Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS built around fast reflexes and consistent frame delivery, and the measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the Intel Arc B390 provides a clear picture of how this combination handles the game. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is positioned in the lower tier of tested systems, ranking 2534th out of 2883 combos for this title. While the frame rates are playable, the data suggests a significant bottleneck in the graphics subsystem, particularly when moving up in resolution, which shapes the overall performance profile.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a pronounced and consistent drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, clearly indicating that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary limiting component in this configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 331 FPS at 1080p to 282 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 49 FPS, and then further to 225 FPS at 4K, marking a substantial 106 FPS difference between the lowest and highest resolutions tested. This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario, where the graphics processor's limited throughput, rather than the CPU's capabilities, dictates the final frame output.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 207 at 1080p to 177 at 1440p and then to 141 at 4K. Similarly, at Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 218 at 1080p to 186 at 1440p and down to 149 at 4K. Even at Ultra settings, which already produce the lowest averages, the pattern holds: 198 FPS at 1080p, 169 FPS at 1440p, and 135 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 32% for Low, 32% for High, 32% for Medium, and 32% for Ultra, showing that the percentage impact of resolution is nearly uniform regardless of the visual preset.

This uniform scaling strongly suggests that the GPU's processing power is the constraining factor. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, has more than enough headroom to feed frames at these rates. The data shows that even at 1080p with Low settings, where the CPU would be most likely to bottleneck, the system reaches 331 FPS, a figure that is still well below the CPU's theoretical maximum in this game. The fact that the FPS scales so predictably with resolution is a direct indicator that the Intel Arc B390, which has a limited pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, is being tasked to its maximum extent, and its performance degrades as the number of pixels to render increases.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this combo lies in the Medium preset, particularly for users targeting high refresh rate displays. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 218 FPS with a minimum of 185 FPS, which provides a stable experience for competitive play. The High preset at the same resolution yields an average of 207 FPS, which is 11 FPS lower, while the Ultra preset drops to 198 FPS. While the Low preset at 1080p achieves the highest average at 331 FPS, the visual fidelity trade-off is significant, and the Medium preset offers a much better visual experience for only a 113 FPS reduction in average frame rate.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, delivering an average of 186 FPS with a minimum of 158 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for most monitors, and the visual upgrade from Low is substantial. The High preset at 1440p produces an average of 177 FPS, and Ultra drops to 169 FPS. At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained. The Medium preset provides an average of 149 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS, which is the only preset at 4K that maintains a minimum above 120 FPS. The High preset at 4K averages 141 FPS, and Ultra averages 135 FPS, both of which are still smooth but show a clear degradation.

The data suggests that the Low preset is only recommended for users who prioritize maximum competitive advantage and have a monitor with a refresh rate above 300 Hz, as the 331 FPS at 1080p is the only configuration that approaches that threshold. For all other scenarios, the Medium preset offers the best experience, as it provides a significant visual improvement over Low while maintaining average frame rates that are only slightly below the High preset. The Ultra preset, while offering the highest visual quality, provides the lowest average frame rates across all resolutions and is not recommended for this GPU, as the performance delta from Medium is not justified by the marginal visual gains in a fast-paced FPS.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 plays the central role in determining the performance ceiling for this Valorant configuration, and the data indicates it is a significant bottleneck. The GPU's benchmark score in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 is 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This low standing is reflected in its nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GeForce GT 625 OEM, and GeForce GT 710, all of which are entry-level or legacy parts. The data shows that the Arc B390 is only 1.3% ahead of the GT 520MX, 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M, 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710, placing it firmly in the lower echelon of graphics performance.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which in practice means it is limited by the dual-channel memory bus of the Ryzen 7 9700X, which has a peak bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. For a game like Valorant, which has relatively low texture memory requirements, this shared memory setup can be sufficient, but it does not provide the dedicated bandwidth of a discrete card. The GPU's clocks are listed with a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS, which is modest for modern standards.

The practical impact of these specifications is visible in the measured FPS. The GPU's limited pixel and texture rates directly translate to the frame rate drops observed when increasing resolution. At 1080p, the GPU can keep up with the CPU's frame generation capability, but as the pixel count increases at 1440p and 4K, the GPU's rendering throughput is exhausted, causing the average FPS to fall. The fact that the GPU is an integrated part of the system (IGP) and consumes only 80 W of power further confirms that it is not designed for high-end gaming workloads. The data shows that for Valorant, the Arc B390 is the definitive limiting factor, and any performance improvements would require a more powerful discrete GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at how this combo performs across all tested resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset achieves an average of 331 FPS, the Medium preset averages 218 FPS with a minimum of 185 FPS and a maximum of 250 FPS, the High preset averages 207 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 198 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 133 FPS, which is the largest difference across any resolution, showing that the GPU has enough headroom at this resolution to be meaningfully affected by settings changes.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS decreases across all presets. The Low preset averages 282 FPS, which is a 49 FPS drop from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 186 FPS with a minimum of 158 FPS and a maximum of 214 FPS. The High preset averages 177 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 169 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 113 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to become more constrained. The minimum FPS for Medium at 1440p is 158 FPS, which is still well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on many gaming monitors.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance takes a significant hit. The Low preset averages 225 FPS, which is a 57 FPS drop from 1440p and a 106 FPS drop from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 149 FPS with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS. The High preset averages 141 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 135 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra narrows to just 90 FPS, and the minimum FPS for Medium is 126 FPS, which is just above the threshold for a 120 Hz display. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is heavily taxed, and the frame rate differences between presets become less pronounced as the GPU struggles to maintain higher output.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2534th out of 2883 tested combinations for Valorant, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems. This low ranking is primarily attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is a high-performing part on its own. The Ryzen 7 9700X has an average benchmark score of 37943, which places it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14901E, which is 0.1% slower, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, also 0.1% slower, the Intel Core 5 211E, which is 0.3% slower, and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132, which is 0.4% slower. This indicates that the CPU is capable of much higher frame rates than the GPU can deliver.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile ranking and the combo's low in-game ranking is a clear indication of a system imbalance. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, is far more powerful than what the Arc B390 can utilize in Valorant. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a more capable GPU would result in a significantly higher combo ranking. The current ranking of 2534 out of 2883 means that 349 other tested combinations perform worse, but the vast majority of systems deliver better frame rates in this game. The bottleneck is so pronounced that the CPU's potential is largely wasted, as the GPU is unable to push frame rates beyond the levels observed in the measured data.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 331, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710?

A: The Intel Arc B390 is 2.7% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710, based on their average benchmark scores.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B390 in Valorant?

A: No, the data indicates the opposite. The CPU is in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 9th percentile, showing that the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 2560x1440?

A: The minimum FPS for the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is 158 FPS.

Q: How many total combos were tested for Valorant, and where does this one rank?

A: This combo ranks 2534th out of 2883 total tested combos for Valorant.

Q: Does the performance drop from 1080p to 4K suggest a CPU or GPU bottleneck?

A: The consistent percentage drop in FPS across all settings when moving from 1080p to 4K strongly suggests a GPU bottleneck, as the rendering load scales with resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X serves as the high-performance foundation of this combo, and while it is not the limiting factor in Valorant, its specifications provide the context for the measured results. The CPU is based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) and manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC, with 8 cores and 16 threads. Its base clock is 3.80 GHz, and it boosts up to 5.50 GHz, which gives it excellent single-threaded performance. This is corroborated by its benchmark scores, including a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211, and a Geekbench single-core score of 3023. These scores indicate that the CPU has ample capability to handle the game logic and frame generation for a competitive FPS.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20485, a Passmark multithread score of 37161, and a Geekbench multicore score of 17906. This level of performance is far beyond what is required for Valorant, which is known for being more reliant on single-core speed. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a 32 MB shared L3 cache, which helps reduce memory latency and improves gaming performance.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU. The fact that the combo ranks 2534th, while the CPU holds an 86th percentile ranking, proves that the CPU's potential is untapped. The Ryzen 7 9700X could likely push frame rates well above 400 FPS in Valorant if paired with a stronger GPU, given its high boost clock and strong single-thread performance. The CPU's TDP is 65 W, and it supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, which is sufficient for feeding the Arc B390. In summary, the CPU is a top-tier component that is severely held back by the GPU in this specific configuration, making it the ideal candidate for a future GPU upgrade to unlock its full potential.