Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, despite its 2012 release, remains a benchmark staple due to its widespread competitive play and unique engine demands. This analysis examines the performance profile of the Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the Intel Arc B390, based on measured frame rate data. The dataset reveals a configuration that is decisively limited by its graphics component, particularly as resolution scales. The following sections break down the measured results, contextualize the hardware's role, and provide actionable settings guidance based strictly on the recorded data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear and dramatic inverse relationship between resolution and performance. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 303 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset drops that average to 208 FPS, a reduction of 95 FPS (approximately 31%). Scaling further to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields an average of 123 FPS, which is 59% lower than the 1080p result. This pattern indicates that the graphics processor is the primary bottleneck; the workload increases with pixel count, and the frame rate falls accordingly.

The scaling behavior becomes more telling when examining the High settings across all three resolutions. At 1080p High, the system averages 223 FPS. At 1440p High, it averages 154 FPS, and at 4K High, it drops to 91 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 31%, and from 1440p to 4K is roughly 41%. This non-linear degradation suggests that the Arc B390's compute resources are being saturated at higher pixel counts, especially when the game's graphical features are enabled. The data points to a component that is well-suited for 1080p competitive play but becomes increasingly strained at higher resolutions.

A notable observation is the consistency of the "Medium" preset's min/max frame data, which is the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 258 FPS, with a min of 219 and a max of 296. At 1440p Medium, the average is 177 FPS, with a min of 151 and a max of 204. At 4K Medium, the average is 105 FPS, with a min of 89 and a max of 120. The spread between min and max remains relatively tight at each resolution, suggesting that while the CPU is powerful enough to feed the GPU, the frame pacing is stable even under load. However, the average FPS decline of roughly 53% from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings reinforces that the GPU is the limiting factor in this configuration.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its benchmark credentials are modest; it scores 1482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This low percentile is reflected in its nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, a 1.3% difference), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% difference), and the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% difference). These comparisons position the Arc B390 at the entry-level tier of graphics performance, far below what is typically expected for high-refresh-rate gaming at high resolutions.

The GPU's specifications corroborate its performance ceiling. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Memory is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the host system's RAM, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This shared memory architecture often introduces latency and bandwidth limitations compared to dedicated VRAM solutions. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, translating to 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. These figures explain why the measured FPS drops so precipitously when resolution increases; the fixed pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed by the demands of 4K rendering.

In the context of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the GPU's role is to handle the rendering pipeline. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the GPU can push past 300 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play. However, at 4K Ultra, the average falls to 77 FPS, indicating that the GPU is saturated. The boost clock of 2500 MHz appears to be insufficient to compensate for the lack of dedicated memory bandwidth. The measured results suggest that the Arc B390 is a capable 1080p performer for this specific title but is not designed for high-resolution or high-fidelity gaming.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between performance and visual fidelity depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the "High" preset provides an average of 223 FPS, which is still well above the 200 FPS threshold many competitive players seek. The "Ultra" preset at 1080p yields 190 FPS, which remains playable but sacrifices a significant margin of frame rate for marginal visual gains. The data suggests that High is the best choice at 1080p for competitive integrity, as it offers a substantial FPS buffer over Ultra while maintaining enhanced visuals over Medium.

At 2560x1440, the recommendations shift. The "Low" preset averages 208 FPS, making it the only preset at this resolution that exceeds the 200 FPS mark. The "High" preset drops to 154 FPS, and "Ultra" falls to 131 FPS. For players with 1440p monitors, Low is the recommended preset to ensure a fluid experience, as the frame rate advantage over High (54 FPS) is more critical than the visual upgrade in a fast-paced shooter.

At 3840x2160, the situation is constrained. The "Low" preset averages 123 FPS, which is the only 4K setting that maintains a triple-digit average. "Medium" averages 105 FPS, "High" averages 91 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 77 FPS. For 4K gaming, Low is the only viable option for maintaining a competitive frame rate, while Medium could be considered for less demanding scenarios. The measured data indicates that Ultra at 4K should be avoided entirely, as the 77 FPS average falls below the 90 FPS baseline that is often considered minimum for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low averages 303 FPS, Medium averages 258 FPS (min 219, max 296), High averages 223 FPS, and Ultra averages 190 FPS. The progression shows a steady decline of roughly 45 FPS per preset step from Low to Ultra, with the most significant drop occurring between Low and Medium.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 208 FPS, Medium at 177 FPS (min 151, max 204), High at 154 FPS, and Ultra at 131 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 77 FPS, representing a 37% reduction in performance. The Medium preset's max of 204 FPS nearly matches the Low average, indicating that the GPU can occasionally hit higher peaks when the scene is less demanding.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 123 FPS, Medium at 105 FPS (min 89, max 120), High at 91 FPS, and Ultra at 77 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is 46 FPS. Notably, the minimum FPS for Medium at 4K is 89, which is only 2 FPS above the High average, confirming that the GPU is consistently struggling to maintain high frame rates at this resolution. The data across all resolutions shows a clear pattern: the Arc B390 is most comfortable at 1080p, acceptable at 1440p with reduced settings, and severely limited at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested component combinations for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2510 out of 2848 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all configurations, which aligns with the GPU's low percentile ranking. The combo's position suggests that while the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU severely drags down the overall gaming experience for this title.

The ranking is not surprising given the GPU's performance class. The Arc B390's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark, such as the GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, are legacy or entry-level parts that would not be expected to deliver high frame rates in modern gaming. The combo rank of 2510 indicates that there are 2510 other combinations that perform better in this specific game, which is a strong signal that the GPU is the limiting factor. For context, the CPU alone ranks in the 91st percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 53620. This contrast highlights the imbalance: a top-tier CPU paired with an entry-level GPU results in a below-average gaming combo.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's rivals are all positive (1.3%, 1.5%, 2.5%, 2.7%), meaning the Arc B390 scores slightly higher than these older parts, but the margin is negligible. This explains why the combo rank is so low; the GPU is only marginally better than decade-old integrated or low-end discrete solutions. The measured FPS data confirms this ranking, as even at 1080p Low, the combo does not reach the 400+ FPS figures that high-end dedicated GPUs would achieve in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. This specification set is overwhelmingly powerful for a game like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which is known to be more dependent on single-core performance than multi-core scaling. The CPU's single-core benchmark scores are strong: 499 in Cinebench R15, 2082 in Cinebench R20, and 4958 in Cinebench R23.

In this game, the CPU's role is to handle the game logic, physics, and draw calls, while the GPU handles the rasterization. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution or setting. For instance, at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 303 FPS. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect the FPS to remain roughly constant regardless of resolution. However, the FPS drops to 208 at 1440p and 123 at 4K, proving that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 28 threads and high boost clock ensure that it can feed the GPU with enough data to maintain these frame rates, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's lack of raw throughput.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 91% versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53620, places it in the top tier of processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P (0.2% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (0.6% higher), and AMD EPYC 7313P (0.8% higher). These comparisons show that the i7-14700F is competitive with high-end desktop and server parts. In the context of CS:GO, this CPU has more than enough headroom to support the Arc B390, and even a significantly faster GPU would be needed to unlock the CPU's full potential in this title. The data indicates that the CPU's contribution is a stable foundation, but the user experience is entirely dictated by the GPU's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 303, measured at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the combo achieves an average of 77 FPS, which is the lowest average in the dataset.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F or the Intel Arc B390 the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor. This is evidenced by the FPS dropping from 303 at 1080p Low to 123 at 4K Low, while the CPU's high single-core benchmark scores (e.g., 4958 in Cinebench R23) indicate it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 2510 out of 2848 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 12% of all tested setups.

Q: Which settings preset at 2560x1440 provides the highest average FPS?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 provides the highest average FPS of 208, which is the only preset at that resolution to exceed 200 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Intel Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it relies on the system's main RAM, with bandwidth that is dependent on the host system.