Counter-Strike 2

# How This Combo Ranks

In Counter-Strike 2, the Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER lands at rank 94 out of 1,632 tested combinations. That places this setup in the top 5.8% of all combos, a strong showing for a game where frame rates are the primary competitive currency. The 94th percentile position reflects a system that sits comfortably among the upper echelon of CS2 rigs, though it is not the absolute fastest configuration available.

The data shows this combo outperforms the vast majority of alternatives, but the ranking also highlights that CS2 is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions. The i9-14900K, with its 24 cores and 32 threads, posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49,872 and a single-core score of 7,040. In the CPU percentile rankings, this processor sits at the 97th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79,824. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7413 at 80,041 (0.3% ahead), the Intel Core i9-14900KF at 79,245 (0.7% behind), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF at 79,240 (0.7% behind). The i9-14900K essentially trades blows with these chips, with deltas under 1% in either direction.

For the GPU side, the RTX 4080 SUPER holds the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53,610. Its nearest rivals show similar clustering: the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT at 53,489 (0.2% behind), the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at 53,414 (0.4% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 7700S at 52,505 (2.1% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti at 52,086 (2.9% behind). The tight grouping around the 53,000–53,600 mark suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is competitive but not dominant within its class.

What the combo ranking reveals is that the i9-14900K's exceptional single-thread performance—boost clock of 6.00 GHz, base 3.20 GHz—combined with the RTX 4080 SUPER's raw rasterization power creates a system that excels in CS2's engine. The 94th rank out of 1,632 is impressive, but the gap to the top is where the story lies. The data indicates that the CPU's 97th percentile standing is the stronger asset here, as CS2's frame generation relies heavily on processor throughput rather than GPU muscle alone.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 SUPER brings 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock runs at 2,550 MHz with a base of 2,295 MHz, while memory operates at 1,438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). The GPU's Ada Lovelace architecture packs 10,240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. Pixel rate hits 285.6 GPixel/s, texture rate 816.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance reaches 52.22 TFLOPS.

In Counter-Strike 2 specifically, the GPU's role shifts depending on resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the system hits 668 FPS average, which is so high that the GPU is clearly not the limiting factor—the CPU is feeding frames faster than most displays can even show them. The RTX 4080 SUPER's PassMark G3D score of 34,245 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,600 confirm it is a high-end part, but CS2 at lower settings does not stress it heavily.

The GPU's 88th percentile ranking versus all GPUs means it is outclassed by roughly 12% of the field, but within the context of CS2, that matters less because the game's engine is not particularly GPU-intensive at competitive settings. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for CS2, which is a modest VRAM consumer even at 4K Ultra. The memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s ensures that texture streaming at 4K High or Ultra does not bottleneck the frame pipeline.

Interestingly, the RTX 4080 SUPER's nearest rival, the RTX 5070 Ti, trails by 2.9% in average benchmark score, yet the 4080 SUPER is listed as end-of-life production status. That suggests the 4080 SUPER's positioning is mature, and its performance in CS2 reflects a card that is well-tuned for esports titles where raw frame rates matter more than ray tracing or DLSS features.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 668 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 444.1 FPS, a 33.5% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 250.4 FPS, another 43.6% cut from 1440p. This scaling indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU is the primary bottleneck—the i9-14900K can push frames faster than the GPU can render them, especially at 1080p where the GPU has less pixel work.

The High settings curve tells a similar story. From 1080p High at 418.6 FPS, 1440p High drops to 277.4 FPS (33.7% lower), and 4K High falls to 154.6 FPS (44.3% lower than 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that resolution scaling is relatively linear, with each step up in resolution costing roughly one-third of the frame rate.

At Ultra settings, the pattern shifts. 1080p Ultra averages 323.8 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 214.5 FPS (33.8% lower), and 4K Ultra falls to 120.4 FPS (43.9% lower than 1440p). The fact that the percentage drops remain similar across Low, High, and Ultra indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at higher resolutions, but the CPU still has enough headroom to keep frame rates high even at 4K.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p competitive play, where frame rates above 400 FPS are achievable at Low settings. At 4K, the system still delivers playable frame rates—120.4 FPS at Ultra is above the 120 Hz threshold—but the headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors narrows significantly. The limiting component shifts from CPU at 1080p to GPU at 4K, with the crossover occurring somewhere around 1440p where both components share the load more evenly.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 668 FPS, Medium drops to 554.6 FPS, High settles at 418.6 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 323.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 344.2 FPS, a 51.5% reduction, indicating that settings have a significant impact at this resolution. The 1080p numbers are far beyond what any current monitor can display, with even Ultra exceeding 300 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain high but show the GPU starting to pull its weight. Low hits 444.1 FPS, Medium reaches 369.3 FPS, High manages 277.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 214.5 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p ranges from 33.5% at Low to 33.8% at Ultra, showing consistent scaling. At 1440p, all settings still clear 200 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more moderate. Low averages 250.4 FPS, Medium drops to 209 FPS, High falls to 154.6 FPS, and Ultra settles at 120.4 FPS. The 4K numbers show a 51.9% reduction from Low to Ultra, similar to the 1080p spread. Notably, 4K Low still exceeds 240 FPS, making it viable for competitive play even at 4K, while 4K Ultra just barely clears 120 FPS for standard high-refresh monitors.

The data reveals that the i9-14900K's 6.00 GHz boost clock is the key driver at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU is not saturated. At 4K, the RTX 4080 SUPER's 52.22 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factors, as evidenced by the larger frame rate drops at higher settings. The 120.4 FPS at 4K Ultra is respectable but shows that this combo is not designed for maxed-out 4K gaming in CS2; it excels in the 1080p–1440p range where frame rates above 300 FPS are achievable.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank in Counter-Strike 2 compared to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 94th out of 1,632 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5.8% of all systems. The CPU sits at the 97th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU holds the 88th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this setup?

A: At 1920x1080 Low, the combo averages 668 FPS, and at 2560x1440 Low it averages 444.1 FPS. Both resolutions deliver frame rates far above 240 Hz, making either suitable for competitive play. At 3840x2160 Low, the average drops to 250.4 FPS, which is still competitive but less headroom.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at different resolutions?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as the GPU can render frames faster than the processor can feed them. The i9-14900K's 6.00 GHz boost clock drives the 668 FPS Low result. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the RTX 4080 SUPER's 52.22 TFLOPS throughput capping frame rates at 250.4 FPS Low and 120.4 FPS Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53,610, placing it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M, 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S, and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the combo averages 120.4 FPS. This is above the 120 Hz threshold but leaves limited headroom for frame dips. The 16 GB GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 4K, but the GPU's 88th percentile ranking shows it is not top-tier for maxed-out 4K.

Q: How does the i9-14900K's performance compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i9-14900K averages 79,824 in benchmarks, sitting 0.3% behind the AMD EPYC 7413 (80,041), 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14900KF (79,245), 0.7% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (79,240), and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K (79,102). All deltas are under 1%, making these chips statistically equivalent.