Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a game where frame rate is king, and the measured results for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 show a combination that consistently delivers high refresh rates across all tested configurations. The data presents a system that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU becoming a more significant factor only when graphical settings and resolution are pushed to their limits.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz can boost up to 5.30 GHz, and it carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache. For a game like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and physics, these specifications are crucial. The high boost clock ensures that the primary game thread is processed as quickly as possible, minimizing latency and maximizing frame pacing. The processor's performance percentile of 90, relative to all CPUs, indicates it is a top-tier part for this workload.

The benchmark results show a strong correlation with this CPU's capabilities. In Cinebench R23, the processor scores 32544 in multi-core and 4594 in single-core, while in Geekbench it scores 17085 multi-core and 2445 single-core. These numbers paint a picture of a chip with both substantial multi-threaded headroom for modern titles and excellent single-thread speed for esports. The PassMark single-thread score of 4273 further confirms its strength in this area. This is why, at 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces a massive 574 FPS average, a scenario where the CPU is almost certainly the limiting factor. The game’s engine, released in 2012, is not designed to leverage the 20 threads fully, but the sheer speed of the individual cores ensures that the frame rate is never bottlenecked by the processor.

The nearest rivals for the CPU, based on average benchmark score, are the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which is 0.3% slower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which is 0.4% slower. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% slower, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 is 0.8% faster. This grouping places the i5-14600KF in a highly competitive performance tier, where the differences in synthetic benchmarks are minimal. In practice, for CS:GO, the 5.30 GHz boost clock gives it a slight edge in the most latency-sensitive scenarios, as the game's performance is often dictated by the processor's ability to quickly feed the GPU with draw calls.

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

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate recorded for this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 574 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates the system is capable of far exceeding the refresh rates of most monitors in the game's lightest settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all other tested configurations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1732 out of 2848 tested combinations. While this places it in the top 39% of all combos, it is important to note that this rank includes systems with much more powerful and expensive hardware.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 4K resolution with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 147 FPS. This significant drop from the 1080p results indicates the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the higher resolution and graphical details place a much larger load on the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050.

Q: What is the difference in average performance between 1080p and 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average frame rate is 423 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 with the same settings, the average frame rate drops to 291 FPS. This represents a performance reduction of approximately 31%.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600KF has a launch MSRP of $294, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has a launch MSRP of 249 USD.

Q: Does the GPU's benchmark performance align with its measured FPS in this game?

A: The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 17326, with a percentile of 66 against all GPUs. Its measured performance in CS:GO shows it can handle the game exceptionally well, even at 4K, but the data suggests that the game's engine is more sensitive to raw CPU speed, as evidenced by the massive frame rate jumps from 1080p to 1440p to 4K.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a classic scaling pattern that highlights the dynamic between the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combination produces 423 FPS. When the resolution is increased to 2560x1440, the frame rate drops to 291 FPS, a reduction of 132 FPS. Moving further to 3840x2160, the frame rate falls to 172 FPS, another drop of 119 FPS. This steep decline as resolution increases is a clear indicator that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint.

At 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames quickly, but the processor's ability to issue draw calls and process game logic caps the output. This is why the frame rate is so high; the GPU is waiting on the CPU. As the resolution climbs, the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities are taxed more heavily. The RTX 5050, with its 2560 shading units and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, must work harder to render each frame, and the frame rate begins to reflect its limits rather than the CPU's.

The data at Low settings shows a similar trend but with even higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system hits 574 FPS, at 1440p Low it achieves 395 FPS, and at 4K Low it produces 233 FPS. The relative drops are consistent, confirming that the GPU's workload is scaling with resolution. The game is not heavily GPU-demanding, so even at 4K, the RTX 5050 is able to maintain excellent frame rates, but the bottleneck clearly shifts from the CPU at low resolutions to the GPU at high resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1732 out of 2848 tested combinations for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This places it in the middle-to-upper tier of all tested systems. It is important to contextualize this rank; the database likely includes extreme configurations with multiple GPUs or top-tier enthusiast processors, which would push this more mainstream combo down the list.

The rank of 1732 suggests that while this system is far from the top of the leaderboard, it is also not a low-end performer. In fact, for a game like CS:GO, the rank may be somewhat misleading. The average FPS figures are exceptionally high, and the system is likely to be at the limit of what most high-refresh-rate monitors can display. The rank is a relative measure against other combos, many of which may use older or less capable components. The data shows that this combo is capable of producing over 350 FPS at 1080p Ultra settings, which is a performance level that would satisfy even the most competitive players. The rank, therefore, reflects the overall landscape of tested hardware, not an absolute measure of playability.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus resulting in a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. In CS:GO, a title with relatively modest texture requirements, the 8 GB VRAM is more than sufficient. The game does not typically strain memory capacity, so the GPU's raw computational power is what matters.

The benchmark data for the GPU shows a PassMark G3D score of 17326 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 89381. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2502. These scores indicate a mid-range GPU that is capable of handling modern games at 1080p and 1440p with high settings. In CS:GO, the GPU's performance is only truly tested at 4K with Ultra settings, where the average frame rate drops to 147 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at that specific configuration, as the CPU is likely still able to provide enough instructions to exceed 147 FPS.

The nearest rivals for the GPU, based on average benchmark score, are the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which is 0.6% faster, and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, which is 1% faster. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% slower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% faster. This places the RTX 5050 in a performance tier with some older mobile and desktop parts, but its modern architecture and features allow it to deliver consistent, high frame rates in esports titles. The GPU's role in this combo is to provide enough rendering power to keep up with the CPU at lower resolutions, and it does so effectively, only becoming the bottleneck at the highest settings and resolutions.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across 12 different configurations. At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system excels. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 574 FPS. Moving to Medium settings, the average is 489 FPS, with a minimum of 416 FPS and a maximum of 562 FPS. At High settings, the average drops to 423 FPS. Finally, at Ultra settings, the average is 361 FPS. These numbers demonstrate the CPU's dominance at this resolution, as even the highest settings yield frame rates well above what most competitive players require.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. With Low settings, the average is 395 FPS. At Medium settings, the average is 336 FPS, with a minimum of 286 FPS and a maximum of 387 FPS. The High settings preset produces an average of 291 FPS. At Ultra settings, the average is 249 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a performance drop of roughly 30-35% across all settings, which is consistent with the GPU taking on more work.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become more apparent. With Low settings, the average is 233 FPS. At Medium settings, the average is 199 FPS, with a minimum of 169 FPS and a maximum of 229 FPS. The High settings preset yields an average of 172 FPS. At Ultra settings, the average drops to 147 FPS. Even at 4K Ultra, the system remains highly playable, but the data clearly shows that the RTX 5050 is the limiting factor here, as the frame rate has dropped to a point where the CPU's speed is no longer the primary constraint. The progression from 574 FPS at 1080p Low to 147 FPS at 4K Ultra highlights a well-balanced system that prioritizes low-latency performance, with the GPU stepping up to handle the load as resolution increases.