Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS where frame rates far exceed display refresh rates, and the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 confirms this is an exceptionally fast combination. The data shows this pairing is capable of producing over 700 frames per second at 1080p with Low settings, and it never dips below 288 frames per second even at 4K with Medium settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand the role of each component, how the combo ranks among tested systems, and what settings provide the best experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 9000 series, built on the Zen 5 architecture (codenamed Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features a cache hierarchy of 80 KB L1 per core, 1 MB L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache, and it supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s.

In Valorant, which is known for being highly CPU-bound at high frame rates, the processor's single-thread performance is critical. The PassMark single-thread score for this CPU is 4691, which places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. This strong single-core performance is directly reflected in the measured FPS, where the combo achieves 715 FPS at 1080p Low settings. The high boost clock of 5.50 GHz allows the CPU to process the game's game logic and draw calls quickly, which is essential for maintaining such high frame rates.

The multi-threaded performance of the 9700F is also robust, with a PassMark multithread score of 36470 and an average benchmark score of 69996. This places it in a tight competitive group according to the nearest rivals data. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX has an average score of 69875, which is a 0.2% delta relative to the 9700F, indicating near-identical performance. The Intel Core i7-14700KF sits at 70163 (-0.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X at 69515 (0.7% delta). These numbers show that in general-purpose workloads, the 9700F is effectively on par with these high-end rivals, though Valorant's specific workload favors the CPU's single-thread capabilities.

The architecture's efficiency is also notable; the 4 nm process and 65 W TDP suggest that the CPU can sustain high clocks without excessive power draw, which is beneficial for sustained gaming sessions. The data implies that for Valorant, the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution tested, as the FPS scales more with GPU load and settings rather than showing a CPU-imposed ceiling.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture (chip GB206) on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. It features 3840 shading units, 120 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 30 RT cores, and 120 tensor cores.

In Valorant, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. The measured FPS data shows a clear trend: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 715 FPS, but as resolution increases to 4K, the FPS drops to 513 FPS at Low settings. This indicates that while the CPU is powerful enough to drive high frame rates, the GPU's rendering load at higher resolutions begins to limit the output. The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 20891, which places it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M (26401 score, -0.3% delta), NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26421, -0.3% delta), AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (26553, -0.8% delta), and AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (26011, 1.2% delta).

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Valorant, which is not a VRAM-heavy title, and the high memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s helps ensure that texture streaming does not cause stutters. The FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS provides ample compute power for the game's simple shaders and particle effects. The GPU's boost clock of 2497 MHz, combined with the CPU's high single-thread performance, allows the system to maintain frame rates above 300 FPS even at 4K Medium settings, as shown by the 338 FPS average with a minimum of 288 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 715, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the peak measured performance across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F has an average benchmark score of 69996. It is 0.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875) and 0.7% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515), but it is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70163) and 0.9% slower than the Intel Core i7-14700K (69355). These deltas are minimal, indicating very close general performance.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The minimum FPS recorded is 288, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. This is the only measured row that includes a min FPS value, and it shows that the combo maintains a high frame rate floor even at 4K.

Q: Does the GPU performance vary significantly from its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 26331. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, has a score of 26011, which is 1.2% slower. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26421) is 0.3% faster, and the AMD Radeon 860M (26401) is 0.3% faster. The differences are within 1.2%, showing that these GPUs are closely matched in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: How many combos does this pairing rank above in Valorant?

A: The combo ranks 689th out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant. This means it is in the top 24% of all tested systems for this specific game, which is a strong showing given the high FPS numbers.

Q: Is there a significant FPS drop when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: Yes, the FPS drops are significant. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 715 at 1080p to 513 at 4K, a drop of 202 FPS. At High settings, it goes from 472 at 1080p to 322 at 4K, a drop of 150 FPS. This indicates the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In Valorant, the combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 achieves a rank of 689 out of 2883 tested combos. This places the system in the top 23.9% of all configurations tested for this game. Given that Valorant is designed to run on a wide range of hardware, being in the top quarter of all combos is a strong result, reflecting the high performance of both the CPU and GPU.

The rank is influenced by the high FPS numbers, which are among the highest for many settings. For example, the 715 FPS at 1080p Low is a very high score that few systems can match, likely due to the CPU's exceptional single-thread performance. However, the rank is not number one, suggesting that some combos with even faster CPUs or GPUs can achieve higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is the primary driver.

The data implies that this combo is well-balanced for Valorant, with neither component severely bottlenecking the other at most settings. The rank of 689 out of 2883 also suggests that while the system is fast, there are still 688 other combos that perform better, which could include systems with higher-end CPUs like the Ryzen 9 series or Intel Core i9 processors, or GPUs with more VRAM and higher clock speeds. Still, for a mainstream CPU and mid-range GPU, this is an excellent result.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the system scales across resolutions. At 1080p, the combo achieves 715 FPS on Low, 496 FPS on Medium, 472 FPS on High, and 450 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, the FPS drops to 642 on Low, 423 on Medium, 403 on High, and 384 on Ultra. At 4K, the FPS further drops to 513 on Low, 338 on Medium, 322 on High, and 307 on Ultra.

The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are notable. For Low settings, the drop from 715 to 513 represents a 28.2% decrease. For Medium, from 496 to 338 is a 31.9% decrease. For High, from 472 to 322 is a 31.8% decrease, and for Ultra, from 450 to 307 is a 31.8% decrease. These consistent drops of around 28-32% indicate that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the rendering load increases.

However, even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 307, which is still above 300 FPS, showing that the combo can handle 4K gaming in Valorant with high frame rates. The fact that the FPS drops are not more severe (e.g., not halving) suggests that the CPU is still providing a solid foundation, and the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and bandwidth are sufficient for the game's textures at 4K. The scaling pattern indicates that the system is balanced, but at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary driver of performance, as seen in the larger absolute FPS drops.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 715 FPS average
• Medium: 496 FPS average, with a minimum of 422 and maximum of 570
• High: 472 FPS average
• Ultra: 450 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 642 FPS average
• Medium: 423 FPS average, with a minimum of 360 and maximum of 487
• High: 403 FPS average
• Ultra: 384 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 513 FPS average
• Medium: 338 FPS average, with a minimum of 288 and maximum of 389
• High: 322 FPS average
• Ultra: 307 FPS average

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min and max FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS of 422 and max of 570 show a range of 148 FPS, indicating some variance but still a high floor. At 1440p Medium, the min is 360 and max is 487, a range of 127 FPS. At 4K Medium, the min is 288 and max is 389, a range of 101 FPS. This data suggests that as resolution increases, the FPS variance decreases, which is typical as the GPU becomes the bottleneck and limits the frame rate swings.

The differences between settings are also telling. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 265 FPS (715 to 450), while at 4K, the difference is 206 FPS (513 to 307). This shows that the impact of settings is significant at all resolutions, but relatively smaller at 4K, where the GPU is already under more load.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best settings for this combo depend on the user's priority: maximum frame rate or visual quality.

For players with a 1080p 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, Low settings at 1080p provides an average of 715 FPS, which is far beyond any refresh rate, ensuring no FPS drop. However, even Medium settings at 496 FPS is more than enough for a 360Hz monitor, and the min FPS of 422 ensures no dips below 400 FPS. For a more visually pleasing experience at 1080p, Ultra settings at 450 FPS still provides an exceptionally high frame rate, making it a viable choice for competitive play without sacrificing too much FPS.

At 1440p, Low settings at 642 FPS is the best for maximum FPS, but Ultra settings at 384 FPS still exceeds the refresh rate of most 1440p 360Hz monitors. The min FPS at Medium is 360, which is still very high. For 1440p, the data suggests that Medium or High settings (423 and 403 FPS respectively) provide a good balance, offering better visuals while maintaining FPS above 400.

At 4K, the situation changes. Low settings at 513 FPS is the best for performance, but Medium settings at 338 FPS with a min of 288 FPS is still excellent for 4K gaming, especially on a 240Hz display. Ultra settings at 307 FPS is also playable, but the drop from Medium to Ultra is only 31 FPS, which is minimal. The data recommends Medium settings at 4K as the best experience, as it provides a high average FPS with a minimum that stays above 288 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay even in intense moments.

Overall, the best experience per the measured rows is Medium settings at any resolution, as it provides a high FPS with a documented minimum FPS that guarantees no stutter, while still offering a visual improvement over Low settings. For 1080p and 1440p, Ultra settings are also viable, but Medium offers the best blend of performance and stability.