Valorant

Valorant is a title where the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested resolutions. The data indicates that this pairing is overwhelmingly capable of pushing beyond the refresh rates of standard high-speed monitors, with the primary bottleneck shifting from the GPU to the CPU as resolution decreases. Benchmark results show that at 1080p, the system’s performance is heavily influenced by processor capabilities, while at 4K, the graphics card becomes a more significant, though still non-limiting, factor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases, but the absolute numbers remain staggeringly high at every step. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combination produces an average of 522 FPS, which stands as the peak performance in the dataset. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 495 FPS, a reduction of approximately 5.2%, indicating that the system is not yet constrained by pixel throughput. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls further to 406 FPS, which is a 22.2% decrease from the 1080p result. This scaling behavior suggests that even at 4K, the RTX 2060 SUPER is not fully saturated, as the frame rate remains well above what most displays can physically render.

The scaling pattern across settings presets tells a more nuanced story about the limiting component. When comparing Ultra settings, the frame rates are 356 FPS at 1080p, 304 FPS at 1440p, and 243 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 14.6%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 20.1%. This progressive decline indicates that the GPU’s workload is increasing with resolution, but the magnitude of the decline is modest compared to more graphically demanding titles. The fact that 4K Ultra still achieves 243 FPS average demonstrates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is operating well within its comfort zone for this game.

A critical observation is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution. At 1080p, the gap between Low (522 FPS) and Ultra (356 FPS) is 166 FPS, or 31.8%. At 1440p, the gap narrows to 191 FPS (495 vs 304), and at 4K, it shrinks to 163 FPS (406 vs 243). The relative consistency of this gap across resolutions suggests that the CPU is contributing significantly to the ceiling at lower resolutions, while the GPU handles the extra load from higher settings without collapsing. This is a hallmark of a well-balanced system for an esports title, where the CPU’s single-thread performance is often the deciding factor.

The data also shows that Medium settings provide a middle ground that may be optimal for competitive play. At 1080p Medium, the average is 392 FPS with a minimum of 334 FPS, while at 1440p Medium, it is 335 FPS with a minimum of 285 FPS. The min FPS values are crucial for understanding frame pacing in a competitive shooter, as they represent the worst-case scenario during intense moments. The 4K Medium result of 268 FPS average with a 227 FPS minimum confirms that even at the highest resolution, the system never dips below the threshold of high-refresh-rate monitors, making this combination exceptionally stable.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a TU106 chip, is a 12 nm part that carries 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus. This configuration yields a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is substantial for a card of this class. The GPU’s base clock is 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and it houses 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units. These specifications translate to a pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 224.4 GTexel/s, which are more than adequate for a game like Valorant that does not rely on heavy texture filtering or complex pixel shaders.

In the context of this game’s results, the GPU’s role is primarily to render the scene at the target resolution without introducing frame drops. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (243 average) demonstrates that the graphics card has ample headroom, as it is only utilizing a fraction of its compute potential. The FP32 performance of 7.181 TFLOPS is more than sufficient for the DirectX 12 workload that Valorant presents, and the card’s support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) ensures compatibility with modern rendering paths. The fact that the GPU’s percentile rank is 62 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093, places it in the upper mid-range, but its performance in this specific title far exceeds what that ranking might suggest.

Comparing the RTX 2060 SUPER to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, it sits within 1.6% of the Intel Arc A770M and AMD Radeon RX 460, and within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon Pro 5700. This proximity in average scores indicates that these cards have similar overall compute capabilities, but in Valorant, the RTX 2060 SUPER’s specific architectural strengths shine through. The card’s 8 GB VRAM is never a concern at these settings, as the game’s memory footprint at 4K Ultra does not approach the limit, and the lack of any measurable VRAM-related stutter in the FPS data confirms this. The memory clock of 1750 MHz, effective 14 Gbps, provides the bandwidth needed to feed the shading units without bottlenecks, even at the higher pixel counts.

The GPU’s power characteristics, with a TDP of 175 W and a suggested PSU of 450 W, are not directly reflected in the FPS numbers, but they indicate that this is a power-hungry part relative to its performance class. The card’s slot width of dual-slot and length of 229 mm are physical attributes that do not impact the measured performance but are relevant for system builders. The presence of 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores suggests that the card is future-proofed for ray tracing and AI workloads, even though Valorant does not utilize these features. Overall, the GPU role in this combination is to provide a stable, high-FPS foundation that never becomes the limiting factor, even at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. With a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, this CPU delivers strong single-thread performance, which is critical for Valorant’s game engine. The processor’s L3 cache is 12 MB shared, and its benchmark scores reflect a capable mid-range part: the Cinebench R23 single-core score is 1674, while the multi-core score is 11860. In Geekbench, the single-core score is 1932 and the multi-core score is 7252, indicating that the CPU has a solid balance of per-core efficiency and multi-threaded capacity.

The CPU’s role in this game is evident from the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 522 FPS, which is only 5.2% higher than at 1440p Low (495 FPS). This small difference suggests that the CPU is beginning to hit its limit at 1080p, as the GPU has more than enough headroom to render more frames if the processor could feed it. The fact that the 4K Low result (406 FPS) is 22.2% lower than 1080p Low indicates that the GPU is now becoming more involved, but the CPU is still keeping up. The passmark single-thread score of 3444 and the 3dmark single-thread score of 893 further confirm that the i3-12100F has strong single-core performance, which is the primary driver of high FPS in esports titles.

The nearest rivals to the i3-12100F in the benchmark database include the Intel Core 3 N355 with a delta of 0%, the Intel Core i5-9500 with a delta of 0.3%, and the Intel Core 5 120UL with a delta of -0.7%. This means the i3-12100F performs nearly identically to these processors in average benchmark scores, but its specific architecture and clock speeds are well-suited for Valorant’s low-thread-count workload. The CPU’s 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient to handle the game’s logic and physics without bottlenecking, as evidenced by the high FPS numbers at all resolutions.

The CPU’s memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, with a dual-channel bus, allows for flexible system configurations, though the memory bandwidth is not listed. The lack of integrated graphics means a discrete GPU is mandatory, which is already present in this combination. The CPU’s TDP of 58 W is modest, and its socket is Intel Socket 1700, which is compatible with a wide range of motherboards. The processor’s percentile rank of 68 among all CPUs places it in the upper half, but its performance in this game is exceptional due to the title’s reliance on single-threaded performance. The data shows that the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, but it is a high enough limit that users will rarely notice any constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2363 out of 3708 tested combos in Valorant. This places it in the 36th percentile of all combos, meaning that 63.7% of tested systems perform better in this game. However, this ranking must be interpreted in the context of the absolute FPS numbers, which are exceptionally high across the board. The ranking is likely influenced by the fact that many higher-end combos with more powerful CPUs and GPUs can achieve even higher frame rates, but the practical difference is negligible for most users.

The combo rank of 2363 out of 3708 suggests that while this system is not at the top of the leaderboard, it is far from the bottom. The data shows that the system consistently delivers over 240 FPS at 4K Ultra and over 350 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which are figures that surpass the refresh rates of most gaming monitors. The ranking is a relative measure, and the absolute performance is what matters for gameplay. The fact that this combo is in the lower half of the rankings is more proof of the sheer number of high-end systems tested than a reflection of this system’s inadequacy.

When considering the GPU’s percentile of 62 and the CPU’s percentile of 68, it is clear that both components are above average in their respective categories. The combination of a mid-high GPU with a mid-high CPU yields a system that is well-balanced for Valorant, but the ranking indicates that there are many combos with more headroom. For example, a combo with a higher-end CPU might push the 1080p Low FPS from 522 to higher, but the gains would be marginal and likely imperceptible. The ranking is a useful data point for comparing systems, but the measured FPS values provide the most actionable information.

The data indicates that this combo is more than capable of handling Valorant at competitive settings, and the ranking should not be interpreted as a sign of weakness. The system’s performance is consistent across all settings, with no major dips in minimum FPS, which is crucial for maintaining a smooth experience in a fast-paced shooter. The combo rank of 2363 out of 3708 is a statistical measure that does not account for the specific requirements of this game, which are modest compared to AAA titles. In practice, this system will provide an excellent Valorant experience, and the ranking is a secondary consideration to the raw FPS numbers.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this hardware combination. For competitive play, where high frame rates and low latency are paramount, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers the highest average FPS at 522, but the Medium preset at 1080p is a more balanced choice. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 392, with a minimum of 334 FPS, which is still well above the threshold for a 240 Hz monitor. The Low preset sacrifices visual fidelity for raw speed, but the Medium preset provides better visual clarity without a significant performance penalty, making it the recommended choice for most players.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the optimal balance. It delivers an average of 335 FPS with a minimum of 285 FPS, which is sufficient for a 240 Hz display and provides a more detailed image than Low. The High preset at 1440p offers 319 FPS average, which is only a 4.8% reduction from Medium, but the Ultra preset drops to 304 FPS. The Medium preset is recommended because it offers the best combination of visual quality and frame rate stability, with the min FPS staying above 280, ensuring no noticeable stutter during intense firefights.

At 4K, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, with an average of 268 FPS and a minimum of 227 FPS. This is the only 4K preset with a recorded min FPS in the dataset, and it is still high enough for a 240 Hz monitor. The Low preset at 4K achieves 406 FPS, which is impressive but comes with a significant visual downgrade, while the High and Ultra presets offer 255 and 243 FPS respectively. The Medium preset at 4K provides a good compromise, but for users prioritizing frame rate above all else, the Low preset is viable. Overall, the data suggests that Medium settings at any resolution offer the best experience, as they provide a stable frame rate with acceptable visual quality for a competitive title.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 522 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the peak performance in the dataset.

Q: Does this system maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system achieves an average of 243 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors and ensures a smooth experience.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core 3 N355, has a delta of 0%, while the Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3% faster and the Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% slower.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS is 285, with an average of 335 FPS and a maximum of 385 FPS.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiting factor at 1080p, as the FPS difference between 1080p Low (522) and 1440p Low (495) is only 5.2%, indicating the GPU has headroom to render more frames if the CPU could supply them.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in Valorant?

A: This combo ranks 2363 out of 3708 tested combos, placing it in the lower half, but the absolute FPS numbers are exceptionally high and suitable for competitive play.