Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2 is a title where frame rate is king, and the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a compelling performance profile across the board. The data shows a system that scales predictably with resolution, offering exceptionally high frame rates at 1080p that gradually taper as pixel count increases, yet still maintaining playable and often competitive numbers even at 4K. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, contextualizes the hardware's ranking, and explains the CPU's role in driving these results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling curve, with the most dramatic shifts occurring between 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 382 FPS, which drops to 253 FPS at 1440p and further to 141 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33.8% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 44.3% decrease from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is becoming a more significant limiting factor as resolution increases.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 237 FPS at 1080p to 157 FPS at 1440p (a 33.8% drop) and then to 88 FPS at 4K (a 43.9% drop from 1440p). The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 317 FPS at 1080p, 210 FPS at 1440p, and 117 FPS at 4K. This consistent proportional decline across presets suggests that the RTX 4060's 8 GB of memory and 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth are being utilized efficiently, with the bottleneck shifting smoothly from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at higher ones.

The most telling indicator of the limiting component comes from comparing the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the gap between Low (382 FPS) and Ultra (184 FPS) is a massive 198 FPS, demonstrating that the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU even at the highest settings. However, at 4K, this gap narrows to 73 FPS (141 FPS on Low vs. 68 FPS on Ultra). This compression of the performance envelope at 4K strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary constraint at that resolution, unable to maintain the same frame rates even when the CPU workload is reduced via lower settings.

Interestingly, the data shows that the RTX 4060, which sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs, can still push past 60 FPS at 4K on Medium settings (117 FPS) and even High settings (88 FPS). The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 68 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay but leaves little headroom. The 1080p and 1440p results indicate that this combination is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the Core Ultra 7 265's 20 cores and 5.30 GHz boost clock providing ample single-thread performance for the game's engine.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 382 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This demonstrates the system's capability for extreme frame rates in less demanding scenarios.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Counter-Strike 2?

A: Yes, the data shows it is playable at 4K. At High settings, the average FPS is 88, and at Medium settings, it rises to 117 FPS. Even at Ultra settings, the average remains at 68 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its closest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 17639. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon HD 7790, scores 17666, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% lower, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% lower. The data shows it is effectively a statistical tie with these cards.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 253 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 122 FPS. This is a difference of 131 FPS, or approximately 51.4% lower performance on Ultra compared to Low.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 7 265 a high-performing CPU?

A: The benchmark data suggests yes. It is in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 64640. It is slightly slower than the AMD EPYC 4464P (0.3% lower) but faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (0.3% higher) and the AMD EPYC 7343 (0.7% higher).

Q: What frame times are recorded for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS data. At 1080p, the range is 270 to 365 FPS, with an average of 317 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 179 to 242 FPS, with an average of 210 FPS. At 4K, the range is 100 to 135 FPS, with an average of 117 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how different presets affect performance, and the optimal choice depends heavily on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For competitive play at 1080p, the Low preset's 382 FPS average is the clear winner, offering the maximum frame rate for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 317 FPS is a strong alternative for those who want some visual improvements without sacrificing too much speed.

At 1440p, the data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance. It delivers an average of 210 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, while providing a significant visual upgrade over the Low preset's 253 FPS. The High preset at 157 FPS is also viable, but the jump to Ultra (122 FPS) represents a more significant performance cost for diminishing returns in visual quality.

For 4K gaming, the recommendation shifts to prioritizing the Medium preset. The data shows it achieves 117 FPS, which is comfortably above 60 FPS and provides a smooth experience. The High preset at 88 FPS is also acceptable, but the Ultra preset's 68 FPS average is teetering on the edge of what might be considered ideal for a fast-paced FPS. The Low preset at 141 FPS is the best choice for maximum smoothness on a 4K display, but the visual downgrade is substantial. The Medium preset emerges as the sweet spot for 4K, offering a 72.1% improvement over Ultra (117 vs 68 FPS) while still maintaining high visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance. The Low settings preset achieves an average of 382 FPS, the highest recorded figure for this combination. The Medium preset follows with 317 FPS, showing a range between 270 and 365 FPS. Stepping up to High yields 237 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 184 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a performance reduction of 51.8%, indicating that the GPU is still capable of handling the load at this resolution, with the CPU providing the necessary headroom.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. The Low preset averages 253 FPS, which is still an excellent result for competitive gaming. The Medium preset averages 210 FPS, with a measured range of 179 to 242 FPS. The High preset delivers 157 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 122 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 131 FPS, a 51.8% reduction, mirroring the scaling seen at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor. The Low preset still manages an average of 141 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. The Medium preset averages 117 FPS, with a range of 100 to 135 FPS. The High preset drops to 88 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 68 FPS. The performance reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K is 51.8%, same as the other resolutions, but the absolute numbers are much lower, demonstrating the increased strain on the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of all tested system combinations for Counter-Strike 2, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1510th out of 2870 total combinations. This places it in the 47.4th percentile of all combos, meaning it performs better than roughly 47% of all tested systems in this specific game. This mid-pack ranking is a reflection of the hardware's position in the market, with the CPU being a high-end part and the GPU being a more mainstream offering.

The CPU itself is in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, which indicates it is a top-tier processor. Its average benchmark score of 64640 puts it in close competition with several server-grade AMD EPYC processors. The data shows it is 0.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 4464P, 0.7% faster than the AMD EPYC 7343, and 0.3% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F. This high CPU performance is what allows the system to achieve such high frame rates at lower resolutions.

The GPU, on the other hand, is in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 17639 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with the AMD Radeon HD 7790 being 0.2% faster and the AMD Radeon 780M being 0.3% slower. The combination's overall rank of 1510 is a product of this pairing, where the powerful CPU compensates for the mid-range GPU, especially at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU's limitations become more apparent at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process node. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 30 MB shared L3 cache. These specifications are directly relevant to Counter-Strike 2's performance, as the game is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance and cache latency.

The benchmark data for the CPU shows strong multi-threaded and single-threaded capabilities. In Cinebench R23, it scores 42216 points in the multicore test and 5960 points in the singlecore test. This single-core score is particularly important for Counter-Strike 2, as the game's engine often relies heavily on a few primary threads for game logic and rendering commands. The high boost clock of 5.30 GHz allows the processor to deliver exceptional performance in these scenarios.

The relationship between the CPU and the game's results is evident in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p, the system achieves 382 FPS on Low settings, which suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the GPU is capable of rendering frames faster than the game engine can request them. Even at 1440p, the 253 FPS average on Low settings indicates that the CPU is still feeding the GPU effectively. It is only at 4K where the GPU's throughput limits the system, regardless of the CPU's capabilities. The 20 cores and 20 threads provide ample parallelism for background tasks and game engine overhead, ensuring that the CPU does not become a limiting factor in this configuration, even at the highest settings.