Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rate directly impacts aiming and reaction time. The data for the Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER shows a system that can deliver extremely high performance, but the balance between CPU and GPU shifts dramatically depending on resolution and settings. This analysis focuses strictly on the measured results, showing what this specific combination achieves in CS2.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how this combo scales from 1080p to 4K, and the pattern clearly indicates where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 352.4 FPS. This is a massive number, suggesting the CPU is doing most of the heavy lifting, as the GPU has very little work to do at this resolution and preset. Moving to Medium settings at 1080p drops the average to 294 FPS, a decrease of roughly 17%. High settings at 1080p yields 219.3 FPS, and Ultra drops further to 173.8 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop of about 51%, indicating that while the GPU is being engaged more, the CPU headroom is still significant.

At 1440p, the picture changes. Low settings produce an average of 233.6 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings yield 197 FPS, and High settings deliver 148.6 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p produce 111.2 FPS. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is from 352.4 to 233.6 FPS, a reduction of about 34%. This is a substantial decrease, suggesting that the GPU is now starting to become a limiting factor, as the resolution increase adds pixel workload that the RTX 2070 SUPER must process.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the primary constraint. Low settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 134 FPS. This is a significant drop from the 1440p Low result. Medium settings at 4K yield 109.1 FPS, and High settings drop to 83.5 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K produce only 60.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a reduction from 352.4 to 134 FPS, a drop of about 62%. This steep decline highlights that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are heavily taxed at 4K, even on Low settings. The data suggests that 1080p is firmly CPU-bound, 1440p is a balanced mix, and 4K is entirely GPU-bound for this combination.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is an end-of-life product from the GeForce 20-series, based on the Turing architecture and manufactured on a 12 nm process. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Its compute capabilities include 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, which are crucial for pixel output. The measured data shows that this GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 60.5 FPS, which is just around the threshold for playable, but not ideal for competitive play. The GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is likely a constraint at 4K with higher quality textures and effects. The performance difference between 4K Low (134 FPS) and 4K Ultra (60.5 FPS) is a 55% reduction, showing how sensitive the GPU is to settings changes at this resolution. In contrast, at 1080p, the GPU has more headroom, and the difference between Low (352.4 FPS) and Ultra (173.8 FPS) is less severe in relative terms, though still substantial. The GPU's role is to provide the raw pixel throughput, and the data shows it does so effectively up to 1440p, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with this CPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For competitive play at 1080p, Low settings at 352.4 FPS are the best choice, as they provide the highest possible frame rate, which is critical for minimizing input lag and ensuring smooth tracking. Medium settings at 294 FPS still offer a very high frame rate and may provide slightly better visual clarity without a significant performance penalty. High settings at 219.3 FPS are still excellent for most players, while Ultra at 173.8 FPS is playable but offers diminishing returns for competitive advantage.

At 1440p, Low settings at 233.6 FPS are again the best for maximum responsiveness. Medium settings at 197 FPS are a strong alternative if you want better visuals while staying above the 144 Hz refresh rate commonly found on 1440p monitors. High settings at 148.6 FPS are acceptable for 144 Hz displays, but you will be close to the refresh limit. Ultra at 111.2 FPS is only suitable for 60 Hz displays or single-player scenarios, as it sacrifices the competitive edge.

At 4K, the data shows that Low settings at 134 FPS are the only setting that approaches high refresh rates. Medium at 109.1 FPS and High at 83.5 FPS are playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra at 60.5 FPS is only viable for slower gameplay. The recommendation is to use Low or Medium settings at 4K to maintain a usable frame rate, as the GPU cannot handle higher presets at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in game for this specific pair is 999 out of 1632 tested combinations. This puts it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which might seem surprising given the high FPS numbers. However, the rank considers all tested hardware, including top-tier CPUs and GPUs that can push even higher frame rates. The i7-14700F is a strong CPU, ranking in the 94th percentile against all CPUs in synthetic benchmarks, but the RTX 2070 SUPER ranks in the 65th percentile against all GPUs. This GPU is the limiting factor for the combo's overall rank.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, which is 0.6% faster on average, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, which is 1.1% faster. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 is 1.2% slower, and the AMD EPYC 7313P is 1.7% slower. This shows the i7-14700F is competitive with high-end desktop and server parts. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A400, which is 0.5% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z, which is 0.9% slower. The RTX 4060 Mobile is 2.3% faster, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is 2.5% slower. This places the RTX 2070 SUPER in a specific performance tier, and the combo's rank of 999 reflects that this GPU is not capable of matching the top-tier FPS counts that newer or higher-end cards can achieve.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU has a 33 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its synthetic benchmarks are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003. In PassMark, it scores 41765 for multi-thread and 4261 for single-thread. This CPU is clearly powerful enough for CS2, which is known to be CPU-bound at lower resolutions.

The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 352.4 FPS, which is likely near the limit of what the CPU can push in this game. The CPU's high single-thread performance is critical for CS2's game logic and physics. The boost clock of 5.40 GHz is excellent for this workload. When comparing to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700F is only 0.6% slower than the Ryzen 9 9900X and 1.1% slower than the Ryzen 9 9900X3D in average benchmark scores, indicating that it holds its own against much more expensive processors. The CPU is not the bottleneck in this combination; it provides ample headroom for the GPU to be the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 352.4 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the best-case scenario for competitive play.

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming?

A: The data shows it is excellent for both. At 1080p, it ranges from 173.8 FPS on Ultra to 352.4 FPS on Low. At 1440p, it ranges from 111.2 FPS on Ultra to 233.6 FPS on Low. For high refresh rate monitors, 1080p provides more headroom.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F is 0.6% slower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and 1.1% slower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D in average benchmark scores. It is faster than the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 1.2% and the AMD EPYC 7313P by 1.7%.

Q: What is the impact of setting changes at 4K?

A: At 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor. Low settings produce 134 FPS, Medium produces 109.1 FPS, High produces 83.5 FPS, and Ultra produces 60.5 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is about 55%.

Q: Why is the combo ranked 999 out of 1632 if the FPS is high?

A: The rank is based on the combination of CPU and GPU relative to all other tested combinations. While the CPU is strong, the RTX 2070 SUPER is an older GPU that limits the overall potential, placing it in the lower-middle tier compared to newer, higher-end hardware.

Q: Which settings should I use for a 144 Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 1440p produce an average of 197 FPS, which is well above 144 Hz. High settings produce 148.6 FPS, which is just above the refresh rate. Low settings at 233.6 FPS provide the most headroom for consistent frame times.