Valorant

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 delivers a highly capable Valorant experience across all tested resolutions, with the data showing that the CPU's six physical cores and twelve threads, combined with a 2.50 GHz base clock and 4.40 GHz boost clock, keep frame rates consistently high. This combo ranks at position 3363 out of 3708 tested combos in the database, which places it in the lower portion of the leaderboard, but the measured frame rates tell a far stronger story than the raw rank might suggest—specifically, the lowest average FPS recorded across all twelve tests is 130 at 3840x2160 Ultra, while the highest is 318 at 1920x1080 Low. The data reveals that this pairing is heavily CPU-limited at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 300, and gradually shifts toward more balanced behavior as resolution rises.

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

The Intel Core i3-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake-S architecture, fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process node with a die size of 163 mm². It runs at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boosts up to 4.40 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W, and it supports both DDR3 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration. Its cache hierarchy includes 4 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L1 cache. The processor's benchmark scores show a strong single-threaded foundation: a 3dmark single-thread score of 910, a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2257, and a Geekbench single-core score of 1848.

However, in a game like Valorant, which is a tactical FPS that typically stresses single-thread performance and low-latency response more than multi-threaded throughput, the measured FPS results across all tested resolutions and settings indicate that the CPU can easily feed the RX 580 at 1920x1080, with the Low preset reaching 318 FPS and High reaching 199 FPS. At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds: 271 FPS on Low, 170 FPS on High. Even at 3840x2160, the lowest average FPS is 130 on Ultra, which means the CPU is not the primary constraint at any tested resolution, but the gap between Low and High at the same resolution suggests that the GPU is taking on more of the workload as settings increase.

The CPU's benchmark scores further contextualize its role: a 3dmark_16_threads score of 5873, 3dmark_2_threads score of 1692, 3dmark_4_threads score of 3012, and 3dmark_8_threads score of 4745 shows scaling from 2 to 8 threads, but the max threads score of 5890 is only slightly above the 16-thread score, indicating diminishing returns beyond 8 threads. This aligns with the game's engine behavior, where the increase from 1080p Low (318 FPS) to 1080p High (199 FPS) is 119 FPS or about 37% drop, which is a larger drop than the shift from 1440p Low (271 FPS) to 1440p High (170 FPS) (a 101 FPS drop, 37% as well). The 3840x2160 Low-to-High drop is 81 FPS (217 to 136, a 37% reduction), showing a consistent pattern.

The CPU's single-threaded performance, as measured by the 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and Cinebench R15 single-core 227, is what allows the combo to reach such high frame rates in a game that is often CPU-bound at lower resolutions. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz is a key factor here, as it allows the processor to quickly ramp up for the game's demanding single-thread tasks. The 10 nm process node and Alder Lake architecture provide the efficiency to maintain these clocks without exceeding the 65 W TDP, which is a modest power envelope for a desktop CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 3363rd out of 3708 total tested combos for Valorant, which puts it in the 9th percentile (roughly 10% from the bottom). This rank is relatively low, but the ranking is based on a combination of CPU and GPU performance across the entire database, not just gaming FPS, and the data shows that this specific pairing excels in this particular game. The CPU itself holds a 72nd percentile position among all CPUs, while the GPU sits at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs, indicating that the CPU is a stronger component relative to its peers than the GPU is relative to its own peers.

When looking at the CPU's nearest rivals by average benchmark score, the i5-12400 is essentially tied with the AMD EPYC 7643 (18697 vs 18683, a -0.1% delta), the Intel Core i7-1355U (18730, -0.3%), the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18811, -0.7%), and the Intel Core i3-14100F (18519, +0.9%). This means that in pure CPU compute, the i5-12400 is a mid-pack performer, but in Valorant specifically, the combination of its single-thread performance and the RX 580's capabilities push it to frame rates that are more than adequate for competitive play.

For the GPU, the RX 580's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940, -0.1%), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12986, -0.4%), the AMD Radeon 740M (12870, +0.5%), and the AMD FirePro W5100 (12847, +0.6%). The RX 580's average benchmark score of 12928 is within 0.5% of these rivals, showing that it is a mid-range card in terms of raw compute, but in Valorant, its performance is well above what these same scores might suggest for other games.

The data indicates that the combo's rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's lower percentile, but the FPS results show that the pairing is well-suited for this game. The rank of 3363 out of 3708 means that roughly 91% of tested combos score higher in the database, but almost all of those combos would be more expensive or newer hardware. The actual gaming experience, as measured by the FPS numbers, is excellent for Valorant, with no average FPS below 130 at any resolution or setting.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for the Intel Core i5-12400 + AMD Radeon RX 580 in Valorant?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings delivers the highest average FPS at 318, while 1920x1080 with Medium settings delivers 209 FPS, and High delivers 199 FPS. For the best competitive experience, Low at 1080p is the highest frame rate, but Medium at 1080p provides a balance between visual quality and performance, with 209 FPS on average.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect Valorant FPS?

A: The i5-12400 has a 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2257, which are relatively strong. The FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo hits 318 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU is likely the limiting factor, but it is not a severe bottleneck. The drop from 1080p Low to 1080p High is 119 FPS (from 318 to 199), indicating that the GPU is also a significant factor when settings are increased.

Q: Is the RX 580 a bottleneck for this CPU in Valorant?

A: Based on the FPS measurements, the RX 580 is not a bottleneck at 1080p, where the CPU is more likely the limiter. But at 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as the average FPS drops to 136 on High and 130 on Ultra, while the CPU is capable of higher frame rates. For example, the difference between 1440p Low (271 FPS) and 1440p Medium (179 FPS) is 92 FPS, while the difference between 1440p Medium (179 FPS) and 1440p High (170 FPS) is only 9 FPS, suggesting diminishing returns as settings increase.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K (3840x2160)?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 217 on Low to 130 on Ultra. The Low setting delivers 217 FPS, which is still high for 4K, but the Ultra settings deliver 130 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS and a maximum of 164 FPS. This indicates that the combo can handle 4K at lower settings, but for smoother 4K play, Medium settings at 143 FPS or Low at 217 FPS are better choices.

Q5: How does the combo's FPS scale with resolution?

A: The FPS drops significantly from 1080p to 1440p and from 1440p to 4K. At Low settings, 1080p yields 318 FPS, 1440p yields 271 FPS (a 47 FPS drop, 15%), and 4K yields 217 FPS (a 54 FPS drop, 20% from 1440p). At High settings, 1080p gives 199 FPS, 1440p gives 170 FPS (a 29 FPS drop), and 4K gives 136 FPS (a 34 FPS drop). The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is about 33% for Low and 32% for High, suggesting that the GPU becomes more of a limit at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS seen across the tests?

A: The only tests with minimum FPS recorded are the Medium settings: at 1920x1080, the minimum is 178 FPS; at 2560x1440, the minimum is 152 FPS; and at 3840x2160, the minimum is 121 FPS. These are the lowest frame rates recorded in the data, and they all occur at Medium settings, which suggests that Medium settings are a good balance between quality and stability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data includes twelve configurations: four resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) per resolution, but not all settings have min/max FPS values. The Medium settings are the only ones with min and max values, as listed below:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: avg 318 FPS
• Medium: avg 209 FPS, min 178, max 241
• High: avg 199 FPS
• Ultra: avg 190 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: avg 271 FPS
• Medium: avg 179 FPS, min 152, max 205
• High: avg 170 FPS
• Ultra: avg 162 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: avg 217 FPS
• Medium: avg 143 FPS, min 121, max 164
• High: avg 136 FPS
• Ultra: avg 130 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops, and as settings increase, the average FPS drops. The drop from Low to Ultra is 128 FPS at 1080p (318 to 190), 109 FPS at 1440p (271 to 162), and 87 FPS at 4K (217 to 130). The drop from 1080p to 4K is 101 FPS on Low (318 to 217), 66 FPS on Medium (209 to 143), 63 FPS on High (199 to 136), and 60 FPS on Ultra (190 to 130). This suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

The minimum FPS values are only available for Medium settings, which are 178, 152, and 121 for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. The maximum FPS values for Medium are 241, 205, and 164 for the same resolutions. The spread between min and max at Medium is 63 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K, indicating that the frame rate is more consistent at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is based on the Polaris 20 chip, built on a 14 nm process from GlobalFoundries with 5,700 million transistors and a die size of 232 mm². It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units, with a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz. The memory subsystem includes 8 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s. The card has a pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s, and a FP32 performance of 6.175 TFLOPS.

In Valorant, the GPU's role becomes more apparent at higher resolutions and higher settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low (318 FPS) and Ultra (190 FPS) is 128 FPS, which is a 40% drop, showing the GPU's impact as settings increase. At 4K, the difference is 87 FPS (217 to 130, a 40% drop as well). This indicates that the GPU is not the primary bottleneck at any resolution, but it does contribute to the frame rate changes.

The RX 580's 8 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Valorant at all settings, as the game is not known to be VRAM-heavy. The 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate memory throughput for the game's asset loading. The card's DirectX 12 (12_0), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.3 API support ensure compatibility with the game's rendering engine.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a balanced profile: a Passmark G3D score of 8813 and a Passmark G2D score of 769, with a DirectX 11 score of 60 and a DirectX 12 score of 43. The Geekbench scores include OpenCL 37453, Vulkan 45173, and Metal 45235. These numbers are consistent with a mid-range card that can handle esports titles at high frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that for the best experience in Valorant, the 1920x1080 Medium setting is the sweet spot. It provides an average FPS of 209, which is above the 144 Hz refresh rate that many competitive players target, and it has a minimum FPS of 178, which ensures smooth gameplay even in complex scenes. The High setting at 1080p delivers 199 FPS, which is only 10 FPS lower than Medium, but the Ultra setting at 1080p drops to 190 FPS, which is still playable but not ideal for high-refresh monitors.

For players with 1440p monitors, the Medium setting at 2560x1440 delivers 179 FPS with a minimum of 152 FPS, which is also above the 144 Hz threshold for many monitors. At 4K, the Medium setting at 3840x2160 yields 143 FPS (min 121, max 164), which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh 4K displays. The Low setting at 4K reaches 217 FPS, which is above 200 FPS, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth it for most players.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the best balance between visual quality and performance across all resolutions, as it is the only setting with min/max FPS data, indicating that it is the most stable configuration. The Ultra preset, while the highest quality, is only 60 FPS lower than Low at 1080p, but the visual difference may not be significant in a fast-paced game, and the higher frame rate of Low is more beneficial for competitive play.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear pattern. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 318 at 1080p to 271 at 1440p (a 47 FPS drop, 15%) and then to 217 at 4K (a 54 FPS drop, 20% from 1440p). At Medium settings, the drop is 209 to 179 (30 FPS, 14%) and then to 143 (36 FPS, 20%). At High, it's 199 to 170 (29 FPS, 15%) and then to 136 (34 FPS, 20%). At Ultra, it's 190 to 162 (28 FPS, 15%) and then to 130 (32 FPS, 20%).

The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is about 33% for Low (318 to 217), 32% for Medium (209 to 143), 32% for High (199 to 136), and 32% for Ultra (190 to 130). This shows that the scaling is consistent across settings, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU's performance at 1080p is high, but at 4K, the GPU's raw power becomes the constraint.

The fact that the FPS drop from 1440p to 4K is about 20% while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is about 15% suggests that the GPU is more stressed at higher resolutions. This is expected because the number of pixels increases by 2.25x from 1440p to 4K (3.6 million to 8.3 million), which requires more GPU memory bandwidth and fill rate. The RX 580's 256-bit memory bus and 256.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1440p but become a limiting factor at 4K.

The data implies that the limiting component in this combo is the GPU at 4K, while the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p. At 1080p, the high frame rates (over 300 on Low) suggest the CPU can push more, but the GPU cannot keep up when the resolution increases. This is a typical pattern for a mid-range GPU paired with a capable CPU, and in Valorant, the RX 580's performance is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K requires lower settings to maintain high frame rates.