Counter-Strike 2

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Counter-Strike 2 with the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER reveals a steep and consistent performance curve as resolution climbs. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 669.6 FPS, but at 4K Low, that number falls to 249.1 FPS — a drop of roughly 63%. This pattern holds across all settings presets, with 1080p High at 414.6 FPS versus 4K High at 156.5 FPS, representing a 62% reduction. The scaling is not linear; it accelerates sharply between 1440p and 4K, suggesting the GPU begins to saturate at higher pixel counts.

The data implies that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound. The i7-14700F, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, pushes frame rates past 600 FPS at Low settings, which far exceeds what most displays can even refresh. At this resolution, the RTX 4080 SUPER's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 736.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth are underutilized — the GPU is effectively waiting on the CPU to feed it draw calls. The 669.6 FPS Low result at 1080p is a clear indicator of a processor-limited scenario, not a graphics-limited one.

Moving to 1440p, the balance shifts. Low settings produce 442.2 FPS, while High settings yield 276.8 FPS. The gap between Low and High narrows compared to 1080p, hinting that the GPU is beginning to take on more of the workload. At 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 119.4 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 82% reduction from the 1080p Low peak. The RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 256-bit bus are taxed heavily at 3840x2160, especially with Ultra settings that likely increase texture detail and shadow complexity.

The real story is the delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, Low (669.6 FPS) versus Ultra (323.4 FPS) shows a 346.2 FPS spread. At 4K, that spread shrinks to 129.7 FPS (249.1 Low vs 119.4 Ultra). This compression at higher resolutions indicates that the CPU bottleneck at 1080p is so severe that even dropping to Low settings cannot fully relieve it — the GPU is simply not the limiting factor there. At 4K, however, the GPU's workload scales with settings, making the preset choice more impactful on absolute frame rates.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS that historically favors high single-thread performance, but the data for this combo shows the i7-14700F's multi-core muscle also matters. The chip's boost clock of 5.40 GHz is the primary driver for the 669.6 FPS result at 1080p Low. This single-core speed, combined with a 2.10 GHz base clock, allows the CPU to process game logic and player positions with minimal latency. The L3 cache of 33 MB (shared) further helps by keeping frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing memory fetch delays.

The 20 cores and 28 threads are not idle at lower resolutions. Even though CS2's core game loop is often single-threaded, background tasks, audio processing, and matchmaking services can utilize additional threads. The benchmark results show the CPU's general computing prowess: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003. These synthetic scores correlate with the in-game behavior — the multi-core score suggests the CPU can handle concurrent workloads without stealing cycles from the main game thread, while the single-core score directly supports high FPS cap scenarios.

The CPU's 65 W TDP is surprisingly low for a 20-core part, indicating efficient power management. This efficiency likely allows sustained boost clocks during long gaming sessions, preventing thermal throttling that could otherwise reduce the 5.40 GHz boost. In CS2, where frame times matter as much as average FPS, consistent clock speeds are critical. The data shows the i7-14700F maintains its advantage even at 1440p Medium (370.3 FPS), where the CPU still has headroom to feed the GPU.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 54097 is within 1.7% of the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206) and within 0.6% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54450). This puts it in elite company for CPU-bound scenarios. The 94th percentile rank among all CPUs reinforces that this processor is not a bottleneck in most titles, but CS2's low graphical overhead at 1080p can still expose CPU limits — the 669.6 FPS result is near the practical ceiling for many motherboards' chipset and memory controllers.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The RTX 4080 SUPER's role becomes clear when examining the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages 119.4 FPS, which is respectable for a demanding resolution, but it is the GPU's memory subsystem that tells the fuller story. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory operating at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective) provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. CS2 at 4K Ultra likely consumes more than 8 GB of VRAM for high-resolution textures, but the 16 GB capacity ensures no memory swapping occurs — a situation that would otherwise crater frame rates.

The GPU's boost clock of 2550 MHz is the key to its 1080p performance. Even when CPU-bound, the GPU must still process every frame that the CPU sends. The 669.6 FPS at 1080p Low means the GPU is completing each frame in under 1.5 milliseconds, which is feasible given the AD103 chip's 10240 shading units and 320 TMUs. The 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are less relevant for CS2, as the game does not heavily use ray tracing or DLSS, but they do not hinder performance.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its in-game results. A Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600 place it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, scores 53489 on average (deltaPct 0.2), meaning the RTX 4080 SUPER is essentially matched by that older card in synthetic tests. Yet in CS2, the NVIDIA card's driver optimization and Ada Lovelace architecture deliver the 4K High result of 156.5 FPS, which is strong for a game that is not traditionally a GPU showcase.

The GPU's 320 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU indicate it draws significant power, but the measured FPS at 1440p Ultra (211.5 FPS) shows that power is converted into raw throughput. The 816.0 GTexel/s texture rate and 285.6 GPixel/s pixel rate ensure that even at 4K, fill-rate-bound scenarios (like smoke grenades or molotov effects) do not cause dips below the 119.4 FPS average. The card's 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 compute is more than sufficient for CS2's DirectX 12 rendering pipeline, which is relatively simple compared to AAA titles.

FAQ

Q: Why does the FPS drop so much from 1080p to 4K at Low settings (669.6 to 249.1 FPS)?

A: The 63% reduction indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K. At 1080p, the CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock can generate frames faster than the GPU can render them, but at 4K, the RTX 4080 SUPER's pixel fill rate (285.6 GPixel/s) is taxed by the 8.3 million pixels per frame, making it the bottleneck.

Q: Is the i7-14700F holding back the RTX 4080 SUPER in CS2?

A: At 1080p, yes. The 669.6 FPS Low result exceeds what most 360 Hz monitors can display, and the CPU's single-core score (5003 in Cinebench R23) suggests it is the ceiling. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU takes over, and the CPU's 20 cores provide ample headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in CS2?

A: The data shows 1440p Low delivers 442.2 FPS, which is above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors (240-360 Hz). 4K High at 156.5 FPS is playable but may not satisfy competitive players who prefer higher frame rates over resolution.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT scores 53489 on average, which is a deltaPct of 0.2% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER's 53610. In CS2, however, the NVIDIA card's 4K Ultra result of 119.4 FPS shows real-world differences that synthetic tests may not capture.

Q: Does the CPU's 20-core configuration help in CS2?

A: While CS2's main thread relies on single-core speed (5.40 GHz boost), the 28 threads handle background processes, voice chat, and streaming overhead. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 indicates the CPU can manage these tasks without impacting frame pacing.

Q: What does the combo rank of 107 out of 1632 mean?

A: This places the combo in the top 6.6% of all tested CPU-GPU pairs for CS2. The rank reflects that this system delivers elite performance, though the 1080p results suggest diminishing returns beyond 500 FPS for most users.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 107 out of 1632 tested configurations places this system in the top 6.6% of all CPU-GPU pairs for Counter-Strike 2. This is a strong showing, but not the absolute top — there are 106 combos that outperform it. The ranking is based on measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, so the 4K Ultra result of 119.4 FPS likely drags the average down compared to combos with even more powerful GPUs or CPUs with higher single-core clocks.

The ranking suggests that while the i7-14700F and RTX 4080 SUPER are both high-percentile parts (94th and 88th respectively), they are not the absolute best pairing for CS2's unique performance profile. The top 106 combos likely include CPUs with higher boost clocks (e.g., 6.0 GHz parts) or GPUs with faster memory, which would push the 1080p Low result beyond 669.6 FPS. However, the 107th rank out of 1632 is still elite, and the data shows this combo can handle any competitive scenario without dropping below 119.4 FPS even at 4K Ultra.

The gap between this combo and the top-ranked ones is likely narrow. The nearest CPU rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, has an average benchmark score within 0.6% of the i7-14700F, yet the 14th-gen Intel's 5.40 GHz boost may give it an edge in CS2's single-threaded sections. The GPU's nearest rival, the RX 6900 XT, scores within 0.2% in synthetic tests, but the RTX 4080 SUPER's 16 GB VRAM and higher bandwidth (736.3 GB/s) likely help at 4K High settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers:

• Low: 669.6 FPS average
• Medium: 557.4 FPS average
• High: 414.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 323.4 FPS average

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 442.2 FPS average
• Medium: 370.3 FPS average
• High: 276.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 211.5 FPS average

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 249.1 FPS average
• Medium: 206.2 FPS average
• High: 156.5 FPS average
• Ultra: 119.4 FPS average

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each resolution step up reduces FPS by roughly 35-40% at the same settings. Low settings show the steepest absolute drops (669.6 to 442.2 to 249.1), while Ultra settings show a more moderate decline (323.4 to 211.5 to 119.4). This suggests that at Ultra, the GPU is already working hard at 1080p, so the resolution increase has a proportionally smaller impact. At Low, the CPU can feed frames fast enough that the GPU's workload becomes the primary limiter at 1440p and 4K.

The 4K Medium result of 206.2 FPS is notable — it is higher than the 1440p Ultra result of 211.5 FPS by a small margin, indicating that Medium settings at 4K are more GPU-friendly than Ultra at 1440p. This is counterintuitive but points to the GPU's memory bandwidth being the key factor at higher resolutions, not just raw compute.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play, the data strongly favors 1440p Low or Medium. Low at 1440p yields 442.2 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of any current monitor (up to 500 Hz). Medium at 1440p (370.3 FPS) offers a slight visual improvement while still maintaining frame rates far above 240 Hz. At 1080p, Low (669.6 FPS) is overkill for any display, but it ensures the absolute minimum input latency, which is critical in CS2's fast-paced gunfights.

For players with 4K monitors, Medium (206.2 FPS) provides the best balance between visual fidelity and performance. Low (249.1 FPS) is also viable if frame rate is the priority, but the visual downgrade may hurt target acquisition on distant enemies. High at 4K (156.5 FPS) is playable but may feel less responsive on high-refresh displays. Ultra at 4K (119.4 FPS) is only recommended for casual play or when using a 120 Hz panel, as the visual gains do not justify the frame rate drop.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1440p Medium at 370.3 FPS. This setting provides: a resolution that is sharp enough for long-range engagements, a frame rate that exceeds all but the most extreme e-sports monitors, and a preset that avoids the distracting shadows and effects of Ultra while retaining enough detail for situational awareness. For players who prioritize maximum frame rate above all else, 1080p Low at 669.6 FPS is the definitive choice, but the data implies that beyond 400 FPS, the human eye and most monitors cannot perceive a difference — making 1440p Medium the rational sweet spot.