Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 is a mid-range combination that lands in the lower half of the database for Counter-Strike 2, ranking 2286 out of 2870 tested combos. This placement suggests the pairing is capable of playable framerates, but it is far from the top of the leaderboard, with the data indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2286 out of 2870 places it in the 20th percentile of all tested CPU-GPU pairings for Counter-Strike 2. This is a modest result, reflecting a hardware pairing that delivers solid 1080p performance but struggles to maintain high framerates at 4K. The CPU itself, the Intel Core i5-11400F, sits at the 71st percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 17177. Its nearest rivals in the CPU charts are tightly clustered: the AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17120 (0.3% higher), while the Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239 (0.4% lower), indicating the i5-11400F is a solidly average performer in synthetic tests.

On the GPU side, the Intel Arc B570 holds the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, 0.1% higher), the Intel Arc A750 (20582, 0.1% lower), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662, 0.5% lower). These deltas are tiny, meaning the B570 is essentially performance-equivalent to those cards in general benchmarks, but Counter-Strike 2’s specific engine and CPU demands shift the balance.

The low combo rank is not due to a weak CPU — the i5-11400F’s 71st percentile ranking is respectable — but rather the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the combo delivers excellent framerates, but as resolution climbs, the B570’s 10 GB VRAM and 160-bit memory bus become bottlenecks. The data shows a clear pattern: the combo is optimized for esports-style play at 1080p, not for 4K gaming.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) using a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, with 18 ray tracing cores. The GPU runs at a fixed base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 10 GB GDDR6 memory is paired with a 160-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. These specs result in a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute at 11.52 TFLOPS.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU’s role is heavily resolution-dependent. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 275 FPS average, but this drops to 171 FPS on High and 133 FPS on Ultra. The jump to 2560x1440 shows the GPU struggling more: 182 FPS on Low, 113 FPS on High, and 88 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, performance falls off a cliff: 102 FPS on Low, 85 FPS on Medium, 63 FPS on High, and just 49 FPS on Ultra.

The data indicates the B570’s VRAM and bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the 10 GB frame buffer and 380 GB/s bandwidth become limiting factors. The 49 FPS at 4K Ultra is below the 60 FPS threshold most players consider acceptable for a competitive shooter, while the 63 FPS at 4K High is marginal. The GPU’s synthetic benchmarks — a Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 — suggest mid-range performance, which aligns with the measured FPS results.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly reveals the limiting component in this combo. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 275 FPS, which is an excellent score for competitive play. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 182 FPS (a 34% reduction), and at 4K Low, it falls to 102 FPS (a 63% reduction from 1080p). This steep drop-off indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU’s performance is relatively constant across resolutions.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. For High settings, 1080p yields 171 FPS, 1440p yields 113 FPS (34% lower), and 4K yields 63 FPS (63% lower). On Ultra, the numbers are 133 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p (34% lower), and 49 FPS at 4K (63% lower). The consistent percentage drops suggest the GPU is saturating at higher resolutions, while the CPU has headroom to spare.

The Medium settings provide some insight into frame pacing: at 1080p Medium, the combo averages 229 FPS with a minimum of 194 FPS and maximum of 263 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 151 FPS with a minimum of 129 FPS and maximum of 174 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS and maximum of 97 FPS. The minimum-to-maximum spread narrows as resolution increases, indicating the GPU is becoming the constraining factor, limiting both peak and low framerates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, delivering 275 FPS on Low and 171 FPS on High settings. At 2560x1440, performance drops to 182 FPS on Low and 113 FPS on High, while 4K yields 102 FPS on Low and 63 FPS on High, which is below competitive thresholds.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177, putting it 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17120) and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17074), but 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-12450H (17239) and 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (17278).

Q: Is the GPU powerful enough for 4K gaming?

A: The Intel Arc B570 achieves 63 FPS at 4K High and 49 FPS at 4K Ultra, both below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. Only 4K Low (102 FPS) and 4K Medium (85 FPS) clear that threshold, suggesting the GPU is not ideal for 4K in this title.

Q: What settings provide the best balance of quality and performance at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield 151 FPS average with a minimum of 129 FPS, which is smooth for competitive play. High settings drop to 113 FPS, still playable, but Ultra at 88 FPS may feel less responsive in fast-paced scenarios.

Q: How does the GPU benchmark against its closest competitors?

A: The Intel Arc B570 scores 20556 on average, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.4% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (20480), but 0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750 (20582) and 0.5% lower than the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (20662).

Q: What is the CPU’s multithreaded performance like?

A: The i5-11400F scores 14340 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 6022 in Cinebench R20 multicore, with a 3DMark max threads score of 5652. These scores indicate solid multithreaded capability for a 6-core, 12-thread processor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU uses PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes and is unlocked for overclocking.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with enough frames, and the data shows it succeeds at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 275 FPS, which is far above what the GPU can render at higher resolutions. The CPU’s single-thread performance — a 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1777 — is adequate for the game’s engine, which relies heavily on a few cores.

The CPU’s synthetic benchmarks place it at the 71st percentile among all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2024 and multicore score of 14340 indicate balanced performance. The Passmark multithread score of 16908 and single-thread score of 2981 further confirm this. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops across settings regardless of CPU capability.

The i5-11400F has a launch MSRP of $157 and is end-of-life, but its performance in this game is still competitive. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo — the GPU is. At 1080p, the CPU can drive framerates into the 200+ range, but the GPU caps out at 275 FPS on Low and 171 FPS on High. This suggests the combo is well-balanced for 1080p esports play, but the CPU has headroom for a more powerful GPU if the user upgrades later.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for settings at each resolution. For 1080p, the combo excels: Low settings deliver 275 FPS, Medium delivers 229 FPS, High delivers 171 FPS, and Ultra delivers 133 FPS. For competitive play, Low or Medium are ideal, as they maximize framerate and minimize input lag. The 194 FPS minimum at Medium settings is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate many monitors support, making this the sweet spot for 1080p.

At 1440p, the choices narrow. Low settings give 182 FPS, which is excellent, while Medium gives 151 FPS with a 129 FPS minimum. High settings at 113 FPS are still playable, but the 88 FPS on Ultra may cause noticeable stutter in fast-paced firefights. The data suggests Medium is the best balance at 1440p, offering high framerates with better visual quality than Low, and the 129 FPS minimum ensures consistent smoothness.

For 4K, the combo is underpowered. Low settings produce 102 FPS, which is playable, and Medium produces 85 FPS with a 72 FPS minimum, which is acceptable for casual play. High settings at 63 FPS are borderline, and Ultra at 49 FPS is not recommended for a competitive shooter. If 4K is a requirement, Low or Medium settings are the only viable options, and even then, the experience will not be as smooth as lower resolutions.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize framerate over visual fidelity with this combo. Counter-Strike 2 is a fast-paced esports title where response time matters more than graphics. At 1080p, Medium settings provide the best experience, balancing the 229 FPS average with the 194 FPS minimum. At 1440p, Medium is again the best choice, with 151 FPS average and 129 FPS minimum. For 4K, only Low or Medium are viable, and players seeking a competitive edge should stick to 1080p or 1440p.