Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 presents a study in extreme component imbalance, yet the measured data reveals a surprisingly resilient performance profile. The 6-core, 6-thread Coffee Lake processor, a mid-range part from 2018, is paired with the flagship Ada Lovelace GPU, creating a bottleneck scenario that becomes increasingly apparent as resolution drops. The dataset shows this combination achieves playable frame rates across all tested configurations, with the RTX 4090’s raw power compensating for the CPU’s age in most scenarios. However, the scaling patterns between resolutions and settings clarify exactly where the silicon limits reside, offering a textbook example of how a high-end GPU can mask an older processor’s shortcomings in a CPU-bound esports title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic CPU-bound curve that flattens as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo produces 349 FPS, rising to 415 FPS on Low settings. Moving to 1440p, the same High preset yields 304 FPS, a 12.9% drop from 1080p, while Low settings only fall to 362 FPS, an 12.8% reduction. The 4K results show a more pronounced decline: High settings drop to 171 FPS, which is 51% lower than the 1080p High score, and Low settings fall to 276 FPS, a 33.5% decrease from 1080p Low. This pattern indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is the primary limiter—the GPU has ample headroom, so resolution changes have minimal impact. The gap between 1440p and 4K is where the RTX 4090 begins to engage more fully, as pixel throughput demands start to outweigh instruction issue rates.

The scaling between Low and High settings at each resolution reinforces this analysis. At 1080p, Low (415 FPS) versus High (349 FPS) shows a 15.9% difference, while at 4K the same comparison yields 276 FPS versus 171 FPS, a 38% spread. This widening delta at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes the limiting factor only at 4K, where its rendering workload grows sufficiently to expose the full performance envelope of the RTX 4090. The data suggests that for competitive play at 1080p or 1440p, the i5-9400 will cap the achievable frame rate regardless of GPU headroom, whereas 4K users will extract more proportional benefit from the graphics card’s capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 brings formidable specifications to this pairing, though its role in Counter-Strike 2 is constrained by the CPU at lower resolutions. The GPU’s 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is far more than this game requires at any tested setting. The boost clock of 2520 MHz, combined with 16,384 shading units, delivers 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, making the card capable of far higher frame rates than the processor allows. The measured results show the GPU’s potential: at 4K Low, the combo reaches 276 FPS, and at 1080p Low, it hits 415 FPS, both figures that would be substantially higher with a more modern CPU. The RTX 4090’s 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are irrelevant for this title’s rendering path, as Counter-Strike 2 does not utilize ray tracing in these tests, but the raw rasterization throughput is what drives the 4K performance.

The GPU’s memory subsystem is particularly overprovisioned for this workload. With 24 GB of VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, the card never approaches memory capacity limits at these settings, and the bandwidth is sufficient to feed the shading units even at 4K Ultra, where the combo still manages 133 FPS. The measured data indicates that the RTX 4090’s role shifts from being the bottleneck at 4K to being underutilized at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K Ultra, the 133 FPS result is 22% lower than 4K High (171 FPS), showing that the GPU is working harder with higher settings, but even then, the CPU’s frame pacing may introduce variability. The GPU’s 450 W TDP and triple-slot design are not reflected in frame rates, but the performance headroom is evident in the fact that the card can maintain 276 FPS at 4K Low, which is a scenario where most GPUs would struggle.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is the clear limiting factor in this combination, and its specifications explain the performance ceiling. With 6 cores and 6 threads running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz, this Coffee Lake processor has a 9 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory at 42.7 GB/s. The benchmark scores place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259, -0.2% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246, +0.4% delta). This positioning indicates a mid-range processor from 2018 that lacks the thread count and IPC of modern chips, yet it manages to drive Counter-Strike 2 to high frame rates because the game’s engine is optimized for lower core counts.

The CPU’s impact is most visible in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 415 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame rate capability for this game, as the GPU is not stressed at that resolution and settings. The 6-thread configuration limits parallel processing, and the lack of hyperthreading means that background tasks or game engine threads can saturate the available cores. The Cinebench R23 scores of 6629 multi-core and 935 single-core provide context: the single-core performance is adequate for CS2’s primary game thread, but the multi-core score is modest by modern standards. The nearest rival comparison shows the i5-9400 is virtually identical to the i7-1068NG7 and i7-10710U in average benchmark scores, with deltas of -0.2% and +0.3% respectively, indicating that this CPU’s performance class is well-established. At 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes, as the GPU takes over as the bottleneck, but even then, the 133 FPS at 4K Ultra suggests the processor can still feed the GPU sufficiently to avoid severe stuttering.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces the highest average frame rate at 415 FPS, followed by Medium at 389 FPS (with a min of 330 FPS and max of 447 FPS), High at 349 FPS, and Ultra at 319 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 96 FPS, or 23.1% of the Low score, indicating that settings have a moderate impact at this resolution. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 330 and max of 447 show a 117 FPS range, suggesting some frame time variance, likely due to CPU load fluctuations. At 2560x1440, the Low preset reaches 362 FPS, Medium drops to 339 FPS (min 288, max 390), High falls to 304 FPS, and Ultra is 238 FPS. The delta from Low to Ultra here is 124 FPS, or 34.3%, showing a larger settings impact than at 1080p. The 4K results show the most dramatic settings sensitivity: Low yields 276 FPS, Medium 229 FPS (min 195, max 263), High 171 FPS, and Ultra 133 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap at 4K is 143 FPS, a 51.8% reduction, confirming that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at this resolution.

Comparing the same settings across resolutions reveals the CPU bottleneck. For High settings, 1080p scores 349 FPS, 1440p scores 304 FPS (a 12.9% drop), and 4K scores 171 FPS (a 51% drop from 1080p). For Low settings, the progression is 415 FPS at 1080p, 362 FPS at 1440p (12.8% drop), and 276 FPS at 4K (33.5% drop). The smaller percentage drops for Low settings at 4K (33.5% vs 51% for High) indicate that lower settings shift more of the workload onto the CPU, which then limits performance even at 4K. The Medium preset provides the only complete min/max data across all resolutions, with 1080p showing 330-447 FPS, 1440p showing 288-390 FPS, and 4K showing 195-263 FPS. This data reveals that the frame time consistency degrades with resolution, as the min FPS at 4K is 41% lower than at 1080p, while the max FPS is 41% lower as well, indicating a proportional shift.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Counter-Strike 2, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 609th out of 3719 combos, placing it in the top 16.4% of all tested configurations. This ranking is notable because the GPU is among the fastest available, but the CPU is a mid-range part from 2018. The rank suggests that the combination outperforms many systems with more balanced components, likely because the RTX 4090’s sheer power at 4K compensates for the CPU’s limitations at lower resolutions. The percentileVsAllGpus of 88 for the RTX 4090 and percentileVsAllCpus of 47 for the i5-9400 illustrate the disparity: the GPU is in the top 12% of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the middle of the pack. This mismatch typically results in a lower overall rank than the GPU would achieve alone, but the data shows the combo still lands in the upper quintile of all tested systems.

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context. The i5-9400’s closest CPU competitors, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (avg score 2259, -0.2% delta) and Intel Core i3-10305 (avg score 2264, -0.4% delta), have nearly identical benchmark scores, so swapping the CPU for these would likely produce similar frame rates. The RTX 4090’s nearest GPU rivals, including the Intel Arc Pro A60 (avg score 60326, 0% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (avg score 60140, 0.3% delta), show that the GPU’s benchmark score is not unique, but in practice, the RTX 4090’s gaming performance is far superior. The combo’s rank of 609 out of 3719 suggests that there are 3,110 other combos that score lower, meaning this system is in the top 16.4% of tested configurations for this game. This is a strong result for a CPU that is end-of-life, but it also highlights that the i5-9400 prevents the RTX 4090 from achieving its full potential in CS2.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 415, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At which resolution does the GPU become the limiting factor instead of the CPU?

A: The data shows the GPU becomes the primary limiter at 3840x2160, where the settings impact grows from 23.1% at 1080p to 51.8% at 4K, indicating the RTX 4090 is fully engaged.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, with the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at 2259 (-0.2% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 (+0.4% delta), showing near-identical performance.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 362 FPS and Ultra produces 238 FPS, a difference of 124 FPS, or 34.3% lower at Ultra.

Q: Does the 24 GB VRAM of the RTX 4090 impact performance in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The measured data shows no evidence of VRAM limitations, as the game does not require anywhere near 24 GB, and the GPU’s bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s is more than sufficient at all tested settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Counter-Strike 2?

A: This combination ranks 609th out of 3719 tested combos, placing it in the top 16.4% of all systems tested for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user’s priority for competitive performance versus visual quality. For players seeking maximum frame rates at 1080p, the Low preset delivers 415 FPS, which is 66 FPS higher than Medium and 96 FPS higher than Ultra. This makes Low the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors (240 Hz or higher), as it maximizes the CPU’s output. At 1440p, the Low preset again leads with 362 FPS, but the Medium preset at 339 FPS (with a min of 288 FPS) still provides excellent performance for a 144 Hz display, with only a 6.4% reduction from Low. The Medium preset offers a better balance, as its min FPS of 288 is still above most refresh rates. For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 276 FPS is the only configuration that can drive a 240 Hz panel, while Medium at 229 FPS is suitable for 144 Hz displays. The High preset at 4K (171 FPS) is still playable on 144 Hz monitors but leaves less headroom for frame time spikes.

The Ultra preset is the least recommended across all resolutions, as it provides the lowest frame rates—319 FPS at 1080p, 238 FPS at 1440p, and 133 FPS at 4K—without offering meaningful visual improvements in a competitive shooter. The data shows that the jump from High to Ultra costs 8.6% at 1080p, 21.7% at 1440p, and 22.2% at 4K, which is a significant penalty for marginal visual gains. For the best experience, the Medium preset at 1440p (339 FPS) or 4K (229 FPS) provides the most balanced performance, as it maintains high frame rates while offering better visual fidelity than Low. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 288 at 1440p and 195 at 4K ensures that even in heavy combat scenes, the frame rate stays above 144 FPS at 1440p and above 165 FPS at 4K, making it the recommended choice for most users. If the priority is absolute maximum frame rate, Low at 1080p (415 FPS) is the clear winner, but for a mix of quality and speed, Medium at 1440p offers the best compromise in the measured data.