Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is notoriously CPU-bound at lower resolutions, but the data for this specific configuration—the Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti—shows a pronounced shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the CPU is the clear limiting factor, but by 4K, the GPU takes over, creating a performance curve that reveals the balance of this particular pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep, consistent drop as resolution increases, but the rate of that drop is not uniform across settings. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 sees average FPS fall from 524 to 194—a 63% reduction. This massive delta is a clear indicator that at 1080p Low, the system is heavily CPU-limited; the GPU is so underutilized that it can generate massive frame rates, but the CPU cannot feed it fast enough to push higher. When the resolution jumps to 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the dominant factor, and the frame rate settles to a level the RTX 3080 Ti can sustain.

The Medium preset tells a similar story, but with a slightly smaller relative drop. Average FPS goes from 435 at 1080p to 288 at 1440p, then down to 161 at 4K. This is a 63% reduction from 1080p to 4K as well, but the absolute numbers are lower, indicating that the GPU is already starting to feel the load at Medium settings. The High preset shows the most balanced scaling: 325 FPS at 1080p, 215 at 1440p, and 120 at 4K—a 63% drop overall. This consistency suggests that High settings scale almost linearly with pixel count, which points to a well-balanced workload between the CPU and GPU at this quality level.

Ultra settings exhibit the most severe scaling squeeze, with 253 FPS at 1080p dropping to 167 at 1440p and 93 at 4K—a 63% reduction. The fact that Ultra at 4K is the only configuration dipping below 100 FPS average indicates that this setting is pushing the RTX 3080 Ti to its limits, making the GPU the absolute bottleneck. The data shows that the i7-14700F's 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p and 1440p, but the RTX 3080 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 912.4 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factor at 4K, especially on higher presets.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080 Ti is the star of the show at higher resolutions, but its role shifts dramatically depending on the settings. With a boost clock of 1665 MHz and 10240 shading units, the GPU has ample raw compute power. The data shows that at 1080p Low, it achieves 524 FPS, which is a clear sign that the GPU is not being fully exercised. However, the 12 GB VRAM capacity and 384-bit memory bus become critical at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 93.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s is a key factor in the 4K results. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the GPU maintains 161 FPS average with a minimum of 137 FPS, indicating that the memory subsystem can keep up with the data demands of the game at that resolution. However, the jump to Ultra settings reduces the average to 93 FPS, suggesting that the increased texture detail and shading complexity are taxing the GPU's compute capabilities more than its memory bandwidth. The benchmark scores corroborate this: the GPU's Passmark G3D score of 26896 places it in the 83rd percentile, but its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 with a deltaPct of 2, meaning the 3080 Ti is slightly ahead despite being an older architecture.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 34.10 TFLOPS is a strong indicator of its rasterization prowess, which Counter-Strike 2 heavily relies on. The data shows that the RTX 3080 Ti can deliver a playable experience at 4K High with 120 FPS average, but it cannot maintain that at Ultra. This is a classic case of a high-end GPU being pushed to its thermal and power limits—its 350 W TDP and 750 W suggested PSU are necessary to sustain these frame rates. The GPU's end-of-life production status does not diminish its current performance, but the data suggests that for 4K Ultra, users would need to rely on upscaling technologies, which are not measured here.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for optimal performance. For competitive play at 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 524 FPS average, which is far beyond the refresh rate of any standard monitor and provides the lowest input latency. While Low settings are typically preferred for visibility and frame rate in esports titles like Counter-Strike 2, the Medium preset offers 435 FPS average with a minimum of 370 FPS, providing a better visual experience without sacrificing the competitive edge. The High preset at 1080p still achieves 325 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate display.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers 288 FPS average with a minimum of 245 FPS, which is well above the 240 Hz refresh rate that many competitive gamers use. The High preset at 1440p drops to 215 FPS, which is still excellent but may require a G-Sync or FreeSync display to avoid tearing. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 167 FPS, but the visual fidelity gains over High are marginal in a fast-paced shooter, making it a less efficient choice.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that High settings are the maximum playable option. The 120 FPS average at 3840x2160 High is smooth, but the 93 FPS at Ultra is a noticeable drop that could impact competitive performance. The Medium preset at 4K offers 161 FPS, which is surprisingly strong and provides a good balance between visual quality and frame rate. However, for pure competitiveness, the Low preset at 4K still delivers 194 FPS, making it viable for players who prioritize frame rate over resolution. The data indicates that the RTX 3080 Ti is best utilized at 1440p Medium or 4K High, where it can maintain high frame rates without being bottlenecked by the CPU or overstressed by the GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the data?

A: The highest average FPS is 524, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: Does the configuration maintain 144 FPS at 4K with any preset?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 delivers an average of 161 FPS, which is above 144 FPS.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average is 93 FPS, seen at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread score?

A: The CPU scores 4958 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 35122 in multi-core, showing a strong single-thread capability that is beneficial for Counter-Strike 2's engine.

Q: Is the GPU's memory capacity a limiting factor in this game?

A: With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, the data does not indicate VRAM capacity is a bottleneck, as performance scales consistently with resolution and settings without sudden drops attributable to memory overflow.

Q: What is the frame rate range for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 has a minimum of 245 FPS and a maximum of 331 FPS, with an average of 288 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F plays a critical role in this configuration, particularly at lower resolutions where its performance ceiling is exposed. With 20 cores and 28 threads, the CPU has substantial multi-threaded capability, but Counter-Strike 2 primarily relies on single-thread performance. The CPU's boost clock of 5.40 GHz is the key driver of the 1080p results. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4958 confirms that this chip has excellent per-core speed, which is why it can push 524 FPS at 1080p Low.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU workload increases. However, at 1080p, the CPU is clearly the limiting factor. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p reduces the average FPS from 524 to 435, a 17% drop that is entirely due to increased GPU load. The fact that the CPU can maintain over 400 FPS at 1080p Medium shows that its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and high clock speed are sufficient for this game's engine.

The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 91st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 53620. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, has an avgScore of 53288, which is 0.6% lower. This indicates that the i7-14700F is slightly faster than its AMD competitor in synthetic benchmarks. For Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's Passmark single-thread score of 4257 is particularly relevant, as it directly correlates with the 1080p frame rates. The CPU's 65 W TDP is surprisingly low for a 20-core part, but the boost clock of 5.40 GHz is what matters for gaming performance. The data shows that this CPU can easily handle the game's physics and game logic, allowing the RTX 3080 Ti to stretch its legs at higher resolutions without being held back.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 524 FPS, which is the highest in the dataset. Medium settings reduce the average to 435 FPS, with a minimum of 370 and a maximum of 501. High settings further reduce the average to 325 FPS, while Ultra drops to 253 FPS. These numbers show a clear scaling pattern: each step up in settings costs approximately 90-100 FPS at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 347 FPS, Medium averages 288 FPS with a min of 245 and max of 331, High averages 215 FPS, and Ultra averages 167 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is consistent across settings, with roughly a 33% reduction in frame rate. The Medium preset at 1440p has the tightest min-max range of any configuration, indicating stable performance.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 194 FPS, Medium averages 161 FPS with a min of 137 and max of 185, High averages 120 FPS, and Ultra averages 93 FPS. The 4K data shows a more pronounced drop-off at Ultra, with only 93 FPS average, which is a 63% reduction from 1080p Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 137 FPS, which is still playable for most users, but the Ultra preset's 93 FPS average may be too low for competitive play. Overall, the measured FPS data shows that this configuration is capable of high refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, but users targeting 4K should stick to High or Medium settings for optimal performance.