Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with the Intel Core i5-12600KF and Intel Arc B570 reveals a predictable yet telling pattern as resolution climbs. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 343 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 236 FPS, a 31% reduction. Pushing to 2160p High yields 139 FPS, which is another 41% drop from the 1440p figure. This scaling curve is steep, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary constraint as pixel count rises.

However, the Low preset tells a different story. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 465 FPS. At 1440p Low, it reaches 320 FPS, and at 2160p Low, it still manages 189 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 31%, nearly identical to the High preset's scaling. But the 1440p to 2160p transition on Low sees a 41% decline, again mirroring the High preset. This consistency suggests that resolution scaling impacts the frame rate proportionally regardless of settings, a hallmark of GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is doing substantial work. The 10-core, 16-thread Intel Core i5-12600KF with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz has enough headroom to feed the Arc B570 at lower resolutions, where the GPU's rendering load is lighter. At 2160p, the GPU's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factors, as evidenced by the dramatic FPS drops. The 4K Ultra preset, which bottoms out at 119 FPS, clearly shows the GPU struggling to maintain high frame rates at extreme fidelity.

Interestingly, the Medium preset shows a narrower gap between resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average is 396 FPS, dropping to 273 FPS at 1440p and 161 FPS at 2160p. The 1440p to 2160p drop is 41%, again consistent with other presets. This pattern suggests that the Arc B570's architecture, based on the Xe2-HPG design with 2304 shading units and 80 ROPs, handles the increased pixel throughput at 4K with diminishing returns.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 343. This is the second-lowest 1080p result, with only Ultra at 293 FPS being lower.

Q: How does the 2160p Medium result compare to 1440p Medium?

A: The 2160p Medium average is 161 FPS, while 1440p Medium achieves 273 FPS. This represents a 41% decrease, which aligns with the scaling observed across other presets.

Q: What is the best measured FPS in the entire dataset?

A: The 1080p Low preset delivers the highest average at 465 FPS. The minimum FPS for this configuration is not provided, but the average is significantly above all other measured points.

Q: Does the combo rank highly among all tested combinations?

A: The combo rank is 2271 out of 2848 combos, placing it in the lower portion of the distribution, specifically at the 79.8th percentile from the bottom.

Q: What is the difference between 1440p High and 1440p Ultra?

A: 1440p High averages 236 FPS, while 1440p Ultra averages 201 FPS. The 35 FPS difference indicates that Ultra settings impose a moderate additional load on the GPU.

Q: Is there a measurable minimum FPS for any configuration?

A: Yes, the Medium preset at each resolution includes minimum FPS data: 337 at 1080p, 232 at 1440p, and 137 at 2160p. Other presets lack this metric in the dataset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, boosting up to 4.90 GHz. With 20 MB of shared L3 cache and a 125 W TDP, this CPU is designed to handle high-refresh-rate gaming. The benchmark data supports this: the 3dmark single-thread score is 1016, while the 3dmark max-threads score is 7952. This indicates strong single-core performance, which is crucial for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, a game that traditionally relies on single-threaded performance.

The CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 79, placing it above the majority of processors. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, has an average score of 27896 with a deltaPct of -0.3%, meaning the i5-12600KF is effectively on par with that heavily cached gaming CPU. The Intel Core i9-10900K, another rival, scores 27872 with a -0.3% delta, again a near tie. This suggests that the i5-12600KF delivers top-tier gaming performance without needing the extra cores of higher-tier parts.

In the context of this game's results, the CPU role becomes evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the FPS reaches 465, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this title. The data shows that the CPU can push frame rates well above 400 FPS when the GPU is not heavily taxed. At 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 320, still high but indicating the GPU is now contributing more to the frame time. The 2160p Low result of 189 FPS further confirms that the GPU becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases.

The CPU's 16 threads and high boost clock also help maintain consistency. The measured minimum FPS for Medium presets shows 337 at 1080p, 232 at 1440p, and 137 at 2160p. These minimums are not far from the averages, suggesting that the CPU prevents frame-time spikes that could cause stuttering. The combination of high single-thread performance and adequate multi-threading makes this CPU well-suited for esports titles where sustained high frame rates matter.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For competitive play at 1080p, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 465, but Medium offers a balanced option at 396 FPS with improved visual quality. The minimum FPS for Medium is 337, which is still exceptionally smooth for a competitive shooter. High at 343 FPS is also viable, but Ultra dips to 293 FPS, which may be less desirable for players seeking maximum refresh rate compatibility.

At 1440p, the Low preset provides 320 FPS, making it the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium at 273 FPS is a strong alternative, with a minimum of 232 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in intense firefights. High at 236 FPS is playable, but Ultra at 201 FPS may feel less responsive, especially if the display refresh rate exceeds 200 Hz.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that even Low settings only reach 189 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. Medium at 161 FPS offers a better visual experience with a minimum of 137 FPS, which is still above most 60 Hz displays. High and Ultra at 139 and 119 FPS, respectively, are more suitable for visually immersive play rather than competitive scenarios. The recommendation is to prioritize either Low or Medium at 4K, depending on whether frame rate or image quality is the priority.

The best overall experience, balancing visual fidelity and performance, appears to be Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p. The Medium preset consistently shows a 15-17% reduction in FPS compared to Low, while providing noticeably better visuals. For players with 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitors, 1440p Medium at 273 FPS ensures the frame rate stays well above the refresh rate, even with the measured minimum of 232 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank for this specific pairing is 2271 out of 2848 tested combinations. This places it in the lower half of all combos, specifically at the 79.8th percentile from the top. While this ranking may seem low, it is important to note that the measured FPS values are exceptionally high for this game, averaging over 290 FPS across all 1080p presets. The rank likely reflects the overall performance across a suite of games, not just Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

The GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 65, indicating it outperforms the majority of graphics cards. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, has a deltaPct of -0.1%, meaning the B570 is essentially identical in average benchmark score. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is also within 0.1%, showing that the Arc B570 competes with mid-range to upper-mid-range GPUs from previous generations. The CPU's percentile of 79 further underscores that both components are above average, yet the combo rank suggests that other pairings may offer better synergy or higher absolute performance in aggregate.

The data implies that this combo is well-suited for high-FPS esports gaming, but its rank reflects competition from more powerful GPUs or CPUs that can push even higher frame rates in less demanding scenarios. For Counter-Strike: Global Offensive specifically, the measured results indicate that this combo is more than adequate, delivering playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra. The rank should be interpreted as a relative measure across all games, not a verdict on this game's performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low delivers 465 FPS, Medium 396 FPS with a minimum of 337 and maximum of 456, High 343 FPS, and Ultra 293 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 172 FPS, a 37% reduction, showing the significant impact of settings on frame rate at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 320 FPS, Medium 273 FPS with a minimum of 232 and maximum of 314, High 236 FPS, and Ultra 201 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 119 FPS, a 37% reduction, which is proportionally identical to the 1080p scaling. This consistency suggests that the GPU's workload scales linearly with settings at a fixed resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 189 FPS, Medium 161 FPS with a minimum of 137 and maximum of 185, High 139 FPS, and Ultra 119 FPS. The reduction from Low to Ultra is 70 FPS, a 37% drop, matching the pattern seen at lower resolutions. However, the absolute FPS values are significantly lower, indicating that the 4K resolution overwhelms the GPU's 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete minimum and maximum FPS data across all resolutions. This provides useful insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the minimum is 337, which is 85% of the average, showing stable performance. At 1440p, the minimum is 232, 85% of the average. At 2160p, the minimum is 137, also 85% of the average. This consistency indicates that the frame time distribution remains stable regardless of resolution, a positive sign for gameplay smoothness.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. The GPU has 18 ray tracing cores and operates at a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a strong DirectX 11 performance with a Passmark score of 118, while DirectX 12 scores 72 and DirectX 10 scores 65. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test scores 2649, and Geekbench Vulkan scores 96844, indicating solid API support. The GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 65, placing it above the median. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, has a deltaPct of -0.1%, showing near-identical average benchmark performance.

In this game, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU is not the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the high FPS across all settings. However, at 2160p, the GPU's limits are exposed. The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s appears to be a constraining factor, as the 4K resolution requires significantly more data to be fetched from VRAM. The 10 GB frame buffer is sufficient for this game, but the 160-bit bus width limits the rate at which texture data can be accessed.

The GPU's 2500 MHz boost clock and 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are adequate for this title, but the data shows that the scaling from 1440p to 2160p is severe, with FPS dropping by 41% across all presets. This suggests that the GPU's raw compute power, while capable at lower resolutions, cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K. The 150 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU indicate a power-efficient design, but this does not compensate for the bandwidth limitation.

The GPU's role is best summarized as a strong mid-range performer that excels at 1080p and 1440p gaming but falls short at 4K for high-refresh-rate play. Its 65th percentile ranking and near-tie with the Arc A750 suggest that it is a competitive option in its class, but the measured FPS data shows that for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, while the CPU remains the limiter at 1080p.