Valorant

Valorant with the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 presents a configuration where the CPU, not the GPU, is the primary constraint on frame rates. The measured data shows a game that is remarkably playable at all resolutions, but the scaling patterns reveal a system that is heavily CPU-bound, particularly at lower resolutions. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data to interpret what it means for the interplay between these components.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS deltas between 1080p and 4K are surprisingly small, which is the first clear indicator of a CPU bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 339.4 FPS at 1920x1080 to 300.9 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a reduction of only 38.5 FPS, or roughly 11.3%, when the pixel count increases by a factor of four. This is not the behavior of a GPU-limited system; if the RTX 4070 were the limiting factor, the 4K result would be drastically lower than the 1080p result.

The pattern holds across all settings. At High settings, the drop from 1080p (285.7 FPS) to 4K (252.8 FPS) is 32.9 FPS, a similar margin. At Ultra settings, the 1080p result of 281.6 FPS falls to 248.7 FPS at 4K, a difference of 32.9 FPS. The consistency of these absolute FPS deltas—hovering in the 30–40 FPS range—suggests that the render resolution is having a modest effect, but the absolute ceiling of performance is being set elsewhere. The Ryzen 5 2600’s single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1579, is likely the ceiling.

Interestingly, the scaling from 1440p to 4K is even tighter. At Low settings, the 1440p result is 322.5 FPS, and the 4K result is 300.9 FPS. The difference is just 21.6 FPS. This indicates that even at 1440p, the system is already hitting the CPU’s limit, and the additional GPU load from 4K is not the dominant factor. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 2600 is saturated at these frame rates, and the RTX 4070 has ample headroom to render the scene at any resolution without becoming the bottleneck.

GPU Role

The RTX 4070’s specifications are far beyond what Valorant requires, and the benchmark results confirm that its role is to ensure the CPU is the sole limiting factor. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, the GPU has a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Valorant is not a memory-bandwidth-intensive title at these settings, so this resource is largely untapped. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz and its 5888 shading units provide massive compute throughput, but the measured FPS numbers show that this compute is not being fully utilized.

The GPU’s passmark G3D score is 26927, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. However, its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A and the AMD Radeon RX 5300M, which are not comparable in gaming performance. This discrepancy highlights that the RTX 4070’s raw compute power is being held back by the CPU in this specific configuration. The data indicates that the GPU is effectively idle for a significant portion of the frame time, waiting for the CPU to submit draw calls.

The FPS results show that even at 4K Ultra, the system averages 248.7 FPS. This is a clear sign that the GPU is not the limiting factor; a game that is truly GPU-bound at 4K would not produce such high frame rates with a mid-range CPU from 2018. The RTX 4070 is capable of far more, but the Ryzen 5 2600 cannot feed it data fast enough.

Settings Recommendations

Given the CPU-bound nature of this configuration, the choice of in-game settings has a predictable but modest impact on performance. The Low preset at 1080p delivers the highest average FPS at 339.4. Moving to the Medium preset at the same resolution drops the average to 287.9 FPS, a reduction of 51.5 FPS. The High preset at 1080p yields 285.7 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields 281.6 FPS.

The data suggests that the difference between Medium, High, and Ultra is minimal at any given resolution. At 1440p, the spread between Medium (273.8 FPS) and Ultra (263.7 FPS) is just 10.1 FPS. At 4K, the spread between Medium (256.8 FPS) and Ultra (248.7 FPS) is 8.1 FPS. This means that for the vast majority of players, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as it provides the highest visual fidelity with only a negligible performance penalty compared to Medium or High.

The Low preset is the outlier, providing a significant FPS boost. At 1080p, the jump from Ultra to Low is 57.8 FPS. At 1440p, the jump is 58.8 FPS. At 4K, the jump is 52.2 FPS. For competitive play on a high-refresh-rate monitor, the Low preset might be preferred to maximize frame rates. However, given that even 4K Ultra produces an average of 248.7 FPS, the performance headroom is so large that the visual compromise of Low settings is rarely necessary. The data supports using Ultra for the best experience, as the system is not meaningfully penalized for it.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 a bottleneck for the RTX 4070 in Valorant?

A: Yes. The FPS scaling between 1080p and 4K is very small, with only a 38.5 FPS difference at Low settings. This indicates the CPU is the limiting component, as the GPU would show a much larger performance drop at higher resolutions if it were the bottleneck.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 339.4, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: How much performance is gained by using Low settings instead of Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 322.5 FPS, while Ultra produces 263.7 FPS. This represents a gain of 58.8 FPS when using the Low preset.

Q: Does the RTX 4070’s 12 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is not a limiting factor. Valorant is not a VRAM-intensive title, and the benchmark results show the GPU is not the bottleneck, so the memory capacity is sufficient for all tested settings.

Q: Can this system run Valorant at 4K with a high refresh rate?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the average FPS is 248.7. With the Low preset, it reaches 300.9 FPS, which is well above typical high-refresh-rate display capabilities.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 2600 compare to its nearest rivals in overall CPU performance?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 19616, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U and 0.7% higher than the Intel Core i7-10700F. It is effectively in the same performance tier as these processors.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 11186, and its single-core score is 1579. In a game like Valorant, which is highly sensitive to single-thread performance, the single-core score is the more relevant metric. The data shows that this CPU is the primary limiter in this configuration.

The fact that the FPS does not scale significantly with resolution is the key evidence. At 1080p Low, the system produces 339.4 FPS. At 4K Low, it produces 300.9 FPS. The GPU is doing more work at 4K, but the overall FPS does not collapse, which means the CPU is already at its maximum output. The Ryzen 5 2600’s 12 threads are sufficient for the game’s engine, but its per-core performance is not high enough to push the RTX 4070 to its limits.

The CPU’s performance relative to its rivals is tight. It sits between the Intel Core i5-1345U (deltaPct of -0.4%) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (deltaPct of 0.6%) in average benchmark score. This places it in a competitive tier for its era, but modern CPUs offer higher single-thread performance, which would likely yield higher FPS in Valorant. The data suggests that the Ryzen 5 2600 is the component that a user would need to upgrade to unlock the full potential of the RTX 4070 in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 339.4. The Medium preset produces 287.9 FPS, High produces 285.7 FPS, and Ultra produces 281.6 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is substantial at 51.5 FPS, while the drop from Medium to Ultra is only 6.3 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 322.5 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 273.8 FPS, High to 270.2 FPS, and Ultra to 263.7 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is minimal for each preset, with a decrease of roughly 17–19 FPS, further confirming the CPU bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 300.9 FPS. The Medium preset produces 256.8 FPS, High produces 252.8 FPS, and Ultra produces 248.7 FPS. The difference between 1440p and 4K for each preset is again small, ranging from a 21.6 FPS drop at Low to a 15 FPS drop at Ultra. The data points to a consistent pattern: the Ryzen 5 2600 is the limiting factor at all resolutions, and the RTX 4070 is never given a full workload.