Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is a title where frame rate consistency and responsiveness often matter more than absolute visual fidelity. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the Intel Arc B390 provides a clear picture of its capabilities across a range of settings and resolutions. The benchmark results indicate that the most balanced experience is achieved at Medium settings, which offers a significant boost in frame rate over High while maintaining playable performance at all tested resolutions. At 1080p, Medium settings deliver an average of 258 FPS, which is a substantial improvement over the 223 FPS seen at High, with only a modest visual compromise. The data shows that while Low settings push the average to 303 FPS at 1080p, the jump from Medium to Low yields a smaller relative gain compared to the step from High to Medium, making Medium the sweet spot for players seeking a responsive experience without unnecessarily sacrificing image quality. At 1440p, Medium settings produce an average of 177 FPS, which remains well above the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even at 4K, the Medium preset achieves a respectable 105 FPS, indicating that this combination can handle higher resolutions without requiring the lowest quality settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and Intel Arc B390 in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive shows a clear hierarchy across presets. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, yielding the lowest averages at every resolution: 190 FPS at 1080p, 131 FPS at 1440p, and 77 FPS at 4K. While these numbers are playable, they represent a significant performance cost over the next tier down. The High preset offers a moderate improvement, with averages of 223 FPS at 1080p, 154 FPS at 1440p, and 91 FPS at 4K. The data suggests that the jump from High to Ultra is not well rewarded in terms of frame rate, as the performance drop is steep across all resolutions.

The Medium preset stands out as the most efficient choice in the measured results. At 1080p, it delivers 258 FPS, which is 35 FPS higher than High and only 45 FPS lower than Low. At 1440p, Medium produces 177 FPS, a 23 FPS improvement over High and a 31 FPS gap from Low. Even at 4K, Medium maintains 105 FPS, which is 14 FPS above High and 18 FPS below Low. The frame time data for Medium, with a minimum of 89 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS at 4K, shows a consistent range, suggesting less variance than might be expected at such a high resolution. The Low preset is the fastest, reaching 303 FPS at 1080p, 208 FPS at 1440p, and 123 FPS at 4K, but it does so by minimizing visual details.

Benchmark results indicate that the optimal experience for this hardware combination is the Medium preset. It provides a substantial performance headroom over High across all resolutions, ensuring that the game remains fluid even in demanding scenes, while the visual difference between Medium and High is often less critical in a fast-paced esports title like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. For players with high refresh rate monitors at 1080p, the Low preset might be tempting to push frame rates past 300 FPS, but Medium offers a better balance for those who want both speed and clarity. At 1440p and 4K, Medium is the clear recommendation, as it keeps the average FPS comfortably above 100 at 4K and above 170 at 1440p, which is sufficient for a competitive edge.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is built on the Zen 5 architecture with a Granite Ridge codename, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP. The processor includes a substantial cache hierarchy: 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications suggest a strong single-threaded performance profile, which is crucial for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a game that is known to be sensitive to CPU clock speed and cache latency. The PassMark single-thread score for this CPU is 4691, and its multithread score is 36470, with an average benchmark score of 69996, placing it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs.

When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the data shows it is closely matched with several high-end processors. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX has an average score of 69875, which is a 0.2% delta from the 9700F. The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 70163, a -0.2% delta, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69515, a 0.7% delta. The Intel Core i7-14700K is at 69355, a 0.9% delta. These results indicate that the 9700F is positioned in the upper echelon of desktop CPUs, and its performance is effectively on par with these rivals, with differences well within the margin of error. In a game like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which relies heavily on draw call processing and physics calculations, the high boost clock of 5.50 GHz and the 32 MB L3 cache are likely to be significant factors in maintaining high frame rates, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor.

The measured FPS data supports this interpretation. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination achieves 303 FPS, which is the highest average recorded across all tests. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames to saturate its rendering capacity, even at a low graphical preset. The fact that the 9700F has a PassMark data compression score of 421988 and a floating point math score of 77955 further underscores its computational capability, which can indirectly benefit game logic and background tasks. While the GPU is a significant bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings, the CPU's robust single-thread performance ensures that it does not become the limiting factor in most scenarios, particularly at 1080p where the frame rates are exceptionally high.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, using the Panther Lake chip on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its memory is labeled as "System Shared," meaning it relies on system RAM for frame buffer, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." The card's raw compute capabilities are listed at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16, with a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The TDP is 80 W, and it is classified as an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor), which means it shares power and thermal resources with the CPU.

The GPU's benchmark scores are notably low, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX with a score of 1463 (a 1.3% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M at 1460 (a 1.5% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM at 1446 (a 2.5% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at 1443 (a 2.7% delta). These are all entry-level or legacy mobile or desktop graphics solutions, indicating that the Arc B390 is positioned at the very bottom of the performance spectrum for discrete GPUs, despite being integrated. This is a critical factor in understanding the measured FPS results, as the GPU is likely to be the primary bottleneck in most scenarios, even at lower resolutions.

The measured FPS data reflects this GPU limitation. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination reaches 303 FPS, but this is the absolute ceiling. When the resolution increases to 1440p, the frame rate drops to 208 FPS at Low, and further to 123 FPS at 4K. This scaling pattern shows that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the pixel fill rate demands as resolution increases, despite the CPU's strong performance. The texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s are modest figures that limit the GPU's ability to render complex scenes at higher resolutions. The shared memory architecture also means that bandwidth is not dedicated, which can cause performance drops in scenes with high texture detail. The data shows that at Ultra settings, the frame rates fall to 190 FPS at 1080p, 131 FPS at 1440p, and 77 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result being only barely playable. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting component when graphical demands increase, and the CPU's substantial headroom cannot compensate for the GPU's lack of raw throughput.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F with the Intel Arc B390 achieves a rank of 2510 out of 2848 total combos. This places it in the lower percentile of all tested systems, which is expected given the GPU's performance profile. The combination's rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's low benchmark scores, as the CPU is a top-tier performer. The data shows that the combo's overall standing is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations. The rank of 2510 means that there are 2510 other combinations that perform better in this specific game, which is a significant number, but it is important to contextualize this by considering the nature of the GPU.

The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM, are all legacy parts that are not designed for modern gaming at high settings. The fact that the Arc B390 is ranked alongside these parts in terms of average benchmark score underscores its entry-level positioning. However, the measured FPS data in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive shows that the combination can still deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, especially on Medium and Low settings. The combo's rank of 2510 out of 2848 suggests that while it is not a high-performance gaming rig, it is not entirely unsuitable for this game, particularly for players who are willing to adjust settings to achieve smoother gameplay. The CPU's high percentile ranking (94th) does not boost the combo's overall rank significantly because the GPU's weight is more dominant in this title's performance metrics.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting preset for this CPU and GPU combo in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive?

A: The data indicates that the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 258 FPS at 1080p, 177 FPS at 1440p, and 105 FPS at 4K, which are all playable and represent a significant improvement over High settings.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996, while the Core i7-14700KF scores 70163, representing a -0.2% delta, meaning the 9700F is essentially on par with the i7-14700KF in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a discrete GPU?

A: No, the Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP), as indicated by its "IGP" slot width and bus interface, and it shares system memory for its frame buffer.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the measured average FPS is 154, with no minimum or maximum values recorded in the data.

Q: How does the combo's rank in this game compare to other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2510 out of 2848 total tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database, which is consistent with the GPU's low benchmark percentile.

Q: Can this combo achieve 300 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes, at 1080p with Low settings, the measured average FPS is 303, which is the only preset and resolution combination in the data to exceed 300 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination is presented by resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 303 FPS for Low, 258 FPS for Medium, 223 FPS for High, and 190 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution has a minimum FPS of 219 and a maximum of 296, showing a range of 77 FPS. At 2560x1440, the averages are 208 FPS for Low, 177 FPS for Medium, 154 FPS for High, and 131 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p records a minimum of 151 FPS and a maximum of 204 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are 123 FPS for Low, 105 FPS for Medium, 91 FPS for High, and 77 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern where the difference between Low and Medium is smaller than the difference between High and Ultra. For example, at 1080p, the gap between Low and Medium is 45 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 33 FPS. At 1440p, the Low-to-Medium gap is 31 FPS, and the High-to-Ultra gap is 23 FPS. At 4K, the Low-to-Medium gap is 18 FPS, and the High-to-Ultra gap is 14 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset provides a more efficient use of the GPU's capabilities, as it captures most of the performance benefit from lowering settings without incurring the full visual penalty of Low. The minimum FPS values for Medium at each resolution (219 at 1080p, 151 at 1440p, 89 at 4K) indicate that frame pacing remains stable, which is important for competitive gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The impact of resolution on frame rate is clearly visible in the measured data. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by 95 FPS for Low settings (from 303 to 208), by 81 FPS for Medium (from 258 to 177), by 69 FPS for High (from 223 to 154), and by 59 FPS for Ultra (from 190 to 131). This represents a percentage decrease of approximately 31% for Low, 31% for Medium, 31% for High, and 31% for Ultra. The consistency of this drop across settings suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the pixel count increases by roughly 78% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, but the frame rate only decreases by about a third, indicating that the GPU is not fully saturated at 1080p.

From 1440p to 4K, the average FPS drops further: by 85 FPS for Low (from 208 to 123), by 72 FPS for Medium (from 177 to 105), by 63 FPS for High (from 154 to 91), and by 54 FPS for Ultra (from 131 to 77). The percentage decreases are approximately 41% for Low, 41% for Medium, 41% for High, and 41% for Ultra. This steeper drop from 1440p to 4K, where the pixel count increases by about 125%, indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly strained as resolution climbs. The fact that the frame rate at 4K Ultra falls to 77 FPS, which is below the 90 FPS threshold often considered smooth, confirms that this combo is not well-suited for 4K gaming at high settings. The data shows that the CPU's strong performance does not mitigate the GPU's resolution scaling limitations, as the frame rate drops are consistent across all settings, pointing to the GPU as the bottleneck at higher resolutions.