Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 presents a demanding workload for the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and Intel Arc B370 combination, with benchmark results indicating a system that struggles to maintain high refresh rates at higher resolutions. The data reveals a configuration where the integrated graphics solution is the primary bottleneck, pushing frame rates below competitive thresholds even when the CPU has ample headroom. The measured FPS across the board shows a sharp decline as resolution increases, painting a clear picture of a system designed for efficiency rather than raw gaming performance.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K in Counter-Strike 2 shows a steep and consistent drop in average frame rates across all quality presets, with the data indicating that the integrated GPU is the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 162 FPS, but this falls to 107 FPS at 1440p, and further down to 60 FPS at 4K—a reduction of 63% from the lowest to highest resolution tested. This scaling pattern is classic for a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load expands dramatically with pixel count, overwhelming the Arc B370’s capabilities.

The High preset tells a similar story, dropping from 100 FPS at 1080p to 66 FPS at 1440p, and then to a barely playable 37 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is roughly 34%, while the jump from 1440p to 4K introduces another 44% reduction. This non-linear decline suggests that the memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent for this integrated part, becomes a severe constraint as resolution increases. The Ultra preset is even more telling, with 78 FPS at 1080p collapsing to 52 FPS at 1440p and just 29 FPS at 4K, indicating that the combination of high pixel count and heavy graphical effects completely saturates the GPU.

What stands out is the relationship between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 84 FPS (162 vs 78), but at 4K, the gap narrows to 31 FPS (60 vs 29). This convergence at higher resolutions implies that the pixel fill rate and memory throughput are the hard limits, not the complexity of the shaders or effects. The data suggests that for competitive play at higher resolutions, users would need to radically lower settings, but even then, 4K Low at 60 FPS is marginal for a fast-paced FPS. The scaling indicates that the sweet spot for this combo is 1080p, where the CPU can help push frame rates to more acceptable levels.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor with a 25 W TDP, and its performance profile in Counter-Strike 2 is best understood through its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184, which places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This low percentile ranking is reflected in the game’s measured FPS, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck in almost every scenario. The chip operates at a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost up to 2400 MHz, and its 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs are tasked with rendering the game’s environments. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the CPU’s DDR5 memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent"—a factor that likely contributes to the sharp performance drop at 4K, where bandwidth demands increase exponentially.

The GPU’s FP32 compute is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, which is modest by discrete GPU standards but typical for an integrated part. In practice, the measured FPS shows that the Arc B370 can handle 1080p Low at 162 FPS, which suggests that at lower resolutions, the shading units are sufficient, and the CPU can feed frames quickly. However, when settings are raised to Ultra at 1080p, the FPS drops to 78, showing that the fixed-function units (TMUs and ROPs) are overwhelmed by the increased texture and pixel work. The 10 ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) are present, but they do little to help in a game like CS2, which is primarily rasterization-bound.

The pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that are rarely achieved in real workloads. The data implies that the GPU’s 25 W power envelope is a hard constraint, preventing the clocks from sustaining high levels under load. This is evident in the 4K Ultra result of 29 FPS, which is a 63% drop from the 1080p Low result, indicating that the GPU is thermally or power-limited. For users, this means the Arc B370 is only viable for esports settings at 1080p, and even then, the highest refresh rates are out of reach. The system shared memory, while flexible, cannot match the bandwidth of dedicated VRAM, which is why the 4K results are so poor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested configurations for Counter-Strike 2, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2642nd out of 2870 combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems measured. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, which sits in the 5th percentile of all graphics processors, while the CPU is in the 83rd percentile of all processors. The disparity is stark: the CPU is a high-end part by its own metrics, but it is hamstrung by an integrated GPU that cannot translate its processing power into frame rates.

The combo rank of 2642 means that there are 2641 other CPU-GPU pairings that deliver higher average FPS in this title. Given that the GPU’s nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M, both of which are over a decade old, the Arc B370’s performance is closer to legacy integrated graphics than to any modern discrete solution. This ranking is not surprising given the 4K and 1440p results, which are below playable thresholds for most gamers. Even at 1080p, the combo only achieves competitive frame rates on Low settings, which is a far cry from what the CPU alone could potentially support with a discrete GPU.

What this ranking implies is that the system is fundamentally unbalanced for gaming. The Ryzen 5 7400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is more than capable of handling the game’s CPU demands, as evidenced by its high percentile ranking. However, the Arc B370’s 3DMark score of 1184, which is just 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570’s 1186, shows that it is not built for this workload. The data suggests that any discrete GPU, even a modest one, would dramatically improve the combo’s rank, as the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the tested resolutions. The 2642nd place ranking is a direct consequence of pairing a modern 5nm CPU with a 3nm integrated GPU that is designed for low-power mobile devices, not desktop gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where the system achieves consistently high frame rates. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 162 FPS, while at 1440p Low, it drops to 107 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 60 FPS. For a competitive FPS, 1080p is the only viable option.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to Low at the same resolution?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding. At 1080p, Low averages 162 FPS while Ultra averages 78 FPS, a 52% reduction. At 1440p, Low averages 107 FPS and Ultra averages 52 FPS, and at 4K, Low averages 60 FPS while Ultra averages 29 FPS. The gap narrows at higher resolutions due to GPU limits.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU ranks in the 83rd percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 5th percentile. The combination ranks 2642nd out of 2870 combos, and the measured FPS drops significantly with resolution and settings, indicating GPU saturation rather than CPU limitations.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system averages 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS. This is a mid-range result that is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Can the system handle 4K gaming in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data shows that 4K is not playable at any setting. At 4K Low, the average is 60 FPS, which is borderline, but at High it drops to 37 FPS, and at Ultra it is just 29 FPS. The GPU’s system-shared memory and low pixel rate prevent smooth gameplay at this resolution.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad benchmark, the Arc B370 scores 1184, which is 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570’s 1186 and 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770’s 1190. This places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, showing it is comparable to legacy integrated parts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Counter-Strike 2 reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions and settings, with average frame rates declining as both resolution and graphical fidelity increase. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 162 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. Medium settings at 1080p yield 134 FPS on average, with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 154 FPS. High settings at 1080p produce 100 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 78 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy where each step up in settings costs roughly 20-30 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades noticeably. Low settings average 107 FPS, which is a 34% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings at 1440p average 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS and a maximum of 102 FPS. High settings average 66 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 52 FPS. The 1440p results show that even Low settings cannot maintain the 144 FPS that competitive players often target, and the Ultra preset is only marginally playable.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 60 FPS, which is exactly at the threshold for smooth gameplay but not competitive. Medium settings at 4K average 50 FPS, with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS. High settings drop to 37 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 29 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly poor, indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are insufficient for this resolution. The data shows that only the 1080p Low and Medium presets, and the 1440p Low preset, provide frame rates above 100 FPS, which is the baseline for a responsive esports experience.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and a single-core score of 3072, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H, with the Ryzen 5 7400F scoring 0.1% higher than the former and 0.2% lower than the latter. This indicates that the CPU is a well-rounded performer, capable of handling the game’s physics and AI calculations without becoming a bottleneck.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s role is to process game logic, entity updates, and input commands, all of which are single-thread-bound to a degree. The single-core performance of 3072 in Cinebench R23 is excellent, and it shows in the 1080p Low result of 162 FPS, where the CPU is able to feed frames to the GPU quickly. However, the CPU’s potential is wasted because the Arc B370 cannot keep up at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Low, the FPS drops to 60, which is a 63% reduction from 1080p Low, even though the CPU’s workload does not change significantly with resolution. This is a clear sign that the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support, with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, provide ample data throughput for the game. The 5nm process node and 65W TDP mean the CPU runs efficiently, but this efficiency does not translate to gaming performance when paired with such a weak GPU. The benchmark data indicates that the Ryzen 5 7400F is not the source of the low frame rates; instead, it is the Arc B370’s 25W TDP and system-shared memory that cap the performance. For users, this means that upgrading the GPU to any discrete option would likely unlock the CPU’s full potential, but as configured, the CPU sits idle waiting for the GPU to catch up.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for Counter-Strike 2 with this combo are at 1080p with the Low preset, which delivers an average of 162 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches the high refresh rates favored by competitive players, and it provides a smooth, responsive experience. The Medium preset at 1080p is a close second, averaging 134 FPS, which is still playable but with a slight reduction in smoothness. For users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the High preset at 1080p offers 100 FPS, which is acceptable for casual play, but the Ultra preset at 78 FPS is not recommended for a fast-paced FPS.

At 1440p, the data suggests that only the Low preset is viable, with an average of 107 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 89 FPS, which is below the 100 FPS threshold for competitive play, and the High and Ultra presets fall to 66 and 52 FPS, respectively, making them unsuitable for anything but slower-paced gameplay. The 4K resolution is not recommended at any setting, as even the Low preset averages only 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset is a slideshow at 29 FPS. The best experience per the measured rows is clearly at 1080p Low, where the system can leverage the CPU’s strong single-core performance to maintain high frame rates.

For users with 144Hz monitors, the 1080p Low preset is the only option that comes close to saturating the display, and even then, it falls slightly short. The Medium preset at 1080p is a compromise for those who want better visuals but can tolerate a 28 FPS drop. The data implies that this combo is best suited for 1080p esports settings, and any attempt to increase resolution or graphical fidelity will result in a subpar experience. The measured FPS breakdown shows that the system’s performance is heavily skewed towards low-resolution, low-settings gameplay, and users should tailor their settings accordingly to avoid frustration.