Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rate is king, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a commanding performance profile. The data presents a system capable of exploiting high-refresh-rate monitors at every resolution tested, but the scaling patterns reveal a nuanced shift in system bottlenecks as settings and resolution change. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where the GPU becomes increasingly dominant at higher resolutions and quality presets, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance keeps frame rates exceptionally high at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a significant frame rate drop that is consistent with a GPU-bound workload at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 418 FPS at 1920x1080 to 277 FPS at 2560x1440, and further to 155 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 33.7% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 62.9% reduction from 1080p to 4K when using the High preset. The scaling indicates that the RTX 4080 is the primary limiting component as pixel count increases, with the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth becoming the deciding factors.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced at the Low preset, where the average FPS drops from 674 at 1080p to 446 at 1440p (a 33.8% reduction) and then to 249 at 4K (a 63.1% reduction from 1080p). This suggests that even at Low settings, where the CPU has less geometry and shading work to do, the GPU still governs performance as resolution climbs. However, the absolute frame rates at 1080p Low (674 FPS) indicate that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to achieve extremely high output, highlighting the strong performance of the Core i5-13400F's single-thread capabilities.

At the Ultra preset, the frame rate scaling is slightly steeper, dropping from 325 FPS at 1080p to 215 FPS at 1440p (a 33.8% reduction) and 120 FPS at 4K (a 63.1% reduction). The consistent percentage drops across all presets when moving from 1080p to 1440p and 4K suggest that the RTX 4080's performance scaling is linear with pixel count, regardless of the graphical load. This behavior points to a system where the GPU's computational resources are the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU's headroom is sufficient to avoid becoming a constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database, this specific combination of Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 237 out of 3719 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2. This places the system in the top 6.4% of all tested combos, indicating that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for this game. The high rank reflects the synergy between the CPU's fast single-thread performance and the GPU's substantial rasterization power, which together produce frame rates that are competitive with far more expensive configurations.

The CPU's percentile rank of 77 among all processors, combined with the GPU's percentile rank of 86 among all graphics cards, suggests that this combo sits in the upper echelon of hardware. The Core i5-13400F's average benchmark score of 25292 places it in the same performance tier as the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, deltaPct 0) and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25201, deltaPct 0.4). It also edges out the Intel Core 5 120 (25362, deltaPct -0.3) and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, deltaPct -0.3) by a small margin. This indicates that the CPU is delivering performance consistent with its class, with no significant bottlenecks in general compute tasks.

The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54247 places it narrowly ahead of the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209, deltaPct 0.1) and significantly ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828, deltaPct -1.1), AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698, deltaPct -2.6), and AMD Radeon 8060S (55757, deltaPct -2.7). The negative deltaPct values for these rivals indicate that the RTX 4080's raw benchmark score is lower, but in Counter-Strike 2, the combo rank of 237 demonstrates that the pair's gaming performance is excellent, likely benefiting from the CPU's strong single-threaded capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a formidable graphics card built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The card's base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and it houses 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. With 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores, the GPU is well-equipped for modern rendering workloads, though Counter-Strike 2 primarily relies on traditional rasterization.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate of 120 FPS demonstrates that the RTX 4080 is being pushed to its limits, with the pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s becoming the critical factors. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this game, with no indication of memory capacity being a limiting factor at any resolution or preset. The GDDR6X memory's effective speed of 22.4 Gbps ensures that the card can maintain high frame rates even when texture data is being streamed heavily.

The GPU's benchmark performance, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 and a Passmark G3D score of 34457, indicates that it is a top-tier card for gaming workloads. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 214739 and Vulkan score of 263779 further underscore its compute capabilities. In Counter-Strike 2, the RTX 4080's performance scales predictably with resolution, and the measured FPS data shows that it delivers playable frame rates even at the most demanding settings. The card's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design suggest it is a power-hungry component, but the measured results justify this power draw with high frame rates across the board.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 418 FPS, while the Ultra preset provides 325 FPS. The difference between these two settings is 93 FPS, which is substantial for competitive play. However, the Low preset achieves 674 FPS, which is the highest frame rate measured at this resolution Mend. The Medium preset sits between, with 560 FPS.

For competitive players who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p offers the highest headroom, though the 674 FPS average is far beyond the refresh rates of most monitors. The Medium preset at 560 FPS still provides an excellent margin over a 360 Hz display, while offering better visual fidelity. For players with 1440p monitors, the High preset at 277 FPS remains well above the 240 Hz threshold, making it the recommended choice for a balance of visual quality and performance. The Low preset at 446 FPS is excessive, and the Ultra preset at 215 FPS is still sufficient for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The High preset delivers 155 FPS, which is above the 144 Hz threshold but below the 165 Hz or higher refresh rates found on some premium monitors. The Medium preset provides 207 FPS, which is a better fit for 144 Hz displays, but the Low preset at 249 FPS is the only option that approaches 240 Hz territory. The Ultra preset at 120 FPS is playable but leaves little headroom for frame time spikes. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot, offering 207 FPS average with a minimum of 176 FPS and a maximum of 238 FPS, ensuring consistent performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are 674 FPS on Low, 560 FPS on Medium, 418 FPS on High, and 325 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 476 FPS and a maximum of 644 FPS, indicating a tight frame time distribution with a 168 FPS range. This consistency is ideal for competitive play, as it minimizes the risk of stutters during fast-paced action.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates are 446 FPS on Low, 371 FPS on Medium, 277 FPS on High, and 215 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum of 315 FPS and a maximum of 426 FPS, a range of 111 FPS. The tighter range at 1440p compared to 1080p suggests that the frame pacing is more stable at higher resolutions, likely due to the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck and reducing CPU-induced frame time variance.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates drop to 249 FPS on Low, 207 FPS on Medium, 155 FPS on High, and 120 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 176 FPS and a maximum of 238 FPS, a range of 62 FPS. This is the narrowest range of any resolution and preset combination, indicating that at 4K, the system is heavily GPU-bound, resulting in more consistent frame delivery. The 155 FPS average on High at 4K is particularly notable, as it remains above the 144 Hz refresh rate threshold, allowing for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

FAQ

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

A: The maximum average frame rate is 674 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Does this combo maintain 144 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 resolution, the High preset averages 155 FPSholiday, and the Medium preset averages 207 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 120 FPS, which is below 144 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS at 25284 (deltaPct 0). It is also slightly higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H at 25201 (deltaPct 0.4) and slightly lower than the Intel Core 5 120 at 25362 (deltaPct -0.3) and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D at 25365 (deltaPct -0.3).

Q: What is the frame rate range for the Medium preset at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 371, with a minimum of 315 FPS and a maximum of 426 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU's VRAM capacity a limiting factor in this game?

A: No, the RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, which is more than sufficient for Counter-Strike 2 at any resolution or preset tested. The data shows no indication of memory capacity limiting performance.

Q: How does the combo rank in Counter-Strike 2 compared to other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 237 out of 3719 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.4% of all systems tested for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 20 MB L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing flexibility for system builders.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings, where the frame rates are extremely high. At 1080p Low, the 674 FPS average indicates that the CPU's single-thread performance is sufficient to drive the RTX 4080 to its limits. The 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3191 demonstrate strong single-threaded capabilities, which are critical for a game that relies heavily on CPU-bound game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 11068. However, in Counter-Strike 2, the game's engine typically scales with fewer threads, making the single-thread performance more important. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and 8-thread score of 5591 show that the CPU can handle multi-threaded workloads, but the game's performance is more closely tied to the single-thread metrics. The CPU's percentile rank of 77 among all processors confirms that it is a well-above-average performer, though it is not at the very top of the range. The close rivalry with the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS and Ryzen 7 6800H in average benchmark scores indicates that the CPU is competitive with these higher-end mobile parts, despite being a desktop chip.