Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an old game by modern standards, but the data for this Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination shows it remains brutally demanding on frame rates at the high end. This pairing produces triple-digit frame rates even at 4K, but the scaling patterns reveal a system that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions. The measurements show that users chasing maximum refresh rates on 1080p or 1440p displays will be limited by the processor's single-thread performance, while the GPU only becomes the primary constraint at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep, but the pattern is not linear. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 1136.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 783 at 2560x1440, a 31% reduction, and then further down to 461.2 at 3840x2160, another 41% drop. This tells a clear story: at 1080p Low, the CPU is the limiting factor, and as resolution climbs, the GPU gradually becomes the bottleneck. The 4K result of 461.2 FPS is still extraordinarily high, but it is less than half of the 1080p Low score, indicating the RTX 4080 SUPER is being pushed much harder.

The Ultra settings curve shows a similar but less dramatic relative drop. Starting at 710.7 FPS at 1080p, it falls to 492.3 FPS at 1440p (a 31% drop), and then to 289.9 FPS at 4K (a 41% drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings presets suggests the scaling is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. At 4K Ultra, the system still delivers 289.9 FPS, which is far above any display refresh rate on the market, but the gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 171.3 FPS, showing that graphics settings have a substantial impact even at high resolution.

The data clearly indicates that at 1080p, even the Ultra preset is leaving performance on the table because the CPU cannot feed the GPU fast enough. The difference between 1080p Low (1136.2 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (710.7 FPS) is 425.5 FPS, but the jump from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra (492.3 FPS) is a much smaller 218.4 FPS loss. This suggests that players with 1080p 360Hz monitors will find the CPU to be the ceiling, while the GPU has ample headroom.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in CS:GO?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance. At High settings, it delivers 574.3 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor, while still allowing the GPU to do meaningful work compared to 1080p.

Q: How much faster is Low settings compared to Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 461.2 FPS average, while Ultra produces 289.9 FPS. That is a 171.3 FPS difference, or a 59% performance gain from dropping to Low.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 SUPER become the bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes more of a factor at 4K. At 1080p, the frame rate is so high (over 800 FPS on High) that the CPU is clearly the limiting component. At 4K, the frame rate drops to 340.7 FPS on High, indicating the GPU is now the primary constraint.

Q: Is this combo overkill for CS:GO?

A: For most displays, yes. Even at 4K Ultra, the system produces 289.9 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of all but the most extreme gaming monitors. The data shows this is a top-tier combination for this game, ranking 118th out of 1605 tested combos.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 662.9 FPS, while High settings produce 574.3 FPS. The difference is 88.6 FPS, which is a 15% performance hit for the visual upgrade to High.

Q: How does the CPU's single-core performance relate to CS:GO results?

A: The i7-14700F scores 5003 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which is crucial for a game like CS:GO that relies heavily on single-thread performance. The high frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU is the bottleneck, reflect this strong single-core capability.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. While CS:GO is known for being single-thread bound, the benchmark results show that this CPU's high boost clock is the key factor. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5003 places it in the top tier of processors, and this directly translates to the exceptional 1080p performance seen in the measured data.

The multi-core performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443, but this is less relevant for CS:GO. The game's engine historically relies on one or two threads for the majority of frame generation, so the 5.40 GHz boost clock is what allows the system to hit 1136.2 FPS at 1080p Low. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache helps with game logic and map data, but the clock speed is the dominant factor.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 94th out of all CPUs indicates it sits in the top 6% of processors tested. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, scores 54450 in the average benchmark, which is only 0.6% higher than the i7-14700F's 54097 average. This margin is negligible in real-world gaming, and the data shows that the i7-14700F is more than capable of feeding the RTX 4080 SUPER in CS:GO. The fact that the CPU is not the limiting factor at 4K, where the GPU takes over, suggests that the processor has headroom even for future titles.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 118th out of 1605 tested combos in CS:GO. This places it in the top 7.4% of all configurations tested for this game. The ranking is impressive, but not number one, which is expected given that there are more expensive and newer components available.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 53610 puts it at the 88th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, scores 53489, just 0.2% lower. The CPU's average score of 54097 puts it at the 94th percentile, with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X just 0.6% ahead. Both components are well-matched in terms of overall performance, but the 118th rank out of 1605 suggests that other combinations, likely with newer or more specialized hardware, can achieve higher frame rates in this specific title.

The rank is noteworthy because it shows that this pairing, while not the absolute fastest, is firmly in the enthusiast tier. The measured frame rates at 4K Ultra (289.9 FPS) are still above the refresh rate of most 4K monitors, which typically max out at 144Hz or 240Hz. The combination ranks higher than the individual percentiles might suggest, indicating that the pairing works well together for CS:GO specifically.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows that the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, even the Ultra preset delivers 710.7 FPS, which is far beyond any current display's capability. There is no practical reason to use Low settings at 1080p, as the Ultra preset still provides over 700 FPS, and the visual quality improvement is significant. However, for competitive play where every frame matters, the Low preset at 1136.2 FPS offers a 425.5 FPS advantage over Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 574.3 FPS is the sweet spot. It provides excellent visual quality while maintaining frame rates high enough for 360Hz or 500Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 492.3 FPS is also viable, but the 82 FPS drop from High may not be worth the minor visual gains. For players with 144Hz or 240Hz 1440p monitors, even the Ultra preset is overkill, so High is recommended for the best balance.

At 3840x2160, the High preset at 340.7 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a smooth experience for any 4K monitor, including 240Hz models. The Ultra preset at 289.9 FPS is still playable, but the High preset offers a 50.8 FPS improvement with minimal visual difference. The Low preset at 461.2 FPS is only recommended for players with 360Hz 4K monitors, which are rare. For the vast majority of users, High settings at 4K is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers extraordinary performance across all settings. The Low preset produces an average of 1136.2 FPS, which is the highest measured result. The Medium preset drops to 968 FPS, a 168.2 FPS reduction. High settings produce 836.2 FPS, and Ultra produces 710.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 425.5 FPS, showing that settings have a massive impact on frame rate when the CPU is the bottleneck.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still remarkably high. Low settings produce 783 FPS, Medium produces 662.9 FPS, High produces 574.3 FPS, and Ultra produces 492.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 290.7 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is beginning to play a larger role. The difference between High and Ultra is 82 FPS, which is the smallest gap between any two adjacent settings at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor. Low settings produce 461.2 FPS, Medium produces 394.4 FPS, High produces 340.7 FPS, and Ultra produces 289.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 171.3 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference across all resolutions. This confirms that at 4K, the RTX 4080 SUPER is being fully utilized, and the CPU is no longer the constraint. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at High settings shows a 495.5 FPS drop, which is a 59% reduction, highlighting how resolution impacts the GPU workload.