Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER occupies the 1147th position out of 1632 tested combinations for Counter-Strike 2. This places the combo in the lower-middle tier of the database, suggesting that while it can run the game, a substantial portion of tested hardware configurations deliver higher average frame rates. The ranking reflects a pairing where the GPU, which sits at the 63rd percentile against all GPUs, is likely the primary constraint in this esports title, rather than the CPU, which ranks in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1147 out of 1632 indicates that roughly 70% of tested systems outperform it in Counter-Strike 2. This is a notable finding given the strength of the processor. The Intel Core i7-13700K achieves an average benchmark score of 47282, placing it just 0.1% behind the Intel Core i7-13700KF and 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4364P. Its nearest rivals also include the Intel Core i9-12900F, which trails by 0.4%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945, which leads by 0.5%. These tight margins show the CPU is competitive with top-tier alternatives, yet the overall combo ranking suffers because the GPU is not in the same performance class.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is 19774, sitting at the 63rd percentile. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN, scores 19706, a delta of 0.3%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 is 0.5% ahead, while the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 and NVIDIA Tesla K40m trail by 0.8% and 1.3%, respectively. For a competitive shooter like Counter-Strike 2, where high frame rates are critical, this GPU tier is adequate but not exceptional. The data suggests that users seeking higher rankings would need to pair the i7-13700K with a more powerful GPU, as the processor’s headroom is not being fully utilized.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip fabricated on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective. The GPU’s base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz. These specifications are modest by modern standards, and benchmark results reflect this: the GPU scores 16462 in Passmark G3D and 6721 in Passmark GPU Compute.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU’s role becomes evident when examining frame rates across settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 322 FPS, but at 4K with Ultra settings, it drops to 59.9 FPS. This wide range indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU can push frames higher when the GPU workload is lighter. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for this game, as Counter-Strike 2 is not typically VRAM-intensive, but the raw compute power of the RTX 2060 SUPER caps performance in demanding scenarios. The GPU’s 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 224.4 GTexel/s texture rate are adequate for 1080p competitive play but struggle to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows the highest average frame rate at 1920x1080 with Low settings, reaching 322 FPS. At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the average drops to 210.8 FPS, and at 3840x2160 with Low settings, it falls to 122.1 FPS. For competitive play, 1080p offers the most headroom.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 47282. It is 0.1% behind the Intel Core i7-13700KF, 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4364P, and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900F. The AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 5945 leads it by 0.5%.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU scores in the 93rd percentile, while the GPU is in the 63rd percentile. Frame rates drop significantly from 1080p Low (322 FPS) to 4K Ultra (59.9 FPS), showing GPU-bound behavior at higher settings.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER has a memory bus width of 256 bit and a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its memory type is GDDR6 with a size of 8 GB and an effective speed of 14 Gbps.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1147 out of 1632 tested combinations for Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the lower-middle tier, with most other configurations delivering higher average frame rates.

Q: What are the CPU’s core and thread counts?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K has 16 cores and 24 threads. It features a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with 30 MB of shared L3 cache.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 322 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 268.3 FPS, while High settings yield 200.9 FPS. Ultra settings bring the average down to 154.3 FPS. These numbers show that the RTX 2060 SUPER can comfortably handle 1080p at high refresh rates, even on High settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable but drop noticeably. Low settings average 210.8 FPS, Medium settings achieve 177.3 FPS, and High settings produce 132.3 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 100.5 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of roughly 34% at Low settings, indicating the GPU is becoming more involved.

At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 122.1 FPS, Medium settings drop to 99.2 FPS, and High settings fall to 76.9 FPS. Ultra settings bottom out at 59.9 FPS. While 4K is playable at Low settings, the experience is not ideal for competitive play, where frame rates above 144 FPS are often preferred.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound pattern. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 322 at 1080p to 210.8 at 1440p, a 34.5% reduction, and then to 122.1 at 4K, a 62.1% reduction from 1080p. This steep decline indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component, as the CPU’s performance would remain more consistent across resolutions if it were the bottleneck.

At Ultra settings, the drop is even more pronounced. From 154.3 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate falls to 100.5 FPS at 1440p, a 34.9% decrease, and then to 59.9 FPS at 4K, a 61.2% decrease from 1080p. The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are sufficient for 1080p but become strained at 4K, particularly with Ultra settings that require more shading and texture work.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the clear choice, delivering 322 FPS. This is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors and competitive play. Medium settings at 1080p still offer 268.3 FPS, which is excellent for most scenarios. High settings at 1080p produce 200.9 FPS, providing a balance between visual quality and performance.

At 2560x1440, Low settings are recommended for competitive play, with 210.8 FPS. Medium settings at 1440p achieve 177.3 FPS, which remains smooth for most users. High settings drop to 132.3 FPS, which may be acceptable for casual play but not ideal for esports. Ultra settings at 1440p are not recommended, as the 100.5 FPS average is below the threshold for high-refresh displays.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings provide a playable experience, averaging 122.1 FPS. Medium settings fall to 99.2 FPS, and High settings to 76.9 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K are not viable for competitive play, with 59.9 FPS. The data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with 1440p viable at lower settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a high-end processor with 16 cores and 24 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with 30 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are impressive: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 47282 places it in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that the i7-13700K is more than capable of this task, as frame rates at 1080p Low reach 322 FPS, which is well above the GPU’s limit. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4333, is particularly relevant for this game, which relies heavily on single-core performance. The processor’s 3dmark single-thread score of 1136 further confirms its strength in lightly threaded workloads. The CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration; the GPU is.