preset in this game, at least for this CPU-GPU pair. The Ultra preset shows the same pattern: 392 FPS at 1080p, 260 FPS at 1440p, and 145 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 145 FPS is the only reading below 150 FPS in the entire dataset, which is still comfortably playable for competitive gaming, though it no longer exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

What the data does not show is a catastrophic collapse at any resolution. Even the worst-case scenario—4K Ultra—produces 145 FPS, which is above the 144 Hz threshold that many competitive players consider the minimum for serious play. The Medium preset, which is the only one with min/max FPS data, shows 676 FPS average at 1080p with a minimum of 575 FPS and a maximum of 778 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 448 FPS with a minimum of 380 FPS and a maximum of 515 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 250 FPS with a minimum of 213 FPS and a maximum of 288 FPS. The min FPS values are notably close to the averages, which indicates consistent frame pacing without major stutters.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D overkill for Counter-Strike 2 at 1080p?

A: Benchmark results indicate that at 1080p Low, the combo produces 814 FPS, which far exceeds any display refresh rate currently available. The CPU is the limiting factor at this resolution, as the GPU has significant headroom that cannot be utilized because the i5-14600K's single-core speed caps the frame rate.

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

A: The data shows that 1440p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At High settings, 1440p delivers 334 FPS, which is still nearly 2.3 times higher than the 145 FPS seen at 4K Ultra. For players with 240 Hz or 360 Hz monitors, 1440p High or Medium is the sweet spot.

Q: Can this system maintain 240 FPS at 4K?

A: At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 250, which is above 240, but the minimum FPS is 213, which dips below that threshold. For a stable 240 FPS experience at 4K, players should use Low settings, which produce 301 FPS average with no min FPS data indicating dips below that level.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance cost?

A: The Ultra preset costs roughly 25-28% of the frame rate compared to High across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra yields 392 FPS versus 505 FPS on High. At 1440p, the gap is 260 FPS versus 334 FPS. At 4K, Ultra produces 145 FPS versus 187 FPS on High.

Q: Is the i5-14600K holding back the RTX 5090 D in this game?

A: At 1080p Low, the 814 FPS result suggests the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU is capable of higher frame rates in less CPU-bound scenarios. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes more involved, and the combo still achieves 301 FPS on Low, indicating the CPU is not a severe bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the frame consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data. At 1080p, the average is 676 FPS with a minimum of 575 FPS and a maximum of 778 FPS. At 1440p, the average is 448 FPS with a minimum of 380 FPS and a maximum of 515 FPS. At 4K, the average is 250 FPS with a minimum of 213 FPS and a maximum of 288 FPS. The min FPS values are consistently within 85-90% of the averages, showing stable frame pacing.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks first overall in Counter-Strike 2 out of 2,870 tested combinations. That is a top-0.03% result, placing this pairing at the absolute pinnacle of the database for this game. The rank is particularly notable because the i5-14600K is not the most expensive or highest-core-count CPU available, yet its combination of high single-core clock speed and the RTX 5090 D's massive rasterization throughput yields the best measured FPS in the entire database.

The CPU's individual benchmark scores support this ranking. The i5-14600K achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,064 and a multi-core score of 24,491. Its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (average score 48,698, which is 0.2% higher), the AMD EPYC 4345P (average score 48,470, which is 0.3% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (average score 48,287, which is 0.7% lower). These are all server or mobile chips with different power characteristics, yet the i5-14600K holds its own in general compute benchmarks while excelling in gaming workloads due to its high boost clock of 5.30 GHz.

The GPU's individual ranking is less impressive in synthetic benchmarks. The RTX 5090 D has a Passmark G3D score of 44,065 and an average benchmark score of 77,712, placing it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the GPU database are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (average score 76,904, which is 1.1% lower), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (average score 78,940, which is 1.6% higher), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants. These are not direct competitors in gaming performance, but the data shows that the RTX 5090 D's synthetic scores are not as dominant as its gaming FPS suggests, which highlights how Counter-Strike 2's specific workload favors this architecture.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the highest possible frame rates in Counter-Strike 2, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 814 FPS, which is an absurd margin over any display's refresh rate. However, the data shows that the Medium preset at 1080p still produces 676 FPS, which is only 17% lower than Low but offers better visual clarity for spotting enemies. At 1440p, the Medium preset provides 448 FPS average with a minimum of 380 FPS, which is an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 260 FPS, which is still above 240 Hz but offers diminishing returns in visual quality for a 32% performance hit compared to High.

For 4K gaming, the choice is more nuanced. The Medium preset at 4K produces 250 FPS average with a minimum of 213 FPS, which is suitable for 240 Hz displays but may dip below that threshold during intense scenes. The Low preset at 4K yields 301 FPS, which provides a comfortable margin above 240 Hz and even approaches 360 Hz territory. The High preset at 4K drops to 187 FPS, which is above 144 Hz but not enough for 240 Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 145 FPS, which is barely above the 144 Hz minimum and is not recommended for competitive play.

The optimal setting depends on the display refresh rate. For 360 Hz monitors, 1080p Low (814 FPS) or 1440p Low (539 FPS) are the only presets that maintain frame rates above 360 FPS. For 240 Hz monitors, 1440p Medium (448 FPS average, 380 FPS minimum) is the best balance, as it stays above 240 FPS even in the worst-case frames. For 144 Hz monitors, 4K High (187 FPS) or 4K Medium (250 FPS) both provide more than enough headroom, and the choice comes down to visual preference.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 814 FPS average, the Medium preset delivers 676 FPS average with a minimum of 575 FPS and a maximum of 778 FPS, the High preset delivers 505 FPS average, and the Ultra preset delivers 392 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 422 FPS, which means the Ultra preset costs 52% of the performance compared to Low at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 539 FPS average, the Medium preset delivers 448 FPS average with a minimum of 380 FPS and a maximum of 515 FPS, the High preset delivers 334 FPS average, and the Ultra preset delivers 260 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 279 FPS, with Ultra costing 52% of the performance compared to Low—the same relative cost as at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 301 FPS average, the Medium preset delivers 250 FPS average with a minimum of 213 FPS and a maximum of 288 FPS, the High preset delivers 187 FPS average, and the Ultra preset delivers 145 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra is 156 FPS, with Ultra costing 52% of the performance compared to Low. The consistency of this 52% cost across all resolutions indicates that the Ultra preset adds a uniform amount of GPU work regardless of resolution.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the minimum is 575 FPS (85% of the average), at 1440p the minimum is 380 FPS (85% of the average), and at 4K the minimum is 213 FPS (85% of the average). This consistent ratio suggests that frame pacing is stable and that the system does not experience disproportionate drops at higher resolutions.

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. It has 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core, with 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This configuration, based on the Raptor Lake architecture on a 10 nm process, is designed for high single-thread performance, which is critical for Counter-Strike 2's game engine that relies heavily on one main thread for frame rendering.

The CPU's benchmark scores confirm its strength in single-threaded workloads. It achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,064 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,491. These are the metrics that matter most for Counter-Strike 2, as the game's frame rate is often limited by the CPU's ability to process game logic and issue draw calls. The multi-core scores are also respectable—Cinebench R23 multi-core is 24,491 and Geekbench multi-core is 16,673—but these are less relevant for this game, which does not scale well across many cores.

The high boost clock of 5.30 GHz is the key specification here. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 814 FPS, which requires the CPU to process a new frame every 1.23 milliseconds. This is only possible with the highest single-core clock speeds available. The i5-14600K's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs reflects this capability, and its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database—the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and AMD EPYC 4345P—are server chips with lower clock speeds but more cores, which explains why they score similarly in average benchmarks but would perform worse in this specific game.

The CPU's 125W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 mounting make it a mainstream desktop part, which is advantageous for builders who want high frame rates without needing a workstation platform. The data shows that the i5-14600K is not the limiting factor at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU becomes more important, but at 1080p, the CPU's single-core performance is what enables frame rates above 800 FPS. For players who prioritize maximum FPS in Counter-Strike 2, this CPU is a critical component, and its performance in this game justifies its position as the top-ranked combo in the database.