Counter-Strike 2

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a broad spread of frame rates in Counter-Strike 2, ranging from a low of 68 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 382 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured data shows that the combination is capable of high refresh rate gameplay at 1080p and 1440p, but requires careful settings selection to maintain smooth performance at 4K. This analysis walks through the measured FPS rows to determine the optimal settings, the role of each component, and how this pairing ranks among other tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 184 FPS average, which is exceptionally smooth for competitive play, though the Medium preset reaches 317 FPS and Low reaches 382 FPS. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates on high refresh rate monitors, the Low preset at 1080p is the clear choice, as it provides the highest average of any measured configuration at 382 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 157 FPS average, which is sufficient for 144Hz displays. The Medium preset at this resolution delivers 210 FPS, with a minimum of 179 FPS and maximum of 242 FPS, making it the best balance of visual quality and performance. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 253 FPS, which is excellent for 240Hz monitors, but the jump from Medium to Low only yields a 43 FPS increase, suggesting diminishing returns in visual fidelity for the performance gain.

For 3840x2160, the situation changes drastically. The High preset drops to 88 FPS average, while Medium manages 117 FPS with a minimum of 100 FPS and maximum of 135 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 68 FPS, which is below the 70 FPS threshold many players consider minimum for smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 4K reaches 141 FPS, but this sacrifices significant visual quality. For 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it is the only setting that maintains an average above 100 FPS while providing a minimum frame rate of exactly 100 FPS.

The data indicates that the best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at both 1440p and 4K, as it provides the highest average FPS with a reported minimum that ensures consistency. At 1080p, the Low preset provides the maximum possible frame rate, but the Medium preset at 317 FPS is still far above display refresh rate capabilities for most monitors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with memory running at 2125 MHz or 17 Gbps effective. These specifications place the RTX 4060 in the 61st percentile of all GPUs according to benchmark data, with an average benchmark score of 17639.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role is most apparent at higher resolutions and settings. The performance delta between Low and Ultra presets at each resolution shows the GPU's workload scaling. At 1080p, the difference between Low (382 FPS) and Ultra (184 FPS) is 198 FPS, indicating that the GPU is heavily utilized at Ultra settings. At 4K, the same comparison shows a 73 FPS difference between Low (141 FPS) and Ultra (68 FPS), which is a smaller absolute gap but represents a 51.8% drop in performance.

The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM is a relevant factor at 4K Ultra, where the game demands more memory bandwidth. The measured 68 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests the GPU is the limiting component at this setting, as the CPU has sufficient headroom. The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% higher score) and AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% lower score), but these comparisons do not reflect gaming performance directly.

The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz is critical for maintaining frame rates in Counter-Strike 2's fast-paced action, where quick camera movements require consistent rendering. The measured data shows that the RTX 4060 can sustain high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset exceeds its capabilities, resulting in sub-70 FPS performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 382 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The Medium preset at 1080p achieves 317 FPS, and the High preset reaches 237 FPS.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data shows playable performance at 4K with Medium settings, which delivers 117 FPS average with a 100 FPS minimum. The High preset at 4K drops to 88 FPS, and Ultra falls to 68 FPS, which may be below acceptable thresholds for competitive play.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17639, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666), 0.3% higher than the AMD Radeon 780M (17588), and 0.5% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551).

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

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides 210 FPS average with a 179 FPS minimum and 242 FPS maximum. This offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the High preset drops to 157 FPS and Low only improves to 253 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of higher frame rates than the measured results show. The 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 5900X has a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, which is sufficient to drive high frame rates, but the data suggests diminishing returns at the highest settings.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations?

A: This pairing is ranked 2003 out of 3719 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the upper half of all configurations tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured data shows four settings presets. The Low preset delivers 382 FPS average, the highest of any measured configuration. The Medium preset achieves 317 FPS with a minimum of 270 FPS and maximum of 365 FPS. The High preset reaches 237 FPS average, while the Ultra preset drops to 184 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 198 FPS decrease, with each step up in settings reducing performance by approximately 50-80 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. The Low preset delivers 253 FPS average, which is 129 FPS lower than the same preset at 1080p. The Medium preset achieves 210 FPS with a 179 FPS minimum and 242 FPS maximum. The High preset reaches 157 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 122 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 131 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that resolution scaling affects the GPU more than settings changes.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly. The Low preset delivers 141 FPS average, which is the only 4K setting above 120 FPS. The Medium preset achieves 117 FPS with a 100 FPS minimum and 135 FPS maximum. The High preset drops to 88 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 68 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 73 FPS, which is the smallest absolute gap across all resolutions, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only measured minimum FPS values, with 270 FPS at 1080p, 179 FPS at 1440p, and 100 FPS at 4K. These minimums are important for understanding frame time consistency, and the data shows that the minimum FPS scales proportionally with resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is ranked 2003 out of 3719 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. This places the pairing in the 54th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms slightly more than half of the systems tested.

The CPU's benchmark performance contributes significantly to this rank. The Ryzen 9 5900X has an average benchmark score of 41376, placing it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 366H (0.3% higher score), Intel Core Ultra 7 356H (0.4% higher), and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 440 (0.4% higher), while the Intel Core i7-14650HX is 0.5% lower.

The GPU's benchmark performance is more modest, with the RTX 4060 scoring 17639 on average, placing it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all AMD products, with the Radeon HD 7790 scoring 0.2% higher and the Radeon 780M scoring 0.3% lower.

The rank of 2003 suggests that while the CPU is a strong performer, the GPU holds the combo back from higher placements. The measured FPS data confirms this, as the 4K Ultra performance at 68 FPS indicates the GPU is the limiting factor in demanding scenarios. However, at 1080p and 1440p, the combo performs well above average, with frame rates that exceed most display refresh rates.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 5000 series, built on the Zen 3 architecture with a 7 nm process node. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with 64 MB of L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel configuration and has a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 382 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited given the GPU's capabilities. The CPU's single-thread performance, as indicated by a 3DMark single-thread score of 941, is critical for a game that relies heavily on physics and entity updates.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16262 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 10075, provide headroom for background tasks and game server processes. The 12 cores and 24 threads ensure that the CPU does not become a bottleneck even at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 300 FPS.

The CPU's benchmark percentile of 87% indicates it is a high-performance processor, and its nearest rivals in the benchmark database are all newer mobile or hybrid processors. The 5900X's 64 MB L3 cache is particularly beneficial for game data that needs to be accessed frequently, and the 4.80 GHz boost clock ensures fast single-threaded performance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how performance scales across resolutions. From 1080p to 1440p, the Low preset drops from 382 FPS to 253 FPS, a 33.8% decrease. The Medium preset drops from 317 FPS to 210 FPS, a 33.8% decrease. The High preset drops from 237 FPS to 157 FPS, a 33.8% decrease. The Ultra preset drops from 184 FPS to 122 FPS, a 33.7% decrease. These consistent percentage drops across all settings indicate that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is uniform, suggesting the GPU is the primary limiting factor.

From 1440p to 4K, the scaling is more dramatic. The Low preset drops from 253 FPS to 141 FPS, a 44.3% decrease. The Medium preset drops from 210 FPS to 117 FPS, a 44.3% decrease. The High preset drops from 157 FPS to 88 FPS, a 43.9% decrease. The Ultra preset drops from 122 FPS to 68 FPS, a 44.3% decrease. This larger percentage drop from 1440p to 4K compared to 1080p to 1440p indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly stressed at higher resolutions.

The overall scaling from 1080p to 4K for the Low preset is a 63.1% decrease (from 382 to 141 FPS), while the Ultra preset shows a 63.0% decrease (from 184 to 68 FPS). This consistency across settings suggests that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, and the CPU's performance is sufficient to maintain frame rates at all resolutions.

The limiting component analysis shows that at 1080p, the CPU likely limits performance at Low settings, given the extremely high frame rates. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the 4K Ultra preset showing a clear GPU bottleneck at 68 FPS. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the CPU and GPU work together effectively to deliver high frame rates.