Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers exceptional frame rates in Counter-Strike 2, but the data reveals a clear pattern: this combination is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU only becoming the limiting factor at 4K with high visual settings. Across all tested settings, the combo produces playable-to-competitive frame rates, but the scaling behavior between resolutions tells a more nuanced story about where the bottleneck lies.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows dramatic scaling as resolution drops. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 118.8 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Ultra raises that to 215.4 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra the average reaches 324.9 FPS. This scaling curve is steep, indicating that at higher resolutions the GPU is doing substantial work. However, the picture changes when moving to lower settings. At 4K Low, the average is 248.5 FPS; at 1440p Low it jumps to 441.5 FPS; and at 1080p Low it hits 673 FPS. The gap between 1440p Low and 1080p Low is 231.5 FPS, which is a massive increase for a resolution drop.

This behavior suggests that at Low settings, particularly at 1080p, the frame rate is being capped by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU frames. Counter-Strike 2 is known for being CPU-intensive at high frame rates, and the data supports this. The Intel Core i7-14700KF has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, which is substantial, yet the raw frame rates at 1080p Low approach what is likely a threading or engine limit. At Medium settings, the same pattern holds: 4K yields 204.8 FPS, 1440p yields 366.1 FPS, and 1080p yields 559 FPS. High settings show 154.6 FPS at 4K, 275.7 FPS at 1440p, and 417.3 FPS at 1080p.

The scaling from 4K to 1440p is more moderate than from 1440p to 1080p across all settings. For instance, at High settings, 4K to 1440p yields a 121.1 FPS increase, while 1440p to 1080p yields a 141.6 FPS increase. This indicates that the GPU is still a significant contributor at 4K, but the CPU becomes the primary constraint as pixel count decreases. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 118.8 FPS, which is smooth enough for most displays, but the drop from 4K High (154.6 FPS) to 4K Ultra (118.8 FPS) shows the GPU is working hard at the highest settings. The data suggests that players targeting 1440p or 1080p with competitive settings will see frame rates well above 200 FPS, with the CPU being the main limiting factor at the lowest resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 103rd out of 1632 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2. That places it in the top 6.3% of all tested systems, a strong showing but not the absolute top tier. The rank reflects the game's sensitivity to CPU performance; many combos with faster CPUs or more optimized pairings may edge it out despite the RTX 4080 SUPER's capabilities. The combo's position suggests that while the GPU is powerful, the i7-14700KF's performance in this title is the more critical factor for achieving top-tier results.

The CPU itself sits in the 96th percentile versus all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K with an average score of 70074 (a 0% delta), the AMD EPYC 9115 at 69887 (0.3% delta), the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 70420 (-0.4% delta), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 at 71056 (-1.3% delta). This places the i7-14700KF in a tight pack, with deltas under 1.5% among all rivals. The GPU, meanwhile, sits in the 88th percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT at 53489 (0.2% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at 53414 (0.4% delta), the AMD Radeon RX 7700S at 52505 (2.1% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at 52086 (2.9% delta).

The ranking of 103 out of 1632 indicates that many combos with less powerful GPUs but faster CPUs outperform this pairing in Counter-Strike 2. This is consistent with the resolution scaling data showing CPU bottlenecks at lower resolutions. The combo's rank is respectable, but it is not in the top 50, suggesting that for this specific game, the i7-14700KF's 20 cores and 28 threads are not fully utilized to overcome other combos with higher single-thread performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, containing 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1438 MHz, with 23 Gbps effective speed. The GPU's base clock is 2295 MHz, with a boost clock of 2550 MHz. These specifications position it as a high-end card, and the data shows it handles Counter-Strike 2 well at 4K, but its role is secondary to the CPU at lower resolutions.

At 4K Ultra, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, producing 118.8 FPS. This is a demanding setting for any card, and the RTX 4080 SUPER's 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores are being pushed. The pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s indicate the card can process geometry and textures quickly, but the frame rate at 4K Ultra shows the limits of its raw throughput. At 4K Low, the card produces 248.5 FPS, which indicates that even at lower settings, the GPU is still doing significant work. The boost clock of 2550 MHz is high, but the card's power draw of 320 W and suggested PSU of 700 W show it requires substantial power delivery.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position. It scores 34245 in Passmark G3D and 19822 in Passmark GPU Compute, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 246994 and Vulkan score of 226163. These scores place it in the 88th percentile versus all GPUs. However, in Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role is more pronounced at 4K, where the frame rate drops by 129.7 FPS from Low to Ultra settings. At 1080p, the drop from Low (673 FPS) to Ultra (324.9 FPS) is 348.1 FPS, which suggests the GPU is still affecting performance even at lower resolutions, but the CPU becomes the limiting factor at the lowest settings. The data indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is more than capable for this game, but its full potential is only realized when the CPU can keep up.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The combo achieves 417.3 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors.

Q: How does the i7-14700KF compare to its nearest rival, the i7-14700K?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, while the i7-14700K scores 70074, a delta of 0%. They are essentially identical in performance.

Q: What is the frame rate at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo averages 118.8 FPS, which is playable but not as high as lower resolutions.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo produces 366.1 FPS. Given the large jump to 1080p Medium (559 FPS), the CPU is likely the primary constraint at this resolution.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The combo ranks 103rd out of 1632 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.3% of all systems.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4080 SUPER have?

A: The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is ample for Counter-Strike 2 at any resolution and setting.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake-R architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and it has a TDP of 125 W. These specifications are robust for gaming, but Counter-Strike 2's engine appears to favor higher single-thread performance over raw core counts. The CPU's benchmarks show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a single-core score of 6290. In Geekbench, it scores 19287 multi-core and 2972 single-core.

The CPU's role in this game is evident from the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 673 FPS, which is a very high number, but the fact that it does not scale much higher from 1440p Low (441.5 FPS) suggests the CPU is nearing its limit. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz is high, but the game may not fully utilize all 20 cores. The Passmark single-thread score of 4480 indicates strong single-core performance, but the game's engine may be limited by other factors. The CPU's percentile rank of 96 versus all CPUs shows it is a top-tier processor, but in Counter-Strike 2, the frame rates at 1080p Low suggest it is the bottleneck, not the GPU.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700KF is closely matched. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420, which is -0.4% different, indicating slightly higher performance, while the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 scores 71056, a -1.3% delta. These differences are small, but in a game where frame rates exceed 400 FPS, even small CPU performance gaps can affect the ranking. The i7-14700KF's 20 cores and 28 threads are more than enough for gaming, but Counter-Strike 2 may not leverage all of them, leading to the CPU bottleneck observed at lower resolutions. The data shows that the CPU's high single-thread boost clock is beneficial, but the game's performance ceiling appears to be set by the CPU's overall throughput rather than the GPU's capabilities.