Valorant

Valorant, as a competitive FPS, is typically associated with high frame rates and low latency. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B370 provides a specific performance profile across three resolutions and four settings presets. This analysis breaks down those results, examining the balance between the CPU and GPU, and how this combination ranks among hundreds of other tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this specific combo reveals a clear hierarchy across the four settings presets, with the optimal choice depending heavily on the user's display refresh rate and resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 299 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this configuration at any resolution. This is the best choice for competitive play on standard 240Hz or even 360Hz monitors, as it maximizes the chance of keeping the frame rate above the display's refresh rate. The Medium preset at 1080p still delivers a very strong 197 FPS average, but this is a 34% drop from Low, making the latter more attractive for pure esports performance.

For 1440p and 4K, the choice becomes more nuanced due to the GPU's workload increasing. At 1440p, the Low preset averages 255 FPS, which remains excellent for high-refresh-rate 1440p panels. However, the Medium preset at 1440p provides 168 FPS average, which is sufficient for 144Hz displays. The step up from Low to Medium at 1440p costs 87 FPS (a 34% reduction) but might offer better visual clarity for spotting enemies. At 4K, the Low preset is the only option that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, with an average of 204 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 134 FPS average, which is playable but less ideal for ultra-competitive play. The High and Ultra presets consistently produce the lowest frame rates at every resolution, with the Ultra preset at 4K yielding just 122 FPS average.

Based on this data, the Low preset is the recommended starting point for any resolution, as it provides the most headroom for maintaining high and consistent FPS. If visual fidelity is a priority and the display is capped at 144Hz, the Medium preset is a viable alternative at both 1080p and 1440p, offering a substantial visual upgrade for a significant but acceptable performance cost. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for this combo in Valorant, as they introduce the largest performance penalties without a commensurate benefit for a game where frame rate is king.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 299 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the Medium preset compare to Low in terms of performance?

A: Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently delivers a lower average frame rate than Low. At 1080p, the average drops from 299 FPS to 197 FPS, a difference of 102 FPS. At 1440p, it drops from 255 FPS to 168 FPS, and at 4K, it drops from 204 FPS to 134 FPS.

Q: Is the frame rate stable on the Medium preset?

A: The data includes min and max FPS only for the Medium preset. At 1080p, the frame rate ranges from 167 FPS to 226 FPS. At 1440p, it ranges from 143 FPS to 193 FPS, and at 4K, it ranges from 114 FPS to 154 FPS. This indicates some fluctuation, but the average remains solid.

Q: Which preset provides the largest performance jump?

A: The largest performance jump occurs when moving from the Ultra preset to the Low preset. For example, at 1080p, the average frame rate increases from 178 FPS on Ultra to 299 FPS on Low, an improvement of 121 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming on Valorant?

A: Yes, it can handle 4K, but the experience varies heavily by preset. On Low settings, the average FPS is 204, which is very playable. On High and Ultra, the average FPS drops to 128 and 122, respectively, which is still smooth but offers less headroom for high refresh rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated GPU (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, sharing system memory for its VRAM. Its performance profile, as measured by the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, yields a score of 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low score, indicating limited raw graphical horsepower. The GPU's boost clock is listed at 2400 MHz, with a base clock of 300 MHz. It features 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, along with 10 ray tracing cores.

In Valorant, a game known for being CPU-bound rather than GPU-bound, this GPU is sufficient to produce playable frame rates, but it clearly acts as a limiting factor when settings are increased. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 299 FPS, suggesting the CPU is doing most of the heavy lifting. However, as the settings are raised to Medium, High, and Ultra, the average FPS drops by 102, 112, and 121 FPS respectively at 1080p. This steep decline is a direct result of the GPU's limited fill rate and shader processing power being overwhelmed by the increased graphical load.

The GPU's role is further highlighted by the frame time consistency. On the Medium preset, the gap between min and max FPS is 59 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K. While the GPU can maintain a decent average, its inability to render frames quickly enough under load causes these fluctuations. The system-shared memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent," is also a potential bottleneck, as the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth. In summary, the Arc B370 is a capable enough IGP for esports titles at lower settings, but it is the primary reason this combo cannot sustain high frame rates at higher visual presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a clear grid of average performance for all 12 resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset produces an average of 299 FPS, the highest of any configuration. The Medium preset yields an average of 197 FPS, with a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS. The High preset produces an average of 187 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops further to an average of 178 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 121 FPS, showcasing a significant performance cost for higher graphical fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance decreases across the board. The Low preset still delivers a high average of 255 FPS. The Medium preset averages 168 FPS, with a min of 143 FPS and a max of 193 FPS. The High preset produces an average of 160 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 152 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 103 FPS. The relative penalty for using Ultra over Low is larger here than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become most apparent. The Low preset produces an average of 204 FPS, which is still a very good result. The Medium preset averages 134 FPS, with a min of 114 FPS and a max of 154 FPS. The High preset averages 128 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces the lowest average of all, at 122 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at 4K narrows to 82 FPS, but the absolute numbers are much lower. This data shows a consistent pattern: the Medium preset offers a moderate step up in visual quality for a roughly 34% reduction in frame rate compared to Low at every resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which reveals the nature of the bottleneck in this system. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 299 at 1080p to 255 at 1440p, and then to 204 at 4K. This is a 15% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 20% drop from 1440p to 4K. The fact that the frame rate is changing so significantly with resolution, even at Low settings, indicates that the GPU is still involved in the rendering pipeline, but it is not the primary constraint.

The scaling pattern at Medium settings is more pronounced. The average FPS drops from 197 at 1080p to 168 at 1440p (a 15% drop) and then to 134 at 4K (a 20% drop from 1440p). This steeper decline compared to Low settings suggests that as the GPU is given more work through higher settings, it becomes a more significant limiting factor. The frame time data for Medium settings supports this, as the min FPS drops from 167 at 1080p to 114 at 4K, a 32% reduction.

This scaling behavior strongly suggests that the system is primarily CPU-bound at lower resolutions and settings, but transitions to being more GPU-bound as resolution and graphical load increase. At 1080p Low, the CPU is likely able to prepare frames faster than the GPU can render them, leading to the high 299 FPS average. As resolution increases, the GPU's render time increases, and the frame rate becomes more dependent on the GPU's limited fill rate. The data indicates that while the Ryzen 7 9700X is a very powerful CPU, the Arc B370's performance ceiling is reached at around 200 FPS at 4K Low, and it drops quickly when the settings are raised.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-end desktop processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 20485 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2211 in single-core, and 17906 in Geekbench multi-core. Its average benchmark score is 37943, placing it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs. This indicates a very strong processor, particularly for gaming workloads that often rely on high single-thread performance.

The CPU's strong single-core performance is likely a key reason why this combo achieves high frame rates in Valorant at lower settings. At 1080p Low, the 299 FPS average suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames to the GPU at a very high rate. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 2525 and single-thread score of 1280 further underscore its capability in lightly-threaded tasks. Valorant is known to be sensitive to CPU clock speed and IPC, and the 9700X's 5.50 GHz boost clock is among the highest available.

However, the data also shows that the CPU is not the sole determinant of performance. The fact that FPS drops significantly when settings are increased, even at the same resolution, proves that the GPU becomes the bottleneck. For example, at 1080p, the CPU is capable of producing 299 FPS on Low, but only 178 FPS on Ultra. This 121 FPS difference is not due to the CPU slowing down, but rather the GPU taking longer to render each frame. The CPU is providing the instructions, but the GPU is unable to execute them fast enough at higher graphical loads. In this configuration, the Ryzen 7 9700X provides ample headroom, ensuring the GPU is the limiting component in most scenarios outside of the lowest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Valorant, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2645 out of 2883 tested combos. This places it in the 8th percentile of all combos, indicating that while it is functional, it is outperformed by the vast majority of other configurations tested. This low ranking is almost certainly due to the Intel Arc B370's weak absolute performance, as the CPU is a top-tier component.

The CPU's individual performance is strong; its average benchmark score of 37943 places it very close to the Intel Core i9-14901E (delta 0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (delta 0.1%). This shows the 9700X is a high-performing processor. In contrast, the GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is only 0.2% higher than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and 0.5% higher than the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which are legacy products. This illustrates a massive performance disparity between the two components.

The combo's rank in the 2645th position suggests that while the CPU provides a solid foundation, the overall system performance is held back by the GPU. For context, the measured FPS data shows the combo can hit 299 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a good result. However, the ranking indicates that many other combos, presumably with more powerful dedicated GPUs, achieve significantly higher frame rates or maintain them at higher settings. This combo reflects the fact that a powerful CPU cannot fully compensate for a weak GPU in a graphics-intensive scenario, even in a game as well-optimized as Valorant.