Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a stark demonstration of how resolution dictates performance in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. The measured frame rates show a clear and consistent scaling pattern across the three tested resolutions, revealing where the bottleneck shifts as pixel count increases. At 1920x1080, the system is heavily CPU-bound, producing exceptional frame rates that far exceed the needs of any high-refresh-rate monitor. Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are significant but still leave ample headroom for competitive play. At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to assert its influence, and while frame rates remain playable, the margin for error narrows considerably.

The data paints a clear picture of scaling. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 465 FPS at 1080p to 320 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 145 FPS. Pushing further to 4K brings the average down to 189 FPS, a 276 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline, roughly 59%, indicates that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the Arc B570's rendering workload at 4K becomes the primary limiter. The pattern holds across all presets. High settings see a drop from 343 FPS at 1080p to 236 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 139 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, scales from 293 FPS at 1080p down to 201 FPS at 1440p and 119 FPS at 4K.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p is where the most substantial relative performance hit occurs. The frame rate at High settings drops by 107 FPS, which is a 31% reduction. The jump from 1440p to 4K is similarly impactful, with a 97 FPS drop on the same preset. This consistent, linear degradation suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed progressively, and the 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient to maintain the same level of throughput as pixel count quadruples. The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory is not a limiting factor at these settings, but the sheer number of pixels is.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its configuration includes a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a title known for its reliance on single-threaded performance. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect its strength in this area. In Cinebench R23, it scores 2064 points in the single-core test and 24491 points in the multi-core test. This disparity, while significant, is typical, and the single-core score is the more relevant metric for this game's engine.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the i5-14600K is the primary driver of performance. The difference between the Low preset (465 FPS) and the Ultra preset (293 FPS) at this resolution is 172 FPS. This spread is caused by the GPU's workload increasing with each preset, but the CPU is still feeding it enough data to reach these high numbers. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4270 and its 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicate that it has the raw processing power to keep up with the game's logic and draw calls at lower resolutions. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache also helps with frequently accessed game data.

The situation changes when resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra is 70 FPS (189 vs 119). This is a much smaller spread compared to 1080p. The narrowing gap is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is no longer the limiting factor; instead, the Arc B570's rendering capabilities are what cap the frame rate. The i5-14600K has ample headroom at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that even at the Ultra preset, the system is not reaching the same frame rates as it does at 1080p. The CPU is waiting on the GPU to finish rendering each frame, rather than the other way around. This is a healthy balance for a system, as it means the CPU is not being overtaxed, but it also means that to get higher frame rates at 4K, a more powerful GPU would be required.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and is a mid-range graphics card with a 150 W TDP. Its specifications include 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. The GPU operates at a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This configuration is a key factor in the performance scaling observed. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 14195 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, indicating a solid mid-pack performer.

The Arc B570's role becomes more defined as the resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is often not the limiting factor, as the CPU can push frame rates well past 300 FPS. However, the GPU is still tasked with rendering the scene, and its performance is reflected in the preset scaling. The transition from Medium to Ultra at 1080p results in a 103 FPS drop (396 to 293 FPS). This is likely due to increased shading complexity and texture detail, which taxes the GPU's shader array and memory bandwidth.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The average frame rate at High settings is 139 FPS, which is less than half of the 343 FPS seen at 1080p. This is a direct consequence of the GPU's fill rate and bandwidth being overwhelmed by the pixel workload. The 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, while adequate for 1440p, is insufficient to feed the shaders at 4K with high-quality textures. The GPU's 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate is also a limiting factor, as it dictates how quickly pixels can be written to the framebuffer. The data shows that the Arc B570 is a capable 1080p and 1440p card for this game, but it is not a 4K powerhouse, requiring a reduction in settings or a more powerful GPU to maintain high frame rates at that resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combination can achieve?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 465 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded?

A: The lowest measured average frame rate is 119 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 343 FPS at 1920x1080 to 139 FPS at 3840x2160, a decrease of 204 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the data shows a significant frame rate drop from 1080p, but the system still achieves high averages like 320 FPS on Low settings. This suggests the GPU is becoming a more significant factor, but the CPU still has enough headroom to deliver high frame rates, indicating a balanced setup at this resolution.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Medium and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Medium preset averages 396 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 293 FPS, resulting in a 103 FPS difference.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570's memory capacity a limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory. The measured data does not indicate that memory capacity is a bottleneck at the tested settings, as the performance drop at 4K is more consistent with limitations in pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2271 out of 2848 tested combos for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This places it in the lower half of all tested configurations, which is surprising given the high frame rates measured. This ranking is likely due to the vast number of combinations tested that include more powerful GPUs, which can push even higher frame rates, especially at lower resolutions. The ranking is a relative measure against all other combinations in the database, not an absolute judgment of this combo's playability.

In the context of its components, the i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 48618 puts it on par with its nearest rivals. It trails the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 0.2% and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 by 0.8%, while leading the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.3% and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX by 0.7%. These are negligible performance differences. For the GPU, the Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to its closest competitors. It is 0.1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.4% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, while being 0.1% slower than the Intel Arc A750 and 0.5% slower than the AMD Radeon R9 M390X. This shows the GPU is a solid mid-range performer.

The combo's rank of 2271 is a function of the entire system's performance in this specific game. The high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p are excellent, but the ranking suggests that many other combinations are capable of even higher output. The CPU's high single-thread performance is leveraged well, but the GPU's mid-range standing pulls the overall combo ranking down when compared to systems with top-tier graphics cards. This ranking is a useful data point for comparing this specific setup against others, but it does not detract from the fact that this combo provides a highly playable experience in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for each resolution and settings preset combination. The data shows a clear trend of decreasing performance with increased resolution and higher settings.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 3840x2160 | High | 139 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 189 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 161 | 137 | 185 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 119 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | High | 236 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 320 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 273 | 232 | 314 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 201 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | High | 343 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 465 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 396 | 337 | 456 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 293 | N/A | N/A |

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min and max FPS data. At 1080p, the frame rate fluctuates between 337 and 456 FPS. At 1440p, it ranges from 232 to 314 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to a range of 137 to 185 FPS. This data provides a more complete picture of the system's stability. The variance between min and max at each resolution is consistent, suggesting no major stuttering issues. The gap between min and max at 1080p is 119 FPS, while at 4K it's 48 FPS. The smaller variance at higher resolutions is a typical consequence of the GPU bottleneck, which smooths out the frame delivery as the CPU is no longer causing spikes.

The performance difference between Low and Ultra settings is most pronounced at 1080p, with a 172 FPS difference. This gap narrows to 119 FPS at 1440p and 70 FPS at 4K. This is a textbook example of how a CPU-bound system becomes GPU-bound as resolution increases. The CPU can process the game logic and issue draw calls quickly, but at 4K, the GPU's slower rendering speed becomes the limiting factor, reducing the impact of in-game settings that primarily affect GPU load.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear guide for optimizing the balance between visual quality and frame rate. For competitive play at 1920x1080, the Low preset is the only choice that pushes the average frame rate to 465 FPS, which is ideal for a 360 Hz or higher refresh rate monitor. However, the Medium preset still delivers a very high 396 FPS average and offers a significant visual upgrade over Low. The Ultra preset, while visually more demanding, still provides a 293 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for most high-refresh-rate displays. The data indicates that at 1080p, the system has enough performance headroom to use even the most demanding settings while maintaining a high frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the system remains very capable. The Low preset achieves a 320 FPS average, and the Medium preset is not far behind at 273 FPS. For users prioritizing visual fidelity, the High preset at 236 FPS is a strong choice. The Ultra preset, at 201 FPS, is still playable and provides the best image quality. The data suggests that 1440p is a sweet spot for this combination, offering a large boost in visual clarity over 1080p while still maintaining frame rates well above the 144 Hz threshold that is common for gaming monitors.

The 3840x2160 resolution is where compromises must be made. The Low preset is the only one that exceeds 180 FPS, achieving an average of 189 FPS. The Medium preset, at 161 FPS, is the most balanced option for 4K, providing a substantial improvement in visual quality over Low while still delivering a smooth experience. The High and Ultra presets, at 139 and 119 FPS respectively, are best suited for slower-paced play or for users with a 120 Hz monitor. Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset at 4K offers the best compromise between visuals and performance, while at 1440p, the High preset provides an excellent experience, and at 1080p, the Low preset is recommended for maximum frame rates.