Counter-Strike 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 presents an unusual combination in Counter-Strike 2: a 2018 six-core processor from the Zen+ era driving a flagship 2025 Blackwell GPU. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the CPU consistently limits performance, yet the RTX 5090’s raw throughput still delivers playable results even at 4K. This analysis walks through the data systematically, examining how resolution scaling, settings choices, and component characteristics shape the observed outcomes.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 shows a classic pattern of GPU load increasing while CPU overhead remains relatively constant. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 447 at 1080p to 390 at 1440p, then falls further to 282 at 4K. That represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but far less than what a purely GPU-bound scenario would produce with a card of this tier. The RTX 5090’s 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth are clearly not being saturated at 1080p Low, where the Ryzen 5 2600’s single-thread performance becomes the bottleneck.

Moving to High settings, the scaling is steeper: 376 FPS at 1080p, 313 at 1440p, and 175 at 4K. The 1080p-to-4K drop here is 53%, indicating that the increased pixel workload is starting to engage the GPU more meaningfully. Still, 175 FPS at 4K High is an extraordinary result for any system, let alone one with a CPU that scores 2239 in Passmark single-thread tests. The gap between Low and High at 4K—282 versus 175 FPS—shows that the RTX 5090 has substantial headroom even when the resolution demands more from its 21760 shading units.

Ultra settings amplify the trend. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 343 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 243; at 4K Ultra, it falls to 136 FPS. The 1080p-to-4K reduction of 60% is the largest among all settings presets, which makes sense because Ultra adds more pixel-level effects that scale with resolution. Interestingly, the gap between 1440p and 4K at Ultra (243 to 136 FPS, a 44% drop) is nearly identical to the 1080p-to-1440p gap (343 to 243, a 29% drop) in relative terms, suggesting a consistent GPU-bound scaling behavior once the CPU has enough work to stay busy.

The Medium preset offers the clearest view of the limiting component. With min and max FPS recorded at each resolution, the data shows 419 average FPS with a 356 minimum at 1080p, 365 average with a 310 minimum at 1440p, and 234 average with a 199 minimum at 4K. The minimum FPS values stay proportionally close to the averages (roughly 85% of average in each case), which indicates that frame time consistency is maintained across resolutions. This stability points to the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads handling the game’s simulation and networking threads adequately, while the GPU never falls behind enough to cause severe hitches.

What the resolution scaling reveals overall is a system that is CPU-limited at 1080p and progressively more GPU-limited at 4K, but never fully GPU-bound. The Ryzen 5 2600’s 3.90 GHz boost clock and 16 MB shared L3 cache are sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 at high frame rates, though the GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs suggests it is capable of far more in less CPU-constrained titles. The 282 FPS at 4K Low versus 136 FPS at 4K Ultra demonstrates that the RTX 5090’s scaling with settings is substantial, but the CPU still caps the ceiling at around 447 FPS regardless of resolution when settings are minimized.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide a clear hierarchy for balancing frame rate and visual quality. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 447 FPS, which is beyond what any display refresh rate currently offers, making it unnecessary for competitive play unless chasing absolute maximum frame pacing. The Medium preset at 419 FPS with a 356 minimum is a better choice because it adds visual detail while staying above 400 FPS average. High at 376 FPS remains excellent, and even Ultra at 343 FPS is far above the 240 Hz threshold that most high-end monitors support.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more nuanced. Low produces 390 FPS, Medium 365 FPS, and High 313 FPS. All three are playable on 360 Hz displays, but the jump from Medium to High costs 52 FPS (14%) while the jump from Low to Medium costs only 25 FPS (6%). For players with 240 Hz monitors, High at 313 FPS provides the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. Ultra at 243 FPS is still viable for 240 Hz displays, though the 70 FPS drop from High is steep relative to the visual gains in a competitive shooter where shadows and reflections matter less than clarity.

At 4K, the recommendations shift toward higher presets because the CPU is less of a constraint. Low at 282 FPS is overkill for most 4K displays, which typically max out at 144 Hz. Medium at 234 FPS with a 199 minimum is comfortably above 144 Hz, making it the sweet spot for high-refresh 4K panels. High at 175 FPS is still excellent, and even Ultra at 136 FPS remains above the 120 Hz threshold for many TVs and monitors. The data suggests that 4K Medium offers the best balance: it uses the RTX 5090’s 32 GB GDDR7 memory and 512-bit bus effectively while keeping the average FPS well above common refresh rate ceilings.

For players prioritizing competitive performance over visuals, the Low preset at any resolution provides the highest frame rates, but the gains over Medium are marginal at 1080p (28 FPS) and more significant at 4K (48 FPS). Given that the minimum FPS at Medium is never below 199 even at 4K, the Medium preset appears to be the most robust recommendation across all resolutions. It maintains frame consistency—the 356 minimum at 1080p and 310 at 1440p are both high enough to prevent noticeable stutter—while offering a meaningful visual upgrade over Low.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090’s specifications explain why it performs so strongly in Counter-Strike 2 despite the CPU bottleneck. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2017 MHz and boosts to 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory across a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for a game that is not memory-intensive. The 176 ROPs and 680 texture mapping units handle the relatively simple geometry and texture workloads in Counter-Strike 2 with ease, while the 170 ray tracing cores are largely idle in a title that does not use ray-traced effects.

The GPU’s benchmark results place it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605, 0.3% lower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940, 1.1% lower). These comparisons are based on synthetic benchmarks like Passmark G3D (39650) and Geekbench Vulkan (376728), which measure raw compute and graphics throughput rather than game-specific performance. In Counter-Strike 2, the RTX 5090’s advantage over these rivals is muted by the Ryzen 5 2600, but the GPU still manages to push 4K Ultra to 136 FPS, a result that would be impossible with a weaker graphics card.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s role becomes more prominent as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the 447 FPS average is likely close to the CPU’s maximum frame output, given the Ryzen 5 2600’s 2239 Passmark single-thread score. At 4K Ultra, the 136 FPS average reflects the GPU’s ability to process the increased pixel count, but the 343 FPS at 1080p Ultra suggests the CPU still prevents the GPU from reaching its full potential. The GPU’s FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS is vastly underutilized in this pairing, but the data indicates that Counter-Strike 2’s engine does not require extreme GPU resources at lower resolutions.

The VRAM capacity of 32 GB is never a limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios, as Counter-Strike 2’s texture and geometry demands are modest even at 4K Ultra. The memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is likewise more than ample, with the 4K Medium result of 234 FPS demonstrating that the GPU can sustain high throughput without memory-related stutters. The minimum FPS of 199 at 4K Medium shows that even in demanding scenes, the GPU maintains consistent frame delivery.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the four settings produce a tight cluster of high frame rates. Low averages 447 FPS, Medium 419 FPS with a 356 minimum and 482 maximum, High 376 FPS, and Ultra 343 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 104 FPS, which means that players can choose any preset and remain above 300 FPS. The Medium preset’s 482 maximum is the highest recorded value across all resolutions and settings, indicating that the CPU can briefly push frame rates near 500 when the scene is simple.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 390 FPS (Low), 365 FPS (Medium, with a 310 minimum and 420 maximum), 313 FPS (High), and 243 FPS (Ultra). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 57 FPS for Low (13%), 54 FPS for Medium (13%), 63 FPS for High (17%), and 100 FPS for Ultra (29%). The larger percentage drop at Ultra suggests that this preset has resolution-dependent effects that disproportionately impact performance at higher pixel counts.

At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 282 FPS (Low), 234 FPS (Medium, with a 199 minimum and 270 maximum), 175 FPS (High), and 136 FPS (Ultra). The 4K Medium result is notable for its 199 minimum FPS, which is still higher than the 1080p Ultra average of many lower-tier GPUs. The 4K Ultra result of 136 FPS is the only measured configuration below 175 FPS, but it remains playable on standard 120 Hz displays. The progression from 1080p to 4K at each settings level shows a consistent scaling pattern, with Low dropping 37%, Medium dropping 44%, High dropping 53%, and Ultra dropping 60% overall.

The Medium preset across all resolutions provides the most complete dataset, with min and max values recorded. At 1080p, the 419 average sits between the 356 minimum and 482 maximum, giving a range of 126 FPS. At 1440p, the 365 average sits between 310 and 420, a range of 110 FPS. At 4K, the 234 average sits between 199 and 270, a range of 71 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistent as the CPU bottleneck diminishes, which is a useful insight for players who prioritize frame time stability.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest average is 447 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run Counter-Strike 2 at 4K Ultra smoothly?

A: Yes, the 4K Ultra preset averages 136 FPS, which is above the 120 Hz refresh rate common on 4K displays.

Q: How much FPS is lost when going from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average drops from 419 FPS at 1080p to 234 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 185 FPS (44%).

Q: Which settings preset gives the most consistent frame delivery across resolutions?

A: The Medium preset shows the smallest range between minimum and maximum FPS at each resolution, with a 199 minimum at 4K and a 356 minimum at 1080p.

Q: Is the RTX 5090’s 32 GB VRAM fully utilized in this game?

A: The data shows no indication of VRAM limitations, as even 4K Ultra produces playable frame rates without min FPS drops below 136.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 2600 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score of 21484 is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (21440) and 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i9-11900H (21367), but 0.7% lower than the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (21635).

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600, released in 2018 with a launch MSRP of $199, is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen+ architecture (Pinnacle Ridge). It features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, with a 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support. Its cache configuration includes 96 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and 16 MB shared L3, which is modest by modern standards but sufficient for Counter-Strike 2’s engine.

The CPU’s benchmark results show a single-thread Passmark score of 2239 and a multi-thread score of 13160, with a Geekbench single-core score of 1154 and multi-core score of 5648. These numbers place it in the 75th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21484. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (21440, 0.2% lower), Intel Core i9-11900H (21367, 0.5% lower), and AMD EPYC 9454 (21223, 1.2% lower). The close scores indicate that the Ryzen 5 2600 remains competitive in synthetic workloads despite its age.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s impact is evident in the frame rate scaling. At 1080p Low, the 447 FPS average is likely near the CPU’s maximum output, as the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. The 282 FPS at 4K Low versus 447 FPS at 1080p Low shows that even when the GPU is less stressed, the CPU prevents higher frame rates. The single-thread performance is critical for a game like Counter-Strike 2, which relies heavily on the main game thread for simulation and input processing. The 3.90 GHz boost clock is modest, but the 12 threads ensure that background tasks do not interfere with the main thread’s performance.

The memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s and dual-channel DDR4 support are adequate for the game’s requirements, as evidenced by the consistent minimum FPS values across resolutions. The 16 MB L3 cache is shared across all cores, which helps with the game’s asset streaming but is smaller than the 32 MB or larger caches found in newer CPUs. The data suggests that upgrading the CPU would yield significant frame rate gains at 1080p, where the GPU is underutilized, but the current combo still delivers playable results at all settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 419th out of 3719 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 11% of all configurations in the database. This ranking is surprisingly high given the CPU’s age and modest benchmark scores, which reflects the game’s relatively low CPU demands compared to other modern titles. The RTX 5090’s 92nd percentile GPU ranking likely compensates for the CPU’s 75th percentile ranking, resulting in a combo that outperforms many systems with newer but weaker GPUs.

The combo rank of 419 indicates that most of the 3719 tested configurations produce lower average FPS in this game. This is notable because the Ryzen 5 2600 is nearly seven years old at the time of the data collection, yet it still pairs effectively with a flagship GPU in a competitive shooter. The ranking suggests that Counter-Strike 2 is more GPU-friendly than CPU-intensive, allowing the RTX 5090 to carry the combo even when the CPU is a limiting factor.

Compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the combo rank is less about the CPU’s synthetic score and more about the GPU’s raw performance. The Intel Core Ultra 5 228V, which scores nearly identically to the Ryzen 5 2600 in average benchmarks, would likely produce a similar combo rank when paired with the same GPU. The fact that the Ryzen 5 2600’s 75th percentile CPU ranking and the RTX 5090’s 92nd percentile GPU ranking combine to reach the 419th spot out of 3719 shows that the GPU has a larger influence on this game’s performance.

The data is measured, not estimated, which means the 419 rank comes from actual frame rate tests across the 12 resolution and settings combinations. The highest measured average of 447 FPS at 1080p Low and the lowest of 136 FPS at 4K Ultra both fall within the range expected for a combo of this caliber. The rank would likely improve with a newer CPU, but as configured, this pairing delivers frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of virtually all monitors on the market, making it a viable if unconventional choice for Counter-Strike 2.