Valorant

The Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Valorant, with the data showing average FPS figures that far exceed the refresh rates of most gaming monitors. Across all tested settings and resolutions, the lowest recorded average is 198.6 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating that this pairing is overwhelmingly CPU-bound in most scenarios, with the GPU rarely becoming a limiting factor. The measured data positions this combo at rank 1342 out of 1650 tested combinations.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 493, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is a substantial margin above the next highest result of 414.3 FPS at 2560x1440 Low.

Q: How does the i3-12100F compare to its nearest rival in CPU benchmarks?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, which is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX at 13534, showing a delta of -0.1%. It is 1.8% ahead of the Intel Core i7-7700K, which scores 13280.

Q: What is the GTX 1070's performance percentile relative to all GPUs?

A: The GTX 1070 sits at the 51st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12331. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA Quadro K4200, scores 12241, a 0.7% difference.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080, the difference is 201.7 FPS. Low settings average 493 FPS, while Ultra settings average 291.3 FPS, with High at 303.3 FPS and Medium at 321.8 FPS.

Q: Does the combo maintain playable frame rates even at the highest resolution tested?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 198.6, which remains above 144 Hz. Even the most demanding configuration tested, 4K Ultra, produces frame rates far above typical competitive thresholds.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance score in Cinebench R23?

A: The i3-12100F scores 1681 in the Cinebench R23 single-core test. Its multi-core score is 11912, showing strong scaling from its 4 cores and 8 threads.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its measured benchmark data shows a single-thread score of 893 in 3DMark, and a PassMark single-thread score of 3444, which is notably high for a chip in its class. This single-core strength is the dominant factor in Valorant, a game that relies heavily on per-thread performance for game logic and rendering commands.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 7413. Data from the 3DMark tests shows scores of 2859 for 4 threads and 4026 for 8 threads, suggesting that while the processor is efficient at utilizing its full thread count, the performance scaling from 4 to 8 threads is modest—a 41.1% increase. This indicates that the game's engine primarily leverages the first few cores, making the high boost clock more critical than raw core count.

In the context of Valorant's frame rates, the CPU appears to be the primary driver. The delta between Low and Ultra settings at 1920x1080 is 201.7 FPS, but the scaling across resolutions is more telling. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 493 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 414.3 FPS; and at 4K Low, it falls to 335.6 FPS. This pattern suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes more involved, but the CPU still manages to feed it enough data to maintain extremely high output. The i3-12100F's position at the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516, confirms it is a solid performer for this workload.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070, based on the Pascal architecture and GP104 chip, features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Its core clocks are set at 1506 MHz base and 1683 MHz boost, with memory running at 2002 MHz (8 Gbps effective). The GPU's compute capabilities include 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, delivering a pixel rate of 107.7 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 202.0 GTexel/s.

In Valorant, the GTX 1070's role is less about raw throughput and more about maintaining consistent frame delivery at high refresh rates. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 198.6, which is above the threshold for most high-refresh monitors. The GPU's 51st percentile ranking among all GPUs (average benchmark score 12331) is modest, but its performance in this specific title is more than adequate. The PassMark G3D score of 13498 and DirectX 11 score of 100 indicate strong legacy API performance, which aligns with Valorant's engine requirements.

The scaling of FPS with settings at the same resolution shows the GPU's headroom. At 2560x1440, the average FPS ranges from 414.3 (Low) down to 247.9 (Ultra), a 40.2% drop. At 1920x1080, the drop from Low to Ultra is 40.9%. This consistent pattern suggests that the GPU is handling the graphical load efficiently, and the CPU is not bottlenecking the pipeline until the very highest settings at 4K. The GTX 1070's 8 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for Valorant, as the game's texture requirements are modest, even at Ultra settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture for optimizing the experience. At 1920x1080, the most common competitive resolution, all settings produce averages above 291 FPS. The jump from Low (493 FPS) to Medium (321.8 FPS) is significant—a 34.7% reduction—but the jump from Medium to High (303.3 FPS) is only 5.7%, and from High to Ultra (291.3 FPS) is a further 4.0%. For players with 144 Hz or 240 Hz monitors, the Medium preset offers a strong balance, delivering 321.8 FPS while providing more visual detail than Low.

At 2560x1440, the story is similar. Medium settings average 272.9 FPS, which is still far above any competitive refresh rate. High settings at 259.5 FPS and Ultra at 247.9 FPS remain excellent, with the difference between Medium and Ultra being only 9.2%. For 4K users, the data shows that even Ultra settings at 198.6 FPS are playable, but the Medium preset at 217.1 FPS offers a 9.3% improvement with minimal visual sacrifice.

The optimal preset depends on the display's refresh rate. For a 144 Hz monitor, the High preset at 1920x1080 (303.3 FPS) or 2560x1440 (259.5 FPS) provides a comfortable margin above the refresh cap, ensuring no frame drops below the threshold. For 240 Hz displays, the Medium preset is the safest choice, as it provides 321.8 FPS at 1080p and 272.9 FPS at 1440p. The Low preset is only necessary for pushing frame rates to their absolute maximum (493 FPS at 1080p), which is useful for players with 360 Hz monitors or those seeking the lowest possible input latency.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 1342 out of 1650 tested combos in Valorant. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all possible pairings, which is surprising given the absolute frame rates achieved. The ranking reflects the relative performance of other combinations, many of which feature more powerful GPUs or CPUs that can push even higher frame rates at these settings.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is a key factor. The i3-12100F's average benchmark score of 13516 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (13534, delta -0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-1250U (13462, delta 0.4%). This indicates that the CPU is not a weak link in this pairing. However, the GPU's ranking is more nuanced. The GTX 1070's average score of 12331 is 0.7% above the NVIDIA Quadro K4200 and 1.4% below the GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER (12504). This places it in the 51st percentile, meaning half of all GPUs tested are faster.

The rank of 1342 out of 1650 suggests that while this combo delivers excellent playable performance, there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in Valorant, likely due to more modern GPUs with higher pixel fill rates or CPUs with even stronger single-thread performance. However, the data shows that this pairing is not bottlenecked in any meaningful way; the frame rates are consistently high, and the user experience would be indistinguishable from that of a higher-ranked combo in actual gameplay, given the refresh rate limits of current monitors. The combo's performance confirms the efficiency of both components in this specific title, even if the overall ranking does not reflect the absolute FPS numbers.