Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an old game, but this combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 makes it look like a modern stress test. The measured FPS data shows a system that is brutally fast, yet the scaling between resolutions reveals a clear shift in bottleneck. At 1080p, the frame rates are astronomical, but as resolution climbs, the GPU begins to take on a more significant role, though the CPU still has plenty of headroom to keep the experience smooth.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a predictable but steep decline in average frame rate as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo hits 1309.2 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 drops that to 902.3 FPS, a reduction of roughly 31%. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 534.5 FPS, which is about 41% lower than the 1440p result. This pattern holds across all settings presets, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The gap between settings widens at higher resolutions, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 489.2 FPS (from 1309.2 down to 820.0). At 4K, that same gap shrinks to 201.0 FPS (from 534.5 down to 333.5). This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is doing more of the heavy lifting, and the GPU has enough headroom to render frames almost as fast as the processor can feed them. At 4K, the RTX 5090's rendering workload becomes the bottleneck, compressing the performance delta between settings.

The 1440p results are interesting because they show the transition point. At High settings, the combo produces 660.9 FPS, which is still far above any monitor's refresh rate. Even at 4K Ultra, the 333.5 FPS average is exceptionally high for this title. The data indicates that users with 1080p or 1440p high-refresh displays will be limited by their monitor's refresh rate, not the hardware. For 4K, the system still delivers competitive esports-level frame rates, making it viable for both competitive play and high-fidelity casual sessions.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the clear choice, delivering 1309.2 FPS. This provides the maximum frame rate possible, which in CS:GO can translate to reduced input latency and smoother tracking. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 194.5 FPS (from 1309.2 down to 1114.7), which is a significant drop for minimal visual gain in a game where visibility is often more important than fidelity.

At 1440p, the Medium preset offers a balanced 765.0 FPS. This is still well above the refresh rate of most 1440p panels, which typically cap at 240Hz or 360Hz. The High preset at 660.9 FPS is also viable, and the visual improvements over Medium are more noticeable at this resolution. For 4K, the High preset at 390.5 FPS is recommended over Ultra, which drops to 333.5 FPS. The 57 FPS difference is not worth the potential visual noise on a title that relies on clear enemy silhouettes.

Avoid the Ultra preset at all resolutions if frame rate is the priority. At 1080p, it still produces 820.0 FPS, but the graphical effects can obscure distant enemies, which is a disadvantage in a competitive shooter. The data suggests that Medium or High settings provide the best balance of visual clarity and performance, depending on resolution. For most users, the High preset at 1440p or 4K will be the sweet spot, offering high fidelity without sacrificing the high frame rates that CS:GO players expect.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest measured average is 1309.2 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the peak performance recorded in the data.

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

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 1309.2 at 1080p to 534.5 at 4K, a reduction of 774.7 FPS. The percentage loss is significant, but the 4K result is still very high.

Q: Is the Ultra preset ever worth using?

A: The Ultra preset produces the lowest frame rates at every resolution, with 333.5 FPS at 4K being the minimum. For competitive play, it is not recommended because the visual effects can reduce clarity.

Q: What is the best setting for a 240Hz 1440p monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 765.0 FPS, which is more than triple the refresh rate. Even the High preset at 660.9 FPS provides ample headroom for a 240Hz display.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: The data shows smaller FPS gaps between settings at 1080p, suggesting the CPU is the primary limiter. The i7-13700K's performance is strong, but the RTX 5090 is not fully utilized at this resolution.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, the lowest measured result is 333.5 FPS at 4K Ultra. At High settings, it reaches 390.5 FPS, which is far above the refresh rate of most 4K monitors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest frame rates. The Low preset leads with 1309.2 FPS, followed by Medium at 1114.7 FPS, High at 962.4 FPS, and Ultra at 820.0 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 489.2 FPS, which is the largest of any resolution, indicating that the GPU has the most headroom here.

At 2560x1440, the results are still exceptional. Low settings yield 902.3 FPS, Medium drops to 765.0 FPS, High comes in at 660.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 567.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 334.7 FPS. This resolution shows a more balanced load between CPU and GPU, as the performance penalty for higher settings is more pronounced than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU takes over as the main bottleneck. Low settings produce 534.5 FPS, Medium delivers 450.5 FPS, High reaches 390.5 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 333.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 201.0 FPS, the smallest of the three resolutions. This confirms that the RTX 5090's rendering workload is the limiting factor, but the i7-13700K still provides enough data to keep the GPU well-fed.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 13th out of 1605 tested combos in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This places it in the top 1% of all configurations, which is an outstanding result for a game that is heavily CPU-dependent. The rank reflects the high average frame rates achieved across all settings and resolutions.

The CPU itself sits in the 93rd percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 47282. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700KF, scores 47334, a delta of -0.1%, meaning the two are effectively identical in performance. The AMD EPYC 4364P is 0.3% higher at 47131, and the Intel Core i9-12900F is 0.4% higher at 47081. These tiny margins show that the i7-13700K is at the top of the performance pyramid.

The GPU ranks in the 94th percentile against all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 84306. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, scores 84241, a 0.1% delta. The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 is 1.3% lower at 83209, while the NVIDIA CMP 40HX is 1.6% higher at 85637. The RTX 5090 is clearly a flagship part, and its performance in this game is limited more by the game engine than by its own capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 30 MB shared L3 cache. In CS:GO, which is known for being single-thread sensitive, the high boost clock is critical. The processor's single-thread performance, as measured by Cinebench R23, is 5505 points, which is a strong result that supports high frame rates.

The 3dmark single-thread score of 1136 and the 3dmark 2-thread score of 2262 further illustrate the CPU's strength in lightly-threaded workloads. CS:GO typically uses a few cores heavily, and the i7-13700K's ability to boost to 5.40 GHz on those cores ensures that the GPU is fed with a constant stream of frames. The multi-threaded performance is also excellent, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a Geekbench multicore score of 17731, but this is less relevant for CS:GO.

The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as the FPS differences between settings are relatively small. This is because the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can process game logic and draw calls. The i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads are more than enough for this game, and its high single-core speed is what allows it to achieve over 1300 FPS in the best case. For users with high-refresh monitors, this CPU is not a bottleneck, even at 4K, where the GPU becomes the primary constraint.