Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rate consistency and responsiveness often outweigh absolute visual fidelity. The measured data for the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 across three resolutions and four quality presets provides a clear picture of how this combination behaves under varying loads. The Intel Core i7-14700KF, a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake, and the Intel Arc B570, featuring 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, produce a wide range of results that shift from being CPU-bound at lower resolutions to GPU-bound at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

Examining the average FPS at each resolution reveals a predictable yet informative trend. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo delivers 171 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this to 113 FPS, a 33.9% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average further falls to 63 FPS, which is 44.2% lower than the 1440p result and 63.2% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline with each resolution step strongly indicates that the Intel Arc B570 becomes the limiting component as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced when looking at the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 275 FPS. At 1440p Low, this drops to 182 FPS, a 33.8% decrease. At 4K Low, the average is 102 FPS, which is 44.0% lower than the 1440p figure. The percentage drops between resolutions are remarkably similar for both High and Low presets, which suggests the performance scaling is primarily driven by the GPU's rendering throughput. The Intel Arc B570’s 380.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are being taxed more heavily as resolution increases, regardless of the quality settings.

This behavior indicates that at 1080p, the Intel Core i7-14700KF has enough headroom to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the high average frame rates. The 20-core processor with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz provides ample single-thread performance for the game’s engine. However, as resolution climbs to 1440p and then to 4K, the GPU’s fill rate and shader processing capabilities become the bottleneck. The data shows a nearly linear scaling of performance loss with pixel count, which is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario. For a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is known for being CPU-sensitive, this configuration appears well-balanced at 1440p, where the GPU still manages to produce competitive frame rates, but it clearly struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, the measured data shows the highest average frame rates across all settings. With Low settings, the combo achieves 275 FPS, and even with Ultra settings, it maintains 133 FPS. This resolution offers the best chance of utilizing high-refresh-rate monitors, as the 1440p results drop to 182 FPS on Low and 88 FPS on Ultra, while 4K results fall to 102 FPS on Low and 49 FPS on Ultra.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 20556. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, has an average score of 20534, which is 0.1% lower. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, which is 0.1% higher than the B570. The AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 20662, which is 0.5% higher, while the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480, which is 0.4% lower. These differences are minimal, placing the B570 in a tightly contested performance tier.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF a strong performer relative to other CPUs?

A: The processor has a percentile rank of 94 among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 94% of tested processors. In the Cinebench R23 multi-core test, it scores 44167 points. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K, scores 70879 in the same average benchmark metric, which is 1% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, which is 0.9% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69996, which is 0.2% higher. This places the i7-14700KF just slightly behind these top-tier competitors.

Q: What are the minimum FPS figures for the Medium preset?

A: The measured data includes minimum FPS values only for the Medium settings. At 3840x2160, the minimum FPS is 72 with an average of 85. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 129 with an average of 151. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 194 with an average of 229. These minimums suggest that the frame pacing is stable, with the 1080p result showing a minimum that is still above 1440p’s average.

Q: Does this combo rank highly among all tested system combinations?

A: The combo rank in game for Counter-Strike 2 is 2286 out of 2870 tested combos. This places it in the lower half of all tested configurations. While the individual components have solid benchmark scores, the overall system pairing does not achieve a top-tier rank for this specific game.

Q: How much VRAM does the Intel Arc B570 have and what is its bandwidth?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 160-bit bus width. The memory bandwidth is listed as 380.0 GB/s, and the memory clock runs at 2375 MHz with 19 Gbps effective speed. This memory configuration is sufficient for the measured settings in Counter-Strike 2.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core processor with 28 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture and manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz, which can boost up to 5.60 GHz. The processor has a 33 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per core L2 cache. These specifications contribute to its strong synthetic benchmark results, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s role is most evident in the 1080p results. At this resolution, the GPU is less burdened by pixel shading, allowing the CPU to dictate the maximum frame rate. The data shows 275 FPS at 1080p Low, which is the highest measured average for this combo. This high frame rate indicates that the i7-14700KF’s single-thread performance, boosted to 5.60 GHz, is capable of driving the game’s simulation and draw call processing efficiently. The processor’s high percentile rank of 94 versus all CPUs supports this, as it places it among the top performers for handling such workloads.

As resolution increases, the CPU’s influence diminishes. At 1440p and 4K, the frame rates drop significantly, even on Low settings, which typically reduce GPU load. At 1440p Low, the average is 182 FPS, and at 4K Low, it is 102 FPS. This decline is not due to CPU limitations but rather the GPU’s inability to maintain the same throughput at higher pixel counts. The i7-14700KF is likely still capable of producing higher frame rates, but the Arc B570 becomes the constraining factor. The processor’s 20 cores and 28 threads also provide substantial multi-threaded headroom for background tasks and game engine threads, though Counter-Strike 2 does not heavily utilize all cores. The data suggests that for this title, the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution, as the frame rates scale inversely with pixel count in a manner consistent with GPU-bound performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking of tested combinations for Counter-Strike 2, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and Intel Arc B570 holds a rank of 2286 out of 2870 combos. This places it in the 79.6th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 20% of combinations perform worse, and a significant majority perform better. This rank is notably lower than what the individual component benchmarks might suggest. The CPU alone has a percentile rank of 94, and the GPU has a percentile rank of 65, yet their combined performance in this game does not boost them to a top-tier position.

The combo’s rank of 2286 indicates that while the CPU is powerful, the GPU’s performance in Counter-Strike 2 is a limiting factor that drags the overall system down. The Intel Arc B570’s average benchmark score of 20556 places it near the RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750, but in this specific game, the measured FPS data shows it cannot keep up with higher-end configurations. For context, the CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, have average benchmark scores that are only 0.9% higher, yet when paired with faster GPUs, they would likely achieve much higher ranks. The data shows that this combo is positioned in the lower half of all tested systems, which is a critical consideration for users looking to maximize performance in Counter-Strike 2. The rank suggests that a more powerful GPU or a more balanced pairing would be necessary to move into a higher percentile among tested combos.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 3840x2160, the lowest average is 49 FPS on Ultra settings, while the highest is 102 FPS on Low. The Medium preset at 4K yields an average of 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 and a maximum of 97. High settings at 4K produce 63 FPS. This shows that at 4K, even the Low preset cannot reach the 144 FPS threshold that many competitive players seek, though it is playable.

At 2560x1440, the performance improves substantially. The Low preset delivers 182 FPS, which is suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium settings produce 151 FPS with a minimum of 129 FPS, ensuring consistent frame times. High settings yield 113 FPS, and Ultra drops to 88 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that the combo is well-suited for this resolution, offering a good balance between visual quality and frame rate, especially on Low and Medium presets.

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its full potential. The Low preset achieves 275 FPS, which is an excellent result for competitive play. Medium settings produce 229 FPS with a minimum of 194 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. High settings yield 171 FPS, and Ultra drops to 133 FPS. These 1080p numbers demonstrate that the CPU-GPU pairing is capable of delivering high frame rates, but only at this lower resolution. The gap between 1080p Low (275 FPS) and 4K Low (102 FPS) is 173 FPS, which highlights the GPU’s scaling limitations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s resolution and refresh rate goals. For 1920x1080, the Low preset offers the highest average frame rate at 275 FPS, which is ideal for maximum competitiveness. However, the Medium preset provides a strong balance with 229 FPS average and a minimum of 194 FPS, which maintains high performance while improving visual fidelity. For users with a 144 Hz monitor, the High preset at 171 FPS is more than sufficient, and even Ultra at 133 FPS is playable. The data suggests that at 1080p, there is enough headroom to select Medium or High settings without sacrificing the high frame rates that Counter-Strike 2 players expect.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 182 FPS, which is the best option for high refresh rates. The Medium preset at 151 FPS is also excellent, and its minimum FPS of 129 ensures minimal stuttering. For users prioritizing visual quality, High settings at 113 FPS are still above the 60 FPS threshold, but Ultra at 88 FPS may be less desirable for competitive play. The recommendation for 1440p is to use Medium settings, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while remaining well above 144 FPS.

For 3840x2160, the performance is more constrained. The Low preset at 102 FPS is the only setting that breaks the 100 FPS barrier. Medium settings at 85 FPS are playable but not ideal for fast-paced competitive matches. High settings at 63 FPS and Ultra at 49 FPS are below the threshold for smooth competitive play. The data indicates that 4K is not a recommended resolution for this combo if high frame rates are a priority. Users at 4K should stick to Low settings to get the best performance, or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation units. The GPU operates at a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications result in an FP32 compute throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU’s role is to render the scene at the target resolution and settings. The measured data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU can keep up with the CPU, allowing frame rates to reach 275 FPS on Low. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become limiting factors. The 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are modest compared to higher-end GPUs, which explains the significant frame rate drops at 1440p and 4K.

The GPU’s percentile rank of 65 among all GPUs places it in the upper-middle tier. Its average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and Intel Arc A750, with deltas of only 0.1% and -0.1%, respectively. This suggests that in synthetic benchmarks, the B570 is competitive with these cards. However, in Counter-Strike 2, the measured FPS data shows that it cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K, with the Ultra preset dropping to 49 FPS. The GPU’s 10 GB of VRAM is sufficient for the tested settings, as none of the presets likely exceed this capacity, but the overall compute and memory bandwidth are not enough for 4K gaming at high settings. For users seeking high frame rates in this title, the GPU performs best at 1080p and 1440p, where it can deliver competitive results.