Valorant

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Valorant, but the performance scaling across resolutions reveals a system constrained primarily by the processor rather than the graphics card. This analysis examines the measured data to understand how this combination behaves, what it means for competitive play, and how the CPU handles the game's demands.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates demonstrate that Valorant is not a demanding title for the RTX 4070 SUPER, even at 4K resolution. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 340.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 322.9 FPS, a reduction of approximately 5%. At 4K Low, the average falls to 302.2 FPS, representing a further 6% decrease from 1440p. This relatively small performance penalty from 1080p to 4K strongly indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor; instead, the CPU is responsible for the frame rate ceiling.

The scaling pattern becomes clearer when examining the High settings preset. At 1080p High, the average is 285.8 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 268.6 FPS, and at 4K High, it reaches 249 FPS. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is roughly 13%, which is modest for a resolution increase that quadruples the pixel count. In a GPU-bound scenario, the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K would typically be much steeper, often exceeding 40-50%. The data suggests the RTX 4070 SUPER has ample headroom, and the Ryzen 5 2600's processing power is the bottleneck.

Comparing the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p, the difference between Low (340.7 FPS) and Ultra (277.6 FPS) is 63 FPS, or about 19%. At 1440p, the gap between Low (322.9 FPS) and Ultra (268.8 FPS) is 54 FPS. At 4K, the spread narrows to 55 FPS (302.2 vs 247). The fact that the gap between presets does not widen dramatically at higher resolutions indicates that even the most demanding settings at 4K are not overwhelming the GPU's compute or memory bandwidth capabilities. The RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 192-bit bus, has no trouble feeding the frame buffer at these settings.

CPU Role

The 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. In Valorant, a game that relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and rendering commands, this older CPU architecture becomes the primary constraint. The benchmark data shows the CPU's single-thread score in Cinebench R23 is 1579, while its multi-core score is 11186. These figures place the CPU in the 77th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19616.

The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the Intel Core i5-1345U (average score 19691, delta -0.4%), the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (19508, +0.6%), and the Intel Core i7-10700F (19485, +0.7%). This indicates the Ryzen 5 2600 performs comparably to these processors in general workloads, but its architecture lacks the modern instruction-level efficiency of newer designs. For Valorant, the game's engine benefits from higher single-core throughput, and the 3.90 GHz boost clock of the 2600 is modest by current standards.

The CPU's role is further illuminated by the fact that increasing resolution does not significantly reduce frame rates. At 1080p Low, the system hits 340.7 FPS, but the RTX 4070 SUPER is capable of far more in less CPU-intensive scenarios. The 2600's 16 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 46.9 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for the game, but they are not exceptional. The data points to the CPU being the definitive limiter, as the frame rate stays remarkably consistent across resolutions when settings are held constant.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo achieves in Valorant?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 340.7, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER perform against its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 42576, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, scores 42653, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the 4070 SUPER is essentially tied with it.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 2600 a bottleneck for this GPU in Valorant?

A: Yes. The data shows that frame rates only drop by about 13% from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which indicates the GPU is not being fully utilized. The CPU's single-thread performance limits the maximum frame rate.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 1397 out of 1650 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-mid tier of system configurations for Valorant performance.

Q: How much difference does the settings preset make at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 322.9 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 268.8 FPS. The difference is 54 FPS, or roughly 17%.

Q: Does the GPU's memory bandwidth affect performance in Valorant?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for Valorant. The minimal performance difference between 1080p and 4K confirms that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1397 out of 1650 tested combinations (about the 15th percentile from the bottom) is a clear indicator that this pairing does not leverage the GPU's full potential in Valorant. While the absolute frame rates are high — never dropping below 247 FPS even at 4K Ultra — the rank suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve better results. The Ryzen 5 2600, despite being in the 77th percentile for overall CPU performance, holds back the RTX 4070 SUPER in this specific game.

The rank is not a measure of playability; 247 FPS at 4K Ultra is far beyond what most monitors can display. However, the rank does reflect efficiency. A combo like the RTX 4070 SUPER with a more modern, higher-clocked CPU would likely score higher. The data indicates that the 2600's single-thread score of 1579 in Cinebench R23 is the key weakness. In contrast, the GPU's performance is exceptional, with its Passmark G3D score of 29995 placing it in the 84th percentile.

For players using a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, this combo delivers more than enough frame rate at any resolution. For those with a 360Hz monitor, the 1080p Low setting at 340.7 FPS would be the only way to approach the display's maximum refresh rate. The rank should be interpreted as a warning for future-proofing — the CPU will likely become a more significant bottleneck as game engines evolve, but for Valorant's current state, the experience is fluid.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings preset depends on the player's monitor refresh rate and resolution preference. At 1080p, the Low preset yields 340.7 FPS, which is the highest average measured. This is ideal for competitive play on high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 291 FPS, a 15% reduction, but offers improved visual quality. The High preset at 1080p gives 285.8 FPS, nearly identical to Medium, suggesting that the CPU is the limiting factor once the GPU load is low.

At 1440p, the Low preset averages 322.9 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 268.8 FPS, a 17% reduction from Low. For players prioritizing competitive performance, Low or Medium at 1440p is recommended, as the frame rate remains above 300 FPS. At 4K, the Low preset averages 302.2 FPS, while Ultra drops to 247 FPS. Given that 4K monitors are typically limited to 60-144Hz, even the Ultra preset at 4K is sufficient for smooth play.

The best balance of visual fidelity and performance is the Medium preset at 1440p, which delivers 276.5 FPS. This is a 14% reduction from Low but provides better texture and effect quality. The data shows no preset at any resolution drops below 247 FPS, so players have the freedom to choose based on their preferences without risking stutter or dips below refresh rate thresholds.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 340.7 FPS, the Medium preset averages 291 FPS, the High preset averages 285.8 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 277.6 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 63 FPS, or 18.5%, indicating that the GPU can handle the increased load with minimal impact.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 322.9 FPS, the Medium preset averages 276.5 FPS, the High preset averages 268.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 268.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 54 FPS, or 16.7%.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 302.2 FPS, the Medium preset averages 257 FPS, the High preset averages 249 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 247 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 55 FPS, or 18.2%.

The consistency of the frame rates across resolutions — from 340.7 at 1080p Low to 302.2 at 4K Low — confirms that the CPU is the primary performance driver. The RTX 4070 SUPER's capabilities, evidenced by its 35.48 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, are largely unused in this title. The data suggests that for Valorant, a less powerful GPU paired with a stronger CPU would yield higher frame rates than this combination. However, the absolute performance remains excellent for all practical purposes, with every measured configuration exceeding 240 FPS.