Counter-Strike 2

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

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread desktop processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz, boosting up to 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache layout includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. This processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 CPU lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-13400F shows strong scaling from two to sixteen threads. The 3DMark scores progress from 1880 at two threads to 3459 at four, 5591 at eight, and 7314 at sixteen threads, with a max-thread score of 7307. The single-thread 3DMark score is 960. Cinebench results tell a similar story: R15 multicore hits 2144, R20 multicore reaches 8937, and R23 multicore lands at 21279, while single-core scores are 302, 1261, and 3004 respectively. Geekbench multicore is 10971 with a single-core score of 2301.

The processor's percentile ranking against all CPUs is 82, meaning it outperforms the majority of tested processors. Its average benchmark score is 25236. Comparing to nearest rivals, the i5-13400F is essentially level with the Intel Core i7-13620H, which scores 25201 (a delta of 0.1%). It trails the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D by just 0.5% (that chip scores 25365), while leading the AMD EPYC 9474F and AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 by 0.5% each (both score around 25100).

For Counter-Strike 2, this CPU's thread count and clock speed matter significantly. CS2 is a competitive FPS where high frame rates depend on strong per-core performance but also benefit from additional threads for background tasks and game logic. The 16-thread capability ensures the CPU can handle the game's simulation and networking without bottlenecking, while the 4.60 GHz boost clock provides the single-thread responsiveness that CS2's engine favors. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 311.3 FPS average, which is well beyond typical high-refresh-rate monitor capabilities, indicating the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower settings.

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

The Intel Arc B580 is based on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation), built on a 5 nm TSMC process with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines, with 20 ray tracing cores. The GPU runs at a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz, with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). It has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The B580's compute capabilities include 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 27.34 TFLOPS of FP16 (2:1 ratio). Pixel rate is 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate is 427.2 GTexel/s. The card has a 190 W TDP and requires a 450 W suggested power supply, using a single 8-pin connector. It interfaces via PCIe 4.0 x8 and offers modern API support including DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In GPU benchmarks, the Arc B580 scores 3068 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, 92821 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 109672 in Geekbench Vulkan. Passmark results show 15748 for G3D and 7729 for GPU compute. The GPU's percentile ranking is 66 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon 760M at 22999 (delta 0.1%), and it also closely matches the NVIDIA P106-100 at 22950 (delta 0.3%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 at 23181 (delta -0.7%, meaning the RTX 4060 is 0.7% ahead). The RTX 4060 Mobile scores 22729, placing the B580 1.3% ahead.

For CS2, the Arc B580's 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient even at 4K resolution, as the game is not VRAM-intensive. The 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth helps maintain frame pacing at high resolutions. The GPU's role becomes evident when examining FPS drops across quality settings — at 4K, the drop from Low to Ultra is substantial, indicating that the GPU is increasingly the bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B580 ranks 1253 out of 1632 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. That places it in the lower-middle portion of all tested system configurations, which is somewhat surprising given the individual component rankings. The CPU ranks in the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU ranks in the 66th percentile among all GPUs, yet the combo rank is in the 23rd percentile of combos (1253/1632).

This discrepancy suggests that either the pairing is not optimal for CS2 specifically, or that many other tested combos feature higher-end components that push the overall ranking down. The data shows that this combo is capable of very high frame rates — 311.3 FPS at 1080p Low — but many other combos likely achieve even higher numbers. The combo rank reflects that while this system is far from weak, it sits behind a substantial number of configurations when all are compared side by side in this particular game.

The measured FPS data indicates the combo's strengths: at 1080p Medium, it delivers 256.7 FPS, and at 1440p High, it maintains 128.8 FPS. These are playable numbers for competitive gaming, though not at the absolute top tier. The rank of 1253 out of 1632 means roughly 77% of tested combos outperform it in CS2, which contextualizes the performance ceiling of this pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in CS2?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 311.3, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does this combo perform at 1440p compared to 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 311.3, while at 1440p Low it drops to 203.5 FPS — a decrease of approximately 35%. At High settings, the drop is from 191.3 FPS at 1080p to 128.8 FPS at 1440p.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the limiting factor?

A: The data suggests the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 311.3 FPS, which is very high, but at 4K Low it drops to 116.5 FPS. The substantial FPS drop from 1080p to 4K indicates GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest measured average FPS is 54, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25236, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core i7-13620H (25201) and 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365).

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B580 ranks in the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear scaling pattern. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 311.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, this drops to 203.5 FPS, a reduction of about 35%. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 116.5 FPS, which is roughly 63% lower than the 1080p Low figure. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

At High settings, the progression is 191.3 FPS at 1080p, 128.8 FPS at 1440p, and 74.1 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is about 61%, similar to the Low setting drop. At Medium settings, the numbers are 256.7 FPS at 1080p, 170.8 FPS at 1440p, and 93.9 FPS at 4K. At Ultra settings, the performance is 148.3 FPS at 1080p, 96 FPS at 1440p, and 54 FPS at 4K.

The scaling pattern shows that resolution has a proportionally larger impact at lower settings. For instance, the Low setting loses 63% going from 1080p to 4K, while Ultra loses about 64% over the same range. This consistency suggests the GPU is the limiting factor across all settings, as the CPU has enough headroom to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 54 FPS is the only measurement that falls below 60 FPS, indicating that this combo struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at maximum quality at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 1080p, the Medium preset at 256.7 FPS offers an excellent balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at 191.3 FPS is also viable for competitive play, providing better visuals while still maintaining frame rates well above 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 148.3 FPS is playable but may not be ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors above 144 Hz.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 170.8 FPS, which is strong for most displays. High settings at 128.8 FPS remain smooth for 120 Hz monitors, while Ultra at 96 FPS is acceptable for 60-100 Hz screens. The Low preset at 203.5 FPS is best for players prioritizing maximum frame rates over visual fidelity.

At 4K, the options are more constrained. Low settings at 116.5 FPS are playable, Medium at 93.9 FPS is acceptable, High at 74.1 FPS is borderline for smooth gameplay, and Ultra at 54 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K gaming, the data suggests using Low or Medium settings to maintain playable frame rates.

The best overall experience per the measured rows depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For most competitive players at 1080p, the Medium preset at 256.7 FPS provides the best combination of visual clarity and frame rate headroom. At 1440p, Medium at 170.8 FPS is the recommended choice for high-refresh monitors. For 4K users, Low at 116.5 FPS is the most practical setting, as higher presets sacrifice too much frame rate for marginal visual gains in a fast-paced FPS like CS2.