Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a highly playable experience across all tested resolutions, but the performance scaling reveals a system that is firmly balanced between CPU and GPU capabilities depending on the settings preset. The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts, while the CPU’s strong single-threaded performance keeps frame rates high at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across the three tested resolutions—1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160—shows a consistent and expected decline in average frame rates as pixel count rises. At the High preset, the system delivers 220 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 146 FPS at 1440p, and further down to 82 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 63% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p, the frame rate is heavily influenced by CPU performance, while at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, as the gap between resolutions widens.

Looking at the Low preset, the difference is even more pronounced. At 1080p, the combo achieves a massive 355 FPS, which drops to 235 FPS at 1440p and 131 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p drop of 34% is similar to the High preset, but the 1440p to 4K drop of 44% is steeper, indicating that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s graphics processing power is being stretched thin at higher resolutions even with minimal graphical demands. The Low preset at 1080p is clearly CPU-bound, as the frame rate far exceeds what the GPU would typically deliver, highlighting the Ryzen 7 9700F’s ability to feed frames quickly.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data, with minimum and maximum FPS recorded alongside averages. At 1080p, the average is 295 FPS with a minimum of 251 and maximum of 339, showing a relatively tight frame time distribution. At 1440p, the average drops to 195 FPS (minimum 166, maximum 225), and at 4K, it falls to 109 FPS (minimum 93, maximum 126). The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 34% reduction, while from 1440p to 4K is a 44% reduction, mirroring the Low preset’s pattern. This suggests that the Medium preset is also becoming GPU-limited at higher resolutions, though the CPU still provides enough headroom to maintain high minimums at 1080p.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling. At 1080p, the average is 171 FPS, which drops to 113 FPS at 1440p and 63 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p reduction is 34%, but the 1440p to 4K reduction is 44%, consistent with the other presets. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate falls to 63 FPS, which is below the 82 FPS seen at 4K High, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional graphical features—likely including higher shadow quality and anti-aliasing—place a heavy load on the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit memory bus.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Counter-Strike 2, this pairing of AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1625 out of 2870 combos. This places it in the 57th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms a majority of setups but falls short of top-tier systems. The rank is likely dragged down by the GPU’s age and position in the market, as the RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU is much stronger, ranking at the 94th percentile among all CPUs.

The combo’s ranking reflects a mismatch in capability: the Ryzen 7 9700F is a high-end modern processor, but the RTX 2070 SUPER is a mid-range GPU from an older generation. In a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is known for being CPU-intensive at high frame rates, this combo still performs well in absolute terms—the 1080p Low preset at 355 FPS is exceptional—but the GPU’s limitations become apparent at higher resolutions and presets, preventing the system from climbing higher in the overall rankings.

Compared to other combos, the data shows that this pairing is not near the top of the list. The 2870 total combos include many with newer, faster GPUs that would push frame rates higher at 4K. However, the rank of 1625 is not poor; it indicates that this system is better than roughly 56% of all tested configurations for this specific game. The CPU’s high percentile (94th) and the GPU’s moderate percentile (65th) suggest that users with this combo would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU swap, as the processor has significant headroom to drive a more powerful graphics card.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process node and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz, and it has 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 raster operations units. The GPU’s memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), and its FP32 performance is rated at 9.062 TFLOPS. These specifications place it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU’s role is clearly evident in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the GPU is not the primary bottleneck in most presets; for instance, the Low preset at 355 FPS is likely CPU-limited. However, at 4K, the GPU’s workload increases dramatically, and the frame rates drop to 63-131 FPS depending on the preset. The 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game, as Counter-Strike 2 is not known for high VRAM usage, but the GPU’s raw compute power is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The RTX 2070 SUPER’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480, -1% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, -1.2% delta), Intel Arc B570 (20556, -1.3% delta), and Intel Arc A750 (20582, -1.5% delta). These competitors are all within 2% of its average score, indicating that the 2070 SUPER is still competitive with mid-range options, but it is clearly outclassed by newer high-end GPUs. In the context of this game, the GPU’s 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB of memory are adequate, but its 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 performance limits how high frame rates can go at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 295 FPS and a minimum of 251 FPS. The High preset drops to 220 FPS average, which is still excellent, but Medium provides a 34% improvement in frame rate over High with only a modest reduction in graphical fidelity. The Ultra preset at 171 FPS is also playable, but the jump to Medium from Ultra yields an 73% increase in average FPS, making Medium the clear choice for competitive play at 1080p.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the recommended option, delivering 195 FPS average with a minimum of 166 FPS. The High preset at 146 FPS is acceptable for most players, but Medium offers a 34% boost over High, ensuring smoother gameplay. The Low preset at 235 FPS is the highest frame rate option, but the visual compromise is significant. Ultra at 113 FPS is the minimum recommended for a playable experience, but it lacks the headroom for competitive gaming, where frame rates above 144 FPS are often preferred.

At 4K, the situation changes. The High preset at 82 FPS is the best balance, as it provides a solid frame rate for a 60 Hz display. The Medium preset at 109 FPS is also viable, offering a 33% improvement over High, but the visual difference may be noticeable. The Low preset at 131 FPS is the smoothest, but it sacrifices too much visual quality for a game that can look good at higher settings. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS is borderline playable, but it sits right at the edge of what is acceptable for a first-person shooter, and the 63 FPS average suggests that frame pacing could be inconsistent.

For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p is recommended, as it provides frame rates well above the refresh rate of most monitors while maintaining reasonable visual quality. At 4K, the High preset is the safest bet to avoid frame rate dips below 60 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with the Medium preset?

A: The average FPS at 1080p with the Medium preset is 295, with a minimum of 251 and a maximum of 339.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for Counter-Strike 2?

A: The combo ranks 1625 out of 2870 tested combinations, placing it in the 57th percentile.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and how does it affect performance?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s from its 8 GB GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, which is sufficient for Counter-Strike 2 but contributes to the bottleneck at 4K resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck at 4K?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as frame rates drop significantly from 1080p to 4K (e.g., from 220 FPS to 82 FPS at High preset), indicating the RTX 2070 SUPER cannot keep up with the CPU’s output.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p provides 195 FPS average with a minimum of 166 FPS, making it the best balance of performance and visual quality.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has a PassMark single-thread score of 4691, and its average benchmark score of 69996 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and 0.9% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a desktop processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture with a 4 nm process node. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The CPU has a 65 W TDP and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing 89.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor sits at the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 69996.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions where frame rates are extremely high. At 1080p with the Low preset, the combo achieves 355 FPS, which is far beyond what the RTX 2070 SUPER would typically produce, indicating that the Ryzen 7 9700F is driving frame rates as high as possible. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance—evidenced by its PassMark single-thread score of 4691—is critical for a game like Counter-Strike 2, which relies heavily on single-threaded game logic and physics.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, +0.2% delta), Intel Core i7-14700KF (70163, -0.2% delta), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515, +0.7% delta), and Intel Core i7-14700K (69355, +0.9% delta). These deltas are all under 1%, indicating that the 9700F is performance-competitive with these high-end chips, but its advantage in this game comes from its high boost clock and modern architecture. The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache also helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for a game that requires fast data access for map and player positions.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 4K, as frame rates drop consistently with resolution increases. However, at 1080p, the CPU’s performance allows the system to hit 355 FPS on Low settings, which reflects its capability. The CPU’s 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms 94% of tested processors, and its average benchmark score of 69996 is within 1% of the top rivals, confirming that it is a high-end part that will not hold back the GPU in most scenarios. The only limitation is that the RTX 2070 SUPER cannot fully utilize the CPU’s potential at higher resolutions, but for users who prioritize high frame rates at 1080p or 1440p, this CPU is more than adequate.