Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 with the Intel Core i5-12400 and Intel Arc B570 produces a highly playable experience across most resolutions, with the data indicating a system that is well-balanced but leans on the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher settings. The combination ranks in the 2286th position out of 2870 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, yet the measured frame rates tell a story of consistent performance that often exceeds the 144Hz threshold at 1080p and remains fluid at 1440p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 serves as the processing foundation for this configuration. It is a 6-core, 12-thread part based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 18 MB L3 cache. The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory through a dual-channel memory bus, and it connects to the system via a Gen 5 PCIe interface with 16 lanes. It is a locked multiplier part, meaning its clock speeds are fixed.

In terms of raw compute, the CPU's benchmark results show a clear strength in multi-threaded workloads. It scores 5,873 in the 3DMark 16-thread test and 5,890 in the max-thread test, which is consistent with its 12-thread design. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15,989 is particularly strong for a mainstream 6-core part. The single-thread performance is also respectable, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,257. The PassMark multi-thread score of 18,747 further reinforces its multi-core capability, while the PassMark single-thread score of 3,456 shows adequate per-core performance.

The CPU's overall percentile rank against all CPUs is 72, indicating it outperforms the majority of processors in the database. Its average benchmark score of 18,683 places it in close competition with several other parts. The nearest rival data shows it is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7643, with a delta of -0.1%, and the Intel Core i7-1355U, with a delta of -0.3%. It is 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core i3-14100F. These tight deltas suggest that the i5-12400 is in a performance band where small differences in synthetic workloads do not translate into meaningful gaming differences.

For Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle the game's simulation and player logic. The game is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance, but the i5-12400's 4.40 GHz boost clock and solid IPC from the Alder Lake architecture provide a strong baseline. The 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than sufficient for the game's engine, which typically scales well with a few fast cores. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing at most settings, as the frame rate scaling across resolutions points to the GPU being the primary constraint.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the graphics solution in this combo, and it is the component that largely determines the frame rate ceiling. It is based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, specifically the BMG-G21 chip, built on TSMC's 5 nm process. The GPU contains 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It features 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, 80 ROPs, and 18 ray tracing cores. The clock speed is fixed at 2500 MHz for both base and boost, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz, effective to 19 Gbps.

The card comes with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. Its compute capabilities are rated at 11.52 TFLOPS for FP32 and 23.04 TFLOPS for FP16. The pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s. It has a TDP of 150 W and requires a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 450 W. It connects via PCIe 4.0 x8 and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Arc B570 places in the 65th percentile against all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 20,556. The nearest rival data shows it is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, with a delta of 0.1%, and the Intel Arc A750, with a delta of -0.1%. It is 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M390X. These figures suggest that the B570 is a mid-range performer that competes with previous-generation high-end mobile parts and current mid-range desktop offerings.

For Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's 10 GB VRAM is more than adequate for the game's textures at all tested settings, even at 4K. The 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient to handle the data throughput required by the game, but the frame rate data shows that the GPU's raw compute power is what limits performance at higher settings. The measured FPS drops significantly as settings increase, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The B570's fixed boost clock of 2500 MHz ensures consistent performance without thermal throttling variance, and its 80 ROPs are responsible for the final pixel output, which impacts fill-rate-bound scenarios.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-12400 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18,683. It is 0.1% behind the AMD EPYC 7643, 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-1355U, and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330. It is 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core i3-14100F.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile, and which rival is it closest to?

A: The Intel Arc B570 is in the 65th percentile against all GPUs. Its performance is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, with a delta of 0.1%.

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

A: The highest average frame rate is 275 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve its lowest average frame rate?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 49 FPS, achieved at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution with High settings?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor. At 3840x2160 High, the average FPS is 63, while at 1920x1080 High, it is 171 FPS. The frame rate scales with resolution, indicating the GPU is the primary constraint.

Q: What is the combined rank of this CPU-GPU pairing among all tested combos in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The combo ranks 2286th out of 2870 tested combinations.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the Intel Arc B570 achieves a rank of 2286 out of 2870 total combinations tested in Counter-Strike 2. This places the combo in the 80th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly 20% of the tested configurations perform worse. This ranking is not a reflection of poor absolute performance, but rather the competitive nature of the benchmark database where many high-end systems are tested.

Examining the FPS data, the combo is clearly capable of delivering high frame rates at mainstream resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 133 at Ultra to 275 at Low, which puts it in a position where it can comfortably drive high-refresh-rate monitors at lower settings. At 2560x1440, the range is from 88 at Ultra to 182 at Low, which is still highly playable for competitive gaming. The 4K performance is more modest, with a range of 49 to 102 FPS depending on settings.

The ranking relative to other combos suggests that while this system may not be at the top of the charts, it is not a weak pairing. The synthetic benchmarks for both components show they are in the mid-range of their respective markets, and the gaming data reflects that. Users with this combo should expect a smooth experience at 1080p and 1440p, with the need to adjust settings for 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across different resolutions provides clear insight into the scaling behavior and the bottleneck dynamics of this combo. The frame rate drops are substantial as resolution increases, which is a strong indicator that the GPU is the limiting component in most scenarios.

At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 275 at 1920x1080 to 182 at 2560x1440, and finally to 102 at 3840x2160. This represents a 33.8% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 62.9% drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound workload, as the rendering resolution directly impacts the GPU's workload.

At High settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The average FPS drops from 171 at 1920x1080 to 113 at 2560x1440, and then to 63 at 3840x2160. This is a 34% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 63.2% drop from 1080p to 4K. The fact that the proportional drop is similar to Low settings suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor regardless of the preset.

At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 229 at 1080p to 151 at 1440p to 85 at 4K. This is a 34.1% drop and a 62.9% drop, respectively. The consistency of these percentages across all settings strongly indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would see the frame rates at 1080p and 4K converge, as the CPU's workload does not scale with resolution. The data shows the opposite, confirming the GPU as the bottleneck.

The Ultra settings show the most significant drop, with FPS going from 133 at 1080p to 88 at 1440p to 49 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 63.2%, which is consistent with the other settings. This confirms that even at the highest settings, the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU's performance is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's demands at all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. The data includes average FPS for all combinations, with minimum and maximum FPS only recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. The Low preset achieves an average FPS of 275, which is the highest recorded for any configuration. The Medium preset averages 229 FPS, with a minimum of 194 FPS and a maximum of 263 FPS. The High preset averages 171 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 133 FPS. This resolution is clearly the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate gaming, as even the Ultra preset exceeds 120 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but drops noticeably. The Low preset averages 182 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium preset averages 151 FPS, with a minimum of 129 FPS and a maximum of 174 FPS. The High preset averages 113 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 88 FPS. This resolution is still ideal for competitive play, with the Low and Medium presets comfortably above the 144Hz threshold.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more modest. The Low preset averages 102 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset averages 85 FPS, with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 97 FPS. The High preset averages 63 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 49 FPS. This resolution is only suitable for slower-paced gaming, as the frame rates drop below the 60 FPS threshold at High and Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and the desired frame rate. The data provides clear guidance for each resolution.

For 1920x1080, the High preset is the best choice for most users. It delivers an average FPS of 171, which is well above the 144Hz refresh rate commonly found on competitive gaming monitors. This preset offers a balance between visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 133 FPS is also viable for users with 120Hz or 144Hz monitors, but the visual difference between High and Ultra may not justify the 22% performance drop. The Low preset at 275 FPS is only necessary for users with 240Hz or higher refresh rate monitors who prioritize maximum frame consistency over visual fidelity.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is recommended for competitive play. It delivers an average FPS of 151, which is above the 144Hz threshold, and its minimum FPS of 129 ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The High preset at 113 FPS is also acceptable for users with 120Hz monitors, but the Medium preset provides a better safety margin. The Low preset at 182 FPS is ideal for users with 165Hz or 180Hz monitors, while the Ultra preset at 88 FPS is only recommended for users who prioritize visual quality over competitive performance.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience, with an average FPS of 102. The Medium preset at 85 FPS is playable, but its minimum FPS of 72 may result in noticeable stutters in fast-paced action. The High preset at 63 FPS and the Ultra preset at 49 FPS are not recommended for Counter-Strike 2, as the game's competitive nature demands higher frame rates for responsive aiming. Users with 4K monitors should stick to the Low preset, or consider lowering the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.