Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a 2012 tactical FPS, remains a benchmark staple due to its low system requirements and high frame rate potential. The data measured for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 reveals a configuration that is heavily skewed by the integrated graphics solution. This analysis walks through the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, contextualizes the combo's standing, and dissects the roles of the CPU and GPU in shaping the final results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear and expected trend: performance degrades as resolution increases. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 223 FPS at 1920x1080 to 154 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 69 FPS. Scaling further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 91 FPS, representing a 132 FPS drop from the 1080p baseline. This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that the rendering load is the primary factor changing with resolution.

The rate of decline, however, provides insight into the limiting component. The percentage drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings (from 154 to 91 FPS) is roughly 41%, which is a significant hit. This steep decline suggests that the system is not purely CPU-bound at lower resolutions; if it were, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively flat until the GPU became the bottleneck. Instead, the consistent and substantial FPS reduction at each higher resolution points to the Intel Arc B390, an integrated GPU with system-shared memory, as the primary performance limiter.

The data from the Low preset corroborates this analysis. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves a very high 303 FPS. When moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 208 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 123 FPS. The massive headroom at 1080p Low suggests that the CPU is capable of pushing frame rates well beyond what the GPU can maintain at higher resolutions. The fact that even at the lowest settings, 4K resolution yields less than half the FPS of 1080p underscores that the integrated GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the constraining factors. The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens with resolution, further confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck, as it struggles more with the increased pixel count than with the complexity of the scene.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured performance places this specific combination of components at rank 2510 out of 2848 tested combos for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This places the combo in the bottom 12% of all tested systems, a low standing that is primarily attributable to the GPU. The CPU, the Intel Core i5-11400F, is a capable desktop processor, but the Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution with a 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs. This pairing creates a significant imbalance that heavily penalizes the combo's overall standing in a game where high FPS is a primary goal.

The combo's rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's low average benchmark score. The Intel Arc B390's average score is 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile. Its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database are low-end dedicated graphics cards from previous generations, such as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which has a score of 1463 and a deltaPct of 1.3, and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, with a score of 1443 and a deltaPct of 2.7. This indicates that the Arc B390's raw graphics processing power is on par with entry-level discrete GPUs from over a decade ago, which is insufficient for modern gaming at high resolutions.

In contrast, the Intel Core i5-11400F is a much stronger component. With an average benchmark score of 17177, it sits in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12, with a score of 17120 and a deltaPct of 0.3, and the Intel Core i5-12450H, with a score of 17239 and a deltaPct of -0.4. This means the CPU is well within the performance range of other mid-range processors. The data clearly shows that while the CPU is a solid foundation, the GPU is the single most significant factor dragging the combo's rank down to 2510 out of 2848.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and the desired frame rate for competitive play. At 1920x1080, the data shows that the Low preset offers the highest performance, with an average of 303 FPS. This is the only preset at 1080p that approaches the high refresh rates favored in CS:GO. The Medium preset provides a still-impressive 258 FPS, and High drops to 223 FPS. For players prioritizing maximum frame rate at 1080p, the Low preset is the only option that clears the 300 FPS threshold, while Medium and High remain viable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the performance ceiling is lower. The Low preset yields an average of 208 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. The Medium preset drops to 177 FPS, and High falls to 154 FPS. For 1440p, the Low preset is the recommended choice for maintaining frame rates above 200 FPS. The Medium preset also provides a smooth experience, but the data indicates that High and Ultra settings introduce a more significant performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes drastically. Even the Low preset only manages an average of 123 FPS. The Medium preset averages 105 FPS, while High drops to 91 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one to fall below 80 FPS, averaging 77 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only setting that provides a playable frame rate above 120 FPS. The data suggests that this combo is not well-suited for 4K gaming, as the visual quality improvements from higher settings are not worth the substantial FPS penalty. The best experience, according to the data, is achieved at 1080p with Low or Medium settings, where frame rates are high enough to fully utilize a 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitor.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all twelve tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from a high of 303 FPS on Low to a low of 190 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows an average of 258 FPS, with a minimum of 219 and a maximum of 296. The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the same hierarchy is preserved. The Low preset averages 208 FPS, Medium averages 177 FPS (with a min of 151 and max of 204), High averages 154 FPS, and Ultra averages 131 FPS. The absolute frame rates are lower than at 1080p, but the relative spacing between presets remains consistent, with roughly a 20-30 FPS difference between each step.

At 3840x2160, the performance degrades further. The Low preset averages 123 FPS, Medium averages 105 FPS (with a min of 89 and max of 120), High averages 91 FPS, and Ultra averages 77 FPS. The data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra is 46 FPS at 4K, compared to 113 FPS at 1080p. This compression of the performance envelope at higher resolutions reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the limiting factor; as resolution increases, the settings have less relative impact because the GPU is already saturated with pixel processing. The Medium preset is the only one with min/max data at each resolution, showing a consistent spread of about 30 FPS between the minimum and maximum measured values.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process node. Its performance profile, as indicated by the measured FPS, is the primary bottleneck for this combo. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, but 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 listed as "System Dependent," which is typically much lower than what a dedicated graphics card would offer.

The GPU's benchmark data shows a single score of 1482 on the 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This score is remarkably low, putting it in direct competition with legacy entry-level cards like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM, which have deltaPct values of 1.3 and 2.5 respectively. The GPU's theoretical capabilities, such as a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, are insufficient for the demands of modern gaming at high resolutions.

The impact of this weak GPU is evident in the measured FPS. Even at 1080p, the combo cannot maintain a 300+ FPS average at anything above the Low preset. The shared memory architecture means that increasing resolution from 1080p to 4K quadruples the pixel count, which places a massive strain on the memory subsystem. This is why the frame rates plummet so dramatically at 4K, regardless of the settings preset. The GPU's 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs are simply not enough to handle the fill rate required for 4K rendering, making it the definitive limiter in this configuration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. With a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, this CPU provides substantial processing power for gaming workloads. Its benchmark scores are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024. The Geekbench multi-core score of 7737 and single-core score of 1777 further confirm its solid mid-range performance.

In the context of CS:GO, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls. The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor for this combo. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 303 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to reach this level. However, the fact that the frame rate drops when settings are increased or resolution is raised points directly to the GPU as the bottleneck.

The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are adequate for the game's needs. Its 71st percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 17177 place it in a performance tier well above the GPU. The nearest CPU rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 7H12 and Intel Core i5-12450H, have very similar average scores, with deltaPct values of 0.3 and -0.4 respectively. This indicates that the i5-11400F is performing as expected for its class. The data clearly shows that the CPU has ample headroom; at 1080p Low, the system is likely CPU-limited at 303 FPS, but at 4K, the GPU is so overwhelmed that the CPU's performance becomes irrelevant.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS for this combo is 303, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 123 on Low settings to 77 on Ultra settings. The Medium preset averages 105 FPS, with a minimum of 89 and a maximum of 120.

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming?

A: The data shows a significant performance advantage at 1080p. For example, at High settings, the combo achieves 223 FPS at 1080p versus 154 FPS at 1440p. For high refresh rate gaming, 1080p is the recommended resolution.

Q: Which component is the primary bottleneck in this system?

A: The Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU is the primary bottleneck. Its low benchmark score (1482, 9th percentile) and system-shared memory configuration limit performance, especially at higher resolutions, despite the capable Intel Core i5-11400F processor.

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

A: The Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463) and 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446), placing it in the same performance tier as these older entry-level cards.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1080p?

A: To exceed 144 FPS, the Low preset averages 303 FPS and the Medium preset averages 258 FPS. Both are suitable, but the Low preset provides the most headroom above the 144 FPS target.