Counter-Strike 2

# Counter-Strike 2 with Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + Intel Arc B390

The pairing of Intel's Core Ultra 7 265 processor with the Arc B390 integrated graphics presents a curious case for Counter-Strike 2, a game known for favoring high frame rates. The measured data shows this combo achieving playable results at lower resolutions but struggling significantly at 4K, with the system landing at rank 2535 out of 2870 tested combinations. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, examines the role of each component, and interprets what the data suggests about the bottleneck dynamics in this specific configuration.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo reaches 179 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across all tested configurations. Medium settings deliver 149 FPS, High settings produce 111 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 86 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-core performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 scores 64640 on the average benchmark, sitting 0.3% below the AMD EPYC 4464P (64823) and 0.7% below the AMD EPYC 9124 (65104). It outperforms the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F by 0.3% and the AMD EPYC 7343 by 0.7%.

Q: What is the GPU's benchmark percentile ranking?

A: The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482. Its closest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463 (1.3% lower), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (2.7% lower).

Q: Does the Arc B390 have dedicated VRAM?

A: No, the Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, with the memory type, bus width, and bandwidth all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent." This means it relies on the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated graphics memory.

Q: What is the largest FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, average FPS drops from 111 at 1920x1080 to 73 at 2560x1440, then further to 41 at 3840x2160. This represents a 70 FPS drop (about 63%) from 1080p to 4K.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance in benchmarks?

A: The CPU scores 5960 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 42216 in multi-core, while PassMark single-thread shows 4689 and multithread shows 49682. The single-thread scores are notably strong relative to the multi-thread figures, suggesting good per-core efficiency.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution built on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on Intel's 3nm process. Its role in this system is defined by the "System Shared" memory configuration, which means the GPU draws from the same DDR5 memory pool as the CPU. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," indicating that performance will vary based on the system's memory configuration and speed.

The GPU's clock behavior shows a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, representing a significant dynamic range. The 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units provide the raw processing hardware, while 12 ray tracing cores add modern rendering capabilities. The compute throughput is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 operations and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16 with a 2:1 ratio. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s suggest the GPU can handle basic rendering tasks but may struggle with high-resolution, high-detail workloads.

In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs (based on 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482) indicates this is a low-end graphics solution. The nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA discrete GPUs like the GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710, which are entry-level parts from years ago. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the GPU can push 179 FPS, which is respectable for competitive play. However, the frame rates drop off dramatically as resolution and settings increase, revealing the GPU's limitations under heavier rendering loads.

The lack of dedicated VRAM means the Arc B390 competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth. This shared memory arrangement can create contention in scenarios where both the CPU and GPU are heavily utilized, potentially explaining some of the performance characteristics observed in the measured FPS data.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior reveals important insights about this system's bottleneck characteristics. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 111 to 73, a reduction of 34%. The subsequent jump to 3840x2160 brings the average down to 41 FPS, another 44% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling pattern suggests the GPU becomes increasingly the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count increases more than the frame rate decreases in proportion.

At Low settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 179 FPS at 1080p drops to 118 FPS at 1440p (34% decrease) and then to 66 FPS at 4K (44% decrease from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate that resolution scaling follows a predictable pattern for this GPU, with 4K representing a substantial challenge regardless of quality settings.

The Medium settings data includes min and max FPS values, providing additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the range is 126-171 FPS with an average of 149. At 1440p Medium, the range is 84-113 FPS with an average of 98. At 4K Medium, the range is 47-63 FPS with an average of 55. The consistent ratio between average, min, and max FPS across resolutions suggests stable frame pacing rather than erratic spikes.

The scaling data indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot for this configuration, with 1440p being playable at lower settings, while 4K consistently produces sub-60 FPS results except at Low settings (66 FPS). This pattern strongly suggests the integrated GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth limitations become dominant at higher pixel counts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a clear hierarchy across settings. Low settings produce 179 FPS average, representing the best-case scenario for competitive play. Medium settings deliver 149 FPS with a range of 126-171 FPS, providing a substantial improvement in visual quality while maintaining high frame rates. High settings drop to 111 FPS, which remains suitable for most players, while Ultra settings produce 86 FPS, a noticeable step down but still playable.

The 2560x1440 results show the system's capabilities at a higher resolution. Low settings achieve 118 FPS, which is respectable but represents a significant drop from the 1080p figure. Medium settings produce 98 FPS with a range of 84-113 FPS, maintaining smooth gameplay. High settings drop to 73 FPS, which is marginally acceptable for fast-paced FPS play, while Ultra settings fall to 57 FPS, approaching the threshold where competitive players may notice input lag.

At 3840x2160, the limitations of this configuration become apparent. Low settings produce 66 FPS, barely maintaining smoothness. Medium settings average 55 FPS with a range of 47-63 FPS, dipping below 60 FPS consistently. High settings drop to 41 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 32 FPS, both of which are below acceptable thresholds for a competitive FPS title.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier at a given resolution costs roughly 20-30% performance compared to the tier below. The exception is the Low to Medium transition, which shows a smaller gap, suggesting that Low settings may be artificially limiting certain GPU features that have less impact on actual rendering load.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 features 20 cores and 20 threads, operating at a base clock of 2.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This configuration, combined with a 30 MB shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 cache per core, provides substantial processing power for gaming workloads. The CPU's 65W TDP indicates efficient power consumption, while the Arrow Lake architecture on TSMC's 3nm process node houses 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die.

The CPU's benchmark results show strong performance across various workloads. Cinebench R23 scores of 42216 multi-core and 5960 single-core place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. PassMark results show 49682 in multithread and 4689 in single-thread tests, with particularly strong showings in data compression (522983), floating point math (172776), and integer math (134773). The data encryption score of 40456 and extended instructions score of 41478 suggest robust processing capabilities for varied tasks.

In Counter-Strike 2, the CPU's role appears to be providing adequate headroom for the GPU to be the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The 179 FPS at 1080p Low settings suggests the CPU can feed frames quickly when the GPU load is minimal. However, the CPU's 20-core configuration with 20 threads (no hyperthreading) may present interesting dynamics for a game like CS2, which typically favors strong single-core performance over many cores.

The nearest CPU rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P (-0.3% delta), Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (+0.3%), AMD EPYC 7343 (+0.7%), and AMD EPYC 9124 (-0.7%). These comparisons show the Core Ultra 7 265 performing within 1% of its closest competitors, indicating it's a well-balanced processor that doesn't dramatically outperform or underperform similar-tier parts.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance: 149 FPS average with a 126-171 FPS range provides smooth gameplay while delivering substantially better visual quality than Low settings. The 30 FPS gap between Medium and High (149 vs 111) suggests that the extra visual features in High settings carry a significant performance cost that may not justify the visual improvement for competitive play.

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates at 1080p, Low settings' 179 FPS provides a competitive advantage, though the visual sacrifice is notable. The High preset's 111 FPS remains above the 100 FPS threshold many players consider minimum for smooth FPS gameplay, making it a viable option for those who prefer better visuals. The Ultra preset's 86 FPS is functional but may introduce perceptible input lag for highly competitive players.

At 2560x1440, Low settings (118 FPS) provide the best competitive experience, while Medium (98 FPS) offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. The High preset's 73 FPS is borderline, and Ultra's 57 FPS falls below the smoothness threshold for most players. At 3840x2160, only Low settings (66 FPS) approach playable territory, with Medium (55 FPS) and above falling short of smooth gameplay standards.

The data suggests that for the best experience with this configuration, players should use Medium settings at 1080p for a balanced experience, or Low settings at 1080p for maximum competitive performance. At higher resolutions, dropping to Low settings becomes necessary to maintain playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2535 out of 2870 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's significant limitations despite the CPU's strong performance characteristics. The 9th percentile GPU ranking versus the 93rd percentile CPU ranking highlights the extreme imbalance in this pairing.

The low ranking suggests that while the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates, the integrated GPU cannot translate that processing power into adequate gaming performance. The 179 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates the system's potential when the GPU load is minimal, but the rapid performance degradation at higher settings and resolutions reveals the GPU as the primary constraint.

Comparatively, systems using discrete GPUs with similar CPU performance would likely rank significantly higher, as the CPU's 20-core, 5.30 GHz boost configuration provides ample headroom for most gaming scenarios. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at medium-or-lower settings, with the understanding that it ranks near the bottom of tested configurations for Counter-Strike 2. The substantial gap between the CPU's high percentile ranking and the combo's low overall rank underscores the importance of GPU selection in gaming builds, even when the processor is capable of excellent performance.