Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rate consistency and responsiveness often matter more than absolute visual fidelity. The measured data for the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination shows a system that is heavily skewed toward CPU performance at lower resolutions, with the GPU becoming the limiting factor only at 4K Ultra settings. The pairing delivers exceptional performance for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, making it a strong candidate for esports-focused builds.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes from the CPU are relevant for gaming workloads. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a single-thread score of 868 in 3DMark and a multi-thread score of 5652 in 3DMark max threads, with a PassMark single-thread score of 2981. These figures place the CPU in the 71st percentile among all tested processors, indicating solid mainstream performance.

In the context of Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is dominant at lower resolutions and settings. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo produces 405 FPS average. When the resolution is increased to 1440p Low, the average drops to 268 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 150 FPS. This scaling pattern — a 34% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 44% drop from 1440p to 4K — suggests that even at Low settings, the game becomes increasingly reliant on the GPU as pixel count rises, but at 1080p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck, pushing frame rates to levels that far exceed typical monitor refresh rates.

The processor's 6-core/12-thread configuration is well-suited for Counter-Strike 2, which is known to scale reasonably with multiple threads but still heavily rewards strong single-core performance. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024 and multi-core score of 14340 indicate that the CPU has sufficient headroom for both the game's main simulation thread and background tasks. At 1080p Medium settings, the combo achieves 336 FPS average, with a minimum of 286 FPS, demonstrating that the CPU can maintain high frame rates even when the GPU has more work to do.

However, the CPU's performance ceiling becomes apparent at higher settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 195, which is still high but represents a 52% reduction from Low settings. This drop is more attributable to the GPU's workload at Ultra settings, but the CPU's role in feeding the GPU becomes critical. The data indicates that the i5-11400F is capable of driving the RX 7700 to its limits at 1080p, but as resolution increases, the GPU's capabilities become the deciding factor, especially at Ultra settings where 4K yields only 72 FPS.

FAQ

Q: How does the i5-11400F compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 7H12, scores 17120, which is 0.3% lower. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, which is 0.4% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, which is 0.6% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, which is 0.6% lower. These deltas are all within 1%, indicating that the i5-11400F is statistically on par with these processors in general compute tasks.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, the measured data shows an average of 405 FPS on Low settings, 336 FPS on Medium settings, 251 FPS on High settings, and 195 FPS on Ultra settings. The Medium preset also reports a minimum FPS of 286 and a maximum of 387, indicating consistent performance. All of these figures are well above the 144Hz or 240Hz refresh rates commonly used in competitive gaming.

Q: Is the RX 7700 the bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. At Low settings, the combo averages 150 FPS, but at Ultra settings, it drops to 72 FPS. This represents a 52% decrease from Low to Ultra at 4K, which is a much larger drop than the 52% decrease seen at 1080p (from 405 to 195 FPS). The GPU's percentile rank of 58 among all GPUs, combined with its PassMark G3D score of 20974, suggests it has moderate performance, and at 4K Ultra, it cannot keep up with the CPU's output.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo rank for the i5-11400F and RX 7700 in Counter-Strike 2 is 1273 out of 2870 tested combinations. This places it in the top 44% of all combos, which is a respectable position given that the CPU is from an older generation and the GPU is a mid-range part. The ranking reflects that while the combo performs well at 1080p and 1440p, it falls behind more powerful pairings at 4K Ultra.

Q: What is the best settings preset for competitive play?

A: For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p offers the highest average FPS at 405, with no reported minimum FPS, implying that it remains above the average threshold even in demanding scenes. However, the Medium preset at 1080p provides a better balance, with an average of 336 FPS and a minimum of 286 FPS, which still exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors while offering improved visual clarity over Low. The data suggests that Medium at 1080p is the optimal choice for maximizing both performance and playability.

Q: Does the CPU's TDP affect its gaming performance?

A: The i5-11400F has a TDP of 65W, which is a modest power draw for a 6-core processor. The measured gaming performance shows that this power budget is sufficient to sustain high clock speeds, as evidenced by the 4.40 GHz boost clock. The lack of thermal throttling is inferred from the consistent frame rates at 1080p, where the CPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340, confirm that it can sustain heavy workloads without significant performance degradation.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear shift in bottleneck dynamics. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 405 FPS, while at 1440p Low, it drops to 268 FPS, a 34% reduction. At 4K Low, the average is 150 FPS, a 44% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is more aggressive than what would be expected from a purely GPU-bound scenario, suggesting that the CPU still has some influence even at Low settings, but the GPU is increasingly taxed as pixel count rises.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with stronger GPU involvement. 1080p Medium yields 336 FPS, 1440p Medium yields 223 FPS (a 34% drop), and 4K Medium yields 124 FPS (a 44% drop from 1440p). The minimum FPS at Medium settings also scales: 286 FPS at 1080p, 189 FPS at 1440p, and 106 FPS at 4K. This indicates that the GPU's frame time consistency degrades as resolution increases, which is expected for a mid-range GPU like the RX 7700.

At High settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 34% (251 to 166 FPS), and from 1440p to 4K is 44% (166 to 93 FPS). At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 34% (195 to 129 FPS), and from 1440p to 4K is 44% (129 to 72 FPS). The consistent 34% and 44% drops across all settings suggest that the resolution scaling is primarily GPU-driven, with the CPU providing a stable frame rate floor. However, at 4K Ultra, the 72 FPS average indicates that the GPU is severely limited, and the CPU's role is diminished.

The data shows that the i5-11400F is capable of delivering high frame rates at 1080p regardless of settings, but the RX 7700 becomes the limiting factor at 4K, especially at higher quality presets. At 1080p, the CPU is likely the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 405 FPS Low preset, which is far above what the GPU alone could achieve at that resolution. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with the CPU's performance headroom being underutilized.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimizing the gameplay experience. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 405 FPS average, which is the highest measured score in the entire dataset. This setting is ideal for competitive play where every frame counts, but it sacrifices visual quality.

For a balance between performance and visuals, the Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended choice. It produces an average of 336 FPS with a minimum of 286 FPS, ensuring that frame rates remain above 280 FPS even in the most demanding scenes. The Medium preset also offers better visual fidelity than Low, making it a practical choice for players who want a competitive edge without compromising on clarity.

At 1440p, the Medium preset offers 223 FPS average with a minimum of 189 FPS, which is still excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. This setting is suitable for players with 1440p displays who want to maintain high frame rates while enjoying better image quality than 1080p. The High preset at 1440p yields 166 FPS average, which is also viable for 144Hz displays, but the Medium preset provides a safer margin.

At 4K, the Ultra preset is not recommended, as it averages only 72 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth competitive play. Even the High preset at 4K, with 93 FPS, is marginal. The Low preset at 4K, with 150 FPS, is the only setting that provides a competitive frame rate at this resolution, but it negates the benefits of 4K resolution. For most players, 4K is not a viable option for this game with this combo, and sticking to 1080p or 1440p Medium is the best strategy.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1273 out of 2870 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the 44th percentile. This ranking is notable because the CPU is from an older generation, while the GPU is a newer mid-range part. The combo's performance in this game is strong, but it is held back by the GPU at higher resolutions.

The CPU itself ranks in the 71st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 58th percentile among all GPUs. This discrepancy suggests that the CPU is relatively stronger than the GPU, which is reflected in the game's performance scaling. At 1080p, where the CPU is the bottleneck, the combo performs exceptionally well, ranking higher than its overall percentile would suggest. At 4K, where the GPU is the bottleneck, the combo's ranking drops, as the RX 7700 cannot keep up with more powerful GPUs.

Compared to the CPU's nearest rivals, the i5-11400F's performance is within 1% of the AMD EPYC 7H12, Intel Core i5-12450H, AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G, and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U. This means that the CPU is not a significant differentiator in this combo's ranking. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon R9 370X, AMD Radeon RX 9060, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, are all within 2% of the RX 7700's average benchmark score. This indicates that the combo's ranking is more dependent on the balance between CPU and GPU rather than the absolute performance of either component.

The combo's rank of 1273 suggests that there are many faster combinations, but it also outperforms a significant number of tested pairs. For a 1080p competitive gaming setup, this combo is well above average, and its ranking reflects that. For 4K gaming, the ranking is less favorable, but the data shows that this is not the intended use case for this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 405 FPS, with no reported minimum or maximum FPS, indicating that the performance is consistently high. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 336 FPS, with a minimum of 286 FPS and a maximum of 387 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. The High preset averages 251 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 195 FPS, both without reported minimums or maximums.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 268 FPS, the Medium preset averages 223 FPS with a minimum of 189 FPS and a maximum of 256 FPS, the High preset averages 166 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 129 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 189, which is still high enough for smooth gameplay, but the margin over the 144Hz threshold is thinner than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 150 FPS, the Medium preset averages 124 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS, the High preset averages 93 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 72 FPS. The 4K Medium preset's minimum of 106 FPS is close to the 100 FPS threshold, and the Ultra preset's 72 FPS average is below what is typically considered smooth for competitive play.

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops by roughly 34% from 1080p to 1440p and 44% from 1440p to 4K across all settings. The Medium preset provides the most complete data, with minimum and maximum FPS values at all resolutions, allowing for a detailed analysis of frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 286, which is 85% of the average, indicating excellent consistency. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 189, which is 85% of the average, and at 4K Medium, the minimum is 106, which is 85% of the average. This consistency suggests that the combo maintains stable frame rates without significant stuttering, even at higher resolutions.