Counter-Strike 2

# Counter-Strike 2 with Intel Core i7-13700K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

This combo ranks #1 out of 2,870 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2, delivering frame rates that range from 145 FPS at 4K Ultra to 814 FPS at 1080p Low. The Intel Core i7-13700K provides 16 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D brings 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth. Together, they produce results that are exceptional across all tested resolutions and settings, though the game's competitive nature means that lower settings often yield more practical advantages than visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested CPU-GPU pairs in Counter-Strike 2?

A: This combination ranks 1st out of 2,870 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it at the very top of the database for this title.

Q: What is the best settings preset for maximum frame rate?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers the highest average FPS at 814, followed by Low at 2560x1440 with 539 FPS and Low at 3840x2160 with 301 FPS. Low settings consistently produce the highest frame rates at every resolution.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces 814 FPS average compared to 392 FPS on Ultra, representing a gain of 422 FPS or roughly 108% higher frame rate when using Low settings.

Q: Does this combo maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 145 FPS, which remains well above typical competitive thresholds. The Medium preset at 4K provides 250 FPS average with a minimum of 213 FPS.

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

A: The only configuration with recorded minimum FPS values is Medium settings: 213 FPS at 3840x2160, 380 FPS at 2560x1440, and 575 FPS at 1920x1080. These represent the lowest 1% or 0.1% lows in the measured data.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46,881, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46,971, just 0.2% higher. The Intel Xeon w3-2535 scores 46,653, which is 0.5% lower.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock runs at 3.40 GHz and boosts up to 5.40 GHz, giving it the single-thread speed that Counter-Strike 2's engine heavily favors. The CPU carries 30 MB of shared L3 cache plus 2 MB per core of L2 cache, with 80 KB per core of L1 cache, ensuring that frequently accessed game data stays close to the execution cores.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-13700K demonstrates strong scaling from 2 threads to 16 threads. Its 3DMark scores climb from 2,262 at 2 threads to 8,193 at 8 threads, reaching 12,412 at max threads. The single-thread score of 1,136 in 3DMark and 2,116 in Cinebench R23 single-core highlight the processor's ability to handle lightly-threaded workloads like game logic and physics calculations. The multi-thread Cinebench R23 score of 30,745 shows that the CPU also has substantial headroom for background tasks, streaming, or recording while gaming.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46,881 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 45,887 and a PassMark single-thread score of 4,333. Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-13700K trails the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 by just 0.2% (46,971 vs 46,881) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 by 0.3% (47,022 vs 46,881). It leads the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX by 0.5% (46,654 vs 46,881) and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 by 0.5% (46,653 vs 46,881). This places the CPU in a tight performance cluster where no single rival holds a meaningful advantage in aggregate benchmarks.

For Counter-Strike 2 specifically, the combination of high single-thread performance and a large L3 cache is critical. The game's netcode and server-side hit registration depend on consistent frame pacing, which the 5.40 GHz boost clock helps maintain. The 16 cores also ensure that the CPU is never the bottleneck, even when the RTX 5090 D is pushing 800+ FPS at 1080p. The processor's 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 or DDR5 memory give builders flexibility, though the benchmark results suggest the platform is well-balanced for this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a massive 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. Its base clock runs at 2017 MHz and boosts to 2407 MHz, while the memory operates at 1750 MHz or 28 Gbps effective. The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory sits on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth—a figure that becomes relevant at 4K resolutions where texture data and frame buffers compete for memory access.

The GPU's shading units number 21,760, with 680 texture mapping units and 176 render output units. It also carries 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores, though Counter-Strike 2's competitive focus means these features see limited use in typical gameplay. The raw compute throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s ensure that the GPU is never the limiting factor, even at 4K Ultra where the measured average is 145 FPS.

In GPU benchmark tests, the RTX 5090 D scores 44,065 in PassMark G3D and 28,396 in PassMark GPU compute, with a Geekbench OpenCL score of 310,674 and Vulkan score of 376,915. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326 confirms strong API-level performance. The GPU's average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT at 76,904 (1.1% lower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78,940 (1.6% higher).

For Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role shifts depending on resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the game becomes heavily CPU-bound, which is why the 814 FPS result approaches the theoretical limit of the engine. At 4K Ultra, the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth come into play, yet it still manages 145 FPS average. The 32 GB VRAM allocation is far beyond what Counter-Strike 2 requires at any settings, but it provides future-proofing and ensures no texture streaming stutters. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is particularly useful at 4K Medium, where the measured minimum of 213 FPS shows consistent frame delivery under load.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing sits at rank 1 out of 2,870 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, meaning no other CPU-GPU combination in the database achieves higher average frame rates across the tested configurations. This top ranking is notable because the i7-13700K is not the absolute fastest CPU available—it sits in the 89th percentile—and the RTX 5090 D is not the highest-scoring GPU either, ranking in the 92nd percentile. The combination's success stems from how well the CPU's high single-thread performance complements the GPU's raw throughput in a game that responds to both.

The measured FPS data shows a clear hierarchy: 1920x1080 Low produces 814 FPS, which is 34% higher than the next best configuration (1440p Low at 539 FPS). The gap between resolutions narrows as settings increase—at Ultra, 1080p yields 392 FPS while 4K yields 145 FPS, a 63% difference. This suggests that at higher settings, the GPU becomes more relevant, while at lower settings, the CPU's single-thread speed dominates.

The combo's rank of 1 out of 2,870 implies that it outperforms combinations with more expensive CPUs or GPUs, likely due to the balanced nature of the pairing. The i7-13700K's 5.40 GHz boost clock is high enough to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 5090 D at 1080p, while the GPU's 32 GB VRAM and 512-bit bus are sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The data shows no configuration where this combo falls below playable thresholds—even the lowest measured result (4K Ultra at 145 FPS) exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate common on high-end monitors.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play at 1920x1080, the Low preset is the clear choice, delivering 814 FPS average—more than double the 392 FPS of Ultra. This frame rate headroom can reduce input latency and provide smoother aim tracking on high-refresh displays. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 676 FPS average with a 575 FPS minimum, which is still far above any display's refresh rate, making it a sensible compromise if you want slightly better visuals without sacrificing competitive performance.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 539 FPS, while Medium yields 448 FPS with a 380 FPS minimum. Both are sufficient for 360 Hz monitors, so the choice depends on whether visual clarity matters more than the extra ~90 FPS. The High preset at 1440p gives 334 FPS, which is still excellent, but the step down from Medium to Low provides a 20% frame rate increase.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset at 250 FPS average with a 213 FPS minimum is the sweet spot—it offers good visual quality while maintaining frame rates above 200 FPS. High at 4K drops to 187 FPS, and Ultra falls to 145 FPS, which may be acceptable for casual play but is below the threshold for serious competitive play on 240 Hz displays. The Low preset at 4K provides 301 FPS, which is exceptional for the resolution but sacrifices visual detail that may impair target acquisition at distance.

Overall, the data suggests that Medium settings provide the best balance across all resolutions, with minimum FPS values of 575 at 1080p, 380 at 1440p, and 213 at 4K. These minimums are critical for consistent frame pacing in a game where timing matters, and they are all well above the 60 FPS baseline that most players consider minimum playable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates scale dramatically with settings. Low produces 814 FPS average, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. Medium drops to 676 FPS average with a minimum of 575 FPS and maximum of 778 FPS, representing a 17% reduction from Low. High yields 505 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 392 FPS—a 52% reduction from Low. The progression from Low to Ultra shows diminishing returns in visual quality per frame lost, but all 1080p configurations exceed 390 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the pattern repeats with lower absolute numbers. Low produces 539 FPS, Medium 448 FPS average with minimum 380 FPS and maximum 515 FPS, High 334 FPS, and Ultra 260 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 279 FPS, or 52%—a similar ratio to 1080p. The Medium configuration at 1440p shows a minimum of 380 FPS, which is higher than the 1080p Ultra average of 392 FPS, indicating that Medium at a higher resolution can outperform Ultra at a lower one.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates remain impressive but show a steeper drop-off. Low produces 301 FPS, Medium 250 FPS average with minimum 213 FPS and maximum 288 FPS, High 187 FPS, and Ultra 145 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 156 FPS, or 52%—consistent with the other resolutions. The Medium minimum of 213 FPS is the lowest recorded value in the entire dataset, yet it still exceeds 200 FPS, demonstrating the combo's capability even under demanding 4K loads.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing insight into frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range from 575 to 778 FPS (203 FPS spread) represents a 30% variation between minimum and maximum. At 1440p Medium, the range is 380 to 515 FPS (135 FPS spread, 36% variation). At 4K Medium, the range is 213 to 288 FPS (75 FPS spread, 35% variation). These consistent variation percentages suggest the frame time distribution scales proportionally with resolution, indicating no unexpected stuttering or hitches at any setting.

The data shows that this combo is capable of exceeding 500 FPS at 1080p and 1440p with Low settings, and remains above 200 FPS at 4K with Medium settings. The 4K Ultra result of 145 FPS is the only configuration that dips below 150 FPS, making it the least suitable for competitive play but still viable for casual or spectator use. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the 1080p Low configuration at 814 FPS is the definitive choice, though 1440p Low at 539 FPS offers a better balance of resolution and speed for most modern high-refresh monitors.