Overpower

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread desktop processor from Intel’s Core 14th Gen series, built on the Raptor Lake architecture. It operates at a base clock of 2.10 GHz and can boost up to 5.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s benchmark data shows strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35122 and a Geekbench multicore score of 19620, placing it at the 91st percentile among all CPUs. In this game, the i7-14700F’s high core count and boost clock provide substantial headroom for processing game logic and physics, ensuring that the CPU does not become the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest. The data reveals that at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 159 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all tested configurations. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution and settings increase.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achieved by this combo, and at which settings?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 159, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the 1080p Ultra result of 77 FPS, showing a clear performance scaling based on graphics load.

Q: How does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 53620, which places it within 0.2% of the Intel Xeon 6505P (score 53701), 0.3% above the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (score 53469), 0.6% above the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (score 53288), and 0.8% above the AMD EPYC 7313P (score 53206). This indicates that the CPU’s multi-threaded capability is on par with high-end server and desktop parts.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing relative to other graphics cards based on benchmark scores?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 16129, which places it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9060, scores 16014, a 0.7% difference, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 16351, a -1.4% difference. This shows the GPU is mid-range in the current landscape.

Q: Does the combo’s performance at 4K Ultra suggest a CPU or GPU limitation?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 58, which is the lowest measured result. In contrast, the same CPU at 1080p Low produces 159 FPS. This steep decline with increased resolution and settings strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component in this game, as the CPU’s performance remains constant while the GPU’s workload increases.

Q: How does the measured FPS at 1440p Medium compare to the 1080p Medium result?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the average FPS is 89, with a minimum of 75 and maximum of 102. At 1920x1080 Medium, the average FPS is 100, with a minimum of 85 and maximum of 114. The difference is 11 FPS on average, showing a moderate performance hit when moving to a higher resolution at the same settings.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1842 out of 3713 tested combinations. This places it in the middle of the pack, indicating that while it delivers playable frame rates, there are many other CPU-GPU pairings that achieve higher performance in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which is typical for a system where the GPU is the dominant constraint. Starting at 1080p, the average FPS for Low settings is 159, while at 1440p it drops to 142, and at 4K it falls to 121. This represents a 10.7% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 23.9% decrease from 1080p to 4K. For Medium settings, the trend is similar, with 100 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 75 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 25.0% for Medium settings.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher settings. For High settings, the average FPS is 92 at 1080p, 82 at 1440p, and 70 at 4K. This is a 23.9% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The most severe scaling is observed at Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops from 77 at 1080p to 68 at 1440p and then to 58 at 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 24.7%.

These results indicate that the RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being stressed as the pixel count increases. The consistent percentage drops across different settings, roughly 24-25% from 1080p to 4K, suggest that the scaling is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. The CPU, with its high core count and boost clock, does not appear to be the limiting factor, as the FPS decreases steadily with resolution regardless of the graphical load. This points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck in this combo, especially when targeting 4K Ultra, where the average FPS dips to 58, which may not be smooth enough for fast-paced action sequences.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all settings yield playable frame rates, with Low achieving 159 FPS, Medium at 100 FPS, High at 92 FPS, and Ultra at 77 FPS. For a 60 FPS baseline, even Ultra settings are sufficient at this resolution, but for high-refresh-rate monitors, the Medium preset provides a solid 100 FPS average, which is a 23% improvement over High and a 29% improvement over Ultra. The data suggests that Medium at 1080p offers the best trade-off between visual fidelity and performance, as the jump from Low to Medium only costs 59 FPS but likely provides a significant visual upgrade.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates drop across the board. Low settings produce 142 FPS, Medium 89 FPS, High 82 FPS, and Ultra 68 FPS. At this resolution, the Medium preset still maintains an average above 85 FPS, which is generally considered smooth for most action games. The Ultra preset dips to 68 FPS, which is close to the 60 FPS threshold but may experience occasional drops, as indicated by the minimum FPS of 64 at 4K Medium. For 1440p, the High preset at 82 FPS is a reasonable choice, offering a balance between quality and performance, while the Medium preset is the safest option for maintaining a stable frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the results are more constrained. Low settings achieve 121 FPS, Medium 75 FPS, High 70 FPS, and Ultra 58 FPS. The Ultra setting falls below the 60 FPS mark, which could lead to noticeable stuttering in fast-paced scenes. The Medium preset, with an average of 75 FPS and a minimum of 64 FPS, provides a playable experience without dropping below 60 FPS. For 4K, the Medium preset is recommended as the best experience per the measured rows, as it offers a significant improvement over Low while maintaining a frame rate that is above the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 70 FPS is also viable, but the margin over Medium is slim, making Medium the more efficient choice for consistent performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested CPU-GPU combinations for this game, the combo of the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1842 out of 3713. This places it in the 49.6th percentile, meaning that roughly half of the tested combos perform better in terms of average frame rates. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the RTX 3060 Ti scores in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 91st percentile. This indicates a slight imbalance, where the CPU’s capability exceeds what the GPU can utilize, particularly at higher resolutions.

The combo rank is consistent with the GPU’s performance tier. The RTX 3060 Ti’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 9060, have very similar benchmark scores, with a delta of only 0.7%. This suggests that the combo’s rank is largely determined by the GPU’s overall rasterization and compute capabilities, rather than the CPU’s processing power. The data shows that the combo can achieve high frame rates at lower settings, such as 159 FPS at 1080p Low, but it falls to 58 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This performance profile places it in the middle of the ranking, where it competes with other mid-range GPU pairings.

Compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i7-14700F’s performance is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6505P, with a delta of -0.2%, and it outperforms the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X by 0.6%. However, these CPU differences do not translate into significant FPS changes in this game, as the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The combo’s rank of 1842 out of 3713 is a reflection of the RTX 3060 Ti’s position in the market, and users seeking higher ranks would need a more powerful GPU to improve performance, especially at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 159 at Low to 77 at Ultra. The Medium setting shows an average of 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 and a maximum of 114. The High setting averages 92 FPS. These figures indicate that the combo can handle 1080p gaming with ease, even at the highest settings, though the frame rate drops by more than half from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down as expected. The Low setting produces 142 FPS, while Medium averages 89 FPS with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102. High settings yield 82 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is only 7 FPS, suggesting that the visual improvements of High come at a relatively modest cost. The Ultra preset at 68 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but the margin is thinner than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the combo’s limitations become apparent. Low settings still deliver 121 FPS, which is impressive for 4K, but Medium averages 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 and a maximum of 87. High settings drop to 70 FPS, and Ultra falls to 58 FPS. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium is 64, which is close to the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that there may be occasional stutters in demanding scenes. The Ultra setting at 58 FPS is below the 60 FPS target, making it less desirable for smooth gameplay. Overall, the data shows a linear degradation with resolution and settings, with the GPU being the primary constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process by Samsung. It features 4864 shading units, 152 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, along with 38 ray tracing cores and 152 tensor cores. The GPU has a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with a memory clock of 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. It comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU’s compute capabilities include 16.20 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 operations, and its pixel rate is 133.2 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s.

In this game, the GPU’s role is critical, as the measured FPS data shows a clear dependence on resolution and settings. The GPU’s performance, as measured by its benchmark scores, places it in the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 16129. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 9060, which scores 16014, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, which scores 16351. The GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 58, suggesting that the memory bandwidth and capacity are being pushed to their limits.

The GPU’s clock speeds and architecture directly influence the FPS results. The boost clock of 1665 MHz is moderate for the Ampere generation, and the 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for the memory configuration. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck in this combo, as the CPU’s high multi-threaded performance (91st percentile) does not prevent the FPS from dropping significantly at higher resolutions. The RTX 3060 Ti’s end-of-life production status also indicates that it is a previous-generation product, and its performance in this game reflects its mid-range positioning. For users aiming for 4K Ultra, the GPU’s limitations are evident, with the average FPS falling below 60, which is a key threshold for smooth action gameplay.