Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS where frame pacing and headroom matter more than raw graphical fidelity, and the measured results for the Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 reflect a system that is heavily skewed toward CPU performance. The i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake-S desktop processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs tested. In contrast, the Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a 3 nm process node, and it sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 that puts it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX. This massive disparity between the CPU's capability and the GPU's limitations defines every frame rate in this dataset, making the i5-12400F the clear performance ceiling while the Arc B390 struggles to keep pace.

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

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides 6 physical cores and 12 threads, which is a configuration well-suited for modern esports titles like Valorant that typically rely on a few heavily utilized threads rather than massive parallel workloads. The processor's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache help reduce memory latency, which is critical for maintaining high minimum frame rates in fast-paced shooters. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong single-thread performance with a 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680, while its multi-threaded capabilities are reflected in a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 12380 and a Passmark multithread score of 19433. These numbers suggest the CPU is capable of feeding frames far faster than the integrated GPU can render them, which is exactly what the measured FPS data shows.

Valorant is not a graphically demanding game, but the Arc B390's integrated nature means it shares system memory and has no dedicated VRAM, relying on "System Shared" memory with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." The GPU's 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs are modest by discrete standards, and its 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is respectable for an iGPU but nowhere near what a dedicated card would offer. The CPU's role here is to maintain a stable frame delivery pipeline; at lower settings, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, but at higher settings, the gap between CPU capability and GPU throughput narrows, though the CPU never becomes the limiting factor in any measured scenario. The i5-12400F's 2.50 GHz base clock and 4.40 GHz boost clock provide ample single-core speed for Valorant's engine, which is reflected in the fact that even at 1080p Ultra, the system still manages 198 FPS average, a figure that would be impossible if the CPU were struggling to keep up with the GPU's output.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F strong enough for Valorant, or does the Arc B390 hold it back?

A: The CPU is more than sufficient. The i5-12400F ranks in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. The measured frame rates show the GPU is the limiting factor; for example, at 1080p Low the system hits 331 FPS, but the CPU's single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark suggests it could push even higher with a more capable GPU.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in raw performance?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is just 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX's 1463, and only 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710's 1443. This places it in the bottom 9% of all GPUs, indicating it is a very low-end solution suitable for light gaming at best.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a balance of visual quality and frame rate at 1080p?

A: Based on the measured data, Medium at 1920x1080 provides 218 FPS average with a minimum of 185 FPS and a maximum of 250 FPS, which is a solid balance. High settings drop the average to 207 FPS, while Low pushes it to 331 FPS, but Medium offers a better visual experience without sacrificing competitive viability.

Q: Does the Arc B390's integrated nature cause a performance cliff at higher resolutions?

A: Yes, the data shows a clear drop as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the average is 207 FPS, which falls to 177 FPS at 1440p High and further to 141 FPS at 4K High. This is typical of an iGPU that relies on system memory, where bandwidth becomes a bottleneck at higher pixel counts.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested CPU-GPU combinations?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F + Intel Arc B390 combo ranks 2534 out of 2883 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. This ranking is driven entirely by the GPU's low performance, as the CPU alone would rank much higher.

Q: Are the frame rates consistent, or do they fluctuate significantly?

A: The only settings with measured minimum and maximum FPS are Medium presets. At 1080p Medium, the range is 185 to 250 FPS, at 1440p Medium it is 158 to 214 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 126 to 171 FPS. This indicates a variance of roughly 30% between min and max, which is noticeable but not extreme for an integrated GPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides four preset options at each resolution: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. For competitive play, the goal is to maximize average FPS while maintaining a playable minimum frame rate, and the numbers show that Low settings are the clear winner for raw speed. At 1920x1080, Low delivers 331 FPS average, which is 113 FPS higher than Medium's 218 FPS and 133 FPS higher than High's 207 FPS. However, Low settings in Valorant can reduce visual clarity for distant enemies, and the jump from Medium to Low is not linear—Medium provides 218 FPS with a minimum of 185 FPS, which is still well above the refresh rate of most 144Hz monitors. For players with 144Hz displays, Medium at 1080p is the recommended choice because it offers a 185 FPS minimum, ensuring consistent frame delivery without dipping below the refresh threshold, while High at 207 FPS average is also viable but with a lower minimum that is not recorded in the data.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. Medium delivers 186 FPS average with a minimum of 158 FPS, while Low reaches 282 FPS. For 1440p users, Low is the safer bet if they have a 144Hz monitor, because the minimum FPS at Medium (158) is close to the refresh limit, and any scene complexity could push it lower. High at 1440p drops to 177 FPS average, which is still playable but leaves less headroom. At 4K, the situation becomes more constrained: Medium offers 149 FPS average with a minimum of 126 FPS, which is the only 4K preset with recorded min/max data, and it is the recommended choice for 4K users who want a playable experience without dropping to Low's 225 FPS. Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution, as they provide the lowest FPS in every category—135 FPS at 4K, 169 FPS at 1440p, and 198 FPS at 1080p—without a corresponding visual benefit that justifies the frame rate loss. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for most users, with Low reserved for those who prioritize maximum FPS above all else.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-12400F + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2534 out of 2883 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12.1% of all configurations. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's low percentile standing—the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is in the 73rd percentile. The combo's performance is essentially bottlenecked by the integrated graphics, which is reflected in the fact that the GPU's nearest rivals are all low-end NVIDIA parts from over a decade ago, such as the GeForce GT 710 and GT 520MX. In practical terms, this means the combo outperforms only those systems with equally weak or weaker GPUs, and it is outclassed by any configuration with a discrete entry-level graphics card.

The CPU's individual performance metrics—such as a Geekbench multicore score of 9472 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3481—indicate that it is not the source of the low ranking. In fact, the i5-12400F's nearest CPU rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS and the Intel Core i5-1335U, both of which have similar average benchmark scores (19047 and 18982, respectively) with negligible delta percentages of 0 and 0.3%. This suggests that the CPU is competitive with mid-range mobile and desktop parts, but the Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 is so low that it drags the entire combo down. For context, the GPU's nearest rival, the GeForce GT 520MX, has an average score of 1463, which is 1.3% lower, but both are far below what is needed for modern gaming at high settings. The combo rank of 2534 indicates that this is a system for esports at low settings or for non-gaming tasks, not a balanced gaming rig.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, which provides insight into where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 207 at 1080p to 177 at 1440p (a 14.5% decrease) and then to 141 at 4K (a 20.3% decrease from 1440p). At Low settings, the drop is more dramatic: 331 FPS at 1080p falls to 282 FPS at 1440p (a 14.8% decrease) and then to 225 FPS at 4K (a 20.2% decrease). This pattern—where the percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is smaller than the drop from 1440p to 4K—is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth or shading capacity at higher pixel counts, rather than a CPU that is struggling to keep up.

The Arc B390's "System Shared" memory and "System Dependent" bandwidth means that at 4K, the GPU must access system memory more frequently, and the increased pixel count multiplies the amount of data that needs to be processed. The fact that Low settings at 4K (225 FPS) still outperform High settings at 1080p (207 FPS) indicates that the GPU is capable of high frame rates when the workload is light, but the scaling penalty is steep. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see a smaller difference between resolutions, as the CPU's workload is largely independent of resolution. Instead, the data shows that the i5-12400F's performance headroom is never fully utilized—even at 4K Ultra, the system manages 135 FPS, which is far above what the CPU would struggle to maintain. This confirms that the Arc B390 is the primary constraint, and the CPU is effectively idling in terms of its frame delivery capacity relative to the GPU's output.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 331 FPS, which is the maximum measured in this dataset. Medium settings yield 218 FPS average with a minimum of 185 FPS and a maximum of 250 FPS. High settings drop to 207 FPS average, and Ultra settings provide 198 FPS average. The spread between Low and Ultra is 133 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at 1080p but that the settings scaling is not linear—the jump from Low to Medium costs 113 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs only 11 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease but remain competitive for esports. Low settings achieve 282 FPS average, which is still above 240Hz refresh rates. Medium settings deliver 186 FPS average with a minimum of 158 FPS and a maximum of 214 FPS. High settings drop to 177 FPS average, and Ultra settings provide 169 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra is 113 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is starting to feel the resolution pressure.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly GPU-limited, but it still maintains playable frame rates. Low settings deliver 225 FPS average, which is surprising for an integrated GPU but reflects Valorant's low graphical requirements. Medium settings provide 149 FPS average with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS. High settings drop to 141 FPS average, and Ultra settings produce 135 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 90 FPS, showing that the GPU's performance scaling with settings is compressed at higher resolutions. The only settings with full min/max data are Medium presets, which show a consistent pattern: at 1080p, the range is 185-250 FPS; at 1440p, it is 158-214 FPS; and at 4K, it is 126-171 FPS. This represents a roughly 35% drop in both minimum and maximum FPS from 1080p to 4K, which aligns with the GPU's limited memory bandwidth and shading throughput.