Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 pairs the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, a combination that produces extraordinarily high frame rates across all tested configurations. The data shows this pairing ranks 344th out of 3719 tested combos, placing it in the top 9.3% of all configurations. This CPU-GPU pairing delivers playable to exceptional performance at every resolution tested, with the RTX 4080’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and the Ryzen 5 5500’s six Zen 3 cores combining to push frame rates well beyond display refresh rate capabilities in most scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 612 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the peak of the measured results, with Medium settings at the same resolution producing 560 FPS and High settings reaching 418 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 344th out of 3719 tested combinations, placing it in the top 9.3% of all configurations. This is a strong result that reflects the high performance ceiling of both components in Counter-Strike 2.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 120 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. Even at this demanding configuration, the frame rate remains well above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered playable.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates CPU limitation at 1080p. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low (612 FPS) and Medium (560 FPS) is only 52 FPS, while the gap between High (418 FPS) and Ultra (325 FPS) is 93 FPS. This non-linear scaling suggests the Ryzen 5 5500’s 6 cores and 12 threads become the bottleneck as settings increase.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 418 FPS at 1920x1080 to 277 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 155 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 63% drop from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings produce 249 FPS average, while Ultra settings produce 120 FPS. The difference of 129 FPS represents a 52% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output processors provide the raw computational throughput needed for high-resolution rendering. Clock speeds are listed at 2205 MHz base and 2505 MHz boost, with memory running at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). These specifications place the RTX 4080 in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247.

The GPU’s role becomes clear when examining the measured frame rates. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo maintains 120 FPS average, which requires substantial pixel throughput. The RTX 4080’s 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate and 761.5 GTexel/s texture rate provide the necessary fill rate for 4K rendering. The 16 GB VRAM capacity ensures that texture data for High and Ultra presets fits comfortably within memory, avoiding any potential stuttering from memory swapping.

The benchmark results show the RTX 4080 performing near its rivals. The nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54209 on average, just 0.1% below the RTX 4080’s 54247. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 2.6% higher. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4080 is competitively positioned within its performance class.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU’s influence scales with resolution. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 325 to 612 FPS, suggesting the GPU has significant headroom. At 3840x2160, the same settings produce between 120 and 249 FPS, showing the GPU becoming more engaged as pixel count quadruples. The RTX 4080’s Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC’s 5 nm process with 45,900 million transistors, provides the efficiency needed to sustain high clocks under load.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data reveals a clear pattern of resolution impact on frame rates. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings reduces average FPS from 418 to 277, a 33.7% decrease. Continuing to 3840x2160 drops the average to 155 FPS, a 62.9% decrease from 1080p. These percentages show that the GPU becomes progressively more limiting as resolution increases, which is expected given the pixel count quadrupling from 1080p to 4K.

At Low settings, the scaling is less severe in absolute terms but similar in percentage. The 1080p Low result of 612 FPS drops to 446 FPS at 1440p (27.1% decrease), then to 249 FPS at 4K (59.3% decrease from 1080p). The smaller percentage drop at 1440p suggests the CPU still provides sufficient frame generation at lower resolutions. However, the 4K Low result of 249 FPS indicates the GPU is now the primary constraint, as even minimal graphical settings cannot overcome the pixel throughput demand.

Ultra settings show the steepest absolute declines. From 325 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate drops to 215 FPS at 1440p (33.8% decrease), then to 120 FPS at 4K (63.1% decrease from 1080p). The 120 FPS 4K Ultra result is the lowest recorded in the entire dataset, yet it remains above the 100 FPS threshold that competitive players often target. This suggests the combo is capable of high-refresh-rate 4K gaming even at maximum quality settings.

The resolution scaling data indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500 provides sufficient CPU performance to avoid becoming the bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p. The frame rate deltas between resolutions are relatively consistent across settings, which points to GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p, the high frame rates exceeding 400 FPS on High settings suggest the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are delivering adequate instruction throughput for Counter-Strike 2’s physics and game logic.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 612 FPS, which is the maximum recorded in the dataset. Medium settings average 560 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 476 and 644 FPS respectively. High settings average 418 FPS, while Ultra settings average 325 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 47% reduction in performance, from 612 to 325 FPS, indicating that the graphical settings have a substantial impact even at the lowest resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings average 446 FPS, Medium settings average 371 FPS with a range of 315 to 426 FPS, High settings average 277 FPS, and Ultra settings average 215 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 231 FPS, representing a 51.8% reduction. This is a larger percentage drop than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is becoming more influential at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates decrease further but remain playable. Low settings average 249 FPS, Medium settings average 207 FPS with a range of 176 to 238 FPS, High settings average 155 FPS, and Ultra settings average 120 FPS. The Low to Ultra reduction at 4K is 129 FPS, a 51.8% decrease that mirrors the 1440p percentage. This consistency suggests the GPU’s scaling with settings is predictable across resolutions.

The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the minimum is 476 FPS, at 1440p it is 315 FPS, and at 4K it is 176 FPS. These minimums represent the worst-case frame times during the benchmark, and even the lowest value of 176 FPS at 4K remains well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on high-end monitors.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU has 16 MB of L3 cache, with 512 KB of L2 cache per core and 64 KB of L1 cache per core. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and a theoretical bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The processor uses PCIe Gen 3 connectivity and is built on TSMC’s 7 nm process with 10,700 million transistors on a 180 mm² die.

The CPU’s benchmark results show it performing in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19593. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, scores 19617, just 0.1% higher. The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19668, 0.4% higher, while the Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19499, 0.5% lower. These small deltas indicate the Ryzen 5 5500 is competitive with its peers in synthetic benchmarks.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 400 FPS on High settings. The 6 cores and 12 threads handle the game’s simulation and draw call processing, while the RTX 4080 renders frames. The single-thread performance, measured at 836 in 3dmark single-thread and 2319 in Cinebench R23 single-core, is critical for Counter-Strike 2’s frame rate ceiling. The multi-threaded scores, such as 16429 in Cinebench R23 multicore, support the 12 threads during intensive scenes.

The data suggests the CPU is sufficient for this GPU pairing at all tested resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 612 FPS result indicates the CPU can generate frames faster than the GPU can render them, creating a CPU-bound scenario. As resolution increases to 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU’s performance headroom allows it to keep up without becoming a bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on optimal settings for different priorities. For maximum frame rates, Low settings at 1920x1080 deliver 612 FPS average, which is far beyond any display refresh rate currently available. This configuration is suitable for players who prioritize competitive advantage through minimal input lag, though the visual quality is reduced.

For balanced performance at 1080p, Medium settings offer 560 FPS average with a minimum of 476 FPS. This preset provides improved visual quality while maintaining frame rates above 500 FPS on average. The difference between Medium and High at 1080p is 142 FPS, suggesting Medium is the sweet spot for players who want both quality and speed.

At 1440p, High settings produce 277 FPS average, which is still sufficient for 240 Hz displays. Medium settings at this resolution average 371 FPS, offering a more comfortable margin above refresh rates. Ultra settings at 1440p drop to 215 FPS, which remains playable but may not saturate the fastest displays. The data suggests Medium or High at 1440p provides the best balance of quality and performance.

For 4K gaming, High settings average 155 FPS, which is suitable for 144 Hz displays. Medium settings at 4K average 207 FPS, providing additional headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings at 4K drop to 120 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS but may not be ideal for competitive play. The recommendation is Medium settings at 4K for the best combination of visual fidelity and frame rate stability, with the 176 FPS minimum ensuring consistent performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 344th out of 3719 tested configurations, placing it in the top 9.3% of all combinations. This high ranking reflects the exceptional performance of both components in Counter-Strike 2. The RTX 4080’s 86th percentile standing among GPUs and the Ryzen 5 5500’s 73rd percentile among CPUs combine to produce a system that excels in this title.

The ranking is particularly impressive given that the CPU is a mid-range processor while the GPU is a high-end model. The data shows that Counter-Strike 2 scales well with CPU performance at lower resolutions, but the GPU becomes the dominant factor at higher resolutions. This means the combo’s ranking is likely driven by the RTX 4080’s strong 4K performance, where the CPU’s limitations are less impactful.

Compared to other combos, this pairing demonstrates that a high-end GPU can compensate for a mid-range CPU in a CPU-light game like Counter-Strike 2. The 3719 tested configurations include a wide range of hardware, and the 344th rank indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems. The measured frame rates, exceeding 600 FPS at 1080p Low and maintaining above 120 FPS at 4K Ultra, confirm that this is a top-tier configuration for competitive and high-refresh-rate gaming.