Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-12400 brings a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake design to Counter-Strike 2, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This configuration places it in the 72nd percentile against all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 18,683. In terms of raw compute, its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15,989 and single-core score of 2,257 suggest a balanced processor that can handle both the game’s main thread and background tasks. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) are relevant for a fast-paced FPS where frame pacing matters.

The data for this combo shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average FPS reaches 405, which is a massive 62% higher than the 250 FPS average at 1080p High. This scaling pattern indicates that at Low settings, the game is heavily CPU-bound, as the GPU has less work to do and the CPU’s 4.40 GHz boost clock is being pushed to its limits. However, the i5-12400’s nearest rivals — the AMD EPYC 7643, Intel Core i7-1355U, AMD Ryzen AI 5 330, and Intel Core i3-14100F — show deltaPct values between -0.1% and -0.7% (except the i3-14100F at +0.9%), meaning this chip is statistically tied with them in average benchmark score. This implies that for CS2, the i5-12400’s single-thread performance is sufficient to keep up with similarly-rated processors.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 405, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This figure drops to 336 at Medium, 251 at High, and 195 at Ultra for the same resolution.

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to its nearest CPU rival in general benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i3-14100F has an average benchmark score of 18,519, which is 0.9% higher than the i5-12400’s 18,683. The other three nearest rivals — AMD EPYC 7643 (18,697), Intel Core i7-1355U (18,730), and AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18,811) — all score within 0.7% of the i5-12400, indicating near-identical overall compute performance.

Q: Does the RX 7700 GPU become a bottleneck at 4K resolution?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 150 (Low) down to 72 (Ultra). The drop from 150 FPS at Low to 93 FPS at High (a 38% reduction) suggests that the GPU’s rendering load is the primary constraint at this resolution, as the CPU has more headroom to feed frames.

Q: What is the best settings preset for competitive play at 1440p?

A: The data shows Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce an average of 223 FPS with a minimum of 189 FPS. This is above the 200 FPS threshold often sought for high-refresh-rate monitors, while High drops to 166 FPS and Ultra falls to 129 FPS, making Medium the sweet spot for frame consistency.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combos for Counter-Strike 2?

A: The combo ranks 1,273 out of 2,870 tested combinations, placing it in the 55.6th percentile (calculated from the rank and total). This is a mid-pack position, suggesting that while the hardware is capable, many other combos deliver higher frame rates.

Q: Is the RX 7700’s 16 GB VRAM ever a limiting factor in this game?

A: No. Counter-Strike 2’s highest measured setting (Ultra) at 4K still yields an average of 72 FPS, and the memory bus width of 256 bit with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth is more than adequate for the game’s textures and geometry. The bottleneck at 4K is raw GPU compute, not VRAM capacity.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 405 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 268 FPS, a 34% reduction, and then to 150 FPS at 4K Low, another 44% drop. This steep decline indicates that at Low settings, the RX 7700’s pixel throughput (236.1 GPixel/s) becomes the limiting factor as resolution scales, while the CPU has ample headroom.

At High settings, the scaling is less severe but still consistent: 251 FPS at 1080p, 166 FPS at 1440p (a 34% drop), and 93 FPS at 4K (a 44% drop from 1440p). The similarity in percentage drops across settings suggests that the GPU’s shading units (2,560) and texture mapping units (160) are being utilized proportionally as resolution increases. Notably, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is consistently around 34-35% across all settings, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is steeper at 44-45%. This non-linear scaling points to memory bandwidth constraints at 4K, where the 624.1 GB/s bandwidth is being saturated.

The data implies that for competitive play at 1080p, the CPU is the star performer, delivering 405 FPS at Low. But for 4K gaming, the GPU’s 25.18 TFLOPS FP32 compute is the ceiling, with even Low settings only reaching 150 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 72 FPS is the lowest recorded, confirming that this combo is not designed for maxed-out 4K in CS2, but rather for high-refresh-rate esports at 1080p or 1440p.

How This Combo Ranks

With a combo rank of 1,273 out of 2,870 tested combinations, this i5-12400 + RX 7700 pairing sits just above the median for Counter-Strike 2. The percentile positioning is notable because the individual components have different standings: the CPU is in the 72nd percentile, while the GPU is only in the 58th percentile. This discrepancy suggests that the GPU is the weaker link in the pairing, pulling the overall combo rank down from what the CPU alone might achieve.

The rank implies that roughly 1,273 other combinations deliver higher average FPS in CS2. Given that the measured FPS at 1080p Low is 405, it is likely that many higher-ranked combos feature more powerful GPUs with higher shading unit counts or faster memory, rather than significantly stronger CPUs. The i5-12400’s nearest rivals all score within 1% in general benchmarks, so the CPU is not the differentiator. Instead, the RX 7700’s 58th percentile GPU standing, compared to its nearest rival the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (which has a 1.7% higher average score), indicates that GPUs in the 60th percentile or above would likely push this combo higher in the rankings.

The 4K Ultra score of 72 FPS is particularly telling for the rank. Many combos with higher-end GPUs would exceed this, but the fact that the combo still reaches 1,273rd place suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the performance is competitive enough to offset weaker 4K results. The data shows this is a combo optimized for 1080p/1440p esports, not for 4K max settings.

Settings Recommendations

For a game like Counter-Strike 2, where frame rate directly impacts competitive advantage, the measured data points to Medium settings as the optimal balance. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 336 FPS average with a minimum of 286 FPS and a maximum of 387 FPS. This is a 17% drop from Low (405 FPS) but a 34% improvement over High (251 FPS), and the minimum frame rate of 286 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in intense firefights.

At 1440p, Medium again emerges as the best choice. The 223 FPS average with a 189 FPS minimum is above the 200 FPS target for 1440p 240Hz monitors, while High drops to 166 FPS and Ultra to 129 FPS. The minimum of 189 FPS is close to the average of High (166 FPS), meaning Medium provides more consistent frame delivery. The jump from Low (268 FPS) to Medium (223 FPS) is only 17%, but the visual quality improvement is substantial, making Medium the recommended preset for 1440p.

For 4K, the data suggests that Low settings (150 FPS) are the only viable option for smooth play, as Medium drops to 124 FPS and High to 93 FPS. However, since CS2 is typically played at lower resolutions for competitive reasons, the 4K results are more relevant for casual play. Across all resolutions, Ultra is consistently the worst performer, with 195 FPS at 1080p, 129 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K — these are playable but not optimal for high-refresh-rate displays.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows a wide range of performance. Low settings produce 405 FPS average, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 336 FPS (minimum 286, maximum 387), High settings drop to 251 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 195 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 210 FPS, demonstrating that settings have a massive impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scores are: Low at 268 FPS, Medium at 223 FPS (minimum 189, maximum 256), High at 166 FPS, and Ultra at 129 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent at roughly 34% for each setting, indicating that the GPU’s pixel rate is scaling predictably with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 150 FPS, Medium at 124 FPS (minimum 106, maximum 143), High at 93 FPS, and Ultra at 72 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper at 44%, which aligns with the 4x pixel count increase from 1080p to 4K versus the 2.25x increase from 1080p to 1440p. The minimum FPS values at Medium (106 at 4K, 189 at 1440p, 286 at 1080p) show that frame consistency scales proportionally, with the 4K Medium minimum of 106 FPS still being above the 72 FPS Ultra average.

The data reveals that Low settings at 1080p (405 FPS) is nearly double the Ultra setting at 1080p (195 FPS), suggesting that the game’s Ultra preset includes effects that heavily tax the GPU’s 2,560 shading units. Conversely, the jump from Medium to High at 1080p (336 to 251 FPS, a 25% drop) is more pronounced than the jump from Low to Medium (405 to 336 FPS, a 17% drop), indicating that High introduces a significant rendering cost.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700, based on the Navi 32 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, brings 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs to Counter-Strike 2. Its boost clock of 2459 MHz and game clock of 2041 MHz, combined with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, provide a theoretical bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. In the database, this GPU scores 20,974 in Passmark G3D and has an average benchmark score of 15,852, placing it in the 58th percentile against all GPUs.

The GPU’s role in CS2 becomes clear when examining the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the CPU is the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 405 FPS result. But as resolution increases, the GPU’s workload grows. The RX 7700’s pixel rate of 236.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 393.4 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the 72 FPS Ultra result suggests the GPU is saturated. The nearest GPU rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9060, has an average score of 16,014 (1% higher), while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16,129 (1.7% higher) — these small deltas indicate that the RX 7700 is competitively positioned in its class.

The 16 GB VRAM is never a limiting factor in CS2, as the game’s textures are modest. Instead, the GPU’s compute throughput (25.18 TFLOPS FP32) is what drives the frame rate differences between settings. The 40 ray tracing cores are irrelevant for this title, but the 12 Ultimate (12_2) DirectX support ensures compatibility with the game’s rendering features. The data shows that the RX 7700 is a capable 1080p/1440p GPU for CS2, but its 58th percentile ranking means there are faster options for players seeking the absolute highest FPS at 1080p Low, where the CPU becomes the limiting factor.