Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS that scales dramatically with resolution, and the data for the Intel Core i5-9400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti reveals a system that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are extraordinarily high, but the performance curve suggests the GPU is not the primary constraint there. As resolution increases, the load shifts to the graphics card, and the frame rates drop in a predictable, GPU-bound fashion. The measured results provide a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies and what users can expect from this pairing in a game where high frame rates are often prioritized over visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a classic pattern of GPU load scaling, but the magnitude of the drops tells a specific story about this CPU-GPU balance. At 1080p, the RTX 3060 Ti is not working anywhere near its limit. The average FPS at High settings is 201.7, while dropping to Low settings yields 319.7 FPS. This massive 118 FPS difference between presets at the same resolution indicates that the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400 with its 6 cores and 6 threads, is capable of feeding frames at a rate that exceeds what the GPU can render at higher settings. The low-preset number, pushing past the 300 FPS mark, is a strong indicator that the CPU is the limiting factor in this scenario, as the GPU is likely idling, waiting for more instructions.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain high but the scaling pattern shifts. The High preset averages 136.2 FPS, and Low jumps to 213.4 FPS. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial for all settings, but the absolute values are still well above refresh rates of standard monitors. At 4K, the situation clarifies completely. The High preset drops to 74.9 FPS, and Low falls to 117.9 FPS. The gap between Low and High at 4K is 43 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms than at 1080p but proportionally similar. This shows that at 4K, the RTX 3060 Ti becomes the definitive bottleneck, and the CPU's advantage is nullified because the GPU is fully saturated with pixel work.

The data implies that for users with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, this combination is well-balanced, but for 4K gaming, the graphics card is the clear limiting component. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a drop of roughly 45% across all presets, which is substantial and indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory are being taxed heavily. The game's engine, which is known for being CPU-intensive, shows its colors here: at 1080p Low, the system is likely hitting a CPU ceiling, as evidenced by the 319.7 FPS figure, which is far beyond what the GPU would typically produce at that setting if it were the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 1176 out of 1632 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the lower half of all possible pairings, which is surprising given the high frame rates measured. This rank is a relative measure against other CPU-GPU combinations, and it suggests that while this pairing is capable, it is not optimal for this specific title. The ranking is likely dragged down by the CPU, which has a percentile of 50 against all CPUs, indicating it is an average performer. In contrast, the GPU has a percentile of 69 against all GPUs, making it a above-average component.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the Intel Core i3-10305 and the Intel Core i3-1125G4, both with an average score within 0.2% of the i5-9400. The Intel Xeon E-2134 is 0.4% ahead, while the Intel Core i7-8809G is 0.6% ahead. This tight grouping of scores around the 2300 mark shows that the i5-9400 is in a crowded field of mid-range processors, with no significant advantage over its closest competitors. For Counter-Strike 2, which often relies on single-core performance, the i5-9400's boost clock of 4.10 GHz and its Coffee Lake architecture are adequate, but not exceptional.

The GPU's rivals paint a different picture. The AMD Radeon RX 6700M is 0.2% ahead, while the AMD Radeon RX 6600 is 0.5% ahead. The AMD Radeon 890M is 0.5% ahead, and the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is 0.7% ahead. These deltas are minuscule, meaning the RTX 3060 Ti is essentially tied with these competitors in synthetic benchmarks. Yet, the real-world game performance is strong, suggesting that the Ampere architecture handles this game's engine well. The low combo rank, therefore, is more a reflection of the CPU's modest standing than the GPU's capabilities. A user with a stronger CPU could likely push this GPU to a higher rank in this game.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 319.7, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates the CPU is capable of delivering very high frame rates when the GPU load is minimized.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest rival in terms of synthetic benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 25120. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, has a score of 25180, which is a -0.2% delta. This places them virtually at parity in synthetic tests.

Q: Is this system better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming?

A: The data strongly favors 1080p or 1440p. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 201.7 FPS, while at 4K High, it drops to 74.9 FPS. The 4K performance is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate competitive play.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking compared to all other CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has a percentile of 50, meaning it performs better than half of all CPUs in the database. This aligns with its position among rivals, which are all within 0.6% of its average score.

Q: What is the minimum average FPS recorded across all tested settings?

A: The lowest average FPS is 57.1, which is achieved at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings. This is the only preset that dips below 60 FPS, making it the most demanding configuration tested.

Q: Does the GPU have a high amount of VRAM?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. This is sufficient for most titles, but at 4K Ultra settings, the frame rate drops to 57.1 FPS, suggesting the memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is being fully utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. Low settings produce an average of 319.7 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. Medium settings yield 266.7 FPS, High settings drop to 201.7 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 156.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 163.6 FPS, showing that the GPU's workload scales significantly with preset quality even at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain competitive. Low settings average 213.4 FPS, Medium settings produce 176.6 FPS, High settings deliver 136.2 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 100.6 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, with each preset losing roughly 30-35% of its frame rate, which is a typical GPU-bound scaling pattern. At this resolution, the RTX 3060 Ti is still able to push well above 100 FPS on all presets, making it a strong choice for 1440p gaming.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve flattens and the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 117.9 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS, but this is a significant drop from the 213.4 FPS at 1440p. Medium settings produce 98.1 FPS, High settings yield 74.9 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 57.1 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 60.8 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms than at 1080p but represents a larger percentage of the baseline. The data suggests that at 4K, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors, as the CPU is no longer able to hide its weaknesses behind high frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 201.7 FPS is the sweet spot. It offers a substantial visual upgrade over Low while maintaining a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The 156.1 FPS at Ultra is also acceptable, but the 45.6 FPS gain from dropping to High is noticeable and worth the trade-off in visual quality for competitive play. The 319.7 FPS at Low is excessive for most users, but it could benefit players with 360 Hz monitors looking to maximize responsiveness.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 176.6 FPS is the best choice for balanced performance. The High preset at 136.2 FPS is still excellent and provides better image quality, but Medium offers a significant margin above the 144 Hz refresh rate, ensuring smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 100.6 FPS is playable, but the drop from Medium to Ultra is 76 FPS, which is a steep cost for increased visual fidelity in a fast-paced shooter where frame rate matters more.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 117.9 FPS is the only setting that guarantees a high-refresh-rate experience. Medium at 98.1 FPS is also viable, but High at 74.9 FPS and Ultra at 57.1 FPS are borderline for competitive play. Users with 4K 60 Hz monitors can comfortably play at Medium, but those seeking higher frame rates should stick with Low. The data suggests that this combo is not ideal for 4K gaming, as the GPU is pushed to its limits and the CPU's performance becomes irrelevant.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 9 MB shared L3 cache. Its synthetic benchmark scores show a mixed picture: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125. The single-core performance is critical for Counter-Strike 2, which relies heavily on per-core IPC. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz is decent, but the lack of hyper-threading means the processor relies on its 6 physical cores to handle all game-related tasks.

In the measured data, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p Low, where the frame rate of 319.7 FPS is likely close to the CPU's maximum output. The high frame rates at lower resolutions indicate that the i5-9400 is not a limiting factor when the GPU is not heavily loaded. However, the CPU's percentile of 50 against all CPUs means it is an average performer, and its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i3-10305, are within 0.2% in average score. This suggests that the i5-9400 is not a bottleneck for this game, but it is also not a strength. The processor's 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are typical for its generation, and the 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth is sufficient for the game's needs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is an Ampere architecture GPU built on an 8 nm process, with a die size of 392 mm² and 17,400 million transistors. It has a base clock of 1410 MHz and a boost clock of 1665 MHz, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its synthetic benchmarks show a strong showing: a Passmark G3D score of 20349 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad (DX12) score of 2626. The GPU's percentile of 69 against all GPUs places it in the top third of all graphics cards.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rates drop to 57.1 FPS at Ultra, which is the only preset that falls below 60 FPS. This is a direct result of the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and its memory bandwidth being taxed by the higher pixel count. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, are within 0.2% in average score, indicating that the RTX 3060 Ti is not uniquely suited for this game. However, the measured data shows that it is capable of delivering excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, with the 201.7 FPS at 1080p High being a standout result. The GPU's 16.20 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 38 RT cores do not directly impact this game's performance, but they are part of the overall package. The 200 W TDP and dual-slot design are standard for this class of GPU, and the 1x 12-pin power connector is a unique feature of the 30-series.