Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 with the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces a dataset that is as much about CPU headroom as it is about raw GPU horsepower. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a title that scales aggressively with hardware, yet the relationship between the two components shifts dramatically depending on the workload. This analysis breaks down the measured results, placing them in context against the component benchmarks and the broader combo database.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 illustrates where the bottleneck lies in this specific pairing. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 782 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 539 FPS, a 31.1% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 301 FPS, which is 44.2% lower than the 1440p figure and 61.5% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the game begins to lean more heavily on the GPU as pixel count rises, though the CPU still has ample room to feed frames.

The High settings row tells a similar story with a different slope. From 505 FPS at 1080p, the average drops to 334 FPS at 1440p (a 33.9% decrease) and then to 187 FPS at 4K (a 44.0% decrease from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and High suggests that Counter-Strike 2’s rendering pipeline is well-balanced; it does not suddenly become GPU-bound at a specific resolution, but rather scales linearly with the number of pixels rendered.

Ultra settings amplifies the GPU load most visibly. The 1080p Ultra average is 392 FPS, which drops to 260 FPS at 1440p (a 33.7% reduction) and then to 145 FPS at 4K (a 44.2% reduction from 1440p). The fact that the 4K Ultra result (145 FPS) is less than half of the 1080p Low result (782 FPS) highlights how much of the performance headroom is consumed by both resolution and graphical fidelity. The data shows that this CPU-GPU combination can push well beyond 300 FPS at 1080p on most settings, but at 4K Ultra, it settles into a range that is still highly playable but far from the triple-digit extremes seen at lower resolutions.

The limiting component shifts based on the configuration. At 1080p Low, the CPU is the primary constraint; the GPU is capable of far more than 782 FPS, but the Ryzen 5 7600’s single-thread performance, as indicated by its 3dmark_single_thread score of 999, sets a ceiling. At 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as the RTX 5090 D’s 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is taxed by the higher pixel workload. The medium settings rows, which include min and max FPS values, show this transition: at 1080p Medium, the spread between min (575) and max (778) is 203 FPS, indicating CPU-side variability; at 4K Medium, the spread narrows to 75 FPS (213 min, 288 max), suggesting the GPU is more consistently the limiting factor.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 782, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only measured configuration that exceeds 700 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra result compare to the 1080p Low result?

A: The 4K Ultra average is 145 FPS, which is 81.5% lower than the 1080p Low average of 782 FPS. This represents the largest gap between any two measured settings in the dataset.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of VRAM matter for Counter-Strike 2?

A: The measured data does not indicate any VRAM-related performance limitations at any resolution or setting. The game’s FPS scaling is consistent with pixel count and graphical fidelity rather than memory capacity, so the 32 GB GDDR7 allocation is not a factor in these results.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: This specific combo ranks 30th out of 2870 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 1.05% of all configurations in the database.

Q: Which setting provides the closest FPS to a 240 Hz display at 1440p?

A: The Medium setting at 2560x1440 yields an average of 448 FPS, which is well above 240 Hz. The Ultra setting at the same resolution produces 260 FPS, which is still above 240 Hz, making both viable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the FPS differences between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the difference between Low (782 FPS) and Ultra (392 FPS) is 390 FPS, a 49.9% reduction. This indicates that while the CPU can push high frame rates, the GPU’s workload at Ultra settings significantly reduces output, showing that both components contribute to the scaling.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications align with the measured FPS trends. The GPU’s boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz drive the rendering pipeline, while its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. For a competitive FPS like Counter-Strike 2, this bandwidth is more than sufficient; the data shows no memory-related stutters or unusual drops, as even the 4K Medium min FPS of 213 is robust.

The GPU’s compute capabilities, measured at 104.8 TFLOPS FP32, are the primary driver of the higher-resolution results. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 145 reflects a workload that leverages the GPU’s shading units (21760) and texture mapping units (680). The transition from 1440p Ultra (260 FPS) to 4K Ultra (145 FPS) represents a 44.2% drop, which is directly proportional to the increase in pixel count (from 3.7 million to 8.3 million pixels). This proportionality confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor at these settings, as the CPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates.

The RTX 5090 D’s percentile ranking of 92nd among all GPUs, based on an average benchmark score of 77712, places it as a top-tier part. Its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database—the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% slower), RX 6850M XT (1.6% faster), and two NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (2.1% and 2.4% faster)—are all close in aggregate score, but the 5090 D’s real-world performance in Counter-Strike 2 is dictated by its clock speeds and memory bandwidth. The 1750 MHz memory clock (28 Gbps effective) ensures that texture streaming at 4K Ultra does not become a bottleneck, as evidenced by the 4K Medium min FPS of 213, which is still far above playable thresholds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the dataset shows a clear hierarchy across settings. Low settings produce 782 FPS average, Medium drops to 676 FPS (with a min of 575 and max of 778), High yields 505 FPS, and Ultra falls to 392 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 106 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 113 FPS, indicating that each step up in quality costs roughly 100-115 FPS at this resolution. The Medium row’s min-max spread of 203 FPS (575-778) is the widest in the entire dataset, suggesting that the CPU’s frame pacing variability is most pronounced at 1080p when the GPU is not fully saturated.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 539 FPS (Low), 448 FPS (Medium, with a min of 380 and max of 515), 334 FPS (High), and 260 FPS (Ultra). The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings: Low falls 31.1%, Medium falls 33.7%, High falls 33.9%, and Ultra falls 33.7%. This uniformity suggests that the game’s rendering engine scales predictably with resolution, and the RTX 5090 D’s bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is sufficient to handle the increased pixel throughput without disproportionate losses.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 301 FPS (Low), 250 FPS (Medium, with a min of 213 and max of 288), 187 FPS (High), and 145 FPS (Ultra). The 4K Low result of 301 FPS is notably high, indicating that even at 4K, this combo can exceed 300 FPS on lower settings. The 4K Medium min FPS of 213 is the only measured value below 300 FPS at 4K, and it still comfortably exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate common on 4K displays. The Ultra setting at 4K, with an average of 145 FPS, is the most demanding configuration measured, but it remains fluid for competitive play.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all three resolutions. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers 676 FPS average, which is 13.6% lower than Low but 33.9% higher than High. The min FPS of 575 ensures that even in the most demanding scenes, the frame rate stays above 500 FPS, making it ideal for 360 Hz or 500 Hz esports displays. The jump from Medium to High costs 171 FPS (from 676 to 505), which is a significant sacrifice for marginal visual gains in a fast-paced shooter.

At 2560x1440, Medium’s 448 FPS average (min 380, max 515) is the sweet spot. It provides a 34.1% improvement over High (334 FPS) and only a 16.9% reduction from Low (539 FPS). For players using 240 Hz or 360 Hz monitors, Medium guarantees that the frame rate never drops below 380 FPS, which is well above the display’s refresh rate. Ultra at this resolution (260 FPS) is still playable, but the 188 FPS drop from Medium is not justified by the visual uplift in a game where clarity and responsiveness are paramount.

At 3840x2160, Medium’s 250 FPS average (min 213, max 288) is the recommended choice for 4K high-refresh displays. It doubles the frame rate of Ultra (145 FPS) while only sacrificing a modest amount of visual fidelity. Low at 4K (301 FPS) is viable for players who prioritize frame rate above all else, but Medium’s min FPS of 213 provides a more consistent experience than Low’s average, which may exhibit larger frame time spikes in crowded scenes. For 4K 120 Hz or 144 Hz panels, Medium is the clear winner, as it maintains a minimum frame rate that exceeds the display’s refresh rate.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Its single-thread performance is critical for Counter-Strike 2, which is known for being CPU-bound at lower resolutions. The CPU’s 3dmark_single_thread score of 999 and its 3dmark_2_threads score of 1938 indicate strong single-core capabilities, which directly contribute to the high FPS at 1080p. The 1080p Low average of 782 FPS is a direct result of the CPU’s ability to process game logic and draw calls faster than the GPU can render frames at that resolution.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy—64 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB shared L3—provides low-latency access to frequently used data, which is essential for maintaining consistent frame times. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12735 and single-core score of 1852 further corroborate the CPU’s balanced performance. However, the data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the GPU’s workload dominates, and the CPU’s 6 cores are sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 D’s rendering pipeline without creating a bottleneck.

The CPU’s percentile ranking of 78th among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26324, places it in the upper tier of processors. Its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HX (0.2% faster), Ryzen 7 7435HS (0.3% slower), Intel Core i9-11900KF (0.4% faster), and Ryzen 5 8540U (0.5% faster)—are all within 0.5% of its aggregate score, showing that the 7600 is competitive with a wide range of chips. In Counter-Strike 2, however, the CPU’s boost clock of 5.10 GHz is the key differentiator, as it allows the processor to maintain high single-thread throughput during intense firefights and smoke grenade effects, which are common in competitive matches.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 30th out of 2870 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. This placement in the top 1.05% of all configurations indicates that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for the game. The rank reflects the synergy between the CPU’s strong single-thread performance and the GPU’s massive compute resources, which together produce frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of virtually all consumer displays.

The 30th rank is notable because it places this combo ahead of many configurations with more expensive or newer components, but the data shows that Counter-Strike 2 does not require the absolute fastest hardware to excel. The RTX 5090 D’s 92nd percentile GPU ranking and the Ryzen 5 7600’s 78th percentile CPU ranking combine to form a system that is greater than the sum of its parts for this specific title. The 4K Ultra result of 145 FPS confirms the GPU’s strength, while the 1080p Low result of 782 FPS demonstrates the CPU’s ability to keep pace with the GPU’s output.

In the context of the nearest rivals, the CPU’s aggregate score is within 0.5% of the Ryzen 9 6900HX, Ryzen 7 7435HS, Intel Core i9-11900KF, and Ryzen 5 8540U, yet the 7600’s higher boost clock gives it an edge in Counter-Strike 2’s CPU-bound scenarios. Similarly, the GPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all within 2.4% of its score, but the 5090 D’s 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provide headroom that is not fully utilized in this game. The 30th place ranking confirms that this combo is a top-tier choice for competitive FPS players, offering both the high frame rates needed for esports and the visual fidelity required for immersive single-player sessions at 4K.