Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a competitive FPS released on 2012-08-20, demands high and consistent framerates for competitive play. This analysis covers the Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, a combination that ranks 75th out of 1605 tested CPU-GPU pairings for this title. All data is measured, spanning three resolutions and four quality presets. The CPU, launched on 2022-01-03 with a launch MSRP of $199, is a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake-S part with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The GPU, launched on 2025-01-29 with a launch MSRP of 999 USD, is a Blackwell 2.0 flagship built on a 5 nm TSMC process.

Resolution Scaling

The measured framerates reveal a consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average framerate moves from 888.4 FPS at 1080p to 612.7 FPS at 1440p, then down to 363.3 FPS at 4K. The step from 1440p to 4K costs more performance than the step from 1080p to 1440p, a classic sign of the GPU taking on an increasing share of the workload as pixel count grows.

The Low preset shows the same shape: 1211.1 FPS at 1080p, 836.2 FPS at 1440p, and 495 FPS at 4K. Medium follows with 1026.7, 706.2, and 420.9 FPS respectively. Ultra produces 758.9 FPS at 1080p, 521.3 FPS at 1440p, and 310.6 FPS at 4K. In every preset, the 4K result is dramatically lower than the 1080p result, indicating that the RTX 5080 is the dominant constraint at the highest resolution.

At 1080p, the framerates are so high that the Intel Core i5-12400 is almost certainly the limiting component. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, boosting to 4.40 GHz from a 2.50 GHz base, are fully engaged at these framerates. The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores of 15935 multi-core and 2249 single-core, along with a PassMark multi-thread score of 18747 and single-thread score of 3456, place it at the 77th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 19850. Its nearest rivals in average score are the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831, 0.1% ahead), the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894, 0.2% behind), the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX (19928, 0.4% behind), and the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771, 0.4% ahead). The CPU's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support contribute to its strong single-thread performance, which matters most in CS:GO's CPU-bound scenarios.

As resolution climbs to 4K, the GPU's 10752 shading units and 112 ROPs become increasingly engaged, and the scaling curve steepens accordingly. The RTX 5080's boost clock of 2617 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz, combined with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 960.0 GB/s, are more than sufficient for CS:GO's modest visual demands. The GPU's pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s keep the render pipeline fed even at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

The data shows that every preset at every resolution produces framerates well above typical display refresh rates. The weakest measured result is 310.6 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still far beyond what most monitors can display. This means the choice of preset can be driven by visual preference rather than performance necessity.

For players who prioritize maximum framerate, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 1211.1 FPS. The Medium preset offers a meaningful visual upgrade while still producing 1026.7 FPS at 1080p, 706.2 FPS at 1440p, and 420.9 FPS at 4K. The High preset is a strong middle ground, with 888.4 FPS at 1080p, 612.7 FPS at 1440p, and 363.3 FPS at 4K.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, but even it delivers 310.6 FPS at 4K. The spread between Low and Ultra narrows as resolution increases: at 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, while at 4K, the gap compresses considerably. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor regardless of preset, whereas at 1080p, the CPU constrains the upper bound. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p is the clear choice. For a balance of visuals and performance, the High preset at 1440p delivers 612.7 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate display.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB203 chip fabricated on a 5 nm TSMC process. The chip contains 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die, with a transistor density of 120.6M per mm². The GPU runs at a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz, with memory clocked at 1875 MHz (30 Gbps effective).

The memory subsystem is substantial: 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 84 RT cores, and 336 tensor cores. Pixel rate is 293.1 GPixel/s, texture rate is 879.3 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute is 56.28 TFLOPS. The card draws up to 360 W and requires a 750 W power supply, with a dual-slot cooler and a single 16-pin power connector. It measures 304 mm in length, 137 mm in height, and 40 mm in width, with display outputs of 1x HDMI 2.1b and 3x DisplayPort 2.1b, and connects via PCIe 5.0 x16. API support includes DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5080 scores 36565 in PassMark G3D and 21789 in PassMark GPU compute. Geekbench results are 264461 in OpenCL and 257942 in Vulkan, while 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 yields 8637. The GPU sits at the 89th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 59188. Relative to its nearest rivals, it is 1.6% ahead of the Intel Arc A570M (58239), 2.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A580 (57756), and 2.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (57661), while trailing the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326) by 1.9%.

In CS:GO specifically, the GPU's role is unusual. At 1080p, the framerates are so high that the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, with the framerate dropping to 310.6 FPS at Ultra. The 16 GB of GDDR7 memory is far more than CS:GO requires, and the 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for this game's modest texture and geometry demands. The GPU's high pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s are the key specifications that keep framerates high even at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average framerates are: Low 1211.1 FPS, Medium 1026.7 FPS, High 888.4 FPS, and Ultra 758.9 FPS. The Low preset delivers 1211.1 FPS, the highest measured result at this resolution, and even Ultra delivers 758.9 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 836.2 FPS, Medium 706.2 FPS, High 612.7 FPS, and Ultra 521.3 FPS. Every preset at 1440p delivers at least 521.3 FPS, with Low reaching 836.2 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 495 FPS, Medium 420.9 FPS, High 363.3 FPS, and Ultra 310.6 FPS. The 4K results are the lowest measured, with Low at 495 FPS and Ultra at 310.6 FPS.

The data shows a consistent ordering across all resolutions: Low is fastest, followed by Medium, then High, then Ultra. The relative gaps between presets shrink as resolution increases, which is consistent with the GPU becoming the limiting factor at higher pixel counts. The combination of the i5-12400's strong single-thread performance and the RTX 5080's raw throughput produces playable framerates at every tested configuration.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average framerate measured for this combination?

A: The highest average is 1211.1 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset.

Q: What is the lowest average framerate measured?

A: The lowest is 310.6 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in CS:GO?

A: At 1080p, the extremely high framerates indicate the Intel Core i5-12400 is the bottleneck. At 4K, the scaling pattern shows the RTX 5080 becomes the primary constraint.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5080's average benchmark score is 59188. It is 1.6% ahead of the Intel Arc A570M (58239), 2.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A580 (57756), and 2.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (57661), while trailing the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326) by 1.9%.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested CPU-GPU combinations for CS:GO?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 75th out of 1605 tested combos.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in CS:GO?

A: Yes. Even at 4K Ultra, the average framerate is 310.6 FPS, and at 4K Low it reaches 495 FPS.