Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that rewards high frame rates, and the data for the Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the Intel Arc B370 shows a combo that is capable of delivering them, though with some specific caveats. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, focusing on how the hardware behaves in this particular title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable trend as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, but the magnitude of the drop reveals where the bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 299 FPS. Stepping up to 2560x1440 on the same Low preset drops the average to 255 FPS, a reduction of roughly 15%. Moving to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields 204 FPS, which is another 20% decrease from the 1440p figure.

This scaling pattern is significant. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p is relatively modest, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced, suggesting that the CPU's performance headroom is being consumed less by resolution and more by the GPU's rendering load. The Intel Core i5-12400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is evidently strong enough to feed the Intel Arc B370 at lower resolutions, but as pixel count climbs, the GPU's work increases, and the frame rate begins to fall more steeply.

Looking at the High settings across resolutions reinforces this. At 1080p High, the average is 187 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 160 FPS, and at 4K High, it falls to 128 FPS. The delta from 1080p to 4K at High settings is a 59 FPS loss, which is significant but still leaves the game highly playable on a high-refresh-rate monitor. The data indicates that while the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions, the CPU is not a weak link; it maintains enough throughput to keep the GPU fed even at 4K, where the Arc B370's performance is the constraining factor.

The Medium settings row tells a similar story, with 197 FPS at 1080p, 168 FPS at 1440p, and 134 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset yields 178 FPS at 1080p, 152 FPS at 1440p, and 122 FPS at 4K. Notice that the gap between 1080p and 1440p at Ultra is only 26 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 30 FPS. This consistent pattern across all presets confirms that the scaling is not linear; the GPU's work per frame increases exponentially with resolution, and the Arc B370's compute resources, while sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, start to show strain at 4K.

For a competitive title like Valorant, the practical takeaway is that 1080p and 1440p are the sweet spots for maximizing frame rates, with the CPU proving more than capable. At 4K, the frame rates are still respectable, but the drop from 204 FPS at Low to 122 FPS at Ultra shows that the GPU is the limiting component, and users should expect a significant performance penalty if they push resolution to the maximum on this combo.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is a critical piece of this puzzle, and its specifications explain the performance profile observed. It is built on a 3 nm process and features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, which are the clocks that dictate its processing speed. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's RAM rather than dedicated VRAM, and its bandwidth is "System Dependent," which ties its memory throughput to the host platform's memory subsystem.

This system-shared memory design is a key factor. In Valorant, which is not typically a VRAM-heavy title, the lack of dedicated memory is less of a hindrance than in other games. The measured results show that the GPU can still push 299 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that the shared memory bandwidth is not a crippling bottleneck at that resolution. However, the "System Dependent" bandwidth means that the performance is tied to the memory configuration of the i5-12400F platform, which supports DDR4 and DDR5. The data does not specify which memory type was used, but the results suggest that the memory controller and bandwidth are sufficient for the GPU's needs at lower resolutions.

The GPU's peak performance is quantified by its FP32 throughput of 6.144 TFLOPS, which places it in a low percentile (5th) among all GPUs. This is a stark contrast to the CPU, which sits in the 73rd percentile. The Arc B370's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are older, lower-end cards like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770, with score deltas of -0.2% and -0.5% respectively. This indicates that the Arc B370 is not a high-performance part by general standards, but its results in Valorant are still strong because the game is well-optimized and less demanding on GPU resources than other titles.

The boost clock of 2400 MHz is the driving force behind its frame rates. At 1080p Low, the GPU produces 299 FPS, and at 1080p High, it produces 187 FPS. The difference between Low and High settings at 1080p is 112 FPS, which shows that the GPU's shading units and texture units are being taxed more heavily by the higher quality effects. The pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s are the ceilings for how fast it can fill the screen and apply textures. At 4K High, the 128 FPS average suggests that the pixel fill rate is being approached, as the GPU must process over 8 million pixels per frame.

In summary, the GPU role here is one of a capable but modest performer. Its system-shared memory and low percentile ranking indicate it is not a powerhouse, but its clock speed and architecture allow it to deliver high frame rates in Valorant, particularly at 1080p and 1440p. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU at higher resolutions, as the CPU's performance headroom is not fully utilized when the FPS drops to 122 at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Valorant at 144Hz on a 1080p monitor?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 299 FPS at 1080p Low and 187 FPS at 1080p High, both well above 144 Hz. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average is 178 FPS, so it will comfortably exceed the refresh rate of a standard 144Hz monitor.

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this setup for competitive play?

A: The data suggests 1080p or 1440p are optimal. At 1080p Low, you get 299 FPS, and at 1440p Low, you get 255 FPS. These are the highest frame rates in the measured data, which is ideal for competitive play where higher FPS reduces input lag.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: According to the benchmark data, the Arc B370 has an average score of 1184, which is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2% delta) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5% delta). It is slightly ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% delta).

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

A: The GPU is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The i5-12400F has a benchmark percentile of 73, while the Arc B370 has a percentile of 5. As resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the FPS drops significantly, indicating the GPU's rendering capacity is the constraint.

Q: What is the expected FPS at 4K with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 128 FPS. This is a playable frame rate, but it is a notable drop from the 187 FPS seen at 1080p High, showing the performance penalty of 4K on this GPU.

Q: Does the system-shared memory of the GPU affect performance in Valorant?

A: The data suggests it is not a major problem in this specific game. The GPU achieves 299 FPS at 1080p Low and 204 FPS at 4K Low, which indicates that the shared memory bandwidth is sufficient for Valorant's demands, though the "System Dependent" nature means results can vary with the system's RAM.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how this combo performs across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low settings produce an average of 299 FPS, the highest recorded for this combo. The Medium preset delivers 197 FPS, with a minimum of 167 FPS and a maximum of 226 FPS. The High preset yields 187 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 178 FPS. These numbers show that even at the most demanding 1080p preset, the combo stays well above the 144 FPS threshold for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but decrease proportionally. The Low preset averages 255 FPS, which is still exceptional for competitive play. The Medium preset yields 168 FPS, with a minimum of 143 FPS and a maximum of 193 FPS. The High preset averages 160 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 152 FPS. The 1440p results show that this combo is versatile enough to handle a higher resolution without sacrificing the high frame rates needed for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops become more pronounced, but the game remains playable. The Low preset averages 204 FPS, which is a strong result for 4K. The Medium preset yields 134 FPS, with a minimum of 114 FPS and a maximum of 154 FPS. The High preset averages 128 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 122 FPS. The 4K data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the frame rates fall below the 144 FPS mark for the first time at the Medium, High, and Ultra presets.

Looking at the specific rows, the Medium presets at all resolutions are the only ones with min and max FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the range is 167 to 226 FPS, which is a fairly tight band, indicating consistent performance. At 1440p Medium, the range is 143 to 193 FPS, and at 4K Medium, it is 114 to 154 FPS. The spread between min and max FPS widens as resolution increases, which suggests that the GPU's frame time variance increases under heavier load, but the averages remain solid.

The data across all resolutions shows a clear hierarchy: Low settings always deliver the highest FPS, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is substantial. At 1080p, it is 121 FPS; at 1440p, it is 103 FPS; and at 4K, it is 82 FPS. This shows that lowering settings has a significant impact on performance, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is less of a factor.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Valorant, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2645 out of 2883 total combinations. This places it in the lower percentile of tested systems, which is consistent with the GPU's low benchmark score of 1184 and its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The CPU, however, is a much stronger component, with an average benchmark score of 19039 and a 73rd percentile ranking.

The rank of 2645 out of 2883 means that a majority of tested combos outperform this one in Valorant. This is not surprising given the GPU's low performance ceiling compared to other graphics cards in the database. The combo's ranking is likely held back by the Arc B370, as the i5-12400F is a capable mid-range processor. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS and the Intel Core i5-1335U, have similar average scores (19047 and 18982, respectively), but those are mobile processors, indicating the i5-12400F is a strong desktop chip.

The GPU's nearest rivals are all older, lower-end cards, which puts its performance in perspective. The Arc B370's score of 1184 is just 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770. This means that in terms of raw GPU compute, it is comparable to GPUs from a previous generation, even though it is a newer part. However, in Valorant, this low ranking does not translate to poor playability, as the game is not demanding enough to expose the GPU's weaknesses fully.

The combo rank in game (2645) is a reflection of the aggregate performance, but it does not tell the whole story. The measured FPS data shows that this combo can still deliver highly competitive frame rates in Valorant, especially at 1080p and 1440p. The rank is skewed by the GPU's low overall benchmark scores, but the game-specific results demonstrate that the combo is more than adequate for a fast-paced shooter.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for competitive play is to use the Low preset at 1920x1080, which delivers an average of 299 FPS. This is the highest frame rate available and will provide the lowest input latency, which is crucial in a game like Valorant. If a user prefers higher visual fidelity without sacrificing too much performance, the High preset at 1080p, with an average of 187 FPS, is a solid choice, as it still exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate common on esports monitors.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is again the best for pure performance, averaging 255 FPS. The High preset at 1440p, with 160 FPS, is also a good option if visual quality is a priority, as it remains above the 144 FPS threshold. At 4K, the Low preset is recommended for the smoothest experience, with an average of 204 FPS. The High preset at 4K, at 128 FPS, is playable but may not be ideal for those with a 144Hz 4K display, as it falls short of that mark.

The Medium preset is a balanced option across all resolutions. At 1080p, it averages 197 FPS; at 1440p, it averages 168 FPS; and at 4K, it averages 134 FPS. The minimum FPS values for Medium are 167 at 1080p, 143 at 1440p, and 114 at 4K, which are still within an acceptable range for smooth gameplay, though the 4K minimum may be noticeable in intense firefights.

The Ultra preset is the least recommended for this combo. At 1080p, it still achieves 178 FPS, which is good, but at 1440p it drops to 152 FPS, and at 4K it drops to 122 FPS. The performance gains from Ultra over High are minimal in terms of visual impact, but the FPS cost is significant, especially at higher resolutions. For the best balance of frame rate and visual quality, the High preset at 1080p or 1440p is the optimal choice, as it offers a substantial improvement over Low in graphics while maintaining frame rates above 160 FPS.