Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a competitive FPS that demands high and consistent frame rates, and the data for the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B370 reveals a specific performance envelope. This combination ranks near the bottom of tested configurations, making it a niche choice for this title. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, using only the provided benchmark data.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of the Core i7-13700K + Arc B370 combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The combo ranks 2642 out of 2870 tested combinations, placing it in the 8th percentile of all tested systems. This indicates that the vast majority of other CPU and GPU pairings deliver higher frame rates in this game.

Q: Can this system run Counter-Strike 2 at 1920x1080 with a high refresh rate?

A: Yes, at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 162. However, at High settings the average drops to 100 FPS. For a 144Hz monitor, Low settings are required, while High settings will push the system below that threshold, though it remains playable.

Q: What is the best resolution for a smooth competitive experience?

A: The data suggests 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system consistently exceeds 100 FPS. At 2560x1440, even Low settings only produce an average of 107 FPS, while Medium drops to 89 FPS. At 3840x2160, all settings average below 60 FPS, with Ultra at just 29 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its direct rivals according to synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Arc B370 has an average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184. This is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), with deltaPct values between -0.7% and -0.2%. Its score is 1.4% higher than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168). This places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the role of the CPU's core and thread count in this game's performance?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K provides 16 cores and 24 threads. Benchmark results show a strong scaling from 2 threads (2262 in 3DMark) to 16 threads (10717), indicating the CPU has substantial multi-threaded headroom that is not the primary bottleneck in this GPU-limited configuration.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this pairing?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU ranking and its similarity to decade-old GPUs like the Radeon HD 5770 suggest it severely constrains frame rates. The CPU, which ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, is far more capable and is not the performance ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how settings impact performance. For this specific combo, the priority is achieving a playable frame rate, and the settings must be tailored to the target resolution.

At 1920x1080, the system offers the most flexibility. Low settings deliver an average of 162 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate competitive play. Medium settings still provide a solid 134 FPS average, with a minimum of 114 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay on standard 144Hz monitors. High settings drop the average to 100 FPS, which is acceptable for 60Hz displays but less ideal for esports. Ultra settings should be avoided, as the average falls to 78 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance ceiling is much lower. Low settings yield an average of 107 FPS, which is the only setting that clears the 100 FPS mark. Medium settings average 89 FPS, with a minimum of 76 FPS, which is still playable but may feel less responsive. High settings drop to an average of 66 FPS, and Ultra settings plummet to 52 FPS, making them unsuitable for a competitive edge.

At 3840x2160, the system is severely challenged. Low settings are the only option for a barely playable experience, averaging 60 FPS. Medium settings average 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, which will be noticeably choppy. High settings average 37 FPS, and Ultra settings average just 29 FPS, rendering the game nearly unplayable at this resolution.

The best experience per the measured rows is achieved by using 1920x1080 with Low settings, which provides the highest average FPS (162) and ensures the smoothest, most responsive gameplay. If visual fidelity is a priority and the user can tolerate a lower frame rate, Medium settings at 1920x1080 (134 FPS average) offers a strong balance of quality and performance. For users with a 1440p monitor, Low settings are the only way to maintain a competitive frame rate. The data shows that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2642 out of 2870 tested combinations (comboRankInGame) places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested for Counter-Strike 2. This is a critical data point for context. It indicates that the performance measured here is significantly below what most other hardware pairings achieve. The GPU is the primary reason for this low ranking. Its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs means it is outperformed by 95% of the graphics cards in the database. The nearest rivals to the Arc B370 in synthetic benchmarks are all older, low-power components like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which are not competitive in modern gaming.

In contrast, the CPU is a high-end part. The Intel Core i7-13700K ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, -0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, 0.5%). This shows that the processor is a top-tier performer, but its capabilities are wasted when paired with such a weak GPU in this specific game.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile (89) and the GPU's low percentile (5) explains the combo's poor overall rank. The frame rates are entirely dictated by the graphics card. This configuration is fundamentally unbalanced for Counter-Strike 2, where the CPU typically has a significant role in handling game logic and draw calls, but the GPU must still render the frame. Here, the Arc B370 cannot keep up, making the powerful CPU irrelevant to the final FPS output. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would yield dramatically higher frame rates, but that is beyond the scope of this analysis.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is presented in the FACT PACK and is reproduced here for clarity. All figures are average FPS unless otherwise noted.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 60 FPS
• Medium: 50 FPS (min 42, max 57)
• High: 37 FPS
• Ultra: 29 FPS

At 4K, the system is only capable of a playable frame rate on Low settings, and even then, it barely hits 60 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 10 FPS, and from Medium to High is another 13 FPS, showing a steep performance penalty for increased visual quality. The jump from High to Ultra results in an 8 FPS loss. The minimum FPS of 42 on Medium indicates potential stuttering.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 107 FPS
• Medium: 89 FPS (min 76, max 102)
• High: 66 FPS
• Ultra: 52 FPS

At 1440p, Low settings provide a good competitive experience, with an average of 107 FPS. Medium settings drop to 89 FPS, which is still smooth for most players, but the minimum of 76 FPS shows a measurable dip. High and Ultra settings are not recommended for competitive play, as the frame rates fall to 66 and 52 FPS, respectively.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 162 FPS
• Medium: 134 FPS (min 114, max 154)
• High: 100 FPS
• Ultra: 78 FPS

At 1080p, the system shows its best performance. Low settings average 162 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium settings average 134 FPS, providing a very solid experience with a minimum of 114 FPS. High settings average exactly 100 FPS, which is a common target for 100Hz+ monitors, but the lack of a reported minimum suggests potential variance. Ultra settings drop to 78 FPS, which is still playable but not ideal for fast-paced shooters.

The data shows a clear pattern: the GPU is the bottleneck at every resolution. The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 84 FPS, while at 4K it is only 31 FPS. This is because at higher resolutions, the GPU is so overburdened that the settings changes have a smaller absolute effect, but the frame rates are too low to be playable.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated GPU (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 300 MHz, and it boosts to 2400 MHz. It has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation pipelines. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's main memory (DDR4 or DDR5) rather than dedicated VRAM. Its bandwidth and memory size are "System Dependent," which means performance will vary based on the system's memory configuration.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark score is 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low score, and its nearest rivals are all legacy parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168). The deltaPct values are all within ±1.4%, meaning the Arc B370 performs almost identically to these very old GPUs in a modern DirectX 12 test. This is a strong indication of its limited rasterization power.

This low performance directly explains the measured FPS results. In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU is responsible for rendering the scene, and with only 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and a shared memory interface, it is severely underpowered for this game. The 25 W TDP and IGP form factor further confirm its design as a low-power, entry-level solution, not a gaming part. The data shows that at 1080p Low, it can manage 162 FPS, but this is the only setting where it truly excels. The lack of dedicated VRAM means that higher settings and resolutions, which require more memory bandwidth and capacity, will cause performance to plummet, as seen in the 4K results. The GPU's boost clock of 2400 MHz is decent, but it cannot compensate for the low number of shading units and the shared memory bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a desktop processor from the Core 13th Gen series, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It features 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It has a 30 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per core L2 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration. Its launch MSRP is $409. It is an unlocked multiplier part, allowing for overclocking.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks show it is a powerhouse. It scores 30745 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2116 in single-core. In 3DMark, it scores 12412 with max threads and 1136 with a single thread. Its Passmark multithread score is 45887, and its single-thread score is 4333. These results place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, -0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, 0.5%), showing it is a top-tier performer.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and the simulation of the match, while the GPU renders frames. With 16 cores and 24 threads, the i7-13700K has far more processing power than the game requires. The benchmark data for the combo shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 162 FPS, which is a high number but still below what a CPU of this caliber could drive with a more capable GPU. The performance scaling from 2 threads to 16 threads in 3DMark (2262 to 10717) demonstrates the CPU's ability to handle heavy multi-threaded workloads, but Counter-Strike 2 is not heavily multi-threaded in a way that would bottleneck this CPU.

The high single-thread performance (2116 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is particularly relevant for FPS games, which often rely on a few fast cores. However, the measured FPS is consistently low across all settings, proving that the GPU is the sole bottleneck. The CPU's 5.40 GHz boost clock and large cache are wasted potential in this pairing. The data suggests that the i7-13700K is capable of far higher frame rates, but the Intel Arc B370 cannot deliver them. This is a classic case of a high-end CPU being held back by a low-end GPU, and the combo's poor rank of 2642 out of 2870 is a direct result of this imbalance.