Valorant

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers exceptional performance in Valorant, with measured average frame rates ranging from 507 FPS at 4K Ultra settings to 711 FPS at 1080p Low settings. This combination ranks 69th out of 3,708 tested combos in the database, placing it in the top 1.9% of all configurations for this game. The data indicates that this pairing is overkill for Valorant's competitive requirements, yet the headroom ensures maximum refresh rate utilization on virtually any display, with the CPU's strong single-threaded performance and the GPU's ample VRAM both contributing to the consistently high results.

FAQ

Q: What is the measured average FPS at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings is 711 FPS. This is the highest recorded average frame rate across all tested settings and resolutions in the data.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Valorant?

A: The combo ranks 69th out of 3,708 total tested combos in the database. This places it in the 98th percentile, meaning it outperforms approximately 98% of all recorded configurations for this game.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average FPS is 596. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS drops to 525. The difference is 71 FPS, representing a 12% reduction when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread benchmark score and how does it relate to Valorant?

A: The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score is 1,286, and its Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2,253. These scores indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for Valorant's engine that typically relies heavily on a few threads for game logic and rendering commands.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The memory clock is 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective speed, and the boost clock is 2505 MHz.

Q: What is the highest measured average FPS at 4K resolution?

A: The highest measured average FPS at 3840x2160 is 626 FPS, achieved with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the 507 FPS recorded at 4K Ultra settings, showing a 119 FPS spread between the lowest and highest quality presets at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 plays a substantial role in delivering the frame rates observed in Valorant, though the game's inherently light GPU load means the card operates well below its maximum capabilities. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is far beyond what Valorant requires at any tested resolution, with even 4K Ultra settings unlikely to consume a significant portion of this capacity. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective speed, and the memory bus width is 256-bit, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications ensure that memory bandwidth is never a bottleneck in this game.

The GPU's clock speeds are notable for competitive gaming. The base clock is 2205 MHz, boosting to 2505 MHz, which allows the card to process the relatively simple geometry and texture work in Valorant with minimal latency. The card's 9,728 shading units and 304 texture mapping units provide ample parallel processing power, though the game's visual complexity does not fully utilize these resources. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s indicate that the card can handle far more demanding scenes than Valorant presents.

The GPU's performance percentile is 86th among all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. In the nearest rivals comparison, the RTX 4080 sits within 2.7% of the AMD Radeon 8060S and within 1.1% of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, showing that while the card is powerful, it is not at the absolute top of the hierarchy. The RTX 4080 SUPER is the closest rival, with a delta of only 0.1%, meaning the two cards perform nearly identically in synthetic benchmarks.

In Valorant specifically, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 125 FPS, from 711 to 586 FPS. At 4K, this difference grows to 119 FPS, from 626 to 507 FPS. The relatively small change in the FPS gap across resolutions suggests that the CPU is the primary limiting factor at lower resolutions, while the GPU begins to exert more influence at 4K. However, even at 4K Ultra, the 507 FPS average indicates that the GPU is still far from being saturated, as the card's architecture is designed for much heavier workloads.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM ensures that texture quality settings have minimal impact on frame rates. The measured data shows that at 4K, the difference between Medium and Ultra settings is only 27 FPS, from 534 to 507 FPS. This small delta indicates that the GPU's memory subsystem and compute units are not stressed by Valorant's texture demands, even at maximum quality settings. The card's 112 ROPs handle pixel output efficiently, contributing to the high frame rates observed across all settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 69 out of 3,708 tested combos in the Valorant database. This places the configuration in the top 1.86% of all recorded pairings, a position that reflects the high-end nature of both components. The rank is particularly impressive given that the database includes many combinations featuring more expensive or newer hardware, yet this pairing still outperforms the vast majority of alternatives.

The CPU's benchmark profile provides context for this ranking. The Ryzen 9 9900X scores 12,552 in 3DMark with 16 threads, 9,114 with 8 threads, and 4,886 with 4 threads. The single-thread score of 1,286 is crucial for Valorant, as the game's engine typically relies on one or two primary threads for rendering and game logic. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32,172 and single-core score of 2,253 further confirm the CPU's strength in both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads. The CPU's percentile rank is 92nd among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 57,498.

The nearest rivals for the CPU include the AMD EPYC 9015 with an average score of 57,555 and a delta of -0.1%, the AMD EPYC 7313 with a score of 57,399 and a delta of 0.2%, the Intel Core i9-14900 with a score of 58,115 and a delta of -1.1%, and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M with a score of 58,323 and a delta of -1.4%. These deltas are all within 1.5% of the Ryzen 9 9900X's average score, indicating that the CPU is competitively positioned against both server-grade and consumer-grade alternatives.

The GPU's ranking is similarly strong. The RTX 4080 holds the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. Its nearest rivals are the RTX 4080 SUPER with a delta of 0.1%, the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X with a delta of -1.1%, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB with a delta of -2.6%, and the AMD Radeon 8060S with a delta of -2.7%. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 34,457 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 263,779 demonstrate its strong compute capabilities.

The combination of a top-2% CPU and a top-14% GPU results in a top-1.9% combo ranking for Valorant. This suggests that the CPU's strong single-threaded performance is the primary driver of the excellent frame rates, as the GPU's relative ranking is lower but still sufficient for the game's demands. The 69th rank out of 3,708 combos indicates that only 68 other configurations produce higher average frame rates in Valorant, proof of the effectiveness of this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions—3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080—each tested across four settings presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. This provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance envelope.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 626 FPS, Medium settings produce 534 FPS, High settings produce 525 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 507 FPS. The Medium preset also reports a minimum FPS of 454 and a maximum of 614, providing a frame time range that indicates some variability under load. The spread from Low to Ultra is 119 FPS, representing a 19% drop in performance when moving from the lowest to highest quality settings at 4K.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the average FPS values are: Low settings at 674 FPS, Medium settings at 575 FPS, High settings at 566 FPS, and Ultra settings at 556 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 489 FPS and a maximum of 661 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 118 FPS, nearly identical to the 4K spread, indicating that the settings preset has a consistent impact regardless of resolution.

At 1920x1080 resolution, the average FPS values are: Low settings at 711 FPS, Medium settings at 606 FPS, High settings at 596 FPS, and Ultra settings at 586 FPS. The Medium preset reports a minimum of 515 FPS and a maximum of 697 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 125 FPS, the largest across all resolutions, suggesting that at 1080p, the settings preset has a slightly greater relative impact on performance.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently delivers the highest average FPS, with 711 FPS at 1080p, 674 FPS at 1440p, and 626 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset delivers the lowest averages, with 586 FPS at 1080p, 556 FPS at 1440p, and 507 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset sits between Low and High in all cases, with 606 FPS at 1080p, 575 FPS at 1440p, and 534 FPS at 4K.

The minimum FPS values, available only for Medium settings, show that at 1080p the minimum is 515 FPS, at 1440p it is 489 FPS, and at 4K it is 454 FPS. These minimums indicate that even in demanding moments, the combo maintains frame rates well above the refresh rates of most monitors, which typically max out at 360 Hz for the fastest esports displays.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear pattern of FPS scaling as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 711 at 1080p to 674 at 1440p, a reduction of 37 FPS or 5.2%. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the average drops from 674 to 626 FPS, a reduction of 48 FPS or 7.1%. The total drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 85 FPS, representing an 12% decrease.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar but with slightly larger percentage drops. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS goes from 606 to 575, a reduction of 31 FPS or 5.1%. From 1440p to 4K, the average goes from 575 to 534, a reduction of 41 FPS or 7.1%. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 72 FPS, or 11.9%.

At High settings, the pattern continues. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS goes from 596 to 566, a reduction of 30 FPS or 5.0%. From 1440p to 4K, the average goes from 566 to 525, a reduction of 41 FPS or 7.2%. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 71 FPS, or 11.9%.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is slightly more pronounced. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS goes from 586 to 556, a reduction of 30 FPS or 5.1%. From 1440p to 4K, the average goes from 556 to 507, a reduction of 49 FPS or 8.8%. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 79 FPS, or 13.5%.

The relatively small percentage drops across resolutions—ranging from 11.9% to 13.5%—indicate that the CPU is the primary limiting factor, not the GPU. In a GPU-bound scenario, the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K would typically be much larger, often exceeding 50% or more. Here, the modest 12-13% drop suggests that the CPU's single-threaded performance is the bottleneck, as the GPU has ample headroom to handle the increased pixel count at 4K without significant performance loss.

This conclusion is supported by the CPU's strong single-thread benchmark scores, including a 3DMark single-thread score of 1,286 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,253. The CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads provide substantial multi-threaded capability, but Valorant's engine appears to rely primarily on one or two threads, making the single-thread performance the deciding factor in frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the Medium settings preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 606 FPS average, which is 105 FPS lower than Low but 20 FPS higher than High and 20 FPS higher than Ultra. The minimum FPS of 515 at 1080p Medium ensures that even in intense firefights, the frame rate remains well above the refresh rate of any current monitor.

At 1440p, Medium delivers 575 FPS average, with a minimum of 489 FPS. This is 99 FPS lower than Low but 9 FPS higher than High and 19 FPS higher than Ultra. The 489 FPS minimum is still far above the 360 Hz maximum refresh rate commonly found in esports displays, meaning there is no risk of the frame rate dropping below the display's capability.

At 4K, Medium delivers 534 FPS average, with a minimum of 454 FPS. This is 92 FPS lower than Low but 9 FPS higher than High and 27 FPS higher than Ultra. The 454 FPS minimum is the lowest recorded across all settings and resolutions, yet it remains above 450 FPS, which is sufficient for even the most demanding competitive scenarios.

For players prioritizing maximum frame rates above all else, the Low preset provides the highest averages: 711 FPS at 1080p, 674 FPS at 1440p, and 626 FPS at 4K. The visual quality reduction is significant, but the 85 FPS gain at 4K and 125 FPS gain at 1080p over Ultra settings may be worthwhile for those with extremely high refresh rate monitors or those seeking to minimize input latency.

The High preset, delivering 596 FPS at 1080p, 566 FPS at 1440p, and 525 FPS at 4K, offers a middle ground between Medium and Ultra. However, the data shows that High performs nearly identically to Ultra, with only a 10 FPS difference at 1080p, 10 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. This suggests that High settings do not provide a meaningful performance advantage over Ultra, making Ultra the better choice if visual quality is a priority.

The Ultra preset, while delivering the lowest average FPS (586 at 1080p, 556 at 1440p, 507 at 4K), still maintains frame rates above 500 FPS in all cases. The visual improvements from Ultra settings are marginal in Valorant's stylized art style, but the performance cost is also minimal, with only a 125 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p.

The Medium preset's minimum FPS values—515 at 1080p, 489 at 1440p, and 454 at 4K—are the only recorded minimums in the dataset, providing insight into frame pacing stability. These minimums are 91 FPS, 86 FPS, and 80 FPS lower than the respective averages, indicating some variance but no severe frame drops. The consistency of these minimums across resolutions suggests that the CPU's thread scheduling and the GPU's frame delivery remain stable under load.

For competitive play, the Medium preset at 1440p or 1080p is recommended. The 606 FPS average at 1080p Medium and 575 FPS at 1440p Medium provide ample headroom above the 360 Hz limit of the fastest monitors, while the visual enhancements over Low settings help with target acquisition and environmental readability. The 4K Medium preset, with its 534 FPS average and 454 FPS minimum, is also viable for those using 4K displays, though the lack of high refresh rate 4K monitors makes this less relevant for competitive play.