Valorant

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a distinctive performance profile in Valorant, one that is defined by the GPU's unusual characteristics and the CPU's solid multi-threaded foundation. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is surprisingly capable at higher resolutions but which loses its edge when settings are lowered, pointing to a clear bottleneck dynamic. This analysis breaks down the data across resolutions, settings, and component roles to explain exactly where this combination stands.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K in Valorant reveals a system where the GPU becomes increasingly relevant as resolution climbs, but where the CPU still holds significant sway at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 299 FPS on average. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 255 FPS, a reduction of 44 FPS or roughly 14.7%. Scaling further to 4K Low yields 204 FPS, which is another 51 FPS lower, a 20% drop from the 1440p figure. This pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases suggests that the Intel Arc B370 is not the primary limiter at 1080p Low; if it were, the scaling would be more gradual and less steep.

The picture changes when looking at High settings. At 1080p High, the average is 187 FPS. At 1440p High, it falls to 160 FPS, a 27 FPS reduction. At 4K High, the average is 128 FPS, another 32 FPS down. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 14.4%, which is similar to the Low preset's drop, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is larger at 20%. This indicates that as the graphical load increases with the High preset, the GPU starts to become a more significant factor, but the CPU still contributes to the overall frame rate ceiling.

The Ultra preset shows the tightest scaling. Starting at 178 FPS at 1080p, it drops to 152 FPS at 1440p (a 14.6% decrease) and then to 122 FPS at 4K (a 19.7% decrease). The consistency of these percentage drops across all presets — roughly 14-15% for the first step and 19-20% for the second — is a strong signal. It shows that the rendering pipeline is handling the resolution increase in a predictable way. The fact that the 1080p to 1440p drop is consistently smaller than the 1440p to 4K drop suggests that the system is not purely GPU-bound until the higher pixel count is reached.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting component. The Ryzen 7 3700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, has a benchmark score of 22,458 in PassMark multithread, but its single-thread score is 2,656. Valorant is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance, and this CPU's single-thread capability appears to cap the frame rate before the GPU can be fully utilized. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the Arc B370 begins to catch up to the CPU's output, making the frame rate drops more pronounced. This is a classic sign of a balanced shift from a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p to a more GPU-influenced scenario at 4K.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution, part of the Arc Graphics-M generation based on the Xe3-LPG architecture. This is a crucial detail that explains its performance characteristics. It has a boost clock of 2400 MHz and a base clock of 300 MHz, but its memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the main system RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. Its bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means its performance can vary based on the system's memory configuration.

In terms of raw compute, the B370 has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs. It can output 48.00 GPixel/s and 96.00 GTexel/s, with a FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, it scores 1184. This score places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, deltaPct -0.2), the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, deltaPct -0.5), and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (score 1192, deltaPct -0.7). This shows that the Arc B370 is performing at a level comparable to older discrete graphics cards, which is a significant limitation for a modern game.

The data suggests that the GPU's shared memory architecture and low relative performance are the reasons why frame rates are not higher at 4K. For example, at 4K Medium, the average FPS is 134 with a minimum of 114 and a maximum of 154. This is only slightly higher than the 128 FPS average at 4K High. The gap between Medium and High is just 6 FPS, which indicates that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the increased pixel count, and the extra load from the High preset does not cause a massive drop because the system is already near its limit. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking is a clear indicator that it is a weak link in this pairing when the demand is high.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Valorant?

A: The highest average frame rate is 299 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 122 FPS. This is the lowest average FPS recorded across all tested configurations.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B370 a dedicated graphics card?

A: No, it is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, and its memory is "System Shared," meaning it relies on system RAM rather than dedicated VRAM.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 1440p Medium?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 168, with a minimum of 143 FPS and a maximum of 193 FPS. This indicates a range of 50 FPS between minimum and maximum.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. It is 0.2% slower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186, and 0.5% slower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which scores 1190.

Q: Does the CPU have a high single-thread performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has a PassMark single-thread score of 2656, which is moderate. Its multi-thread score is significantly higher at 22458, indicating it is better suited for multi-threaded workloads.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2645 out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant. This places it in the bottom portion of the database, at roughly the 8th percentile of all tested configurations. This low rank is consistent with the GPU's individual performance, as the Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. The CPU, in contrast, is in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, which shows a significant mismatch in capability.

The rank suggests that while the system can produce playable frame rates at 1080p and even 1440p, it is not competitive with most other hardware combinations. The high rank number (2645) relative to the total (2883) indicates that a vast majority of other tested combos deliver better performance in this game. This is likely due to the GPU's severe limitations, which prevent the system from achieving the high frame rates that competitive FPS players typically seek. The data shows that the combo's performance is heavily bottlenecked by the integrated GPU, which cannot keep pace with the CPU's potential output.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a 3000-series processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, codenamed Matisse. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has a 32 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory with a dual-channel bus. Its TDP is 65 watts. In terms of benchmarks, it scores 8899 in Geekbench multicore and 1593 in single-core. Its PassMark multithread score is 22458, and its single-thread score is 2656.

In Valorant, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and process game logic. The data shows that the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates, as evidenced by the 299 FPS average at 1080p Low. The fact that the frame rate drops when resolution increases, despite the CPU's performance remaining constant, confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor at higher resolutions. However, at 1080p, the CPU's single-thread performance appears to be a cap. The drop from 299 FPS at 1080p Low to 255 FPS at 1440p Low is a 44 FPS reduction, which is a substantial decrease that points to the GPU becoming the bottleneck as the pixel count increases.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate it is a balanced processor, but its single-thread performance is not exceptional. This is a key factor in Valorant, which relies heavily on single-thread speed for high frame rates. The data implies that if the GPU were stronger, the frame rate at 1080p might be higher, but the CPU would still hold it back. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration is overkill for Valorant, which typically uses fewer threads, but the higher clocks and IPC of the Zen 2 architecture are what matter most.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 299 FPS. The Medium preset averages 197 FPS, with a minimum of 167 and a maximum of 226. The High preset averages 187 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 178 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, where lower settings yield higher frame rates, but the differences between Medium, High, and Ultra are relatively small, ranging from 9 to 19 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, as the GPU is not being fully utilized even at Ultra settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset again leads with an average of 255 FPS. The Medium preset averages 168 FPS, with a minimum of 143 and a maximum of 193. The High preset averages 160 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 152 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is now 87 FPS, which is much larger than the 102 FPS gap at 1080p. This indicates that the GPU is starting to become more of a limiting factor at 1440p, as the higher resolution places more demand on the rendering hardware.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 204 FPS. The Medium preset averages 134 FPS, with a minimum of 114 and a maximum of 154. The High preset averages 128 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 122 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium at 4K is 70 FPS, which is significant. The difference between Medium, High, and Ultra is much smaller, with only 6 FPS separating Medium from High and another 6 FPS separating High from Ultra. This compression of frame rates at the higher presets indicates that the GPU is saturated and cannot deliver significantly higher performance regardless of the graphical settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's resolution and performance goals. At 1920x1080, the Low preset provides the highest frame rate at 299 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play where refresh rate is paramount. However, the Medium preset at 197 FPS is also viable and offers better visual quality with only a 102 FPS reduction. The High and Ultra presets, at 187 and 178 FPS respectively, offer diminishing returns in visual fidelity for a further FPS drop, making them less attractive for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 255 FPS, which is excellent. The Medium preset at 168 FPS is still very playable and offers a good balance between visuals and performance. The High and Ultra presets, at 160 and 152 FPS, are close in performance to Medium, making Medium the recommended choice for 1440p as it provides a noticeable visual upgrade over Low with a manageable FPS cost.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only option that provides a frame rate above 200 FPS, at 204 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 134 FPS, which is still playable but significantly lower. The High and Ultra presets, at 128 and 122 FPS, are close to Medium but do not offer a meaningful improvement in visual quality that justifies the FPS loss. For 4K, the Low preset is the recommended choice for maintaining a high frame rate, or Medium if the user prioritizes visual fidelity over the higher FPS. The data shows that the system is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with Low or Medium settings to avoid the GPU bottleneck that becomes apparent at 4K.