Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination sits at rank 472 out of 1,632 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it comfortably within the top third of all systems analyzed. This pairing of a 6-core, 12-thread Rocket Lake processor with an Ampere flagship GPU produces frame rates that are competitive at every resolution, though the data reveals a clear division of labor where the CPU governs performance at lower resolutions and the GPU takes over as pixel count rises. The RTX 3080, with its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, proves more than sufficient for this esports title, while the i5-11400F’s 4.40 GHz boost clock keeps pace with the GPU’s output in most scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s position at 472 out of 1,632 tested combinations places it in the 71st percentile of all systems tested, a strong result for a mid-generation pairing. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, as Counter-Strike 2 is particularly sensitive to single-thread performance. The i5-11400F delivers a single-thread score of 868 in 3DMark and 2,029 in Cinebench R23, which are competitive figures for its class. The CPU’s overall average benchmark score of 17,181 puts it within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and Intel Core i7-1260P, indicating that it trades blows with these rivals in synthetic workloads. However, the RTX 3080’s average benchmark score of 35,787 places it just 0.9% behind the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, showing that the GPU is the stronger component in this pairing. In Counter-Strike 2, the measured results show that this combination never drops below 92 FPS even at the most demanding settings, which speaks to the headroom both components bring to the table.

GPU Role

The RTX 3080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why it handles Counter-Strike 2 so effectively. Built on Samsung’s 8 nm process, the GA102 chip packs 28,300 million transistors across a 628 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1,440 MHz and boosts to 1,710 MHz, with memory running at 19 Gbps effective across a 320-bit bus. This configuration yields 760.3 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is ample for the texture streaming and geometry workloads Counter-Strike 2 presents. The 10 GB frame buffer is not a limiting factor in this game, as the measured results show no signs of VRAM-related stuttering or performance degradation. The GPU’s 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and 465.1 GTexel/s texture rate allow it to maintain high frame rates even at Ultra settings, where the measured FPS at 4K reaches 92.4. Interestingly, the RTX 3080’s nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmarks—the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile—show delta percentages of -0.9% and 1%, respectively, indicating that this GPU sits in a competitive band of performance that translates well to actual gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable but instructive scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 508.2 FPS, which drops to 334.2 at 1440p and then to 189.3 at 4K. This represents a 34.2% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 43.4% decrease from 1440p to 4K, showing that the GPU becomes the limiting factor as pixel count rises. At Ultra settings, the drop is more pronounced: from 245.9 FPS at 1080p to 164 at 1440p (a 33.3% decrease) and then to 92.4 at 4K (a 43.7% decrease). The consistency of these percentages across settings suggests that the scaling bottleneck is primarily the GPU’s fill rate and bandwidth rather than any CPU limitation. However, the fact that 1080p Low produces 508.2 FPS versus 312.2 FPS at 1080p High indicates that the CPU still has room to push frames when the GPU load is light, confirming that the i5-11400F is not the primary constraint at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a wide spread across settings. Low settings produce 508.2 FPS, Medium delivers 416.5 FPS, High reaches 312.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 245.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 262.3 FPS, representing a 51.6% reduction, which is substantial but still leaves the system far above the refresh rates of most monitors. Moving to 2560x1440, Low yields 334.2 FPS, Medium produces 278.5 FPS, High hits 209.8 FPS, and Ultra settles at 164 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 170.2 FPS, a 50.9% drop, mirroring the 1080p pattern. At 3840x2160, the numbers compress further: Low gives 189.3 FPS, Medium provides 154.9 FPS, High reaches 117 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 92.4 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra delta is 96.9 FPS, a 51.2% reduction. Across all resolutions, the percentage drop from Low to Ultra remains remarkably consistent at roughly 51%, indicating that the performance scaling is driven by the GPU’s compute and memory resources rather than any CPU bottleneck. The 4K Ultra result of 92.4 FPS is particularly notable because it stays above the 90 FPS threshold, making this combo viable for high-refresh-rate 4K play, albeit with the understanding that very high refresh rates (144Hz or above) are only achievable at lower resolutions or settings.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest possible frame rates, Low settings at 1080p deliver 508.2 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of any consumer monitor currently available. However, this sacrifices visual fidelity for marginal competitive advantage. The data suggests that Medium settings provide the best balance of performance and quality: at 1080p, Medium yields 416.5 FPS, which is still extraordinarily high, while at 1440p it produces 278.5 FPS and at 4K it maintains 154.9 FPS. Medium settings consistently deliver frame rates that are roughly 34% higher than High settings at the same resolution, while the visual difference between Medium and High in a fast-paced esports title like Counter-Strike 2 is often imperceptible during gameplay. For players with 144Hz monitors, Medium at 1440p offers more than enough headroom, and even High at 1440p with 209.8 FPS exceeds typical refresh rates. At 4K, Ultra settings dip to 92.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play; dropping to High yields 117 FPS, a 26.6% improvement that makes 4K competitive play more viable. The recommendation is to use Medium as the default preset, scaling down to Low only if chasing maximum frame rates on a 360Hz or 500Hz display, or scaling up to High/Ultra for single-player or casual play where visual fidelity matters more than raw FPS.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Counter-Strike 2 at 240 FPS on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes, easily. The measured 1080p Low settings produce 508.2 FPS, and even High settings deliver 312.2 FPS, both well above the 240 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this setup?

A: 1440p with Medium settings provides 278.5 FPS, offering a strong balance between clarity and performance. If you prefer 1080p, Low settings at 508.2 FPS give maximum headroom.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 overkill for Counter-Strike 2?

A: Not entirely. While the CPU handles lower resolutions well, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K, where Ultra settings drop to 92.4 FPS. The 10 GB VRAM and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this game, but the GPU’s compute power is what drives the high frame rates at higher resolutions.

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

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score of 17,181 is within 0.2% of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and Intel Core i7-1260P, indicating similar single-thread and multi-thread capabilities. In Counter-Strike 2, this translates to consistent frame delivery without CPU-related stutters.

Q: Should I use Low settings to maximize FPS, or does Medium offer a better experience?

A: Medium settings provide 416.5 FPS at 1080p, which is still exceptionally high, while offering better visual clarity for spotting enemies. The performance difference between Low and Medium is 91.7 FPS, but both are far above any monitor’s refresh rate, so Medium is the practical choice.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming beyond Counter-Strike 2?

A: The measured data only covers Counter-Strike 2, but the RTX 3080’s 4K Ultra result of 92.4 FPS suggests it can handle demanding titles at 4K, though more graphically intensive games will likely see lower frame rates due to the GPU’s 10 GB VRAM and 320-bit bus.