Counter-Strike 2

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a performance profile in Counter-Strike 2 that is heavily dictated by resolution, with the system exhibiting extreme CPU-bound behavior at lower settings and a shift toward GPU limitation only at the highest fidelity presets. The data indicates a combination capable of exceptional frame rates, placing it in the top tier of tested hardware configurations for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable trend: performance scales inversely with resolution, but the rate of scaling varies significantly depending on the graphics preset. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 462 FPS at 1920x1080 to 306 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 33.8%. Moving to 4K (3840x2160) yields an average of 171 FPS, which is a further 44.1% reduction from the 1440p figure. This steep decline indicates that while the GPU is becoming more involved at higher resolutions, the transition from 1080p to 1440p is particularly demanding on the rendering pipeline.

The scaling behavior is different at lower settings. At the Low preset, the frame rate falls from 745 FPS at 1920x1080 to 493 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 33.8% drop), and then to 276 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 44.0% drop from 1440p). This pattern suggests that even at low graphical fidelity, the game's engine and the RTX 4090's rendering capabilities are being pushed by the increase in pixel count. However, the fact that the system can still produce 276 FPS at 4K Low highlights the immense headroom of this combination.

The Medium preset shows a similar proportional decline, with average FPS going from 619 at 1080p to 410 at 1440p and 229 at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with frame rates dropping from 359 at 1080p to 238 at 1440p and 133 at 4K. The 1080p to 1440p scaling at Ultra is a 33.7% reduction, while the 1440p to 4K reduction is 44.1%. This consistent scaling pattern across all presets suggests that the performance drop is primarily tied to the fill-rate and pixel-processing demands, which are the GPU's domain.

The data strongly suggests that at 1920x1080, the system is almost entirely CPU-limited, as the frame rates across all presets are extremely high and the differences between presets are relatively small. For instance, the gap between Low and High at 1080p is 283 FPS, but as resolution increases to 4K, this gap narrows to 105 FPS. This narrowing gap is the classic indicator of the bottleneck shifting from the processor to the graphics card as the resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds the 109th rank out of 2,870 tested combos in Counter-Strike 2. This places it in the top 3.8% of all configurations in the database for this game, underscoring its high-end positioning. The rank reflects the synergy between a top-tier processor and a flagship GPU, resulting in performance that is superior to the vast majority of systems.

While a rank of 109 is impressive, it is not the absolute top. This implies that there are 108 other combinations of CPUs and GPUs that achieve higher average frame rates in this specific title. Given that the RTX 4090 is near the apex of GPU performance, the combos ranked above it likely feature CPUs with even higher single-thread performance or architectural advantages that are particularly beneficial for Counter-Strike 2's engine. The data shows that the Core Ultra 7 265 is not the absolute fastest processor on the market, and in a game that is highly sensitive to CPU speed, this can be the differentiating factor.

The percentile ranking for the CPU itself is 93, meaning it outperforms 93% of all CPUs in the database. The GPU's percentile is 88, outperforming 88% of all GPUs. The fact that the combo's rank in this game is higher than what either component's percentile might suggest indicates a particularly good pairing for this workload. The game is known to be CPU-intensive, and the strong single-thread performance of the Core Ultra 7 265, combined with the immense power of the RTX 4090, creates a system that excels in this specific environment.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a central pillar of this combo's performance. It features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a massive 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is crucial for feeding the high-resolution textures and geometry that Counter-Strike 2 can present, especially at 4K. The 24 GB capacity is far beyond what this game requires, ensuring that memory capacity is never a limiting factor at any of the tested settings or resolutions.

The GPU's clock speeds are also significant. It has a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz. The high boost clock, combined with the architecture's efficiency, allows the GPU to maintain high throughput across all settings. The memory clock is listed as 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective, and this high-speed memory is a key reason why the frame rates remain high even as resolution and detail settings increase.

Benchmark data for the GPU shows a Passmark G3D score of 38,194 and a Passmark GPU Compute score of 26,613. These scores place the RTX 4090 in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its position as a high-end part. In Counter-Strike 2, the GPU's role becomes more prominent at higher resolutions and with more demanding presets. The scaling data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 133, which is still very high, but the fact that it is less than half the 4K Low score of 276 FPS indicates that the GPU is now doing significantly more work. The 4K Medium result of 229 FPS, with a minimum of 195 FPS and a maximum of 263 FPS, shows that even under load, the frame time consistency is maintained.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the choice of settings depends entirely on the user's display and performance goals. For 1920x1080 users, the Medium preset offers an excellent balance, delivering an average of 619 FPS with a minimum of 526 FPS. This ensures a fluid experience well beyond the refresh rate of any standard monitor. The High preset at 1080p, with an average of 462 FPS, is also an excellent choice if visual quality is a priority, as it still provides an enormous performance cushion.

For 2560x1440 displays, the High preset is highly recommended. It achieves an average of 306 FPS, which is a perfect match for high-refresh-rate (240Hz and above) monitors. The Medium preset is a viable alternative for those who want an even larger performance buffer, with an average of 410 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with an average of 238 FPS, is also playable on high-refresh displays, but the performance penalty relative to High may not be worth the marginal visual gains.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation shifts. The High preset, with an average of 171 FPS, is the most balanced option for 4K gaming, providing smooth, high-refresh-rate gameplay. The Medium preset is a strong contender as well, with an average of 229 FPS, making it ideal for 4K 240Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 4K, while visually stunning, yields an average of 133 FPS, which may be below the threshold for some competitive players. The Low preset is not recommended for 4K, as the visual quality reduction is severe and the performance gain to 276 FPS is not necessary for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset yields an average of 745 FPS. The Medium preset averages 619 FPS, with a minimum of 526 and a maximum of 712 FPS. The High preset averages 462 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 359 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains exceptionally high. The Low preset averages 493 FPS. The Medium preset averages 410 FPS, with a minimum of 348 and a maximum of 471 FPS. The High preset averages 306 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 238 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers high frame rates. The Low preset averages 276 FPS. The Medium preset averages 229 FPS, with a minimum of 195 and a maximum of 263 FPS. The High preset averages 171 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 133 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is the other critical component in this combo. It is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is essential for Counter-Strike 2, as the game's engine is heavily reliant on single-core performance for 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 30 MB of shared L3 cache. This large cache pool helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency and improving performance in scenarios where the CPU is the bottleneck. The memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. This is sufficient to feed the CPU's cores without creating a data starvation issue.

In its own benchmarks, the Core Ultra 7 265 achieves a strong Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,216 and a single-core score of 5,960. The single-core score is particularly relevant for Counter-Strike 2. The Passmark single-thread score is 4,689, which is a strong indicator of its capabilities in lightly-threaded workloads. The CPU's percentile is 93, and its average benchmark score is 64,640. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 4464P, which scores 64,823 (a -0.3% difference), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, which scores 64,438 (a 0.3% difference). These close scores indicate that the performance of this CPU is well within the expected range for its class.

The CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 745 FPS, a figure that is primarily limited by the CPU's ability to process the game's simulation and issue draw calls. The GPU is barely breaking a sweat at this setting. As resolution increases, the GPU takes on more of the load, and the frame rate becomes more balanced between the two components.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with the High preset is 306.

Q: Is the system capable of running the game at 4K with a high refresh rate?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with the Medium preset, the average FPS is 229, and with the High preset, it is 171. These figures are well-suited for 144Hz and 240Hz displays.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 compare to its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64,640, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 4464P's score of 64,823.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded in the data?

A: The highest average FPS is 745, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 with the Medium settings is 348.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: This specific combo ranks 109th out of 2,870 tested combinations in Counter-Strike 2.