Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive?

A: This combo ranks 2,271 out of 2,848 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-mid pack of all tested setups for this title.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D has an average benchmark score of 75,779, which is only 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D, 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 8224P, and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all tested graphics cards?

A: The Intel Arc B570 scores in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20,556, making it a mid-range performer rather than a top-tier part.

Q: Which resolution provides the highest average frame rate at Low settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 465 FPS average, which is the highest measured frame rate across all tested resolutions and settings.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 343 at 1920x1080 to 139 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 204 FPS or approximately 59% lower performance.

Q: Is the measured FPS data based on real testing or estimates?

A: The data is measured, as indicated by the `"dataIsMeasured": true` field, meaning the frame rates come from actual benchmark runs rather than theoretical calculations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and Intel Arc B570 sits at rank 2,271 out of 2,848 tested combos for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This places the pairing in the 20th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 80% of other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in this specific title. The ranking reflects a substantial imbalance between the two components: the CPU is a top-tier part with a 95th percentile ranking among all processors, while the GPU sits at only the 65th percentile among all graphics cards. In a game like CS:GO, which is notoriously sensitive to CPU performance, the high-end processor should theoretically push frame rates very high, but the Arc B570 becomes the limiting factor at most settings.

The rank relative to other combos indicates that this pairing is not optimized for maximum FPS in CS:GO. Many other tested combos, likely featuring mid-range CPUs paired with stronger GPUs, achieve better results. The data suggests that the GPU's mid-tier positioning holds back the CPU's potential, especially at higher resolutions where the graphics card's workload increases. For a game that rewards high refresh rates, this combo's rank implies it is better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming rather than pushing 4K at high refresh rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 465 FPS at 1920x1080 to 320 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 189 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 31% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 59% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario: as resolution increases, the pixel fill rate demand grows, and the Arc B570's 80 ROPs and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate become the bottleneck.

At High settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The average FPS drops from 343 at 1080p to 236 at 1440p (a 31% decline) and then to 139 at 4K (a 59% decline from 1080p). The similarity in percentage drops across Low and High settings suggests that resolution scaling is independent of the settings preset, which is typical for a GPU-limited scenario. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s and 10 GB of GDDR6 memory are sufficient for all tested resolutions, but the raw compute throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 limits how many pixels can be processed per frame.

The scaling pattern indicates that the CPU is not the primary limiter at any resolution. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU has the least work to do, the combo achieves 465 FPS, which is below what the Ryzen 9 9950X3D could theoretically deliver in a CPU-bound scenario. The 16-core, 32-thread processor with a 5.70 GHz boost clock is more than capable of feeding frames to the GPU, but the Arc B570's mid-range performance caps the output. This is confirmed by the fact that the FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p is nearly identical in percentage terms across all settings presets, which would not be the case if the CPU were the bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 465 FPS, which drops to 396 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 337 FPS and maximum of 456 FPS). High settings yield 343 FPS average, while Ultra settings reduce the average to 293 FPS. The variation from Low to Ultra is 172 FPS, or a 37% reduction, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution. The minimum FPS at Medium is 337, which is still above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, indicating smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear step down. Low settings average 320 FPS, Medium averages 273 FPS (with a range of 232 to 314 FPS), High averages 236 FPS, and Ultra averages 201 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 119 FPS, a 37% reduction, mirroring the percentage drop seen at 1080p. The minimum FPS at Medium is 232, which is still playable for competitive gaming but below the maximum refresh rates of some high-end 1440p monitors. This resolution represents a sweet spot for the combo, balancing visual quality with frame rates that exceed 200 FPS at most settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 189 FPS, Medium averages 161 FPS (with a range of 137 to 185 FPS), High averages 139 FPS, and Ultra averages 119 FPS. The minimum FPS at Medium is 137, which is below the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many 4K monitors, potentially causing visible stutters in fast-paced gameplay. The reduction from 1080p to 4K is consistent across all settings, reinforcing that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution. Ultra settings at 4K deliver the lowest average FPS of any tested configuration at 119 FPS, which is still playable but far from the high refresh rates that competitive CS:GO players prefer.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture and Battlemage generation, has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. Its base and boost clocks are both 2,500 MHz, with memory running at 2,375 MHz (19 Gbps effective) across a 160-bit bus. The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for CS:GO's modest VRAM requirements. The GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are mid-range figures that explain its 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

In CS:GO, the GPU's role becomes more prominent as resolution increases. At 1080p, the Arc B570 can push frame rates above 400 FPS at Low settings, but the 465 FPS average suggests it is still the limiting factor, as the Ryzen 9 9950X3D could theoretically deliver higher FPS in a CPU-bound scenario. At 4K, the GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 compute capability is stretched, resulting in average FPS between 119 and 189 depending on settings. The 18 ray tracing cores are irrelevant for CS:GO, which does not use ray tracing, but the GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support ensures compatibility with the game's rendering pipeline.

The GPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% higher score), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% lower), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (0.5% lower). These comparisons show that the Arc B570 is a solid mid-range performer, but in a game like CS:GO where high FPS is paramount, it cannot match the performance of higher-tier GPUs that would allow the Ryzen 9 9950X3D to reach its full potential.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 465 FPS average, which is suitable for 360 Hz or even 480 Hz monitors, assuming such displays are available. Medium settings at 396 FPS are still exceptionally high and would satisfy any current monitor's refresh rate, while providing better visual quality. High settings at 343 FPS remain above the 240 Hz threshold, making them a viable choice for competitive play with improved graphics. Ultra settings at 293 FPS are still high but may not fully utilize the fastest monitors available.

At 2560x1440, Low settings at 320 FPS support 300 Hz monitors, while Medium settings at 273 FPS are sufficient for 240 Hz displays. High settings at 236 FPS fall just below the 240 Hz threshold, so players with 240 Hz monitors might prefer Medium for a safety margin. Ultra settings at 201 FPS are still smooth but may not be ideal for the most competitive play. For 1440p gaming, Medium settings appear to offer the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, with the minimum FPS of 232 ensuring consistent performance above 200 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Low settings at 189 FPS are the only option that consistently exceeds 144 Hz, while Medium settings at 161 FPS are close but with a minimum of 137 FPS that could dip below 144 Hz. High settings at 139 FPS and Ultra at 119 FPS are best suited for 120 Hz displays or slower. For 4K gaming, Low settings are recommended for competitive play, while Medium provides a reasonable compromise for casual play. Overall, Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p offer the best experience per the measured data, balancing high average FPS with acceptable minimums and better visual fidelity than Low.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), built on TSMC's 4 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.30 GHz and a boost clock of 5.70 GHz, with a 170 W TDP. The CPU features 128 MB of L3 cache, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. Its 3DMark single-thread score of 1,292 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,259 indicate strong per-core performance, which is crucial for CS:GO's mostly single-threaded game engine.

The CPU's percentile rank of 95 among all processors confirms its top-tier status. Its average benchmark score of 75,779 places it just 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285, showing that it is competitive with the best desktop CPUs but not dramatically superior in synthetic benchmarks. In CS:GO, the CPU's high single-thread performance should theoretically enable very high frame rates, but the measured FPS data shows that the GPU becomes the bottleneck before the CPU's limits are reached.

The 32 threads and 16 cores provide ample headroom for background tasks and streaming, but CS:GO typically uses only a few cores, so the CPU's massive multi-threaded capabilities (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,018) are not fully utilized in this game. The 128 MB L3 cache is beneficial for game data retention, but again, the GPU's mid-range performance prevents the CPU from demonstrating its full potential in this specific title. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a higher-tier GPU would yield significantly higher frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, but with the Arc B570, the CPU's role is to ensure consistent frame delivery without becoming a bottleneck, which it achieves admirably.