Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rates directly impact responsiveness, and the data for the Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti shows a system capable of extreme performance. The measured results across resolutions and settings reveal a clear hierarchy: the CPU is the dominant force at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes more relevant as pixel count climbs. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to explain where the bottleneck lies and how to optimize the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic scaling pattern that transitions from a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p to a more balanced load at 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system delivers 618.6 FPS. This is an enormous number that far exceeds any display's refresh rate, indicating that the CPU is working hard to feed frames to the GPU. When the resolution jumps to 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 408 FPS, a 34% reduction that shows the GPU starting to take on more work. Moving to 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 227.6 FPS, which is still exceptionally high but demonstrates that the GPU is now the primary limiter.

The High preset tells a similar story but with a steeper curve. At 1080p High, the system hits 383.5 FPS. At 1440p High, it delivers 251.6 FPS, and at 4K High, it drops to 144.7 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 4K on High is 62%, which is substantial. This indicates that while the RTX 4070 Ti has enough muscle to push high frame rates, the resolution increase from 1080p to 4K nearly halves the output. The Ultra preset shows the most significant scaling penalty: from 300.1 FPS at 1080p to 198.8 FPS at 1440p and finally 112.6 FPS at 4K. The data clearly shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting component, as the FPS remains nearly constant across Low and High presets (618.6 vs 383.5), while at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, with the gap between Low and Ultra being much larger (227.6 vs 112.6).

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It belongs to the Core 14th Gen series built on the Raptor Lake architecture and uses a 10 nm process node. In the context of Counter-Strike 2, this CPU's single-thread performance is crucial, and the benchmark data supports its strength. The Cinebench R23 single-core score is 5003, and the Geekbench single-core score is 2711. These scores place the CPU in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong indicator of its gaming capability.

The measured FPS at 1080p Low (618.6) and 1080p Medium (514.2) shows that the CPU is not being challenged by these settings. Even at 1080p Ultra, the system manages 300.1 FPS, which is far beyond what any monitor can display. The CPU's performance is also reflected in its average benchmark score of 54097, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54450) with a delta of -0.6%. This means the i7-14700F is essentially on par with that rival in general compute benchmarks. For Counter-Strike 2, the high boost clock of 5.40 GHz is the key factor, as the game relies heavily on single-core performance. The L3 cache of 33 MB shared also helps with game data access. The CPU's TDP is listed at 65 watts, which is modest for a 20-core part, but the data shows it can sustain high frame rates without issue.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process node from TSMC. It has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 2310 MHz with a boost clock of 2610 MHz. It has 7680 shading units and 60 RT cores. In terms of benchmark scores, it achieves a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5024 and a Passmark G3D score of 31624. This places the GPU in the 85th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44900. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, scores 45152, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the desktop 4070 Ti is slightly behind that mobile part in synthetic tests.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes more apparent at higher resolutions. At 4K with Ultra settings, the FPS drops to 112.6, which is the lowest measured value in the data set. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution and preset. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game, as Counter-Strike 2 is not a VRAM-heavy title, but the memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s helps maintain consistent frame times. The FP32 performance of 40.09 TFLOPS shows the raw compute power available. The data shows that the GPU can easily handle 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the demands of the Ultra preset push it to its limits.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the High preset at 383.5 FPS is the best choice for most players, as it provides a significant visual improvement over Low (618.6 FPS) while still delivering frame rates that far exceed any display's capability. The Medium preset at 514.2 FPS is also viable if maximum frame rate is the priority, but the difference between High and Medium is marginal in terms of playability. At 1440p, the High preset at 251.6 FPS is recommended for high-refresh-rate monitors (240Hz). The Medium preset at 339.9 FPS is also a strong option for competitive play. For 4K, the High preset at 144.7 FPS is the sweet spot, as it provides a good balance of visual quality and smoothness. The Ultra preset at 112.6 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for competitive play where higher frame rates are preferred. The Low preset at 227.6 FPS at 4K is unnecessary unless the goal is maximum performance above all else.

The data suggests that High is the best overall preset across all resolutions, as it offers a strong visual experience without the excessive performance cost of Ultra. The Ultra preset at 4K (112.6 FPS) shows a 22% drop from High (144.7 FPS), which is a noticeable hit to smoothness. For players with 240Hz monitors at 1440p, the Medium preset (339.9 FPS) provides ample headroom. There is no scenario in this data where the system fails to deliver playable frame rates, as even the lowest measured value is 112.6 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this system can achieve in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 618.6 at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: At 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 112.6, which is the lowest in the data set. This indicates the GPU is the limiting component at this resolution, as the CPU has enough headroom to push higher frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the i7-14700F compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X in overall CPU benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 54097, while the Ryzen 9 9900X scores 54450. The delta is -0.6%, meaning the two are nearly identical in performance.

Q: What settings should I use for a 1440p 240Hz monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 339.9 FPS, which provides plenty of headroom above 240Hz. The High preset at 251.6 FPS also works if you prefer better visuals.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 Ti have enough VRAM for Counter-Strike 2?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory. The measured data shows no issues with performance due to VRAM capacity, as the game is not demanding in that regard.

Q: What is the lowest FPS measured in the data set?

A: The lowest average FPS is 112.6, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS values for each resolution and settings preset combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 144.7 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 227.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 190.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 112.6 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 251.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 408.0 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 339.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 198.8 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 383.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 618.6 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 514.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 300.1 |

The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent pattern where the gap between Low and Ultra widens. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 318.5 FPS (618.6 vs 300.1). At 4K, the difference is 115.0 FPS (227.6 vs 112.6). This reinforces the conclusion that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The system ranks 203rd out of 1632 combos in this game, placing it in the top 12.5% of tested configurations. The data is measured, not estimated, providing confidence in these results. For competitive play, the High preset at 1080p or 1440p offers the best balance of visual clarity and frame rate, while the Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p where it still exceeds 300 FPS.