Valorant

This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER in Valorant, based exclusively on the provided benchmark data. The dataset includes average frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets, alongside synthetic CPU and GPU benchmarks. The following sections interpret these results, focusing on the interplay between processor capabilities, graphics card headroom, and game settings.

FAQ

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

A: The maximum measured average is 524.4 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

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

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates range from 381.5 FPS (Ultra) to 459.5 FPS (Low). This represents a performance drop of approximately 12-14% compared to the equivalent settings at 1920x1080, where frame rates span from 433.2 FPS (Ultra) to 524.4 FPS (Low).

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 500 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces 407.6 FPS. The gap between these two settings is 92.4 FPS, which is roughly a 22.7% reduction in average frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does increasing the resolution from 1440p to 4K have a larger impact than increasing settings from Low to Ultra?

A: Yes, the resolution change has a more significant effect. At 1440p Low, the average is 500 FPS, dropping to 459.5 FPS at 4K Low, a loss of 40.5 FPS. In contrast, moving from 1440p Low to 1440p Ultra reduces the average by 92.4 FPS, but the resolution change from 1440p to 4K on the same Low preset only reduces it by 40.5 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations in this game?

A: The data places this combination at rank 509 out of 1650 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the upper third of all tested systems.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded performance in synthetic tests?

A: In Cinebench R23, the processor scores 11912 points in the multi-core test and 1681 points in the single-core test. The multi-core score is over 7 times higher than the single-core score, indicating strong scaling across its four cores and eight threads.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data indicates that the choice of settings should be driven by the target refresh rate and resolution, as the GPU provides substantial headroom across all configurations. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are exceptionally high across the board, with the Low preset hitting 524.4 FPS and the Ultra preset still delivering 433.2 FPS. For competitive play on high-refresh-rate monitors, the Low preset offers the highest possible frame rate, but the difference between Low and Medium is a mere 80.7 FPS, while the jump from Medium to Ultra is only 10.5 FPS. This suggests that at 1080p, the Medium preset provides a balanced experience, as it captures most of the performance benefit of the Low preset while likely offering a more stable visual experience.

At 2560x1440, the pattern is consistent. The Low preset yields 500 FPS, while Medium and High produce 419.8 and 417.1 FPS, respectively. The Ultra preset trails at 407.6 FPS. The variance between Medium and Ultra is just 12.2 FPS, making the Ultra preset a viable option for users with 1440p 240Hz displays, as it still exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. For 4K resolution, the story changes slightly. The Low preset delivers 459.5 FPS, but the Ultra preset drops to 381.5 FPS. Even at this lower figure, the frame rate remains far above the standard 60Hz or 144Hz display refresh rates, meaning users can prioritize visual quality without compromising playability.

The optimal preset depends on the display's refresh rate. For a 360Hz or higher monitor, the Low preset at 1080p or 1440p is the only way to fully utilize the panel's capabilities, given the measured averages of 524.4 and 500 FPS, respectively. For 240Hz displays, the Medium or High presets at 1440p are sufficient, as their averages of 419.8 and 417.1 FPS provide a comfortable margin above the refresh rate. At 4K, even the Ultra preset's 381.5 FPS average is high enough for a 360Hz display, although the performance difference between Low and Ultra is only 78 FPS, making the Ultra preset the more sensible choice for visual fidelity without a meaningful competitive disadvantage.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is a high-end graphics card with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 672.3 GB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2610 MHz, and it features 8448 shading units. In Valorant, a game known for its low graphical demands, this GPU is rarely a bottleneck. The measured frame rates confirm this: at 1080p Low, the average is 524.4 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit rather than the GPU's.

The GPU's role becomes more apparent at higher resolutions. When moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low, the average frame rate drops from 524.4 to 459.5 FPS, a reduction of 64.9 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is handling a greater workload at 4K, but it still has ample headroom. The synthetic benchmarks support this view, with the GPU scoring 31811 in Passmark G3D and 31811 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA CMP 50HX, scores 49071, which is 0.7% higher, while the RTX A2000 scores 47915, which is 1.6% lower.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is far more than Valorant requires, but it ensures that memory capacity is never a limiting factor. The high bandwidth is also beneficial for texture streaming at high resolutions, though the data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate remains above 380 FPS, suggesting that memory bandwidth is not a constraint. The GPU's clock speeds and compute capabilities are overkill for this title, meaning the system's performance is predominantly dictated by the CPU's ability to feed the render thread.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER achieves a rank of 509 out of 1650 tested combos in Valorant. This places the system in the top 31% of all configurations tested, which is a strong result given the processor's position in the CPU hierarchy. The CPU itself holds the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which scores 13534 (0.1% higher), and the Intel Core i7-7700K, which scores 13280 (1.8% lower).

The ranking suggests that while the GPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, the overall system performance is moderated by the CPU. In a game like Valorant, which is heavily dependent on single-thread performance, the i3-12100F's strong single-core scores (1681 in Cinebench R23 and 893 in 3DMark single-thread) are crucial. The combo's rank of 509 indicates that many other systems with faster processors achieve higher frame rates, but the gap is likely small given the high absolute numbers. The data shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor, as evidenced by the small performance delta between 1080p and 4K on the same settings, which means the CPU is the primary driver of the observed frame rates.

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. It has 12 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In Valorant, the CPU's role is paramount because the game's engine relies heavily on a single primary thread for game logic and draw call submission. The processor's single-thread performance, as measured by a 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681, is strong for a budget chip.

The multi-threaded performance is also relevant, as the game can utilize additional cores for audio, physics, and background tasks. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11912 shows good scaling from the 4 cores, and the 3DMark 4-thread score of 2859 indicates that the processor can handle moderate parallel workloads. However, the data suggests that the CPU is the bottleneck in this configuration, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate is 524.4 FPS, but as the resolution increases to 4K Low, the frame rate only drops to 459.5 FPS. This relatively small drop indicates that the CPU is already delivering close to its maximum frame throughput at 1080p, and the GPU has enough headroom to maintain similar performance at higher resolutions.

The processor's 4 cores and 8 threads are sufficient for Valorant, but they may limit performance if background applications compete for resources. The CPU's 58W TDP and 10 nm process node are modest, but its boost clock of 4.30 GHz is the key factor for this game. In comparison to its nearest rivals, the i3-12100F's average score of 13516 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX's 13534, which is a much more expensive and higher-core-count processor. This highlights that for single-threaded workloads like Valorant, the i3-12100F's architecture and clock speed are highly effective, even though it lags in multi-threaded tasks. The benchmark results show that the CPU's performance is sufficient to drive high frame rates, but the frame rate ceiling is set by the CPU, not the GPU.