Counter-Strike 2

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a wide performance envelope in Counter-Strike 2, scaling from extreme high-refresh dominance at 1080p to a still-very-playable experience at 4K. The benchmark data shows this combo ranks 873rd out of 2870 tested combinations, placing it in the upper third of all systems measured.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic but reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior. At 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 484 FPS average, while at 4K Low it falls to 179 FPS — a 63% reduction. This massive decline indicates that at lower resolutions the system becomes CPU-bound, while at 4K the GPU takes over as the primary constraint.

Looking at High settings across resolutions tells a similar story with slightly different numbers. The 1080p High result of 300 FPS drops to 199 FPS at 1440p, then to 111 FPS at 4K. The 1440p to 4K transition shows a 44% performance loss, which is smaller than the 1080p to 1440p drop of 34%. This pattern suggests diminishing returns as resolution increases — the GPU has more work to do per frame, but the CPU overhead becomes relatively less significant.

The Ultra settings curve is particularly revealing. At 1080p Ultra, the system delivers 233 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Ultra drops this to 154 FPS (a 34% reduction), and at 4K Ultra it falls to 86 FPS (a 44% further reduction). The 4K Ultra result of 86 FPS is the lowest figure recorded in the entire dataset, showing that even this high-end combination struggles to maintain high frame rates at maximum quality settings in 4K.

What's notable is the gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution. At 1080p, Low produces 484 FPS while Ultra produces 233 FPS — a 2.1x difference. At 4K, the gap narrows to 179 FPS versus 86 FPS, a 2.1x difference as well. This consistency suggests that the scaling factor between Low and Ultra remains roughly constant regardless of resolution, which points to the GPU being the limiting factor at all settings levels for this title.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 is a substantial piece of hardware with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. Its AD103 chip packs 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster operations pipelines. The card runs at a base clock of 2205 MHz and boosts to 2505 MHz, with memory operating at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective).

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution climbs. The 4K Ultra result of 86 FPS average suggests the card is heavily loaded, though it remains playable. The 4K Medium result of 149 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS shows that even at high resolutions, the RTX 4080 can sustain competitive frame rates when settings are moderated.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 86th percentile of all graphics cards. Its passmark G3D score of 34457 and Geekbench OpenCL score of 214739 indicate strong raw compute capability. The closest rival in the data is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 0.1% higher on average, effectively a statistical tie. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 1.1%, while the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and Radeon 8060S are 2.6% and 2.7% behind respectively.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is relevant for 4K gaming, as modern titles can consume significant memory at high resolutions. However, Counter-Strike 2 is not particularly demanding in this regard compared to other FPS titles. The GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 280.6 GPixel/s pixel rate provide ample headroom for the game's relatively simple geometry and texture workloads. The 304 tensor cores and 76 RT cores are present but largely unused in this title, which does not emphasize ray tracing or DLSS features.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Strix Halo. It operates with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and boosts up to 5.10 GHz. The CPU features 64 MB of shared L3 cache, with 1 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This mobile processor is built on TSMC's 4 nm process and fits into the AMD Socket FP11 with a 55 W TDP.

The CPU's benchmark results place it in the 95th percentile of all processors. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35314 and single-core score of 2044 indicate strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. The Geekbench multicore score of 20992 and single-core score of 2464 further confirm its capability. Passmark results show a multithread score of 54934 and a single-thread score of 4147.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 484 FPS average is likely CPU-limited, as the RTX 4080 is more than capable of rendering simple frames at that resolution. The 1080p Medium result of 402 FPS with a minimum of 342 FPS suggests the CPU can sustain high frame rates even with additional rendering work. The 1080p Ultra result of 233 FPS shows that the CPU remains capable, but the GPU begins to become more involved.

The 32 threads are more than sufficient for Counter-Strike 2, which is not a heavily multi-threaded title. The high single-core performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2044, is likely more important for this game's frame rate ceiling. The processor's 5.10 GHz boost clock helps maintain high IPC performance in latency-sensitive scenarios.

The nearest rivals in the data show the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is competitive with high-end desktop parts. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX scores 1.6% higher on average, while the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P also scores 1.6% higher. The Intel Core i9-14900K scores 1.7% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX scores 2% lower. These tight margins indicate the mobile processor is within striking distance of top desktop CPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 873 out of 2870 tested combinations places this system in the 70th percentile of all tested hardware pairings. This is a strong result, though not at the very top of the charts. The ranking reflects the balance between the RTX 4080's high GPU performance and the Ryzen AI Max+ 395's capable CPU performance.

The ranking suggests that many combinations outperform this pairing, likely featuring more powerful desktop CPUs or GPUs. However, the 873rd position out of 2870 means this combo is ahead of roughly 70% of all tested systems. For a mobile CPU paired with a desktop GPU, this is a respectable showing.

The data indicates that the CPU is the weaker link in this pairing. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395's 95th percentile CPU ranking is solid, but the RTX 4080's 86th percentile GPU ranking is slightly lower. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a high-end GPU creates a system that excels in CPU-bound scenarios but can be held back in GPU-bound situations at higher resolutions.

The overall ranking of 873 suggests that while this combo is fast, it is not exceptional. The gap between the 1080p Low result of 484 FPS and the 4K Ultra result of 86 FPS demonstrates the system's range, but also its limitations at maximum settings in 4K. The 1440p results — 320 FPS at Low, 266 FPS at Medium, 199 FPS at High, and 154 FPS at Ultra — show the sweet spot for this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 484 FPS average, Medium produces 402 FPS with a minimum of 342 FPS and maximum of 462 FPS, High produces 300 FPS, and Ultra produces 233 FPS. These numbers indicate the system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p, with even the most demanding settings exceeding 200 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's influence. Low settings deliver 320 FPS, Medium produces 266 FPS with a minimum of 226 FPS and maximum of 306 FPS, High produces 199 FPS, and Ultra produces 154 FPS. The 1440p results are all above 150 FPS, making this resolution the best balance of visual quality and frame rate for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the system is pushed harder. Low settings still produce a very playable 179 FPS, while Medium delivers 149 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS and maximum of 171 FPS. High settings drop to 111 FPS, and Ultra falls to 86 FPS. The 4K results show that the system can handle 4K gaming, but frame rates at High and Ultra settings may not satisfy competitive players who prefer higher refresh rates.

The Medium settings results at each resolution provide the most complete picture, as they include minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p, the 342 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. At 1440p, the 226 FPS minimum keeps frame rates above typical high-refresh thresholds. At 4K, the 126 FPS minimum is still above 120 FPS, making it suitable for 120 Hz displays.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance. At Medium settings it delivers 266 FPS average with a 226 FPS minimum, while at High settings it produces 199 FPS. The 1080p results are higher (up to 484 FPS at Low) but 1440p provides better visual clarity without sacrificing competitive frame rates.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Counter-Strike 2?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low settings it produces 179 FPS average, and at Medium it delivers 149 FPS with a 126 FPS minimum. However, at High settings it drops to 111 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 86 FPS. Players wanting 4K should stick to Medium or Low settings for competitive play.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rivals in this context?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 0.1% higher on average benchmark scores, making them effectively equivalent. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% lower, while the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and Radeon 8060S are 2.6% and 2.7% lower respectively. The differences are small enough that real-world gaming performance would be similar.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the bottleneck shifts with settings and resolution. At 1080p Low, the 484 FPS result is likely CPU-limited, as the GPU has minimal work. At 4K Ultra, the 86 FPS result is GPU-limited. The CPU's 95th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 86th percentile suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p with competitive settings?

A: At 1080p Low, the system produces 484 FPS average. At Medium settings, it delivers 402 FPS with a 342 FPS minimum. Even at High settings, it maintains 300 FPS average. These results are well above the refresh rates of most gaming monitors, ensuring smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 873rd out of 2870 tested combos, placing it in the upper 30% of all systems. The ranking indicates strong overall performance, though many desktop-oriented pairings with higher-end CPUs achieve better results. The Ryzen AI Max+ 395's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900K, which scores 1.7% higher on average CPU benchmarks.