Valorant

The Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a Valorant experience that is essentially performance-oversaturated. Across every measured preset and resolution, average frame rates never drop below 507 FPS, with the highest hitting 706 FPS at 1080p Low. The data indicates a CPU-bound scenario: the 8-core, 16-thread Zen 5 processor, running at up to 5.50 GHz, is the primary limiter, while the RTX 4080—equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X and 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth—remains remarkably idle. This combination ranks 89th out of 3,708 tested CPU/GPU pairs, putting it in the top 2.4% of the database, consistent with the CPU's 86th percentile standing among all processors and the GPU's 86th percentile among all graphics cards.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows an unusually shallow drop in average frames per second when moving from 1080p to 4K at every preset. At Low settings, the average goes from 706 FPS at 1920x1080 to 622 FPS at 3840x2160—a decline of 84 FPS, or 11.9%. At Medium, the drop is 602 to 530 FPS (72 FPS, 12.0%). High shows 593 to 522 FPS (71 FPS, 12.0%). Ultra delivers 620 to 525 FPS (75 FPS, 12.1%)? Check: Ultra 1080p=583, 4k=507, drop 76, 76/583=13.0%. Actually calculate: (583-507)/583 = 76/583 = 0.130 = 13.0%. So the drop is between 11.9% and 13.0% depending on preset. This very small impact of resolution precisely isolates the component that is overkill: quadrupling the pixel count only reduces performance by about one-eighth. If the GPU were the limit, the frame rate would drop far more steeply as the render load scales. The RTX 4080's raw bandwidth, clocked at 22.4 Gbps effective memory and a 256-bit interface, is simply not engaged heavily; the game's aggregate workload stays far below what the Ada Lovelace architecture can deliver. The 9700X, with its 8-core / 16-thread arrangement and L3 cache of 32 MB, is the gatekeeper. Even at 1080p, which is often considered the most CPU-bound of the three, the average FPS does not rise above 600 FPS at any setting except Low (which generates 706 FPS), indicating the engine's orchestration and per-frame draw calls saturate the CPU long before the GPU has to stretch.

The measured medium preset gives us the only min/max data. At 4K, the min FPS is 451, max 610; at 1440p min 571, max 657; at 1080p min 512, max 693. These floor values are all above 450, which is far beyond what any consumer display refresh rate requires. The data shows that the processor's single-thread capacity—evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2211—is the foundation. The render threads are largely confined to one core; the boost clock of 5.50 GHz and the 4nm Zen 5 microarchitecture enable the high sustained frequency needed to keep frame time short. But the steep scaling curve between 1080p and 4K also signals that the RTX 4080's own computational muscle is not being taxed. At 1080p Low the CPU delivers 706 FPS; at 4K Low it delivers 622 FPS—only a 1.18x factor, not the ~4x factor that would appear if the GPU were the limiting agent. Hence, for someone planning a ultra-high refresh rate monitor, the CPU must be the primary target for upgrades; the 9700X, while a strong performer, represents the ceiling for this specific combination in Valorant.

Settings Recommendations

The measured presets across total the same syllabus: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. At every resolution, the Low preset yields the highest average frame rate (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160). At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 706 to 583 FPS — a difference of 123 FPS, or 17.4%. At 1440p, the spread is 670 to 553 (117 FPS, 17.5%). At 4K, 622 to 507 (115 FPS, 18.5%). These are substantial differences, but they are not massive in absolute terms because even the Ultra 4K average of 507 FPS exceeds the refresh rate of any standard gamer set by the provided data. However, for competitive play, ranking consistency of the 1% low values remains key. The only min values provided for Medium settings show reassuring numbers: 4K medium min 451, 1440p medium min 571, 1080p medium min 512. There is no data for min values at Low or Ultra, so we cannot make exact guarantees there.

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance for a high-frame esports experience is to run the Low preset. It yields the highest average FPS across the board, and the RTX 4080’s generous memory and compute are entirely idle pressure. A player who prefers a better visual experience could move to Medium; the average FPS drops by 104–151 FPS (from Low to Medium: 1080p 602 vs 706, 1440p 571 vs 670, 4K 530 vs 622), but the minimums remain safely above 450, which is far beyond the refresh capabilities of common esports monitors. The high and ultra presets offer barely detectable visual improvements in a fast-paced shooter and cost an additional 10–30 FPS compared to Medium, but even those remain above 580 FPS at 1080p. None of the presets can bring the system below 500 FPS, so the data suggests that users can freely prefer the setting that delivers the highest satisfaction of their particular display’s refresh rate; the hardware will not punish them.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with the Low preset?

A: The measured average is 722 FPS (the highest value in the dataset). Specifically, the table lists 706 at 1080p Low — that’s the exact number.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X’s boost clock compare to its base clock?

A: The base clock is 3.80 GHz, and the boost clock is 5.50 GHz. This fast single-core frequency is directly relevant to Valorant’s low-thread load.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is far in excess of what this game uses at any resolution.

Q: Which preset provides the lowest minimum FPS recorded at any resolution?

A: The only min/max values are for the Medium preset. The lowest min frame rate among those is 451 FPS at 4K Medium.

Q: How many total configurations is this combo ranked against?

A: The combo (Ryzen 7 9700X + RTX 4080) is ranked 89th out of 3,708 tested CPU/GPU combinations.

Q: What is the L3 cache size of the CPU?

A: The shared L3 cache is 32 MB. This helps keep frequently accessed game data near the cores, aiding in sustained FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of 3,708 tested CPU+GPU combinations, the Ryzen 7 9700X + RTX 4080 configuration holds the 89th position. That means exactly 97.6% of the measured setups fall below it—only 2.4% are faster. The CPU itself also holds the 86th percentile among all processors, and the RTX 4080 also holds the 86th percentile among all GPUs. This parity indicates that both components individually are strong, but the synergy here is fine-tuned for the particular low-latency load of Valorant.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in the benchmark chart—Intel Core i9-14901E, AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, Intel Core 5 211E, and AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132—are all within a 0.4% delta of its average score of 37,943. The Ryzen 7 9700X is 0.1% above the Intel i9-14901E, 0.2% above the Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, 0.3% above the Intel Core 5 211E, and 0.4% above the AMD Pro P132. These differences are negligible in real-world terms, meaning the Ryzen’s placement is not due to raw multi-thread quantum power but rather to its single-core responsiveness, which this title uses. Meanwhile, the RTX 4080's rival GPU (RTX 4080 SUPER) is only 0.1% lower in average score, which effectively places the two as performance twins. The combination’s rank of 89 reflects the fact that the bottleneck is the CPU, not the GPU, because a slower GPU with the same CPU might not alter FPS much in this frame-limited engine.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on Zen 5 (Granite Ridge), fabricated on a 4nm process from TSMC. It has a base frequency of 3.80 GHz and a boost capability up to 5.50 GHz. With a TDP of 65 W and an L2 cache of 1 MB per core and 32 MB shared L3, the 9700X is built for high-frequency, single-thread dominance. The benchmark scores emphasize this: in 3DMark’s single-thread test it scores 1280, in Cinebench R23 single-core it scores 2,211, and in PassMark single-thread scores 4,654. These numbers are the precise indicators of what makes Valorant runow fast—the game typically does not scale with more cores, instead preferring two to four fast cores. The L3 cache of 32 MB provides fast access to the AI's often referencing map data and game logic, while the 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth of the DDR5 dual-channel interface feeds the CPU at a sufficient rate for the GPU to keep up.

The 8-core 16-thread design also supports the CPU to maintain high frame rates even during the simultaneous demands of a multiplayer shooter: background streaming, voice chat, and system renders. Yet, in this data, the maximum CPU frequency (5.50 GHz) is the hero. Because the game’s render thread is the only significant CPU consumer, the CPU does not scale with the GPU resolution drop—the frame pacing is effectively set by the processor. Therefore, the CPU part of the profile is the crown. Any future upgrade path for 400+ FPS would need to come from a faster single-thread performance, not additional cores.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table contains the complete record of measured average FPS (with min and max where available) for the Ryzen 7 9700X + RTX 4080 configuration:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 522 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 622 | — | — |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 530 | 451 | 610 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 507 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | High | 562 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 670 | — | — |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 571 | 486 | 657 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 553 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | High | 593 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 706 | — | — |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 602 | 512 | 693 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 583 | — | — |

A few independent observations stand out. First, the lowest recorded average of the entire set is 507 FPS (4K Ultra), which still exceeds the 488 FPS ceiling of any 500 Hz display. Second, the min FPS values, which are only reported for the Medium preset, remain at 451 FPS at 4K and increase to 512 at 1080p, indicating that this build never falls below a min of ~450 FPS in its most intensive measurements. Third, the ratio between the low and high presets narrows slightly as resolution rises: at 1080p the Low vs Ultra spread is 1.21x, at 1440p it is 1.21x, and at 4K it is 1.26x. This points to the GPU having a slightly larger effect at higher resolution, but the overall magnitude is small. The takeaway is simple: the 9700X and RTX 4080 yield a consistent, high-performance baseline in Valorant, with the CPU governing the final numbers, not the GPU.