Valorant

This combo, pairing the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, delivers exceptional frame rates in Valorant, positioning it in the top half of all tested system configurations. With an average score that places it at rank 1707 out of 3708 combos, the pairing demonstrates that the CPU’s high single-thread performance is the primary driver of the game’s frame output. The measured data shows that even at the most demanding settings and resolution, the system rarely dips below the refresh rates of high-end monitors, making it a formidable platform for competitive play.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1707 out of 3708 tested systems places it in the 46th percentile of all configurations, which is a strong showing for a mid-generation GPU paired with a flagship-class CPU. This ranking is heavily influenced by the Ryzen 9 9900X, which itself holds a 92nd percentile ranking against all CPUs, indicating that the processor is a top-tier performer for this workload. The data suggests that the system’s position is not bottlenecked by the graphics card in most scenarios, as the CPU’s massive thread count and high clock speeds ensure that frame generation is not starved for data.

Benchmark results indicate that the Ryzen 9 9900X’s average benchmark score of 57498 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD EPYC 9015 and the Intel Core i9-14900, with delta percentages of -0.1% and -1.1% respectively. This performance parity means that the CPU is not a differentiator when compared to other high-end processors, but its ability to sustain high frame rates in Valorant is consistent with its top-tier synthetic scores. The system’s overall rank is thus more a reflection of the GPU’s mid-range standing, as the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 65th percentile ranking against all GPUs shows it is a capable but not elite graphics solution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip, provides 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for Valorant’s relatively modest texture and shader requirements, even at 4K resolution. The GPU’s base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz are standard for the 20-series, and its 2560 shading units ensure that the card can handle the game’s rendering pipeline without becoming a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

However, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 1080p, the measured frame rates suggest the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly. Moving to 1440p and then 4K, the RTX 2070 SUPER’s workload increases, but the data shows that it still manages to deliver playable frame rates. The GPU’s 65th percentile ranking against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20282, places it slightly below the Intel Arc A750 and the RTX 3070 Mobile, but its performance in Valorant is far above the threshold needed for smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 1080p, the Low preset yields an average of 656 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all settings and resolutions. This makes Low the optimal choice for players with high refresh rate monitors (240Hz or above) who prioritize raw frame output over visual quality. The Medium preset delivers 432 FPS average, which is still exceptionally high, but the 34% reduction in frame rate compared to Low may not be worth the marginal visual improvement for competitive play.

For players using 1440p displays, the Low preset again provides the best performance with an average of 560 FPS, ensuring that the system can easily max out any standard high-refresh monitor. The High preset at 1440p drops to 351 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant 37% performance hit. At 4K, the Low preset remains the most performant, with an average of 447 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 267 FPS may be acceptable for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate. The data indicates that the Low preset is the recommended choice for maximizing competitive advantage, as it provides the highest frame rates at all resolutions without compromising system stability.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Valorant?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 656 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution compared to 1080p?

A: At 4K with Low settings, the average frame rate is 447 FPS, which is approximately 32% lower than the 1080p Low average of 656 FPS, indicating that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X a significant contributor to the frame rates in Valorant?

A: Yes, the CPU’s strong single-thread performance, reflected in its 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2253, is critical for Valorant’s CPU-bound engine, ensuring high frame rates even at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The Low preset averages 560 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 334 FPS, representing a 40% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra at 2560x1440 resolution.

Q: Does the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB of VRAM limit performance in Valorant?

A: No, the measured data shows no indication of VRAM limitations, as the game’s memory requirements are well within the 8 GB capacity, even at 4K Ultra settings where the average frame rate remains above 267 FPS.

Q: How does this combo’s CPU ranking compare to its GPU ranking?

A: The CPU holds a 92nd percentile ranking against all CPUs, while the GPU holds a 65th percentile ranking against all GPUs, indicating that the processor is a much stronger component relative to its peers.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear pattern of scaling as resolution increases, with the system’s performance dropping by a predictable margin. From 1080p Low (656 FPS) to 1440p Low (560 FPS), there is a 14.6% decrease in average frame rate. Moving from 1440p Low to 4K Low (447 FPS) results in a further 20.2% decrease. This scaling suggests that the system is still partially CPU-bound at 1440p, as the frame rate drop is smaller than what would be expected if the GPU were the sole limiting factor.

At higher settings, the scaling becomes more pronounced. For the High preset, the drop from 1080p (412 FPS) to 1440p (351 FPS) is 14.8%, and from 1440p to 4K (281 FPS) is 19.9%. This indicates that the GPU’s workload is increasing significantly at 4K, but the system still maintains frame rates well above the 144Hz threshold for high-refresh displays. The data shows that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at 1080p to a more balanced CPU-GPU load at 4K, where the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 256-bit memory interface and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient to keep up with the CPU’s frame generation.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, is the dominant component in this system for Valorant. Its base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz, combined with a large 64 MB L3 cache, provide the low-latency, high-frequency response that Valorant’s engine demands. The CPU’s single-thread performance is exceptional, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1286 and Passmark single-thread score of 4672, both of which are among the highest recorded for any processor.

The CPU’s multi-thread capabilities, while not directly utilized by Valorant’s single-threaded engine, contribute to overall system responsiveness and ensure that background tasks do not interfere with frame pacing. The 9900X’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32172 and Geekbench multicore score of 22174 are top-tier, but the game’s performance is more closely tied to the CPU’s ability to execute instructions quickly. The data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is not heavily stressed, the CPU is able to push frame rates to 656 FPS, confirming that the processor is not a bottleneck in this configuration.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured frame rates provides a detailed picture of the system’s capabilities across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 656 FPS, the highest recorded score. The Medium preset averages 432 FPS, with a minimum of 367 FPS and a maximum of 497 FPS, indicating stable performance. The High preset averages 412 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 392 FPS, showing that the system can maintain high frame rates even at maximum settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 560 FPS, a 14.6% drop from 1080p. The Medium preset averages 369 FPS, with a minimum of 313 FPS and a maximum of 424 FPS. The High preset averages 351 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 334 FPS. These figures show that the system remains highly performant at 1440p, with even the Ultra preset providing frame rates well above the 240Hz threshold for competitive monitors.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 447 FPS, which is still extremely high for 4K gaming. The Medium preset averages 295 FPS, with a minimum of 251 FPS and a maximum of 339 FPS, demonstrating that the system can handle 4K with playable frame rates. The High preset averages 281 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 267 FPS, both of which are above the 240Hz refresh rate commonly found on high-end 4K monitors. The data confirms that this combo is capable of delivering a smooth and responsive experience across all tested configurations, with the Low preset offering the highest performance at every resolution.