Counter-Strike 2 in review: laptop and desktop benchmarks

Quite traditional. Counter-Strike, one of the most famous and successful multiplayer shooters in PC history, gets a successor, the Counter-Strike 2. In this article, we review the system requirements for the 2023 version to see how demanding or lax they are.

Florian Glaser, 👁 Florian Glaser (translated by Carmen Pol), Published 11/11/2023 🇩🇪 🇸🇪 ...

Test systems

Asus TUF Gaming Advantage A16 (RX 7600S & 780M)

be quiet! Silent Base 802 (RTX 4080 & RX 7900 XT)

These devices are used for our gaming benchmarks. You may visit each company's website by clicking on the images. Additional details on the specifications can be found at the end of the article.

Technical review

Until now, Counter-Strike 2 has only partially benefited Valve. Recent Steam reviews have been mixed, which does not bode well for the game. Players express concerns about bugs and quality issues with various game aspects, alongside accusations that Valve replaced CS: GO unnecessarily. It comes as no surprise that a new patch is published virtually every day to address both small and large issues.

We encountered one or two issues during testing. For instance, the time demo function of the console, typically favored for benchmarks, consistently crashed (as of 09.11.23). As a result, we had to resort to manual measurements for this article. Fortunately, there were virtually no other technical difficulties. Counter-Strike 2 presents a commendable overall appearance concerning graphics demands, a topic we will delve into shortly. Beyond the stylish and detailed characters, the visual effects are noteworthy. Particularly, the visual impact of the smoke grenade fog is first-class and can make the gameplay that bit more exciting. The interplay of light and shadow is also commendable.

Reviews of the graphical options have been divided. While only the brightness, aspect ratio, resolution, picture mode, and frame rate can be changed in the video tab, the advanced menu offers almost 10 detailed settings that can be adjusted in one go using presets and do not require a restart. CS 2 only provides CMAA and MSAA for edge smoothing, which is somewhat disappointing and out of date.

With the exception of FSR and Nvidia Reflex Low Latency, the game generally lacks modern features. Notably, gamers have to forego DLSS. However, there are positive aspects, such as the practical preview image in the graphics menu, which even includes a zoom function. It currently occupies just over 30 GB on the hard disk, a relatively moderate amount.

Benchmark

As the benchmark functions of the in-game console were non-functional during the testing period, we opted for the CapFrameX tool to manually capture a sequence that replicated conditions as closely as possible. The Ancient map (practice match with bots) is shown in the video below since it has proven to be the most demanding in terms of visuals and performance, featuring elements like water and dense vegetation. The measurement entails an almost 15-second run on the terrorist side, interrupted by the throw of a smoke grenade. The frame rate in CS 2 can vary significantly depending on the map, the number of characters, and the weapon usage.

Results

FHD (1920 x 1080)

Compared to other shooters, CS 2 is relatively undemanding in terms of hardware, particularly at moderate resolutions and settings. For instance, on a Radeon 780M, users may play at 1920 x 1080 pixels with medium details and achieve over 60 FPS. With a reasonably up-to-date mid-range GPU, Full HD performance is generally smooth.

Counter-Strike 2
1920x1080 Low Preset 1920x1080 Medium Preset 1920x1080 High Preset 1920x1080 Very High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	320 (89.7^min, 129.2^P0.1, 143.3^P1) fps ∼100% 318 (53.9^min, 120.6^P0.1, 137.2^P1) fps ∼100% 315 (56.7^min, 104.2^P0.1, 131.9^P1) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	288 (96.3^min, 108^P0.1, 119.4^P1) fps ∼90% 270 (93^min, 111.8^P0.1, 120.1^P1) fps ∼85% 266 (87.6^min, 105.2^P0.1, 122^P1) fps ∼84%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Neo 17 E23	240 (45.7^min, 53.7^P0.1, 107.3^P1) fps ∼75% 219 (12.3^min, 52.6^P0.1, 94.4^P1) fps ∼69% 213 (20.6^min, 50.1^P0.1, 77.4^P1) fps ∼68%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13950HX Razer Blade 16 Mid 23	215 (28.6^min, 48.5^P0.1, 96.1^P1) fps ∼67% 207 (33.2^min, 50.2^P0.1, 95.4^P1) fps ∼65% 184.6 (19.1^min, 38.3^P0.1, 85.1^P1) fps ∼59%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900H Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733ZX	220 (36.3^min, 58^P0.1, 96.9^P1) fps ∼69% 194.4 (31.4^min, 48.8^P0.1, 94.4^P1) fps ∼61% 164 (28.1^min, 41.7^P0.1, 81.3^P1) fps ∼52%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	182.9 (32.4^min, 55^P0.1, 83.9^P1) fps ∼57% 170.7 (28.7^min, 45.2^P0.1, 81.2^P1) fps ∼54% 141 (15^min, 21^P0.1, 48.6^P1) fps ∼45%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R9 7940HS Razer Blade 14 Mid 23	194.6 (50^min, 75.5^P0.1, 85.7^P1) fps ∼61% 162.3 (31.9^min, 54.3^P0.1, 81.2^P1) fps ∼51% 139.1 (20.5^min, 37.6^P0.1, 66.1^P1) fps ∼44%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i7-13700H Medion Erazer Scout E20	204 (47.9^min, 67.7^P0.1, 91.5^P1) fps ∼64% 142.6 (57.7^min, 64.1^P0.1, 73.7^P1) fps ∼45% 110.2 (16.5^min, 37.1^P0.1, 60.8^P1) fps ∼35%
AMD Radeon RX 7600S, R9 7940HS Asus TUF Gaming Advantage A16	190.5 (76.2^min, 87.4^P0.1, 94.7^P1) fps ∼60% 149.9 (72.1^min, 82.3^P0.1, 88^P1) fps ∼47% 103.7 (66.4^min, 70.7^P0.1, 73.8^P1) fps ∼33%
AMD Radeon 780M, R9 7940HS Asus TUF Gaming Advantage A16	102.4 (58.4^min, 63^P0.1, 66.8^P1) fps ∼100% 67.4 (47.2^min, 48.1^P0.1, 51.1^P1) fps ∼21% 34.7 (22^min, 22.4^P0.1, 24.7^P1) fps ∼11% 21.9 (11.6^min, 12^P0.1, 15.3^P1) fps ∼7%

QHD (2560 x 1440)

CS 2 is not extremely CPU-intensive even at the resolution of 2560 x 1440 and the Very High preset. A Radeon RX 7600S, for example, has the power to maintain 60 frames per second.

Counter-Strike 2
2560x1440 Very High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	259 (63.6^min, 101.7^P0.1, 123.8^P1) fps ∼100%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	206 (85.1^min, 98.5^P0.1, 130.4^P1) fps ∼80%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Neo 17 E23	188.7 (33.3^min, 37.2^P0.1, 66.3^P1) fps ∼73%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13950HX Razer Blade 16 Mid 23	148.5 (26.4^min, 28.1^P0.1, 51.5^P1) fps ∼57%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900H Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733ZX	120.2 (31.7^min, 37.4^P0.1, 54.6^P1) fps ∼46%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	100.6 (17.1^min, 18.5^P0.1, 36.1^P1) fps ∼39%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R9 7940HS Razer Blade 14 Mid 23	98 (40.8^min, 46.1^P0.1, 54.3^P1) fps ∼38%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i7-13700H Medion Erazer Scout E20	79 (29.2^min, 32^P0.1, 38.8^P1) fps ∼31%
AMD Radeon RX 7600S, R9 7940HS Asus TUF Gaming Advantage A16	64.4 (45.9^min, 45.9^P0.1, 46.4^P1) fps ∼25%

UHD (3840 x 2160)

CS 2 only demands a high-end GPU for 4K displays if maximum settings are desired. A GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, for instance, surpasses the 60 FPS mark in this scenario.

Counter-Strike 2
3840x2160 Very High Preset
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	133 (52.4^min, 69^P0.1, 75^P1) fps ∼100%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Neo 17 E23	113.5 (28^min, 30.6^P0.1, 45.9^P1) fps ∼85%
AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, i9-13900K Desktop-PC Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	100.7 (34.2^min, 66.6^P0.1, 71.6^P1) fps ∼76%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU, i9-13950HX Razer Blade 16 Mid 23	89.7 (15.3^min, 29.8^P0.1, 37.9^P1) fps ∼67%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU, i9-12900H Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 G733ZX	66.7 (24^min, 24^P0.1, 32.2^P1) fps ∼50%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, i9-13900HX XMG Pro 15 E23	55.4 (19.8^min, 22.5^P0.1, 26.9^P1) fps ∼42%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU, R9 7940HS Razer Blade 14 Mid 23	53.2 (22.8^min, 27^P0.1, 32^P1) fps ∼40%
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU, i7-13700H Medion Erazer Scout E20	40.6 (17^min, 18.2^P0.1, 25.6^P1) fps ∼31%
AMD Radeon RX 7600S, R9 7940HS Asus TUF Gaming Advantage A16	34.7 (24.5^min, 24.6^P0.1, 25.4^P1) fps ∼26%

Overview

Test systems

Notebook	Graphics card	Processor	Memory
XMG Neo 17 E23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 @175 W TGP (16 GB GDDR6X)	Intel Core i9-13900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Razer Blade 16 Mid 23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 @175 W TGP (12 GB GDDR6X)	Intel Core i9-13950HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
XMG Pro 15 E23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 @140 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-13900HX	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Razer Blade 14 Mid 23	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 @140 W TGP (8 GB GDDR6)	AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS	2 x 8 GB DDR5
Medion Erazer Scout E20	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 @100 W TGP (6 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i7-13700H	2 x 8 GB DDR5
Asus ROG Strix Scar 17	Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Ti @150 W TGP (16 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-12900H	2 x 16 GB DDR5
Asus TUF Gaming Advantage A16	AMD Radeon RX 7600S (8 GB GDDR6) & AMD Radeon 780M	AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS	2 x 8 GB DDR5

Tower-PC	Graphics card	Processor	Memory
Asus ROG Strix Z790-F	Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 (16 GB GDDR6X) AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (20 GB GDDR6)	Intel Core i9-13900K	2 x 24 GB DDR5 G.Skill

Operating system	Nvidia driver	AMD driver
Windows 11	ForceWare 546.01	Adrenalin 23.11.1

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Editor of the original article: Florian Glaser - Managing Editor Gaming Laptops - 592 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2009

I discovered my interest in computers in my childhood, growing up with MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 in the early 1990s. I was especially fascinated with computer games, even from an early age. From Monkey Island through Lands of Lore to Doom, I tried every game I could get my hands on. I have been working for Notebookcheck since 2009 with my focus mostly being on high-performance gaming laptops.

Translator: Carmen Pol - Translator - 31 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2023

Having spent the greater part of my early years in Germany facilitated my upbringing as a bilingual kid. In 2007, I found myself having to reinstall my Windows weekly ... So, one day I bought a MacBook Black. It was during this period that I developed a profound appreciation for technology, which significantly improved my life.

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> Notebook / Laptop Reviews and News > Reviews > Counter-Strike 2 in review: laptop and desktop benchmarks

Florian Glaser, 2023-11-11 (Update: 2023-11-14)

Legend
5	Stutters – This game is very likely to stutter and have poor frame rates. Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, average frame rates are expected to fall below 25fps
	May Stutter – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, stutters and poor frame rates are expected.
30	Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 25fps
40	Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 35fps
60	Fluent – Based on all known benchmarks using the specified graphical settings, this game should run at or above 58fps
	May Run Fluently – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game. Based on interpolated information from surrounding graphics cards of similar performance levels, fluent frame rates are expected.
?	Uncertain – This graphics card experienced unexpected performance issues during testing for this game. A slower card may be able to achieve better and more consistent frame rates than this particular GPU running the same benchmark scene.
	Uncertain – This graphics card has not been explicitly tested on this game and no reliable interpolation can be made based on the performances of surrounding cards of the same class or family.
The value in the fields displays the average frame rate of all values in the database. Move your cursor over the value to see individual results.

Pos	Model	< Prev Next > Counter-Strike 2 (2023)
Pos	Model	low 1920x1080 Low Preset	med. 1920x1080 Medium Preset	high 1920x1080 High Preset	ultra 1920x1080 Very High Preset	QHD 2560x1440 Very High Preset	4K 3840x2160 Very High Preset
4	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080		320	318	315	259	133
6	AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT		288	270	266	206	100.7
10	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Laptop GPU		240	219	213	188.7	113.5
19	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Laptop GPU		215	207	184.6	148.5	89.7
27	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Laptop GPU		182.9	170.7	141	100.6	55.4
35	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Laptop GPU		220	194.4	164	120.2	66.7
50	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Laptop GPU		194.6	162.3	139.1	98	53.2
87	AMD Radeon RX 7600S		190.5	149.9	103.7	64.4	34.7
139	NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Laptop GPU		204	142.6	110.2	79	40.6
235*	AMD Radeon 780M	102.4	67.4	34.7	21.9