Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rate often trumps visual fidelity, and the data for the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination reflects a system built to obliterate frame rate targets. The measured results show a GPU that is rarely the limiting factor, with the CPU's high single-thread performance enabling extreme frame rates even at lower resolutions. The data indicates a pairing that excels at delivering the kind of high refresh-rate gameplay that competitive titles demand, though the relationship between settings and resolution reveals interesting bottlenecks.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with a 5 nm process node from TSMC, featuring a die size of 378 mm² and 45,600 million transistors. Its memory subsystem is substantial for a modern title: 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In Counter-Strike 2, this bandwidth and capacity are not stressed by the game's typical asset loads, which is why even at 4K, the card is able to push average frame rates well above 100 FPS across all settings. The GPU's base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2617 MHz, and it offers 10752 shading units alongside 336 texture mapping units and 112 render output units.

Benchmark results show the RTX 5080 sits in the 89th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 59188. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Arc A570M, which is 1.6% behind, and the Intel Arc Pro A60, which is 1.9% ahead, indicating this is a high-tier card. However, the game's frame rates suggest that the GPU's raw compute—56.28 TFLOPS FP32 and 879.3 GTexel/s texture rate—is not the primary constraint. In a title like Counter-Strike 2, which is often cited for its CPU-bound nature, the RTX 5080's 84 ray tracing cores and 336 tensor cores are largely irrelevant to the measured outcomes; the data shows that the GPU is producing frame rates that are more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor, even at 4K Ultra where the average is 129.6 FPS.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo, and at what settings?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 713.7 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is a significant outlier, showing the massive headroom available when the GPU is not heavily tasked.

Q: How does the RTX 5080's performance compare to its nearest rival in the database?

A: The RTX 5080's average benchmark score is 59188, while its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, has a score of 60326, meaning the Arc Pro A60 is 1.9% faster in aggregate benchmarks. Conversely, the Intel Arc A570M is 1.6% slower than the RTX 5080.

Q: Does the CPU's benchmark percentile suggest it is a strong partner for this GPU?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i9-14900K is in the 97th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79824. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7413, is 0.3% behind, showing that this CPU is among the best performers, which helps prevent bottlenecking in a CPU-heavy game like Counter-Strike 2.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 469.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces 228.2 FPS. This represents a drop of 241.5 FPS when moving from Low to Ultra, a 51.4% reduction in average frame rate.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM a limiting factor in this game?

A: Based on the measured frame rates, there is no indication of a VRAM limitation. Even at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate remains at 129.6 FPS, and the 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for the game's demands, as the GPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the combo's rank in this game compare to other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 62nd out of 1632 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 3.8% of all configurations. This high ranking confirms that this is a top-tier setup for this specific title.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured data provides a clear picture of the performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are astronomical: Low settings produce 713.7 FPS, Medium delivers 594.6 FPS, High reaches 445.6 FPS, and Ultra still manages 345.6 FPS. These numbers are far beyond the refresh rate of any current monitor, indicating that the system is heavily CPU-bound at this resolution. The spread between Low and Ultra is 368.1 FPS, showing that visual settings have a substantial impact, but even the lowest figure is excessive for gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings yield 469.7 FPS, Medium drops to 394 FPS, High produces 293.7 FPS, and Ultra settles at 228.2 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 241.5 FPS, a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p, but the percentage difference is similar. This resolution still leaves plenty of headroom above 240 Hz monitors, suggesting that the CPU is still doing heavy lifting.

At 3840x2160, the GPU starts to become more relevant. Low settings still produce 262.5 FPS, Medium drops to 217.9 FPS, High is at 166.3 FPS, and Ultra falls to 129.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 132.9 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference across resolutions, showing that 4K is beginning to tax the GPU more evenly. Even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate is above 120 FPS, which is a playable threshold for most competitive players, though not as excessive as lower resolutions.

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

The resolution scaling pattern is informative about where the bottleneck lies. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average frame rate across all settings drops by approximately 34-35%. For instance, Low settings go from 713.7 FPS to 469.7 FPS, a 34.2% reduction. High settings go from 445.6 to 293.7 FPS, a 34.1% reduction. This consistent drop suggests that the CPU is still the primary limiter at 1440p, as the GPU has enough headroom to handle the increased pixel count without dramatically changing the frame rate dynamics.

The transition from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 is more revealing. Low settings drop from 469.7 FPS to 262.5 FPS, a 44.1% reduction. Medium settings go from 394 to 217.9 FPS, a 44.7% reduction. High settings drop from 293.7 to 166.3 FPS, a 43.4% reduction. Ultra settings go from 228.2 to 129.6 FPS, a 43.2% reduction. The larger percentage drop at 4K indicates that the GPU is becoming a more significant constraint, as the pixel count quadrupling puts more pressure on the rendering pipeline. However, even at 4K, the frame rates are still high, which implies that the CPU's 6.00 GHz boost clock and 36 MB of shared L3 cache are providing enough instruction throughput to keep the GPU well-fed.

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

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a Raptor Lake-R architecture processor with 24 cores and 32 threads, featuring a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. In a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance, the 6.00 GHz boost clock is a critical factor. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect this strength: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7040 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3064.

The CPU's performance in the database shows it is in the 97th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 79824. Its nearest rivals are the AMD EPYC 7413 at 0.3% behind, and the Intel Core i9-14900KF at 0.7% ahead, indicating that this is a top-tier part. The data strongly suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the massive frame rates that exceed 700 FPS at Low settings. The 32 threads are likely underutilized in this title, but the high clock speed on the performance cores is what drives the extreme frame rates. The CPU's ability to maintain these frame rates also points to its 125 W TDP being sufficient for sustaining boost clocks under gaming loads, though the data does not specify power draw during gameplay.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured rows offer a clear hierarchy of performance, and the recommendation depends on the user's display refresh rate. For a 360 Hz monitor, the 1080p High preset at 445.6 FPS is more than sufficient, and even 1440p High at 293.7 FPS would be adequate for a 240 Hz display. However, for competitive play, the data suggests that the Medium preset often provides a better balance. At 1080p, Medium delivers 594.6 FPS, which is 149 FPS higher than High, and the visual difference between Medium and High is often negligible in a fast-paced game. At 1440p, Medium at 394 FPS is a 100 FPS improvement over High, making it a strong choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts. The High preset at 166.3 FPS is already above 144 Hz, and the Ultra preset at 129.6 FPS is still playable on a 120 Hz display. For users with a 4K 144 Hz monitor, the High preset is the better choice, as it provides a 36.7 FPS advantage over Ultra while likely offering similar visual clarity in a competitive setting. The Low preset at 4K offers 262.5 FPS, which is excessive for most displays, but it could be useful for users who prioritize maximum frame pacing over visual fidelity. Overall, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p appears to be the "sweet spot" for the best balance of visual quality and frame rate headroom, while High at 4K is the recommended preset for that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 62nd out of 1632 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2. This puts it in the top 3.8% of all configurations, which is an exceptional result. The ranking suggests that there are only 61 other combinations that outperform this setup in this specific game, and those are likely to feature even more extreme CPUs or GPUs that are not in the immediate rival list. The CPU's percentile rank of 97 and the GPU's percentile rank of 89 together indicate a high-tier pairing, but the CPU's higher percentile suggests that it is the stronger component relative to its peers.

Given the measured frame rates, the ranking makes sense. This combo is capable of exceeding 700 FPS at 1080p Low, which reflects the CPU's single-thread prowess. The fact that it ranks 62nd, rather than higher, implies that there are other combinations with even higher frame rates, possibly using CPUs with even higher boost clocks or GPUs with better optimization in this title. However, the data shows that this combo is firmly in the elite tier, and for most users, the difference between the 62nd and 1st ranked combo would be imperceptible, as both would far exceed any display's refresh rate. The high ranking also validates that the RTX 5080, despite its lower percentile rank, is not a weak link in this pairing.