Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS where frame rate consistency often matters more than absolute visual fidelity, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 4600G paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 reflects a system that is heavily skewed toward the CPU. This combination produces extremely high frame rates across all tested configurations, but the performance scaling between settings and resolutions reveals that the processor is the primary bottleneck, not the graphics card. The data shows a clear hierarchy: the Low preset consistently delivers the fastest average FPS at every resolution, with a significant drop in performance when moving to Medium, High, or Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

For players prioritizing maximum competitive advantage, the Low preset is the definitive choice based on the measured frames per second. At 1080p, the Low preset achieves an average of 406.7 FPS, which is the highest score recorded across all tests. This represents a substantial lead over the other presets; for instance, it is 62.6 FPS faster than the Medium preset at the same resolution, which averages 344.1 FPS. The gap narrows slightly at higher resolutions, but the Low preset still holds a commanding lead. At 1440p, Low averages 383.3 FPS, which is 59.6 FPS ahead of Medium’s 323.7 FPS. Even at 4K, the Low preset’s 357.7 FPS average is 56.6 FPS faster than the Medium preset’s 301.1 FPS.

The performance difference between the Medium, High, and Ultra presets is comparatively small. The data indicates that moving from Medium to High or Ultra yields diminishing returns in visual quality for a measurable cost in frame rate. At 1080p, Medium is 334.7 FPS for High, while Ultra drops to 331.7 FPS. The pattern is consistent at 1440p, where High averages 320.1 FPS and Ultra averages 313.7 FPS, and at 4K, where High averages 295.2 FPS and Ultra averages 291.5 FPS. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets is stark; at 1080p, the Low preset is 75 FPS faster than Ultra. Given that Valorant is a game where higher frame rates directly translate to lower input latency and smoother tracking, the Low preset offers the best measured experience for this hardware combination, effectively utilizing the CPU’s potential without the GPU imposing additional load.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 features a 24 GB GDDR6X memory buffer with a 384-bit bus width and a memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2520 MHz, and it operates on the Ada Lovelace architecture. Despite these high-end specifications, the benchmark results indicate that the GPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The evidence is in the resolution scaling: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops, but the drop is relatively modest, suggesting the CPU is still able to feed the GPU adequately. For example, at Low settings, the average FPS only drops from 406.7 at 1080p to 357.7 at 4K, a reduction of 49 FPS. If the GPU were the bottleneck, we would expect a more dramatic falloff at 4K, especially on a game like Valorant which is not visually demanding.

The RTX 4090’s massive compute resources, including 16,384 shading units and 512 tensor cores, are underutilized in this scenario. The GPU’s 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance is far beyond what is required to render this title’s graphics. Instead, the data points to the CPU’s single-thread performance as the ceiling. The Ryzen 5 4600G, with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz and a base clock of 3.70 GHz, shows a 3DMark single-thread score of 726 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1919. These scores, while respectable, are the component that determines the upper FPS limit. The GPU is effectively waiting on the CPU to issue draw calls, which is why the Low preset, which reduces CPU overhead, yields the highest frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Ryzen 5 4600G and RTX 4090 is ranked 1173 out of 1650 tested combinations in this game. This places it in the lower third of all tested systems, which is surprising given the presence of a top-tier GPU. The ranking is a direct consequence of the CPU’s performance ceiling. The Ryzen 5 4600G has a percentile of 75 among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 75% of processors, but its average benchmark score of 17489 is closely matched by its rivals. For example, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE has a deltaPct of 0, indicating identical performance, and the Intel Core i5-12450H is just 0.1% faster. The Intel Core i3-14100T is actually 0.8% faster, and the Intel Core i3-13100F is 1% faster. This suggests that in a CPU-bound scenario like Valorant, the 4600G is not able to leverage the RTX 4090’s capabilities, resulting in a lower rank than the GPU’s own percentile of 91 would suggest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across all settings is 406.7 for Low, 344.1 for Medium, 334.7 for High, and 331.7 for Ultra. The Low setting provides the best performance, with a 62.6 FPS advantage over Medium. The spread between Medium and Ultra is only 12.4 FPS, indicating that the preset choice has a minor impact once you leave the Low setting.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 383.3 for Low, 323.7 for Medium, 320.1 for High, and 313.7 for Ultra. The Low preset again leads by a significant margin, this time by 59.6 FPS over Medium. The difference between High and Ultra narrows to just 6.4 FPS, suggesting that the game’s Ultra preset is not particularly taxing on the GPU relative to High.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 357.7 for Low, 301.1 for Medium, 295.2 for High, and 291.5 for Ultra. The Low preset maintains its lead, now 56.6 FPS ahead of Medium. The performance delta between the highest and lowest settings at 4K is 66.2 FPS, which is the smallest absolute gap across all resolutions, indicating that the CPU bottleneck becomes slightly less dominant at higher resolutions but still remains the primary limiter.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the average FPS decreases, but the rate of decrease is not uniform. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on Low settings reduces the average FPS from 406.7 to 383.3, a drop of 23.4 FPS (5.8%). Moving from 1440p to 4K on the same settings reduces the average from 383.3 to 357.7, a further drop of 25.6 FPS (6.7%). This indicates that the performance hit from increasing resolution is relatively mild, which would not be the case if the GPU were the bottleneck. A GPU-bound system would typically see a much larger percentage drop when moving from 1440p to 4K, often exceeding 20-30%.

The fact that the FPS remains above 290 in the worst case (4K Ultra) suggests that the RTX 4090 is barely breaking a sweat. The limiting component is the CPU. The Ryzen 5 4600G’s 8 MB of shared L3 cache and 6 cores / 12 threads are sufficient for the game’s logic, but its single-threaded performance, as evidenced by the 3DMark single-thread score of 726, caps the frame rate. This is why the Low preset, which reduces the number of draw calls and CPU-side work, yields the highest FPS. The resolution scaling analysis confirms that this system is CPU-bound, and the GPU’s headroom is being left on the table.

FAQ

Q: Why is the Low preset so much faster than Ultra in this game?

A: The measured data shows that the Low preset consistently delivers the highest average FPS across all resolutions. At 1080p, Low averages 406.7 FPS compared to 331.7 FPS for Ultra. This is because the CPU, the Ryzen 5 4600G, is the bottleneck. Lower settings reduce the CPU’s workload, allowing it to feed frames to the GPU faster.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 worth pairing with the Ryzen 5 4600G for Valorant?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 4090 is heavily underutilized. The combo ranks 1173 out of 1650, and the GPU’s massive compute resources are not the limiting factor. The CPU’s single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 726, caps the frame rate, so the GPU’s power is largely wasted in this specific game.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this setup?

A: Based on the data, even at 4K with the Low preset, the system achieves an average of 357.7 FPS. All resolutions offer excellent performance, but the highest average FPS is found at 1080p with 406.7 FPS. The choice depends on your monitor’s refresh rate and resolution, but the system is capable of high refresh rates at any tested resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 4600G has an average benchmark score of 17489. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 5355GE, has a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are identical in performance. The Intel Core i5-12450H is 0.1% faster, while the Intel Core i3-14100T is 0.8% faster and the Intel Core i3-13100F is 1% faster. This shows the CPU is competitive with its peers but not a standout.

Q: Does increasing the graphics settings from Medium to High or Ultra have a large impact?

A: No. The measured data shows a small difference. At 1440p, Medium averages 323.7 FPS, High averages 320.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 313.7 FPS. The difference between Medium and Ultra is only 10 FPS, which is negligible compared to the 59.6 FPS difference between Low and Medium at the same resolution.

Q: Is the system more CPU-bound or GPU-bound in Valorant?

A: The data strongly indicates a CPU-bound scenario. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is minor (from 406.7 to 357.7 on Low), which would not happen if the GPU was the limiting factor. The GPU’s high memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s and 24 GB of VRAM are not being fully taxed, while the CPU’s lower single-thread score is the primary determinant of the average FPS.