Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that scales dramatically with CPU horsepower, and the measured results for the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 show a system that is overwhelmingly capable of driving high refresh rate displays. The data indicates that this combination sits at rank 1175 out of 2883 tested combos, placing it in the upper half of all configurations, but the raw frame rates suggest a performance ceiling far above what most players will ever need. The benchmark results reveal a system where the GPU is almost an afterthought at lower resolutions, with the processor's massive 16-core, 32-thread configuration ensuring that frame pacing remains consistently high across all settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop is relatively small compared to many other titles. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 593 FPS, which is the highest recorded figure in the entire dataset. Moving to 1440p Low drops that average to 562 FPS, a reduction of roughly 5%, while 4K Low still maintains a very strong 474 FPS, representing an additional 16% decline from the 1440p result. This scaling behavior indicates that the CPU is the primary limiting component at 1080p, as the GPU has significant headroom to spare, and the bottleneck only begins to shift toward the graphics card as pixel count increases.

The gap between settings narrows more noticeably as resolution climbs, which is a classic sign of a GPU that is becoming more engaged. At 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra is 178 FPS, with Low hitting 593 FPS and Ultra at 415 FPS. At 1440p, that spread shrinks to 208 FPS between the same two presets, with Low at 562 FPS and Ultra at 354 FPS. The 4K results compress the range further, with Low at 474 FPS and Ultra at 283 FPS, a difference of 191 FPS. The percentage drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is about 40%, whereas at 1080p it is roughly 30%, confirming that the GPU's workload is growing disproportionately with resolution while the CPU remains relatively unburdened by the visual fidelity changes.

The fact that 4K Low achieves 474 FPS while 1080p Ultra hits only 415 FPS is particularly telling. This suggests that the RTX 5070 is so far ahead of the game's demands at lower resolutions that the CPU's single-thread performance becomes the hard ceiling. The Ryzen 9 8945HX boosts up to 5.40 GHz, and the benchmark results indicate that this clock speed is sufficient to push frame rates beyond 500 FPS in the least demanding scenarios, but the gap between 1080p Low and 1440p Low demonstrates that even a strong CPU has limits when the GPU begins to process more pixels.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 brings 12 GB of GDDR7 memory across a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. In a game like Valorant, which is not known for heavy VRAM consumption, this memory configuration is more than adequate, and the benchmark results support that conclusion. The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base of 2325 MHz and a boost of 2512 MHz, and these figures directly contribute to the high frame rates observed, particularly at 4K where the GPU's compute throughput becomes a more significant factor. The RTX 5070 has 6144 shading units and 80 ROPs, which help explain why even the Ultra preset at 4K manages to stay above 280 FPS.

The GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards is 82, with an average benchmark score of 40377. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon Pro 580 with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 at 0.8%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 at -1.2%, indicating that the RTX 5070 sits in a performance tier where small percentage differences separate competitors. The PassMark G3D score of 29137 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 5077 provide additional context, but the in-game results are what matter here. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 283 is still far above the refresh rate of most monitors, and the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium is 265, which suggests that frame drops are minimal even under load.

The RTX 5070's memory clock of 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed is a contributing factor to the smooth performance at higher resolutions. The fact that 4K Low delivers 474 FPS while 4K Medium delivers 312 FPS shows a significant sensitivity to texture filtering and shadow quality, but the GPU's raw compute power ensures that none of these settings produce a playable-unplayable gap. In terms of the GPU's role, the data indicates that it is not the bottleneck at 1080p or 1440p, and only at 4K Ultra does it start to approach a more balanced workload with the CPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Dragon Range, and it operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This processor is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC and features 64 MB of L3 cache, which is critical for gaming performance. The benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a single-core score of 6030, the latter being particularly relevant for Valorant, a game that relies heavily on single-threaded performance for its game logic and physics. The PassMark single-thread score of 3907 further confirms the CPU's strength in lightly threaded workloads.

The CPU's percentile ranking against all CPUs is 95, and its average benchmark score is 76212. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD EPYC Embedded 8224P at -0.4%, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 9945WX at -0.4%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D at 0.6%. These deltas are all within a single percentage point, indicating that the 8945HX is positioned at the very top of consumer CPU performance, with only marginal differences separating it from the fastest chips available. The PassMark multithread score of 51405 and the floating point math score of 117453 highlight the CPU's brute-force capability, but in Valorant, it is the boost clock of 5.40 GHz that likely drives the high frame rates.

The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 593 FPS, which is likely near the upper limit of what the game's engine can produce, and the CPU's role in this cannot be overstated. The fact that 1080p High still manages 436 FPS suggests that even with increased draw calls and shadow complexity, the CPU has enough headroom to keep the GPU fed. However, the difference between 1080p Low and 1080p High is 157 FPS, which is a larger delta than between 1440p Low and 1440p High, implying that at lower resolutions, the CPU's performance is the sole determinant of frame rate, while at higher resolutions, the GPU begins to share the load.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 achieves a rank of 1175 out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the 59th percentile of all configurations. This rank is somewhat surprising given the individual component strengths, but it reflects the fact that Valorant is heavily CPU-bound, and many other combos in the database likely feature even higher-clocked desktop processors. The combo's position suggests that while the 8945HX is a mobile powerhouse, it still trails the very best desktop CPUs in the game's specific workload, and the RTX 5070's contribution is minimized by the game's low graphical demands.

In comparison to other combos, the data implies that the combination is more than sufficient for competitive play, but it is not at the absolute top of the leaderboard. The rank of 1175 out of 2883 means that there are about 1700 combos that perform worse, which reflects the hardware's capability, but also about 1174 that perform better, indicating that there is room for improvement if one were to pair the same GPU with a faster CPU. The deltaPct values from the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the 0.6% edge of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D, suggest that the ranking is highly sensitive to small CPU performance differences, and a few extra hundred megahertz could move the combo significantly higher.

The GPU's rank of 82nd percentile does not directly translate to the combo's in-game rank, which underscores the importance of CPU selection in esports titles. The measured FPS data shows that the system is capable of exceeding 400 FPS in most scenarios, which is far beyond the needs of any standard monitor, but the rank indicates that other combos achieve even higher numbers. This is a case where the whole is slightly less than the sum of its parts, as the mobile CPU, despite its high boost clock, cannot fully match the sustained performance of desktop counterparts in a game that rewards raw single-thread speed above all else.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 593 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset at 1080p yields an average of 458 FPS with a minimum of 389 FPS and a maximum of 526 FPS, showing that even the mid-range settings provide a substantial frame rate cushion. High settings at 1080p reduce the average to 436 FPS, while Ultra settings drop it further to 415 FPS. The range between the minimum and maximum at 1080p Medium is 137 FPS, which indicates some variability, but the absolute numbers are so high that this variability is unlikely to be perceptible in actual gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 562 FPS, which is a 31 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium at 1440p records an average of 390 FPS, with a minimum of 332 FPS and a maximum of 449 FPS, representing a 68 FPS decline from the 1080p Medium result. High at 1440p averages 372 FPS, and Ultra averages 354 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p is from 562 FPS down to 354 FPS, a 208 FPS difference, which is slightly larger than the 178 FPS difference at 1080p, confirming that the GPU is becoming more relevant as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers an average of 474 FPS, which is still remarkably high for 4K and only 88 FPS less than the 1080p Low result. Medium at 4K averages 312 FPS, with a minimum of 265 FPS and a maximum of 359 FPS. High at 4K averages 297 FPS, and Ultra averages 283 FPS. The 4K results show a tighter grouping between settings, with only a 191 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, which is less than the spread at 1440p. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, and the CPU's advantage is somewhat neutralized by the sheer number of pixels being rendered.

Settings Recommendations

For players seeking the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at any resolution is the clear choice, as it consistently delivers the best averages, ranging from 593 FPS at 1080p to 474 FPS at 4K. However, the data shows that the Medium preset offers a more balanced experience, with only modest frame rate reductions compared to Low while likely providing better visual clarity. At 1080p Medium, the average of 458 FPS is still far above any typical monitor's refresh rate, and the minimum of 389 FPS ensures that even the most intense firefights remain smooth. This makes Medium the recommended preset for 1080p users who want a blend of performance and visual quality.

At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 390 FPS with a minimum of 332 FPS, which remains exceptionally high and suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 1440p drops to 372 FPS, and Ultra to 354 FPS, but these numbers are still more than adequate for competitive play. The 4K resolution presents a different story, where Low at 474 FPS and Medium at 312 FPS are the standout options. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 283 FPS, which is still playable, but the 29 FPS difference between Ultra and High at 4K is minimal, making High a more sensible choice if visual fidelity is prioritized over the last few frames per second.

Given that the system is capable of exceeding 400 FPS in most configurations, the recommendation is to prioritize the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p, as it provides a substantial improvement in visual quality over Low without a significant penalty in frame rate. For 4K users, Medium is again the sweet spot, offering 312 FPS, which is double the refresh rate of most 4K monitors. The data does not show any scenario where the system falls below 265 FPS, so there is no risk of dipping below playable thresholds, and the choice of settings ultimately comes down to personal preference for visual fidelity versus raw frame rate. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is powerful enough that players can confidently select Medium or High and still maintain an overwhelming competitive advantage in terms of frame pacing.