Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

# Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

The benchmark data for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 reveals an exceptionally high-performance combination, placing at rank 241 out of 3719 tested combos. This pairing delivers frame rates that far exceed the requirements of competitive play at every resolution tested, from 292 FPS at 4K Ultra to 1141 FPS at 1080p Low. The following analysis breaks down how the GPU and CPU each contribute to these results, how the combo ranks among tested configurations, and what settings provide the optimal experience for different display scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent drop as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a system transitioning from CPU-bound to GPU-bound operation. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 1141 FPS, while the same settings at 2560x1440 produce 785 FPS (a 31.2% reduction), and at 3840x2160 the result drops to 464 FPS (a further 40.9% reduction from 1440p). This scaling pattern indicates that at lower resolutions, the frame rate is primarily limited by the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls, while the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions, revealing where the GPU becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p, the difference between Low (1141 FPS) and Ultra (717 FPS) is 424 FPS, while at 4K, the same settings comparison shows only a 172 FPS gap (464 versus 292 FPS). This compression of the settings delta at 4K confirms that the RTX 4080's rendering workload scales with both resolution and graphical fidelity, whereas at 1080p the CPU's frame generation capability caps the output regardless of how light the GPU workload becomes.

The 1440p results sit in a transitional zone where neither component is fully saturated. High settings at 2560x1440 yield 578 FPS, which is 31.3% lower than the 841 FPS at 1080p High but still 68.9% higher than the 342 FPS at 4K High. This suggests that 1440p represents a balanced operating point for this pairing, where the GPU's rendering capacity and the CPU's geometry processing can both contribute meaningfully to the final frame rate without either becoming a hard bottleneck.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 brings substantial rendering resources to this title, including 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's modest texture and geometry demands. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz and base clock of 2205 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, deliver the raw throughput needed to sustain the high frame rates observed in the data.

The GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises, particularly when comparing Ultra settings across the three tested resolutions. At 1080p Ultra, the RTX 4080 produces 717 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 292 FPS, a 59.3% reduction. This scaling aligns with the 4x pixel count increase between these resolutions, indicating that the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are the primary constraints at higher resolutions. The 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are heavily exercised when pushing 4K Ultra, even in a game with relatively simple visuals.

In the GPU benchmark suite, the RTX 4080 scores 34457 in Passmark G3D and 6567 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it at the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (1.1% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (2.6% higher). These close margins in synthetic tests do not translate to perceptible differences in CS:GO, where the frame rates are already far beyond display refresh rates at most settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh generation, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This high boost frequency is critical for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which relies heavily on single-threaded performance for game simulation and input processing. The CPU's 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache help maintain low latency access to frequently used game data, which is essential for maintaining consistent frame pacing in a competitive shooter.

The CPU's benchmark scores reflect its strength in both single-threaded and multithreaded workloads. It achieves 6235 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 44167 in multi-core, along with a Geekbench single-core score of 2578 and multi-core score of 21462. These results place the processor at the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70163. Its nearest rivals in average score include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% lower), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% lower), while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is 1% higher.

The CPU's influence on CS:GO frame rates is most apparent at 1080p, where the rendering workload is light enough for the processor to become the limiting factor. The jump from 1141 FPS at Low to 971 FPS at Medium and 841 FPS at High shows that even with the RTX 4080, the frame rate is constrained by how quickly the CPU can feed draw commands and process game state updates. The 28 threads and high boost clock ensure that this constraint is set at an extremely high level, but it remains the ceiling for maximum frame rates in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 241 out of 3719 tested combos in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, placing it in the top 6.5% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing, where neither component severely bottlenecks the other, and both contribute to the exceptionally high frame rates observed. The top 240 combos ahead of this one are likely composed of even newer or more expensive hardware, but the practical difference in CS:GO performance is minimal given that the frame rates already exceed the refresh rates of virtually all gaming monitors.

The combo's percentile standing is consistent across both component categories: the CPU ranks at the 94th percentile among all processors, and the GPU ranks at the 86th percentile among all graphics cards. The slightly higher CPU percentile relative to the GPU percentile suggests that the processor is more capable relative to its peers than the graphics card is, which aligns with the observation that this game tends to favor CPU performance. However, the GPU's strong absolute performance ensures that even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains a playable frame rate of 292 FPS.

In the context of the nearest rival components, the combo's performance in CS:GO is not directly comparable to the synthetic benchmark deltas. The CPU's 0.2% advantage over the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F in average benchmark score does not necessarily translate to a measurable FPS difference in a game where both processors can exceed 1000 FPS at 1080p Low. Similarly, the GPU's 0.1% deficit to the RTX 4080 SUPER is negligible when the frame rates are already in the hundreds. The ranking data indicates that this combo is well-matched for competitive play, with no single component dragging down the overall performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 1141 FPS average, making it the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset. Medium at 1080p produces 971 FPS with a minimum of 825 FPS and maximum of 1117 FPS, while High yields 841 FPS and Ultra drops to 717 FPS. These results demonstrate that at 1080p, even the most demanding settings maintain frame rates well above the 240 Hz refresh rate common in high-end gaming monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high but show a clear scaling with settings. Low produces 785 FPS, Medium delivers 668 FPS with a minimum of 568 FPS and maximum of 768 FPS, High achieves 578 FPS, and Ultra settles at 494 FPS. The 1440p results are particularly relevant for gamers using high-refresh-rate QHD monitors, as even the Ultra preset exceeds the 240 Hz threshold by a comfortable margin. The minimum FPS of 568 FPS at Medium suggests that frame pacing remains consistent even during intense gameplay sequences.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still impressive but begins to show the GPU's limits. Low settings produce 464 FPS, Medium delivers 395 FPS with a minimum of 335 FPS and maximum of 454 FPS, High achieves 342 FPS, and Ultra drops to 292 FPS. These 4K results indicate that the RTX 4080 can handle even the most demanding resolution and settings combination in this game, with the lowest recorded average still exceeding 288 FPS. For 4K gamers, the Ultra preset remains viable, though the frame rate falls below the 360 Hz threshold found on some esports displays.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 1141 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the maximum output of the system when the GPU workload is minimized.

Q: Can this system maintain 240 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, all tested settings at 3840x2160 exceed 240 FPS average. The lowest result is 292 FPS at Ultra settings, while Low settings reach 464 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is 1% higher.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4080 ranks at the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 0.1% higher.

Q: Which resolution shows the smallest gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160, the gap between Low (464 FPS) and Ultra (292 FPS) is 172 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference among the three resolutions. At 1080p, the gap is 424 FPS, and at 1440p it is 291 FPS.

Q: How does the 1440p Medium result compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 1440p Medium average of 668 FPS is 49 FPS higher than the 1080p Ultra average of 717 FPS, despite the higher resolution. The 1440p Medium also shows a minimum FPS of 568, which exceeds the 1080p Ultra average.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080 displays, the Ultra preset at 717 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides the highest visual quality while still maintaining frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of any commercially available gaming monitor. The performance headroom at this resolution is so large that even the most demanding settings produce frame rates in excess of 700 FPS, making the graphical fidelity improvements from Ultra settings essentially free in terms of competitive viability. Players who prioritize maximum frame rates for high-refresh-rate esports displays may prefer Low settings at 1141 FPS, but the practical benefit over Ultra is negligible beyond 360 Hz.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset at 494 FPS remains the best option for visual quality, as it still comfortably exceeds the 240 Hz threshold that most high-refresh-rate QHD monitors support. The Medium preset at 668 FPS offers a substantial frame rate boost for players using 360 Hz or higher refresh rate displays, with the recorded minimum of 568 FPS ensuring consistent frame delivery even in demanding scenes. The High preset at 578 FPS represents a middle ground that may appeal to players who want a balance between visual fidelity and frame rate headroom, though the difference between High and Ultra is modest at 84 FPS.

For 3840x2160 displays, the High preset at 342 FPS provides the best overall experience, delivering frame rates that exceed the 240 Hz refresh rate of premium 4K gaming monitors while maintaining higher visual quality than Medium or Low. The Ultra preset at 292 FPS is also viable for 4K gaming, but the 50 FPS reduction from High may be noticeable on displays with refresh rates above 240 Hz. The Medium preset at 395 FPS offers the highest frame rate among the tested settings that still includes quality improvements over Low, making it the recommended choice for players with 360 Hz 4K displays who want to maximize smoothness while retaining some visual detail.