Counter-Strike 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is a combination built on a significant architectural gap, yet the benchmark data shows it delivers playable—and often exceptional—frame rates in Counter-Strike 2. This pairing ranks 468th out of 1,632 tested combos, placing it in the top 29% of all configurations evaluated. That rank reflects a system where the GPU is doing the heavy lifting at higher resolutions, while the older CPU becomes a limiting factor at lower settings. The data indicates a setup that is more than capable for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, but the CPU's age shows when the workload shifts toward less demanding graphics presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 468 out of 1,632 tested combos places it firmly in the upper third of all systems tested. This is a strong showing for a processor from 2018 paired with a current-generation GPU, but the data suggests the rank is largely carried by the RTX 4070's raw power. The percentile data reinforces this: the CPU sits in the 77th percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 81st percentile against all GPUs. The CPU's average benchmark score of 19,616 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with the Intel Core i5-1345U scoring 19,691 (0.4% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U scoring 19,508 (0.6% lower). The GPU's average score of 37,283 is similarly competitive, trailing the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 by just 0.6% and leading the AMD Radeon RX 5300M by 2.5%. This indicates a balanced pairing in terms of synthetic benchmarks, but the in-game data reveals a different story depending on the resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. It belongs to the Zen+ architecture (Pinnacle Ridge), built on a 12 nm process by GlobalFoundries. With 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support delivering 46.9 GB/s of bandwidth, this CPU was a solid mid-range option at its 2018 launch. Its benchmark results show a single-thread score of 1,579 in Cinebench R23 and a multi-core score of 11,186, which places it in the 77th percentile overall. In the context of Counter-Strike 2, which is known for being CPU-sensitive, these clocks and cache configurations are the primary drivers of performance at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 447.5 FPS, but this is likely near the ceiling of what the CPU can push; the GPU has far more headroom than the processor can feed at these settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is a modern Ada Lovelace architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1920 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz. Its 5,888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units provide substantial raw compute power, reflected in its FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 26,927 places it in the 81st percentile. This hardware is more than sufficient for Counter-Strike 2, as evidenced by the measured frame rates. However, the data shows the GPU is underutilized at lower resolutions and settings, where the CPU becomes the bottleneck. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the GPU is working harder, and the combo still manages 120.3 FPS, showing that the RTX 4070 has no trouble handling this game even at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of the CPU limiting performance at lower resolutions and the GPU taking over at higher ones. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 447.5 FPS, Medium drops slightly to 416.9 FPS, and High comes in at 328.1 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 254.9 FPS. These numbers are all exceptionally high, but the gap between Low and Medium is only 30.6 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 88.8 FPS, suggesting the CPU is struggling to keep up as settings increase. At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts: Low delivers 347.7 FPS, Medium 287.7 FPS, High 215.8 FPS, and Ultra 165.5 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 60 FPS, indicating the GPU is starting to take on more work. At 3840x2160, the GPU is fully engaged: Low produces 194.8 FPS, Medium 164.7 FPS, High 120.3 FPS, and Ultra 94.2 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that approaches the 90 FPS threshold, and it still stays well above 60 FPS. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers well over 200 FPS on most presets, with 4K being viable if you are willing to drop to Medium settings.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo good for high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors?

A: Yes. The data shows 447.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, 416.9 FPS at Medium, and 328.1 FPS at High. Even at Ultra, it maintains 254.9 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most 240Hz monitors.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 19,616. It is 0.4% slower than the Intel Core i5-1345U (19,691) and 0.6% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (19,508). It also trails the Intel Core i5-11600KF by 0.6% and leads the Intel Core i7-10700F by 0.7%.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 120.3 FPS, and Medium delivers 164.7 FPS. Ultra drops to 94.2 FPS, so you can play at 4K with high frame rates as long as you avoid the Ultra preset.

Q: What is the GPU's performance relative to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37,283. It is 0.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507) and 1.9% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38,008). It is 2.2% faster than the RTX 4080 Mobile and 2.5% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5300M.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for the GPU?

A: The data suggests yes, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (447.5 FPS) and Medium (416.9 FPS) is only 30.6 FPS, indicating the CPU is limiting performance. At 3840x2160, the gap between Low (194.8 FPS) and Medium (164.7 FPS) is also 30.1 FPS, but the GPU is more engaged.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 offers the best balance. At High settings, it delivers 215.8 FPS, and at Medium, 287.7 FPS. This resolution uses the GPU more than 1080p while still maintaining frame rates far above competitive requirements.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience depends on your display. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 328.1 FPS is the best choice—it offers no meaningful frame rate advantage over the lower presets for most players, and the visual improvement over Medium is substantial. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 287.7 FPS is the sweet spot, as the drop to High (215.8 FPS) is significant while the visual gains are modest. For 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 164.7 FPS is recommended; High drops to 120.3 FPS, which is still playable, but Medium provides a higher safety margin for competitive play. In all cases, avoiding the Ultra preset is advisable, as it produces the lowest frame rates at every resolution (254.9 FPS at 1080p, 165.5 FPS at 1440p, and 94.2 FPS at 4K) with diminishing visual returns. The data indicates that the Low preset is only useful for maximizing frame rates beyond what a 240Hz monitor can display, making Medium or High the practical choices for most users.