Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where framerate consistency and responsiveness often matter more than absolute visual fidelity. This pairing of an Intel Core i5-11400F with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER represents a classic high-refresh-rate setup, but the data reveals a distinct imbalance depending on the resolution and settings you choose. The 6-core processor, with its 12 threads and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, provides the foundational throughput for the game's simulation and draw calls, while the RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, handles the heavy lifting of pixel output and texture bandwidth. The benchmark results show a system capable of extremely high performance at 1080p and 1440p, yet the scaling toward 4K exposes where the bottleneck shifts.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and can boost up to 4.40 GHz. For a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is highly sensitive to single-thread performance and low-latency frame delivery, these clocks are the primary driver of the FPS ceiling when the GPU is not saturated. The processor's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 80 KB of L1 cache per core help reduce memory access times, which is critical for maintaining stable frame pacing in fast-paced scenarios.

In the synthetic benchmark suite, the i5-11400F scores 868 points in 3dmark single-thread and 2029 points in Cinebench R23 single-core. These scores place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, indicating solid, though not exceptional, single-core capability. Multithreaded performance is also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a Geekbench multicore score of 7579. However, the data shows that in Counter-Strike 2, the CPU is rarely the limiting factor until you reach very high frame rates. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 588.6 FPS, which suggests the CPU is still keeping up with the GPU's output. The nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and Intel Core i7-1260P, show average score deltas of 0% and -0.2%, respectively, indicating the i5-11400F is competitive with those parts in general processing, but its strength here lies in its high boost clock for this specific workload.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm TSMC process, it features 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1980 MHz and boosts up to 2475 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than sufficient for Counter-Strike 2 at any settings, as the game's texture requirements are modest; the memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s ensures that the GPU can feed its 192-bit bus without stalling.

The GPU's compute capability is substantial, with an FP32 throughput of 35.48 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s. These figures translate directly into the ability to push massive framerates at lower resolutions. At 1080p High settings, the combo hits 367 FPS, and at 1440p High, it maintains 243 FPS. These numbers are far above the refresh rates of most monitors, meaning the GPU is not being fully utilized in those scenarios; instead, it is waiting on the CPU to submit draw calls. However, the RTX 4070 SUPER's performance is still the reason these numbers are so high. It ranks in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42576. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, is only 0.2% faster on average, showing that this consumer card punches well above its class in raw compute.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

Within the database of 1632 tested processor and graphics card combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 268th overall for Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the top 16.4% of all tested combos, which is a strong result, but not a top-tier one. The ranking reflects the fact that while the GPU is exceptionally fast, the CPU's performance holds the combo back from achieving the absolute highest scores seen with faster, higher-core-count processors.

The data suggests that the combo is more limited by the CPU than the GPU in many scenarios. For instance, at 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 102.4, which is still playable but not exceptionally high. This is a scenario where the GPU is under heavy load, yet the CPU's single-thread performance is still adequate to feed it. The gap between the combo's rank and the top performers indicates that pairing this GPU with a stronger CPU would yield higher FPS, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU bottleneck is more pronounced. The 268th rank is a solid mid-to-high-tier placement, indicating that this is a balanced system for high-refresh-rate gaming, but not an extreme one.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the system's behavior across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the performance is extraordinary. With Low settings, the average FPS is 588.6. Moving to Medium settings, it drops to 490.1 FPS. High settings yield 367 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 283.2 FPS. These numbers indicate that even at Ultra, the system is far beyond the threshold for competitive play, offering smooth and responsive gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains high but shows the expected decline. Low settings average 388.4 FPS, Medium settings hit 321 FPS, High settings maintain 243 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 185.3 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with about a 30-35% reduction in FPS across all settings, which is typical for a resolution increase. At 3840x2160, the system starts to show its limits. Low settings average 218.1 FPS, Medium settings drop to 182.4 FPS, High settings reduce to 136.9 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 102.4 FPS. These 4K numbers are still playable, but the gap between Low and Ultra settings becomes more significant, highlighting the GPU's workload increase.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the shift in bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU. At 1080p Low, the system produces 588.6 FPS. At 4K Low, it drops to 218.1 FPS, a reduction of about 63%. This steep decline is primarily due to the GPU having to render four times as many pixels, which increases its workload substantially. However, the fact that the FPS at 1080p is so high (close to 600) suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at that resolution, as the GPU has headroom to render more frames if the CPU could supply them.

As you increase the resolution to 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 102.4, which is less than half of the 1080p Ultra score of 283.2 FPS. This indicates that the GPU's rendering capabilities are stretched thin at 4K, while the CPU is no longer able to keep up with the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The data shows that this combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the CPU can keep the GPU fed with draw calls, but at 4K, the GPU's raw pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor. For competitive play, the 1080p and 1440p results are ideal, offering framerates that exceed 240 FPS even at High settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows the strongest performance at 1920x1080, where even High settings yield 367 FPS and Low settings reach 588.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, performance remains high with 243 FPS on High settings, making it a viable option for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Is this CPU a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 SUPER?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is a limiting factor at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 588.6 FPS, which suggests the CPU is maxed out, while the GPU has more headroom. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as shown by the drop to 102.4 FPS on Ultra settings.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: This pairing ranks 268th out of 1632 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 16.4% of all systems. This is a strong result, but not top-tier, due to the CPU's limitations at very high frame rates.

Q: What are the FPS differences between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings average 388.4 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 185.3 FPS. This represents a 52% reduction in performance, showing that Ultra settings nearly halve the framerate.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this hardware?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High settings, the average FPS is 136.9, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 102.4 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS but leaves little headroom for frame drops.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for Counter-Strike 2?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is more than sufficient for Counter-Strike 2 at all tested settings. The game's memory requirements are modest, and the 504.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures no memory-related stuttering at any resolution.