Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 occupies the 1731st position out of 2870 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2. This places the combo in the 40th percentile of all tested hardware pairings, meaning roughly 60% of the configurations in the database deliver higher average frame rates in this specific title. While this rank might seem modest, it is important to contextualize it against the game's nature as a highly competitive esports title where the difference between a mid-tier and top-tier ranking often translates to only a few dozen frames at lower resolutions. The data indicates that this pairing is not designed to top leaderboards but to provide a balanced experience, with the bottleneck shifting between components depending on the resolution and settings selected. The performance delta between this combo and those ranked just above it is typically small, but the gap widens significantly when compared to configurations featuring higher-tier CPUs and GPUs, particularly at 1080p where CPU overhead becomes the primary differentiator.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output pipelines. The card operates with a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, delivering a peak FP32 throughput of 13.17 TFLOPS. Memory configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, with the memory clocked at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role is predominantly to handle resolution scaling and higher graphical presets, as the game's engine is notoriously CPU-bound at lower settings. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 339 FPS, which suggests the GPU is far from being the limiting factor at that point. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and 2160p, the GPU's workload expands, and the frame rates begin to reflect the RTX 5050's mid-range positioning. The card sits at the 66th percentile among all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153, 0.6% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21237, 1% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713, 1.6% lower), which places the RTX 5050 in a tightly contested performance band where a few percentage points separate it from older or mobile-focused alternatives.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Counter-Strike 2 at all tested settings, as the game does not exhibit the high memory demands seen in modern AAA titles. The data shows no anomalous frame rate collapses that would indicate VRAM exhaustion, even at 4K Ultra where the average FPS drops to 60. The GPU's 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores are present but largely unused in this title, as Counter-Strike 2 does not leverage ray tracing or DLSS in the measured scenarios. The pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s provide adequate fill rates for the game's relatively simple geometry and texture work, though the 128-bit memory bus limits bandwidth compared to wider-memory competitors. At 4K, the bandwidth constraint becomes more apparent; the 320.0 GB/s figure is sufficient for maintaining 78 FPS on High, but the jump to Ultra reduces performance by nearly 23%, indicating that the memory subsystem and shading units are working near their limits.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, which points to the GPU becoming the dominant limiting factor at higher pixel counts. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 339 FPS, which drops to 225 FPS at 1440p Low (a 33.6% reduction) and further to 126 FPS at 4K Low (a 62.8% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is steeper than what would be expected from pure pixel-count increases alone, suggesting that the RTX 5050's compute and bandwidth resources are being taxed more heavily as resolution rises. The 1080p to 1440p jump represents a 2.25x increase in pixel count, yet the FPS drop is only 1.5x, indicating some headroom in the GPU's capabilities. However, the 1440p to 4K transition, which is a 2.25x pixel increase again, results in a 1.79x FPS reduction, showing diminishing returns and increased efficiency loss at the highest resolution.

Looking at the High preset across resolutions, the data shows 211 FPS at 1080p, 139 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. The relative drops are 34.1% and 43.9% respectively, which indicates that the GPU is progressively becoming the limiting component. At 1080p High, the CPU still has significant influence, as the i5-13400F's 10 cores and 16 threads can feed the GPU adequately. By 4K High, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the frame rate drops to a level where the CPU's capabilities are no longer the primary constraint. The Medium preset shows a similar trend: 282 FPS at 1080p, 187 FPS at 1440p, and 104 FPS at 4K, with the 1080p to 1440p drop of 33.7% being nearly identical to the Low preset's 33.6% reduction. This consistency suggests that the scaling behavior is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven, reinforcing the conclusion that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the key factors at higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most pronounced scaling penalty, with 163 FPS at 1080p dropping to 108 FPS at 1440p (a 33.7% reduction) and then to 60 FPS at 4K (a 63.2% reduction from 1080p). The 4K Ultra result of exactly 60 FPS is notable, as it represents the combination's worst-case scenario and indicates that the RTX 5050 is heavily saturated at this configuration. The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference is 176 FPS (339 vs. 163), at 1440p it is 117 FPS (225 vs. 108), and at 4K it narrows to 66 FPS (126 vs. 60). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU limitation, as the settings-based performance differences become less pronounced when the GPU is already near its maximum workload.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the most balanced experience for this combo, delivering 187 FPS average with a minimum of 159 FPS and a maximum of 215 FPS. This configuration provides a comfortable margin above the 144 Hz refresh rate commonly found in competitive monitors while maintaining visual fidelity that is noticeably better than Low. The 159 FPS minimum ensures that frame time spikes remain manageable, which is critical for a fast-paced shooter like Counter-Strike 2 where consistent frame delivery matters more than peak averages. At 1080p, the Medium preset achieves 282 FPS with a minimum of 240 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate displays, but the visual benefit of stepping up to High at 211 FPS might be preferable for players who prioritize image quality over raw frame counts.

For players with 4K displays, the High preset at 78 FPS is the recommended choice, as it remains above the 60 FPS threshold while providing substantially better visuals than Low's 126 FPS. The Ultra preset at 60 FPS is playable but offers no headroom for frame drops, and the data shows that the transition from High to Ultra at 4K costs 18 FPS (a 23.1% reduction) for what is typically a marginal visual improvement in this title. The Low preset at 1080p produces 339 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play on 360 Hz monitors, but the jump to Medium only costs 57 FPS (a 16.8% reduction) and provides significantly better shadows and texture filtering that can aid in spotting enemies. The measured data does not include any minimum FPS values for the Low and High presets, which limits the ability to assess frame consistency, but the Medium preset's documented minimums suggest that it is a stable choice across all resolutions.

The Ultra preset is generally not recommended due to the disproportionate performance cost, particularly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra delivers 163 FPS, which is 119 FPS lower than Low and 48 FPS lower than High, yet the visual differences in Counter-Strike 2 are often subtle due to the game's art style. At 1440p, the Ultra preset's 108 FPS is still playable but sits below the 144 Hz threshold that many competitive players target, making High at 139 FPS a more suitable option. The data supports the conclusion that the sweet spot for this combo is High at 1440p or Medium at 1440p, depending on whether the user prioritizes visual fidelity or frame rate consistency.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. The Low preset produces an average of 339 FPS, which is the maximum measured value in the entire dataset. The Medium preset achieves 282 FPS with a minimum of 240 FPS and a maximum of 324 FPS, providing a tight frame time distribution that is well-suited for competitive play. The High preset drops to 211 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 163 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a total reduction of 176 FPS, with the largest single-step drop occurring between Medium and High (71 FPS) and between High and Ultra (48 FPS). All 1080p results exceed the 144 Hz threshold, and even the Ultra preset remains above 160 FPS, indicating that the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to maintain high frame rates at this resolution.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the performance scales down consistently. The Low preset averages 225 FPS, which is a 33.6% reduction from 1080p Low. The Medium preset delivers 187 FPS with a minimum of 159 FPS and a maximum of 215 FPS, representing a 33.7% drop from its 1080p counterpart. The High preset achieves 139 FPS, a 34.1% reduction, while the Ultra preset produces 108 FPS, a 33.7% reduction. The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings at 1440p suggests that the GPU is scaling linearly with pixel count and that no single setting is causing disproportionate penalties. The Medium preset's minimum of 159 FPS is particularly notable, as it remains above the 144 Hz refresh rate, making this the highest settings level that can sustain competitive refresh rates at this resolution.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the frame rates fall to their lowest measured values. The Low preset averages 126 FPS, which is a 62.8% reduction from 1080p Low and a 44.0% reduction from 1440p Low. The Medium preset delivers 104 FPS with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS, representing a 63.1% reduction from 1080p Medium and a 44.4% reduction from 1440p Medium. The High preset achieves 78 FPS, a 63.0% reduction from 1080p High and a 43.9% reduction from 1440p High. The Ultra preset produces 60 FPS, a 63.2% reduction from 1080p Ultra and a 44.4% reduction from 1440p Ultra. The minimum FPS of 89 at Medium 4K indicates that the combo can maintain playable frame rates even at this demanding resolution, though the Ultra preset's 60 FPS average leaves no margin for frame drops.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 339, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This is the only configuration in the dataset that exceeds the 300 FPS mark.

Q: Can this combo maintain 144 FPS at 2560x1440 resolution?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at 1440p delivers an average of 187 FPS with a minimum of 159 FPS, which stays above the 144 FPS threshold. The High preset at 139 FPS average falls slightly below 144 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 339 FPS while the Ultra preset averages 163 FPS, representing a 176 FPS difference. This is a 51.9% reduction in frame rate when moving from the lowest to the highest settings.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, scores 21153 (0.6% higher), while the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713 (1.6% lower). The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, which is 1.6% higher.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K gaming in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data shows that 8 GB is sufficient, as the combo achieves 78 FPS at 4K High and 60 FPS at 4K Ultra without any signs of memory-related performance collapses. The game's moderate texture requirements do not stress the VRAM capacity.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1731st out of 2870 tested combinations, placing it in the 40th percentile. This indicates that a majority of tested configurations deliver higher average frame rates in Counter-Strike 2.

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. It operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz, with a 65 W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. The CPU features a 20 MB shared L3 cache, with 1.25 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core. In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU is not the limiting factor. The data confirms this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 339 FPS, which is well above what the RTX 5050 would be capable of delivering if it were the bottleneck. The CPU's single-thread performance, measured at 960 in the 3dmark single-thread test and 3634 in the passmark single-thread test, is crucial for this game's engine, which relies heavily on a few main threads for game logic and physics.

The i5-13400F's multi-threaded capabilities are also relevant, as the 3dmark max threads score of 7307 and the cinebench r23 multicore score of 22604 indicate strong overall throughput. However, Counter-Strike 2 does not scale perfectly with multiple cores, and the data shows that the CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most settings. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as evidenced by the consistent percentage drops in FPS across settings when moving to higher resolutions. The CPU's 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292, places it in a competitive position relative to its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25284, 0% difference), the Intel Core 5 120 (25362, 0.3% higher), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25365, 0.3% higher).

The CPU's cache configuration is particularly relevant for Counter-Strike 2, as the game benefits from low-latency memory access. The 20 MB L3 cache is shared across all cores, which helps reduce memory latency in scenarios where the game's data working set fits within the cache. The 4.60 GHz boost clock provides the single-threaded responsiveness that competitive shooters require, and the 3dmark single-thread score of 960 indicates that the CPU can handle the game's primary thread efficiently. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 211 FPS, which is 128 FPS lower than at 1080p Low, suggesting that the graphical settings are starting to shift some load to the GPU, but the CPU still has headroom. The measured results show that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution above 1080p, as the frame rate scaling from 1440p to 4K follows the GPU's expected performance degradation pattern.