Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 combination delivers a highly capable Counter-Strike 2 experience, with benchmark data showing the pairing ranks 1313th out of 1632 tested combos in the game. The i5-9400 sits at the 50th percentile among all tested CPUs, while the RX 6600 lands at the 69th percentile among GPUs, indicating a balanced pairing where the graphics card carries slightly more weight in overall performance. Measured FPS data across three resolutions and four quality presets reveals that this system can comfortably push beyond 144 frames per second at 1080p in most settings, making it well-suited for competitive play.

FAQ

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

A: The maximum measured average FPS is 297 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the ceiling of the tested configurations, with Medium settings reaching 245.6 FPS at the same resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which places it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299), and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295). The Intel Core i7-8809G leads by 0.6% with a score of 2319.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. This memory capacity is sufficient for Counter-Strike 2's demands, as evidenced by playable frame rates at all tested resolutions including 3840x2160.

Q: Which resolution and settings combo provides the best balance of quality and frame rate?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the system achieves 118.4 FPS average, which balances visual fidelity with smooth gameplay. This is notably higher than the 93.1 FPS at Ultra settings for the same resolution, making High the recommended sweet spot.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to all other tested combinations in this game?

A: The combination ranks 1313th out of 1632 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the overall ranking. This indicates that while the system performs adequately, many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher frame rates in Counter-Strike 2.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest measured average FPS is 55.9 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only configuration that drops below 60 FPS, making 4K Ultra the most demanding scenario for this hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides six physical cores and six threads, operating at a base clock of 2.90 GHz with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. This Coffee Lake architecture processor draws 65 W TDP and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth. In the context of Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is significant because the game's engine relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and input processing, while multi-threaded workloads handle ancillary tasks like audio and networking.

Benchmark data shows the i5-9400 achieves a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125 and a multi-core score of 7969. These figures suggest that the processor maintains reasonable single-thread performance for the game's primary simulation thread, though the six-thread limitation may create bottlenecks in scenarios with many concurrent entities. The processor's 9 MB shared L3 cache and 256 KB per-core L2 cache contribute to latency-sensitive operations, which matter for maintaining consistent frame pacing in competitive shooters.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 2305 places it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals clustering within 0.6% of its performance. This mid-pack positioning means the i5-9400 provides a baseline level of processing power that neither boosts nor restricts the GPU in most scenarios. In Counter-Strike 2, the measured FPS data indicates that at 1080p Low settings reaching 297 FPS, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to sustain very high frame rates, suggesting the CPU does not become a limiting factor until higher resolutions or more demanding settings are selected.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 employs the Navi 23 chip built on RDNA 2.0 architecture using a 7 nm process at TSMC, containing 11,060 million transistors on a 237 mm² die. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz, while memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across an 8 GB GDDR6 interface with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. These specifications place the GPU at the 69th percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25235.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's 1792 shading units and 64 ROPs determine the rendering throughput at various quality settings. The measured data shows a clear scaling pattern: at 1080p, average FPS drops from 297 at Low to 144.8 at Ultra, representing a 51% reduction in frame rate. Similarly, at 1440p, the range spans from 198.1 FPS at Low to 93.1 FPS at Ultra, and at 4K, it falls from 110.8 at Low to 55.9 at Ultra. These results demonstrate that the RX 6600's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient even at 4K, as the bottleneck shifts to compute throughput rather than memory capacity.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 890M with a 0% delta, the Radeon RX 580 2048SP at -0.2%, the Radeon RX 6700M at +0.2%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti at +0.5%. This tight clustering suggests the RX 6600 performs within 0.5% of several comparable solutions, though the RTX 3060 Ti's slightly higher average score indicates marginally better overall compute capability.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on the player's display refresh rate and resolution preference. At 1920x1080, which remains the most common resolution for competitive Counter-Strike 2 play, all tested settings exceed 144 FPS: Low achieves 297 FPS, Medium reaches 245.6 FPS, High delivers 180.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 144.8 FPS. For players with 144 Hz monitors, High settings offer a substantial visual upgrade over Low while still maintaining a comfortable margin above the refresh rate.

At 2560x1440, the choices narrow considerably. Low settings deliver 198.1 FPS, which suits high-refresh monitors, while Medium provides 161.5 FPS for those with 165 Hz displays. High settings at 118.4 FPS remain playable for 120 Hz monitors, but Ultra drops to 93.1 FPS, which may feel less responsive for competitive play. The data suggests that 1440p High represents the best balance of image quality and responsiveness for most players.

For 3840x2160, only Low settings (110.8 FPS) and Medium (89.8 FPS) provide playable frame rates above 60 FPS. High at 65.4 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 55.9 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold. Given that Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS where frame rate directly impacts aiming precision, the recommendation is to prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity: use High at 1080p for maximum responsiveness, or Medium at 1440p if higher resolution is preferred. The data strongly suggests avoiding 4K Ultra unless visual fidelity takes absolute precedence over gameplay smoothness.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 1313th out of 1632 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the 19.5th percentile of performance. This ranking reflects that the majority of tested CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher average frame rates in this game. The relatively low ranking is notable given that the GPU sits at the 69th percentile individually, suggesting that the CPU's mid-pack performance (50th percentile) holds back the overall combination.

The ranking indicates that while this system can deliver excellent frame rates at 1080p and good performance at 1440p, many other tested combinations exceed its capabilities. The gap between the CPU's and GPU's individual percentiles (50th vs 69th) suggests a potential bottleneck where the i5-9400 limits the RX 6600's full potential in CPU-bound scenarios. However, the measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 297 FPS, indicating that the CPU bottleneck does not manifest at lower settings where the GPU has less work to do.

The 1632-tested-combo context means this pairing sits in the lower quarter of all possible configurations. For players upgrading from older hardware, this represents a meaningful improvement, but for those seeking top-tier Counter-Strike 2 performance, the data suggests considering a more powerful CPU to better complement the RX 6600's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce 297 FPS average, which represents the highest measured value across all configurations. Medium settings achieve 245.6 FPS, High settings reach 180.8 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 144.8 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 51.2% reduction in frame rate, indicating that the GPU becomes progressively more stressed as visual effects increase.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve shifts downward while maintaining playable frame rates across all settings. Low settings deliver 198.1 FPS, Medium reaches 161.5 FPS, High produces 118.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 93.1 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra at this resolution is 25.3 FPS, which represents a significant visual quality trade-off for players seeking higher frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high refresh rates. Low settings achieve 110.8 FPS, Medium delivers 89.8 FPS, High produces 65.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 55.9 FPS. This is the only resolution where any setting falls below 60 FPS, and even Low settings cannot sustain the 144 FPS target that competitive players typically prefer. The transition from 1440p to 4K at the same settings results in approximately 44% fewer frames per second, highlighting the substantial rendering load increase at higher resolutions.

The data reveals consistent scaling patterns: increasing resolution from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by roughly 33% across all settings, while moving from 1440p to 4K further reduces performance by an additional 44%. This geometric scaling suggests that the RX 6600's compute resources, rather than its 8 GB VRAM capacity, become the limiting factor at higher resolutions.