Valorant

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1289 out of 1650 tested combos in Valorant. This places the combination in the lower-middle portion of the database, indicating that while it delivers playable performance, many other configurations achieve higher frame rates. The ranking reflects the balance between the 6-core Comet Lake processor and the Ada Lovelace GPU, which together produce high average FPS but not top-tier results. The combo’s position suggests that the CPU becomes a limiting factor in this CPU-bound title, despite the GPU’s strong compute capabilities. Benchmark data confirms the pairing is more than adequate for standard play, yet it falls short of the top quartile of tested systems.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo occupies the 1289th position out of 1650 tested combinations, placing it in the 78th percentile of all pairings. This means roughly 22 percent of tested combos deliver higher average FPS in Valorant. The ranking is heavily influenced by the CPU’s performance ceiling, as Valorant is known to favor single-threaded and lightly-threaded workloads. The i5-10400F’s benchmark scores, such as a 3dmark_single_thread score of 688 and a passmark_single_thread score of 2541, are modest compared to newer processors, which explains why the combo does not climb higher. The GPU’s percentile rank of 66 against all GPUs shows it is a mid-tier performer, but the CPU’s percentile rank of 73 against all CPUs suggests a slight bottleneck in game scenarios. The data indicates that the combo outperforms the lowest-ranked configurations by a wide margin, but it cannot match systems using higher-clocked or higher-core-count CPUs.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Low preset consistently provides the highest average frame rates across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, Low yields 389.9 FPS, which is 65.9 FPS higher than High at 324.5 FPS and 69.5 FPS higher than Ultra at 320.4 FPS. This pattern holds at 2560x1440, where Low produces 366.2 FPS versus 304.4 FPS on High and 301.6 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, Low achieves 337.6 FPS, compared to 283.9 FPS on High and 281.7 FPS on Ultra. For competitive play, the Low preset is the recommended choice because it minimizes rendering overhead and maximizes the frame rate headroom, which is critical for response times. The Medium preset offers a middle ground, delivering 330 FPS at 1080p and 310.1 FPS at 1440p, but it does not provide a meaningful advantage over Low. The Ultra preset offers the lowest FPS in every resolution, with only 320.4 FPS at 1080p, so it is best reserved for visual fidelity over frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 389.9, recorded at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. This is the peak performance point across all tested settings and resolutions.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 281.7 on Ultra to 337.6 on Low. The High preset yields 283.9 FPS, and Medium yields 289.7 FPS, showing that even at 4K the frame rates remain above 280 FPS.

Q: Is there a large difference between Low and Ultra settings?

A: Yes, the difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, Low is 69.5 FPS faster than Ultra (389.9 vs 320.4). At 2560x1440, the gap is 64.6 FPS (366.2 vs 301.6), and at 3840x2160, it is 55.9 FPS (337.6 vs 281.7).

Q: Which resolution offers the best frame rate headroom?

A: 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates across all settings, with the Low preset reaching 389.9 FPS. This resolution gives the largest margin above the refresh rates of most gaming monitors.

Q: How does the GPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, placing it 0.6 percent behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321) and 0.7 percent behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (23338). It is 0.7 percent ahead of the Intel Arc B580 (23021) and 0.8 percent ahead of the AMD Radeon 760M (22999).

Q: Does the CPU’s multi-threaded performance affect Valorant’s frame rates?

A: The CPU’s multi-threaded scores, such as 10297 in cinebench_r23_multicore, suggest it can handle background tasks, but Valorant’s reliance on single-thread performance is more critical. The 3dmark_single_thread score of 688 indicates a moderate ceiling that limits the combo’s overall ranking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. The Low preset produces 389.9 FPS, followed by Medium at 330 FPS, High at 324.5 FPS, and Ultra at 320.4 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 69.5 FPS, showing that the game’s rendering settings have a measurable impact on performance. At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop slightly but remain high. Low achieves 366.2 FPS, Medium reaches 310.1 FPS, High hits 304.4 FPS, and Ultra lands at 301.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 64.6 FPS. At 3840x2160, the resolution scaling becomes more evident. Low still leads with 337.6 FPS, while Medium produces 289.7 FPS, High yields 283.9 FPS, and Ultra trails at 281.7 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra decreases to 55.9 FPS, indicating that at higher resolutions, the GPU load increases but the CPU remains the primary bottleneck. Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently outperforms the higher presets by a margin of at least 55 FPS, making it the most effective setting for maximizing frame rates.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. Its memory clock runs at 2125 MHz, or 17 Gbps effective, which is adequate for Valorant’s moderate memory demands. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and boosts to 2460 MHz, with a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s. These specifications allow the card to handle the game’s simple geometry and effects without strain. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 23181 places it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which scores 0.6 percent higher, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti, which scores 0.7 percent higher. The RTX 4060 edges out the Intel Arc B580 by 0.7 percent and the AMD Radeon 760M by 0.8 percent. In Valorant, the GPU is rarely the limiting factor, as evidenced by the high frame rates at all settings. The 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 compute capability and 3072 shading units provide ample throughput for the game’s visuals, meaning the GPU can easily keep up with the CPU’s output. The 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs further support efficient rasterization, ensuring consistent frame delivery even at 4K resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark results show a single-thread score of 688 in 3dmark and 1453 in cinebench_r23_singlecore, which are moderate figures for a processor released in 2020. The multi-threaded scores are stronger, with a cinebench_r23_multicore result of 10297 and a passmark_multithread score of 12115. These numbers place the CPU in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14168. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4 percent higher score) and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.8 percent lower score). In Valorant, the CPU’s single-thread performance is the primary driver of frame rates, as the game relies heavily on the main thread for game logic and rendering commands. The 4.30 GHz boost clock helps maintain high FPS, but it is not enough to push the combo into the upper ranks. The 42.7 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR4 support provide adequate data throughput, though they are not exceptional by modern standards. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and locked multiplier mean it operates within a fixed power envelope, but this does not hinder performance in a game like Valorant, which is not heavily multithreaded. The data suggests that upgrading to a CPU with a higher single-thread score would yield a more significant improvement in this game than upgrading the GPU.