Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS where frame rates far beyond display refresh rates are the norm, and the data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the Intel Arc B570 confirms this is an exceptionally fast combination. The measured results show that even at the most demanding settings, this combo rarely dips below the 200 FPS mark, placing it in the upper echelon of tested systems. This analysis breaks down the performance data, exploring how the CPU and GPU each contribute to the experience, how this specific pairing ranks against others, and what settings players should consider for the best competitive edge.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic shift in system bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces a massive 508 FPS average. When the resolution jumps to 2560x1440, that figure drops by 74 FPS to 434, and at 3840x2160, it falls further to 347 FPS. This represents a 31.7% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which indicates that while the GPU is working harder, the sheer speed of the CPU is still able to feed frames at a very high rate.

However, the scaling pattern changes dramatically when looking at the High and Ultra presets. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 319 at 1080p, to 272 at 1440p, and finally to 217 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 102 FPS, or a 32% decrease. At Ultra settings, the numbers are 304, 259, and 207 FPS respectively, a similar 31.9% reduction. This consistent percentage drop across all settings suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as the resolution increases, pulling the frame rate down in a predictable, resolution-dependent manner.

The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution is telling. At 1080p, the gap is 204 FPS (508 vs 304), but at 4K, that gap narrows to 140 FPS (347 vs 207). This compression of performance at higher resolutions underscores that the Arc B570's rendering workload is the dominant constraint at 4K, whereas at 1080p, the CPU's ability to process the game logic is the star of the show. The data implies that for players targeting the absolute highest refresh rates on a 1080p or 1440p monitor, lowering settings will yield a significant return; at 4K, the settings have a smaller relative impact on the final frame count.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, with its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, provides a substantial foundation for Valorant's graphical demands. The memory clock is listed at 2375 MHz, which translates to 19 Gbps effective, and the total memory bandwidth is 380.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is more than sufficient for a game like Valorant, which is not known for being a VRAM or bandwidth-intensive title, allowing the GPU to focus its resources on geometry and pixel processing.

The GPU's clock speeds are fixed at a base and boost of 2500 MHz, which is a relatively high operating frequency. This helps maintain consistent frame pacing, as evidenced by the measured FPS data. The 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units are tasked with rendering the game's visuals, and the 80 raster output pipelines (ROPs) handle the final pixel output. With a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s, the B570 has the raw throughput to handle the high frame counts demanded by competitive play.

The benchmark results show the Arc B570 performing in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 14195. Its nearest rival, according to the data, is the Intel Arc A750, which is a mere 0.1% behind in average score, indicating that the B570 is a solid performer in its class. The data suggests that the GPU is not a weak link in this system; rather, it scales well with the CPU's capabilities, providing high frame rates across all tested presets. The 10 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor in Valorant, even at 4K Ultra, as the game's asset sizes are modest.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Valorant, this pairing of the Ryzen 7 9700F and Arc B570 holds a rank of 2227 out of 2883 total combos. This percentile placement, at roughly the 77th percentile, is quite strong, considering the vast number of potential pairings. It indicates that this system outperforms the majority of other configurations tested for this specific game.

The rank is a holistic measure, reflecting the combined strength of the components. The CPU's high Passmark single-thread score of 4691 and multithread score of 36470 place it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, which is a dominant factor in a game like Valorant that relies heavily on single-core performance. The GPU's contribution, while in the 65th percentile overall, is more than adequate to keep pace, ensuring that the CPU is not starved for work.

The data implies that the 2227 rank is likely driven more by the CPU's exceptional performance than the GPU's. While the Arc B570 is a capable card, it is the Ryzen 7 9700F that provides the exceptional frame rates that push this combo up the rankings. The fact that this pairing is not ranked higher is likely due to other combos featuring even more powerful GPUs, which would yield higher frame rates in less CPU-bound scenarios, but for Valorant's specific engine, this CPU-GPU balance is nearly ideal.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers a staggering 508 FPS average, with the Medium preset dropping to 335 FPS, High to 319 FPS, and Ultra to 304 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one at this resolution with min and max FPS data, showing a range of 285 to 385 FPS, which indicates some fluctuation but still maintains a very high floor.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 434 FPS, a 74 FPS drop from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 286 FPS, with a min-max range of 243 to 329 FPS. High settings produce an average of 272 FPS, and Ultra is close behind at 259 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent, showing a roughly 15% to 18% performance hit across all presets, which is in line with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset still manages an impressive 347 FPS average. The Medium preset drops to 228 FPS, with a min-max range of 194 to 263 FPS. High settings yield an average of 217 FPS, and Ultra is the lowest at 207 FPS. Even at 4K, the system never drops below an average of 200 FPS, which is a remarkable feat. The data shows a clear hierarchy: Low > Medium > High > Ultra, with the gap between Low and the other presets widening as resolution increases.

Settings Recommendations

For players with high refresh rate monitors (144Hz or higher), the data strongly suggests that the Low preset is the optimal choice for competitive play. At 1080p, it offers a 508 FPS average, which is 173 FPS higher than the High preset and 204 FPS higher than the Ultra preset. This massive frame rate advantage can translate to smoother gameplay and reduced input lag, which is critical in a fast-paced FPS. Even at 1440p, the Low preset's 434 FPS average is far above what any current monitor can display.

The Medium preset offers a reasonable middle ground for those who want a slight visual upgrade without sacrificing too much performance. At 1080p, it delivers 335 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. However, the min FPS of 285 suggests that there can be occasional dips, though these are still far above the refresh rate of most monitors. For players with 4K displays, the High preset at 217 FPS is a better choice than Ultra at 207 FPS, as the visual difference is often negligible in a competitive title, and the 10 FPS gain is a tangible benefit.

Ultimately, the choice depends on the player's monitor and preference for visual fidelity. However, the data is clear that the Low preset is the performance king, and for a game like Valorant where frames win games, it is the recommended setting. The High preset is a solid alternative for those who prioritize visuals, as it still maintains an average FPS above 300 at 1080p and above 200 at 4K, ensuring a smooth experience on virtually any display.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is the undisputed performance driver in this system for Valorant. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz are exceptionally high. This is reflected in its Passmark single-thread score of 4691, which is a critical metric for Valorant's game engine, which is known to be heavily dependent on single-core performance.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 1 MB per-core L2 cache provide low-latency access to frequently used data, which is beneficial for the game's logic and physics calculations. The 65W TDP is relatively low for a CPU with this level of performance, indicating high efficiency. Its Passmark multithread score of 36470 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF, is a mere 0.2% behind in average score, showing that the 9700F is at the top of its class.

The data shows that the CPU's performance is what allows the system to achieve such high frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 508 FPS average is a direct result of the CPU's ability to process game frames faster than the GPU can render them. This is a prime example of a CPU-bound scenario, where the processor is the limiting factor, and the Arc B570 is more than capable of keeping up. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that it can react quickly to the demands of the game, providing a consistent and high-level performance foundation for the entire system.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Valorant at 4K with high refresh rates?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 217 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings, and 207 FPS with Ultra settings. This is well above the 144Hz refresh rate of most high-end monitors, making 4K gaming viable.

Q: What is the biggest performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets?

A: At 1920x1080, the difference is 204 FPS (508 vs 304). At 2560x1440, it narrows to 175 FPS (434 vs 259), and at 3840x2160, it further narrows to 140 FPS (347 vs 207). The gap decreases as resolution increases, showing the GPU becomes a bigger factor.

Q: Is this CPU or GPU combo better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming?

A: The data indicates it is exceptionally well-suited for both. At 1080p, it achieves a peak of 508 FPS on Low settings, while at 1440p it still reaches 434 FPS on Low. Both are far beyond the capabilities of standard monitors.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700F compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF?

A: The benchmark data shows the Ryzen 7 9700F has an average score of 69996, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i7-14700KF's score of 70163. This means the Ryzen 7 9700F is effectively on par with the i7-14700KF, performing slightly better in this comparison.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the benchmark data?

A: The only recorded minimum FPS values are for the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 285 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 243 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 194 FPS. This suggests that even the most demanding moments in the game will remain well above 144 FPS at any resolution.

Q: Does the GPU's 10GB of VRAM become a limiting factor in Valorant?

A: The data does not suggest so. Valorant is not a VRAM-intensive game, and the measured FPS averages remain high even at 4K Ultra (207 FPS). The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on the Intel Arc B570 is more than sufficient for this title's requirements.