Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that is notoriously easy to run, and the data for this combination of an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and an Intel Arc B570 confirms that the game is largely bound by the CPU, even at 4K. The measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions are exceptionally high, with no result falling below 194 FPS, indicating that this pairing is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate competitive play. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance data, focusing on how the components scale with resolution and settings, and what that implies for the overall system balance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a significant dependency on the CPU, with the GPU only becoming a more limiting factor at the highest resolution and preset levels. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 491 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average drops to 434 FPS, a reduction of 57 FPS or roughly 12%. When scaling up to 4K at Low settings, the average further drops to 347 FPS, which is a 144 FPS decline from the 1080p figure. This pattern shows that even at the lowest settings, increasing the pixel count has a measurable impact, but the absolute numbers remain so high that the CPU is still feeding the GPU adequately.

The scaling behavior changes more dramatically when considering the High and Ultra presets. At 1080p High, the average is 319 FPS. At 1440p High, it falls to 272 FPS, and at 4K High, it reaches 217 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K at High settings results in a 55 FPS drop, which is a larger absolute decline than the 47 FPS drop seen when going from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that the GPU is starting to become a more active participant in limiting performance at 4K, as the workload on the render hardware increases significantly.

The Ultra preset shows the most pronounced scaling penalties. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 304 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it is 259 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it is 207 FPS. The data indicates that the gap between the 1080p and 4K results for the Ultra preset is 97 FPS, which is a 32% reduction in frame rate. For the Low preset, the same resolution change results in a 144 FPS drop, which is a 29% reduction. While the percentage drops are similar, the higher absolute frame rates at Low settings mean the CPU is still the primary driver, whereas at Ultra settings, the GPU is likely approaching its limits, though it still produces a very playable 207 FPS average.

The frame time data, available only for the Medium preset, supports the idea that the CPU is the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 285, and the maximum is 385. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 243, and the maximum is 329. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 194, and the maximum is 263. The spread between minimum and maximum FPS is relatively narrow at each resolution, which typically indicates that the CPU is delivering consistent frame pacing without sudden spikes in render time. If the GPU were the bottleneck, the variance would likely be larger, especially at higher resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 491 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D or the Intel Arc B570 the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiting factor across most settings. The frame rates remain extremely high even at 4K, and the relatively small performance differences between Low and Ultra presets at any given resolution indicate that the game is not heavily taxing the GPU.

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

A: At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the combo achieves an average frame rate of 207 FPS. This is still well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, indicating a very smooth experience.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 434 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 259 FPS. This represents a 175 FPS difference, showing that the preset has a moderate impact on performance, but the CPU still manages to deliver high frame rates.

Q: Are there any frame rate drops below 200 FPS in the measured data?

A: Yes, the only result below 200 FPS is the minimum frame rate of 194 FPS recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with the Medium settings preset. All other recorded average and minimum frame rates are above 200 FPS.

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

A: The combo ranks 2278 out of 2883 tested combinations in this game. This indicates that while it delivers exceptionally high frame rates, there are many other combinations that have achieved higher performance in this specific title.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is a desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 3 architecture. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz and it can boost up to 4.50 GHz. It features a large 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a defining characteristic of this chip. The CPU is a significant factor in Valorant's performance, as the game is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance and cache latency. The benchmark scores for this processor show a single-thread score of 884 in 3dmark and 1452 in Cinebench R23, which are strong results for a CPU of its generation. The multi-threaded performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14317 and a Geekbench multicore score of 11765. These scores place the CPU in the 80th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27896.

The nearest rivals in the database, based on the average benchmark score, include the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, the Intel Core i9-10900K, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340. The Ryzen 7 5800X3D has a deltaPct of 0% compared to the Ryzen 7 6800U, 0.1% compared to the Intel Core i9-10900K, and -0.1% compared to the Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340. This indicates that the 5800X3D is statistically on par with these processors in general benchmark performance. However, in a game like Valorant, the 3D V-Cache design of the 5800X3D often provides a specific advantage in frame pacing and low-latency scenarios, which is reflected in the high minimum frame rates and consistent performance seen in the measured data. The CPU's ability to maintain high average FPS even when the GPU is not heavily loaded points to its strong single-core capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D and the Intel Arc B570 ranks 2278 out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant. This places the combo in the lower half of all tested configurations, which may seem counterintuitive given the high frame rates measured. The ranking is a relative measure against all other CPU and GPU pairings in the database, and many of those combinations likely include more powerful or newer components that are able to push even higher frame rates in this esports title. The 5800X3D is an end-of-life product, and the Arc B570 is an active GPU that sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, the Intel Arc A750, and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M.

The deltaPct values for the GPU show that the Arc B570 is within 0.1% of the RTX 3070 Mobile and the Arc A750, and within 0.4% to 0.5% of the other rivals. This indicates that the GPU's raw compute performance is competitive with those parts. However, the overall combo rank of 2278 suggests that the specific pairing of this CPU and GPU is not at the top of the leaderboard for this game. This could be due to the fact that Valorant is heavily CPU-bound, and the 5800X3D, while excellent, may not have the absolute highest single-thread performance compared to newer processors. The rank should be interpreted as a statement of relative performance among many different systems, not a measure of the combo's absolute capability, which the FPS data shows is very high.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's priority: maximum frame rate or visual fidelity. For players with a 1080p or 1440p monitor with a high refresh rate (e.g., 240 Hz or 360 Hz), the Low preset is the best choice to maximize FPS. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 491 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it achieves 434 FPS. These numbers provide a significant buffer above even the highest refresh rate displays, ensuring that the frame rate never dips below the monitor's capability. The difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 156 FPS (491 vs. 335), which is substantial and could be noticeable in competitive play where higher frame rates reduce input latency.

For users who prefer better image quality and still want a very high frame rate, the High preset is a strong recommendation. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 319, and at 1440p High, it is 272. These are still excellent numbers for competitive gaming. The Ultra preset offers the best visual quality, with 304 FPS at 1080p and 259 FPS at 1440p. The performance difference between High and Ultra is minimal (15 FPS at 1080p and 13 FPS at 1440p), so if visual fidelity is not a concern, High is the more efficient choice. At 4K, the High preset provides 217 FPS, which is suitable for a 144 Hz monitor, but the Low preset at 347 FPS is better for a 240 Hz display. The Medium preset is not recommended, as it provides no advantage over High in terms of FPS and is a middle ground that offers no clear benefit.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields the highest average FPS at 491. The Medium preset averages 335 FPS, with a minimum of 285 FPS and a maximum of 385 FPS. The High preset averages 319 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 304 FPS. This shows a clear progression, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest, but all results are above 300 FPS. The gap between Low and the next preset (Medium) is 156 FPS, which is the largest jump in the entire dataset, emphasizing the performance cost of enabling more visual effects.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset again leads with an average of 434 FPS. The Medium preset averages 286 FPS, with a minimum of 243 FPS and a maximum of 329 FPS. The High preset averages 272 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 259 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings results in a 57 FPS drop, while the drop for Ultra settings is 45 FPS (from 304 to 259). This suggests that the GPU is able to handle the increased pixel count more efficiently at higher settings, as the CPU is not as heavily stressed.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 347 FPS. The Medium preset averages 228 FPS, with a minimum of 194 FPS and a maximum of 263 FPS. The High preset averages 217 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 207 FPS. The performance difference between Medium, High, and Ultra at 4K is very small, with only a 21 FPS difference between Medium and Ultra. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the CPU is able to feed it faster than it can render. The minimum FPS of 194 at 4K Medium is the only measured value below 200 FPS, but it is still a high frame rate for 4K gaming.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a discrete graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, built on a 5 nm process. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz and a TDP of 150 W. Its compute capabilities include 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The GPU's raw performance is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 14195 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 83514. These scores place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556.

In Valorant, the Arc B570's role is secondary to the CPU, but it still needs to render the game at the requested resolution and settings. The data shows that the GPU is capable of handling the game at 4K with high frame rates, but it is not the primary driver of performance. At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU is underutilized, as evidenced by the massive frame rates that are likely limited by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. The GPU's memory bandwidth and VRAM capacity are more than sufficient for Valorant, which is not a VRAM-intensive game. The performance of the Arc B570 is comparable to its nearest rivals, with a deltaPct of 0.1% compared to the RTX 3070 Mobile and -0.1% compared to the Arc A750. The GPU's high clock speed and efficient architecture ensure it can keep up with the CPU's output, but the ultimate frame rate ceiling is set by the processor in this specific game.