Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Counter-Strike 2, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. The combo ranks in the 1590th position out of 3719 tested combinations, placing it in the upper half of the database. The following analysis breaks down the measured data, component roles, and practical settings guidance based solely on the provided facts.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Counter-Strike 2 compared to other tested combinations?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combo ranks 1590th out of 3719 tested combinations in the database.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 53620, which is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, 0.8% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P, 0.3% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290, and 0.2% behind the Intel Xeon 6505P.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 3070 has an average benchmark score of 17208, which is 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690, 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 7970M, and 1.5% behind the NVIDIA Tesla K40c.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves the highest average FPS of 433.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded at 3840x2160?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo records the lowest average FPS of 77.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU have a higher percentile ranking against all other components?

A: The CPU has a percentile ranking of 91 against all CPUs, while the GPU has a percentile ranking of 61 against all GPUs, indicating the CPU is the stronger component in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in Counter-Strike 2 stands at 1590 out of 3719 tested combinations. This places the pairing in the 57th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms a majority of systems in the database. However, the rank is not near the top, reflecting that while the hardware is capable, it is not in the elite tier for this specific title. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the CPU sits in the 91st percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 61st percentile against all GPUs. This discrepancy suggests the graphics card is the more limiting factor in achieving higher combo ranks, as the processor has ample headroom to drive higher frame rates if the GPU could keep pace.

The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, are within 0.8% in average benchmark score, indicating that the i7-14700F is competitively positioned. The GPU's rivals, like the RX 7600 XT, are similarly close, with a 0.7% difference. These margins are small, but in a game like Counter-Strike 2 where frame rates are critical, even a 1% difference can translate into a few FPS at high refresh rates. The combo's mid-pack rank is consistent with the GPU's lower percentile, as the RTX 3070 is the bottleneck in most scenarios, particularly at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F features 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It is built on the Raptor Lake architecture using a 10 nm process, with a 33 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958. In synthetic tests, the CPU achieves a 91st percentile ranking against all CPUs, which underscores its high performance in both multithreaded and single-threaded workloads.

In Counter-Strike 2, which is heavily reliant on single-core performance for game logic and physics, the i7-14700F's boost clock of 5.40 GHz is crucial. The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 433 FPS average, which is likely CPU-bound at that point. The high single-core score of 4958 in Cinebench R23 supports this, as the processor can feed frames to the GPU quickly. The 20 cores and 28 threads also help with background tasks and streaming, but the game's performance is primarily dictated by the CPU's ability to process the game loop at high speed. The CPU's cache hierarchy, with 2 MB per core L2 and 33 MB shared L3, reduces memory latency, which is beneficial for a fast-paced FPS where every millisecond counts.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 91 suggests that it is among the top 9% of all CPUs in the database, making it a strong foundation for this combo. However, the measured FPS at higher resolutions, such as 3840x2160, drops significantly, indicating that the CPU is not the limiting factor at those settings. Instead, the GPU takes over as the bottleneck, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling from 433 FPS at 1080p Low to 160 FPS at 4K Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 433, which is exceptionally high and suitable for competitive play on 360Hz or 400Hz monitors. Medium settings yield 360 FPS average, with a minimum of 306 and maximum of 414, showing consistent performance. High settings drop to 269 FPS average, while Ultra settings bring the average down to 209 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combo is heavily CPU-bound, as even with the GPU under less load, the frame rates remain high.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease but remain competitive. Low settings produce 287 FPS average, Medium settings 238 FPS with a minimum of 202 and maximum of 274, High settings 178 FPS, and Ultra settings 138 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, with the Low setting losing 146 FPS (from 433 to 287), which is a 33.7% reduction. This suggests the GPU is becoming more involved, but the CPU still has headroom.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a more substantial hit. Low settings average 160 FPS, Medium settings 133 FPS with a minimum of 113 and maximum of 153, High settings 99 FPS, and Ultra settings 77 FPS. The 4K Low result is less than half of the 1080p Low result, indicating a strong GPU bottleneck. The minimum FPS of 113 at 4K Medium shows that the combo can maintain playable frame rates even at high resolution, but the Ultra preset at 77 FPS may be too low for competitive play, which typically requires at least 144 FPS.

The only settings with min/max data are Medium for all resolutions, which provides a useful consistency check. At 1080p Medium, the range is 306-414 FPS, a spread of 108 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 202-274 FPS, a spread of 72 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range is 113-153 FPS, a spread of 40 FPS. This narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is smoothing out frame times as it becomes the bottleneck, but also that the CPU is not causing stutters.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1725 MHz, and it has 5888 shading units. The GPU's benchmark scores show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3162 and a Passmark G3D score of 22214, placing it in the 61st percentile against all GPUs. This is notably lower than the CPU's percentile, confirming that the GPU is the weaker link in this pairing.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes more apparent at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 77, which is a 64% reduction from the 1080p Low result. This dramatic drop is due to the GPU being fully saturated, as the 8 GB VRAM may also be a limiting factor at 4K with higher texture settings. However, the data shows that even at 4K Low, the combo achieves 160 FPS, indicating that the GPU is capable of handling the game if settings are adjusted.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K, the 8 GB VRAM capacity may cause texture swapping, especially with Ultra settings. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 77, which is the lowest in the dataset, suggesting that the GPU is struggling with the combination of high resolution and high settings. The GPU's nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, is only 0.7% behind in benchmark score, but in real-world gaming, the RTX 3070's performance is competitive.

The GPU's 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 46 RT cores are not directly tested in this game, but the raw compute power contributes to the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The boost clock of 1725 MHz is modest compared to newer cards, but the architecture is efficient for esports titles. Overall, the GPU is capable of delivering high FPS at 1080p and 1440p, but it becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K, particularly with higher settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the ideal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080, the Low preset offers the highest average FPS at 433, which is ideal for competitive play on high-refresh monitors. However, the Medium preset at 360 FPS still provides a significant margin above 240Hz displays, with a minimum of 306 FPS ensuring no drops below 300 FPS. The High preset at 269 FPS is also viable for 240Hz monitors, but Ultra at 209 FPS may be too low for the most demanding players.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset at 287 FPS is the best choice for competitive play, as it stays above 240Hz. The Medium preset at 238 FPS is suitable for 240Hz monitors, with a minimum of 202 FPS keeping it above 200 FPS. The High preset at 178 FPS is adequate for 165Hz displays, while Ultra at 138 FPS is best for 144Hz monitors, though it may dip below 144 FPS in intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 160 FPS is the only option that exceeds 144Hz, making it the recommended choice for 4K competitive play. The Medium preset at 133 FPS is suitable for 120Hz displays, with a minimum of 113 FPS, but the High preset at 99 FPS and Ultra at 77 FPS are better suited for 60Hz or 75Hz monitors. Given the game's competitive nature, prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity is recommended, so the Low or Medium presets are optimal for all resolutions.

The data shows that the Medium preset offers a balanced trade-off, with the only min/max FPS data available. At 1080p Medium, the average is 360 FPS, which is 73% of the Low preset's performance. At 1440p Medium, the average is 238 FPS, which is 83% of Low. At 4K Medium, the average is 133 FPS, which is 83% of Low. This consistency suggests that Medium settings provide a reliable experience without sacrificing too much performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component at each resolution. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 433 at 1080p to 287 at 1440p, a 33.7% decrease, and then to 160 at 4K, a 44.3% decrease from 1440p. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is becoming the bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the frame rate is extremely high and the GPU is not fully utilized.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 360 FPS at 1080p drops to 238 at 1440p (33.9% decrease) and then to 133 at 4K (44.1% decrease from 1440p). This pattern confirms that the GPU's load is increasing with resolution, while the CPU's performance remains constant. The High settings show a similar trend: 269 FPS at 1080p, 178 at 1440p (33.8% decrease), and 99 at 4K (44.4% decrease from 1440p). The Ultra settings follow suit: 209 FPS at 1080p, 138 at 1440p (34% decrease), and 77 at 4K (44.2% decrease from 1440p).

The consistent percentage decreases across all settings, roughly 34% from 1080p to 1440p and 44% from 1440p to 4K, indicate that the limiting component is the GPU, as the CPU's performance is independent of resolution. The RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely the constraints at higher resolutions, as the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, requiring more memory and bandwidth. The CPU, with its high single-core performance, can maintain high frame rates, but the GPU cannot keep up at 4K, especially with Ultra settings where the average FPS drops to 77.

The data suggests that for 4K gaming, the Low preset is necessary to maintain playable frame rates above 144 FPS, while 1440p and 1080p allow for higher settings. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking versus the GPU's 61st percentile clearly shows that the RTX 3070 is the limiting factor in this combo. For users targeting 4K, upgrading the GPU would yield the most significant performance improvement, while the i7-14700F has sufficient headroom to support a more powerful graphics card.