Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a dataset that is almost entirely GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but shifts toward CPU limitations at 1080p. The measured frame rates are exceptionally high across the board, with the lowest average being 125.2 FPS at 4K Ultra and the highest reaching 496.8 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination is clearly capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors at 1440p, and even at 4K, the frame rates remain playable on high refresh rate displays. The data suggests that the RTX 2060, which sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, is the primary scaling factor as resolution increases, while the i5-13400F, with a strong 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, provides ample headroom for the game’s CPU-bound scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a predictable and steep decline in performance, but the magnitude of the drop tells a clear story about system balance. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 365.9 FPS at 1920x1080 to 252.2 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of roughly 31%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 149.8 FPS, which is a 59% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload; the RTX 2060’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The gap between 1440p and 4K is notably larger than the gap between 1080p and 1440p, indicating that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s and 6 GB of GDDR6 are being taxed heavily at the highest resolution.

Looking at Low settings, the same trend holds but with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 496.8 FPS, which is an extraordinary figure that suggests the CPU is still keeping up with the GPU’s output. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 341.1 FPS, and at 4K Low it reaches 205.5 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 59%, identical to the High preset drop. This consistency across presets indicates that the resolution scaling is independent of graphical complexity, reinforcing that the RTX 2060’s fillrate and pixel processing capabilities are the bottleneck at 4K. The data shows that for competitive play at high refresh rates, 1080p and 1440p are the sweet spots, while 4K is better suited for slower-paced or visually demanding scenarios where 149.8 FPS average is still respectable.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows across four presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—provide a clear hierarchy for optimizing the experience. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs about 14% of the frame rate (from 496.8 to 425.5 FPS), while the jump from Medium to High costs another 14% (to 365.9 FPS). The leap from High to Ultra is steeper, costing 15% of the remaining performance, landing at 311.1 FPS. Given that even Ultra at 1080p delivers over 300 FPS, players with 144Hz or 240Hz monitors can comfortably use High or Ultra without sacrificing competitive responsiveness. The data suggests that High is the balanced choice at 1080p, offering a 365.9 FPS average while presumably providing better visual fidelity than Medium.

At 1440p, the scaling is similar. Low produces 341.1 FPS, Medium drops to 291.2 FPS, High sits at 252.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 212.6 FPS. All four presets remain above the 144Hz threshold, making High the recommended preset for most users, as it provides a 252.2 FPS average that is still well above refresh rates of typical gaming monitors. At 4K, the situation changes. Ultra drops to 125.2 FPS, which is below the 144Hz mark, while High maintains 149.8 FPS, just above it. For 4K gaming, High is the optimal preset because it stays above 144 FPS, whereas Ultra dips below. Low at 4K yields 205.5 FPS, which is surprisingly high, but the visual compromise is likely too severe for most players. The data indicates that High is the universal best choice for this combo across all resolutions, balancing frame rate and image quality without falling below playable thresholds.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279 and a single-core score of 3004. In the context of CS:GO, which is known for being heavily dependent on single-thread performance, the i5-13400F’s single-core capabilities are critical. The 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and Geekbench single-core score of 2301 suggest that the CPU can feed the GPU effectively, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 496.8 FPS, which is likely close to the CPU’s maximum frame output in this game, as the RTX 2060 would be less stressed at such low graphical settings.

The processor’s 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache contribute to low latency access to game data, which is beneficial for a fast-paced esports title. The i5-13400F’s 82nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25236, places it slightly above the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (deltaPct of -0.5) and Intel Core i7-13620H (deltaPct of 0.1). This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in this pairing. However, the data suggests that at 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes, as frame rates drop by roughly 59% from 1080p, a trend that is consistent with GPU-bound scaling. The CPU’s 65W TDP and 10 nm process node also indicate efficient operation, which is a practical benefit for sustained gaming sessions, though the exact thermal and power behavior is not measured in this dataset.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1333 out of 1605 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the ranking, which may seem surprising given the high absolute frame rates. The ranking likely accounts for a wide range of hardware, including top-tier CPUs and GPUs that achieve even higher frame rates, especially at 1080p. The combo’s rank of 1333 suggests that while it is capable of excellent performance, there are many other combinations that deliver higher average FPS in this game. The RTX 2060, which ranks at the 58th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 16074, is likely the limiting factor for the combo’s overall ranking, as its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (deltaPct of 0.5) and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (deltaPct of -1.7).

The CPU’s strong performance, as indicated by its 82nd percentile ranking, does not fully compensate for the GPU’s mid-tier status in the overall combo ranking. The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can deliver frame rates that far exceed the needs of most monitors, but it struggles to compete with higher-end GPU pairings at 4K. For a player using a 144Hz monitor, this combo is more than adequate, but for those chasing 360Hz or 500Hz displays, the 1080p Low result of 496.8 FPS approaches the limit, and the ranking reflects that there is headroom for improvement with a stronger GPU. The measured FPS data is marked as “dataIsMeasured: true,” indicating that these results come from actual testing rather than estimates, lending credibility to the observed frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in CS:GO?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 496.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this combo maintain 144 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at High settings the average is 149.8 FPS, which is above 144 FPS. At Ultra, it drops to 125.2 FPS, which is below that threshold.

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

A: The average frame rate drops from 365.9 FPS at 1080p to 149.8 FPS at 4K, a decrease of approximately 59%.

Q: Which settings preset is recommended for 1440p gaming?

A: High is recommended, as it provides a 252.2 FPS average, while Ultra still offers 212.6 FPS, both well above typical refresh rates.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D?

A: The i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25236, which is 0.5% lower than the Ryzen 5 5600X3D’s score of 25365.

Q: What is the combo’s rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: It ranks 1333 out of 1605 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the performance spectrum.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured average frame rates for each resolution and settings combination.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 1920x1080 | Low | 496.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 425.5 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 365.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 311.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 341.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 291.2 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 252.2 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 212.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 205.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 172.7 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 149.8 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 125.2 |

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution increase results in a roughly 40-50% reduction in frame rate at the same settings, and each settings increase (from Low to Ultra) costs approximately 15-20% of frame rate at the same resolution. At 1080p, even Ultra exceeds 300 FPS, making the choice of preset purely a visual preference. At 1440p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 128.5 FPS, which is significant, but all presets remain above 200 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. At 4K, the spread narrows to 80.3 FPS, but the lowest preset (Ultra) still delivers a playable 125.2 FPS average. The RTX 2060’s 6 GB of VRAM appears sufficient for all tested settings, as no memory-related stutters are indicated by the data, though the game is older and not demanding by modern standards. For competitive play, the 1080p Low preset’s 496.8 FPS is the best option for maximum responsiveness, while the 1440p High preset offers an excellent balance for those prioritizing visual clarity without sacrificing frame rate.