Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination produces exceptionally high frame rates in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with the data showing that the system is capable of exceeding the refresh rates of virtually all high-end displays. The measured results across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a clear pattern of performance scaling that is heavily influenced by the game’s age and the sheer power of the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the absolute numbers remain so high that the experience is fluid at every resolution tested. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers an average of 1182 FPS, which drops to 481 FPS at 3840x2160 with the same settings. This represents a 59.3% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is being pushed harder as pixel count increases. The drop from 1440p to 4K is also steep, with Low settings falling from 814 FPS to 481 FPS, a 40.9% decrease.

The scaling pattern suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is playing a more significant role in limiting performance, as the frame rates approach what the processor can physically feed to the GPU. The 1182 FPS result at 1080p Low is remarkably close to the 1007 FPS at 1080p Medium, and the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 438 FPS. However, at 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 179 FPS, showing that the GPU workload becomes the dominant factor at higher resolutions. The data indicates that the RTX 5080 is not fully saturated at 1080p, but the i5-13400F is providing enough throughput to keep the GPU busy, resulting in the highest frame rates seen in this dataset.

The Medium preset provides the only rows with both minimum and maximum FPS recorded, which allows for a more detailed look at frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the average is 409 FPS with a minimum of 348 FPS and a maximum of 470 FPS, showing a variance of 122 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average rises to 693 FPS, with a minimum of 589 FPS and a maximum of 797 FPS, a variance of 208 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 1007 FPS, with a minimum of 856 FPS and a maximum of 1158 FPS, a variance of 302 FPS. This increasing variance at lower resolutions further supports the idea that CPU limitations are causing more fluctuation in frame times at 1080p.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 1182 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 4K Low performance?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 302 FPS, while at 4K Low, the average is 481 FPS. This shows a 179 FPS difference between the highest and lowest quality presets at 4K.

Q: Is the RTX 5080 the limiting factor at 1080p resolution?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p. The frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p is 438 FPS, which is larger than the 179 FPS difference at 4K, indicating that the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo, and at which settings?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 348 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. This is the only resolution/settings combination where a minimum FPS was captured.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: The 1080p Low average of 1182 FPS is nearly four times higher than the 4K Ultra average of 302 FPS, representing a 880 FPS advantage for the lower resolution and quality setting.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates at all tested settings?

A: Yes, the lowest average frame rate measured is 302 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is far above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. All measured results are well above playable levels.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This CPU configuration is well-suited for a game like CS:GO, which historically responds well to high single-thread performance. The benchmark data shows a 3DMark single-thread score of 960, and a Geekbench single-core score of 1996, indicating strong per-core performance. The multi-threaded results are equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a Passmark multithread score of 25032.

In CS:GO, the CPU's role is critical at lower resolutions where the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can issue draw calls. The measured FPS at 1080p Low is 1182, which is only 368 FPS higher than the 1440p Low result of 814 FPS. This relatively modest gain suggests that the i5-13400F is approaching its limit at 1080p, as the frame rate does not scale linearly with the reduction in pixel count. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support contribute to its ability to handle the game’s data streaming, but the data indicates that the processor is the primary bottleneck at the highest frame rates.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node are not directly reflected in the game’s performance, but the architecture’s efficiency allows for consistent sustained boost clocks. The processor’s 16 threads are more than sufficient for CS:GO, which is not heavily multi-threaded, allowing the game to run on fewer cores while leaving headroom for background tasks. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7314 and the 4-thread score of 3459 show that the CPU scales well with increased thread usage, but the game’s performance is more dependent on the single-thread capabilities, as evidenced by the 960 score in 3DMark single-thread.

The i5-13400F ranks in the 77th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS with an average score of 25284 and a delta of 0%, and the Intel Core 5 120 with an average score of 25362 and a delta of -0.3%. These rival scores are nearly identical, showing that the i5-13400F performs on par with these competitors in general benchmarks, but the CS:GO results are dictated by the specific combination of high clock speeds and core count.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s performance across all settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 1182 FPS, followed by Medium at 1007 FPS, High at 871 FPS, and Ultra at 744 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p has a minimum of 856 FPS and a maximum of 1158 FPS, showing a range of 302 FPS. This 1080p data shows that each step up in quality from Low to Ultra costs between 127 and 175 FPS, with the largest drop occurring between Medium and High.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are lower but still exceptionally high. Low settings produce an average of 814 FPS, Medium produces 693 FPS, High produces 600 FPS, and Ultra produces 512 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 589 FPS and a maximum of 797 FPS, a range of 208 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a reduction of 368 FPS for Low, 314 FPS for Medium, 271 FPS for High, and 232 FPS for Ultra, indicating that the higher quality settings are less affected by the resolution increase.

At 3840x2160, the performance remains outstanding, with Low producing 481 FPS, Medium producing 409 FPS, High producing 354 FPS, and Ultra producing 302 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 348 FPS and a maximum of 470 FPS, a range of 122 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K results in a drop of 333 FPS for Low, 284 FPS for Medium, 246 FPS for High, and 210 FPS for Ultra. The data shows that the absolute frame rate differences between settings shrink as resolution increases, which is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario.

The average FPS across all settings and resolutions is 707, but this number is skewed by the extremely high 1080p results. The data shows that even at the most demanding setting of 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 302 FPS, which is more than sufficient for competitive play. The consistent ability to maintain above 300 FPS at all tested configurations highlights the exceptional performance of this combo in CS:GO.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the primary driver of the high frame rates in this dataset, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s memory bandwidth providing ample resources for CS:GO’s modest graphical demands. The GPU has 10752 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz. These specifications are far beyond what CS:GO requires, which is why the game runs at such high frame rates even at 4K Ultra.

The GPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks shows a Passmark G3D score of 36565 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 255450, placing it in the 87th percentile against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S with an average score of 55757 and a delta of 0.6%, and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE with an average score of 57367 and a delta of -2.2%. These rival scores are relatively close, but in the context of CS:GO, the RTX 5080’s raw fillrate and compute power translate directly into high FPS.

The GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU limits the frame rate, but at 4K, the RTX 5080’s pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s becomes the deciding factor. The 4K Ultra result of 302 FPS reflects the GPU’s ability to handle the increased pixel workload. The 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance ensures that the GPU is not struggling with the game’s shaders, and the 84 RT cores are largely idle in CS:GO, which does not use ray tracing.

The RTX 5080’s memory configuration, with a 256-bit bus and 16 GB of VRAM, is overkill for CS:GO, which likely uses less than 4 GB of VRAM even at 4K Ultra. The memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s ensures that texture streaming is never a bottleneck. The GPU’s TDP of 360 W and suggested PSU of 750 W are not reflected in the game’s performance, but they indicate that the card is designed for high-end systems. The RTX 5080’s performance in this game is so high that the limiting factor is almost always the CPU, except at 4K Ultra where the GPU is finally being taxed.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best experience. For competitive play, where maximizing frame rate is paramount, the Low preset at 1080p or 1440p is the optimal choice. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 1182 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it delivers 814 FPS. These settings will provide the lowest input latency and the highest refresh rate compatibility. The Low preset is recommended for players with 360 Hz or higher monitors, as the frame rates exceed 1000 FPS at 1080p.

For players who prioritize visual quality while maintaining high frame rates, the High preset is the best choice. At 1440p High, the average is 600 FPS, and at 4K High, the average is 354 FPS. These results are still far above the 240 Hz refresh rate threshold, making High a good balance between fidelity and speed. The Ultra preset offers a marginal visual improvement over High but costs 128 FPS at 1080p, 88 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. Given that the High preset provides a 744 FPS average at 1080p and a 512 FPS average at 1440p, the visual fidelity gain from Ultra is likely not worth the performance hit.

The Medium preset, which has the only complete min/max FPS data, shows a minimum of 856 FPS at 1080p and 589 FPS at 1440p. This preset provides a safety margin against frame drops, but the minimum FPS values are still extremely high. For most users, the High preset at 1440p offers the best combination of visual fidelity and performance, with a 600 FPS average and no recorded minimum FPS below 589. At 4K, the High preset at 354 FPS is recommended over Ultra, as the 52 FPS difference is not worth the extra graphical load.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 205th out of 3719 tested combos in CS:GO, placing it in the top 5.5% of all tested systems. This high ranking is a result of the CPU’s strong single-thread performance and the GPU’s massive headroom in this game. The rank of 205 indicates that there are 204 combinations that perform better, but the absolute frame rates delivered by this combo are so high that the practical difference is negligible for most players.

The combo’s rank is influenced by the fact that CS:GO is a CPU-bound game at lower resolutions, and the i5-13400F’s 4.60 GHz boost clock places it in a strong position. However, the RTX 5080’s raw power ensures that even at 4K Ultra, the combo is not held back by the GPU. The ranking places this combo above the vast majority of systems, with the top 204 combos likely featuring higher-end CPUs like the Core i9 series or Ryzen 9 processors, which would provide marginally higher frame rates at 1080p.

The data shows that this combo is particularly well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming, as it exceeds 300 FPS at every resolution and settings combination. The 205th rank out of 3719 combos underscores the balance between the i5-13400F and RTX 5080, as neither component is severely bottlenecking the other in this specific game. The rank also reflects the game’s age, as modern titles with more complex graphics would likely see the RTX 5080 push this combo higher in the rankings, due to the GPU becoming the more dominant factor. In CS:GO, the combo’s performance is exceptional, and the rank confirms that it is a top-tier configuration for this title.