Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

# Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with Intel Core i5-14600KF + Intel Arc B390

FAQ

Q: What is the combined performance rank of this CPU and GPU pairing in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive?

A: This combination ranks 2510th out of 2848 tested combos in the database for this game, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. The low percentile reflects the GPU's modest 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, which lands in the 9th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600KF compare to its nearest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600KF posts an average benchmark score of 49394, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228), 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196), and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 by 0.8%, which scores 49796.

Q: What are the measured FPS results at 1080p with Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 303 FPS. This is the highest measured result across all resolution and settings combinations in the dataset, representing a 60% improvement over the 190 FPS seen at Ultra settings at the same resolution.

Q: Does the GPU support modern graphics APIs needed for this game?

A: The Intel Arc B390 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The DirectX 12 Ultimate support includes hardware ray tracing with 12 RT cores, which is more than sufficient for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's DirectX 9/11 rendering paths.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect performance?

A: The Intel Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning its VRAM size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all system-dependent. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. This shared memory architecture can become a bottleneck in CPU-intensive scenarios like CS:GO's smoke and physics calculations.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443). All of these are entry-level mobile or OEM parts.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is built on Intel's 3 nm process using the Xe3-LPG architecture, codenamed Panther Lake. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines, delivering a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 performance rated at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio).

In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the GPU's role is primarily to handle the game's relatively light rendering workload. The measured data shows that at 1920x1080, the average FPS scales from 190 at Ultra settings to 303 at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is not the primary limiting factor at lower resolutions. The 12 RT cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are overkill for this title, but the system-shared memory configuration means the GPU competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth. The 9th percentile GPU ranking (score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad) places it in the same performance class as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 — all of which are significantly older or lower-tier parts. Despite this, the GPU manages to deliver playable frame rates at 4K, which speaks to CS:GO's efficient rendering pipeline rather than the GPU's raw capability.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 2510th out of 2848 tested combos in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, placing it in the bottom 12% of all recorded pairings. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's position in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 90th percentile among all CPUs. This creates a substantial imbalance: the processor is capable of far higher frame rates than the graphics card can deliver, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

The combo's rank in the bottom 12% suggests that most other tested configurations — even those with weaker CPUs — outperform this pairing because they pair the CPU with a more capable GPU. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 303 FPS, which is respectable, but the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 indicates it is fundamentally an entry-level part. For context, the GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic testing are the GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, both of which are not considered gaming-capable by modern standards. The CPU's positional strength (0.3% ahead of the Ryzen 9 7900) does not translate into a high game rank because CS:GO's frame rate is constrained by the GPU at higher settings and resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 303 FPS average, which is the highest of any configuration tested. The Medium preset yields 258 FPS with a minimum of 219 FPS and maximum of 296 FPS, while High produces 223 FPS and Ultra drops to 190 FPS. For competitive play on a 144 Hz monitor, the Low preset provides more than double the refresh rate headroom, ensuring consistent frame pacing. However, the Medium preset's minimum of 219 FPS still exceeds 144 Hz, offering better visual fidelity without sacrificing competitive performance.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 208 FPS average, Medium delivers 177 FPS (min 151, max 204), High reaches 154 FPS, and Ultra falls to 131 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot for players with 144 Hz displays, as its 151 FPS minimum stays above the refresh rate threshold. For 4K (3840x2160), the Low preset produces 123 FPS, Medium yields 105 FPS (min 89, max 120), High reaches 91 FPS, and Ultra drops to 77 FPS. At 4K, only the Low preset maintains an average above 120 FPS, making it the only viable option for high-refresh 4K gaming. The Ultra preset's 77 FPS at 4K is playable but falls short of competitive standards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance envelope spans from 190 FPS at Ultra to 303 FPS at Low. The Medium preset averages 258 FPS with a recorded minimum of 219 FPS and maximum of 296 FPS, while the High preset settles at 223 FPS. The step from Low to Medium represents a 45 FPS drop (15%), while moving from Medium to High costs 35 FPS (14%), and High to Ultra costs 33 FPS (15%). The scaling is remarkably consistent, suggesting the GPU is the limiting factor at every settings tier at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the spread narrows: Low achieves 208 FPS, Medium 177 FPS (min 151, max 204), High 154 FPS, and Ultra 131 FPS. The transition from Low to Medium costs 31 FPS (15%), Medium to High costs 23 FPS (13%), and High to Ultra costs 23 FPS (15%). The minimum FPS at Medium (151) is notably higher than the average at Ultra (131), indicating that the Medium preset provides better frame consistency than Ultra at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results show 123 FPS at Low, 105 FPS at Medium (min 89, max 120), 91 FPS at High, and 77 FPS at Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 18 FPS (15%), Medium to High is 14 FPS (13%), and High to Ultra is 14 FPS (15%). The 4K Ultra result of 77 FPS represents a 75% reduction from the 1080p Low result of 303 FPS, illustrating the GPU's limited headroom at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, with PCIe Gen 5 providing 16 CPU lanes. The CPU's launch MSRP is $294.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-14600KF scores 32544 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4594 in single-core, 13668 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, and 3280 in Cinebench R15 multi-core. Its Geekbench scores are 17085 multi-core and 2445 single-core. The PassMark suite shows 38697 in multi-thread, 4273 in single-thread, 125982 in integer math, and 93048 in floating point math. These scores place the CPU in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49394.

In Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the CPU's role is crucial for maintaining high frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. The 1080p Low result of 303 FPS demonstrates the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic updates. However, the CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads are underutilized by CS:GO, which is primarily single-threaded in its rendering path. The single-core Cinebench R23 score of 4594 and PassMark single-thread score of 4273 indicate strong per-thread performance, which is what matters most for this game. The 5.30 GHz boost clock provides the raw clock speed needed for high IPC-bound workloads like CS:GO's physics and entity updates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 303 at 1080p to 208 at 1440p (a 31% reduction) and then to 123 at 4K (a 59% reduction from 1080p). At Medium settings, the progression is 258 to 177 to 105, representing a 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 59% drop from 1080p to 4K. High settings follow suit: 223 to 154 to 91, with a 31% and 59% reduction respectively. Ultra settings show 190 to 131 to 77, a 31% and 59% reduction.

The consistent 31% drop from 1080p to 1440p and 59% drop from 1080p to 4K across all settings tiers indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at every resolution. The pixel count increases by 78% from 1080p to 1440p, and by 300% from 1080p to 4K. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the scaling would be less severe at higher resolutions, as the GPU would be waiting on the CPU. Instead, the FPS drops nearly proportionally with pixel count, confirming that the Intel Arc B390's 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the limiting resource.

The 4K results are particularly telling: at Ultra settings, the combo manages only 77 FPS, which is 60% lower than the 190 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This scaling pattern suggests that players targeting 4K should use Low settings to stay above 120 FPS, while 1080p players can comfortably use Medium or High settings without sacrificing competitive frame rates. The system-shared memory configuration likely contributes to this scaling behavior, as the GPU must share memory bandwidth with the CPU, which becomes more demanding at higher resolutions due to larger frame buffers.