Counter-Strike 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Counter-Strike 2 with the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 shows a clear pattern of how performance scales across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 563 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 373 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls further to 208 FPS. That represents a 63% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is substantial but expected for a competitive shooter.

The scaling pattern changes when looking at High settings. At 1080p High, the average is 349 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 231 FPS, a 34% reduction. At 4K High, the average is 129 FPS, which is a 63% drop from 1080p High. The consistency of the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K across both Low and High settings (both around 63%) suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K in both cases.

Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 468 FPS at 1080p, 309 FPS at 1440p, and 173 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a measured minimum of 147 FPS and a maximum of 199 FPS, giving a 52 FPS spread. That spread indicates some frame-time variance at 4K, but the average remains well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that many competitive players target.

Ultra settings tell a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 271 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it is 179 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 100 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured configuration that falls below the 144 FPS threshold, which is relevant for players using high-refresh-rate displays. The delta between Low and Ultra at each resolution is substantial: at 1080p, the gap is 292 FPS; at 1440p, it is 194 FPS; at 4K, it is 108 FPS.

The data indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is doing more of the heavy lifting, as the FPS numbers are extremely high across all settings. At 4K, the GPU load increases significantly, and the FPS drops become more pronounced as settings rise. The limiting component shifts from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at 4K, particularly at Higher settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB205 chip manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 672.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The base clock is 2325 MHz with a boost clock of 2512 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes more apparent as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 563 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show. The GPU is not the bottleneck at this configuration. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 100 FPS, indicating that the GPU is now fully engaged. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is not stressed by this game at any of the measured settings, as Counter-Strike 2 is not a VRAM-intensive title.

The GPU's compute resources include 6144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. The pixel rate is 201.0 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 482.3 GTexel/s. These specifications help explain why the card can sustain high frame rates even at 4K Medium (173 FPS) and 4K High (129 FPS). The FP32 performance of 30.87 TFLOPS is ample for this game's rendering requirements.

The RTX 5070's benchmark scores place it at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40377. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40318, 0.1% delta), AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40063, 0.8% delta), AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40870, -1.2% delta), and NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39568, 2% delta). These deltas are small, suggesting that the RTX 5070 sits in a tightly clustered performance band in synthetic tests, though its real-world Counter-Strike 2 performance is clearly strong.

The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which covers the API requirements of Counter-Strike 2. The card has a TDP of 250 W and requires a 600 W power supply, with a dual-slot cooler design and a 16-pin power connector. The launch MSRP is 549 USD.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 766th out of 3719 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the top 21% of all combinations in the database. The rank reflects the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, and the position is notable given that the CPU is a budget-oriented quad-core part.

The CPU itself sits at the 68th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta), Intel Core i5-9500 (13452, 0.3% delta), Intel Core 5 120UL (13594, -0.7% delta), and Intel Core i7-1250U (13351, 1.1% delta). These rivals are all within 1.1% of the i3-12100F's average score, indicating that the CPU's synthetic performance is closely matched by several other processors.

The GPU ranks at the 82nd percentile, which is higher than the CPU's 68th percentile. This mismatch suggests that the CPU is the weaker link in this pairing. However, the measured FPS data shows that the combo still delivers very high frame rates in Counter-Strike 2, particularly at 1080p and 1440p. The CPU's 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but the 4K results show that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases.

The combo's rank of 766 out of 3719 is strong, but it is not near the top. Combos with higher-end CPUs would likely rank better at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU has more influence on the final FPS. The data suggests that this pairing is well-balanced for 1440p gaming, where the GPU can stretch its legs without being held back by the CPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 563. This is the highest measured result across all configurations in the data.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 766th out of 3719 tested combos, placing it in the top 21% of all combinations.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest average FPS is 100, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only measured configuration that falls below 129 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed.

Q: What are the CPU's core and thread counts?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has 4 cores and 8 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz.

Q: What is the measured minimum FPS at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the measured minimum FPS is 263, with a maximum of 356 and an average of 309.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for different display capabilities. At 1080p, all four settings presets deliver average FPS above 271, which means even Ultra settings are playable on high-refresh-rate monitors. The 1080p Ultra result of 271 FPS is sufficient for 240 Hz displays, and 1080p High at 349 FPS covers even the most demanding refresh rates.

For 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 309 FPS average with a minimum of 263 FPS and a maximum of 356 FPS. This is the sweet spot for 1440p gaming, as it provides a comfortable margin above 240 Hz refresh rates. The High preset at 231 FPS is also strong, but the Medium preset's minimum of 263 FPS ensures that frame times stay consistent even during intense firefights. The Ultra preset at 179 FPS is still playable on 144 Hz displays but offers diminishing returns over Medium.

At 4K, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. It delivers 173 FPS average with a minimum of 147 FPS, which keeps the experience above the 144 Hz threshold. The High preset at 129 FPS dips below 144 Hz, and the Ultra preset at 100 FPS is only suitable for 60-100 Hz displays. The Low preset at 4K delivers 208 FPS, which is higher than Medium, but the visual quality trade-off may not be worth it for most players.

The data shows that Medium settings provide the best balance of visual quality and performance across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium hits 468 FPS; at 1440p, it hits 309 FPS; at 4K, it hits 173 FPS. The Medium preset consistently offers the highest FPS with a measured minimum and maximum, indicating that it is the most stable configuration in the dataset. Players with 144 Hz displays should use Medium at 4K, High or Medium at 1440p, and any preset at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on the Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with a TDP of 58 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a dual-channel memory bus, and it uses the Intel Socket 1700.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 563 FPS, which is an extremely high number that indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames. The CPU's single-thread performance is strong, as shown by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1674 and Geekbench single-core score of 1932. Counter-Strike 2 is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance, and the i3-12100F's boost clock of 4.30 GHz helps in this regard.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is more modest, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11860 and a Geekbench multicore score of 7252. The 4-core, 8-thread configuration is sufficient for Counter-Strike 2, which is not heavily multi-threaded. The 3DMark scores show a pattern: 2-thread score of 1659, 4-thread score of 2859, 8-thread score of 4026, and max-thread score of 4023. The small gain from 4-thread to 8-thread (2859 to 4026) indicates that the CPU's 8 threads provide some scaling, but the additional threads beyond 4 do not double performance.

The CPU's percentile rank of 68 places it above the majority of all CPUs, but its nearest rivals are all within 1.1% of its average benchmark score. The Intel Core i3-12100F's launch MSRP is $97, and its production status is Active. The CPU's passmark scores show a single-thread score of 3444 and a multithread score of 14015, with a physics score of 985 and a floating-point math score of 31977.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at 4K, where the GPU takes over as the limiting factor. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU's performance is sufficient to push frame rates to very high levels, but the 4-core design may limit the absolute maximum FPS compared to CPUs with more cores. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (563) is likely close to the CPU's ceiling in this game, as the GPU would be capable of even higher frame rates if the CPU could keep up.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a total of 12 data points. All data is measured, not estimated.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low settings: 563 FPS average
• Medium settings: 468 FPS average, with a minimum of 397 FPS and a maximum of 538 FPS
• High settings: 349 FPS average
• Ultra settings: 271 FPS average

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low settings: 373 FPS average
• Medium settings: 309 FPS average, with a minimum of 263 FPS and a maximum of 356 FPS
• High settings: 231 FPS average
• Ultra settings: 179 FPS average

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low settings: 208 FPS average
• Medium settings: 173 FPS average, with a minimum of 147 FPS and a maximum of 199 FPS
• High settings: 129 FPS average
• Ultra settings: 100 FPS average

The Medium settings are the only preset that includes measured minimum and maximum values at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the spread between minimum and maximum is 141 FPS (397 to 538). At 1440p Medium, the spread is 93 FPS (263 to 356). At 4K Medium, the spread is 52 FPS (147 to 199). The decreasing spread at higher resolutions indicates that frame times become more consistent as the GPU load increases.

The ratio between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution shows how much performance headroom exists. At 1080p, Low is 563 FPS and Ultra is 271 FPS, so Ultra delivers 48% of Low's performance. At 1440p, Low is 373 FPS and Ultra is 179 FPS, so Ultra delivers 48% as well. At 4K, Low is 208 FPS and Ultra is 100 FPS, so Ultra delivers 48%. The consistency of this ratio across resolutions suggests that the settings presets scale uniformly, and the GPU handles the increased load proportionally.

The 4K results are particularly relevant for players with high-resolution displays. At 4K Medium, the average of 173 FPS is above the 144 Hz threshold, and the minimum of 147 FPS stays above 144 Hz as well. At 4K High, the average of 129 FPS dips below 144 Hz, and at 4K Ultra, the average of 100 FPS is only suitable for 100 Hz or lower refresh rates. The 4K Low result of 208 FPS shows that even at 4K, the combo can push very high frame rates when visual quality is reduced.

The 1440p results show that this resolution is where the combo excels. All four settings presets deliver averages above 179 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 263 FPS ensures smooth gameplay on even the fastest 240 Hz monitors. The 1440p Low result of 373 FPS is the second-highest measured value in the entire dataset, behind only 1080p Low.

The 1080p results are exceptional across the board. Even at Ultra settings, the average of 271 FPS is sufficient for 240 Hz displays. The Low settings result of 563 FPS is more than double the 4K Ultra result, illustrating the dramatic impact of resolution on this pairing. Players with 1080p 360 Hz monitors could potentially use High settings (349 FPS) or even Medium settings (468 FPS) to take full advantage of their display's refresh rate.