Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS where frame rate consistency matters more than absolute graphical fidelity, and the measured data for this AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D + Intel Arc B370 combination reflects that dynamic. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the system delivers playable performance, but the gap between presets is significant. The sweet spot for most users is the Medium preset, which offers the best balance of visual quality and performance headroom, as it consistently sits between the Low and High presets while maintaining the only fully documented min/max frame ranges in the dataset. At 1080p, Medium averages 197 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS, providing a smooth experience for high-refresh-rate monitors without the graphical compromises of Low. The Ultra preset, while only slightly behind High in average frames, offers diminishing returns for the added visual load, making it less practical for competitive play.

Settings Recommendations

The data clearly indicates that the Medium preset is the recommended starting point for this hardware pairing. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 197 FPS, which is only 2 FPS below High (187 FPS) but 34 FPS above the 4K Medium result, showing that the setting scales well with resolution. More importantly, Medium is the only preset at each resolution that includes both minimum and maximum frame data, giving a clearer picture of consistency: at 1080p, the range spans 167 to 226 FPS, meaning the system rarely drops below the refresh rate of most 144Hz monitors. The Low preset pushes averages much higher—299 FPS at 1080p and 255 FPS at 1440p—but it does so by stripping away visual effects that can aid target acquisition, making it a choice for pure esports optimization rather than balanced play. High and Ultra are nearly interchangeable in performance: at 1080p, High averages 187 FPS while Ultra averages 178 FPS, a 9 FPS difference that suggests the extra settings cost little but also provide little benefit. Given that the system’s CPU is a 6-core/12-thread part with a 96 MB L3 cache, the Medium preset leverages the CPU’s strength in keeping frame times stable without overburdening the integrated-class GPU.

For 1440p users, Medium again stands out: 168 FPS average with a 143 FPS minimum, which is still comfortably above 60 FPS and suitable for most gaming monitors. The drop from Medium at 1440p to High at 1440p is 8 FPS (168 to 160), indicating that the GPU begins to feel the load, but the CPU remains the dominant factor in keeping the average above 150 FPS. At 4K, Medium averages 134 FPS with a 114 FPS minimum, which is playable but noticeably lower than the 1440p result, signaling that the Arc B370’s shared memory architecture is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Low settings at 4K jump to 204 FPS, proving that this combo can handle 4K if the user is willing to sacrifice visual quality entirely. For most scenarios, Medium is the best compromise: it keeps frame rates above 130 FPS even at 4K, while at 1080p and 1440p it provides the consistency needed for competitive play without the stark visual downgrade of Low.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel’s 3 nm process. Its role in Valorant is secondary to the CPU, but the data shows it still matters as resolution climbs. The GPU features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its memory is system-shared, meaning performance depends heavily on the host system’s RAM and memory bandwidth, which is listed as system-dependent. This explains why the FPS drops are more pronounced at 4K: the GPU’s fill rate (48.00 GPixel/s) and texture rate (96.00 GTexel/s) are modest, and at 3840x2160, the pixel workload quadruples compared to 1080p, pushing the GPU closer to its limits.

Looking at the measured results, the GPU’s impact becomes clear when comparing Low settings across resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average is 299 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 255 FPS; and at 4K Low, it falls to 204 FPS. This 95 FPS decline from 1080p to 4K on Low settings indicates that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU’s rendering capabilities are being taxed at higher resolutions. The gap between Medium and High settings at the same resolution is small—at 1080p, Medium is 197 FPS and High is 187 FPS—suggesting that the GPU handles moderate settings well, but Ultra pushes it slightly harder (178 FPS at 1080p). The GPU’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186) and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192), which underscores its entry-level positioning. However, Valorant is not a GPU-heavy title, so the Arc B370’s 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is sufficient to maintain playable frame rates, provided the CPU can feed it frames fast enough—which the Ryzen 5 5500X3D does effectively.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is the star of this pairing for Valorant, as the game is notoriously CPU-bound in competitive scenarios. This 6-core, 12-thread processor is based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) on a 7 nm process, with a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz. Its key feature is the 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is substantial and directly benefits games that rely on rapid data access, like Valorant. The CPU’s PassMark multi-thread score is 20363, and its single-thread score is 2941, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 37018 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0.2% higher) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938, 0.2% higher), with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093, -0.2%) and Intel Core i9-12900T (37112, -0.3%) trailing by a hair. This means the 5500X3D is effectively a performance peer of those parts, and its large cache gives it an edge in latency-sensitive workloads.

The data shows the CPU’s dominance in Valorant by examining the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, 1080p averages 197 FPS, 1440p averages 168 FPS, and 4K averages 134 FPS—the drop from 1080p to 4K is 63 FPS, which is significant but not as dramatic as the drop on Low settings (299 to 204 FPS, a 95 FPS difference). This suggests that at Low settings, the GPU is less of a bottleneck, allowing the CPU to push frame rates higher, but at Medium and above, the GPU’s load increases, revealing its limitations. The CPU’s single-thread performance, with a PassMark score of 2941, is strong for a 2025 release, and its 12 threads handle Valorant’s multi-threaded engine efficiently. The 105 W TDP indicates a power-hungry part, but for a game like Valorant, the CPU rarely needs to work at full tilt, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at 4K Low. The 5500X3D’s 85th percentile ranking means it outperforms the vast majority of CPUs, and its nearest rivals’ scores confirm it is a top-tier choice for this game, where frame time consistency is critical.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset is optimal, as it averages 197 FPS with a minimum of 167 FPS at 1920x1080, ensuring the frame rate stays above 144 Hz for most of the session. Low settings push averages to 299 FPS but sacrifice visual clarity, while High (187 FPS) and Ultra (178 FPS) can dip below 144 Hz in intense scenes.

Q: How does this system perform at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the system averages 128 FPS on High, 134 FPS on Medium, and 122 FPS on Ultra, with Low settings reaching 204 FPS. Medium is the most playable preset at 4K, offering 134 FPS average and a 114 FPS minimum, which is suitable for most gaming scenarios.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Valorant?

A: The GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as shown by the 95 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K on Low settings. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU’s strong single-thread performance (2941 PassMark score) keeps frame rates high, but the Arc B370’s shared memory and modest fill rate cap performance at 4K.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500X3D compare to its closest rivals?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score is 37018, which is 0.2% higher than the Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (36938), and 0.2% lower than the Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093). It is effectively tied with these parts, making it a competitive choice for gaming.

Q: Should I use Low settings for maximum frame rate?

A: Low settings provide the highest averages—299 FPS at 1080p, 255 FPS at 1440p, and 204 FPS at 4K—but the visual downgrade may hinder target visibility in a competitive FPS. Medium offers 197 FPS at 1080p with better graphics, which is a more balanced choice.

Q: What is the system’s overall ranking in Valorant?

A: This CPU+GPU combination ranks 2645 out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the lower tiers. However, the measured FPS data shows it still delivers smooth performance at 1080p and 1440p, so the ranking reflects hardware capability, not playability.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals how the system’s bottleneck shifts with resolution. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 299 FPS at 1920x1080 to 255 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 14.7% decrease) and then to 204 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 31.8% total drop). This steep decline indicates that the GPU’s rendering workload is the primary constraint when settings are minimal, as the CPU’s 96 MB cache and 4.00 GHz boost clock can easily feed frames at lower resolutions. At Medium settings, the drop is more gradual: 197 FPS at 1080p, 168 FPS at 1440p (14.7% decrease), and 134 FPS at 4K (31.9% total drop), following a nearly identical pattern. High settings show a similar trend: 187 FPS at 1080p, 160 FPS at 1440p (14.4% decrease), and 128 FPS at 4K (31.6% total drop). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings—roughly 15% from 1080p to 1440p and another 20% from 1440p to 4K—suggests that the GPU’s fill rate and texture rate are being scaled uniformly as pixel count increases.

The limiting component at 1080p is clearly the CPU, as the GPU is not fully utilized at 299 FPS on Low. At 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the 204 FPS Low result, which is still high but shows a 32% reduction from 1080p. The system’s memory is system-shared, meaning the GPU competes with the CPU for bandwidth, which exacerbates the 4K performance drop. The fact that Medium and High settings show nearly identical scaling (31.9% and 31.6% drops, respectively) indicates that the GPU’s architecture handles the added visual load of those presets without introducing a new bottleneck—the pixel count is the dominant factor. For users with a 1080p monitor, this system will deliver excellent performance on any preset, while 4K users should stick to Medium or Low to maintain frame rates above 130 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 299 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Medium: 197 FPS average, 167 FPS minimum, 226 FPS maximum
• High: 187 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Ultra: 178 FPS average (no min/max data)

At 1080p, the system is at its strongest. Low settings break the 300 FPS barrier, which is ideal for 240Hz monitors, but the Medium preset’s 197 FPS average with a 167 FPS minimum ensures no severe stutters during combat. High and Ultra are within 9 FPS of each other, showing that Ultra’s extra effects are not worth the performance cost.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 255 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Medium: 168 FPS average, 143 FPS minimum, 193 FPS maximum
• High: 160 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Ultra: 152 FPS average (no min/max data)

The 1440p results show a 30% reduction in average FPS compared to 1080p across all presets. Medium remains the best balance, with a 143 FPS minimum that stays above the 144Hz threshold for most monitors. Low settings still deliver 255 FPS, which is excellent for esports, while Ultra dips to 152 FPS, making it less suitable for high-refresh-rate play.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 204 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Medium: 134 FPS average, 114 FPS minimum, 154 FPS maximum
• High: 128 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Ultra: 122 FPS average (no min/max data)

At 4K, the GPU’s limitations become apparent. Low settings still provide a playable 204 FPS, but Medium drops to 134 FPS average with a 114 FPS minimum, which is borderline for fast-paced gameplay. High and Ultra hover around 125 FPS, making them viable for casual play but not for competitive matches. The Medium preset’s min/max range of 114-154 FPS shows significant variance, indicating that the GPU is struggling to maintain consistency at this resolution.