Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that rewards high frame rates, and the combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers exceptional performance across all tested settings. The data shows this pairing produces frame rates well above the refresh rates of most high-end monitors, even at 4K resolution, indicating a system that is unlikely to be the bottleneck in competitive play.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the performance burden shifts as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 559 FPS, which drops to 530 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 481 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 14% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 9% reduction from 1440p to 4K, showing a relatively modest scaling penalty that suggests the CPU is doing significant work at lower resolutions.

The pattern changes when examining the High preset across resolutions. At 1080p High, the average is 443 FPS, dropping to 378 FPS at 1440p and 302 FPS at 4K. The larger percentage drops here—15% from 1080p to 1440p and 20% from 1440p to 4K—indicate that the GPU begins to play a more substantial role as the pixel count increases. This is particularly evident when comparing the Low and High presets at each resolution, where the gap widens from 78 FPS at 1080p to 179 FPS at 4K.

Looking at the Medium settings, which are the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, the scaling shows a similar trend. At 1080p Medium, the average is 465 FPS with a minimum of 395 FPS and maximum of 535 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 397 FPS with a minimum of 337 FPS and maximum of 456 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 317 FPS with a minimum of 270 FPS and maximum of 365 FPS. The minimum FPS values at each resolution maintain a comfortable margin above 240 FPS, suggesting consistent performance even during intense gameplay moments.

The data implies that the RTX 4060 is not the limiting factor at 1080p, where the Ryzen 5 7400F's capabilities are more fully utilized. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, yet the system still delivers over 300 FPS at 4K High settings. This indicates that Valorant is not particularly demanding on the GPU at any resolution, and the frame rate ceiling is more likely determined by the CPU's single-thread performance, which is strong given the 4.70 GHz boost clock.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture manufactured on a 5 nm process. With a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, this CPU demonstrates strong single-threaded performance that is crucial for Valorant's game logic and draw call processing. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3072 and multi-core score of 21765 place this processor in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, indicating it is well above average for gaming workloads.

The processor's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for a game like Valorant that relies on rapid, repetitive calculations for hit detection and ability interactions. The DDR5 memory support with dual-channel configuration provides 83.2 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is more than adequate for the game's requirements.

In the context of Valorant's measured performance, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 559 FPS, which is remarkably high and suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames to saturate its rendering pipeline. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration handles the game's multi-threaded tasks efficiently, as evidenced by the PassMark multi-thread score of 25645 and the PassMark single-thread score of 3689.

The nearest rivals to the Ryzen 5 7400F in average benchmark scores include the Intel Core i5-14600T, which scores 32707 (a 0.1% difference), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H at 32697 (0.2% difference). The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H scores 32812 (-0.2% difference), and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 scores 32662 (0.3% difference). These small deltas indicate that the 7400F is comparable to mid-range to upper-mid-range processors in overall performance, which aligns with its strong showing in Valorant.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 7400F and RTX 4060 achieves a combo rank of 1177 out of 2883 tested combinations in Valorant. This places it in the top 41% of all tested combos, which is notable given the game's reputation for being CPU-intensive at high frame rates. The ranking suggests that while this pairing is not at the absolute top tier for Valorant, it still delivers performance that exceeds the requirements for competitive play.

The combo rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU in this specific game. The Ryzen 5 7400F, with its high boost clock and Zen 4 architecture, provides the single-thread performance that Valorant demands. The RTX 4060, with its 3072 shading units and 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, offers enough graphics processing power to handle the game's rendering at high frame rates. The fact that this combo ranks in the 41st percentile indicates that there are faster combinations available, but the performance gap to the top is not enormous given the game's relatively modest hardware requirements.

When considering the individual components' percentiles, the CPU stands at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU stands at the 61st percentile among all GPUs. The combo rank being lower than the CPU percentile alone suggests that the GPU is the more limiting factor in this pairing for Valorant, even though the game is not graphically demanding. This is an interesting finding, as it implies that upgrading the GPU would yield more significant frame rate improvements than upgrading the CPU for this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates, with Low settings producing 559 FPS, Medium producing 465 FPS, High producing 443 FPS, and Ultra producing 422 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 137 FPS, which represents a 24% reduction in performance from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a noticeable decrease. Low settings produce 530 FPS, Medium produces 397 FPS, High produces 378 FPS, and Ultra produces 360 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows slightly to 170 FPS, representing a 32% reduction. This larger percentage drop indicates that the GPU is becoming more involved at 1440p, as the increased pixel count adds to the rendering workload.

At 3840x2160, the performance remains impressive but shows the most significant scaling. Low settings produce 481 FPS, Medium produces 317 FPS, High produces 302 FPS, and Ultra produces 288 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 193 FPS, which is a 40% reduction. This pattern confirms that the GPU's role becomes more prominent at 4K, even though the frame rates are still exceptionally high for a competitive FPS.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only complete data with minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, the range is 395 to 535 FPS with an average of 465 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 337 to 456 FPS with an average of 397 FPS. At 4K, the range is 270 to 365 FPS with an average of 317 FPS. These data points suggest that the system maintains frame times that are consistently below 4 milliseconds at 1080p and 1440p, and below 4 milliseconds at 4K, which is well within the requirements for smooth competitive gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combination?

A: The highest average FPS is 559, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 288 FPS, which is still well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for Valorant with this setup?

A: The data suggests the CPU plays a larger role at lower resolutions, as the frame rate drops by only 14% from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings, while the GPU becomes more relevant at higher resolutions, with a 20% drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 270, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 1177 out of 2883 tested combinations, placing it in the top 41% of all tested combos for Valorant.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 530 FPS while Ultra settings produce 360 FPS, representing a 170 FPS difference or a 32% reduction in performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 465 FPS with a minimum of 395 FPS, which provides a substantial margin above the 240 FPS typically required for high-refresh-rate competitive play. The minimum FPS of 395 ensures that even the most demanding gameplay moments remain fluid.

At 1440p, the Medium preset produces 397 FPS with a minimum of 337 FPS. This is still an excellent performance level, offering a smooth experience on 144Hz or 165Hz monitors with plenty of headroom. The High preset at 1440p, which produces 378 FPS, is also a viable option if visual fidelity is prioritized, but the Medium preset provides a better guarantee of consistent frame times.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset delivers 317 FPS with a minimum of 270 FPS, which is still remarkably high for a 4K resolution. The Low preset at 4K produces 481 FPS, which is the fastest option but may sacrifice visual clarity for competitive advantage. The Ultra preset at 4K, while producing 288 FPS, is the least recommended option as it offers the lowest frame rate without providing significant visual benefits in a fast-paced game like Valorant.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and manufactured on a 5 nm process at TSMC. With 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 render output units, this GPU provides ample processing power for Valorant's relatively simple graphics. The GPU has 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores, though these features are not heavily utilized in Valorant's competitive gameplay.

The RTX 4060 has a boost clock of 2460 MHz and a memory clock of 2125 MHz with 17 Gbps effective speed. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 272.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is sufficient for the game's texture and geometry data at all tested resolutions. The GPU's TDP of 115 W and suggested PSU of 300 W indicate it is an efficient card that does not place excessive demands on the power supply.

The GPU's measured performance in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 2302, and its PassMark G3D score is 19545, placing it in the 61st percentile among all GPUs. The nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with an average score of 17666 (-0.2% difference), the AMD Radeon 780M with 17588 (0.3% difference), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 with 17551 (0.5% difference). These comparisons show that the RTX 4060 is positioned in the mid-range tier of GPUs, which aligns with its performance in Valorant where it delivers high frame rates but is not the absolute fastest option available.

The GPU's role in Valorant becomes more apparent at higher resolutions and quality settings. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 288 FPS, which is 51% lower than the 559 FPS achieved at 1080p Low. This indicates that the GPU's rendering pipeline is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, despite the game's relatively low graphical demands. The 8 GB of VRAM is not a concern in Valorant, as the game's textures and assets fit comfortably within this amount even at 4K resolution.