Counter-Strike 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Counter-Strike 2, with the data showing a clear shift in system bottleneck depending on resolution and settings. The 6-core, 12-thread processor, based on the Zen 3 architecture, provides a solid foundation, while the 8 GB graphics card handles the visual load. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across the board.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture with a 7 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and can boost up to 4.20 GHz. The processor has a 16 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus. Its benchmark scores show a balanced profile: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319, with a PassMark single-thread score of 3058. This single-thread capability is crucial for Counter-Strike 2, a game that typically relies heavily on the primary CPU core for game logic and physics.

The data indicates that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 381.4 FPS, a figure that is far beyond what most displays can handle. Even at 4K with Low settings, the system maintains 144.1 FPS, suggesting the processor has enough headroom to feed the GPU. The percentile ranking of 79th vs all CPUs places this processor in a strong position for gaming. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i5-12500 is virtually identical in average benchmark score (20897 vs 20875 for the Ryzen), representing a delta of only -0.1%. This indicates that in CPU-bound scenarios, the Ryzen 5 5500 performs on par with that Intel offering.

The processor's 12 threads allow it to handle background tasks and game processes without significant performance degradation. The data from the 3DMark tests, such as the max threads score of 5411, shows solid scaling with thread count, but the single-thread score of 836 is the more relevant metric for this FPS title. The frame rates observed in the measured data, particularly the high numbers at 1080p, suggest that the CPU's per-core performance is more than adequate to drive the RTX 4060 in Counter-Strike 2.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2460 MHz. The GPU has 3072 shading units and 24 RT cores. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 19545 in PassMark G3D and 98095 in Geekbench Vulkan, showing strong DirectX and Vulkan performance. The GPU's percentile rank is 66th vs all GPUs, which is respectable but not top-tier.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution and settings increase. The benchmark data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 381.4, but this drops to 186.6 at 1080p Ultra. This indicates that while the CPU is capable of high frame rates, the GPU's workload increases substantially with graphical fidelity. The 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this title, even at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS is 67.9.

The RTX 4060's closest rival in the data is the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which has a slightly higher average benchmark score (23321 vs 23181), a delta of -0.6%. In practice, this means the NVIDIA card is slightly behind that competitor in raw compute, but the measured frame rates in this game suggest the RTX 4060 is well-suited for the task. The GPU's performance at 1440p is particularly strong, with an average of 159.2 FPS at High settings, indicating it can drive high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors in this game.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a predictable decline as resolution increases, but the rate of decline reveals the bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 238.6 at 1080p to 159.2 at 1440p, a decrease of 33.3%. Moving to 4K, the FPS drops further to 89.1, a 44.0% reduction from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU has ample headroom.

The Low settings data tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the system hits 381.4 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it still achieves 255.1 FPS. The drop to 4K Low results in 144.1 FPS. The percentage decrease from 1080p to 4K Low is 62.2%, which is less severe than at High settings (62.7% decrease from 1080p to 4K). This suggests that even at lower settings, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth become limiting factors at 4K.

At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 186.6 at 1080p to 120.5 at 1440p (a 35.4% decrease) and then to 67.9 at 4K (a 43.7% decrease from 1440p). The consistent pattern across all settings shows that the RTX 4060 is the primary constraint as resolution scales. The CPU's performance, as measured by its benchmarks, is sufficient to maintain high frame rates, but the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus limit its ability to sustain performance at 4K, particularly at higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 913th out of 1632 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is expected given the mid-range nature of both components. The ranking reflects that while this combo performs well in absolute terms, there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates.

This ranking is influenced by the balance between the CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 5 5500, with its 79th percentile CPU rank, is a capable processor, but it is not the fastest available. Similarly, the RTX 4060, with its 66th percentile GPU rank, is a solid mid-range card. The combo's rank of 913 out of 1632 suggests that it outperforms a majority of tested systems, but it is not in the top tier.

The data shows that the combo's performance is more dependent on the GPU than the CPU, as evidenced by the resolution scaling analysis. In a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is often CPU-bound at lower resolutions, the Ryzen 5 5500 holds its own, but the RTX 4060's limitations become apparent at 4K. This ranking is consistent with the component's individual performance: the CPU is above average, the GPU is slightly above average, and their combination results in a mid-pack rank.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four quality settings.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 381.4 FPS average
• Medium: 319.2 FPS average
• High: 238.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 186.6 FPS average

This resolution shows the CPU's strength, with the low setting achieving a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. The 128.2 FPS difference between Low and Ultra (381.4 vs 186.6) indicates a significant GPU workload increase with settings.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 255.1 FPS average
• Medium: 209.9 FPS average
• High: 159.2 FPS average
• Ultra: 120.5 FPS average

The 1440p results show a balanced system. The Low setting still delivers over 255 FPS, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate gaming. The Ultra setting drops to 120.5 FPS, which is still playable but shows the GPU's workload limit.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 144.1 FPS average
• Medium: 116.4 FPS average
• High: 89.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 67.9 FPS average

At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Even at Low settings, the frame rate drops below 144.1 FPS, and Ultra settings produce an average of just 67.9 FPS. This demonstrates that the RTX 4060's 8 GB memory capacity and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high-fidelity 4K gaming in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 381.4 at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 67.9, which is the lowest measured score.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The data shows 381.4 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating the CPU is not the bottleneck. The GPU is the limiting factor even at this low resolution, as the frame rate is high but not unlimited.

Q: What is the percentile rank of the RTX 4060 compared to all GPUs?

A: The GPU ranks in the 66th percentile vs all GPUs.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to the Intel Core i5-12500?

A: The two processors have nearly identical average benchmark scores, with the Ryzen 5 5500 at 20875 and the i5-12500 at 20897, a delta of -0.1%.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 913th out of 1632 tested combos.