Counter-Strike 2

# Counter-Strike 2 with AMD Ryzen 9 7900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

Counter-Strike 2, released in late September 2023, presents a fascinating case study for this high-end pairing. The data shows a system that is unequivocally powerful, yet the frame rate behavior across resolutions and settings reveals a nuanced story about where the bottleneck lies in this competitive FPS. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, combine to deliver exceptional performance, but the scaling patterns hint at a CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions, a common trait for esports titles.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 674 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is a staggering figure that highlights the raw capability of the RTX 4080 when the CPU is given the least amount of graphical work to do.

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

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 237th out of 3,719 tested combos in the database for this game. This places it in the top 6.4% of all systems tested, indicating it is a very high-performing pairing, even if it is not the absolute top-tier setup.

Q: Is the RTX 4080's performance close to its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: Yes, the average benchmark scores are nearly identical. The RTX 4080 has an average score of 54,247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209. This represents a delta of only 0.1%, meaning the performance difference in synthetic benchmarks is effectively negligible.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 resolution, the average frame rate drops from 446 FPS on Low settings to 215 FPS on Ultra settings. This is a substantial 231 FPS difference, representing a 51.8% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Does the CPU's benchmark score place it near any specific rival?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 53,288, which is a mere 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 7313P, which scores 53,206. This indicates that in general multi-threaded workloads, the two processors are nearly identical in performance, despite their different market segments.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the entire measured dataset?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 176 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. This shows that even in the most demanding measured scenario with a minimum frame rate, the system maintains a very playable and smooth experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 serves as the graphical powerhouse in this configuration, and its specifications are central to understanding the game's performance. The GPU is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. Its memory subsystem is particularly robust, with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This high bandwidth is crucial for feeding the GPU's 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores at higher resolutions and settings.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, allow it to process the game's geometry and effects efficiently. The data shows that the role of the GPU becomes increasingly significant as resolution increases. For instance, at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 674, but at 4K Low, it drops to 249. This trend is expected, but the magnitude of the drop highlights how the GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth become the primary limiting factors at higher pixel counts.

The RTX 4080's performance percentile of 86 indicates it outperforms the vast majority of GPUs in the database. In the measured results, the GPU demonstrates its strength, but its role is not constant. At lower resolutions like 1080p, the GPU is often waiting on the CPU, leaving performance on the table. However, at 4K, the GPU is fully engaged, as evidenced by the frame rates dropping to a range where the system is clearly GPU-limited. The data suggests that for Counter-Strike 2, the RTX 4080 is more than sufficient for high refresh-rate gaming at 1440p, but the pursuit of the absolute highest frame rates at 1080p is constrained by the CPU, not the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across the three resolutions reveals a clear and predictable pattern of frame rate scaling, but the rate of decline provides insight into the system's balance. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the frame rate drops significantly. For example, on High settings, the average FPS falls from 418 to 277, a reduction of 33.7%. When moving from 1440p to 4K (3840x2160), the High settings average FPS drops further from 277 to 155, a reduction of 44.0%. This increasing rate of decline as resolution increases is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the dominant bottleneck.

The data implies that at 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound. The Ryzen 9 7900X is working hard to feed the RTX 4080, and the GPU is not being fully utilized. This is exemplified by the 1080p Low setting result of 674 FPS, which is an astronomical number that likely stresses the CPU's single-thread performance. At 1440p, the system appears to be in a more balanced state, where both the CPU and GPU are contributing significantly to the frame rate. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is steep, but the system still delivers excellent playable frame rates.

At 4K, the GPU's workload becomes the clear limiting factor. The frame rate drops are more pronounced, and the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K (249 FPS to 120 FPS) shows the GPU working much harder. This scaling analysis suggests that for players with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the CPU is the component holding back the system from reaching its full potential. For 1440p and 4K gaming, the RTX 4080 provides a compelling experience, with the 4K Ultra setting still delivering a respectable 120 FPS average.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The dataset provides average FPS figures for four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions, with some presets also including min and max FPS values.

At 1920x1080, the performance is extraordinary. With Low settings, the average FPS is 674, a figure that showcases the CPU's strength. Medium settings reduce the average to 560 FPS, with a min and max of 476 and 644 FPS, respectively. High settings bring the average down to 418 FPS, and Ultra settings produce an average of 325 FPS. The progression shows a predictable decline as visual fidelity increases, but even the Ultra preset at 1080p delivers frame rates far beyond what most displays can show.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high. Low settings yield an average of 446 FPS. Medium settings see the average drop to 371 FPS, with a min of 315 and a max of 426 FPS. High settings average 277 FPS, while Ultra settings average 215 FPS. These numbers indicate that the RTX 4080 is still not fully stressed at this resolution, as the frame rates are still well above the refresh rates of most high-end monitors.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload finally becomes substantial. Low settings produce an average of 249 FPS. Medium settings average 207 FPS, with the only recorded min FPS in the dataset at 176 and a max of 238. High settings drop the average to 155 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 120 FPS. This 4K resolution is where the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM and 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth are put to good use, delivering a very smooth experience even at the highest settings, where the average FPS is still above the 120 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 237 out of 3,719 tested combinations places it in the 94th percentile of all systems tested for Counter-Strike 2. This is a strong result, confirming that this pairing is well above average. However, the fact that it is not ranked higher suggests that there are other combinations that can extract even more performance from this game, likely through the use of CPUs with even higher single-thread performance or more cache.

The data shows that while the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU, the overall ranking is influenced by the CPU's capability in this specific game. Given that the Ryzen 9 7900X's closest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7313P and the Intel Core i7-14700F, with very small performance deltas (0.2% and -0.6% respectively), the system's position in the rankings is not solely dependent on the CPU's raw multi-threaded power. The ranking is a combined measure, and the fact that this combo is in the top 6.4% indicates that both components are performing well above the median. It suggests that the system is likely to provide a very high refresh rate experience, but there is still headroom for other, potentially more specialized, hardware configurations to outperform it.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X plays a critical, yet often subtle, role in Counter-Strike 2's performance. With 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, this processor is a multi-threaded beast. Its base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz are impressive, and its large 64 MB of shared L3 cache is beneficial for game workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29,300 and a single-core score of 2016.5, reflect its strong all-around capability.

In Counter-Strike 2, the data suggests that the CPU is the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. The evidence is the relatively small frame rate difference between Low and High settings at 1080p. The average FPS at 1080p Low is 674, and at 1080p High it is 418. While this is a significant drop, the absolute numbers are so high that the system is almost certainly limited by the CPU's ability to process the game's simulation and draw calls. The CPU's single-thread performance, as measured by a Geekbench single-core score of 2617, is likely the key driver here. The game's engine, like many competitive FPS titles, relies heavily on a single primary thread for game logic.

The CPU's role diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU has more headroom to prepare frames. The data shows that the 7900X's 24 threads are more than enough to handle the game's threading model, as the frame rates are consistently high. The CPU's performance is so strong that it allows the RTX 4080 to operate at its full potential. The 91st percentile ranking for the CPU across all processors further emphasizes that it is a high-end part, and its capabilities are well-matched to the demands of a modern esports title, even if its 12 cores are not fully utilized for this specific workload.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends heavily on the user's display refresh rate and resolution. The data provides a clear guide for achieving the best experience.

For 1920x1080 users, the CPU is the limiting factor. The difference between Low (674 FPS) and High (418 FPS) is substantial, but both are far beyond the 360 Hz refresh rate of the fastest monitors. The recommendation is to use High settings, as the visual improvement is significant, and the frame rate remains exceptionally high. There is no need to use Ultra settings (325 FPS) unless the user prioritizes visual fidelity over the slight frame rate advantage of High settings.

For 2560x1440 users, the system is well-balanced. Medium settings yield 371 FPS, High settings yield 277 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 215 FPS. For a 240 Hz monitor, High settings are the sweet spot, providing a high frame rate with good visual quality. For a 165 Hz or 144 Hz monitor, Ultra settings become viable, delivering an average of 215 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate and allows for the maximum visual fidelity without compromising smoothness.

For 3840x2160 users, the GPU is fully engaged. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 120 FPS, which is ideal for a 120 Hz display. For a 144 Hz display, the High preset (155 FPS) is the better choice, as it provides a higher frame rate while still maintaining a high level of visual detail. The Medium preset (207 FPS) is an excellent option for those seeking the highest possible frame rates at 4K, but the visual trade-off from High is noticeable. In summary, the data suggests that High settings at 1080p and 1440p, and High or Ultra settings at 4K depending on the monitor, provide the best balance of performance and visual quality for this hardware combination.