Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a unique performance profile in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, characterized by a stark contrast between a high-core-count CPU and an entry-level integrated GPU. The measured data indicates that this combination is severely GPU-limited across all tested scenarios, making it a case study in how a powerful processor cannot compensate for a weak graphics solution in a competitive FPS. The benchmark results place this combo at rank 2510 out of 2848 tested combinations, firmly in the lower quartile of performance.

Settings Recommendations

Given the substantial performance headroom provided by the Ryzen 7 5700, the primary bottleneck is unambiguously the Intel Arc B390. The measured FPS data shows that the Low preset consistently delivers the highest average frame rates at every resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 303 FPS, which is 45 FPS higher than the Medium preset and 80 FPS higher than High. This pattern holds at higher resolutions, where Low at 2560x1440 delivers 208 FPS compared to 177 FPS on Medium, and at 3840x2160 it reaches 123 FPS versus 105 FPS on Medium.

The Ultra preset offers the worst performance across the board, with average FPS dropping to 190 at 1080p, 131 at 1440p, and 77 at 4K. While the Ultra preset may provide enhanced visual fidelity, the performance cost is substantial—a 113 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p. For a game like CS:GO, where high frame rates are critical for competitive play, the data strongly suggests that the Low preset is the optimal choice for maximizing the experience. The Medium preset does provide a middle ground, but the FPS penalty relative to Low is significant enough that it may not be worth the visual upgrade for most users.

Interestingly, the High preset performs better than Ultra but worse than Medium, indicating that the scaling between settings is not linear. The measured data shows that at 1080p, High averages 223 FPS, which is 35 FPS lower than Medium but 33 FPS higher than Ultra. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are particularly demanding on the Arc B390's limited resources. For the best experience per the measured rows, Low is the clear recommendation, with Medium as a fallback for users who prioritize visuals over maximum frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on Intel's 3 nm process node. Its performance characteristics are modest, as evidenced by its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 (1.3% lower) and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 with a score of 1443 (2.7% lower). These comparisons show that the Arc B390 sits at the very bottom of the GPU performance hierarchy, akin to entry-level discrete GPUs from over a decade ago.

The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, which is a wide range that suggests aggressive dynamic clocking behavior. Its memory configuration is System Shared, meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical limitation, as the memory bandwidth is System Dependent, which in this case is tied to the Ryzen 7 5700's dual-channel DDR4 configuration providing 51.2 GB/s. The GPU's compute capabilities are limited, with 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. It has 12 ray tracing cores, but its FP32 throughput is only 7.680 TFLOPS, which is modest for modern gaming.

In the context of CS:GO, the GPU's role is the primary determinant of performance. The data shows that even at the Low preset, the highest resolution tested (4K) only achieves 123 FPS, while 1080p reaches 303 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is a 180 FPS drop, which is a 59.4% reduction. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as a more capable GPU would show less dramatic scaling. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits; in practice, the shared memory bandwidth will constrain performance in memory-intensive scenarios. The GPU's 80 W TDP and IGP slot width confirm its integrated nature, with no power connectors required and display outputs dependent on the portable device.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is a formidable processor that provides ample computational power for this game. It features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture (Cezanne), with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The CPU has a 16 MB L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20655 and a single-core score of 2916. The 3DMark 16-thread score is 6628, and the 8-thread score is 5585, showing good scaling with core count.

In CS:GO, which is known to be CPU-sensitive, the Ryzen 7 5700's capabilities are largely underutilized due to the GPU bottleneck. The CPU's 78th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25517, places it well above the GPU's 9th percentile. The nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Xeon D-2752TER with a score of 25530 (0.1% lower) and the AMD Ryzen 5 6600H with a score of 25550 (0.1% higher), indicating the Ryzen 7 5700 is balanced within its performance class. The single-thread performance, crucial for CS:GO's game logic, is solid with a PassMark single-thread score of 3296 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1907.

The CPU's role in this combination is to ensure that it is never the bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 303 FPS, which is likely near the ceiling of what the GPU can render, not what the CPU can calculate. The 16 threads provide headroom for background tasks and any potential CPU-bound scenarios, but in this case, the GPU's limitations cap performance well below what the CPU could support. The CPU's 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate it is an efficient, overclockable part, but overclocking would not help in this GPU-limited configuration. The 7 nm process node and 10,700 million transistors on a 180 mm² die show a well-optimized design that delivers strong performance per watt.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2510 out of 2848 tested combos in CS:GO, placing it in the 88th percentile of the worst-performing systems. This ranking is unsurprising given the GPU's low benchmark scores. The combo's position is primarily driven by the GPU's 9th percentile ranking, while the CPU's 78th percentile ranking suggests that pairing this CPU with a more capable GPU would yield significantly better results. The rank disparity between the components—the CPU being near the top quartile and the GPU being in the bottom decile—creates a severely imbalanced system.

The data shows that this combo performs better than 338 other tested combinations, but the majority of systems outperform it. The gap between the combo's rank and the top of the list is substantial, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor. For context, if the CPU were paired with an average GPU, the combo rank would likely improve dramatically, as the CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread scores would support much higher frame rates. The measured FPS at 1080p Low of 303 FPS is respectable, but it likely represents a hard cap imposed by the GPU, not the CPU. In a game like CS:GO, where professional players often seek 300+ FPS on high refresh rate monitors, this combo can barely achieve that at the lowest settings and resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data clearly illustrates the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by 80 FPS (from 303 to 208) at Low settings, a 26.4% reduction. From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the FPS drops by another 85 FPS (from 208 to 123), a 40.9% reduction. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 180 FPS, a 59.4% decrease. This scaling is consistent with a GPU that is overwhelmed by pixel count, rather than a CPU that is struggling to feed frames.

The Medium preset shows similar scaling patterns: 258 FPS at 1080p, 177 FPS at 1440p, and 105 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 31.4% from 1080p to 1440p, and 40.7% from 1440p to 4K. The High preset shows 223 FPS at 1080p, 154 FPS at 1440p, and 91 FPS at 4K, with drops of 30.9% and 40.9% respectively. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 190 FPS at 1080p, 131 FPS at 1440p, and 77 FPS at 4K, representing drops of 31.1% and 41.2%. The consistent ~30% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~41% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the dominant constraints.

This scaling behavior is characteristic of a GPU with a fixed pixel throughput. The Arc B390's 60 GPixel/s pixel rate would theoretically allow for 60 million pixels per second, but the actual frame rates are well below what this suggests, indicating that other bottlenecks, such as shader processing or memory bandwidth, are limiting. The fact that the scaling is so consistent across settings suggests that the GPU is operating at its limits regardless of the quality preset, which is why the Low preset offers the best way to maximize FPS without changing the fundamental bottleneck.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo in CS:GO?

A: The Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at all resolutions, with 303 FPS at 1080p, 208 FPS at 1440p, and 123 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset offers a middle ground but at a significant FPS cost, while Ultra provides the lowest frame rates.

Q: Is this system CPU-bound or GPU-bound?

A: The system is entirely GPU-bound. The CPU's 78th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 9th percentile ranking, combined with the consistent resolution scaling, shows that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting factor.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446). These are all very low-performance GPUs.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 2510 out of 2848 tested combinations in CS:GO, placing it in the bottom 11.9% of all systems tested.

Q: How much FPS do you lose going from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 303 at 1080p to 123 at 4K, a 180 FPS decrease (59.4% reduction). At Medium settings, it drops from 258 to 105 FPS.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 5700's 16 threads help in this game?

A: While the CPU has 16 threads and strong multi-threaded scores (Cinebench R23 multicore of 20655), CS:GO's performance is limited by the GPU in this configuration. The CPU's capabilities provide headroom but are not fully utilized.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across all tested resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 303 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. The Medium preset reaches 258 FPS with a minimum of 219 FPS and a maximum of 296 FPS, showing some frame time variance. The High preset delivers 223 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 190 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 113 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a 37.3% performance penalty.

At 2560x1440, the performance decreases across all settings. The Low preset averages 208 FPS, Medium averages 177 FPS (with a range of 151-204 FPS), High averages 154 FPS, and Ultra averages 131 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 77 FPS, a 37.0% penalty. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 151 at this resolution shows that there can be noticeable dips below the average, which could be perceptible in fast-paced gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops further. The Low preset averages 123 FPS, Medium averages 105 FPS (with a range of 89-120 FPS), High averages 91 FPS, and Ultra averages 77 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 46 FPS, a 37.4% penalty. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum FPS of 89, which is below the refresh rate of many standard monitors, but the Low preset's 123 FPS average is more playable. The data shows that at 4K, even the Low preset cannot maintain frame rates high enough for competitive play on high refresh rate displays, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold for casual play.