Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 presents an interesting scaling profile for the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination. The data shows a clear transition from a CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions to a more balanced workload at 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces an average of 355 FPS, while at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average drops to 63 FPS. This represents a performance swing of over five times, indicating that the limiting component changes depending on the resolution and preset selected.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the workload shifts across resolutions. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 220 FPS to 146 FPS, a 33.6% reduction. The scaling from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at the same High preset shows a further decline to 82 FPS, representing a 43.8% drop. This progressive decline indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER becomes increasingly responsible for frame generation as pixel count rises.

At Low settings, the scaling pattern is more dramatic. The 1920x1080 result of 355 FPS falls to 235 FPS at 2560x1440, a 33.8% decrease. At 3840x2160, the average is 131 FPS, which is 44.2% lower than the 1440p figure. The fact that even at 4K Low the system still delivers over 130 FPS suggests the CPU has sufficient headroom at this preset, but the GPU is being pushed harder at the higher pixel counts.

The Medium preset shows the most complete data set, including minimum and maximum frame times. At 1920x1080, the average is 295 FPS with a minimum of 251 FPS and maximum of 339 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average drops to 195 FPS, with a minimum of 166 FPS and maximum of 225 FPS. The 4K Medium result shows an average of 109 FPS, 93 FPS minimum, and 126 FPS maximum. The spread between minimum and maximum grows from 88 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p, then narrows to 33 FPS at 4K, indicating the frame pacing becomes more consistent as the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling. From 171 FPS at 1080p, the average falls to 113 FPS at 1440p, a 33.9% reduction. At 4K Ultra, the average is 63 FPS, a 44.2% drop from the 1440p figure. This mirrors the pattern seen in other presets, confirming that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the dominant constraint at higher resolutions and quality levels.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1605 MHz, with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Memory operates at 1750 MHz, or 14 Gbps effective. These specifications position the card with a passmark G3D score of 18169, placing it at the 65th percentile among all GPUs.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals shows it sits in a competitive band. The Quadro M4000M scores 20480, which is 1% higher than the RTX 2070 SUPER's 20282 average benchmark score. The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534 (1.2% higher), the Intel Arc B570 scores 20556 (1.3% higher), and the Intel Arc A750 scores 20582 (1.5% higher). This narrow spread suggests the RTX 2070 SUPER is positioned at the lower end of its immediate performance class.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes clearly visible in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 355 FPS, which is well above what the GPU alone could sustain at higher resolutions. The fact that 4K Low still produces 131 FPS indicates the GPU can handle the game's rendering demands when quality settings are reduced. The 8 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for this title's requirements across all tested presets, as no abnormal performance anomalies appear in the data.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F and RTX 2070 SUPER combination ranks 2151 out of 3719 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. This places the pairing in the 42nd percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 58% of combinations deliver higher average frame rates in this specific title. Given that the CPU sits at the 68th percentile and the GPU at the 65th percentile among their respective categories, the combined ranking of 42nd percentile suggests the pairing is slightly less effective in this game than the individual components would suggest.

The CPU's nearest rivals highlight its position. The Intel Xeon 6756E scores 14163, just 0.2% below the i5-10400F's 14185 average. The Intel Core 7 160UL scores 14232, 0.3% higher. The AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14115, 0.5% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, 0.6% higher. This tight clustering around the 68th percentile indicates the CPU's performance is well established within a narrow band.

The GPU's nearest rivals show a similar pattern. The Quadro M4000M scores 20480, which is 1% higher than the RTX 2070 SUPER's 20282. The RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534 (1.2% higher), the Arc B570 scores 20556 (1.3% higher), and the Arc A750 scores 20582 (1.5% higher). This 1.5% total spread across four rivals confirms the GPU is consistently positioned near the bottom of its immediate performance tier.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The maximum measured average is 355 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 63, with no minimum or maximum values recorded in the data.

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

A: It ranks 2151 out of 3719 tested combos, placing it in the 42nd percentile for this game.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, and the measured data shows no performance anomalies that would indicate VRAM limitations at any tested preset.

Q: Which resolution shows the smallest gap between minimum and maximum FPS?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the minimum is 93 FPS and maximum is 126 FPS, a spread of 33 FPS. This is the narrowest range among all recorded min/max pairs.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low result compared to 4K Low?

A: The 1080p Low average of 355 FPS is 2.7 times higher than the 4K Low average of 131 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 355 FPS on Low, 295 FPS on Medium, 220 FPS on High, and 171 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 251 FPS and maximum of 339 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 51.8% reduction in average frame rate, from 355 down to 171 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 235 FPS on Low, 195 FPS on Medium, 146 FPS on High, and 113 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 166 FPS and maximum of 225 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 51.9%, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 131 FPS on Low, 109 FPS on Medium, 82 FPS on High, and 63 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 93 FPS and maximum of 126 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 51.9%, consistent with the other resolutions. This uniformity in percentage degradation across resolutions suggests a consistent scaling factor in the game's rendering pipeline.

The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data across all three resolutions. The frame time consistency improves as resolution increases, with the spread narrowing from 88 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p and finally 33 FPS at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F features 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It uses the Comet Lake architecture on a 14 nm process node from Intel. The processor has 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 256 KB of L2 cache per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-10400F scores 10283 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1451 in single-core. The 3DMark tests show a progression from 1350 in 2-thread to 4748 in 16-thread, with the 8-thread score at 3929 and max-thread score at 4735. The PassMark multithread score is 12115, with a single-thread score of 2541. The average benchmark score across all tests is 14185, placing the CPU at the 68th percentile.

The CPU's performance in Counter-Strike 2 becomes evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 355 FPS result suggests the processor is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames to reach very high refresh rates. The 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.30 GHz boost provide the single-thread performance needed for this game's engine. The 12 MB of L3 cache likely helps with the game's map data and entity management.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 355 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 295 FPS still offers excellent smoothness with better visual quality. High settings at 220 FPS remain competitive, while Ultra at 171 FPS is acceptable but reduces the margin for frame drops.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 235 FPS, Medium delivers 195 FPS, High achieves 146 FPS, and Ultra drops to 113 FPS. The Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot for 1440p, offering 195 FPS average with a 166 FPS minimum, which maintains smooth gameplay even during intensive scenes. High at 146 FPS is also viable for 144Hz displays, though the margin above 144 FPS is slim.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset yields 131 FPS, Medium provides 109 FPS, High produces 82 FPS, and Ultra falls to 63 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only option that consistently stays above 100 FPS. Medium at 109 FPS is playable but the 93 FPS minimum may be noticeable on some displays. The Ultra preset at 63 FPS is only suitable for 60Hz displays.

The data indicates that Medium settings provide the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, the 295 FPS average with 251 FPS minimum ensures no noticeable stutter. At 1440p, the 195 FPS average with 166 FPS minimum maintains high smoothness. At 4K, the 109 FPS average with 93 FPS minimum offers a playable experience, though the minimum frame rate approaches the lower threshold for competitive play. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, Low settings at 1080p or 1440p deliver the highest headroom above refresh rate limits.