Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 with the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers an exceptionally strong performance profile, ranking in the 1050th position out of 3719 total hardware combinations tested for this title. The data reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions but transitions to a CPU-influenced scenario at 1080p, where frame rates reach extraordinary levels. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to explain exactly how each component contributes to the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 313 FPS at 1080p to 207 FPS at 1440p, representing a 34% reduction, and then further to 116 FPS at 4K, a 63% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This scaling behavior indicates that the RTX 3080 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K quadruples the rendering workload, directly impacting the GPU's ability to maintain frame rates.

The Low preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling curve, with average FPS plummeting from 505 at 1080p to 334 at 1440p and then to 187 at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p transition alone accounts for a 171 FPS drop, which is the largest single-step decrease across all presets. This substantial reduction at lower settings strongly suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding frames at an extremely high rate at 1080p, but the GPU's rendering throughput becomes the bottleneck as resolution climbs, even with minimal graphical demands.

The Medium preset demonstrates the most balanced scaling, with average FPS values of 420 at 1080p, 278 at 1440p, and 155 at 4K. The minimum FPS recorded at Medium settings also scales predictably: 357 at 1080p, 236 at 1440p, and 132 at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the steepest proportional decline, falling from 243 FPS at 1080p to 161 at 1440p and finally to 90 at 4K, a 63% total reduction that highlights the significant computational cost of the highest quality settings at high pixel counts.

The frame rate deltas between resolutions reveal that the system operates in two distinct regimes. At 1080p, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads can push the RTX 3080 to its limits, resulting in frame rates that exceed 500 FPS on Low. However, as resolution increases, the GPU's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth become the determining factors, and the frame rate ceiling drops accordingly. The 4K results across all presets — from 90 FPS on Ultra to 187 FPS on Low — indicate that the RTX 3080 remains capable at 4K but demands careful setting selection to maintain competitive frame rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, built on the Zen 4 architecture with a 4 nm process, provides the computational foundation for this Counter-Strike 2 configuration. Its 6 cores and 12 threads operate at a base clock of 4.20 GHz and boost to 4.70 GHz, with a 16 MB shared L3 cache. The processor's benchmark results show a single-thread score of 951 in 3DMark and a multithread score of 6091 in the 16-thread test, positioning it in the 77th percentile among all CPUs tested. This strong single-thread performance is critical for Counter-Strike 2, which relies heavily on fast, responsive CPU processing for game logic and physics.

The CPU's influence is most apparent in the 1080p Low preset results, where the average FPS reaches 505. This exceptional frame rate indicates that the Ryzen 5 8400F can deliver frames faster than the RTX 3080 can render at low graphical settings, creating a CPU-bound scenario. The processor's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 and single-core score of 2943 further confirm its capability to handle the game's computational demands without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions.

However, the CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rate differences between presets — from 90 FPS on Ultra to 187 FPS on Low — are primarily driven by GPU workload rather than CPU performance. The processor's 83.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support ensure that data can be fed to the GPU efficiently, but the rendering pipeline becomes the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 8400F's nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F with an average score of 24964 (0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i7-11850H with 24935 (0.3% delta), show that this processor sits in a competitive performance tier, though these differences are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios.

The 12 threads available to the processor allow for efficient multitasking during gameplay, and the 25,000 million transistors on a 178 mm² die enable high instructions-per-clock efficiency. The passmark multithread score of 24389 and floating point math score of 46217 indicate robust computational throughput, but Counter-Strike 2's frame pacing at high resolutions is more dependent on the GPU's pixel processing capabilities than the CPU's raw compute power.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, based on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, is the dominant component in determining frame rates across all resolutions. Its 8704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units provide substantial rendering throughput, backed by a boost clock of 1710 MHz. The GPU's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus delivers 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which becomes increasingly important as resolution and texture detail increase.

The GPU's performance is most evident in the 4K results, where the average FPS ranges from 90 on Ultra to 187 on Low. The RTX 3080's 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power enables smooth 4K gameplay at medium settings (155 FPS average), but the Ultra preset's additional effects and shading complexity reduce the frame rate to 90 FPS. The pixel rate of 164.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 465.1 GTexel/s directly influence how quickly the GPU can fill the screen with rendered geometry and apply textures.

At 1440p, the RTX 3080 demonstrates its strength as a high-refresh-rate gaming GPU, with average FPS ranging from 161 on Ultra to 334 on Low. The Medium preset's 278 FPS average with a minimum of 236 FPS shows that the GPU can maintain smooth gameplay even during intense scenes. The 1080p results are even more impressive, with the GPU capable of exceeding 500 FPS on Low settings, though this is partially due to the CPU's ability to feed frames quickly.

The GPU's memory configuration plays a crucial role at higher resolutions. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Counter-Strike 2 at 4K, as evidenced by the playable frame rates, but the 760.3 GB/s bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and geometry data can be accessed rapidly. The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA P106-100 with a delta of -0.3% and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M with a delta of -0.4%, though the RTX 3080's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it sits in the upper-middle tier of overall graphics performance.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on resolution and desired frame rate targets. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver exceptionally high average FPS, from 243 on Ultra to 505 on Low, making the choice primarily dependent on visual quality preferences. For competitive play, the Low preset's 505 FPS average provides the maximum responsiveness, but the Medium preset at 420 FPS with a minimum of 357 FPS offers a better balance between visual clarity and performance for most players.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset emerges as the recommended choice, delivering 278 FPS average with a minimum of 236 FPS. This combination ensures smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate monitors while maintaining improved visual fidelity over the Low preset's 334 FPS. The High preset at 207 FPS remains viable for those prioritizing visual quality, but the Ultra preset's 161 FPS average may fall below the refresh rate of some 1440p gaming monitors.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, providing 155 FPS average with a minimum of 132 FPS. This frame rate is sufficient for smooth 4K gaming on displays with up to 144 Hz refresh rates. The High preset at 116 FPS is acceptable for less demanding players, while the Low preset at 187 FPS sacrifices too much visual quality for the modest frame rate gain. The Ultra preset at 90 FPS should be avoided for competitive play but is playable for casual sessions where visual immersion takes priority.

The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the best overall experience across all three resolutions, as it maintains the highest minimum FPS values recorded in the dataset. The 1080p Medium setting's 357 FPS minimum, 1440p Medium's 236 FPS minimum, and 4K Medium's 132 FPS minimum all provide comfortable margins above typical display refresh rates, ensuring consistent frame delivery without significant drops.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this hardware combination?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 505, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This represents the peak performance of the Ryzen 5 8400F and RTX 3080 combination in Counter-Strike 2.

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

A: Yes, the system delivers playable frame rates at 3840x2160 across all presets. The Medium preset provides the best balance with 155 FPS average and 132 FPS minimum, while the Ultra preset still maintains 90 FPS average.

Q: Which component limits performance at 1080p resolution?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU becomes the primary limiting factor, particularly at the Low preset where the 505 FPS average exceeds what the RTX 3080 can render. The Ryzen 5 8400F's 6 cores and 12 threads at 4.70 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed frames faster than the GPU can process them at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 3080's memory bandwidth affect performance?

A: The GPU's 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus provides 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for maintaining frame rates at higher resolutions. This bandwidth enables the 155 FPS average at 4K Medium settings by allowing rapid access to texture and geometry data.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 334 FPS average while the Ultra preset achieves 161 FPS average, representing a 173 FPS difference (or 52% reduction) when enabling the highest quality settings.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 8400F a bottleneck for the RTX 3080 in this game?

A: The data shows the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU-bound behavior. However, at 1080p Low settings, the 505 FPS result suggests the CPU can outpace the GPU, indicating the processor's performance ceiling is higher than what the GPU can render at minimal settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low preset achieves 505 FPS average, followed by Medium at 420 FPS with a minimum of 357 FPS and maximum of 482 FPS. The High preset reaches 313 FPS average, while the Ultra preset produces 243 FPS average. The 1080p results demonstrate the system's capability for ultra-high refresh rate gaming, with even the most demanding preset exceeding 240 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows the expected reduction from 1080p. The Low preset delivers 334 FPS average, Medium achieves 278 FPS with a minimum of 236 FPS and maximum of 319 FPS, High reaches 207 FPS, and Ultra produces 161 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that the Medium preset provides the best combination of visual quality and frame rate consistency, with the minimum FPS still exceeding 200.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly but remain playable. The Low preset achieves 187 FPS average, Medium delivers 155 FPS with a minimum of 132 FPS and maximum of 178 FPS, High reaches 116 FPS, and Ultra produces 90 FPS. The 4K results show a clear progression where each preset step up from Low to Ultra reduces the average FPS by approximately 30-60 FPS, with the Medium preset offering the most balanced performance for 4K gaming.

The complete dataset reveals that the RTX 3080's performance scales predictably with resolution, while the Ryzen 5 8400F's contribution is most significant at lower resolutions where the CPU can maintain high frame delivery rates. The combination ranks 1050th out of 3719 tested configurations, placing it in the upper 28% of all hardware combinations for Counter-Strike 2 performance.