Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process node. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with an 18 MB shared L3 cache. In the context of Counter-Strike 2, a game that is notoriously sensitive to single-thread performance, this CPU’s 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2249 are significant. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 693.8 FPS, which suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding frames at an extremely high rate. Its passmark_single_thread score of 3456 places it in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, indicating strong per-core performance for a mid-range desktop part. The CPU’s 3dmark_2_threads score of 1692 and 4_threads score of 3012 also matter here, as Counter-Strike 2’s engine typically utilizes fewer threads than many modern AAA titles, making the i5-12400’s fast single-core and low-thread-count performance more relevant than its raw multi-core throughput.

When compared to its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database, the i5-12400 holds its ground. Its average benchmark score of 19850 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700, which scores 19831, a delta of just 0.1%. It is also effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-8700, which scores 19894, a delta of -0.2%. The i5-12400 is slightly ahead of the Intel Core i5-11600K, which scores 19771, a positive delta of 0.4%. These results indicate that in synthetic multi-threaded workloads, the i5-12400 performs on par with older 8-core parts, but its advantage in Counter-Strike 2 likely comes from its newer architecture and higher IPC, which manifests in the game’s frame rate results. The CPU’s 3dmark_max_threads score of 5890 is close to its 16-thread score of 5873, showing that scaling beyond 8 threads is minimal, which aligns with the game’s thread utilization profile.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm TSMC process. It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2617 MHz, and its memory runs at an effective speed of 30 Gbps. With 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, the RTX 5080 is positioned to handle high-resolution gaming with ease. Its passmark_g3d score of 36565 places it in the 89th percentile among all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 59188 is substantial. In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 128.7 FPS, while at 4K Low it reaches 262.6 FPS, showing that the GPU’s raw throughput is the limiting factor at lower settings where the CPU can keep up.

The RTX 5080’s nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database include the Intel Arc A570M, which scores 58239, a delta of 1.6% in favor of the RTX 5080. It also leads the Intel Arc Pro A60 by 1.9% (that card scores 60326, meaning the RTX 5080 is behind by -1.9% from the comparison perspective) and the Intel Arc A580 by 2.5% (that card scores 57756). Interestingly, the RTX 5080 trails the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X by 2.6% (that card scores 57661). These deltas are small, suggesting that in synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5080 is closely matched with these other GPUs, but in actual Counter-Strike 2 gameplay, the measured FPS numbers are exceptionally high, indicating that the GPU is more than sufficient for this title. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 56.28 TFLOPS and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s provide the computational headroom to push high frame rates even at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals clear scaling patterns across resolutions and settings. Starting at 1080p, the combo achieves 693.8 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest recorded frame rate in the dataset. Moving to 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 470.4, a reduction of approximately 32% from 1080p. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 262.6, which is a further drop of about 44% from 1440p. This scaling behavior indicates that at Low settings, the CPU is the primary bottleneck at 1080p, but as resolution increases, the GPU begins to take over as the limiting component. The fact that 1080p Low yields nearly 700 FPS suggests that the i5-12400 is being pushed to its limits, and the RTX 5080 is not fully utilized at that resolution and setting combination.

For High settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 445.6 FPS, which drops to 292.8 FPS at 1440p High and 162.8 FPS at 4K High. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 34%, and from 1440p to 4K is about 44%, mirroring the Low setting trend. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 342.1 FPS at 1080p, 231 FPS at 1440p, and 128.7 FPS at 4K. The Ultra setting shows the smallest relative drop from 1080p to 1440p at about 32%, but the 4K Ultra result of 128.7 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that across all settings, the bottleneck shifts from CPU-bound at 1080p to GPU-bound at 4K, with the RTX 5080’s high memory bandwidth and shading power being fully exercised at the highest resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 79th out of 1632 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the top 5% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the mid-range nature of the CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank of 79 out of 1632 means that the combination is outperformed by 78 other combos, likely those pairing the RTX 5080 with higher-end CPUs such as the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 parts, which would provide even more single-thread headroom for this CPU-bound title. However, the fact that this combo still achieves such a high rank demonstrates that the i5-12400 does not significantly bottleneck the RTX 5080 in Counter-Strike 2, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 128.7 FPS, which is a playable frame rate for competitive gaming, though not as high as what a top-tier CPU might deliver. At 1080p Low, the 693.8 FPS result is exceptional and shows that the combo can handle the most demanding competitive scenarios without issue. The rank of 79 confirms the balance of this pairing, where the CPU’s strong single-thread performance and the GPU’s massive compute power combine to deliver high frame rates across all settings. The data suggests that while the CPU is a limiting factor at 1080p, it is not a severe one, as the combo still ranks near the top of the database.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest average FPS is 693.8, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-12400 compare to the Intel Core i7-9700 in average benchmark score?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-9700’s score of 19831.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and how does it relate to 4K performance?

A: The RTX 5080 has a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This high bandwidth supports the 162.8 FPS average at 4K High settings, allowing the GPU to feed its shading units efficiently at high resolutions.

Q: At which resolution and setting does the combo exceed 400 FPS?

A: The combo exceeds 400 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings (445.6 FPS) and at 2560x1440 with Low settings (470.4 FPS). It also exceeds 400 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings (591.7 FPS).

Q: How does the RTX 5080’s passmark_g3d score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 5080’s passmark_g3d score is 36565, which is 1.6% higher than the Intel Arc A570M’s score of 58239 (note: the rival’s score is its average benchmark score, not passmark_g3d, but the delta is 1.6%).

Q: What is the combo’s rank in the database, and how many total combos are there?

A: This combo ranks 79th out of 1632 tested combinations for Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 5% of all configurations.