Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame pacing and headroom matter more than absolute graphical fidelity. The data for this pairing—an AMD Ryzen 7 5700 with an Intel Arc B390—shows a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics solution, particularly as resolution climbs. The measured results indicate that this combo is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p play on lower presets, with performance dropping off sharply at higher resolutions and settings. The CPU provides ample compute headroom, but the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck in almost every scenario tested.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 179 FPS at 1920x1080 to 118 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 34%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 66 FPS, which is a 63% decrease from the 1080p result. This steep decline is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario; the rendering load is scaling with pixel count, and the Intel Arc B390 simply cannot keep up with the demands of 4K.

The pattern repeats across all presets. On High settings, the average drops from 111 FPS at 1080p to 73 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 41 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory, moving from 149 FPS at 1080p to 98 FPS at 1440p and finally to 55 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, starts at a playable 86 FPS at 1080p, but falls to 57 FPS at 1440p and becomes nearly unplayable at 32 FPS in 4K.

What is notable is that the performance scaling is not linear, but the relative gaps between resolutions remain consistent across all settings. This consistency indicates that the limiting component is the same in every configuration: the GPU. The CPU is not showing signs of strain at lower resolutions; if it were, the 1080p to 1440p gap would be much smaller than the 1440p to 4K gap. Instead, the data shows a steady erosion of performance as pixel count increases, confirming that the Arc B390 is the primary constraint. For a 4K display, this combo is not viable for competitive play, as even the Low preset averages only 66 FPS. The sweet spot for this system is clearly 1080p, where even High settings can push past the 100 FPS mark.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in this system's gaming performance. The benchmark data shows it occupies the 9th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it performs better than only a small fraction of the database. Its nearest rivals in the benchmark suite are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, with the Arc B390 holding a performance lead of 1.3% to 2.7% over those parts. This places the B390 in a class of very basic, entry-level graphics hardware, which is consistent with its specifications.

The chip is built on Intel's 3 nm process and operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The theoretical pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. While these numbers are not trivial, they are clearly insufficient for demanding modern titles at high resolutions. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which introduces variability based on the rest of the system, but the lack of dedicated memory bandwidth is a severe limitation for a game like Counter-Strike 2 at higher settings.

The fact that the GPU's memory is shared and system-dependent explains why the performance gap between Medium and Low is so large. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Medium is 30 FPS (179 vs 149), while the gap between Medium and High is 38 FPS (149 vs 111). The Ultra preset is a further 25 FPS behind High. This steep penalty for each step up in quality is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth or raw compute power. The data indicates that the B390 is only comfortable at the Low preset, where the load is light enough to allow the chip to stretch its legs. Pushing any higher immediately results in significant frame rate penalties.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing lands at a rank of 2535 out of 2870 combos. This puts it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems for Counter-Strike 2. This is a low ranking, but it is not necessarily a surprise given the GPU's standing. The CPU is a relatively strong performer—the Ryzen 7 5700 sits in the 78th percentile of all CPUs—but the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's 9th percentile standing. The ranking shows that while the processor is capable, the graphics card prevents this system from competing with even mid-range configurations.

The composition of the combo is a mismatch. You have a desktop-class 8-core, 16-thread CPU paired with an integrated-style GPU solution. The Arc B390 is listed with a slot width of "IGP" and a bus interface of "IGP," which suggests it is designed for a mobile or compact form factor. This pairing of a high-end desktop CPU with a low-end graphics chip is unusual and results in a system that is severely unbalanced. The data suggests that the 2535th rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU side of the equation is not a weak point. In practical terms, this combo is not a viable gaming rig for modern titles at high settings, and its ranking reflects that reality clearly.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only preset that provides a consistently smooth experience is Low. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 179 FPS, which is excellent for a competitive shooter. This is the only configuration that offers enough headroom to guarantee a stable frame rate above the 144 Hz mark, which is the target for most competitive players. The Medium preset at 1080p, averaging 149 FPS, is also acceptable, but it comes with the risk of dips; the measured minimum FPS on Medium at 1080p is 126 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less margin for error in intense firefights.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option, producing an average of 118 FPS. While this is not as high as the 1080p result, it is still above the 60 FPS threshold and could be usable on a 120 Hz monitor. However, the High preset at 1440p drops to 73 FPS, and the Medium preset to 98 FPS, which introduces noticeable stutter potential in a game where reaction time is critical. At 4K, none of the presets are recommended for competitive play; the Low preset averages 66 FPS, but the frame time consistency is likely poor.

The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally the Low preset at 1920x1080. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 30 FPS, which is a significant sacrifice for visual improvements that are not worth the competitive disadvantage. For players who prioritize a high refresh rate, the Low preset is the only sensible choice. If a player insists on higher visual fidelity, the Medium preset at 1080p is playable, but the data shows that the Low preset is the only one that fully utilizes the potential of this CPU-GPU pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance across presets shows a clear hierarchy. The Low preset leads with an average of 179 FPS. The Medium preset averages 149 FPS, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS. The High preset drops to an average of 111 FPS. The Ultra preset is the slowest at 1080p, with an average of 86 FPS. This shows a 93 FPS difference between the lowest and highest quality settings, highlighting the GPU's sensitivity to graphical load.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers all take a significant hit. The Low preset averages 118 FPS. The Medium preset averages 98 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS. The High preset averages 73 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to an average of 57 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 61 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but represents a larger relative performance loss for the higher presets.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. The Low preset averages 66 FPS. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS. The High preset averages 41 FPS. The Ultra preset manages only an average of 32 FPS. None of these results are ideal for a competitive FPS, but the Low preset at least approaches playability. The data clearly shows that the Arc B390 is not designed for this resolution, and the frame rates reflect that limitation. The measured minimums for the Medium preset at all resolutions (126 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K) provide a useful floor for what players can expect in demanding scenes.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is a strong processor that is not the bottleneck in this system. It is an 8-core, 16-thread part based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It features a 16 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory. The CPU's benchmark results are solid; it scores 20655 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2916 in single-core. In the broader CPU database, it sits in the 78th percentile, indicating it is a capable performer for gaming and productivity tasks.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Xeon D-2752TER, AMD Ryzen 5 7640U, AMD Ryzen 5 6600H, and AMD Ryzen 7 5825U. The Ryzen 7 5700 is within 0.3% of these parts, showing it is in a competitive performance tier. This means that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Counter-Strike 2. The game is known for being CPU-intensive, but the 8-core, 16-thread configuration of the 5700 is more than sufficient to feed the Arc B390. The fact that the FPS scales down so heavily with resolution is proof that the CPU is not holding the system back; if it were, the 1080p and 1440p results would be much closer together.

The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its 2916 score in Cinebench R23 single-core, is important for Counter-Strike 2's game engine. However, the data shows that even this strong CPU performance cannot overcome the GPU's limitations. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (179 FPS) is likely near the limit of what the GPU can output, not the CPU. The CPU is ready to do more work, but the graphics card cannot deliver the frames. This is a classic case of a CPU that has far more headroom than the GPU, making it a poor match for a gaming system where the graphics card is this weak.