Counter-Strike 2

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER lands at rank 2151 out of 3719 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2. This places the combo in the upper-middle tier of the database, roughly in the 42nd percentile when sorted by performance. The ranking reflects a pairing where the CPU is far more capable than the GPU, a dynamic that becomes evident across the resolution and settings matrix. The i7-14700KF itself sits at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. That gap in relative standing—29 percentage points—shapes nearly every result in this game.

Benchmark data confirms the CPU's dominance in synthetic workloads. The i7-14700KF posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235, while the GPU's PassMark G3D score is 18169. In Counter-Strike 2, a title known for being CPU-bound at lower resolutions, this hierarchy means the processor rarely becomes the bottleneck. Instead, the RTX 2070 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the constraining factors at higher settings. The combo's rank of 2151 suggests that many other tested configurations achieve higher average FPS, but the data shows this pairing remains competitive, especially when settings are lowered.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with the TU104 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 12 nm process. It carries 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. The GPU's base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, while the memory runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective across a 256-bit bus. This configuration yields a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, a figure that becomes relevant when comparing performance drops between 1080p and 4K. The card also features 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores, though these are largely irrelevant for Counter-Strike 2, which does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS in the measured rows.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game at all tested settings, even at 3840x2160 on Ultra. The data shows no VRAM-related collapse in FPS, indicating that allocation stays within the 8 GB limit. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 18169 places it at the 65th percentile, with nearest rivals including the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20480 (1% higher), the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile at 20534 (1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 at 20556 (1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (1.5% higher). These deltas are small, meaning the RTX 2070 SUPER is competitive with these cards in raw GPU compute, but the measured FPS in Counter-Strike 2 will depend heavily on how each card handles the game's specific rendering workload.

The GPU's FP32 throughput is 9.062 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 283.2 GTexel/s. For a competitive FPS like Counter-Strike 2, these figures support high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the pixel rate of 113.3 GPixel/s becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The card's 215 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for its class, and the suggested PSU of 550 W indicates modest power requirements relative to newer GPUs.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the classic signs of a GPU-bound configuration at higher resolutions. At Low settings, average FPS drops from 355 at 1920x1080 to 235 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 120 FPS, then further to 131 at 3840x2160, another 104 FPS drop. The percentage decline from 1080p to 4K is significant: 355 down to 131 represents a 63.1% reduction. This steep falloff indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is being pushed to its limits as pixel count quadruples.

At High settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers: 220 FPS at 1080p, 146 at 1440p, and 82 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 62.7%, nearly identical to the Low setting reduction. This consistency suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput, not its shading or texture capabilities, is the primary constraint. The Medium setting shows the same trend: 295 FPS at 1080p, 195 at 1440p, and 109 at 4K, a 63.1% decline. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 171 FPS at 1080p, 113 at 1440p, and 63 at 4K, a 63.2% reduction.

The uniform percentage drop across all settings—hovering around 63%—points to a resolution-driven bottleneck. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads, is unlikely to be the limiting factor at 4K, as even the lowest FPS figure of 63 at Ultra 4K is well above playable thresholds. The data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER's memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate define the ceiling at higher resolutions, while the CPU's headroom allows for substantial FPS gains when the resolution is lowered.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 355 FPS, with no min or max recorded. Medium settings yield 295 FPS average, with a min of 251 and max of 339. High settings drop to 220 FPS average, and Ultra settings bottom out at 171 FPS average. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 184 FPS, indicating that the GPU can comfortably handle even the most demanding preset at this resolution. The min FPS of 251 at Medium ensures smooth gameplay, and the max of 339 shows headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the numbers scale down proportionally. Low settings average 235 FPS, Medium averages 195 FPS with a min of 166 and max of 225, High averages 146 FPS, and Ultra averages 113 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 122 FPS, narrower than at 1080p but still substantial. The min FPS of 166 at Medium is above the 144 Hz threshold, making this resolution viable for competitive play with the right settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings average 131 FPS, Medium averages 109 FPS with a min of 93 and max of 126, High averages 82 FPS, and Ultra averages 63 FPS. The min FPS of 93 at Medium is still playable, but Ultra's 63 FPS average approaches the edge of what is comfortable for a fast-paced shooter. The data shows that 4K is feasible only at Low or Medium settings if consistent frame rates are prioritized.

Across all resolutions, Medium settings offer the most balanced experience, with the only min/max data points recorded in the dataset. This suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, providing a stable frame rate range that neither Low nor High can match in terms of recorded variance.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, with ECC memory support as an additional feature. It uses the Intel Socket 1700 and is built on the Raptor Lake-R codename.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-14700KF excels. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 is exceptional, and the single-core score of 6235 is equally strong. Geekbench results show 21462 multi-core and 2578 single-core. PassMark scores include 52425 for multithread and 4480 for single-thread. The CPU's avgBenchmarkScore is 70163, placing it at the 94th percentile. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F at 69996 (0.2% behind), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX at 69875 (0.4% behind), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515 (0.9% behind), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K at 70879 (1% ahead). These small deltas indicate that the i7-14700KF is at the top of its performance class.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, a task it handles with ease given its high single-thread performance. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz is particularly beneficial for a game that relies on single-core speed. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 355 FPS, a figure that would be impossible if the CPU were the bottleneck. Even at 4K Ultra, the 63 FPS average is more likely limited by the GPU's pixel throughput than the CPU's processing capacity. The CPU's 33 MB of L3 cache also helps with game asset streaming, though the impact is less measurable in the FPS data.

# FAQ

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data shows 1080p yields higher average FPS across all settings: 355 at Low, 295 at Medium, 220 at High, and 171 at Ultra. At 1440p, the averages are 235, 195, 146, and 113, respectively. Both resolutions are playable, but 1080p provides more headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Can this system handle 4K in Counter-Strike 2?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K, the combo averages 131 FPS on Low, 109 on Medium, 82 on High, and 63 on Ultra. The Medium setting has a recorded min of 93 FPS, making it the only 4K setting with a documented floor above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER's PassMark G3D score is 18169. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480 (1% higher), the GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534 (1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 scores 20556 (1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 scores 20582 (1.5% higher). All rivals are within 1.5% of the RTX 2070 SUPER.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile and how does it compare to rivals?

A: The i7-14700KF is at the 94th percentile among all CPUs with an avgBenchmarkScore of 70163. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996, 0.2% behind), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, 0.4% behind), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515, 0.9% behind), and Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (70879, 1% ahead).

Q: Which settings preset has the most stable frame rate range?

A: Medium settings provide the only recorded min/max data across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 251 to 339 FPS; at 1440p, it is 166 to 225 FPS; at 4K, it is 93 to 126 FPS. This indicates Medium offers predictable performance.

Q: Does the GPU's 8 GB VRAM cause any issues in this game?

A: No. The measured FPS data shows no sudden drops or instability that would indicate VRAM exhaustion, even at 4K Ultra with 63 FPS average. The 8 GB capacity is sufficient for Counter-Strike 2's requirements across all tested settings.

# Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates at 1080p, the Low preset delivers 355 FPS average, which is ideal for 360 Hz monitors. However, Medium settings at 295 FPS average with a min of 251 FPS offer a better balance of visual quality and performance, ensuring that frame times remain consistent. High settings at 220 FPS average are still excellent for 240 Hz displays, while Ultra at 171 FPS average is acceptable for 165 Hz panels but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

At 1440p, Medium settings are the recommended choice. The 195 FPS average with a 166 FPS minimum comfortably exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates, providing smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much visual fidelity. Low settings at 235 FPS average are only necessary for 240 Hz monitors, and High at 146 FPS average is borderline for 144 Hz. Ultra at 113 FPS average is playable but may feel less responsive in fast-paced engagements.

At 4K, the data suggests that Medium settings are the practical ceiling. The 109 FPS average with a 93 FPS minimum ensures that the game remains fluid, whereas High at 82 FPS and Ultra at 63 FPS dip into territory where input latency and frame pacing become noticeable. Low settings at 131 FPS average are an option for competitive play, but the visual trade-offs are significant.

Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p. This preset offers the only documented min/max FPS ranges, indicating stable performance, and it provides a substantial FPS buffer above the refresh rates of most gaming monitors. For players with 4K displays, Medium at 4K is the only setting that maintains a documented minimum above 60 FPS, making it the safest choice for consistent gameplay.