Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS that heavily favors high frame rates, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers exceptional performance that scales predictably with resolution. The data shows that this pairing is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions and gradually shifts toward a more balanced workload as resolution increases, yet the headroom remains substantial across all tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear and consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution climbs, but the magnitude of that drop tells a specific story about which component is limiting the system. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 385.5 FPS, which falls to 257.1 FPS at 1440p, representing a 33% reduction. Moving to 4K High drops the average to 139.9 FPS, which is a 64% decrease from the 1080p figure. This steep scaling curve is classic evidence of a system that becomes progressively more dependent on the GPU as pixel count rises.

The Low settings preset amplifies this effect even further. At 1080p Low, the system hits 598.9 FPS, while 1440p Low yields 406.6 FPS and 4K Low produces 227.9 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 32%, and from 1080p to 4K is 62%. These near-identical percentage drops across different quality presets indicate that the GPU is the dominant constraint even at 4K Low, where the Core i5-11400F's six cores and twelve threads are still able to feed the RTX 4070 Ti adequately.

What is particularly telling is the behavior at Ultra settings. The 4K Ultra result of 110.9 FPS is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, while 1080p Ultra reaches 299.1 FPS. The gap between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra is 63%, which mirrors the scaling seen at High and Low presets. This consistency suggests that Counter-Strike 2's rendering workload scales almost linearly with resolution when paired with this hardware, and the limiting factor shifts decisively toward the GPU's pixel throughput as resolution increases. The RTX 4070 Ti's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are clearly sufficient to prevent memory bottlenecks even at 4K Ultra, as the frame rates remain playable throughout.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070 Ti is the workhorse of this combination, and its specifications directly explain the observed performance envelope. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2310 MHz and a boost clock of 2610 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 7680 shading units. These raw compute resources are what allow the card to push past 200 FPS at 4K Low and approach 600 FPS at 1080p Low, figures that are exceptional for any hardware pairing.

The memory subsystem plays a critical role in sustaining these frame rates. The 12 GB GDDR6X buffer runs at 21 Gbps effective across a 192-bit bus, yielding 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. In a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is not known for massive texture loads, this bandwidth is more than adequate. The data confirms this: the gap between Low and Medium settings at 1080p is 83 FPS (598.9 vs 515.9), while the gap between Medium and High is 130.4 FPS (515.9 vs 385.5). These are large jumps that reflect the GPU's compute load increasing with each quality tier, rather than any memory limitation.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 85 versus all GPUs places it well above average, and its average benchmark score of 44900 is within 0.6% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, according to the nearestRivals data. This proximity to a newer mobile flagship in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to identical gaming performance, but it does indicate that the RTX 4070 Ti is a high-tier part. The measured frame rates in Counter-Strike 2 reinforce this, as even the most demanding preset (4K Ultra) still clears 110 FPS, which is above the refresh rate of many mainstream monitors.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F provides the foundation for this system, and its specifications show why it does not become a bottleneck until frame rates reach extreme levels. The processor features six cores and twelve threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. These are modest specifications by modern standards, but they are sufficient for Counter-Strike 2's engine.

The CPU's benchmark data indicates solid single-thread performance, which is critical for this game. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 868 and the cinebench_r23_singlecore score of 2029 are respectable for a 14 nm Rocket Lake part. The processor's percentile ranking of 75 versus all CPUs places it in the upper quartile, and its nearestRivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U at 0% delta and the Intel Core i7-1260P at -0.2% delta. This means the i5-11400F is effectively on par with those mobile processors in aggregate benchmarks, though desktop thermal headroom may allow it to sustain higher clocks in practice.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor until the GPU is pushed to its absolute limits. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 598.9 FPS, which is a frame rate that would stress even the fastest processors. The fact that the i5-11400F can drive the RTX 4070 Ti to nearly 600 FPS in this scenario indicates that its six cores are well-optimized for the game's threading model. However, the 4K Ultra result of 110.9 FPS is a clear sign that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting at higher resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not scale with pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 226th out of 1632 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the top 14% of all configurations, which is an impressive showing given that the CPU is a mid-range part from 2021 while the GPU is a high-end card from 2023. The rank reflects the game's sensitivity to GPU performance, as the RTX 4070 Ti's 85th percentile GPU ranking dominates the combo's overall position.

The disparity between the CPU's 75th percentile and the GPU's 85th percentile explains why this combo ranks where it does. Systems with both a top-tier CPU and GPU will naturally rank higher, but the data suggests that the i5-11400F does not drag the combo down significantly. The measured frame rates at 1080p demonstrate that the CPU can keep pace with the GPU at all but the lowest settings, and even at 1080p Low, the system still produces nearly 600 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of any commercially available monitor.

This rank is particularly notable when considering the CPU's nearestRivals. The i5-11400F trades blows with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U and Intel Core i7-1260P in synthetic benchmarks, yet those are mobile parts that would likely throttle under sustained gaming loads. The desktop i5-11400F, with its 65 W TDP and dedicated cooling, can maintain its boost clock of 4.40 GHz, which is what allows this combo to achieve such high frame rates in Counter-Strike 2.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience across different resolutions. For 1080p users, the Low preset delivers 598.9 FPS, which is far beyond what any display can show, making it a waste of potential. The High preset at 385.5 FPS is still excessive, and even Ultra at 299.1 FPS exceeds the capabilities of most monitors. The recommended setting at 1080p is Ultra, as it provides the best visual quality while still maintaining a frame rate that is nearly three times higher than a standard 144 Hz display's refresh rate.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more nuanced. The Low preset produces 406.6 FPS, Medium reaches 338.5 FPS, High achieves 257.1 FPS, and Ultra drops to 194.9 FPS. The sweet spot is High, which offers a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while still delivering 257.1 FPS. This is comfortably above any competitive refresh rate and leaves headroom for future driver optimizations. Ultra at 194.9 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize image quality, but the 62.2 FPS gap between High and Ultra suggests diminishing returns.

For 4K users, the data shows that High is the best balance. The 139.9 FPS at High is playable on high-refresh displays, while Medium at 190.9 FPS and Low at 227.9 FPS offer more headroom but at the cost of visual fidelity. Ultra at 110.9 FPS is still above 100 FPS, making it a legitimate choice for those with 120 Hz displays, but the drop from High to Ultra is 29 FPS, which is noticeable. The recommendation is High at 4K, as it provides a smooth experience without sacrificing the visual quality that makes the higher resolution worthwhile.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 598.9 FPS on Low, 515.9 FPS on Medium, 385.5 FPS on High, and 299.1 FPS on Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decrease, with the largest single drop occurring between Medium and High at 130.4 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 406.6 FPS on Low, 338.5 FPS on Medium, 257.1 FPS on High, and 194.9 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 68.1 FPS, while Medium to High is 81.4 FPS, and High to Ultra is 62.2 FPS. This pattern suggests that the GPU's shading units and texture units are being progressively loaded as quality increases.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 227.9 FPS on Low, 190.9 FPS on Medium, 139.9 FPS on High, and 110.9 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 37 FPS, Medium to High is 51 FPS, and High to Ultra is 29 FPS. These are the smallest absolute differences across all resolutions, which indicates that the GPU is reaching a more uniform utilization level at 4K regardless of settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest measured average is 598.9 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

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

A: Yes, the 4K High preset averages 139.9 FPS, while 4K Ultra averages 110.9 FPS, both of which are playable on high-refresh displays.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 44900, which is 0.6% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile and 1.5% lower than the Intel Arc A730M.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 406.6 FPS while Ultra settings produce 194.9 FPS, a difference of 211.7 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 Ti in this game?

A: The data shows the CPU is not a significant bottleneck, as the system still achieves 598.9 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating the GPU is the primary limiting factor.

Q: What rank does this combo hold among all tested configurations in Counter-Strike 2?

A: This combo ranks 226th out of 1632 tested combinations, placing it in the top 14% of all configurations.