Valorant

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a combo that ranks in the 1237th position out of 3708 tested combinations in Valorant. This places it in the upper-middle tier of the benchmark database, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it delivers a very solid experience for this title. The ranking reflects a balance where the GPU’s massive compute power is partially held back by the CPU’s more modest multi-core capabilities, yet the combination still manages to produce high frame rates across all tested settings.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 1237th out of 3708 combos tested in Valorant, which places it in the top third of all pairings. The data suggests that the RTX 5090 is the dominant component, but the Core i3-12100F acts as a limiting factor. The CPU’s 4 cores and 8 threads represent a minimal baseline for a modern competitive FPS, yet the game’s engine is well optimized to take advantage of its 4.30 GHz boost clock. The percentile rank of 68 for the CPU against all processors, combined with the GPU’s 92nd percentile, shows a significant imbalance in raw performance potential. However, Valorant’s frame rates in the measured results are consistently high, indicating that the game is more dependent on GPU raw throughput than a demanding multi-core CPU. The 1237th rank out of 3708 combos means the combo is better than roughly two-thirds of all tested pairings, which is a strong showing given the CPU’s budget-oriented positioning.

GPU Role

The GeForce RTX 5090 is an absolute powerhouse, with a boost clock of 2407 MHz and a base clock of 2017 MHz. Its memory is a staggering 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. In Valorant, this translates to extremely high raw frame rates, but the card’s 21760 shading units are overkill for a game that is not visually demanding. The GPU’s 96 random access memory (with 176 ROPs and 680 TMUs) ensures that even at 4K resolution with Ultra settings, the card is not fully utilized. The benchmark scores show a Passmark G3D score of 39650, which places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, far above the CPU’s 68th percentile ranking. This indicates that the GPU is the dominant force in this pairing, and the CPU is the limiting factor in achieving even higher frame rates. The GPU’s high memory bandwidth is largely irrelevant for Valorant, as the game’s textures are not heavy, but it does ensure that the GPU never waits on data, allowing for the high average FPS observed. The GPU’s 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than sufficient for the game’s graphics, and the data shows that the GPU is not a bottleneck in any of the tested settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear trend as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 522 FPS. When moving to 1440p, this drops to 495 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 460 FPS. This 62 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K indicates that the CPU is becoming more of a limiting factor at lower resolutions, while the GPU is taking on more work at 4K. The data shows that the average FPS at 4K is still exceptionally high, but the scaling is not linear. From 1080p to 1440p, the drop is 27 FPS, which is a 5.2% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is 35 FPS, a 7% decrease. This suggests that the GPU is still able to handle the increased pixel count without a significant hit, but the CPU’s single-thread performance is starting to cap the frame rate. The difference between the lowest and highest settings at 4K is 81 FPS (460-379), which is a significant gap, indicating that the GPU’s raw power is more impactful at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 91 FPS (522-431), showing that the CPU is the limiting factor at low settings, while the GPU becomes more relevant at higher settings. The data overall points to the CPU being the primary bottleneck for this combo, but the GPU is still able to deliver a high frame rate in all scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings is consistent and high. At 1920x1080, the Low settings yield an average of 522 FPS, the highest of any setting. The Medium setting averages 446 FPS with a minimum of 379 and a maximum of 512. High settings average 438 FPS, and Ultra averages 431 FPS. The data shows that the GPU is not being fully utilized at 1080p, as the CPU’s single-threaded score of 1674 in single-core tests is the limiting factor. The 4-core, 8-thread configuration of the i3-12100F is sufficient for Valorant’s low CPU demand, but it does cap the frame rate at around 500 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Low settings averages 495 FPS, which is a 5% drop from 1080p. The Medium settings average 423 FPS with a minimum of 359 and a maximum of 486. High averages 417 FPS, and Ultra averages 409 FPS. This shows a 22 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p, indicating that the GPU is more involved as resolution increases. At 3840x2160, the Low settings average 460 FPS, the Medium averages 392 FPS with a minimum of 333 and a maximum of 451, High averages 386 FPS, and Ultra averages 379 FPS. The average FPS at 4K is still high, but the gap between Low and Ultra is 81 FPS, showing that the GPU is more stressed at this resolution. The highest average FPS recorded is 522 at 1080p Low, and the lowest is 379 at 4K Ultra. The data shows that the combo is capable of maintaining over 300 FPS in all but the most demanding settings, and the GPU’s 32 GB of VRAM is never a concern.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The CPU’s single-threaded performance is its strongest asset, with a 3dMark single-thread score of 893, which is the basis for its high frame rates in Valorant. The nearest rival, the Intel Core 5 120UL, is only 0.7% faster in average benchmark scores, but the i3-12100F has a higher single-thread performance, which is critical for this game. The CPU’s L3 cache of 12 MB shared and 80 KB of L1 per core helps with the game’s low-latency requirements. The base clock of 3.30 GHz ensures a solid minimum performance, but the boost clock of 4.30 GHz is what allows the CPU to keep up with the RTX 5090’s frame generation. In multi-threaded tests, the CPU scores a 3dmark_16_threads of 4051, but the game does not utilize more than 8 threads effectively. The CPU’s 58W TDP indicates a low power draw, but it is not a limiting factor in performance. The single-threaded score of 893 in 3dmark_single_thread is the highest of the CPU’s scores, and it is this that allows the combo to reach 522 FPS at 1080p. The CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with enough data to maintain high frame rates, and it does so, but it is clear that the CPU is the bottleneck in this pairing. The 32nd percentile of CPUs is 68, meaning it is better than 68% of all processors, but it is the low core count that limits its performance in more CPU-demanding games. In Valorant, the CPU is adequate, but the data shows that a higher-end CPU would allow the RTX 5090 to reach its full potential.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data indicates that the Medium settings at any resolution is the most balanced choice. At 1080p, the Medium preset averages 458 FPS, which is only 9% lower than the Low preset’s 522 FPS, but offers a better visual quality. The Medium preset also provides a minimum of 379 FPS and a maximum of 512 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 423 FPS with a minimum of 359 and a maximum of 486, which is a 9% drop from 1080p but still high. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 392 FPS with a minimum of 333 and a maximum of 451, which is a 14% drop from 1080p. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 431 FPS, which is 91 FPS lower than Low, indicating that the GPU is not being fully utilized at low settings. The GPU is more capable at higher resolutions, so the Medium preset at 4K is the best for a competitive edge, as it provides a high frame rate with a moderate load. The Low settings at 1080p produce the highest FPS, but the difference between Low and Medium is only 64 FPS, which is not worth the visual fidelity loss. The Medium preset is recommended for all resolutions because it provides a high enough frame rate for competitive play while maintaining a visually acceptable experience. The Ultra preset at 1080p gives 431 FPS, which is 27 FPS lower than Medium, but the visual difference is minimal in a fast-paced game. The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1080p, as it offers a high average FPS and a good balance of fidelity. The High preset at any resolution is also a good choice, but the Medium preset offers the best performance without sacrificing too much visual quality. For professional players, the Low preset at 1080p is the only way to get the highest FPS, but the difference is negligible. The RTX 5090 is overkill for this game, so any settings will provide a playable experience, but the Medium preset is the best for a balanced experience.