Valorant

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Valorant with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 reveals a surprisingly flat scaling curve across resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate moves from 420 FPS at 1920x1080, to 398 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 370 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents only a 12% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is remarkably small for a GPU as powerful as the RTX 5090.

This pattern tells a clear story about which component is limiting performance. The RTX 5090 is capable of generating well over a thousand frames per second in lighter workloads, but here it is being held back. The Ryzen 7 5700, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, becomes the bottleneck even at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K at High settings is just 50 FPS, while the delta between Low and High settings at the same resolution is larger in most cases.

Looking at Low settings, the trend continues. At 1920x1080, the combo produces 501 FPS; at 2560x1440, it drops to 475 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it still manages 441 FPS. The 4K Low result is actually higher than the 1080p High result, confirming that the CPU is the primary constraint across the board. A GPU-bound system would show a much steeper decline when resolution increases, because pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor. Here, the RTX 5090's enormous memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s and 32 GB of GDDR7 memory are barely being exercised.

The Medium settings rows include min and max FPS data, which provides additional insight. At 4K Medium, the average is 376 FPS with a minimum of 319 FPS and a maximum of 432 FPS. The spread between min and max is 113 FPS, indicating that frame pacing varies considerably depending on scene complexity. At 1440p Medium, the average is 405 FPS with a min of 344 and max of 466, a spread of 122 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 427 FPS with a min of 363 and max of 491, a spread of 128 FPS.

The fact that the min-to-max spread widens as resolution decreases further supports the CPU-bound conclusion. When the GPU is waiting on the CPU to feed it draw calls, the variance in frame times becomes more pronounced at lower resolutions where the GPU could otherwise finish its work faster. The RTX 5090 is effectively idling much of the time, waiting for the Ryzen 7 5700 to catch up.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is a Zen 3 part built on the Cezanne architecture using TSMC's 7 nm process. It runs 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. The 65 W TDP is modest for a desktop chip, and it supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The CPU has 16 MB of L3 cache, plus 512 KB of L2 per core and 64 KB of L1 per core.

Valorant is a competitive FPS that relies heavily on single-thread performance, but the data shows that even the multi-threaded capabilities of this chip matter. In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 7 5700 scores 901 in 3DMark single-thread and 6628 in 3DMark 16-thread tests. Cinebench R23 results show 2916 single-core and 20655 multi-core. These numbers place the CPU in the 78th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 25517.

The nearest rivals for this CPU are informative. The Intel Xeon D-2752TER scores 25530, which is 0.1% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 7640U scores 25485, which is 0.1% lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 6600H scores 25550, which is 0.1% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 5825U scores 25446, which is 0.3% lower. These are all mobile or data-center parts, which highlights that the 5700 sits in a competitive mid-range desktop position.

In Valorant specifically, the CPU's 8 cores are not all being used equally. The game engine scales across multiple threads, but the primary game thread is still the bottleneck. The boost clock of 4.60 GHz is respectable, but not exceptional for a gaming CPU in 2025. The RTX 5090 is so far ahead of the CPU that the frame rate ceiling is set by how fast the Ryzen 7 5700 can process game logic and issue rendering commands.

The PassMark single-thread score of 3296 and the Geekbench single-core score of 1907 put this CPU in a solid but not elite tier. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1762 suggests that even with two threads, the chip cannot feed the RTX 5090 fast enough to reach the GPU's true potential. This is not a criticism of the 5700; it is simply a mismatch. The RTX 5090 is designed for 4K ultra-high-fidelity gaming, while the 5700 is a balanced mainstream processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 1489th out of 3708 tested combos in Valorant. That puts it in the 60th percentile of all combinations tested, which is an unusual position for a GPU that sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB at 79605 (0.3% lower), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB at 79396 (0.6% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78940 (1.1% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X at 80959 (1.4% higher).

The ranking gap between the GPU's individual percentile and the combo's percentile tells the real story. The RTX 5090 is a top-tier GPU, but when paired with a mid-range CPU like the Ryzen 7 5700, the combo's performance in a CPU-bound game like Valorant drops to the middle of the pack. This is not a fault of the GPU or the CPU; it is a pairing issue. The data shows that many other combos with weaker GPUs but stronger CPUs achieve higher frame rates in Valorant.

The combo rank of 1489 out of 3708 means that roughly 60% of tested combinations perform better in this specific game. This is a sobering result for anyone considering this pairing for competitive play. The RTX 5090's raw power is being wasted in Valorant because the game does not demand enough from the GPU to utilize its capabilities. The CPU becomes the limiting factor, and the 5700 is simply not fast enough to push frame rates into the upper echelon.

It is worth remembering this ranking is specific to Valorant. In GPU-bound games, this combo would likely rank much higher. But for Valorant, which is designed to run on a wide range of hardware, the CPU matters more than almost anything else. The data indicates that the Ryzen 7 5700's position in the 78th percentile of CPUs is not sufficient to unlock the RTX 5090's potential in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results are as follows. Low settings produce an average of 501 FPS. Medium settings produce an average of 427 FPS, with a minimum of 363 FPS and a maximum of 491 FPS. High settings produce an average of 420 FPS. Ultra settings produce an average of 413 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 88 FPS, which is a 17.6% drop. This indicates that the GPU can handle the increased visual load without significant frame rate loss, but the absolute numbers are still CPU-limited.

At 2560x1440, the results show a similar pattern. Low settings produce 475 FPS. Medium settings produce 405 FPS, with a minimum of 344 FPS and a maximum of 466 FPS. High settings produce 398 FPS. Ultra settings produce 392 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 83 FPS, a 17.5% drop. The resolution increase from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 5% performance at each settings level, which is minimal.

At 3840x2160, the results are as follows. Low settings produce 441 FPS. Medium settings produce 376 FPS, with a minimum of 319 FPS and a maximum of 432 FPS. High settings produce 370 FPS. Ultra settings produce 364 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 77 FPS, a 17.5% drop. The resolution increase from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 7% performance at each settings level, which is still modest.

The Low-to-Medium jump is the largest single step at every resolution. At 1080p, going from Low to Medium costs 74 FPS. At 1440p, it costs 70 FPS. At 4K, it costs 65 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset introduces a significant increase in visual effects that the GPU must process, but the CPU is still the primary bottleneck. The Medium-to-High step is much smaller: 7 FPS at 1080p, 7 FPS at 1440p, and 6 FPS at 4K. The High-to-Ultra step is also small: 7 FPS at 1080p, 6 FPS at 1440p, and 6 FPS at 4K.

The minimum FPS data from the Medium settings is particularly useful for understanding worst-case performance. At 1080p, the minimum is 363 FPS, which is still well above the refresh rate of most monitors. At 1440p, the minimum is 344 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 319 FPS. Even in the most demanding scenes, this combo never drops below 300 FPS, which is exceptional by any standard.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 5700 a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in Valorant?

A: Yes, the data clearly shows this. The frame rate only drops 12% from 1080p to 4K at High settings, which indicates the CPU is limiting performance. The RTX 5090 is in the 92nd percentile of GPUs, but the combo ranks only 1489th out of 3708 tested combos in Valorant. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are not fast enough to feed the GPU's full potential in this title.

Q: What kind of frame rates can I expect at 1080p with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 413 on Ultra settings to 501 on Low settings. Medium settings produce 427 FPS on average, with a minimum of 363 FPS and a maximum of 491 FPS. High settings produce 420 FPS on average. All of these results are well above typical monitor refresh rates.

Q: Does the RTX 5090's 32 GB of VRAM make a difference in Valorant?

A: The VRAM capacity does not appear to be a limiting factor in this game. The RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory with 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, but Valorant is not a demanding title for GPU memory. The frame rate differences between resolutions are small, which suggests that the GPU's memory subsystem is not the constraint.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 5700 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 5700 has an average benchmark score of 25517. The Intel Xeon D-2752TER scores 25530, which is 0.1% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 7640U scores 25485, which is 0.1% lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 6600H scores 25550, which is 0.1% higher. The AMD Ryzen 7 5825U scores 25446, which is 0.3% lower. The CPU sits in the 78th percentile of all CPUs tested.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Valorant?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 produces the highest frame rates, with a maximum average of 501 FPS on Low settings. However, even at 3840x2160, the combo maintains an average of 364 FPS on Ultra settings and 441 FPS on Low settings. If you have a high-refresh-rate 4K monitor, the combo can still drive it effectively.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 worth pairing with the Ryzen 7 5700 for this game?

A: For Valorant specifically, the RTX 5090's power is largely wasted. The GPU is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, but the combo ranks in the 60th percentile of tested combos in this game. The CPU is the limiting factor, so a less powerful GPU would likely produce similar frame rates in Valorant. However, this pairing would be more sensible for other, more GPU-demanding games.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for settings selection. At every resolution, the Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate, but the differences are smaller than one might expect. At 1080p, Low produces 501 FPS, Medium produces 427 FPS, High produces 420 FPS, and Ultra produces 413 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium costs 74 FPS, but the jump from Medium to Ultra only costs 14 FPS.

For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p gives the highest frame rate at 501 FPS. This is the best choice if you are chasing every possible frame for a high-refresh-rate monitor. However, the Medium preset at 1080p still produces 427 FPS on average, which is well above 360 Hz monitors. The minimum of 363 FPS on Medium is also above 360 Hz, so there is no practical downside to using Medium if you value visual clarity.

For players using 1440p monitors, the Medium preset offers a good balance. It produces 405 FPS on average with a minimum of 344 FPS. The High preset at 398 FPS and the Ultra preset at 392 FPS are nearly identical, so there is little reason to choose High over Ultra if you want better visuals. The Low preset at 475 FPS is the best for maximum frame rate, but the visual quality reduction may be noticeable.

At 4K, the Medium preset produces 376 FPS on average with a minimum of 319 FPS. This is the only resolution where the minimum FPS drops below 320, but it is still very high. The High preset at 370 FPS and Ultra at 364 FPS are within 6 FPS of each other, so choosing Ultra over High costs almost nothing. The Low preset at 441 FPS is the best for frame rate, but the visual difference between Low and Medium at 4K is more pronounced than at lower resolutions.

The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo. It represents the largest single step in visual quality from Low, while only costing 74 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p, and 65 FPS at 4K. The minimum FPS at Medium settings is always above 315, which ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The step from Medium to High or Ultra provides diminishing returns, with only 6-14 FPS differences.

For players who prioritize absolute maximum frame rate, the Low preset is the clear winner. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 501 FPS, which is 100 FPS higher than Medium. At 1440p Low, the result is 475 FPS, which is 70 FPS higher than Medium. At 4K Low, the result is 441 FPS, which is 65 FPS higher than Medium. These gains are significant for competitive play, but they come at the cost of visual fidelity.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this game, as it provides no meaningful benefit over High. At all resolutions, the difference between High and Ultra is 6-7 FPS, which is within the margin of measurement error. The Ultra preset likely enables additional visual effects that are not worth the frame rate cost in a competitive FPS. Stick with Medium for the best balance, or Low if you want the absolute highest frame rates.