Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 presents an interesting scaling profile for the Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. The data shows that this combination is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU only becoming the primary limiting factor at 4K with higher settings. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on Low settings, the average frame rate drops by 172.9 FPS, indicating that the CPU is the bottleneck at 1080p. The gap narrows considerably at 4K, where the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 96.9 FPS, suggesting the GPU is now doing most of the heavy lifting. The scaling pattern reveals that Counter-Strike 2 is unusually sensitive to CPU performance at high frame rates, and the RTX 3080's capabilities are only fully exercised when resolution and settings are pushed to their limits.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend: this processor is the limiting factor at 1080p, while the GPU takes over at 4K. At 1080p Low settings, the system produces 505.2 FPS, which drops to 332.3 FPS at 1440p and further to 185 FPS at 4K. This represents a 63.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K on Low settings. The pattern holds for High settings, where 1080p yields 316.2 FPS, 1440p yields 206.5 FPS, and 4K yields 118.2 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K on High settings shows a 42.8% drop, which is more substantial than the 34.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p. This indicates that the RTX 3080 is becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

At Ultra settings, the scaling becomes even more pronounced. The system achieves 243.9 FPS at 1080p, 158.9 FPS at 1440p, and 88.1 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K on Ultra is 63.9%, nearly identical to the Low setting drop. However, the absolute frame rates are much lower, suggesting that the GPU's workload is scaling with both resolution and graphical complexity. The data shows that at 1080p, even Ultra settings cannot fully saturate the RTX 3080, as the CPU is delivering frames faster than the GPU can process them. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor regardless of settings, with frame rates ranging from 88.1 FPS on Ultra to 185 FPS on Low.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 505.2, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces an average of 88.1 FPS, which is the lowest measured result across all configurations.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 332.3 FPS while Ultra yields 158.9 FPS, a difference of 173.4 FPS.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K High settings?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 118.2, which is above the 60 FPS threshold typically considered playable.

Q: How does the 1080p Medium result compare to the 1440p High result?

A: The 1080p Medium result is 418.1 FPS, while the 1440p High result is 206.5 FPS, showing a 211.6 FPS advantage for the lower resolution.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K on Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, 1080p yields 418.1 FPS while 4K yields 155.3 FPS, representing a 62.9% reduction in average frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 brings substantial memory and clock resources to this pairing. With 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, the card offers 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is critical for high-resolution textures in Counter-Strike 2. The GPU's boost clock of 1710 MHz and base clock of 1440 MHz provide the computational throughput needed for the game's modern rendering features. The 8704 shading units and 272 texture mapping units allow the card to handle the game's particle effects and dynamic lighting at high settings.

The RTX 3080's role in this configuration becomes clearer when examining the FPS data across resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is not the limiting factor, as the CPU is delivering frame rates that exceed 500 FPS on Low settings. However, at 4K, the GPU's workload increases significantly, and the 88.1 FPS result on Ultra settings shows the card being pushed to its limits. The 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 164.2 GPixel/s pixel rate are sufficient to maintain 4K High at 118.2 FPS, but Ultra settings demand more than the card can deliver at 88.1 FPS. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this game's needs at 4K, as no memory-related performance drops are evident in the data.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 495 out of 1632 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the upper 30th percentile of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the combination's ability to deliver high frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, where it excels. The Intel Core i5-10400F has a percentile ranking of 73 against all CPUs, while the RTX 3080 ranks at 80 against all GPUs. These individual rankings help explain the combo's overall position, with both components performing above average in their respective categories.

Comparisons with nearest rivals show the CPU's average benchmark score of 14168 is close to several competitors. The AMD EPYC 7552 scores 14115, just 0.4% lower, while the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 14277, 0.8% higher. The Intel Core i5-8500 and AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 score 14332 and 14336 respectively, both around 1.1-1.2% higher. For the GPU, the AMD Radeon Pro Duo scores 35860, 0.2% higher than the RTX 3080's 35787, while the AMD Radeon 880M scores 35646, 0.4% lower. These close margins indicate that the combo's performance is competitive with systems featuring slightly different component configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce 505.2 FPS, Medium settings produce 418.1 FPS, and High settings produce 316.2 FPS. Ultra settings yield 243.9 FPS, which is still exceptionally high for competitive play. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 51.7% reduction in frame rate, indicating that graphical settings have a significant impact on performance even at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show clear scaling with settings. Low produces 332.3 FPS, Medium produces 278.9 FPS, and High produces 206.5 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p yield 158.9 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p on Low settings shows a 34.2% reduction, while on Ultra settings the reduction is 34.8%, suggesting consistent scaling across the settings spectrum.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance becomes more GPU-bound. Low settings produce 185 FPS, Medium produces 155.3 FPS, and High produces 118.2 FPS. Ultra settings yield 88.1 FPS. The 4K results show that even on Low settings, the system cannot exceed 185 FPS, indicating that the RTX 3080 is now the primary limiting factor. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is 29.7 FPS, while the difference between Medium and High is 37.1 FPS, and the difference between High and Ultra is 30.1 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For players using a 1080p display, the Medium preset at 418.1 FPS offers an excellent balance between visual quality and performance. The jump from Low to Medium costs 87.1 FPS but provides noticeably better image quality, while the jump from Medium to High costs 101.9 FPS for marginal visual gains. The High preset at 316.2 FPS is still well above the refresh rate of most gaming monitors, making it a viable option for those who prioritize visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 278.9 FPS provides the best overall experience. The High preset at 206.5 FPS is also recommended for players with high-refresh-rate displays, as it remains well above 144 FPS. The Ultra preset at 158.9 FPS is playable but may not fully utilize 240Hz monitors. For 4K displays, the High preset at 118.2 FPS offers the best balance, as it exceeds 60 FPS while providing good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 88.1 FPS is playable but shows the GPU's limitations at this resolution. Players with 4K 120Hz displays should consider the Medium preset at 155.3 FPS to maximize smoothness while maintaining acceptable visual quality.