Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that rewards high frame rates, and the Intel Core i5-12400 + Intel Arc B370 combination delivers playable performance across all tested resolutions, though with a distinct scaling pattern. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 299 FPS average, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, but this number drops significantly as resolution and settings increase. The data shows a clear trend: this is a combo where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU holds up its end of the bargain at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

Frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is steep, particularly when moving from the Low preset to higher quality settings. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 299 at 1920x1080 to 255 at 2560x1440, and then to 204 at 3840x2160. That represents a 15% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 32% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This is a substantial hit, but the absolute numbers remain high enough for smooth gameplay, even at 4K Low with 204 FPS average.

The scaling pattern changes when you raise the settings to Medium. The average FPS at 1080p Medium is 197, which drops to 168 at 1440p and then to 134 at 4K. The percentage drops are steeper here: 15% from 1080p to 1440p, and 32% from 1080p to 4K—identical percentages to the Low preset, but with lower starting points. High settings show a similar trend: 187 FPS at 1080p, 160 at 1440p, and 128 at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 178 FPS at 1080p, 152 at 1440p, and 122 at 4K.

The frame rate deltas across resolutions reveal that the limiting component shifts. At Low settings, the 4K result of 204 FPS is still far above what a weak GPU would produce, suggesting the CPU is doing heavy lifting. However, the gap between 1080p and 4K at Low is 95 FPS, which indicates the GPU is still being stressed by the pixel count. At higher presets like Ultra, the gap between 1080p and 4K is only 56 FPS, which means the GPU is more consistently saturated, and the CPU has less headroom to push frames. The data indicates that for 1080p and 1440p gameplay, the i5-12400 is the stronger partner, while at 4K, the Arc B370's limits become more apparent.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2645 out of 2883 tested combinations in Valorant, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all tested combos. This is a low rank, indicating that most other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher frame rates in this title. The rank reflects the GPU's modest standing—the Intel Arc B370 sits at the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2% delta), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5% delta), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7% delta). These are all older, lower-performance parts, and the Arc B370 sits within 1.4% of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, +1.4% delta). This context is crucial: the GPU is not a high performer by absolute standards, but Valorant is not a graphically demanding game, so the combo still achieves high frame rates.

The CPU, by contrast, is a much stronger component. The Intel Core i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 18683 and sits at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7643 (18697, -0.1% delta), Intel Core i7-1355U (18730, -0.3% delta), and AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18811, -0.7% delta), with the Intel Core i3-14100F (18519, +0.9% delta) trailing slightly. The i5-12400 is competitive with these parts, and its strong multi-threaded performance—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989—helps in Valorant, which is known to be CPU-sensitive at high frame rates. The combination of a strong CPU and weak GPU explains the combo's low rank: many other combos pair weaker CPUs with much stronger GPUs, which yields higher frame rates in this game.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to the Low preset as the optimal choice for this combo. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 299 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Even at 1440p Low, the 255 FPS average is exceptional, and at 4K Low, the 204 FPS average remains highly playable. The Low preset delivers the highest frame rates across all resolutions, and given that Valorant is a competitive shooter where every frame matters, this is the recommended setting for maximizing performance.

The Medium preset offers a modest visual upgrade but costs a significant number of frames. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Medium is 102 FPS (299 to 197), which is a 34% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is 87 FPS (255 to 168), and at 4K, the drop is 70 FPS (204 to 134). While the Medium preset's minimum FPS is 167 at 1080p, which is still playable, the High and Ultra presets push the minimums lower. The High preset at 1080p yields 187 FPS, and Ultra yields 178 FPS—both playable, but the frame rate headroom shrinks. At 4K, High and Ultra produce 128 and 122 FPS respectively, which are on the edge of what competitive players might accept.

The data suggests that the Low preset is the sweet spot for this combo. The frame rate gains from Low to Medium are not worth the visual fidelity loss for most players, but the High and Ultra presets offer diminishing returns in visuals while costing up to 121 FPS at 1080p compared to Low. For players who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p (197 FPS) or 1440p (168 FPS) is a reasonable compromise, but the Low preset is the clear winner for competitive play.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Valorant?

A: The maximum average FPS recorded is 299, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

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

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 122 on Ultra settings to 204 on Low settings, with Medium at 134 and High at 128.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this combo?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as shown by the larger FPS drops from 1080p to 4K. The CPU is strong enough to push high frame rates at lower settings, where the GPU becomes the bottleneck.

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

A: The combo ranks 2645 out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the lower 92nd percentile of all tested combinations.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo?

A: The Low preset provides the highest frame rates, with 299 FPS at 1080p, 255 FPS at 1440p, and 204 FPS at 4K, making it the best choice for maximizing performance.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184, which is within 1.4% of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168) and within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192). It is slightly slower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190) and ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186).

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its clock speeds are 300 MHz base and 2400 MHz boost, with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The GPU's FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS, and its TDP is 25 W. Memory is system shared, with bandwidth that is system dependent, meaning the GPU relies on the CPU's memory bandwidth.

In Valorant, the GPU's role is significant at higher resolutions. The data shows that the GPU's performance limits the combo at 4K, where the frame rates are noticeably lower than at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not the bottleneck, as the 299 FPS average is likely CPU-limited. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with the 122 FPS average reflecting the Arc B370's modest compute capabilities. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores its position as a low-end part, but Valorant's light graphical load means it can still deliver competitive frame rates, especially at lower settings.

The GPU's 25 W TDP and integrated nature (IGP slot width) make it power-efficient, but this comes at the cost of raw performance. The texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s are modest figures, and the system-shared memory bandwidth is a potential bottleneck in memory-intensive scenes. In Valorant, which is not a graphically demanding title, the GPU's limitations are less apparent, but they become evident at 4K where the pixel count stresses the ROPs and shading units.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 12th Gen Alder Lake desktop processor with 6 cores and 12 threads. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration and has a PCIe Gen 5 interface with 16 lanes. Its integrated graphics are UHD Graphics 730, but in this combo, the Arc B370 handles rendering.

The CPU is a strong performer, with an average benchmark score of 18683 and a 72nd percentile ranking. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 15989, and single-core score is 2257, indicating solid multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. In Valorant, the CPU's single-thread performance is critical for achieving high frame rates, and the 4.40 GHz boost clock helps maintain high FPS in CPU-bound scenarios. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 299 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's frame rate ceiling.

The CPU's role becomes more pronounced at lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not the bottleneck, so the CPU's ability to feed frames is the limiting factor. The i5-12400's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for Valorant's engine, which typically scales well with single-thread performance. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-14100F, has a delta of +0.9%, meaning the i5-12400 is slightly faster, and this margin helps in maintaining high frame rates. In contrast, at 4K Ultra, the CPU has more headroom, but the GPU cannot keep up, resulting in lower frame rates. The CPU's strong performance ensures that it is not the limiting component in this combo, even at 4K, where the GPU's limitations are the primary constraint.