Counter-Strike 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across resolutions reveal a classic CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions, with the GPU taking over as the primary limiter at 4K. At 1080p Low, the combo of Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 produces 436.4 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 284.9 FPS, a reduction of roughly 35%, while 4K Low still manages 164 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is steep, but the jump from 1440p to 4K is proportionally smaller, suggesting the CPU is no longer the bottleneck at higher pixel counts.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. At High settings, the frame rate falls from 268.4 FPS at 1080p to 179.9 FPS at 1440p, and then to 98.5 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure is less than half of the 1080p result, but the delta between 1440p and 4K is 81.4 FPS, while the delta between 1080p and 1440p is 88.5 FPS. This near-linear scaling at High settings indicates that the RTX 3070’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K, yet the CPU still contributes a measurable overhead.

Ultra settings tell a similar story. The 1080p result of 211.4 FPS drops to 141.2 FPS at 1440p, then to 76 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra score is a stark 36% of the 1080p Low score. This suggests that while the GPU is the dominant factor at 4K, the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads with a 4.30 GHz boost clock are not entirely idle; they still deliver enough throughput to keep frame rates playable, but the gap between 1440p and 4K widens as the rendering load increases.

The limiting component shifts clearly between resolutions. At 1080p, the i5-10400F’s single-thread performance (688 in 3dmark_single_thread) becomes the ceiling, as the RTX 3070 is capable of far more than 436 FPS in lighter scenes. At 4K, the GPU’s pixel rate of 165.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 317.4 GTexel/s are fully engaged, and the CPU’s role diminishes. The data indicates that for competitive play at 1080p, the CPU is the constraint; for high-fidelity 4K, the GPU is the constraint.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 268.4. This is a strong result for a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, though the Low preset pushes much higher.

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

A: The average FPS is 76. This is playable for a slow-paced scenario but not ideal for fast-twitch competitive play. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM is a factor here.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 2560x1440?

A: At Medium settings, the 242.1 FPS result suggests the CPU is still heavily involved. At 1440p Ultra, the 141.2 FPS indicates the GPU is taking over, but the CPU is not fully saturated.

Q: What is the best preset for maximizing frame rate at 1080p?

A: The Low preset yields 436.4 FPS, which is the highest measured result. This is typical for a CPU-bound esports title where visual fidelity is secondary to responsiveness.

Q: Does the RTX 3070’s 8 GB VRAM limit performance in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data does not show a hard VRAM wall, but the steep drop from 164 FPS at 4K Low to 98.5 FPS at 4K High suggests the memory bandwidth and capacity are being stressed, though the GPU’s compute power is also a factor.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 727 out of 1632 tested combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier, indicating a balanced pairing for this specific game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz are modest by modern standards, but the benchmark scores show a capable part. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 688 and the passmark_single_thread score of 2541 indicate that single-core performance is adequate for Counter-Strike 2’s engine, which relies heavily on a few threads.

The CPU’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache is a critical asset. In a fast-paced FPS, cache hits reduce latency, and the data suggests this helps maintain high averages. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 1350 and 4_threads score of 2560 show that scaling is not perfectly linear, but the 8_threads score of 3929 is close to the max_threads score of 4735. This indicates that the game does not fully utilize all 12 threads, but the extra threads prevent stutter when background tasks compete for resources.

The CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the 436.4 FPS result is likely limited by the processor’s instruction throughput. The passmark_find_prime_numbers score of 35 is low, but this is a synthetic test that does not reflect gaming. The cinebench_r23_multicore score of 10297 and singlecore score of 1453 show a balanced design. In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s job is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations; the data shows that at 1080p, the i5-10400F does this well enough to exceed 200 FPS on all presets except Ultra, where the GPU takes over.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 727 out of 1632 tested configurations. This percentile placement, roughly the 55th percentile, is respectable but not top-tier. The RTX 3070 is a strong GPU, but the i5-10400F is an older mid-range CPU. The data shows that this pairing is balanced for 1440p gaming, where the GPU is often the primary driver.

Compared to the CPU’s nearest rivals, the i5-10400F’s average benchmark score of 14168 is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115, +0.4%) and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277, -0.8%). This means the CPU is not a weak link; it performs within a small margin of its peers. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (27985, +0.9%) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956, +1.0%), indicating the RTX 3070 is slightly ahead of these alternatives in raw compute.

The rank of 727 suggests that other combos with newer CPUs or higher-end GPUs outperform this pairing. However, the measured FPS data shows that the combo is never below 76 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is a playable threshold. For a 1080p esports setup, the combo is entirely sufficient, but for 4K Ultra, it is at the lower edge of what is acceptable.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture using an 8 nm process from Samsung. It features 5888 shading units, 184 TMUs, and 96 ROPs. The boost clock of 1725 MHz is modest, but the FP32 performance of 20.31 TFLOPS is substantial. The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU’s role is to render geometry, textures, and lighting. The 4K Ultra result of 76 FPS is driven by the GPU’s pixel rate and texture rate. The 165.6 GPixel/s pixel rate is sufficient for 4K at moderate settings, but at Ultra, the shading load overwhelms the GPU. The 8 GB VRAM is likely not fully saturated, as the game is not VRAM-hungry, but the bandwidth is a limiting factor when moving from Low to High settings.

The GPU’s passmark_g3d score of 22214 places it above the GTX 980 Ti, which is a notable achievement given the generational gap. The 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 3162 shows strong DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for a modern game engine. The data shows that the RTX 3070 is the primary driver of frame rates at 1440p and 4K, as evidenced by the larger FPS drops when increasing settings at those resolutions compared to 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 436.4 FPS on Low, 362.1 FPS on Medium, 268.4 FPS on High, and 211.4 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 225 FPS, which is significant. This indicates that the CPU can push high frame rates, but the GPU’s rendering workload scales with settings. For competitive players, the Low preset is optimal, as the 436.4 FPS result exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

At 2560x1440, the results are 284.9 FPS on Low, 242.1 FPS on Medium, 179.9 FPS on High, and 141.2 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 151.5 FPS, which is a 35% reduction. This is a typical scaling factor for a GPU-bound scenario. The Ultra preset at 1440p still exceeds 140 FPS, making it viable for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, the results are 164 FPS on Low, 132.5 FPS on Medium, 98.5 FPS on High, and 76 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Low result is impressive, but the Ultra result is borderline for a smooth experience. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 88 FPS drop, which is less severe than at 1080p, confirming that the CPU is not the primary constraint at this resolution. Overall, the data shows a well-rounded combo that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, with 4K reserved for less demanding settings or less competitive play.