Valorant

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 delivers exceptionally high frame rates in Valorant, a game whose low system requirements allow even this mid-range combination to push far beyond the refresh rates of most monitors. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at lower resolutions but transitions smoothly into a more balanced state as resolution increases, with the CPU providing a strong foundation throughout.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 453 FPS at 1080p to 398 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 55 FPS. This relatively modest decline—just over 12%—suggests that at Low settings, the system remains heavily CPU-bound even at higher resolutions, as the graphical load is minimal and the i5-11400F's six cores and 12 threads are the primary limiting factor.

The scaling becomes more pronounced at higher graphical presets. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 380 FPS at 1080p to 336 FPS at 1440p, and then to 268 FPS at 4K. This represents a cumulative drop of 112 FPS (approximately 29%) across the full resolution range. The Medium preset follows a similar trajectory, with averages of 386 FPS at 1080p, 352 FPS at 1440p, and 282 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most significant scaling, dropping from 373 FPS at 1080p to 320 FPS at 1440p and finally 256 FPS at 4K—a total reduction of 117 FPS or roughly 31%.

This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 5050 becomes the dominant bottleneck as resolution and settings increase. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, paired with a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, is sufficient for Valorant's modest texture requirements, but the rendering load at 4K Ultra still cuts frame rates substantially. The fact that even at 4K Ultra the system maintains an average of 256 FPS demonstrates that neither component is severely taxed, but the GPU is clearly doing more of the heavy lifting at higher resolutions.

The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution also highlights the GPU's role. At 1080p, the spread between Low (453 FPS) and Ultra (373 FPS) is 80 FPS, while at 4K, the spread narrows to 142 FPS (398 FPS vs 256 FPS). This widening gap at higher resolutions confirms that the RTX 5050's rendering capabilities, rather than the CPU's processing power, are the primary constraint when both resolution and graphical fidelity are maximized.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 453 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset. This is followed closely by 429 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, showing that the system excels when graphical load is minimized.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the system delivers an average of 256 FPS. This is the lowest measured result in the entire dataset, but it remains far above the refresh rate of virtually all gaming displays.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck for the RTX 5050 in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 453 FPS, indicating the i5-11400F's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are sufficient to feed the GPU effectively even at very high frame rates.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2441 out of 3708 tested combinations in Valorant. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the ranking, despite delivering frame rates that far exceed playable thresholds, because many other tested systems likely use higher-tier components.

Q: Does the RTX 5050's VRAM capacity impact performance at 4K?

A: The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is ample for Valorant's relatively simple textures. The largest performance drop occurs between Low and Medium settings at 4K (398 to 282 FPS), suggesting that shader complexity and fill rate, rather than VRAM capacity, are the limiting factors at this resolution.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the dataset?

A: The only minimum frame rate values provided are for the Medium preset at each resolution: 239 FPS at 4K, 300 FPS at 1440p, and 328 FPS at 1080p. These minimums indicate smooth frame pacing with no severe drops.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050's specifications play a critical role in determining the measured performance. Built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, the GPU contains 2,560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. This configuration, combined with 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, provides a substantial amount of compute power for Valorant's DirectX 12 rendering pipeline, which the game uses by default.

The GPU's clock speeds are also relevant to the results. With a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz, the RTX 5050 operates at frequencies that allow it to maintain high throughput in a game that is not particularly demanding. The memory clock of 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus yields a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for the game's asset streaming at 4K resolution.

The GPU's FP32 performance of 13.17 TFLOPS is a key indicator of its raw shader capability. In Valorant, where scenes are relatively simple compared to modern AAA titles, this level of compute power translates directly into the high frame rates observed. The pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s further support the GPU's ability to fill frames quickly, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU can keep pace.

The RTX 5050's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is never a limiting factor in the measured data. Even at 3840x2160 Ultra, the average frame rate of 256 FPS indicates that memory capacity is not causing stutters or texture thrashing. The GPU's nearest rivals in generic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which has a deltaPct of 1.6% higher average score, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile, which is 1.6% lower. This places the RTX 5050 in a competitive mid-range position, though its actual in-game performance here is enhanced by Valorant's efficiency.

The power delivery and thermal design also factor into sustained performance. With a TDP of 130 W and a suggested PSU of 300 W, the RTX 5050 is a modest power consumer, allowing it to maintain boost clocks without thermal throttling in most systems. The dual-slot cooler and single 8-pin power connector are standard for this class of GPU, and the PCIe 5.0 x8 interface provides ample bandwidth for data transfer, though Valorant's small asset sizes likely do not saturate even PCIe 4.0.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest frame rates across all presets. The Low settings produce an average of 453 FPS, which is the single highest result in the entire measurement set. The Medium preset yields 386 FPS with a minimum of 328 FPS and a maximum of 444 FPS, showing a tight frame delivery window. The High preset achieves 380 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers 373 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 80 FPS, indicating that even at the most demanding settings, the system loses only about 18% of its maximum performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain exceptionally high. The Low preset produces an average of 429 FPS, which is 24 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset achieves 352 FPS with a minimum of 300 FPS and a maximum of 405 FPS, maintaining smooth performance even in the worst-case frame times. The High preset delivers 336 FPS, and the Ultra preset rounds out the results at 320 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction of roughly 10-15% across all presets, which aligns with the increased pixel count of 1.78 times.

At 3840x2160, the performance impact becomes more substantial. The Low preset still achieves an impressive 398 FPS, which is only 55 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. However, the Medium preset drops to 282 FPS with a minimum of 239 FPS and a maximum of 324 FPS, showing a wider variance in frame delivery. The High preset produces 268 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 256 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a reduction of 64-80 FPS across presets, reflecting the 2.25 times increase in pixel count and the correspondingly higher load on the RTX 5050.

The data reveals that the Medium preset consistently provides the most stable frame times, as it is the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum values. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 328 FPS ensures no noticeable stutter, while at 4K Medium, the minimum of 239 FPS is still well above the threshold for competitive play. This suggests that the Medium preset offers a balanced trade-off between visual quality and frame pacing.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination ranks 2441 out of 3708 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the 34th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking might seem low given the extraordinary frame rates measured, but it reflects the fact that Valorant is a highly optimized esports title where even modest hardware can achieve high performance, and many tested combos likely feature more recent or higher-tier components.

To contextualize the CPU's contribution, the i5-11400F has a percentileVsAllCpus of 71, indicating it outperforms 71% of all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 17,177 places it in close competition with the AMD EPYC 7H12, which scores 17,120 with a deltaPct of 0.3%, and the Intel Core i5-12450H, which scores 17,239 with a deltaPct of -0.4%. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G is 0.6% higher at 17,278, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U is 0.6% lower at 17,074. This grouping shows that the i5-11400F's processing power is squarely in the mid-range, but it is more than adequate for Valorant's CPU demands.

The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 66, meaning it outperforms 66% of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 21,035 is closely matched by the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL at 21,153 (deltaPct -0.6%), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M at 21,237 (deltaPct -1%), and the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT at 20,713 (deltaPct 1.6%). The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21,379, which is 1.6% higher. This places the RTX 5050 in a competitive position relative to older and mobile-class GPUs, though its actual Valorant performance is boosted by the game's efficiency.

The combo's rank of 2441 suggests that many other systems achieve higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful CPUs or GPUs. However, in practical terms, the difference between 256 FPS at 4K Ultra and, say, 400 FPS at 4K Ultra is imperceptible on most displays, which cap at 240 Hz or 360 Hz. The data indicates that this combo delivers performance in the top tier of what is humanly perceptible, even if the raw ranking places it in the middle of the pack.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best overall experience, particularly for players who prioritize consistent frame delivery over maximum visual fidelity. At every resolution, the Medium preset provides the only recorded minimum and maximum values, indicating a stable frame pacing profile. At 1080p, the Medium preset achieves 386 FPS with a minimum of 328 FPS, while at 1440p, it delivers 352 FPS with a minimum of 300 FPS. Even at 4K, the Medium preset maintains a minimum of 239 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

For players using 1080p displays, the High preset is a reasonable choice, delivering 380 FPS average. The difference between High and Ultra at 1080p is only 7 FPS (380 vs 373), so upgrading to Ultra provides minimal visual benefit at a negligible performance cost. However, the Ultra preset's lack of minimum FPS data suggests it may have less consistent frame times, though the average remains excellent.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves 336 FPS, which is adequate for any current high-refresh-rate monitor. The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers 320 FPS, a reduction of only 16 FPS from High, making it a viable choice for players who want maximum visual quality. The Low preset at 1440p, at 429 FPS, is only recommended for competitive players using 360 Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, as the visual downgrade is significant while the frame rate gain over Medium is 77 FPS.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only setting that maintains an average above 300 FPS, at 398 FPS. However, the Medium preset at 282 FPS is likely the best balance for 4K displays, which typically run at 120 Hz or 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 256 FPS is still playable but offers diminishing returns in visual quality relative to Medium, given the 26 FPS difference. Players with 4K 240 Hz monitors should consider the Low preset to fully utilize their display's capabilities, but most users will find the Medium preset's visual improvements worth the frame rate trade-off.

In summary, the Medium preset is the recommended default across all resolutions, as it provides the most stable frame times and a strong balance between visual quality and performance. For competitive play at 1080p or 1440p, the Low preset offers maximum frame rates, while the High and Ultra presets are suitable for players who prioritize image quality over the last few FPS. The data confirms that this combo can comfortably drive any current display, regardless of resolution or settings.