Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a title where frame rate reigns supreme, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a wide spread of results depending on how you configure it. The measured data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, this combo is capable of very high refresh rates, but the experience changes dramatically as resolution climbs. The RTX 2060, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the 14-core Arrow Lake CPU keeps things moving at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance delta between 1080p and 4K is stark, revealing a system that transitions from CPU-bound at the lowest resolution to heavily GPU-bound at the highest. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers an average of 294 FPS. Jump to 1440p Low and that figure drops to 194 FPS, a reduction of 100 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 109 FPS. This scaling shows that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, the RTX 2060’s rendering workload at higher pixel counts becomes the dominant constraint.

The pattern holds across all settings presets. With High settings, the averages are 182 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 34%, and from 1440p to 4K is about 45%. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU that runs out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as resolution increases. The RTX 2060’s 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth and 6 GB frame buffer are the likely culprits, as higher resolutions demand more texture data and larger intermediate buffers.

At Medium settings, the measured minimum and maximum FPS values provide additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the average is 244 FPS with a minimum of 208 FPS and a maximum of 281 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 162 FPS, with a minimum of 137 FPS and a maximum of 186 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 90 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS. The spread between min and max FPS narrows as resolution increases, which suggests that at 4K the GPU is consistently saturated, leaving less variance in frame times. Conversely, at 1080p, the CPU can sometimes outpace the GPU’s ability to render, leading to larger swings in frame rate.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling penalty. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 142 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 94 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 52 FPS. This represents a 63% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The Ultra preset likely enables additional shading effects and higher-quality textures that strain the 6 GB VRAM capacity, causing the GPU to work much harder per frame. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming, with 4K only viable at Low or Medium settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the defining component in this pairing, and its specifications explain much of the measured behavior. It features a TU106 chip on a 12 nm process, with 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. The boost clock is rated at 1680 MHz, with a base clock of 1365 MHz. The GPU’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 192-bit bus, yielding 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These figures place it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs according to benchmark aggregates, with an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals in that aggregate list include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (deltaPct 0), the AMD Radeon 680M (deltaPct 0.1), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (deltaPct 0.6), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (deltaPct 0.8). This shows the RTX 2060 sits in a crowded performance tier, with very small margins separating it from those alternatives.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU’s role shifts based on settings. At Low settings, the RTX 2060 is able to push very high frame rates, suggesting that the game’s minimal rendering path is well within its capabilities. The 294 FPS result at 1080p Low indicates that the GPU is not the bottleneck; rather, the CPU and memory subsystem are likely the limiting factors. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has a boost clock of 5.10 GHz and 24 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps in a CPU-light title like CS2, but the 14 threads (14 cores, 14 threads) mean that the game’s main thread performance is critical.

However, as settings increase to High and Ultra, the RTX 2060’s limitations become apparent. The 6 GB VRAM is a concern at 4K Ultra, where texture sets can exceed that capacity, forcing the GPU to swap data in and out of the 336.0 GB/s bandwidth pool. The 52 FPS average at 4K Ultra is playable but far from competitive. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s are mid-range figures for its generation, and they show in the scaling from 1080p to 4K. The pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s also contributes to the resolution scaling penalty, as each additional pixel requires more rasterization work.

The RTX 2060 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which means it can handle Counter-Strike 2’s modern API requirements. The GPU’s 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized in this title, which is primarily a rasterization workload. The measured data shows that the GPU’s average benchmark score of 15290 places it near the RTX 3050 OEM, which is a newer but similarly positioned product. In practical terms, the RTX 2060 delivers consistent frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results are only acceptable at Low or Medium presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 2253 out of 2870 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the lower half of tested configurations, which is notable given the game’s reputation for running well on modest hardware. The rank suggests that while the combo is not near the top, it is also not at the bottom, and the raw FPS numbers show that it can deliver playable frame rates at most settings.

The combo’s ranking is influenced by both components. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has a percentile rank of 90 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (deltaPct -0.4), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (deltaPct -0.5), the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (deltaPct 0.6), and the Intel Core i5-14600K (deltaPct 0.8). This shows that the CPU is competitive with higher-end parts, and its single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648) is strong for gaming. However, the GPU’s lower percentile rank (58) drags the overall combo down.

The 2253rd rank out of 2870 combos means that roughly 21% of tested configurations perform worse in this game, while 79% perform better. This is a clear indication that the RTX 2060 is the limiting factor in this pairing. The data shows that the CPU is not holding back the system at 1080p Low, where 294 FPS is achieved, but the GPU cannot maintain that level at higher resolutions. If the CPU were paired with a faster GPU, the combo rank would likely improve significantly, as the CPU’s benchmark scores are well above average.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is likely typical of a mid-range system from a few years ago, where a strong CPU is paired with a mainstream GPU. The measured FPS results confirm that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can exceed 240 FPS on Medium settings and 290 FPS on Low. At 1440p, it can still hit 194 FPS on Low and 162 FPS on Medium, which is respectable for a 6 GB GPU. The 4K results are the weakest, with only 109 FPS on Low and 52 FPS on Ultra, making 4K a niche use case for this hardware.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 244 FPS and a minimum of 208 FPS. This ensures that even in busy scenes, the frame rate stays above 200 FPS, which is ideal for a competitive FPS. The Low preset at 1080p provides 294 FPS, but the visual trade-off may not be worth the extra 50 FPS for most players. The High preset at 1080p yields 182 FPS, which is still smooth but leaves some performance on the table. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 142 FPS, which is playable but may feel less responsive on a high-refresh monitor.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the most sensible choice for high-refresh gaming, delivering 194 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p offers 162 FPS with a minimum of 137 FPS, which is still above 120 FPS and suitable for most monitors. The High preset at 1440p drops to 121 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for a fast-paced shooter. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 94 FPS, which is borderline for competitive play. The data suggests that 1440p Medium is the sweet spot if you want better visuals without sacrificing too much frame rate.

At 4K, the Low preset is the only one that provides a comfortable experience, with 109 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K yields 90 FPS, which is playable but may have occasional drops to 77 FPS based on the minimum measurement. The High preset at 4K drops to 67 FPS, which is below the 70 FPS threshold that many players consider smooth. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as the 52 FPS average is too low for a competitive shooter. For 4K, sticking with Low or Medium is the pragmatic choice, and even then, the experience will be less responsive than at lower resolutions.

The measured data shows that the Medium preset consistently offers the best minimum FPS values when those are recorded. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 208 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 137 FPS; at 4K Medium, it is 77 FPS. This consistency suggests that Medium is the most stable preset across resolutions, avoiding the extreme frame time spikes that can occur at Low or Ultra. For players who prioritize smoothness over absolute maximum FPS, Medium is the recommended setting.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS values for this combo in Counter-Strike 2 is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 294 FPS. The Medium preset averages 244 FPS, with a minimum of 208 FPS and a maximum of 281 FPS. The High preset averages 182 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 142 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 194 FPS. The Medium preset averages 162 FPS, with a minimum of 137 FPS and a maximum of 186 FPS. The High preset averages 121 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 94 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 109 FPS. The Medium preset averages 90 FPS, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS. The High preset averages 67 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 52 FPS.

These numbers paint a clear picture. At 1080p, the combo is capable of exceeding 240 FPS on Medium and approaching 300 FPS on Low. At 1440p, the performance is still strong, with 194 FPS on Low and 162 FPS on Medium. At 4K, the frame rates drop significantly, with only the Low preset staying above 100 FPS. The lack of min/max data for most presets means that the average FPS is the primary metric, but the available min/max values for Medium show that frame pacing is generally stable, with the minimum staying within 15% of the average in most cases.

The data also reveals that the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (294 FPS) and Ultra (142 FPS) is 152 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 100 FPS (194 vs 94). At 4K, the difference is 57 FPS (109 vs 52). This narrowing gap suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck regardless of settings, and reducing settings has a smaller impact on performance because the pixel throughput is the limiting factor. At 1080p, the CPU is more capable, so reducing settings has a larger effect on FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows 1920x1080 as the strongest performance target, with 294 FPS on Low and 244 FPS on Medium. At 2560x1440, the Low preset still delivers 194 FPS, but 3840x2160 only reaches 109 FPS on Low.

Q: Is the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The FPS results indicate that 6 GB is enough for up to 1440p High (121 FPS), but at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 52 FPS, suggesting VRAM capacity or bandwidth becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

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

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, which is 0.4% below the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and 0.5% below the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, while being 0.6% above the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and 0.8% above the Intel Core i5-14600K.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 2253 out of 2870 tested combos for Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the lower half of the database.

Q: Which settings preset provides the most stable frame rates?

A: The Medium preset has recorded min/max values at all three resolutions: 208-281 FPS at 1080p, 137-186 FPS at 1440p, and 77-104 FPS at 4K. This consistency suggests it is the most stable preset.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but only at Low (109 FPS) or Medium (90 FPS) settings. High and Ultra at 4K produce 67 FPS and 52 FPS respectively, which are below the threshold for smooth competitive play.