Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing delivers a versatile Counter-Strike 2 experience, but the optimal settings depend heavily on your display's refresh rate and resolution. At 1920x1080, the combination is overwhelmingly powerful, with even the High preset achieving 200 FPS average. The data suggests that for competitive play at this resolution, the Low preset's 322 FPS average is the definitive choice for maximum frame pacing, while the High preset remains more than sufficient for most users. Moving to 2560x1440, the system still performs admirably, with the Low preset hitting 213 FPS average and High at 132 FPS. At 3840x2160, the story changes; the Ultra preset drops to 57 FPS average, which is below the threshold for smooth competitive play. The measured results indicate that the Medium preset at 4K, with an 84 FPS minimum, is the only viable option for a playable experience at that resolution, though it falls short of high-refresh-rate displays.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data reveals a clear hierarchy of settings presets for this hardware combination. For players targeting the standard 60 Hz display at 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the only acceptable choice, delivering a 99 FPS average with a 84 FPS minimum, ensuring no significant stutters. The High preset at 4K offers 74 FPS, which is borderline for 60 Hz displays but risks dips below the refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 57 FPS is not recommended for any competitive scenario, as the data shows it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, the recommendation shifts based on refresh rate: for 144 Hz displays, the High preset at 132 FPS is the ideal balance of visual fidelity and performance, while the Low preset at 213 FPS is superior for 240 Hz panels. The Medium preset at 177 FPS also works well for 165 Hz displays, providing a 151 FPS minimum that stays above the refresh rate. At 1920x1080, every preset exceeds 155 FPS, making the choice purely about visual preference; the High preset at 200 FPS is the recommended default for most users, as it provides a substantial margin above 144 Hz while retaining graphical quality. The benchmark results show that the Low preset's 322 FPS is only necessary for 360 Hz esports displays, a niche scenario where every frame matters. Overall, the data suggests that the Medium preset across resolutions offers the most consistent experience, with the 1920x1080 Medium delivering a 268 FPS average and a 228 FPS minimum, which is the safest bet for any high-refresh-rate monitor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary driver of frame rates in this configuration, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth proves sufficient for Counter-Strike 2 at all tested settings. The GPU's 2176 shading units and 136 texture mapping units process the game's geometry efficiently, as evidenced by the 322 FPS average at 1920x1080 Low settings. The boost clock of 1650 MHz, up from a 1470 MHz base, provides the raw compute power needed for high frame rates. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed, which is adequate for the game's texture streaming demands at 4K resolution. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is a key factor in the 4K Medium result of 99 FPS, where the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Notably, the GPU's 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates that this is a mid-to-upper-tier part, and the benchmark scores confirm this: the Passmark G3D score of 16462 places it in a competitive position. The nearest rival comparisons show it performing within 1.6% of the AMD Radeon RX 460 and Intel Arc A770M in average benchmark scores, though the RTX 2060 SUPER's real-world gaming performance in this title shows a clear advantage at lower resolutions. The 10,800 million transistors on a 445 mm² die at 12 nm process node deliver the thermal headroom needed for sustained performance, though the 175 W TDP should be noted for system builders. The GPU's 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are present but underutilized in Counter-Strike 2, as the game does not feature ray tracing or DLSS; the data shows that traditional rasterization performance is what matters here.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution, with the Low preset achieving 322 FPS average and the High preset at 200 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 213 FPS, while 3840x2160 tops out at 119 FPS on Low settings, making 1440p the practical ceiling for high-refresh-rate gaming.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Counter-Strike 2?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The 3840x2160 Medium preset provides a 99 FPS average with a 84 FPS minimum, which is playable on 60 Hz displays. The High preset drops to 74 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 57 FPS, so 4K is only recommended on Medium settings for a consistent experience.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, which is 0.4% lower than the RTX 3060 Mobile at 18159 and 0.5% lower than the Radeon Pro 5700 at 18189. It outperforms the RX 460 and Arc A770M by 1.5% and 1.6%, respectively, based on the deltaPct values.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile relative to all other processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, which is 0.2% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4% lower.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM on the RTX 2060 SUPER sufficient for this game?

A: The data shows that 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus is enough for all tested settings, including 4K Ultra. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s ensures that texture loading does not bottleneck frame rates, as evidenced by the 322 FPS average at 1080p Low.

Q: What is the expected frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 213 FPS average, while the Ultra preset drops to 103 FPS. This represents a 110 FPS difference, or roughly a 51.6% reduction in performance, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional graphical effects significantly impact the GPU's workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and RTX 2060 SUPER combination ranks 2620 out of 3719 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the 70th percentile of all configurations. This ranking is respectable but not top-tier, reflecting the CPU's 47th percentile standing and the GPU's 62nd percentile position. The data indicates that this combo is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it excels, rather than 4K, where it struggles at higher presets. The combo's rank is influenced by the CPU's 6 cores and 6 threads, which lack hyper-threading, potentially limiting performance in CPU-bound scenarios. However, the benchmark results show that in this specific game, the GPU is often the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the 4K results. The combo's position in the middle of the pack suggests that while it is not a top performer, it is far from the bottom, offering a solid experience for mainstream gamers. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the Core i7-10710U with a 0.3% higher score, and GPU rivals like the RTX 3060 Mobile with a 0.4% higher score, indicate that this combo is competitive with newer hardware despite its age. The data shows that the combo's performance is well-balanced for its class, with no single component severely limiting the other at typical gaming resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, plays a crucial role in Counter-Strike 2's performance, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the primary bottleneck. The CPU's base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz provide sufficient single-thread performance for the game's engine, as evidenced by the 322 FPS average at 1080p Low settings. The 9 MB of shared L3 cache and 256 KB L2 per core help reduce memory latency, which is critical for the game's fast-paced action. The CPU's 65 W TDP and Intel Socket 1151 compatibility make it a straightforward upgrade path, though its end-of-life status limits future options. Benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935, placing it in the 47th percentile. The nearest CPU rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259 in average benchmarks versus the i5-9400's 2254, a difference of only 0.2%, showing that the i5-9400 is well-matched against newer mobile parts. In this game, the CPU's role becomes more pronounced at 1080p, where the data shows that the frame rate scales significantly with settings changes, from 155 FPS at Ultra to 322 FPS at Low, indicating that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the CPU providing enough headroom to avoid bottlenecks. The memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s from dual-channel DDR4 is adequate for the game's requirements, though faster memory could potentially improve performance in CPU-bound scenarios. The lack of hyper-threading is a notable limitation, as the game may benefit from additional threads in complex scenes, but the measured results show that the 6 physical cores are sufficient for consistent frame delivery.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an exceptional 322 FPS average, which is 53 FPS higher than the Medium preset's 268 FPS and 122 FPS higher than the High preset's 200 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p delivers 155 FPS, still well above the 144 Hz threshold. The Medium preset shows a 228 FPS minimum and a 308 FPS maximum, indicating tight frame pacing. Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 213 FPS average, which is 36 FPS higher than the Medium preset's 177 FPS and 81 FPS higher than the High preset's 132 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 103 FPS, which is below the 144 Hz target but acceptable for 100 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a 151 FPS minimum and a 204 FPS maximum, providing a stable experience for 165 Hz monitors. At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly: the Low preset achieves 119 FPS, the Medium preset 99 FPS, the High preset 74 FPS, and the Ultra preset 57 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K shows a 84 FPS minimum and a 114 FPS maximum, which is the only setting that maintains a playable frame rate on 60 Hz displays. The data shows a clear trend: at each resolution, the difference between Low and Medium is approximately 20 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra is more pronounced, indicating that the Ultra preset's additional effects tax the GPU disproportionately. The 1080p Medium setting, with its 268 FPS average and 228 FPS minimum, is the most balanced option across all resolutions, offering high frame rates with minimal risk of drops below the refresh rate of most gaming monitors.