Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a title where frame rate is king, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a spectrum of performance that shifts dramatically based on resolution and preset. The measured data reveals a system capable of extreme esports-level refresh rates at 1080p, yet one that scales down to more modest, though still highly playable, numbers at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across the tested matrix, the division of labor between CPU and GPU, and what the data suggests about optimizing the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS deltas across resolutions clearly illustrate where the bottleneck lies for this combo in Counter-Strike 2. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces an average of 587 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 388 FPS, a reduction of 199 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 yields 217 FPS, another 171 FPS drop. This pattern indicates that even at lower settings, the GPU is becoming the primary limiter as pixel count increases, though the CPU is still feeding it enough data to maintain exceptionally high numbers.

The scaling behavior changes notably when looking at higher presets. At High settings, the progression is 364 FPS at 1080p, 241 FPS at 1440p, and 135 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 34%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is about 44%. This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K High, the RTX 4070 SUPER's rendering workload, driven by its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, becomes increasingly dominant, reducing the influence of the Ryzen 7 5800XT's 8 cores and 16 threads.

The data points to a system that is incredibly well-balanced for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 487, with a minimum of 414 and a maximum of 561, indicating that the CPU and GPU are working in concert to maintain a very high and stable frame rate. However, at 4K Ultra, the average plummets to 105 FPS. This significant drop of 482 FPS from the 1080p Low result underscores that while the CPU is exceptionally strong for gaming, the GPU's raw throughput is the decisive factor at 4K, where the demand on the 7168 shading units and 80 ROPs is most severe.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific configuration of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is ranked 628th out of 3719 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2. This places the pairing in the 83rd percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of configurations in this specific game. The rank is a measure of the combined performance, and the data suggests that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for the game's engine.

The high ranking is a direct result of the synergy between the two components. The Ryzen 7 5800XT, with its 4.80 GHz boost clock, provides the single-thread horsepower that Counter-Strike 2 relies upon, while the RTX 4070 SUPER ensures that the GPU is never caught idle at lower resolutions. The percentileVsAllGpus score of 83 for the GPU and 81 for the CPU further confirms that both components are individually high-performing, and their combination in this game creates a top-tier experience.

When compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark list, the Ryzen 7 5800XT shows a deltaPct of 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, and 0% versus the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and AMD Ryzen 7 7840HS by a negligible 0.3%. This indicates that the 5800XT is performance-competitive with these modern mobile and desktop parts in general compute, but its ranking in-game is elevated by its strong architecture and high clock speeds, which are critical for CS2's frame generation.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is built on the Zen 3 architecture and codenamed Vermeer, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz are particularly relevant for Counter-Strike 2, a game known for being sensitive to single-core performance. The benchmark data supports this, as the CPU's single-thread score in Cinebench R23 is 3359, and its 2-thread score in 3DMark is 1879, both of which are strong indicators of the per-core speed that the game engine can exploit.

The CPU's large 32 MB shared L3 cache is another asset. In a fast-paced esports title where draw calls and game logic updates are frequent, having a large, fast cache helps reduce memory latency and feed the cores with data more efficiently. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (587 FPS) and even 1080p High (364 FPS) demonstrates that the CPU is not a limiting factor at these resolutions; the processing power of the 5800XT is sufficient to push frame rates beyond what most displays can even show.

The data suggests that the CPU's role is most critical at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU has less work to do per frame. At 4K, the CPU still performs admirably, but the GPU's workload becomes so heavy that the overall FPS is dictated by the graphics card. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7683 and the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23794 show a robust multi-threaded capability, which helps ensure that background tasks or any game engine threads beyond the primary one do not cause frame drops.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 587 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the performance at 1440p compare to 1080p for this system?

A: At 1440p, the system remains exceptionally fast, with average FPS figures of 388 (Low), 323 (Medium), 241 (High), and 187 (Ultra). While lower than the 1080p results, these numbers are still far above the refresh rates of most high-end monitors.

Q: Is this combo more CPU-bound or GPU-bound in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data indicates it depends on the resolution. At 1080p and 1440p, the FPS is high enough to suggest a balanced load, but the steep drop at 4K (e.g., 135 FPS at High) shows the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at that resolution.

Q: What performance can I expect at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 217 on Low to 105 on Ultra, with Medium settings hitting 180 FPS. This means 4K is quite playable, though not at the extreme refresh rates seen at lower resolutions.

Q: How stable is the frame rate at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data. At 1080p, the average is 487 FPS with a minimum of 414 FPS. At 1440p, the average is 323 FPS with a minimum of 274 FPS, and at 4K, the average is 180 FPS with a minimum of 153 FPS, showing good stability.

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

A: This specific combo is ranked 628th out of 3719 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all tested systems in the database.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, is the other half of this equation. Its role is defined by its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU clocks are listed as a base of 1980 MHz and a boost of 2475 MHz. These specs are sufficient to handle the visual load of Counter-Strike 2 at high frame rates, but the data shows that its performance ceiling is the primary factor in the 4K results.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. The texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s help explain why the system can maintain high FPS at 1440p. At 2560x1440 High, the average of 241 FPS shows the GPU can easily keep pace with the CPU's output, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience for competitive play.

However, the 4K data reveals the GPU's limits. The drop from 180 FPS at Medium to 135 FPS at High, and then to 105 FPS at Ultra, shows a clear performance curve as the rendering complexity increases. The 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is impressive, but the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160 demands more from the memory subsystem and the processing cores. The benchmark scores, such as the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627, reflect a strong GPU, but its 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs shows that there are faster cards that would yield higher 4K numbers.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience depends entirely on the target display resolution. For users with 1080p displays, the Low preset yields an astronomical 587 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a more balanced experience with an average of 487 FPS and a minimum of 414 FPS. The High preset still provides a very high 364 FPS average. Given that the minimum FPS is only recorded for Medium, it is the safest choice for ensuring no dips below 400 FPS, making it the recommended preset for the highest possible refresh rates without sacrificing visual quality.

For 1440p monitors, the Medium preset again appears to be the sweet spot, providing an average of 323 FPS with a minimum of 274 FPS. This ensures the frame rate stays above the 240 Hz refresh rate floor for many high-end displays. The High preset at 241 FPS average is also excellent, but the lower minimum stability of Medium makes it the more reliable choice for maintaining a locked frame rate. The Low preset, while faster at 388 FPS, may look too sparse for some players, but is a viable option for maximum competitive advantage.

At 4K, the data suggests that the Medium preset is the best option for a smooth experience, delivering an average of 180 FPS and a minimum of 153 FPS. The High preset at 135 FPS is still playable, but the step down to Medium provides a significant 45 FPS boost in the average and ensures the minimum stays above 150 FPS. The Ultra preset at 105 FPS is the most demanding and would be recommended only for those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. The Low preset at 217 FPS is the fastest, but for a visually modern game, Medium provides a better balance of fidelity and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

At this resolution, the system is purely in esports territory. The Low preset results in an average of 587 FPS. The Medium preset delivers a 487 FPS average, with a minimum of 414 FPS and a maximum of 561 FPS. The High preset produces an average of 364 FPS. The Ultra preset, which includes more demanding visual effects, yields an average of 283 FPS. All results indicate no CPU bottleneck at this resolution.

2560x1440:

The 1440p results show a slight increase in GPU load. The Low preset averages 388 FPS. The Medium preset averages 323 FPS, with a minimum of 274 FPS and a maximum of 371 FPS. The High preset maintains an average of 241 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 187 FPS. The frame rates remain exceptionally high, confirming the combo's strength at this resolution.

3840x2160:

At 4K, the scaling is more pronounced. The Low preset averages 217 FPS. The Medium preset averages 180 FPS, with a minimum of 153 FPS and a maximum of 207 FPS. The High preset averages 135 FPS. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 105 FPS. This data shows a clear performance hierarchy, with the GPU becoming the definitive performance limiter as resolution scales up.