Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS where frame rates far above display refresh rates are the norm, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER produces a fascinating dataset. This pairing of a 10th-generation 6-core processor with a top-tier 40-series graphics card creates a scenario where the measured frames are exceptionally high, yet the data reveals a clear hierarchy in performance scaling across resolutions and settings. The benchmark results show this combo achieving a rank of 1298 out of 1650 tested combinations, placing it in the 21st percentile of all tested systems, which is a surprisingly low position for such powerful hardware in this specific esports title, suggesting that other components or configurations are more optimal for Valorant.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and can boost up to 4.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 and 256 KB of L2 per core, along with a shared 12 MB L3 cache. This processor supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, and connects via PCIe Gen 3 with 16 lanes. Its benchmark scores are respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and a single-core score of 1453, while Geekbench results show 5783 multi-core and 1454 single-core points.

In Valorant, which is known to be sensitive to CPU performance, the data shows this processor's capabilities are sufficient to drive very high frame rates. The single-thread performance is critical for the game's main game logic and rendering thread. With a PassMark single-thread score of 2541 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 688, the i5-10400F provides a solid foundation. The CPU's 3DMark scores scale from 1350 with 2 threads to 3929 with 8 threads, and 4748 with 16 threads, indicating that while it has multiple cores, the performance gain from additional threads beyond 8 is minimal, which aligns with Valorant's typical usage patterns. The data implies that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios, as the frame rates at 1080p Low reach 386.2 FPS, but the combo's overall rank of 1298 suggests that other CPUs in the database might offer higher single-core speeds or lower memory latency that contribute to even better performance in this specific title.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is an Ada Lovelace architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 10240 shading units, 320 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, along with 80 RT cores and 320 tensor cores. The GPU has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, with memory running at 1438 MHz (23 Gbps effective). It is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. The card's compute power is substantial, with an FP32 performance of 52.22 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 6600, and it holds a PassMark G3D score of 34245, with an average benchmark score of 53610.

For Valorant, the RTX 4080 SUPER is massively overqualified from a pure rendering standpoint. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 278.8 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can refresh. The GPU's role becomes less about raw pixel pushing and more about maintaining consistency. Interestingly, the measured FPS at 1080p Low is 386.2, which is only 13.9% higher than the 4K High result of 282.3 FPS. This relatively small gap indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions; instead, the CPU and memory subsystem are likely the bottlenecks. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT with a deltaPct of 0.2, meaning the RTX 4080 SUPER is only 0.2% faster in average benchmark score, and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M at 0.4% faster, which shows that in general compute tasks, the performance is very close, but in Valorant's specific workload, the frame rates are far above the necessity threshold.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves in Valorant at any resolution and setting?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 386.2 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo's performance at 4K Ultra compare to its performance at 1080p Low?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate is 278.8 FPS, while at 1080p Low it is 386.2 FPS. This represents a 38.5% increase in frame rate when moving from the most demanding to the least demanding configuration.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1298 out of 1650 tested combinations, placing it in the 21st percentile of all systems tested for Valorant.

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

A: In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 10297 in multi-core and 1453 in single-core, showing a 7.1x scaling from single to multi-threaded workloads. In Geekbench, the multi-core score of 5783 is 4.0x higher than the single-core score of 1454.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low setting yields 365.9 FPS while Ultra yields 303.8 FPS, a difference of 62.1 FPS or 20.4% higher performance for Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 SUPER's average benchmark score compare to its nearest rival?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 53610, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT's score of 53489, and 0.4% higher than the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M's score of 53414.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo's rank of 1298 out of 1650 in Valorant is a notable data point. This places the system in the bottom 21.4% of all tested combinations, which is counterintuitive given the hardware's raw capabilities. The CPU's percentile versus all CPUs is 73, meaning it outperforms 73% of processors in the database, and the GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 88, outperforming 88% of graphics cards. However, in Valorant specifically, the combination underperforms relative to its component-level standings. This suggests that the game's engine is heavily optimized for certain CPU architectures or memory configurations that the i5-10400F does not fully leverage. The nearest CPU rivals include the AMD EPYC 7552 with a deltaPct of 0.4, indicating the i5-10400F is 0.4% faster, and the Intel Core i5-8500 which is 1.1% slower. The GPU's nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, which is virtually identical in average score. The low combo rank implies that many other systems, possibly with faster single-threaded CPUs or lower latency memory, achieve higher frame rates in Valorant, despite having weaker GPUs, because the game is not GPU-bound at typical settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Examining the measured data across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently delivers the highest average frame rates. At 1920x1080, Low produces 386.2 FPS compared to 323.6 FPS for High, 326.8 FPS for Medium, and 316.9 FPS for Ultra. This pattern holds at 2560x1440, where Low achieves 365.9 FPS versus 309.4 FPS for High, 309.6 FPS for Medium, and 303.8 FPS for Ultra. At 3840x2160, Low reaches 338.8 FPS, while High is 282.3 FPS, Medium is 289.7 FPS, and Ultra is 278.8 FPS. The data shows that the difference between Low and the next best setting (Medium) ranges from 49.1 FPS at 4K to 59.4 FPS at 1080p. For competitive play, the Low preset offers the highest possible frame rates, which can reduce input latency and provide smoother motion on high-refresh-rate displays. However, the Medium preset provides a 326.8 FPS at 1080p, which is only 15.4% lower than Low, and may offer better visual clarity for spotting enemies. The Ultra preset, while visually superior, provides the lowest frame rates, but still exceeds 278 FPS at all resolutions, making it viable for those who prioritize image quality over absolute performance. The data suggests that Low is optimal for maximum FPS, but Medium offers a balanced trade-off between visual fidelity and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: High settings deliver 323.6 FPS, Low settings deliver 386.2 FPS, Medium settings deliver 326.8 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 316.9 FPS. The spread between the lowest (Ultra) and highest (Low) is 69.3 FPS, representing a 21.9% performance gain for Low over Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the results show High at 309.4 FPS, Low at 365.9 FPS, Medium at 309.6 FPS, and Ultra at 303.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 62.1 FPS, a 20.4% improvement for Low. At 3840x2160, High produces 282.3 FPS, Low produces 338.8 FPS, Medium produces 289.7 FPS, and Ultra produces 278.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 60.0 FPS, which is a 21.5% increase for Low. Across all resolutions, the Low setting consistently outperforms the others by a similar margin of roughly 20-22%, indicating that the performance scaling from settings is consistent regardless of resolution. The absolute frame rates are remarkably high, with even the lowest measured result (278.8 FPS at 4K Ultra) being far above the typical 144 Hz or 240 Hz refresh rates of gaming monitors.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The data reveals a relatively modest drop in frame rates as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. For High settings, the FPS goes from 323.6 at 1080p to 309.4 at 1440p, a 4.4% decrease, and then to 282.3 at 4K, a further 8.8% decrease from 1440p. For Low settings, the progression is from 386.2 at 1080p to 365.9 at 1440p (5.3% decrease) and then to 338.8 at 4K (7.4% decrease from 1440p). The Medium settings show 326.8 at 1080p, 309.6 at 1440p (5.3% decrease), and 289.7 at 4K (6.4% decrease from 1440p). Ultra settings follow a similar trend: 316.9 at 1080p, 303.8 at 1440p (4.1% decrease), and 278.8 at 4K (8.2% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K ranges from 12.8% for Low settings to 14.1% for High settings. This relatively small performance penalty for a 4x increase in pixel count is highly unusual. In most games, a jump to 4K would cause a much larger frame rate reduction, often 50% or more. The fact that the FPS only drops by about 13-14% indicates that the system is heavily CPU-bound at 1080p, and even at 4K, the GPU is not being fully utilized. The RTX 4080 SUPER's massive compute power (52.22 TFLOPS) is more than enough for Valorant's simple graphics, so the limiting factor is the CPU's ability to process game logic and issue draw calls. The i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears to be the primary constraint, as the frame rates at 4K are still extremely high but do not scale down as much as expected when resolution increases, confirming that the CPU is the bottleneck in this pairing.