Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a highly competitive FPS that rewards high frame rates and consistent frame pacing. The measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 shows a system capable of delivering extremely high performance across all tested settings and resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the roles of the CPU and GPU, and how this specific configuration ranks among other tested combinations.

FAQ

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

A: All three tested resolutions deliver playable frame rates. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 254 (Ultra) to 527 (Low). At 2560x1440, it ranges from 168 (Ultra) to 349 (Low). Even at 3840x2160, the average FPS never drops below 94 (Ultra), with High settings producing 121 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4070's VRAM affect performance in this test?

A: The GPU is equipped with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The benchmark results indicate that even at the Ultra preset and 4K resolution, where the game demands the most memory, the configuration maintains an average of 94 FPS, suggesting the VRAM capacity is sufficient for Counter-Strike 2.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. The average FPS at 1080p on Low settings is 527, while on Ultra settings it drops to 254. This represents a performance decrease of over 50% when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at high frame rates?

A: The data suggests the CPU is well-suited for high frame rates. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has 14 cores and 14 threads with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves an average of 527 FPS, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU at very high frame rates.

Q: How well does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 609th out of 2870 tested combinations, placing it in the top 21% of all configurations. Its performance is in the 90th percentile for CPUs and the 81st percentile for GPUs, indicating a balanced, high-end pairing.

Q: What is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K on Medium settings?

A: On Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 438 at 1920x1080 to 162 at 3840x2160. This is a reduction of 276 FPS, or approximately 63%, when increasing the resolution by a factor of four.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary driver for visual fidelity and resolution scaling in this configuration. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process, the GPU features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient to handle the asset streaming demands of Counter-Strike 2 at all tested presets.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable, with a base clock of 1920 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. The memory operates at 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective. These clocks, combined with the 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, place the RTX 4070 in the 81st percentile of all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 37648 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628, delta 0.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, delta 0.4%), while being slightly behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, delta -1.3%).

In the measured FPS data, the GPU's role becomes evident in how frame rates scale with settings. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 94 on Ultra to 195 on Low. The jump from Medium (162 FPS) to Low (195 FPS) is a 20% increase, while the drop from High (121 FPS) to Ultra (94 FPS) is a 22% decrease. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor when pushing higher resolutions and graphical presets, as the computational load increases significantly.

The RTX 4070's memory configuration is also relevant. With 12 GB of VRAM, the card avoids capacity-related stuttering that could occur with lower-memory cards at 4K Ultra. The benchmark results show playable frame rates even at the most demanding settings, confirming that the 12 GB pool is adequate for this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's refresh rate and resolution. For competitive play at 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 527 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors (360 Hz or above). The Medium preset still provides an excellent 438 FPS average, with a minimum of 372 FPS, making it a strong choice for those wanting a balance between visual quality and raw performance. The High preset at 327 FPS is also viable for 240 Hz displays, while the Ultra preset at 254 FPS remains suitable for 240 Hz panels but offers diminishing returns.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 349 FPS, which is sufficient for 360 Hz monitors. The Medium preset at 290 FPS (minimum 246) is a good middle ground for high refresh rates. The High preset at 216 FPS is ideal for 240 Hz displays, while the Ultra preset at 168 FPS is better suited for 144 Hz monitors. For 4K gaming at 3840x2160, the High preset at 121 FPS is the recommended choice for 120 Hz displays, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium (162 FPS) while maintaining a smooth experience. The Ultra preset at 94 FPS is playable but may not be optimal for fast-paced competitive matches.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the lowest resolution tested, the system shows its maximum potential. The Low preset achieves an average of 527 FPS. Moving up, the Medium preset delivers 438 FPS on average, with a minimum of 372 and a maximum of 503. The High preset averages 327 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 254 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 273 FPS, a 51.8% reduction, showing that the GPU is heavily taxed by the higher visual fidelity settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 349 FPS. The Medium preset averages 290 FPS, with a minimum of 246 and a maximum of 333. The High preset averages 216 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 168 FPS. Compared to 1080p, the FPS drops by 33.8% for Low, 33.8% for Medium, 33.9% for High, and 33.9% for Ultra. This consistent reduction across settings indicates a scaling factor tied to the pixel count increase.

At 3840x2160, the highest resolution, the system remains capable but the frame rates decrease further. The Low preset averages 195 FPS. The Medium preset averages 162 FPS, with a minimum of 138 and a maximum of 186. The High preset averages 121 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 94 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is significant: 44.1% for Low, 44.1% for Medium, 44.0% for High, and 44.0% for Ultra. This uniform percentage drop strongly suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 609th out of 2870 tested configurations in Counter-Strike 2. This places the combo in the top 21.2% of all systems tested, which is a strong position for a competitive FPS title where high frame rates are paramount.

The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, delta -0.4%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, delta -0.5%), and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, delta 0.6%). The Intel Core i5-14600K (48618, delta 0.8%) is also very close in score. This clustering indicates that the Core Ultra 5 245 is a top-tier processor, roughly on par with other high-end CPUs.

The GPU ranks in the 81st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 37648. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628, delta 0.1%), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, delta 0.4%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135, delta -1.3%). This places the RTX 4070 in the upper tier of graphics cards, though not at the very top. The combo's rank of 609 suggests that while the individual components are strong, the pairing is not an outlier; many other systems with higher-end GPUs or CPUs achieve better frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a critical role in achieving the high frame rates seen in the measured data. With 14 cores and 14 threads, it is a modern desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide the single-thread performance necessary for Counter-Strike 2's game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 24 MB of L3 cache. This configuration allows for efficient data access, reducing latency that could affect frame times. The CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU is present but not relevant for this discrete GPU setup.

In terms of synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 5 245 scores 4648 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 32924 in multi-core. Its Passmark single-thread score is 4394, and its multithread score is 38706. These scores highlight strong per-core performance, which is crucial for games like Counter-Strike 2 that rely heavily on a few threads for rendering commands. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking confirms its capability.

The measured FPS data at 1080p Low (527 FPS average) and 1080p Medium (438 FPS average) indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck in these scenarios. The frame rates are high enough to suggest the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. However, at 1080p Ultra (254 FPS), the load shifts to the GPU, as the higher graphical settings require more shader work, reducing the CPU's relative importance.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern in resolution scaling. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by approximately 33.8% across all settings. For example, on High settings, the FPS decreases from 327 to 216, a 33.9% reduction. On Low settings, it drops from 527 to 349, a 33.8% reduction. This consistent percentage indicates that the scaling is primarily driven by the increase in pixel count (from 2.07 million to 3.69 million pixels), which is a 78% increase in resolution but a 33.8% drop in FPS. This suggests the GPU is handling the extra pixel load efficiently, but the performance cost is directly tied to the resolution.

Moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the average FPS drops by approximately 44.1% across all settings. On High settings, the FPS decreases from 216 to 121, a 44% reduction. On Low settings, it drops from 349 to 195, a 44.1% reduction. The pixel count increases from 3.69 million to 8.29 million, a 125% increase, yet the FPS drop is only 44%. This non-linear scaling indicates that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at 4K, as the shading and texture fill rates are taxed more heavily.

The data shows that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the system achieves 527 FPS on Low, which is likely CPU-bound in some scenarios, as the GPU has spare capacity. At 4K, the FPS on Low is 195, which is a 63% drop from 1080p, indicating that the GPU is now the bottleneck. The consistent scaling pattern across settings at each resolution confirms that the RTX 4070's performance scales predictably with resolution, while the Core Ultra 5 245 provides sufficient headroom at lower resolutions to avoid becoming a limiting factor.