Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 places at rank 774 out of 3,719 tested combos in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. That puts this configuration in the top 21% of all systems measured, a strong result for a combination built around a mid-range 11th Gen processor and a current-generation Blackwell GPU. The rank reflects the game's peculiar performance profile: CS:GO is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, but the RTX 5070's raw throughput ensures that even at 4K, this combo never falls below 243 average FPS on the Ultra preset.

Within the broader benchmark database, the RTX 5070 sits at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-11400F lands at the 71st percentile among all CPUs. The GPU's average benchmark score of 40,377 places it within 0.1% of the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40,318) and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40,063), though it trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 by 1.2% (40,870). The CPU's average score of 17,177 puts it 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17,120) and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17,074), while sitting 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-12450H (17,239).

The data indicates this combo is not a top-tier contender in absolute terms, but the measured FPS results tell a more nuanced story. At 1080p Low, the system pushes 952 average FPS, which is far beyond what any standard 144Hz or even 360Hz monitor can display. Even at 4K Ultra, the 243 average FPS remains above the refresh rate of most high-end displays. The rank of 774 is therefore less about absolute capability and more about how other combos with newer CPUs or higher-tier GPUs push even further into the thousands of FPS territory that competitive CS:GO players chase.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 brings Blackwell 2.0 architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process, with 31,100 million transistors packed into a 263 mm² die. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2325 MHz and boosts to 2512 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory operates across a 192-bit bus, delivering 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications translate into a pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 30.87 TFLOPS.

In CS:GO, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra settings shows the GPU working harder: 387 average FPS on Low drops to 330 on Medium, then 285 on High, and finally 243 on Ultra. That's a 37% performance reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor at this resolution when settings are maxed. The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, which is a decade-old title with modest texture requirements; memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s is likewise far beyond what CS:GO demands.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its mid-to-high tier positioning. The PassMark G3D score of 29,137 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5,077 place it well above average. Geekbench OpenCL (172,660) and Vulkan (178,923) scores show strong compute capability, though these are less relevant to CS:GO's DirectX 9-era rendering pipeline. The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with any modern API the game might leverage through compatibility layers.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how this combo scales from 1080p to 4K, and the pattern clearly shows the CPU becoming less of a bottleneck as resolution rises. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 952 average FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 655 average FPS, a 31% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 387, a further 41% drop from 1440p. The steepness of these declines at Low settings indicates that the CPU is reaching its limits at lower resolutions, where the i5-11400F's six cores and 12 threads are taxed by the game's simulation and draw-call processing.

On the Medium preset, the scaling is similar: 811 average FPS at 1080p, 558 at 1440p (31% drop), and 330 at 4K (41% drop from 1440p). The High preset follows the same pattern: 702 at 1080p, 483 at 1440p (31% drop), and 285 at 4K (41% drop from 1440p). The Ultra preset shows 599 at 1080p, 412 at 1440p (31% drop), and 243 at 4K (41% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across all presets suggests that the scaling is governed by resolution-dependent GPU load rather than settings-dependent CPU load.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 31% of average FPS across all presets, while the jump from 1440p to 4K costs another 41%. This compounding effect means that 4K performance is approximately 59% lower than 1080p performance across every preset. The fact that the percentage drops are nearly identical regardless of settings indicates that the GPU is the primary limiter at all resolutions, but the CPU's headroom at 1080p is what allows the massive FPS numbers at lower resolutions. For competitive play, 1080p Low at 952 FPS provides maximum responsiveness, while 4K Ultra at 243 FPS still clears the threshold for smooth high-refresh gaming.

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in CS:GO?

A: This Intel Core i5-11400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination ranks 774th out of 3,719 tested combos, placing it in the top 21% of all configurations.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The i5-11400F scores 17,177 on average, which is 0.3% higher than the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17,120), 0.6% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17,074), 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-12450H (17,239), and 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (17,278).

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 952, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settingschers. The next highest is 811 at 1080p Medium, then 702 at 1080p High, and 599 at 1080p Ultra.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: Across all presets, the average FPS drops by approximately 59% from 1080p to 4K. For example, on Low settings, 952 FPS at 1080p falls to 387 FPS at 4K; on Ultra, 599 FPS at 1080p falls to 243 FPS at 4K.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. The consistent 41% performance drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets suggests that the RTX 5070's rendering throughput, not the CPU's processing power, determines the frame rate at this resolution.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded for the Medium preset?

A: For the Medium preset, the minimum FPS values are 689 at 1080p, 474 at 1440p, and 280 at 4K, with corresponding maximum FPS of 932, 642, and 379 respectively.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance headroom across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 811 average FPS with a minimum of 689 and maximum of 932. That minimum is still far above any display refresh rate, so competitive players can push to Low for the maximum 952 FPS, but the Medium preset provides a more visually stable image without any risk of dropping below 600 FPS.

At 1440p, the Medium preset yields 558 average FPS with a minimum of 474, which remains well above the 360Hz ceiling of the fastest esports monitors. The High preset at 1440p drops to 483 average FPS, still exceeding 240Hz displays, but the Medium preset's 75 FPS advantage over High makes it the better choice for players who want to guarantee frame times stay as low as possible. The Ultra preset at 1440p produces 412 average FPS, which is still playable but offers diminishing visual returns in a game where visibility of enemies matters more than graphical fidelity.

At 4K, the Medium preset produces 330 average FPS with a minimum of 280, which is sufficient for 240Hz monitors. The High preset at 4K drops to 285 average FPS, and Ultra falls to 243. For 4K gaming on this combo, Medium is the recommended preset because it maintains a minimum FPS above 280, ensuring smooth gameplay even in intense firefights. The Low preset at 4K achieves 387 average FPS, but the visual downgrade is significant enough that most players will prefer Medium's balance.

The pattern across all resolutions is clear: Medium provides the best compromise between the CPU-bound FPS ceiling and the GPU's rendering load. The measured minimum FPS values for Medium (689 at 1080p, 474 at 1440p, 280 at 4K) all demonstrate that this preset never bottlenecks the system below playable thresholds, while High and Ultra sacrifice substantial FPS for marginal visual improvements in a game that is not graphically demanding.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a six-core, 12-thread processor based on Rocket Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and boosts up to 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 512 KB of L2 cache per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR4 with dual-channel configuration, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes and uses the Intel Socket 1200 interface.

In CS:GO, the CPU's role is critical at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 952 average FPS, which confirms the i5-11400F's single-thread performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,024 indicate strong per-core capability, which is essential for a game that primarily relies on a few threads for game logic and rendering commands. The CPU's boost clock of 4.40 GHz provides the frequency needed to drive frame rates beyond what most GPUs can render at 1080p.

The CPU's multithreaded performance is less relevant for CS:GO but still solid: Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14,340 and Geekbench multicore score of 7,737 show that the six-core, 12-thread configuration handles background tasks and streaming without issue. The PassMark multithread score of 16,908 and physics score of 842 further confirm this. The CPU's percentile ranking of 71 among all CPUs places it above average, and its average benchmark score of 17,177 is nearly identical to the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17,120), which is a much larger server processor.

The i5-11400F's 65 W TDP and end-of-life production status indicate that this is a budget-conscious choice from the 11th Gen era, but the benchmark results show it remains competitive in a game like CS:GO. The CPU's 12 MB L3 cache is adequate for the game's working set, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is sufficient to feed the RTX 5070 without becoming a bottleneck. The data suggests that in CS:GO, the i5-11400F provides enough headroom to push frame rates into the high hundreds at 1080p, while leaving the GPU to dominate at higher resolutions where pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor.