Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a formidable Counter-Strike 2 experience, with measured frame rates that place it in the top quintile of all tested system configurations. This analysis breaks down the specific roles of the processor and graphics card, examines how performance scales across resolutions, and provides actionable settings guidance based on the measured data.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor built on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a TSMC 3 nm process node. Its base clock of 2.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz indicate a design that favors high-frequency workloads, which is directly relevant to Counter-Strike 2's frame-rate-driven gameplay. The CPU's L3 cache totals 30 MB shared, while each core gets 3 MB of L2 and 192 KB of L1, providing a substantial memory hierarchy for game logic and entity updates.

In synthetic benchmarks, this processor achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. The single-core result is particularly pertinent for Counter-Strike 2, as the Source 2 engine typically relies heavily on one or two primary threads for game simulation. The Passmark single-thread score of 4689 reinforces the CPU's strength in lightly-threaded scenarios, which often become the bottleneck in high-refresh-rate competitive shooters.

The CPU's ranking contextualizes its performance: the average benchmark score of 64640 places it in the 93rd percentile of all tested CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P with an average score of 64823 (a 0.3% deficit), the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F with 64438 (a 0.3% advantage), and the AMD EPYC 7343 with 64202 (a 0.7% advantage). These deltas are minimal, showing that the Core Ultra 7 265 sits in a tightly contested performance band for general compute, though its architecture and clock strategy are tailored for responsive, low-latency operations rather than raw throughput.

The processor's memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. For Counter-Strike 2, this memory bandwidth is sufficient to feed the CPU's cores with level geometry and player state data without becoming a limiting factor. The 65 W TDP and active production status suggest a power-efficient part that can sustain boost clocks under gaming loads, though the data does not specify thermal throttling behavior.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD104 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm TSMC process. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective. This memory configuration is more than adequate for Counter-Strike 2 at any resolution, as the game's texture and shader data rarely stress VRAM capacity.

The GPU's core clocks are 1920 MHz base and 2475 MHz boost, with 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. The rasterization throughput is 158.4 GPixel/s, and texture rate is 455.4 GTexel/s. These specifications support high frame rates in a game like Counter-Strike 2, which is more dependent on geometry throughput and fill rate than on complex pixel shaders. The FP32 compute of 29.15 TFLOPS provides ample headroom for any compute-based effects.

In benchmark terms, the RTX 4070 achieves a Passmark G3D score of 26927 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 174152. Its average benchmark score is 37648, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals are closely matched: the NVIDIA Tesla P4 scores 37628 (a 0.1% advantage), the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 scores 37507 (a 0.4% advantage), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135 (a 1.3% deficit). These margins indicate that the RTX 4070's raw compute performance is solidly mid-pack among its peers, but its real value for Counter-Strike 2 lies in how that compute translates to frame generation.

The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring full compatibility with Counter-Strike 2's rendering paths. The 200 W TDP and suggested PSU of 550 W indicate the card is relatively power-hungry but manageable for most systems.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates reveal a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p, the system produces exceptionally high frame rates: 527 FPS on Low settings, 438 FPS on Medium, 327 FPS on High, and 254 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, these figures drop to 349 FPS on Low, 290 FPS on Medium, 216 FPS on High, and 168 FPS on Ultra. At 4K, the frame rates fall further to 195 FPS on Low, 162 FPS on Medium, 121 FPS on High, and 94 FPS on Ultra.

The percentage drops are instructive. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the frame rate declines by 33.8%. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, the decline is 44.1%. These reductions are substantial but not proportional to the pixel count increase (2.25x from 1080p to 1440p, and 2.25x from 1440p to 4K). The fact that frame rates do not halve or quarter with pixel count suggests that neither the CPU nor GPU is fully saturated; rather, the system has headroom that is progressively consumed as resolution increases.

Comparing settings at each resolution shows that the GPU becomes more relevant at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 273 FPS (527 vs 254), a 2.1x range. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 101 FPS (195 vs 94), a 2.1x range as well. The consistent ratio across resolutions indicates that the game's settings scale predictably, but the absolute frame rates at 1080p are so high that even the Ultra preset remains above 250 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not the limiting factor even at maximum quality.

The data indicates that the system is CPU-bound at 1080p Low, where the RTX 4070 has ample headroom, and becomes progressively GPU-bound at 4K Ultra, where the frame rate drops to 94 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration where the GPU's limitations become apparent, as the frame rate falls below the 100 FPS threshold that competitive players typically prefer.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a combo rank of 609 out of 2870 tested system configurations in Counter-Strike 2. This places the system in the top 21.2% of all tested combos, a strong result that underscores the synergy between the CPU and GPU.

The rank of 609 means that 2261 other combos perform worse, while 608 perform better. Given the CPU's 93rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 81st percentile ranking, one might expect a higher combo rank, but the game's specific demands and the interaction between components can shift the effective performance. The 609th position suggests that while both components are individually strong, there are configurations with faster GPUs or more gaming-oriented CPUs that edge out this combo in Counter-Strike 2's specific workload.

The rank also implies that the system is well-balanced for this game. A combo that ranks significantly worse than either component's individual percentile would indicate a bottleneck, but the 609th rank out of 2870 is broadly consistent with the GPU's 81st percentile, suggesting the RTX 4070 is the primary determinant of the combo's position. The CPU's higher percentile provides headroom, ensuring that the GPU is not starved of data at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. For players targeting the highest competitive frame rates at 1080p, the Low preset delivers 527 FPS, which is far beyond any monitor's refresh rate and provides the lowest input latency. However, the Medium preset at 438 FPS offers a substantial visual improvement while still maintaining frame rates that exceed 360 Hz displays, making it the best balance for most competitive players.

At 1440p, the Low preset yields 349 FPS, which is sufficient for 240 Hz monitors, while the Medium preset at 290 FPS remains competitive and provides better visual clarity for spotting enemies at distance. The High preset at 216 FPS is still playable but begins to approach the threshold where frame pacing could become a concern for the most demanding players.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The Low preset produces 195 FPS, which is smooth on 144 Hz displays, while the Medium preset at 162 FPS offers a better visual experience. The High preset at 121 FPS is acceptable for 120 Hz monitors, but the Ultra preset at 94 FPS is best avoided for competitive play, as it drops below the 100 FPS threshold that many players consider minimum for consistent aim.

For the best overall experience per the measured rows, the Medium preset is the recommended default across all resolutions. It provides the highest frame rate that still benefits from improved texture filtering and shadow quality, and the minimum FPS recorded (372 at 1080p, 246 at 1440p, 138 at 4K) shows that frame dips are manageable, particularly at lower resolutions. The High preset is a viable alternative for players who prioritize visual clarity over maximum frame rate, but the data shows that the step from Medium to High costs roughly 25% performance at each resolution.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the maximum measured frame rate for this combo in Counter-Strike 2?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 527 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The maximum frame rate recorded in any configuration is 503 FPS, which occurred at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested systems in Counter-Strike 2?

A: This combo ranks 609th out of 2870 tested system configurations, placing it in the top 21.2% of all tested combos. The rank reflects the balanced performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and RTX 4070.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 94 FPS, the lowest measured in the dataset. This indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor at this resolution and settings combination, as the CPU has shown it can sustain much higher frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 349 FPS while the Ultra preset achieves 168 FPS, a difference of 181 FPS. This represents a 51.9% reduction in performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the Medium preset at 4K maintain playable frame rates?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 achieves an average of 162 FPS with a minimum of 138 FPS and a maximum of 186 FPS. This is sufficient for 144 Hz displays and provides a good balance between visual quality and performance.

Q: How does this combo's GPU rank compared to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37648, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628) and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507). It trails the GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile by 1.3% (38135).

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080:

• Low: 527 FPS average
• Medium: 438 FPS average, 372 FPS minimum, 503 FPS maximum
• High: 327 FPS average
• Ultra: 254 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 349 FPS average
• Medium: 290 FPS average, 246 FPS minimum, 333 FPS maximum
• High: 216 FPS average
• Ultra: 168 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 195 FPS average
• Medium: 162 FPS average, 138 FPS minimum, 186 FPS maximum
• High: 121 FPS average
• Ultra: 94 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern where the Medium preset provides the only configuration with recorded minimum and maximum frame rates, indicating that the measurement methodology captured more granular data for this setting. At 1080p, the system maintains an average above 250 FPS even at Ultra settings, while at 4K, only the Low preset stays above 190 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution follows a roughly 2x reduction in frame rate, confirming that the game's settings have a predictable impact on performance. The minimum frame rates recorded at Medium settings (372 FPS at 1080p, 246 FPS at 1440p, 138 FPS at 4K) suggest that frame dips are present but not severe, particularly at lower resolutions. The maximum frame rates (503 FPS at 1080p, 333 FPS at 1440p, 186 FPS at 4K) show that the system can burst well above its averages in less demanding scenes.