Valorant

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a formidable Valorant setup, with benchmark data showing this combination ranks 557th out of 2883 tested combos. This places it in the upper tier of systems for this FPS title, though the measured frame rates suggest the hardware is far from stressed at any resolution. The data indicates a system capable of dramatically exceeding the refresh rates of virtually all gaming monitors, with performance scaling that reveals more about CPU headroom than GPU limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 557 out of 2883 tested combinations places it within the top 19.3% of all systems evaluated for Valorant. This is a strong showing, though the rank itself understates the raw performance on display. The Ryzen 9 8945HX sits at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 76,212. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX, scores 76,155, a delta of just 0.1% — essentially a statistical tie. The AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P and AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX both score slightly higher at 76,492 and 76,513 respectively, representing deltas of -0.4% for the 8945HX, while the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D trails marginally at 75,779, a 0.6% advantage for the 8945HX.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080 holds the 86th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, scores 54,209, a delta of just 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828 (1.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698 (2.6% higher), and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757 (2.7% higher). These deltas are small enough that in real-world Valorant play, the differences would be imperceptible, especially given the frame rates this combo achieves.

What makes this rank more meaningful is the context of Valorant's engine. This is a competitive shooter where high and consistent frame rates matter more than raw graphical fidelity. The data shows the 8945HX's multi-core strength — a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,713 and single-core score of 6,030 — combined with the RTX 4080's substantial compute resources, creates a system that never approaches its performance ceiling in this title. The rank of 557 may seem modest, but it reflects a database of 2,883 combos where many include desktop flagship CPUs and GPUs. For a mobile CPU in the Dragon Range series with a 55W TDP, this placement is exceptional.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 593 FPS, the highest figure recorded across all configurations. Moving to Medium drops the average to 505 FPS, High yields 497 FPS, and Ultra produces 489 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 88 FPS, while the difference between Medium and Ultra is just 16 FPS. This suggests diminishing returns in visual quality versus frame rate as you climb the settings ladder.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low preset yields 562 FPS average, Medium produces 479 FPS, High reaches 471 FPS, and Ultra drops to 456 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 83 FPS, but between Medium and Ultra it's only 23 FPS. At 3840x2160, Low averages 522 FPS, Medium 402 FPS, High 382 FPS, and Ultra 364 FPS. The Low-to-Medium gap widens to 120 FPS, while Medium-to-Ultra remains a modest 38 FPS.

The data suggests that Medium settings offer the best balance for most players. At 1080p, Medium provides 505 FPS average with a minimum of 430 FPS and maximum of 581 FPS — the only measured row at that resolution with a full min/max range. This indicates stable frame delivery. At 1440p, Medium delivers 479 FPS average with a minimum of 407 FPS and maximum of 551 FPS. At 4K, Medium averages 402 FPS with a minimum of 341 FPS and maximum of 462 FPS. The minimums at Medium settings never fall below 341 FPS, which is still far above competitive play requirements.

For players prioritizing maximum competitive advantage, Low settings at 1080p yield 593 FPS average. However, the jump from Low to Medium costs only 88 FPS at 1080p, and the visual improvements in Valorant's stylized aesthetic are noticeable. Given that even the lowest minimum FPS recorded across all settings and resolutions is 341 FPS (4K Medium), any settings choice provides ample headroom above the typical 144Hz or 240Hz competitive monitors. The recommendation is Medium for the best visual-to-performance ratio, with Low reserved only for those chasing absolute maximum frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is heavily CPU-bound in this game. At Low settings, the progression is 593 FPS at 1080p, 562 FPS at 1440p, and 522 FPS at 4K. That's a drop of just 71 FPS (12%) from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the numbers are 505 FPS at 1080p, 479 FPS at 1440p, and 402 FPS at 4K — a 103 FPS drop (20.4%). At High settings, 497 FPS at 1080p falls to 471 FPS at 1440p and 382 FPS at 4K, a 115 FPS reduction (23.1%). Ultra settings show 489 FPS at 1080p, 456 FPS at 1440p, and 364 FPS at 4K, a 125 FPS decline (25.6%).

This scaling pattern is telling. In a GPU-bound scenario, increasing resolution from 1080p to 4K would typically cut frame rates by 50-70%, as pixel count quadruples. Here, even the largest drop (Ultra settings) is only 25.6%. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are barely taxed by Valorant's modest graphical demands. Instead, the limiting factor is the CPU's ability to feed the game's simulation and draw call pipeline. The Ryzen 9 8945HX's 16 cores and 32 threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, are clearly the bottleneck, though they are an exceptionally capable one.

The data implies that at 1080p and 1440p, the system has reached a practical ceiling. The 593 FPS at 1080p Low is close to what the CPU can sustain in Valorant's engine. At 4K, the GPU begins to take on more responsibility, but even there, the 522 FPS at Low settings suggests the CPU is still the primary constraint. For players using high-refresh monitors (360Hz or 500Hz), this CPU-bound behavior is actually beneficial, as it means frame rates remain remarkably consistent regardless of resolution. The 4K Medium minimum of 341 FPS would still satisfy the most demanding competitive setups.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings spectrum shows: Low averages 593 FPS; Medium averages 505 FPS with a minimum of 430 FPS and maximum of 581 FPS; High averages 497 FPS; Ultra averages 489 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 104 FPS, representing a 17.5% reduction in average frame rate when maxing out settings. The Medium preset's minimum of 430 FPS is notably lower than the High and Ultra averages, suggesting that Medium's frame pacing has more variance, though all figures remain far above playable thresholds.

At 2560x1440, the results are: Low averages 562 FPS; Medium averages 479 FPS with a minimum of 407 FPS and maximum of 551 FPS; High averages 471 FPS; Ultra averages 456 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 106 FPS (18.9%). The Medium minimum of 407 FPS is the lowest recorded at this resolution, but still 267 FPS above a 140Hz display's needs. The consistency between High (471 FPS) and Ultra (456 FPS) — a mere 15 FPS difference — indicates that Ultra settings impose minimal additional cost over High at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the figures are: Low averages 522 FPS; Medium averages 402 FPS with a minimum of 341 FPS and maximum of 462 FPS; High averages 382 FPS; Ultra averages 364 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra drop is 158 FPS (30.3%), the largest relative decline across all resolutions. The 4K Medium minimum of 341 FPS is the lowest single data point in the entire measured set, yet it's still more than double the refresh rate of most 4K gaming monitors. The 4K results demonstrate that even at maximum resolution, this combo never dips below 341 FPS, which was the minimum recorded for the Medium preset.

The data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings always provide the highest average FPS, with Medium, High, and Ultra clustering closely together. The largest single-step drop occurs between Low and Medium at 4K (120 FPS), while the smallest is between High and Ultra at 1080p (8 FPS). This suggests that Valorant's Medium, High, and Ultra presets are computationally similar, with the major performance cost coming from the Low-to-Medium transition.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080's specifications explain its capability in Valorant. The GPU features a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. Memory consists of 16 GB of GDDR6X on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz, with an effective data rate of 22.4 Gbps. These specifications place the RTX 4080 at the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247.

In Valorant, the GPU's role is relatively light compared to AAA titles. The game's art style and competitive focus mean that even 4K High settings (382 FPS average) barely stress the RTX 4080. The GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 761.5 GTexel/s texture rate are far beyond what Valorant requires. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s allows the GPU to fill 4K frames at 364 FPS on Ultra settings without breaking a sweat. The 16 GB VRAM is effectively unused in this title, as Valorant's texture and geometry requirements are minimal.

The RTX 4080's nearest rival data shows it's virtually tied with the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% delta), while trailing the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6%, and the AMD Radeon 8060S by 2.7%. These deltas are negligible in Valorant's context, where the CPU's single-thread performance — the 8945HX scores 6,030 in Cinebench R23 single-core — determines the frame rate ceiling. The GPU's high boost clock of 2505 MHz ensures it can keep up with the CPU's draw call throughput, but the measured FPS data confirms the CPU is the primary driver.

The RTX 4080's Ada Lovelace architecture, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with 45,900 million transistors on a 379 mm² die, provides ample headroom for future titles, but in Valorant it operates well below its limits. The GPU's 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores are irrelevant for this game, yet they contribute to the card's overall capability. The 320W TDP and triple-slot design are overkill for Valorant's demands, but they ensure the GPU never thermally throttles, maintaining consistent boost clocks throughout extended sessions.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 593, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the peak performance figure across all 12 measured configurations.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Valorant?

A: The combo ranks 557th out of 2,883 tested combinations, placing it in the top 19.3% of all systems evaluated for this game. The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX sits at the 95th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4080 holds the 86th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the lowest minimum FPS recorded across all settings and resolutions?

A: The lowest minimum FPS is 341, recorded at 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings. This was the only measured row at 4K Medium that included min/max data, showing a range of 341 to 462 FPS.

Q: Does resolution significantly impact performance in Valorant with this combo?

A: No. The data shows only a 25.6% drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings, and just 12% at Low settings. This indicates the system is CPU-bound rather than GPU-bound, as a quadrupling of pixel count would typically cause much larger frame rate reductions in GPU-limited scenarios.

Q: Which settings preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality?

A: Medium settings provide the best balance. At 1080p, Medium averages 505 FPS with a minimum of 430 FPS; at 1440p, it averages 479 FPS with a minimum of 407 FPS; at 4K, it averages 402 FPS with a minimum of 341 FPS. These minimums are all far above competitive refresh rates.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4080 scores 54,247 on average, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a delta of just 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828 (1.1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698 (2.6% higher), and the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757 (2.7% higher).