Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a title where framerate is king, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 produces a dataset that reveals a clear hierarchy of bottlenecks. The measured frames per second across resolutions and presets show a system that is overwhelmingly capable, yet the scaling patterns indicate where the CPU’s influence wanes and the GPU’s raw throughput takes over. This analysis dissects the numbers to understand which component drives the experience at each setting.

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

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory position it as a versatile mid-range part. In the broader benchmark landscape, this CPU holds a percentile ranking of 77 among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 19221. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-8700K, which scores 19210 (a 0.1% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS at 19364 (-0.7% delta), placing it in a tightly contested performance tier.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the graphics card is less stressed. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 526.6 FPS, a figure that is 60% higher than the 327.8 FPS seen at High settings. This massive jump indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than the GPU can render when graphical load is minimal. The processor’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 909 and a passmark_single_thread score of 3481, is critical here, as Counter-Strike 2 relies heavily on a few fast cores for game logic and draw calls.

However, the CPU’s ceiling becomes visible when comparing 1080p Low (526.6 FPS) to 1440p Low (346 FPS). The drop of 34% is not purely a GPU limitation; it suggests that at 1080p, the i5-12400F is nearing its maximum output. The Core i5-12400F’s 3dmark_8_threads score of 4779 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 16518 show it is a competent multi-threaded part, but the game’s engine likely taxes the highest-clocked cores more than the additional threads. The data implies that while the CPU is not a weak link, its performance ceiling is reached at the highest framerates, making the GPU the primary variable once settings rise.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its boost clock reaches 2475 MHz, and it houses 5888 shading units. The GPU’s benchmark percentile is 81, with an average score of 37283, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, -0.6% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38008, -1.9% delta), showing it sits slightly above the pack in raw compute.

The RTX 4070’s role in Counter-Strike 2 is defined by its ability to handle resolution scaling. At 4K Ultra, the system drops to 96.7 FPS, while at 4K High it recovers to 122.6 FPS. This 21% performance uplift from Ultra to High demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor at the highest fidelity settings, with the 12 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth being sufficient but not excessive for the load. The GPU’s passmark_g3d score of 26927 and 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 3854 place it as a high-end part, yet the data shows it cannot maintain the CPU’s framerate ceiling once pixel count increases.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. At High settings, the system goes from 219.7 FPS at 1440p to 122.6 FPS at 4K, a 44% reduction. This is a larger drop than the 33% reduction seen from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings, indicating that the GPU is increasingly saturated as resolution climbs. The RTX 4070’s fp32 throughput of 29.15 TFLOPS and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s are substantial, but the data suggests that Counter-Strike 2’s rendering pipeline at 4K demands more than the GPU can deliver to keep pace with the CPU’s lower-resolution output.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Examining the measured rows, the most balanced experience is found at High settings across all resolutions. At 1080p High, the system delivers 327.8 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any high-refresh-rate monitor, while 1440p High offers 219.7 FPS, and 4K High still maintains a playable 122.6 FPS. The Low preset is technically the fastest, reaching 526.6 FPS at 1080p, but it sacrifices visual fidelity for a framerate that exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all displays. Medium settings provide a middle ground, with 440.2 FPS at 1080p and 290.7 FPS at 1440p, but the jump from Medium to High only costs about 25% of the framerate while likely offering noticeable visual improvements.

The Ultra preset, however, is where the system struggles. At 1080p Ultra, the framerate drops to 252.5 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 96.7 FPS, which is below the 100 FPS mark many competitive players consider a minimum. The data shows that Ultra settings impose a significant penalty, likely due to advanced shadows and reflections that stress the GPU’s ray tracing and compute units. For a competitive shooter like Counter-Strike 2, High settings offer the best of both worlds: the visual clarity is improved over Low, and the framerate remains high enough to avoid any input latency concerns. The recommendation from the measured data is to use High at 1080p or 1440p, reserving Low for those who prioritize raw speed over image quality.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average framerate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average framerate is 526.6 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-8700K (19210) and 0.3% higher than the Intel Core i5-1335U (19167), but 0.7% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (19364).

Q: Is the RTX 4070 more powerful than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283, which is 0.6% lower than the RX Vega 56’s score of 37507, indicating the Vega 56 is slightly ahead in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: What framerate can be expected at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average framerate at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 290.7 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU’s VRAM capacity become a limiting factor at any tested resolution?

A: The data shows the RTX 4070’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient across all settings, as no abnormal framerate collapses are observed that would indicate VRAM overflow.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average framerate is 96.7 FPS, which is the lowest measured value in the dataset.

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

The framerate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a textbook transition from CPU-bound to GPU-bound behavior. At Low settings, the framerate drops from 526.6 FPS at 1080p to 346 FPS at 1440p (a 34% reduction) and then to 197.2 FPS at 4K (a 43% reduction from 1440p). This pattern suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU is the primary limiter, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly. The 1440p Low result of 346 FPS is still exceptionally high, but the drop indicates the GPU is starting to take over as the bottleneck.

At High settings, the scaling is more consistent with GPU limitations. The framerate goes from 327.8 FPS at 1080p to 219.7 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop) and then to 122.6 FPS at 4K (a 44% drop). This near-linear scaling with pixel count (4K has 4x the pixels of 1080p) confirms the GPU is the limiting component at this preset. The Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling, with 252.5 FPS at 1080p dropping to 167.8 FPS at 1440p (a 34% drop) and then to 96.7 FPS at 4K (a 42% drop), reinforcing that the RTX 4070’s compute resources are fully taxed at higher fidelity. The data implies that players seeking the absolute highest framerates should stay at 1080p, while those with 1440p or 4K displays must accept the GPU’s rendering limits.

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

At 1920x1080, the system delivers 526.6 FPS on Low, 440.2 FPS on Medium, 327.8 FPS on High, and 252.5 FPS on Ultra. The spread from Low to Ultra is 274.1 FPS, indicating that settings have a massive impact at this resolution. The 1080p results show that even at Ultra, the framerate exceeds 240 FPS, making this resolution ideal for competitive play.

Moving to 2560x1440, the framerates are 346 FPS on Low, 290.7 FPS on Medium, 219.7 FPS on High, and 167.8 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, averaging around 34%. At 1440p, the Ultra preset still maintains a playable 167.8 FPS, but the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 178.2 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system achieves 197.2 FPS on Low, 162.1 FPS on Medium, 122.6 FPS on High, and 96.7 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results show the GPU’s limits, with Low settings barely reaching 200 FPS and Ultra falling below 100 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is steeper, with an average drop of 43%, confirming the GPU is the dominant factor. The data across all resolutions shows a clear hierarchy: Low is always fastest, Ultra is always slowest, and High offers the best compromise for visual quality versus performance.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 374 out of 1632 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the top 23% of all systems evaluated. This rank is notable given the CPU’s mid-range positioning and the GPU’s high-end performance. The rank indicates that while the combo is not at the absolute top of the leaderboard, it outperforms the vast majority of systems, likely due to the RTX 4070’s strong rasterization performance and the i5-12400F’s capable single-threaded speed.

The rank of 374 suggests that there are 373 combos that achieve higher average framerates, likely featuring more powerful CPUs like higher-end Core i7 or i9 parts, or GPUs like the RTX 4080 or 4090. However, the delta between this combo and those above it is unlikely to be massive, given that the measured framerates at 1080p already exceed 500 FPS, which is beyond the refresh rate of even the most advanced gaming monitors. The combo’s rank also implies that the i5-12400F does not severely bottleneck the RTX 4070, as the GPU is able to express its full potential at 1440p and 4K. For players with standard 1440p displays, this rank confirms that the pairing is well-balanced, delivering framerates that are competitive with systems costing significantly more. The data shows this combo is a high-tier performer, with the caveat that pushing to the very top of the rankings would require a more robust CPU to complement the GPU’s capabilities at lower resolutions.