Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination delivers a formidable Counter-Strike 2 experience, placing high among tested configurations. The data shows a pairing that excels at high refresh rates, with performance scaling predictably across resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all tested scenarios, examines the scaling characteristics, and provides context on how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the final results.

FAQ

Q: How well does this combo rank among all tested system pairings in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The combo ranks 766th out of 3,719 tested combinations, placing it in the top 21% of all recorded configurations for this game.

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in the measured data?

A: The maximum recorded average is 563 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The minimum average FPS is 100, observed at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48,995, which is 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K (scoring 48,618) and 0.5% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (scoring 49,228).

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest competitor?

A: The RTX 5070's average benchmark score is 40,377, which is 2% higher than the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (scoring 39,568) and 1.2% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (scoring 40,870).

Q: What is the difference in performance between 1080p and 4K at Low settings?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 563 at 1920x1080 to 208 at 3840x2160, representing a 63% reduction in frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 secures a rank of 766 out of 3,719 tested system pairings in Counter-Strike 2. This places the setup comfortably within the top quintile of all recorded configurations, indicating robust performance for a competitive FPS title where frame rates are paramount. The rank reflects a balanced system that leverages both the CPU's strong single-thread throughput and the GPU's substantial rendering capabilities.

Synthetic benchmarks support this high standing. The CPU holds a 90th percentile ranking versus all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 48,995. This places it in close contention with its nearest rivals: it trails the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (scoring 49,196) by a negligible 0.4%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (scoring 49,228) by 0.5%. Conversely, it leads the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (scoring 48,698) by 0.6% and the Intel Core i5-14600K (scoring 48,618) by 0.8%. This clustering suggests the Ultra 5 245 delivers processing power on par with a broad range of high-end desktop and workstation chips, ensuring it is not a bottleneck in most gaming scenarios.

On the graphics side, the RTX 5070 attains an 82nd percentile ranking versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40,377. Its nearest rivals in the database include a mix of professional and mobile parts, with the RTX 5070 outperforming the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (scoring 40,318) by 0.1% and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (scoring 39,568) by 2%. It sits slightly below the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (scoring 40,063) by 0.8% and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (scoring 40,870) by 1.2%. While these specific rivals are not typical gaming counterparts, the percentile ranking confirms that the RTX 5070 is a high-tier performer overall. The combination of a top-decile CPU and a top-quintile GPU explains the strong 766/3,719 rank in this specific game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and expected pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, but the degree of the drop varies significantly between settings presets. This variance is key to understanding which component becomes the limiting factor at different points.

At Low settings, the frame rate scales almost linearly with pixel count. The average FPS is 563 at 1920x1080, dropping to 373 at 2560x1440 (a 34% reduction) and further to 208 at 3840x2160 (a 63% reduction from 1080p). This steep slope indicates that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the GPU is being pushed harder as resolution increases, and the CPU's headroom is not the primary limiter.

At High settings, the scaling is more moderate. The average FPS falls from 349 at 1920x1080 to 231 at 2560x1440 (a 34% reduction) and then to 129 at 3840x2160 (a 63% reduction from 1080p). The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is 44%, which is a significant jump and shows the GPU beginning to struggle with the increased pixel workload.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern, with average FPS of 468 at 1080p, 309 at 1440p (a 34% reduction), and 173 at 4K (a 63% reduction from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low, High, and Medium settings suggests that the scaling is primarily driven by resolution and not by the specific graphical features enabled in these presets.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most pronounced scaling. Starting at 271 FPS at 1080p, it drops to 179 at 1440p (a 34% reduction) and then to 100 at 4K (a 63% reduction from 1080p). The final 4K number of 100 FPS is the lowest recorded average in the entire dataset, indicating that at Ultra settings and 4K resolution, the RTX 5070 is working at its limit, and the frame rate is heavily GPU-bound.

The data indicates that the transition from 1080p to 1440p is consistently a 34% drop across all settings, suggesting a uniform increase in GPU workload. The jump to 4K is more severe, with a 44-45% drop from 1440p and a 63% drop from 1080p, confirming that 4K resolution represents a substantial challenge for this GPU in this title, particularly at higher quality presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results provide a comprehensive grid of average frame rates across four resolutions and four quality presetsasiest to digest in a structured format. The data clearly shows the system's capabilities and limits.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 563 FPS average. This is the highest score in the entire dataset, indicating extreme CPU-bound performance at this setting.
• Medium: 468 FPS average, with a minimum of 397 and a maximum of 538. This shows a solid 95 FPS drop from Low, but still an exceptionally high frame rate.
• High: 349 FPS average. A further significant drop of 119 FPS from Medium, showcasing the cost of higher fidelity settings.
• Ultra: 271 FPS average. The most demanding preset yields a 78 FPS reduction from High, still comfortably above the 240Hz refresh rate mark.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 373 FPS average. This is a 34% decrease from the 1080p Low result, demonstrating the expected resolution penalty.
• Medium: 309 FPS average, with a minimum of 263 and a maximum of 356. The frame times remain consistent with 1080p Medium, just at a lower absolute level.
• High: 231 FPS average. Performance remains strong, keeping the average above 200 FPS.
• Ultra: 179 FPS average. This is the first point where the average drops below the 200 FPS threshold, but it still provides a very smooth experience.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 208 FPS average. Even at 4K, the low preset delivers a high-refresh-rate experience.
• Medium: 173 FPS average, with a minimum of 147 and a maximum of 199. This is the first preset where the minimum FPS dips below 150.
• High: 129 FPS average. Performance drops below the 144Hz mark, requiring a high-refresh-rate monitor with adaptive sync for optimal smoothness.
• Ultra: 100 FPS average. This is the lowest recorded average, representing the most demanding scenario tested. It is the only configuration that fails to hit the 144 FPS average threshold.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: performance scales down as both resolution and quality settings increase. The system is most comfortable at 1080p and 1440p, where it can maintain high frame rates even on the Ultra preset. At 4K, it is best suited for the Low and Medium presets to maintain high refresh rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the primary driver of graphical performance, and its specifications directly correlate with the observed frame rates. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the textures and assets in Counter-Strike 2 at all tested resolutions.

The GPU's clock speeds are a key factor in its performance. With a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz, the RTX 5070 is able to sustain high throughput. The 6,144 shading units and 192 texture mapping units work in tandem to process the game's geometry and effects. The 80 ROPs are responsible for the final pixel output, and their capacity is a limiting factor at 4K resolution, where the pixel count is highest.

The benchmark data illustrates the GPU's scaling. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,077 and the Passmark G3D score of 29,137 are indicative of its raw compute power. In-game, this translates to a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher settings. For instance, the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is substantial (208 FPS vs 100 FPS), demonstrating that the GPU's workload increases dramatically with each preset level. The consistent 34% drop in FPS when moving from 1080p to 1440p across all settings confirms that the GPU is the scaling component, as the CPU workload remains constant.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at 4K. The difference between the Medium preset (173 FPS) and the High preset (129 FPS) is 44 FPS, a significant 25% reduction. This suggests that the High preset introduces effects that are disproportionately expensive at 4K for this GPU. The RTX 5070's 48 RT cores are present, but the game's standard rendering path is what consumes the majority of the GPU's resources, as indicated by the measured data.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the user's display refresh rate and resolution preference. The data provides clear guidance for achieving specific performance targets.

For 1080p displays, the Ultra preset is the best choice for those with a 240Hz monitor, as it delivers an average of 271 FPS. For users with a 360Hz or higher refresh rate display, the High preset (349 FPS) or even the Medium preset (468 FPS) will be necessary to fully utilize the display's capabilities. The Low preset (563 FPS) offers the absolute maximum frame rate for competitive play, but the visual quality sacrifice may not be worth it for most users.

For 1440p displays, the High preset (231 FPS) is the sweet spot for 240Hz monitors, providing high visual fidelity without compromising on refresh rate. The Ultra preset (179 FPS) is suitable for 144Hz monitors. For those seeking maximum competitive advantage, the Low preset (373 FPS) or Medium preset (309 FPS) will provide the highest frame rates, with Medium offering a better balance of visuals and speed.

For 4K displays, the data suggests that the Low preset (208 FPS) is the only option that consistently delivers a high-refresh-rate experience. The Medium preset (173 FPS) is excellent for 144Hz displayschers, but the High (129 FPS) and Ultra (100 FPS) presets are best reserved for 120Hz or 60Hz monitors, respectively. The frame rate data indicates that the Ultra preset at 4K is the only scenario where the system fails to maintain a 144 FPS average, making it the most demanding configuration in this dataset.

In summary, the pairing is exceptionally strong for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can handle the highest settings with high frame rates. At 4K, users should prioritize the Medium preset for a balanced experience or the Low preset for maximum frame rates. The Ultra preset at 4K is only recommended for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate and have a display with a lower refresh rate.