Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an old engine title that scales unusually well with modern hardware, and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 + Intel Arc B580 pairing shows exactly how far frame rates can climb. The measured data covers 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, each with Low, Medium, High, and Ultra presets. The most striking result is that even at 4K Ultra, this combo holds an average of 136.9 FPS, which is far above what most competitive shooters require. At the other extreme, 1080p Low produces 522.9 FPS average, indicating the CPU and GPU are both capable of pushing well past typical 144Hz or 240Hz display limits. The spread between presets at each resolution reveals where the bottleneck shifts, and the data makes it clear that this system is overkill for most CS:GO scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but not catastrophic, which tells a clear story about the limiting component. At 1080p High, the average is 384.2 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 265.4 FPS; at 4K High, it falls to 159.2 FPS. That is a 31% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and another 40% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The fact that frame rates remain above 150 FPS even at 4K High suggests the Arc B580’s 12 GB GDDR6 memory and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are more than sufficient for this title’s demands.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is even more revealing. 1080p Low hits 522.9 FPS, 1440p Low drops to 359.6 FPS, and 4K Low still manages 213.9 FPS. The percentage drops are similar to High, indicating that the GPU is still the primary constraint even at Low settings. However, the absolute numbers are so high that the CPU’s role becomes apparent: the Ryzen 5 5500’s 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz are clearly not holding back frame rates, as even the lowest resolution preset produces over 500 FPS.

The Medium and Ultra presets follow the same pattern. Medium goes from 446.9 FPS at 1080p to 305.3 FPS at 1440p to 183.8 FPS at 4K. Ultra drops from 330.5 FPS at 1080p to 228.7 FPS at 1440p to 136.9 FPS at 4K. The consistent ~30-40% reduction per resolution step across all presets points to a GPU-bound scenario at every setting. If the CPU were the limit, we would expect the 1080p numbers to plateau, but they continue to climb with lower settings, confirming the Arc B580 is the active bottleneck—though at levels that make the bottleneck almost irrelevant for real-world play.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run CS:GO at 4K with high refresh rates?

A: Yes. The measured 4K High average is 159.2 FPS, and 4K Ultra still delivers 136.9 FPS. Both exceed 120Hz, and the 4K Low preset reaches 213.9 FPS, so a 144Hz 4K monitor is feasible if you lower settings.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 holding back the Arc B580 in this game?

A: No. The 1080p Low result of 522.9 FPS and 1080p Medium of 446.9 FPS show the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. The CPU’s single-thread score of 836 in 3dMark and Cinebench R23 single-core of 2319 are adequate for CS:GO’s relatively light thread demands.

Q: How much performance do you lose going from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At High settings, you lose about 31% (from 384.2 to 265.4 FPS). At Low settings, the drop is similar, from 522.9 to 359.6 FPS, which is a 31% reduction as well. The scaling is consistent, suggesting the GPU is the limiting factor across all resolutions.

Q: What is the best preset for competitive play at 1440p?

A: Low gives 359.6 FPS average, which is the highest at 1440p. Medium drops to 305.3 FPS, and High to 265.4 FPS. If you want maximum frame rate for a 240Hz monitor, Low is the clear choice; if you prefer visual clarity, Medium still offers over 300 FPS.

Q: Does the Arc B580’s VRAM matter for CS:GO?

A: Not much. The 12 GB GDDR6 memory is far more than CS:GO needs. Even at 4K Ultra, the game does not appear to be VRAM-limited, as the 136.9 FPS result is still strong. The 456.0 GB/s bandwidth helps maintain consistent frame delivery at high resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for CS:GO?

A: It ranks 1245 out of 1605 tested combos. That puts it in the lower-middle portion of the database, which is surprising given the high absolute FPS numbers. This indicates that many other CPU+GPU pairings produce even higher frame rates, likely due to faster CPUs or more powerful GPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1245 out of 1605 places this pairing in the 22nd percentile of all tested combinations for CS:GO. That sounds low, but the context is crucial: CS:GO is an extremely well-optimized esports title, and the top combos likely feature flagship CPUs and GPUs that push frame rates into the 800-1000 FPS range at 1080p. The Ryzen 5 5500 sits at the 79th percentile of all CPUs, and the Arc B580 at the 66th percentile of all GPUs, so both components are mid-range in absolute terms. Relative to the nearest rivals, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 20875 is essentially tied with the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897, delta -0.1%) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900, delta -0.1%). The GPU’s average score of 23021 is within 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (23181, delta -0.7%) and ahead of the NVIDIA P106-100 (22950, delta 0.3%).

The low combo rank is more a reflection of the competition than a verdict on this pairing’s playability. At 1080p Low, this combo produces over 500 FPS, which is already beyond what any mainstream monitor can display. The rank doesn’t account for the diminishing returns of frame rates above 300 FPS. For practical purposes, this combo is far above the threshold for smooth competitive play. The data suggests that if you are targeting 144Hz or 240Hz, this system will meet or exceed that at 1440p and even 4K with adjusted settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all presets. Low averages 522.9 FPS, Medium 446.9 FPS, High 384.2 FPS, and Ultra 330.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 192.4 FPS, which is a 36.8% reduction from Low to Ultra. This shows that even at 1080p, the GPU workload scales significantly with preset quality. The minimum FPS values are not provided, but the averages suggest consistent performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers remain strong. Low delivers 359.6 FPS, Medium 305.3 FPS, High 265.4 FPS, and Ultra 228.7 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 31% across all presets, as noted earlier. At 1440p Ultra, you still get over 200 FPS, which is more than enough for high-refresh gaming. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 130.9 FPS, a 36.4% reduction, nearly identical to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates finally start to feel more moderate. Low averages 213.9 FPS, Medium 183.8 FPS, High 159.2 FPS, and Ultra 136.9 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is about 40% across presets, which is steeper than the 1080p-to-1440p step. This is expected, as 4K has four times the pixels of 1080p. Even at 4K Ultra, the 136.9 FPS average exceeds 120Hz, meaning this combo can drive a 4K 120Hz display without dropping below that threshold in typical gameplay.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the primary driver of these frame rates. Its 12 GB GDDR6 memory, 192-bit bus, and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth provide ample headroom for CS:GO’s textures and geometry. The base and boost clock both sit at 2670 MHz, which is a high sustained clock for a GPU in this class. The 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs handle the rasterization workload efficiently, as evidenced by the 4K High result of 159.2 FPS.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 23021 places it at the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, has an average score of 23181, which is 0.7% higher. The Arc B580 also outperforms the AMD Radeon 760M (22999, delta 0.1%) and the NVIDIA P106-100 (22950, delta 0.3%). In CS:GO specifically, the GPU’s performance is more than sufficient, as even the heaviest preset at 4K keeps the frame rate above 130 FPS.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is not a limiting factor in this game. CS:GO is not a VRAM-heavy title, and the 4K Ultra preset likely uses far less than 12 GB. The memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s helps maintain smooth frame pacing at high resolutions, where texture fetch and pixel fill rates become more demanding. The GPU’s pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s are more than adequate for the resolutions tested.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play, the data strongly favors the Low preset at any resolution. At 1080p Low, you get 522.9 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. At 1440p Low, 359.6 FPS still provides a massive margin over 240Hz displays. Even at 4K Low, 213.9 FPS exceeds 144Hz. Low settings in CS:GO typically reduce visual clutter and improve visibility of enemy models, which aligns with the competitive advantage of higher frame rates.

If you prefer better visuals without sacrificing too much performance, Medium is the sweet spot. At 1080p, Medium gives 446.9 FPS, which is only 14.5% slower than Low. At 1440p, Medium delivers 305.3 FPS, still above 240Hz. At 4K, Medium drops to 183.8 FPS, which remains comfortably above 144Hz. Medium likely offers a good balance of clarity and frame rate for players who want some texture detail without a significant FPS hit.

High and Ultra are options for those who prioritize image quality over competitive edge. At 1080p High, 384.2 FPS is still excellent, and Ultra at 330.5 FPS is fine. At 1440p, High (265.4 FPS) and Ultra (228.7 FPS) both exceed 144Hz. At 4K, High (159.2 FPS) and Ultra (136.9 FPS) are playable on 120Hz or 144Hz monitors, but you may notice the frame rate dipping below the refresh ceiling in busy scenes. The recommendation is clear: use Low for maximum FPS, Medium for a balanced experience, and High/Ultra only if you have a 120Hz display and prefer visual fidelity.