Valorant

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT delivers a formidable Valorant experience, securing a combo rank of 2016 out of 3708 tested combinations. This places the pairing in a strong position, but the data suggests the GPU has ample headroom and the CPU, while capable, still influences peak performance at lower resolutions. This combo is clearly positioned for high-refresh-rate competitive play, with scores that indicate fluid, responsive gameplay across all tested presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark hierarchy, this combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT lands at a strong position, achieving a combo rank of 2016 out of 3708 tested combinations. This puts it in the upper half of all tested systems, indicating a well-balanced setup that is more than capable of handling the target game. The CPU, with an average benchmark score of 17177, sits in the 71st percentile against all other CPUs. The GPU, with its own average score of 22549, is placed in the 67th percentile against all GPUs, demonstrating that neither component is a bottleneck of the other in absolute terms.

The individual component rankings tell a broader story. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12, which has a nearly identical average score of 17120 (a 0.3% delta), and the Intel Core i5-12450H, which scores 17239 (a -0.4% delta). This indicates that the i5-11400F falls within a tight performance cluster, with its closest competitors separated by less than a percentage point. The GPU's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Mobile, which scores 22435 (a 0.5% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile, with a score of 22729 (a -0.8% delta). The RX 7700 XT's performance is thus closely matched to these mobile parts. It is also 1.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700, which scores 22170, showing it is a significant step up from the previous generation. The data indicates that this combination is a solid, mid-to-high-tier performer that will not struggle with the chosen game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Core 11th Gen series, built on the Rocket Lake architecture with a 14 nm process node. Its base clock is 2.60 GHz, which boosts up to 4.40 GHz, and it has a 65 W TDP. In the context of Valorant, a game known for its dependency on strong single-core performance to achieve high frame rates, the CPU's role is critical. The benchmark results show the single-core performance is robust. For instance, the Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2024, and the Geekbench single-core score is 1776. These are strong numbers that translate directly into the high FPS seen in the game's CPU-limited scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions like 1080p.

The i5-11400F's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with a 51.2 GB/s bandwidth) provide a solid foundation for game data streaming. The CPU's overall strength is also reflected in its multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a Geekbench multicore score of 7737. While Valorant is not heavily multi-threaded, having 12 threads ensures that background processes and game logic do not cause frame hitches. The CPU's performance percentile (71st) is respectable, but the single-thread performance is the key factor in this game. The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, as the GPU is not fully utilized at these lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Valorant?

A: The combo ranks 2016th out of 3708 tested combinations.

Q: For 1080p, what are the average FPS on Low and Ultra settings?

A: On Low settings, the combo averages 453 FPS, while on Ultra, it averages 373 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to the AMD EPYC 7H12?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177, which is 0.3% higher than the EPYC 7H12's score of 17120.

Q: What is the GPU's average score and percentile?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT has an average score of 22549 and is in the 67th percentile.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 453, found at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: At 4K, does the combo achieve playable FPS?

A: Yes, the lowest average FPS is 329 at 4K Ultra, which is still well above standard refresh rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured performance of this combo scales predictably with resolution, showing a clear pattern where the CPU is the primary driver of FPS. The highest average frame rate achieved was 453 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is the exact scenario where the CPU's single-threaded power is most fully expressed. This is a massive frame rate that is ideal for competitive play on high-refresh-rate monitors. The 1080p High setting average is 380, Medium is 386, and Ultra is 373. The difference between Medium and High is 6 FPS (386 vs 380), indicating that the game is highly responsive to CPU speed rather than detail settings at this resolution.

Moving to 1440p, the performance remains extremely high, but the GPU starts to pull its weight. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 429 FPS, while High averages 360 FPS. The Medium setting is 366 FPS, and Ultra is 354 FPS. The frame rate still remains above 350 FPS at all times, which is far beyond the refresh rate of any standard display. At 4K, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The 3840x2160 Low setting yields 398 FPS, while High is 334, Medium is 340, and Ultra is 329. The gap between the 1080p and 4K results shows that the GPU is not a bottleneck at high resolutions, but it is still able to deliver well over 300 FPS at all times.

The frame times are also stable. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 311 FPS and a maximum of 421 FPS, indicating a variance of 110 FPS. At 4K Medium, the min is 289 FPS and the max is 391 FPS, a 102 FPS spread. These are acceptable for a competitive titles, but the consistency is not perfect. The data shows that the framerate is always high, but the FPS can vary, which is typical for a game that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions and GPU-bound at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions is a key indicator of which component is the bottleneck. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS on Low settings drops from 453 to 429, a decrease of 24 FPS or about 5%. This small drop suggests that the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p; instead, the CPU is the primary constraint, holding the frame rate back. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is modest, showing that the GPU has plenty of headroom to handle more pixels. As the resolution scales to 4K, the FPS on Low drops to 398, which is a 55 FPS (12%) decrease from 1080p. This still indicates a strong CPU bottleneck, but the GPU is now becoming more relevant.

Looking at the Ultra settings, the pattern is slightly different. From 1080p to 1440p, the FPS drops from 373 to 354, a 19 FPS (5%) decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is from 354 to 329, a 25 FPS (7%) decrease. The scaling is not linear; the GPU is not being stressed to its limit. The consistent high FPS across all resolutions indicates that the CPU is the primary constraint. The 4K results are still incredibly high, with the average staying above 300 FPS. This scaling behavior is typical for a game like Valorant, which is famously well-optimized and not heavy on GPU resources. The data shows that the RX 7700 XT handles all resolutions without breaking a sweat, and the i5-11400F is the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results for this combo show that it can easily achieve high frame rates at any resolution, but the best experience depends on the user's priority. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p gives the highest average FPS of 453, which is ideal for players with high refresh monitors seeking minimal input lag. However, the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is only 80 FPS (453 to 373). For a game like Valorant, the visual difference between Low and Ultra is often less important than achieving the highest possible frame rate. The Low preset is the clear choice for pure performance.

For those who want a balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset at 1440p is a superb option, offering 360 FPS on average. This is still far above the refresh rate of any mainstream monitor. The Ultra preset at 1440p gives 354 FPS, which is nearly identical, so there is no reason to avoid Ultra if the game is not a competitive setting. At 4K, the High preset at 334 FPS is the best choice for those with a high-refresh 4K display, but the Ultra preset's 329 FPS is also excellent. The data suggests that the combo is so powerful that the game can be played at any setting with a high frame count. The optimal experience is likely the High preset, as it offers a high FPS with a small visual penalty, but the Low preset is the best for a competitive edge.