Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS built around low latency and high frame rates, and the data for the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination shows a system that is dramatically overqualified for the game's rendering demands. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are exceptionally high, rarely dipping below the 300 FPS mark, which places the bottleneck squarely on the CPU in most scenarios. The GPU's raw power is so far beyond what Valorant requires that the 12 GB of VRAM and 220 W TDP become almost secondary to the processor's ability to feed frames. The following analysis breaks down how this specific combination behaves, using only the measured data to interpret where the performance ceiling lies and what it means for a player prioritizing competitive integrity over visual fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is surprisingly mild, which is a strong indicator that the CPU is the primary limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 407.7 at 1920x1080 to 383.8 at 2560x1440, and then to 357.8 at 3840x2160. That is a total reduction of roughly 49 FPS, or about 12%, from the lowest to the highest resolution, even as the GPU's pixel workload increases by a factor of four. This shallow slope suggests that the RTX 4070 SUPER is not being pushed anywhere near its limits at 1080p; instead, the Ryzen 7 3700X's 8-core, 16-thread configuration is likely the ceiling for how many frames can be processed and submitted to the render pipeline.

The story is similar at High settings, where the average FPS goes from 338.9 at 1080p to 322.5 at 1440p and then to 295.4 at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K here is about 43 FPS, or roughly 13%, which is almost identical to the Low setting drop. What is telling is that the difference between Low and High at the same resolution is consistently around 70 FPS, regardless of resolution. For example, at 4K, Low yields 357.8 FPS while High yields 295.4 FPS, a difference of 62 FPS; at 1080p, that difference is 68.8 FPS. This pattern shows that the GPU is responding to settings changes as expected, but the resolution scaling is nearly flat, indicating that the CPU's frame generation capability is the fixed variable. The data implies that a player could drop from 4K to 1080p and only gain a modest 12% in frame rate, which is not the typical behavior for a GPU-bound title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, is a high-end card that sits in the 84th percentile of all GPUs according to the benchmark data. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, scores nearly identically, with a deltaPct of -0.2%, meaning these two cards are virtually tied in average performance. In Valorant, the GPU's role is almost trivialized, as the measured frame rates never drop below 295 FPS even at 4K Ultra settings. The card's boost clock of 2475 MHz and 7168 shading units provide ample compute power, but the game's simple geometry and minimal post-processing effects mean that the 80 ROPs and 224 TMUs are rarely saturated.

The data suggests that the GPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution tested. For instance, moving from 4K Medium (302.6 FPS) to 4K Low (357.8 FPS) yields a 55.2 FPS improvement, which is a 18% gain. However, this is a settings-driven change, not a resolution-driven one. The fact that the 4070 SUPER can achieve 357.8 FPS at 4K Low shows that its raw throughput is more than sufficient for the game's demands. The card's 84th percentile ranking places it well above the average, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, is only 0.3% slower, indicating that in this game, the specific GPU model matters less than the CPU pairing. The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is irrelevant here, as Valorant's texture requirements are minimal, but the card's overall headroom means it will never be the cause of a frame rate dip in this title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is the more interesting component in this analysis, as its performance appears to be the deciding factor for the maximum achievable frame rate. With 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 3.60 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, this Zen 2 architecture chip is not the newest or fastest on the market, but it is clearly sufficient for Valorant. The CPU's average benchmark score of 28631 places it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-12600, is virtually identical with a deltaPct of -0.1%. This means the 3700X is performing right at the expected level for its class, and in Valorant, that level is high enough to push past 400 FPS at 1080p Low.

The data reveals that the CPU's single-thread performance is likely the crucial factor. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2694 and Geekbench single-core score of 1672 are moderate, but they are enough to sustain frame rates that exceed 300 FPS in most scenarios. The fact that the 1080p Low average is 407.7 FPS, which is 49.9 FPS higher than the 4K Low average of 357.8 FPS, suggests that the CPU is working harder at lower resolutions because the GPU can process frames faster, but it is still not fully saturated. The CPU's 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s are adequate for feeding the game's data, but the real question is whether a faster CPU would yield even higher frame rates. Given that the 3700X is only 0.1% slower than the Intel Core i5-12600 in average benchmarks, and the measured FPS in Valorant is already above 400 at 1080p Low, the data implies that this CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution, but rather the game's own engine frame cap or other system limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 7 3700X and RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 1136 out of 1650 tested combos for Valorant, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This is a surprising result given the high frame rates measured, but it is likely because the database includes many combos with newer, higher-clocked CPUs that can push even higher FPS in this CPU-bound title. The rank of 1136 out of 1650 means that roughly 514 combos perform better, and this is likely due to the CPU's age rather than the GPU. The RTX 4070 SUPER is in the 84th percentile of all GPUs, and the 3700X is in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, but the combo's rank suggests that Valorant's performance is heavily skewed toward CPU single-thread speed, where the 3700X's 4.40 GHz boost clock is not as competitive as newer chips.

Comparing to the nearest rivals, the combo's performance is consistent with the individual component scores. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT, has a deltaPct of 0.1% higher average score, meaning it is essentially equal in compute tasks. However, in Valorant, the 5600XT might perform differently due to its different core layout, but the data does not provide that specific comparison. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, is 0.2% slower in average benchmarks, so the combo's ranking is not being dragged down by an underperforming GPU. The data indicates that the 4070 SUPER is doing its job, but the 3700X is holding the combo back from reaching the top tiers of Valorant performance, despite still delivering playable frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the player's priority. If the goal is maximum competitive performance, the Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest average FPS at 407.7, which provides the lowest input latency and smoothest experience. However, the difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is only 60.7 FPS (407.7 vs 347.0), and the jump to High is 338.9 FPS, which is still above 300 FPS. The data shows that the Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 335.6 FPS, so even at maximum settings, the combo is capable of high refresh rate play.

For players using a 1440p monitor, the Low preset delivers 383.8 FPS, while High delivers 322.5 FPS, and Ultra drops to 315.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 68.5 FPS, which is significant, but all presets remain above 300 FPS. At 4K, the Low preset is the only one that breaks 350 FPS, with 357.8 FPS, while Ultra is at 296 FPS. The data suggests that the High preset at 1440p is the best balance for visual quality and performance, as it delivers 322.5 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors. For absolute maximum frame rates, Low at 1080p is the clear winner, but the performance drop from Low to High is less than 20% at any resolution, making High a viable option for players who want better visuals without sacrificing too much speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 407.7 on Low to 335.6 on Ultra, with Medium at 347.0 and High at 338.9. The spread from Low to Ultra is 72.1 FPS, indicating that settings have a moderate impact on frame rate at this resolution. At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 383.8 FPS, Medium 324.9 FPS, High 322.5 FPS, and Ultra 315.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 68.5 FPS, which is slightly smaller than at 1080p, showing that the GPU is starting to become a factor at higher resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset produces 357.8 FPS, Medium 302.6 FPS, High 295.4 FPS, and Ultra 296 FPS. Interestingly, the Ultra preset at 4K is slightly faster than High at 4K, with a 0.6 FPS difference, which is within measurement error. The total range at 4K is 62.4 FPS from Low to Ultra, which is the smallest spread of all resolutions. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is more consistently utilized, but the CPU still provides a high baseline. The data shows that the combo is capable of maintaining above 295 FPS in every single tested configuration, which is an exceptional result for any game, let alone a competitive FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Valorant?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 407.7, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: How much does the frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 407.7 FPS at 1080p to 357.8 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 49.9 FPS or about 12%.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the primary limiting factor, as the frame rate difference between 1080p and 4K is small (around 12%), suggesting the GPU has significant headroom.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested systems for Valorant?

A: The combo ranks 1136 out of 1650 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database despite high absolute frame rates.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers 322.5 FPS, which is a good balance, while Low yields 383.8 FPS and Ultra drops to 315.3 FPS.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever drop below 300 FPS?

A: Yes, at 4K resolution, the Ultra preset averages 296 FPS, which is below 300 FPS, while all other resolutions and settings remain above that threshold.