Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a benchmark profile that is heavily skewed by the CPU's capabilities at lower resolutions, while the GPU takes over as the primary constraint at 4K. The measured data reveals extreme frame rates that range from a staggering 745 FPS at 1080p Low down to a still-very-fast 133 FPS at 4K Ultra. The relationship between resolution scaling and settings demonstrates that this combination is not only capable of driving high refresh-rate monitors but also highlights the distinct bottlenecks that shift between the processor and the graphics card depending on the workload.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a classic transition from a CPU-bound scenario to a GPU-bound one. At the Low settings preset, the average frame rate drops from 745 FPS at 1920x1080 to 493 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 33.8%. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 276 FPS, which is another 44.0% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that while the RTX 4090 is still producing incredibly high numbers, the gap between resolutions is widening because the GPU is starting to work harder, though the CPU is still likely providing a significant portion of the performance headroom.

With the High settings preset, the scaling pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. The average frame rate at 1080p is 462 FPS, which drops to 306 FPS at 1440p (a 33.8% decrease) and then to 171 FPS at 4K (a 44.1% decrease from 1440p). The consistency in the percentage drops between Low and High settings suggests that the performance scaling is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. This implies that the CPU is still managing to feed the GPU adequately at 1440p, but the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as pixel count rises.

The Medium settings preset provides a more granular look with min and max FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the average is 619 FPS with a minimum of 526 FPS and a maximum of 712 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 410 FPS with a minimum of 348 FPS and a maximum of 471 FPS. The 4K Medium result shows an average of 229 FPS with a minimum of 195 FPS and a maximum of 263 FPS. The min-to-max spread remains relatively tight across resolutions, indicating stable frame delivery without severe stuttering.

The Ultra settings preset yields the lowest frame rates, as expected. The average at 1080p is 359 FPS, dropping to 238 FPS at 1440p and then to 133 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 133 FPS is the only data point below the 144 Hz threshold, suggesting that this is where the RTX 4090 is finally being pushed to its limits in this game. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p with Ultra settings shows a 33.7% reduction, while the 1440p to 4K transition shows a 44.1% reduction, mirroring the pattern seen in other presets.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the Ryzen 7 9700F is the primary limiter, as the frame rates are so high that the GPU is likely not fully saturated. At 4K, the RTX 4090 becomes the bottleneck, with the CPU's role diminishing as the GPU's rendering workload increases. The medium and high settings at 1440p represent a balanced zone where both components are contributing significantly, but the CPU still holds the edge in determining the final frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 745 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This is the peak performance point in the measured data.

Q: How does the combo perform at the most demanding settings and resolution?

A: At 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset, the combo achieves an average frame rate of 133 FPS. This is the lowest average recorded but remains well above playable thresholds.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 493 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 238 FPS. This represents a 51.7% decrease in performance when moving from Low to Ultra settings.

Q: Are frame times stable across different resolutions?

A: The Medium settings preset provides min and max FPS data. At 1080p, the range is 526 to 712 FPS (an average of 619). At 1440p, the range is 348 to 471 FPS (an average of 410). At 4K, the range narrows to 195 to 263 FPS (an average of 229), showing tighter frame delivery at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996, placing it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. It is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-14700KF.

Q: Does the GPU's benchmark performance align with its in-game results?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 60347, which puts it 2.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M and 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO V710. Its in-game results are consistently high, but the benchmark score reflects synthetic tests, not direct game performance.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's L3 cache is 32 MB shared, and it supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. These specifications position it as a high-end desktop processor, and its benchmark data confirms this, with a percentile rank of 94 against all CPUs.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 745, which is a massive number that likely exceeds what the GPU can render if it were the sole bottleneck. This suggests the CPU is managing to feed the GPU with enough draw calls and game logic updates to sustain such high frame rates. The CPU's single-thread performance, as indicated by a Passmark single-thread score of 4691, is crucial for a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is known for being sensitive to per-core performance.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities also play a role, though less so in this specific title. The Passmark multithread score is 36470, which shows strong parallel processing power, but the game's engine likely relies more on the high boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The 8 cores and 16 threads ensure that background tasks and the game's main thread have ample resources, but the primary performance driver is the frequency and IPC improvements from the Zen 5 architecture.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 69996 places it in a tight competitive group. It is 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, while being 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-14700KF. This indicates that the 9700F is effectively a top-tier performer, and its in-game results at 1080p confirm that it can unlock the full potential of a high-end GPU. The data shows that at 1080p High, the combo achieves 462 FPS, which is still an extraordinarily high number, indicating the CPU is not a limiting factor until the settings are pushed to Ultra, where the average drops to 359 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 109th out of 2870 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. This places the combo in the top 3.8% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the game's reputation for favoring high single-thread CPU performance. The rank is based on actual measured FPS data, not synthetic benchmarks, making it a relevant indicator of real-world performance.

A rank of 109 out of 2870 means that there are 108 other combos that outperform this specific pairing. These could include configurations with even higher-clocked CPUs or those with more specialized memory setups, but the margin is likely small given the RTX 4090's dominance. The combo's position in the top percentile suggests that it is an excellent choice for competitive play, where high and consistent frame rates are valued.

The rank also reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. While the RTX 4090 is one of the most powerful GPUs available, its performance in this game is capped by the CPU at lower resolutions. The fact that this combo still ranks highly indicates that the Ryzen 7 9700F is sufficient to avoid being a major bottleneck, even if there are theoretically faster CPUs available. The data suggests that users seeking to improve their ranking would need to invest in a CPU with even higher single-thread performance, but the gains would be marginal.

Given the combo's rank and the measured FPS data, it is clear that this pairing is optimized for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p. The 4K performance, while still strong, is less competitive relative to other combos that might have a slightly better CPU-GPU balance at that resolution. However, the overall rank of 109 out of 2870 confirms the combo's capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the GeForce 40-series, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip. It has a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. The GPU also features 16384 shading units and 128 RT cores, making it a monster for both rasterization and ray tracing.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important as resolution and settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 133 FPS, which is the lowest recorded. This indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this setting, as the CPU is likely still capable of delivering more frames if the GPU could render them faster. The RTX 4090's performance at 4K is still exceptional, but the data shows a clear scaling pattern where the GPU's workload dictates the final frame rate.

The GPU's memory capacity of 24 GB is more than sufficient for Counter-Strike 2, which is not a VRAM-intensive title. However, the high memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s ensures that texture streaming and data transfer are not bottlenecks. The 5 nm process node and high transistor count of 76,300 million contribute to the GPU's raw compute power, which is reflected in its Passmark G3D score of 38194.

The GPU's benchmark percentile of 88 against all GPUs is lower than the CPU's percentile of 94, but this is due to the presence of professional-grade cards in the benchmark database. The RTX 4090's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc Pro A60 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, have similar average scores, but the RTX 4090's in-game performance is far superior due to its architecture and driver optimization. The measured FPS at 1080p Low of 745 FPS shows that the GPU is capable of handling extremely high frame rates, but it's the CPU that limits further gains.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. The Low settings preset achieves an average of 745 FPS. The Medium preset averages 619 FPS, with a minimum of 526 FPS and a maximum of 712 FPS. The High preset averages 462 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 359 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a 51.8% reduction in average frame rate, from 745 to 359 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain very high but show a clear step down. The Low preset averages 493 FPS. The Medium preset averages 410 FPS, with a minimum of 348 FPS and a maximum of 471 FPS. The High preset averages 306 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 238 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 51.7%, consistent with the 1080p scaling.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to assert its dominance. The Low preset averages 276 FPS. The Medium preset averages 229 FPS, with a minimum of 195 FPS and a maximum of 263 FPS. The High preset averages 171 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 133 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K is 51.8%, which is remarkably consistent with the other resolutions, indicating that the settings presets scale predictably regardless of resolution.

The min and max FPS data for the Medium preset across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern. At 1080p, the min is 526 FPS and max is 712 FPS, a spread of 186 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 123 FPS (348 to 471). At 4K, the spread is 68 FPS (195 to 263). This indicates that as resolution increases, frame time consistency improves, likely due to the GPU becoming the limiting factor and evening out the frame delivery. The data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can push extremely high refresh rates, while 4K Ultra is still viable but with lower, though still high, frame rates.