Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, featuring a shared 12 MB L3 cache. This CPU sits in the 68th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14185cars. In synthetic tests, its multi-threaded capabilities are evident: it scores 10283 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4318 in Cinebench R20, while single-thread performance reaches 1451 and 609 in those same tests, respectively. The data shows a clear scaling from 2-thread (1350 in 3DMark) to 8-thread (3929) workloads, with the maximum-thread score of 4735 nearly matching the 16-thread result of 4748, indicating that the 12 threads are efficiently utilized but that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios.

In the context of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a title that heavily favors high clock speeds and strong single-core performance, this processor's 4.30 GHz boost clock is the most relevant specification. The benchmark results confirm this: a single-thread score of 688 in 3DMark and 2541 in PassMark single-thread tests demonstrate solid IPC for the architecture. However, the CPU’s relative position is telling. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon 6756E (avgScore 14163) and the AMD EPYC 7552 (avgScore 14115), are within 0.5% of its average score, showing that the i5-10400F is competitive with server-class parts in aggregate. Yet, the gap between this CPU and the top-tier processors used in the highest-performing combos is significant; the data suggests that while the i5-10400F can deliver high frame rates, it will limit the GeForce RTX 4090 in this game, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the GeForce 40-series, based on the AD102 chip and Ada Lovelace architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It packs 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with a massive 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and the memory runs at 21 Gbps effective. The GPU is in the 88th percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60347. In raw compute, it achieves 82.58 TFLOPS FP32, and its PassMark G3D score of 38194 is exceptionally high.

For Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the RTX 4090 is massively overprovisioned. The game’s engine is not graphically demanding, and even at 4K Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 322, which is far above any competitive refresh rate. The GPU’s role here is less about raw rendering power and more about ensuring that frame times remain consistent, with the 24 GB VRAM being entirely irrelevant for this title’s texture loads. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is rarely the bottleneck; at 1080p Low, the average FPS reaches 915, a figure that is almost certainly constrained by the CPU rather than the graphics card. The nearest rivals to the RTX 4090, such as the Intel Arc Pro A60 (avgScore 60326) and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (avgScore 61896), are within 2.5% of its average score, but this comparison is misleading for gaming. The RTX 4090’s drivers and game optimization for this specific title place it in a class of its own, as evidenced by the FPS data, which shows that even the lowest settings at 4K produce over 500 FPS. The GPU’s capability is such that the measured FPS differences between settings are more a reflection of CPU load changes than GPU limits.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve the highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings, yielding 915 FPS. At 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 808 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Low, it is 513 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in aggregate performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Xeon 6756E (14163) and 0.5% higher than the AMD EPYC 7552 (14115). It is 0.3% lower than the Intel Core 7 160UL (14232) and 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (14277).

Q: Is the RTX 4090’s 24 GB VRAM a factor in this game?

A: The data indicates that VRAM size has no measurable impact on this game’s performance. The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, but the FPS variations across settings are driven by other factors, as the game is not VRAM-intensive.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average FPS is 778. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS drops to 322. This represents a 456 FPS reduction, or roughly a 58.6% decrease in average frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Does the combo rank high among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 238 out of 3719 tested combinations, placing it in the top 6.4% of all combos tested for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum FPS is 628, with an average of 739 FPS and a maximum of 850 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 238 out of 3719 tested combos for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This places the pairing in the top 6.4% of all systems tested, a strong result driven almost entirely by the RTX 4090’s immense power. The ranking is notable because the CPU is a mid-range part from 2020, yet the combo outperforms the vast majority of tested systems. The data suggests that the GPU is the dominant factor in this ranking, as the RTX 4090’s percentile (88th) is significantly higher than the CPU’s (68th). However, the rank also reveals a limitation: if the i5-10400F were paired with a lower-tier GPU, the combo’s rank would plummet, but with the RTX 4090, it remains competitive. The top 237 combos ahead of this pairing likely feature newer, higher-clock CPUs that can feed the GPU more effectively at high frame ratesikuha. The 3719 total combos include many with weaker GPUs, so this rank underscores the RTX 4090’s ability to carry the system, even when paired with a relatively modest processor. The 238th position confirms the GPU’s brute force, but the FPS data shows that the CPU does impose a ceiling, particularly at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from a low of 778 at Ultra to a high of 915 at Low. The Medium preset yields 865 FPS with a minimum of 735 and a maximum of 995, while High settings produce 822 FPS. The scaling is linear, with a 137 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, indicating that the CPU is the primary limiter at this resolution. Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops across all presets: Low delivers 808, High hits 640, Medium records 739 (with min/max of 628/850), and Ultra falls to 546. The delta between Low and Ultra is 262 FPS, showing a greater spread as the GPU becomes more involved. At 3840x2160, the averages are 513 (Low), 436 (Medium, min 371, max 502), 378 (High), and 322 (Ultra). The 4K data reveals a tighter relative spread—the difference between Low and Ultra is 191 FPS, which is proportionally smaller than at 1080p, suggesting the CPU bottleneck is less severe at higher resolutions. Notably, the only rows with min/max FPS values are the Medium presets across all resolutions, indicating that this setting produces the most variable frame times. Across all data points, the combo maintains an average FPS above 300 even at 4K Ultra, which is beyond the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. The 1080p Low result of 915 FPS is the single highest average, but the 1440p Low at 808 FPS and 4K Low at 513 FPS show that the GPU is capable of pushing massive frame rates at any resolution, with the CPU clock speed being the sole factor preventing even higher numbers.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target refresh rate. For a 144Hz monitor, even 4K Ultra provides 322 FPS, which is more than double the requirement, so the highest visual fidelity is achievable at any resolution. If the goal is maximum competitive performance, 1920x1080 Low yields 915 FPS, but this offers no practical benefit over 1440p Low at 808 FPS, which provides more screen real estate for situational awareness. The data indicates that the Medium preset is a sweet spot for consistency, as it is the only setting with recorded minimum FPS values: 735 at 1080p, 628 at 1440p, and 371 at 4K. These minimums remain above 360 FPS even at 4K, meaning there is no risk of dropping below the refresh rate of the fastest gaming monitors. For players seeking a balance between visual quality and frame rate, 2560x1440 Medium is the best choice, delivering 739 FPS average with a 628 FPS minimum. This ensures that even in the most chaotic firefights, the frame rate never dips below 600 FPS, which is far beyond human perception. At 4K, the Medium preset (436 FPS average) is preferable to High (378 FPS) because it offers higher average and minimum performance, with the visual difference between Medium and High in this game being negligible. High settings at any resolution provide marginal visual gains over Medium but with a measurable FPS cost—at 1440p, moving from Medium to High reduces the average from 739 to 640 FPS. Ultra settings are only recommended for 4K users with 240Hz panels, as the 322 FPS average still exceeds that threshold, but it is the lowest measured average in the dataset. For all other use cases, Medium or Low settings are superior, with Low providing the highest average FPS at every resolution, albeit with less visual fidelity. The recommendation is to prioritize frame rate consistency over absolute maximums, making 1440p Medium the overall best experience for this combo.