Valorant

Valorant is an esports title where frame rate is king, and the data for the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER shows a system that is overwhelmingly CPU-bound at every resolution. The measured frames per second (FPS) are exceptionally high, but the pattern of scores reveals that the GPU is barely breaking a sweat. This combination is ranked 349th out of 1650 tested combos for this game, placing it in the top 21% of all tested configurations, a strong result driven by the processor's excellent single-thread performance. The RTX 4080 SUPER is massive overkill for Valorant, but the synergy here yields a buttery-smooth experience that will satisfy any competitive player.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is remarkably small, which is the first major indicator of where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the system produces 564.1 FPS at 1920x1080, 531.1 FPS at 2560x1440, and 494.4 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents only a 12.3% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K. For a modern AAA title, a drop of 40-50% would be typical, but Valorant's lightweight rendering engine simply does not tax the RTX 4080 SUPER. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth are nowhere near being saturated.

Moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a similar trend. The system delivers 564.1 FPS on Low, which drops to 477.4 FPS on Medium, 469.8 FPS on High, and 463.8 FPS on Ultra. The delta between Low and Ultra is 100.3 FPS, which is a 17.8% performance loss. At 4K, the scaling is slightly more pronounced: 494.4 FPS on Low, 417.4 FPS on Medium, 413 FPS on High, and 406.1 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Ultra to 4K Low gap is 88.3 FPS (17.9% loss), nearly identical to the 1080p gap. This consistency across resolutions confirms that the rendering load is not the primary constraint.

The data shows that resolution scaling is almost flat. When the resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the performance penalty is only about 12-15% depending on the preset. This is a classic sign of a CPU-limited scenario. The CPU is responsible for game logic, physics, and draw calls, which do not scale with resolution. The GPU, on the other hand, has massive headroom. It is only when the settings increase from Low to Ultra that we see the GPU start to do slightly more work, but even then, the total frame output remains astronomically high. The limiting component is unequivocally the processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is a flagship-class GPU with an Ada Lovelace architecture, 10240 shading units, and a boost clock of 2550 MHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it holds an 88th percentile rank against all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 53610, placing it 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT. These raw numbers are impressive, but in Valorant, the GPU's role is diminished. It is a spectator in this pairing, waiting for the CPU to feed it instructions.

The GPU's memory configuration—16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus with 736.3 GB/s bandwidth—is more than sufficient for any game, let alone Valorant. The game's textures and effects are not demanding enough to utilize even a fraction of this memory pool. The measured FPS data supports this: at 4K Ultra, the system still produces 406.1 FPS. If the GPU were the limiting factor, we would see this number drop significantly as the pixel count quadrupled from 1080p. Instead, the GPU is likely idling, with utilization well below 50% in most scenes.

The RTX 4080 SUPER's pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that the game never approaches. The 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is equally wasted. In this context, the GPU is not a bottleneck; it is a guarantee that no matter what happens on screen—smoke grenades, ability effects, or chaotic team fights—the frame rate will not dip due to rendering limitations. The GPU is performing its job flawlessly, but the job is simply too small for it.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is the star of this show. It is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its single-thread performance is exceptional, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943 and its Passmark single-thread score of 3684. This is exactly what Valorant demands, as the game's engine relies heavily on a single primary thread for frame rendering. The processor's 82nd percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25064, puts it on par with the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (0% delta) and slightly ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (0.3% delta).

The 8400F has 16 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB of L2 per core. This cache hierarchy is crucial for minimizing latency when accessing frequently used game data. The high boost clock of 4.70 GHz ensures that the processor can execute instructions as fast as possible. The measured FPS results show the processor's dominance: at 1080p Low, the system hits 564.1 FPS. This is a CPU-bound figure, meaning the CPU is the component that determines this ceiling. The fact that increasing the resolution to 4K only drops this to 494.4 FPS proves that the CPU is still managing to push frames faster than virtually any monitor can display.

The processor's 65W TDP and 4nm process node from TSMC mean it runs efficiently, but the performance is what matters here. With a multi-threaded Passmark score of 24530, the CPU has enough headroom to handle background tasks like Discord or streaming software without impacting the game's frame rate. However, the benchmark results indicate that the CPU is the limiting factor. If the RTX 4080 SUPER were paired with a faster CPU, we might see even higher frame rates, but the 8400F is doing a phenomenal job of keeping the frame pipeline full. The data shows that the CPU is the primary driver of the final FPS number in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 349th out of 1650 tested combos for Valorant. This places it in the 79th percentile of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing given the sheer number of possible pairings. The ranking is heavily influenced by the CPU's performance, as the GPU's power is largely untapped in this game. For context, the CPU's average benchmark score of 25064 places it just 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 and 0.2% behind the AMD EPYC 9474F, showing it is a mid-to-high-tier performer. The GPU's average score of 53610 is 2.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7700S, but this advantage is irrelevant in Valorant.

The rank of 349 out of 1650 is not a reflection of the GPU's weakness; it is a reflection of the game's requirements. Combos that rank higher than this likely feature CPUs with even higher single-thread scores, such as the Intel Core i9 or AMD Ryzen 9 series, which can push the frame rate even higher. The RTX 4080 SUPER is not the reason for the rank; it is the 8400F that anchors this position. If the GPU were removed and replaced with a lower-tier card, the ranking would likely stay similar, as long as the CPU remained the same. The data suggests that for Valorant, the CPU is worth more to the final frame rate than the GPU, and this combo reflects that balance.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER overkill for Valorant?

A: Yes. At 1080p Low settings, the system produces 564.1 FPS, and even at 4K Ultra, it maintains 406.1 FPS. The GPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or setting, so its full potential is not being utilized by this game.

Q: Why is the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K so small?

A: The FPS drop from 1080p Low (564.1 FPS) to 4K Low (494.4 FPS) is only 12.3%. This indicates a CPU bottleneck, as the processor's work does not increase with resolution, while the GPU has ample headroom.

Q: What is the best setting for maximum performance?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest average FPS at 564.1. If you prefer higher visual fidelity, the Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 463.8 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor.

Q: How does this combo rank against others?

A: It ranks 349th out of 1650 tested combos for Valorant. This places it in the top 21% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result given the game's CPU-intensive nature.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The CPU is more important. The Ryzen 5 8400F has a single-thread score of 3684 in Passmark, and the frame rates show clear CPU limitation. The GPU's 88th percentile rank does not translate to proportional FPS gains in Valorant.

Q: Can this system handle a 500Hz monitor?

A: Yes, at 1080p Low settings, the average FPS is 564.1, which exceeds 500. However, at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 463.8, which would not fully saturate a 500Hz display.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play, the Low preset is the clear winner. At 1920x1080, it delivers 564.1 FPS, which is the highest measured score in the entire dataset. This preset minimizes visual effects, which can reduce distractions and improve visibility of enemy models. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 86.7 FPS (from 564.1 to 477.4), a significant drop for minimal visual gain in a fast-paced shooter. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 463.8 FPS, which is still exceptionally high, but the 100.3 FPS penalty versus Low is not worth the graphical upgrade for most players.

If you are playing at 1440p or 4K, the Low preset remains the best choice for maximizing frame rate. At 2560x1440, Low delivers 531.1 FPS, while Ultra drops to 435.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low gives 494.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 406.1 FPS. The data shows that Low provides the highest FPS at every resolution, with a consistent advantage of roughly 15-18% over Ultra. For a game where reaction time is critical, the Low preset is the recommended choice. It offers the highest refresh rate potential, ensuring the monitor is the only limit to what you see.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following are the exact measured average FPS values from the dataset, organized by resolution and settings.

1920x1080:

• Low: 564.1 FPS
• Medium: 477.4 FPS
• High: 469.8 FPS
• Ultra: 463.8 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 531.1 FPS
• Medium: 450.3 FPS
• High: 444.9 FPS
• Ultra: 435.8 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 494.4 FPS
• Medium: 417.4 FPS
• High: 413 FPS
• Ultra: 406.1 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings always provide the highest FPS, and the gap between Low and Ultra is approximately 80-100 FPS at every resolution. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is minimal, with a maximum drop of 69.7 FPS when comparing 1080p Low (564.1 FPS) to 4K Low (494.4 FPS). This reinforces the conclusion that the CPU is the primary performance driver, and the RTX 4080 SUPER is more than capable of handling any settings combination without becoming a limiting factor. The system is a top-tier performer for Valorant, delivering frame rates that are far beyond the refresh rate of even the most advanced gaming monitors available.