Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is an old game, but it still demands a balanced system to push high framerates, especially at higher resolutions. The measured data for this Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + Intel Arc B390 combo shows a system that is heavily CPU-limited at lower settings and resolutions, with the integrated GPU becoming the bottleneck only as resolution and graphical load increase. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS to show exactly where the sweet spot is for this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data clearly shows that the Low preset is the only setting that allows this combo to approach the high refresh rates that competitive CS:GO players typically seek. At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 303 FPS, which is the highest recorded average across all tested configurations. However, moving up to Medium at 1080p drops the average to 258 FPS, and High further reduces it to 223 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 190 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant 113 FPS loss compared to Low.

At 1440p, the pattern holds. The Low preset delivers 208 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh 1440p monitors. Medium drops to 177 FPS, High to 154 FPS, and Ultra to 131 FPS. For players with a 144Hz monitor at 1440p, the Low preset is the only one that consistently keeps the frame rate above the refresh rate, and it does so with a comfortable margin. The Medium preset is a fallback if visual fidelity is prioritized, but the average FPS is close to the 144Hz threshold.

The situation becomes more constrained at 4K. Even the Low preset only manages an average of 123 FPS. The Medium preset averages 105 FPS (with a min of 89 FPS and max of 120 FPS), High drops to 91 FPS, and Ultra falls to 77 FPS. None of the 4K presets can maintain a stable 144 FPS experience. The data suggests that for this specific combo, the Low preset is the only one that provides a competitive advantage in terms of frame rate headroom. The jump from Low to Medium costs roughly 45 FPS at 1080p, which is a substantial penalty for a visual upgrade that many competitive players would consider negligible.

For a more balanced visual experience, Medium at 1080p or 1440p is the highest you should go without sacrificing the fluidity that CS:GO demands. The measured minimum FPS for Medium at 1080p is 219 FPS and at 1440p it is 151 FPS, which are still well above the 60 FPS baseline and adequate for most high-refresh displays, but the average is much closer to the edge of the performance envelope. Given that the data shows the Low preset nearly doubles the performance of Ultra at 1080p, the recommendation is clear: prioritize frame rate over fidelity for this title.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. It features 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU's memory is "System Shared", meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 memory, and its bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent". This architecture is a significant factor in the performance scaling observed in the data.

The GPU's overall standing is low, with a percentile rank of 9 out of all GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 1482 places it in the company of very old discrete GPUs, as evidenced by its nearest rivals: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710. The delta percentage against these rivals is minimal, ranging from 1.3% faster than the GT 520MX to 2.7% faster than the GT 710. This context is crucial: while the CPU is a top-tier performer, the GPU is a bottleneck that limits the system's overall gaming capability.

In CS:GO, this GPU is the primary limiter at higher presets. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 77, which is a 46 FPS decrease from the 4K Low preset. This significant drop indicates that the GPU's processing power is being exhausted by the increased shading and texture work. The GPU's FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is modest by modern standards, and the pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are the figures that dictate how fast it can fill the screen with details. When the game demands more complex lighting and shadows at Ultra settings, these rates become the limiting factor.

However, the integrated nature of the GPU also means it shares thermal and power characteristics with the CPU. The GPU has a TDP of 80 W, which is separate from the CPU's 125 W TDP, but they are physically on the same package. The data indicates that the GPU is capable of high framerates at low settings, but it simply does not have the raw throughput to handle high-resolution, high-fidelity rendering. The Arc B390 is not a gaming powerhouse; it is a capable integrated solution that is best paired with modest graphical demands.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the transition from a CPU-bound scenario to a GPU-bound one. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 303 at 1080p to 208 at 1440p and finally to 123 at 4K. This is a 59% reduction in framerate from 1080p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is starting to struggle with the sheer number of pixels at 4K.

The scaling is even more dramatic at the Ultra preset. The average FPS drops from 190 at 1080p to 131 at 1440p and then to 77 at 4K. That is a 113 FPS loss, or a 59% reduction, from 1080p to 4K. The absolute drop in FPS is larger at Ultra (113 FPS) than at Low (180 FPS), but the percentage drop is similar. This suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at both ends of the resolution spectrum, but the CPU is also being taxed, especially at low settings.

The data points to a classic saturation effect. At 1080p Low, the CPU is feeding the GPU frames as fast as it can render them, resulting in a peak of 303 FPS. As resolution increases, the GPU's fill rate and shading capabilities become the limiting factor. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 113 FPS. At 1440p, it is 77 FPS. At 4K, it is 46 FPS. This narrowing gap shows that at higher resolutions, the GPU is the sole bottleneck, and the CPU's performance is less relevant. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has ample headroom to push over 300 FPS at 1080p Low, but the Arc B390 cannot translate that computational power into higher framerates as the pixel count grows.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the Intel Arc B390 is ranked 2510 out of 2848 tested combos for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. This places it in the bottom 12% of all tested system configurations. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's low performance percentile, as the CPU is a top-tier component.

To put the CPU's performance in perspective, it holds a 96th percentile rank among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 84003 puts it slightly ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% faster) and the AMD EPYC 4584PX (1.1% faster), while being 1.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 7F72. The CPU is demonstrably fast, but the GPU is holding the entire combo back.

The combo ranking is a stark illustration of the imbalance in this system. A high-end 24-core CPU is paired with a GPU that ranks in the 9th percentile. In a game like CS:GO, which is known for being CPU-intensive, the CPU's power is wasted because the GPU cannot keep up at higher resolutions. The ranking of 2510 out of 2848 is a warning sign that this configuration is not optimized for gaming performance. It is a productivity-focused CPU with a basic integrated GPU, and the benchmark results reflect that reality. Builders looking for gaming performance should note that this specific pairing, despite the powerful CPU, delivers a frame rate experience that is below the majority of tested systems.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It features a large 36 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. This is an exceptionally powerful CPU, ranking in the 96th percentile of all processors.

The CPU's role in CS:GO is to calculate game logic, player positions, and other simulation tasks. The data shows that this CPU is not the limiting factor at lower settings. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 303 FPS, which confirms the CPU's single-thread performance (its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 7303). The CPU can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them, leading to a GPU bottleneck.

However, the CPU's performance is not irrelevant. The single-core performance is critical for CS:GO, and this CPU excels in that area. Its Cinebench R20 single-core score of 3067 and PassMark single-thread score of 4823 are strong indicators that it can handle the game's primary thread with ease. The high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that the CPU can quickly process instructions, which is essential for maintaining high average FPS.

Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck (77 FPS), the CPU is still doing its job. If the CPU were weak, the framerate would be even lower, and there would be more stuttering. The fact that the FPS scales down smoothly with resolution and settings suggests that the CPU is consistently able to supply the GPU with data. The CPU's multi-core performance (e.g., a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731) is overkill for CS:GO, but it ensures that no background tasks or other processes will interfere with the game's performance. This is a robust platform for gaming, but the GPU holds it back from achieving its full potential.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve, and at what settings?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 303 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B390 have its own dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 RAM for video memory, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent".

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: In the database, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score of 84003, which is 0.2% higher than the Core Ultra 9 285K's score of 83807.

Q: Is this system better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming?

A: The data indicates a strong preference for 1080p. At 1080p Low, the system averages 303 FPS, while at 4K Low, it only averages 123 FPS. The performance drop is substantial, making 1080p the only resolution where high-refresh gaming is possible.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at the Medium preset?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at the Medium preset is 89 FPS at 3840x2160 resolution.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710?

A: The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710's score of 1443.