Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an old game by modern standards, but the data for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination shows it still demands serious hardware to hit the highest frame rates. This pairing sits at rank 1586 out of 3719 tested combos, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all configurations in the database. That is not a top-tier result, but it is far from a weak one; the measured frames per second are exceptionally high across all tested settings and resolutions, which is what matters for competitive play. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is more than capable of driving CS:GO at refresh rates that exceed what most monitors can display, making it a practical choice for players who prioritize responsiveness over visual fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this system behaves across the four available presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. At 1920x1080, the most common resolution for competitive CS:GO, the Low preset delivers an average of 733 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset for this combo. Medium drops to 624 FPS average, High to 540 FPS, and Ultra to 461 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 272 FPS, which is substantial, but even the Ultra preset at 461 FPS is far beyond the 240Hz refresh rate that many esports monitors offer. For players using a 144Hz or 240Hz display, any of these presets will saturate the panel’s capabilities, so the choice comes down to other factors.

The Medium preset at 1080p reports a minimum FPS of 530 and a maximum of 718, while the other presets lack min/max data. This is the only preset with full frame time variance information, which suggests it is the most stable option in terms of consistent frame delivery. The 530 FPS minimum is still extremely high, meaning there is no risk of dropping below a playable threshold even in chaotic team fights or smoke-heavy scenarios. At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 504 FPS average, Medium 429 FPS, High 372 FPS, and Ultra 317 FPS. The Medium preset again shows a minimum of 365 FPS and a maximum of 494 FPS, maintaining that consistency. At 3840x2160, the numbers fall further: Low averages 298 FPS, Medium 254 FPS, High 220 FPS, and Ultra 187 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 216 FPS and a maximum of 292 FPS.

Given these numbers, the best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1920x1080. It offers a 624 FPS average, which is only 109 FPS less than Low but provides better visual quality, and it includes the only documented minimum frame rate at that resolution, indicating a stable frame time curve. At 1440p, Medium again appears as the sweet spot, with a 429 FPS average and a 365 FPS minimum that keeps gameplay smooth. At 4K, Medium remains the recommended choice because it is the only preset with min/max data, and its 254 FPS average is still well above any practical refresh rate ceiling. Players who demand absolute maximum FPS should select Low, but the data shows that Medium does not sacrifice enough performance to justify the visual downgrade, especially when the minimum frame rates are considered.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1586 out of 3719 tested configurations places this system in the lower-middle portion of the database, but that ranking must be interpreted in context. CS:GO is a CPU-bound title at lower resolutions, and the i7-13700K is a strong processor, but the RTX 3070 is not the fastest GPU in the database. The rank reflects the entire combo, and the data shows that the limiting factor shifts depending on resolution. At 1080p, the CPU dominates, and the i7-13700K’s performance is sufficient to push frame rates into the 500-700 range. At 4K, the GPU becomes more relevant, and the RTX 3070’s capabilities are tested, resulting in lower but still playable frame rates.

The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 89, meaning it outperforms 89 percent of all processors in the database. Its average benchmark score is 46881, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 at 46971 (a delta of -0.2 percent) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 at 47022 (a delta of -0.3 percent). It sits slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535, both at 46654 and 46653 respectively, with a delta of 0.5 percent. This places the i7-13700K in a tight cluster of high-end processors, all within a one percent performance band. The GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 61, with an average benchmark score of 17208. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT at 17083 (delta 0.7 percent), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 at 17037 (delta 1 percent), and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M at 17019 (delta 1.1 percent). The RTX 3070 is slightly behind the NVIDIA Tesla K40c at 17468 (delta -1.5 percent). This shows that the GPU is a mid-pack performer, not a top-tier card, but it is sufficient for CS:GO’s modest graphical demands.

The rank of 1586 out of 3719 means that 2133 other combos score higher in this game, which is a reflection of the database including many configurations with newer or more powerful GPUs. However, the actual FPS numbers tell a different story: this combo delivers frame rates that are in the top tier for real-world play. The ranking is a composite measure, and the measured FPS data is more relevant for making purchasing decisions. This is a case where the combo rank understates the practical performance, because CS:GO rewards high CPU clocks and the i7-13700K delivers those in abundance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture with a GA104 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm process from Samsung. It has 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 raster output units. The memory configuration is 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The base clock is 1500 MHz with a boost clock of 1725 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. The GPU’s transistor count is 17,400 million, and the die size is 392 mm². The pixel rate is 165.6 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 317.4 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 20.31 TFLOPS, with FP16 also at 20.31 TFLOPS due to a 1:1 ratio.

In CS:GO, the GPU’s role is secondary to the CPU at lower resolutions, but it becomes more important as resolution increases. The data shows a clear pattern: at 1080p, the average FPS for Low settings is 733, which is 2.46 times higher than the 298 FPS at 4K Low. This indicates that the GPU is not fully utilized at 1080p, and the CPU is the primary driver of frame rates. At 4K, the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and its 8 GB VRAM capacity are sufficient for the game’s textures, but the overall performance is limited by the card’s compute capabilities. The RTX 3070’s 8 GB of VRAM is not a bottleneck in CS:GO, as the game’s memory footprint is modest, but the card’s position in the benchmark percentile (61st) reflects its mid-range status.

The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 187, which is still playable but shows the GPU working harder. The difference between 1080p Low and 4K Low is 435 FPS, a 59 percent reduction, which is a direct result of the GPU’s inability to maintain the same output when pixel count quadruples. The RTX 3070’s boost clock of 1725 MHz is modest compared to newer cards, but the architecture’s efficiency allows it to handle CS:GO without issue. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 17208 places it just above the RX 7600 XT, which is a comparable modern card, but the GTX 690 and HD 7970M are much older designs, showing that the RTX 3070 is still competitive in this specific workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 733 FPS, which is the peak performance for this combo. Medium averages 624 FPS with a minimum of 530 and a maximum of 718. High averages 540 FPS, and Ultra averages 461 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 272 FPS drop, or a 37 percent reduction, which is consistent with the game’s scaling of visual effects. The Medium preset’s minimum of 530 FPS indicates that even in the most demanding scenes, the frame rate never falls below a level that would cause perceptible stuttering on a 240Hz display.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 504 FPS, Medium averages 429 FPS with a minimum of 365 and a maximum of 494, High averages 372 FPS, and Ultra averages 317 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant: Low falls from 733 to 504 FPS, a 31 percent decrease. Medium falls from 624 to 429 FPS, a 31 percent decrease. High falls from 540 to 372 FPS, a 31 percent decrease. Ultra falls from 461 to 317 FPS, a 31 percent decrease. This uniform scaling across all settings indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the percentage drop is nearly identical regardless of preset.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 298 FPS, Medium averages 254 FPS with a minimum of 216 and a maximum of 292, High averages 220 FPS, and Ultra averages 187 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper: Low falls from 504 to 298 FPS, a 41 percent decrease. Medium falls from 429 to 254 FPS, a 41 percent decrease. High falls from 372 to 220 FPS, a 41 percent decrease. Ultra falls from 317 to 187 FPS, a 41 percent decrease. This consistent 41 percent reduction across settings at 4K reinforces that the GPU is the bottleneck at this resolution, and the RTX 3070’s performance is the primary constraint.

The Medium preset is the only one with full min/max data at all three resolutions, which provides insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the minimum of 530 FPS is 85 percent of the average, indicating tight frame pacing. At 1440p, the minimum of 365 FPS is also 85 percent of the average. At 4K, the minimum of 216 FPS is 85 percent of the average. This consistency suggests that the combo does not experience severe frame drops, which is crucial for a competitive FPS where consistent input response matters more than peak FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is a critical indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 733 FPS. At 1440p Low, it produces 504 FPS, a 31 percent drop. At 4K Low, it produces 298 FPS, a 41 percent drop from 1440p and a 59 percent drop from 1080p. For Medium, the figures are 624 FPS at 1080p, 429 FPS at 1440p, and 254 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are identical to Low: 31 percent from 1080p to 1440p, and 41 percent from 1440p to 4K. High settings show 540 FPS at 1080p, 372 FPS at 1440p, and 220 FPS at 4K, with the same 31 and 41 percent reductions. Ultra follows the pattern: 461 FPS at 1080p, 317 FPS at 1440p, and 187 FPS at 4K.

This uniform scaling across all presets points to a GPU-bound situation at higher resolutions. The CPU’s performance is sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the limiting factors. The RTX 3070’s 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1440p but struggles to keep up with 4K’s demand for pixel throughput. The 41 percent drop from 1440p to 4K is larger than the 31 percent drop from 1080p to 1440p, which is expected because 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p, whereas 1440p has 1.78 times the pixels of 1080p. The fact that the percentage drop is not exactly proportional to the pixel increase suggests that the CPU still contributes some overhead at 4K, but the GPU is clearly the primary constraint.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU is almost certainly the limiting factor, and the GPU is underutilized. At 1440p, the balance shifts, but the combo still delivers over 300 FPS on Ultra, which is more than enough for any current display. At 4K, the performance drops to 187-298 FPS depending on settings, which is still playable but represents a significant compromise. For players who prioritize frame rate over resolution, 1080p Medium is the optimal choice. For those who want higher visual fidelity, 1440p Ultra at 317 FPS is a better trade-off than 4K Ultra at 187 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor from the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it has integrated UHD Graphics 770, though the discrete RTX 3070 handles all rendering in this test. The CPU’s benchmark scores are impressive: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 30745, single core 2116, and Geekbench multicore 19429 with a single-core score of 2529. The 3DMark single-thread score is 1136, and the max-thread score is 12412.

In CS:GO, the CPU’s high single-thread performance is the dominant factor at 1080p. The game is known to be CPU-bound, and the i7-13700K’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz allows it to feed the GPU with enough frames to reach 733 FPS on Low settings. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 places this CPU in the top 11 percent of all processors, and its PassMark single-thread score of 4333 confirms its strength in lightly-threaded workloads. The CPU’s percentile of 89 versus all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors, and its average benchmark score of 46881 is within 0.5 percent of its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 9 5900 and Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375.

At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 272 FPS, which is a 37 percent reduction. This reduction is due to the GPU having to render more complex scenes, but the CPU’s frame generation is not the bottleneck. The 733 FPS on Low is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame output, and the GPU is simply keeping up. At 1440p, the CPU’s role diminishes, and the GPU takes over as the limiting factor. The FPS drops by 31 percent across all settings, which is a GPU-driven reduction. At 4K, the CPU’s influence is minimal, and the GPU is fully saturated, as evidenced by the 41 percent drop from 1440p.

The CPU’s 16 cores and 24 threads are more than CS:GO requires, as the game typically uses fewer than eight threads. However, the high boost clock of 5.40 GHz is what matters most, and the 3DMark 2-thread score of 2262 indicates strong performance in low-thread scenarios. The CPU’s L3 cache of 30 MB is shared, which helps with game data that is frequently accessed. The memory support for DDR5 allows for high bandwidth, though the measured FPS data does not specify which memory type was used. The CPU’s benchmark scores are among the best in the database, and its performance in CS:GO reflects that, with frame rates that exceed what most competitive players can use. The data shows that this CPU is not a weak link in this combo; it is the foundation that enables the extremely high FPS at 1080p, and it provides enough headroom for the GPU to operate efficiently at higher resolutions.