Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rate is king, and the data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 shows a config that prioritizes raw speed above all else. The measured results reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at the highest settings, but which can pivot to a CPU-bound state when the graphical load is dropped, making it a versatile, high-refresh-rate machine. This combination ranks 858th out of 3719 tested combos in this game, placing it in the top quarter of all possible pairings.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking observation from the measured FPS data is how dramatically performance scales with resolution. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system pushes an average of 527 FPS, a figure that drops to 349 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 195 FPS at 3840x2160. This sharp decline as resolution increases indicates that at 1080p, the system is not limited by the GPU; the frame rates are so high that the CPU’s processing power and memory subsystem are the primary bottlenecks. The jump from 1080p to 1440p results in a 178 FPS drop, which is a massive 33.8% reduction, highlighting that even at 1440p, the load on the graphics card is becoming significant.

Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 yields a further reduction, but the scale of the drop lessens in relative terms. At Low settings, the 1440p to 4K transition sees a 154 FPS decline, a 44.1% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern suggests that while the GPU is under increasing stress, the CPU is still capable of feeding it enough data to maintain high frame rates, but the sheer pixel count at 4K is beginning to dominate. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is also telling; the average FPS falls from 195 at Low to just 94 at Ultra, a 51.8% performance penalty for maxing out the graphical fidelity.

The data indicates that this configuration is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p High, the system averages 327 FPS, which is well beyond the refresh rate of most standard monitors. At 1440p High, the average of 216 FPS is still exceptionally high, making it a prime candidate for 240Hz or higher displays. The 4K results, while respectable with an average of 121 FPS on High settings, show the system entering a more GPU-limited territory. The scaling behavior clearly demonstrates that the RTX 4070 is the defining component for 4K performance, while the i5-14600KF’s strong single-core capabilities allow it to keep pace at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and utilizes the AD104 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It comes equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The card’s base clock is 1920 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These specifications translate to a strong performance profile, as evidenced by its 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs and a Passmark G3D score of 26927.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU’s role is multifaceted. At lower resolutions and settings, the game becomes less demanding on the graphics card, allowing the CPU to take the lead. However, the RTX 4070’s raw compute power still dictates the ceiling for frame rates. At 1080p Low, the 527 FPS average confirms the card’s ability to process simple scenes at incredible speed. As settings are increased to Ultra, the GPU’s shading units (5888) and texture mapping units (184) are put to work, and the average FPS at 1080p drops to 254, showing a clear correlation between graphical complexity and performance.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is ample for Counter-Strike 2 at these settings, and the data does not indicate any memory-related bottlenecks. The most significant GPU influence is seen at 4K resolution. The pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s become critical, and the card must work much harder to fill the 3840x2160 frame buffer. The Ultra preset at 4K, which likely enables the most demanding shadows, textures, and anti-aliasing, pushes the GPU to its limits, resulting in a 94 FPS average. This is a clear indication that while the card is powerful, it is not overkill for maxing out this title at 4K. The card’s performance relative to its rivals, such as being 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, further contextualizes its standing in the current GPU landscape.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for the graphics presets in Counter-Strike 2. Across all resolutions, the Low preset delivers the highest frame rates, while the Ultra preset delivers the lowest. The Medium preset offers a balanced middle ground. For competitive play, where frame rate is paramount, the Low preset is the obvious choice. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 527 FPS, which is over 200 FPS higher than the High preset at the same resolution. This performance headroom can be critical for maintaining a stable frame rate during intense firefights.

However, for players with high-refresh-rate monitors who also want better visual fidelity, the High preset appears to be the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the system still averages 216 FPS, which is sufficient for most high-end 240Hz monitors. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 48 FPS (from 216 to 168), which is a 22.2% performance hit. Given that the visual difference between High and Ultra is often subtle in a fast-paced game like Counter-Strike 2, the High preset offers the best balance of visual quality and raw performance. The Medium preset, with a 290 FPS average at 1440p, is also a viable option if you prefer some graphical enhancements without sacrificing too much speed.

At 4K, the recommendations change. The Ultra preset’s 94 FPS average is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The High preset at 121 FPS is a better target for a smoother experience. The data suggests that for a purely competitive advantage, dropping to 1080p Low is the optimal strategy, as it provides the absolute highest frame rates. For a more balanced approach that still leverages the i5-14600KF’s CPU strength, 1440p High is the recommended preset, offering a high frame rate experience without overburdening the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the average frame rates observed for each resolution and settings combination.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: The highest average FPS recorded in the entire dataset at 527.
• Medium: A significant step down from Low, with an average of 438 FPS. The minimum and maximum FPS for this setting were 372 and 503, respectively.
• High: Performance drops further to 327 FPS, showing a substantial cost for the High preset’s enhancements.
• Ultra: The most demanding setting at this resolution, yielding an average of 254 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: The average FPS is 349, which is still exceptionally high and suitable for the fastest monitors.
• Medium: The average FPS here is 290, with a minimum of 246 and a maximum of 333 FPS, indicating some variance in frame times.
• High: Averages 216 FPS, representing a solid performance level for high-refresh-rate gaming.
• Ultra: The average drops to 168 FPS, which is still smooth but shows the GPU is being pushed harder.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: The average FPS is 195, showing that even at 4K, the system can achieve high frame rates on minimal settings.
• Medium: The average FPS is 162, with a minimum of 138 and a maximum of 186 FPS.
• High: Averages 121 FPS, providing a good balance for 4K gaming on a high-refresh-rate display.
• Ultra: The most demanding configuration tested, with an average of only 94 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this configuration?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 527, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the 1440p High preset compare to the 1080p Ultra preset in terms of performance?

A: The 1440p High preset yields an average of 216 FPS, which is 38 FPS lower than the 1080p Ultra preset’s average of 254 FPS.

Q: Is the system capable of 4K gaming at high refresh rates?

A: At 4K with High settings, the system averages 121 FPS, which is suitable for 120Hz displays. However, the Ultra preset drops to 94 FPS, making high refresh rates less attainable at maximum fidelity.

Q: What is the performance penalty for using the Ultra preset over the Low preset at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset averages 254 FPS, which is 273 FPS lower than the Low preset’s 527 FPS, representing a 51.8% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: How does this CPU compare to a close rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900’s score of 49228.

Q: Does the GPU’s performance place it in a high percentile among all graphics cards?

A: Yes, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is in the 81st percentile of all GPUs based on its average benchmark score.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh generation. It features a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 and 2 MB of L2 per core, alongside a shared 24 MB L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 32544 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4594 in single-core, demonstrating strong multi-threaded and excellent single-threaded performance. It holds a 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not the limiting factor; the frame rate is so high that it is the CPU’s job to process the game’s logic, physics, and draw calls as quickly as possible. The i5-14600KF’s high boost clock of 5.30 GHz is crucial here, as it allows for rapid single-threaded execution, which is how the game engine is primarily utilized. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 527 FPS, a figure that is likely near the engine’s or CPU’s limit, as the scaling from 1440p Low (349 FPS) to 1080p Low (527 FPS) suggests a shift from GPU-bound to CPU-bound behavior.

The CPU’s impact is also visible in the performance scaling across settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Medium is 89 FPS, and between Medium and High is 111 FPS. These are large gaps, but they are smaller than the jump from High to Ultra at the same resolution, which is not present due to the data’s structure. However, the most telling sign of CPU strength is that at 1440p High, the system still manages 216 FPS. This indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution either, allowing the RTX 4070 to flex its muscles. The i5-14600KF’s performance is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, showing it is at the top of its class for gaming. For a title like Counter-Strike 2, which is known to favor high clock speeds over core counts, this CPU is an ideal match, ensuring that the system’s peak frame rates are not artificially capped by processor limitations.