Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 with the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a remarkably scalable experience, but the data reveals a system that is profoundly CPU-bound at lower resolutions and increasingly GPU-bound as pixel count rises. The combination ranks in the 39th percentile of tested combos for this title, placing it at rank 997 out of 1632. This mid-pack standing is driven by a processor that provides exceptional headroom at 1080p, while the graphics card's 8 GB VRAM and Turing architecture become the limiting factor at 4K Ultra.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and non-linear, indicating a classic transition from a CPU-limited to a GPU-limited scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 357 at 1920x1080 to 129.7 at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly 64%. This massive drop underscores that at 1080p Low, the RTX 2070 SUPER is nowhere near its ceiling; the Ryzen 5 8400F is doing the heavy lifting.

Scaling to 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 235.4 FPS, which is still a very high number but represents a 34% decline from 1080p. This shows the GPU beginning to engage more seriously. The trend is consistent across all settings: High settings see a drop from 218.6 FPS at 1080p to 144.9 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 83.5 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with a 4K average of just 64.8 FPS, which is nearly half the 113.6 FPS achieved at 1440p.

The data indicates that the CPU bottleneck at 1080p is so strong that even at Ultra settings, the system still produces 172.7 FPS. However, the 4K Ultra result of 64.8 FPS is the clearest evidence of the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth being saturated. The scaling pattern suggests that for competitive play at 1080p, the system is massively overprovisioned on the CPU side, while for 4K gaming, the RTX 2070 SUPER is the definitive limiter. The delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 64.9 FPS, which is smaller than the 184.3 FPS delta at 1080p, confirming that resolution increases compress the performance gap between settings because the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain high frame rates?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution is clearly optimal, with all settings producing averages above 172 FPS. Even the most demanding Ultra preset delivers 172.7 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

Q: Does the RTX 2070 SUPER struggle at 4K in Counter-Strike 2?

A: Yes, the data shows a significant struggle at 3840x2160. Only the Low preset (129.7 FPS) and Medium preset (107.7 FPS) exceed 100 FPS. The High preset (83.5 FPS) and Ultra preset (64.8 FPS) fall below the threshold for smooth high-refresh-rate play.

Q: How much of a performance gap is there between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The gap is substantial. The Low preset averages 357 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 172.7 FPS. This represents a performance difference of 184.3 FPS, indicating that the CPU has enough headroom to render both presets quickly, but the GPU work increases significantly with visual fidelity.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 8400F a bottleneck for the RTX 2070 SUPER in this game?

A: At 1080p, the CPU appears to be the primary driver of performance, as evidenced by the extremely high frame rates. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide the single-thread performance necessary for Counter-Strike 2's engine.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Medium and High presets?

A: Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently outperforms High. At 1080p, the difference is 75.2 FPS (293.8 vs 218.6). At 1440p, the difference is 51.6 FPS (196.5 vs 144.9). At 4K, the difference narrows to 24.2 FPS (107.7 vs 83.5).

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested combinations?

A: This pairing ranks 997 out of 1632 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the field, which is consistent with the RTX 2070 SUPER's age and position relative to newer GPUs.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience depends on the target resolution and refresh rate, but the data provides clear guidance. For 1080p esports play, the Low preset is the fastest, delivering 357 FPS. However, the Medium preset at 293.8 FPS offers a better balance, providing improved visual quality with only an 18% performance penalty. The High preset at 218.6 FPS is still excellent for 1080p and likely provides a more visually polished experience without sacrificing competitive viability.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. Its 196.5 FPS average is high enough for most high-refresh-rate panels, and it is 62.9 FPS faster than the High preset. The Low preset at 235.4 FPS is the choice for maximum competitive advantage, but the visual compromise is significant. The Ultra preset at 113.6 FPS is playable but may not feel as responsive for fast-paced play.

For 4K, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset (129.7 FPS) is the only way to achieve a triple-digit frame rate. The Medium preset (107.7 FPS) is acceptable for 60 Hz displays. The High (83.5 FPS) and Ultra (64.8 FPS) presets are best reserved for slower-paced gameplay or single-player scenarios, as the frame rates dip below what is ideal for a competitive FPS. The data suggests that for the best overall experience, users should prioritize resolution over settings, favoring 1440p Medium over 4K High.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 997 out of 1632 places it in the 39th percentile of all tested configurations. This is a modest result, reflecting the RTX 2070 SUPER's position as an older GPU. The GPU's benchmark percentile of 65 versus all GPUs is notably higher than the combo's in-game rank, suggesting that Counter-Strike 2 is a particularly demanding title for this graphics card.

The CPU's percentile of 82 versus all CPUs is strong, indicating that the Ryzen 5 8400F is a capable processor. The disparity between the CPU's high ranking and the GPU's lower ranking explains the overall mid-pack result. The nearest GPU rivals show a tight cluster: the NVIDIA RTX A400 is 0.5% behind, the GTX TITAN Z is 0.9% ahead, the RTX 4060 Mobile is 2.3% ahead, and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 is 2.5% behind. This data suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER is competitive with these cards in synthetic benchmarks, but its real-world performance in this specific title is what drives the rank down.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p but falls short at 4K Ultra. The GPU's boost clock of 1770 MHz and base of 1605 MHz are standard for the Turing architecture, and its 2560 shading units handle the game's rendering at lower resolutions with ease.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 18169 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651, show it is a mid-tier performer. Its 65th percentile ranking against all GPUs underscores its age. The direct evidence of the GPU's role is the FPS drop at 4K; the Ultra preset at 64.8 FPS is the lowest result recorded. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are not heavily utilized in a competitive shooter like Counter-Strike 2, but the raw rasterization performance and memory bandwidth are the determining factors. The 550 W suggested PSU and dual-slot design are consistent with its 215 W TDP.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a clear picture of performance across all combinations. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 357 FPS, Medium 293.8 FPS, High 218.6 FPS, and Ultra 172.7 FPS. At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 235.4 FPS, Medium 196.5 FPS, High 144.9 FPS, and Ultra 113.6 FPS. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 129.7 FPS, Medium 107.7 FPS, High 83.5 FPS, and Ultra 64.8 FPS.

The data shows that the performance gap between Low and Medium is consistent across resolutions, averaging around 60-80 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is smaller, averaging around 50 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is the most variable, shrinking from 45.9 FPS at 1080p to 30.1 FPS at 1440p and 18.7 FPS at 4K. This compression at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes the limiting factor, preventing the Ultra preset from scaling its performance as much as the Low preset.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz provide excellent single-thread performance, which is critical for Counter-Strike 2's engine. The CPU's 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per core L2 cache help reduce memory latency.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 and a single-core score of 2943. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 951 is particularly relevant for gaming. The CPU's 82nd percentile ranking against all CPUs confirms its capability. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 357 FPS, which is likely near the engine's or CPU's limit, as the GPU is not heavily taxed at that preset. The CPU's DDR5 memory support with 83.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures the GPU has enough data to process.

The nearest CPU rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X with a 0% delta, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 at -0.1%, the AMD EPYC 9474F at -0.2%, and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F at +0.3%. This tight clustering shows the 8400F is well-positioned in the synthetic benchmark landscape. The 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it an efficient and flexible option. The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration; it provides ample headroom for the GPU to be the deciding factor in frame rates.