Counter-Strike 2

# Counter-Strike 2 with Intel Core Ultra 5 235 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a robust Counter-Strike 2 experience across all tested resolutions, with the data revealing a system that transitions from GPU-bound at 4K to increasingly CPU-sensitive at lower resolutions. The measured frame rates show this pairing sits at rank 1510 out of 2870 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of all configurations, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's modest VRAM capacity shape the overall performance profile in distinct ways depending on the resolution and settings chosen.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution drops from 3840x2160 to 1920x1080, but the magnitude of the gains tells an important story about where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the average frame rate jumps from 88 FPS at 4K to 157 FPS at 1440p, a substantial 78% improvement, and then climbs further to 237 FPS at 1080p, representing a 169% increase over the 4K baseline. This scaling pattern suggests that at 4K, the RTX 4060's rendering workload dominates, while the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions.

The Low settings data amplifies this observation dramatically. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 141, but dropping to 1440p Low yields 253 FPS (a 79% gain), and 1080p Low reaches 382 FPS (a 171% gain over 4K). The fact that 1080p Low produces nearly triple the frame rate of 4K High indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, and even at 1440p, the GPU still constrains performance more than the CPU. However, the transition from 1440p Low at 253 FPS to 1080p Low at 382 FPS shows a 51% improvement, which is less than the resolution pixel-count difference would suggest, hinting that the CPU begins to exert more influence as the GPU workload lightens.

The Medium settings measurements include minimum and maximum frame data, providing additional context on frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the average is 117 FPS with a minimum of 100 FPS and maximum of 135 FPS, showing a relatively tight 35 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the average rises to 210 FPS with a range of 179 to 242 FPS (63 FPS spread), and at 1080p Medium, the average reaches 317 FPS with a range of 270 to 365 FPS (95 FPS spread). The widening frame time variance at lower resolutions suggests that CPU-related frame hitches become more pronounced as the GPU completes frames faster, pointing to the Core Ultra 5 235 as an increasingly relevant factor at 1080p.

Ultra settings show the steepest performance cost at every resolution. The 4K Ultra average drops to 68 FPS, which is 23% below the 4K High result. At 1440p Ultra, the average is 122 FPS, a 22% reduction from High, and at 1080p Ultra, the average is 184 FPS, a 22% reduction from High. This consistent 22-23% penalty across all resolutions indicates that Ultra settings impose a similar relative load increase on the GPU regardless of resolution, reinforcing that the RTX 4060's compute capabilities, not memory bandwidth, are the primary constraint at higher settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, built on TSMC's 3 nm process with Arrow Lake architecture. The CPU's benchmark results show a single-thread score of 2085 in Cinebench R23 and 4516 in Passmark single-thread tests, placing it in the 89th percentile against all CPUs. These single-thread numbers are particularly relevant for Counter-Strike 2, a competitive FPS that historically relies heavily on single-core performance for game logic and frame scheduling.

The multi-threaded results demonstrate solid overall throughput, with Cinebench R23 multi-core scoring 14769 and Passmark multithread at 37816. The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 puts it in close competition with several rivals: it sits 0.1% above the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030), 0.1% below the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098), and 0.2% above both the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970) and AMD EPYC 7303 (45960). These extremely tight margins (all within 0.3%) suggest that the Ultra 5 235's performance profile is comparable to these alternatives, though the gaming-specific behavior in Counter-Strike 2 may differ due to architectural differences not captured in aggregate benchmark scores.

The CPU's L3 cache is 24 MB shared, with L2 cache at 3 MB per core and L1 at 192 KB per core, which can influence how effectively the processor handles the rapid data access patterns typical of a fast-paced FPS. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz provides the high-frequency headroom that Counter-Strike 2's engine can exploit, and the data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 382 FPS, which is likely approaching the CPU's practical frame delivery limit for this title. The 14 threads are fully utilized in this workload, as evidenced by the Passmark physics score of 2570 and data compression score of 390711, though the game likely scales primarily with the highest-performing cores rather than the full thread count.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and RTX 4060 combination holds rank 1510 out of 2870 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the 52.6th percentile of all configurations tested. This mid-pack ranking is somewhat surprising given the strong individual performance of both components — the CPU sits in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, and the GPU in the 61st percentile against all GPUs. The discrepancy suggests that Counter-Strike 2's specific optimization characteristics may not fully leverage the strengths of this pairing, or that the game's engine has particular bottlenecks that this combination does not fully address.

A rank of 1510 means that 1360 tested combos outperformed this setup, while 1360 performed worse, indicating a balanced but not exceptional standing. The GPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks are notably older or lower-tier products: the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon 780M (deltaPct 0.3), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (deltaPct 0.5), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (deltaPct 0.7). These rivals all score within 1% of the RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 17639, yet the RTX 4060's architectural advantages in features like ray tracing and DLSS are not reflected in these particular benchmark scores, which may explain why the combo rank in a specific game like Counter-Strike 2 does not align perfectly with the GPU's overall percentile.

The CPU's rival comparisons show similarly tight groupings, with all four nearest rivals within 0.2% of the Ultra 5 235's average score. This clustering suggests that for Counter-Strike 2, the choice between these CPUs would likely produce minimal performance differences, with the actual in-game results more dependent on GPU settings and resolution than on the specific processor selected. The combo's rank of 1510 should be interpreted as a data point indicating that while this is not a top-tier configuration for this game, it is far from the bottom, and the measured FPS values confirm playable performance at all tested settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for competitive play with this setup?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 with Low settings produces the highest average FPS at 382, while 1920x1080 Medium achieves 317 FPS. For maximum competitive responsiveness, 1080p Low offers the highest frame rate, though the 1440p Low result of 253 FPS may provide a better balance of visual clarity and performance.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has an average benchmark score of 46062, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030), 0.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098), and 0.2% higher than both the AMD EPYC 4364P (45970) and AMD EPYC 7303 (45960). These differences are negligible in practical terms.

Q: Is the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Counter-Strike 2?

A: The measured FPS data indicates that at 4K Ultra settings, the average drops to 68 FPS, which is the lowest result across all tests. While the VRAM capacity is not directly measured in the FPS data, the significant performance drop at Ultra settings suggests the GPU's resources, including memory, are stressed at higher configurations.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 210 FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 179 FPS and a maximum of 242 FPS. This indicates smooth performance with acceptable variance for most players.

Q: Does the CPU become a bottleneck at any resolution?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes more influential at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 382 FPS average is significantly higher than 1440p Low's 253 FPS, but the gains from 1440p to 1080p (51%) are smaller than from 4K to 1440p (79%), indicating diminishing returns as the CPU's frame delivery limits approach.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested configurations?

A: This combination ranks 1510 out of 2870 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2, placing it slightly above the median. This indicates that while it is not a top-tier setup for this specific game, it outperforms a slight majority of all tested configurations.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth, paired with 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs. The GPU's boost clock runs at 2460 MHz with a base clock of 1830 MHz, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with the AD107 chip and Ada Lovelace architecture. The GPU's benchmark scores show a Passmark G3D score of 19545 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302, placing it in the 61st percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639.

The RTX 4060's performance in Counter-Strike 2 reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario at 4K resolution. The jump from 88 FPS at 4K High to 157 FPS at 1440p High represents a 78% improvement, which closely matches the pixel count reduction, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. Even at 4K Low settings, the 141 FPS result is well below the 253 FPS at 1440p Low, reinforcing that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are stretched at the highest resolution.

The GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth may contribute to the performance scaling observed at Ultra settings, where the 22-23% penalty relative to High settings is consistent across all resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM capacity, while sufficient for this game at most settings, could become a constraint at 4K Ultra if texture data exceeds available memory, though the measured 68 FPS average at that configuration indicates the game remains playable. The GPU's 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate provide the raw throughput needed for high frame rates at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 382 FPS result at 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset delivers the best experience for different priorities. For players seeking maximum competitive performance, 1920x1080 with Low settings produces an average of 382 FPS, offering the highest headroom above typical high-refresh-rate displays. The 1440p Low setting at 253 FPS still provides substantial overhead for 240 Hz monitors while offering increased resolution clarity, making it a strong compromise for players who prioritize both performance and visual quality.

For balanced visual quality and high frame rates, the Medium preset at 1440p achieves 210 FPS average with a minimum of 179 FPS, ensuring consistent performance above 144 Hz refresh rates. The 1080p Medium setting at 317 FPS average (minimum 270 FPS) is the better choice for players with 240 Hz or 360 Hz displays who want improved visuals over Low without sacrificing the high frame rates needed for competitive play.

High settings at 1440p produce 157 FPS average, which remains playable on 144 Hz monitors but introduces more variance than Medium, while 1080p High at 237 FPS is suitable for 240 Hz displays. Ultra settings should be avoided for competitive play, as even at 1080p the average drops to 184 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 68 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth competitive play on most high-refresh monitors. The data clearly indicates that Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p provide the optimal balance of frame rate stability and visual fidelity for this hardware combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 resolution, the measured average FPS values by settings are: Low at 141 FPS, Medium at 117 FPS (minimum 100 FPS, maximum 135 FPS), High at 88 FPS, and Ultra at 68 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 73 FPS, with the step from Low to Medium costing 24 FPS (17% reduction), Medium to High costing 29 FPS (25% reduction), and High to Ultra costing 20 FPS (23% reduction).

At 2560x1440 resolution, the measured average FPS values are: Low at 253 FPS, Medium at 210 FPS (minimum 179 FPS, maximum 242 FPS), High at 157 FPS, and Ultra at 122 FPS. The total spread between Low and Ultra is 131 FPS, with Low to Medium decreasing by 43 FPS (17%), Medium to High by 53 FPS (25%), and High to Ultra by 35 FPS (22%). The minimum FPS of 179 at Medium settings ensures the experience stays above 144 Hz even during demanding scenes.

At 1920x1080 resolution, the measured average FPS values are: Low at 382 FPS, Medium at 317 FPS (minimum 270 FPS, maximum 365 FPS), High at 237 FPS, and Ultra at 184 FPS. The total range is 198 FPS, with proportional decreases of 17% from Low to Medium (65 FPS), 25% from Medium to High (80 FPS), and 22% from High to Ultra (53 FPS). The 1080p Medium minimum of 270 FPS indicates that even the worst-case frame rate remains above the refresh rate of most gaming monitors, making this configuration particularly well-suited for high-refresh competitive play.