Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces an exceptionally strong performance profile, placing this combination in the 237th position out of 3719 tested combos. The data shows a system capable of delivering high refresh rates even at 4K Ultra settings, with the CPU and GPU working in concert to push frame rates far beyond typical competitive thresholds. The following analysis breaks down the measured results, component roles, and practical implications for players.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded in the dataset?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 674, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the ceiling for this combo in the measured scenarios.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54,247 in average benchmark score. Its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54,209, which is a deltaPct of 0.1% — essentially a statistical tie. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB trails by 2.6%.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested configurations?

A: The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 4080 ranks 237th out of 3,719 total combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 6.4% of all tested systems.

Q: Which resolution shows the smallest gap between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160, the gap between Low (249 FPS) and Ultra (120 FPS) is 129 FPS. At 1920x1080, the gap is 349 FPS (674 vs 325). The smallest absolute gap is at 4K, though the relative performance drop is similar across resolutions.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU appear to be the limiting factor at 1080p Low settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the system hits 674 FPS, which is close to what a high-end CPU can feed to the GPU. The Ryzen 9 9900X's single-thread score of 4,672 in Passmark suggests strong per-core performance, but the data indicates the GPU is still keeping pace, given the massive delta from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What is the only setting preset that includes minimum and maximum FPS data?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range is 476 to 644 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 315 to 426 FPS; at 4K Medium, it is 176 to 238 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), built on a 4nm process. Its base clock is 4.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it carries 64 MB of L3 cache. In Counter-Strike 2, which is known for being sensitive to CPU performance, this processor's single-thread capabilities are crucial. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,672 and Geekbench single-core score of 3,010 indicate excellent per-core throughput. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,286 further confirms this.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,172 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 22,174. However, in this game, the 2-thread and 4-thread scores (2,519 and 4,886 in 3DMark, respectively) are more relevant, as Counter-Strike 2 typically uses a limited number of threads. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 674 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high rates without becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's percentile ranking of 92 among all CPUs places it in the top tier, and its nearest rivals (AMD EPYC 9015, AMD EPYC 7313, Intel Core i9-14900) all have average scores within 1.4% of this chip, indicating competitive parity at the top end.

The 12-core design with a 120W TDP means the processor has headroom for sustained loads, though the game's engine does not fully utilize all cores. The L3 cache of 64 MB is substantial and likely helps with the game's map data and entity management, contributing to the high average frame rates seen across all settings. The memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s (dual-channel DDR5) is sufficient to avoid stalling the CPU, as evidenced by the consistent FPS figures.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, particularly because it is the only preset with complete min/max FPS data, allowing for a more precise understanding of frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 560 with a minimum of 476 and maximum of 644. This is 86 FPS higher than High settings (418 average) and only 114 FPS lower than Low settings (674 average). The Medium preset at 1440p yields 371 average FPS with a minimum of 315, which is still far above the 144Hz refresh rate target for most monitors.

For players with 4K displays, Medium settings at 3840x2160 provide an average of 207 FPS with a minimum of 176, which is smooth for competitive play. The Low preset at 4K reaches 249 average FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is significant. The High preset at 4K drops to 155 average FPS, which is still playable but may be below the threshold for 240Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 4K (120 FPS) is the only setting that dips below 144 FPS, making it less suitable for high-refresh-rate competitive play.

The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 114 FPS (674 to 560) but likely provides substantially better visuals. The jump from Medium to High costs another 142 FPS (560 to 418), which is a larger relative drop. At 1440p, Medium (371 FPS) is 75 FPS faster than High (277 FPS) and 131 FPS slower than Low (446 FPS), maintaining a good balance. The min FPS values for Medium are also reassuring: 476 at 1080p, 315 at 1440p, and 176 at 4K, indicating no severe frame drops.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 4080 ranks 237th out of 3,719 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the top 6.4% of all systems tested. While the rank is strong, it is not at the absolute top, which suggests that some combinations with even higher-end CPUs (such as those with more cache or higher boost clocks) or GPUs (like the RTX 4090) can achieve higher frame rates. The CPU's percentile of 92 and the GPU's percentile of 86 both indicate high-tier components, but the combined rank of 237 shows that in this specific game, there are other factors at play.

The nearest CPU rivals (AMD EPYC 9015, AMD EPYC 7313, Intel Core i9-14900) have average scores within 1.4% of the Ryzen 9 9900X, meaning the CPU is not a distinguishing factor at the top end. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is within 0.1% in average score, so the combo's rank is likely determined by the synergy between this specific CPU and GPU rather than raw component superiority. The data shows that this combo is capable of delivering 674 FPS at 1080p Low, which is an excellent result, but the rank of 237 indicates there are 236 other combos with even higher scores, likely featuring newer or more specialized hardware.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture (AD103 chip) built on a 5nm process. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes more prominent at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows a clear progression: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 120, while at 1080p Low, it is 674. This indicates that the GPU is a significant factor at 4K, but at lower resolutions, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor.

The RTX 4080's Passmark G3D score of 34,457 and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6,567 reflect strong raw performance. Its memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is more than sufficient for this game, which is not memory-bandwidth-limited. The GPU's 9,728 shading units and 112 ROPs contribute to its ability to handle the game's rendering at high frame rates. The boost clock of 2505 MHz ensures that the GPU can sustain high throughput, especially at 1080p and 1440p where the frame rates are extremely high.

The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54,247 places it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has a deltaPct of 0.1%, meaning they are effectively equal in performance. This is reflected in the measured FPS, where the combo achieves 560 FPS at 1080p Medium, which confirms the GPU's capability. At 4K Medium, the GPU still manages 207 FPS, showing that it can handle 4K gaming with appropriate settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 674 average FPS, Medium produces 560 (min 476, max 644), High produces 418, and Ultra produces 325. The gap between Low and Ultra is 349 FPS, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom even at the highest quality preset. The min FPS of 476 at Medium suggests that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays well above 400 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings yield 446 average FPS, Medium yields 371 (min 315, max 426), High yields 277, and Ultra yields 215. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant: Low settings fall from 674 to 446 (a 34% decrease), while Ultra falls from 325 to 215 (a 34% decrease). This consistency suggests a balanced system where both CPU and GPU scale evenly.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates remain high but show a more pronounced impact from the GPU. Low settings achieve 249 average FPS, Medium achieves 207 (min 176, max 238), High achieves 155, and Ultra achieves 120. The 4K Low result of 249 FPS is notable because it is still above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. However, the Ultra preset at 120 FPS is the only measured configuration that falls below 144 FPS, making it less ideal for competitive play. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best combination of visual quality and performance, with a minimum of 176 FPS ensuring smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear pattern of frame rate degradation as resolution increases. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by approximately 34% across all settings. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is more pronounced: Low settings fall from 446 to 249 (a 44% decrease), Medium from 371 to 207 (a 44% decrease), High from 277 to 155 (a 44% decrease), and Ultra from 215 to 120 (a 44% decrease). This consistent 44% drop from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at 4K, as the pixel count increases by 2.25x, requiring more GPU throughput.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K (a 4x pixel increase) shows a total drop of 63% for Low settings (674 to 249), 63% for Medium (560 to 207), 63% for High (418 to 155), and 63% for Ultra (325 to 120). This uniform reduction across settings suggests that the system's bottleneck shifts from the CPU at 1080p to the GPU at 4K. At 1080p, the CPU's ability to process game logic and feed the GPU is the limiting factor, resulting in 674 FPS. At 4K, the GPU's rendering capabilities cap the frame rate at 249 FPS on Low settings, showing that the GPU is still capable of high performance but is constrained by the resolution.

The fact that 4K Low (249 FPS) is still higher than 1080p Ultra (325 FPS) indicates that even at 4K, the system has significant headroom. The limiting component at 4K is clearly the GPU, as evidenced by the 44% drop from 1440p to 4K, which is larger than the 34% drop from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that players aiming for maximum frame rates should prioritize lower resolutions, while those seeking visual fidelity can still achieve competitive frame rates at 4K with Medium settings.