Valorant

Valorant is an esports-focused FPS that demands high frame rates, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 shows a combination that delivers exceptional performance across all tested resolutions. The benchmark results reveal a system that is heavily optimized for competitive play, with average frame rates that remain well above the refresh rates of most high-end monitors. The data shows a clear hierarchy where lower settings and lower resolutions yield higher FPS, but the magnitude of the differences, particularly at higher resolutions, provides insight into which component is the primary bottleneck.

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

The transition from 1080p to 4K reveals a significant, yet not catastrophic, performance scaling pattern. At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 443.4 at 1920x1080 to 423 at 2560x1440, a modest reduction of 20.4 FPS. However, moving from 1440p to 3840x2160 yields a much steeper decline, with the average FPS falling from 423 to 342.6, a drop of 80.4 FPS. This pattern indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the GPU has ample headroom to render frames quickly. The large performance hit at 4K, where the RTX 3070's processing power becomes more stressed, suggests that the GPU starts to become the primary constraint at this resolution.

The Low preset tells a similar but more exaggerated story. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 530.3, which only falls to 507 at 2560x1440. The jump to 3840x2160 brings a more substantial reduction to 468.5. The fact that the 1080p to 1440p drop is only 23.3 FPS, while the 1440p to 4K drop is 38.5 FPS, reinforces the idea that the CPU is holding the system back at lower resolutions. With the graphics load minimized, the i5-12400F is able to push very high frame rates, but the GPU's workload at 4K begins to limit the overall output.

The Ultra preset shows the smallest absolute performance range, with average FPS of 438.5 at 1080p, 404.5 at 1440p, and 323.7 at 4K. The reduction from 1080p to 4K is 114.8 FPS, which is less than the 130.9 FPS drop seen at the Low preset. This suggests that as the graphics settings are increased, the GPU becomes the limiting factor more consistently across all resolutions, making the performance scaling more predictable. The data indicates that for players targeting maximum frame rates, the CPU is the main bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU becomes the limiting component at 4K.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. In Valorant, which is not a VRAM-intensive title, this memory configuration is more than sufficient to handle the game's textures and assets at any resolution. The GPU's boost clock of 1725 MHz, combined with its 5888 shading units, allows it to process the game's low-polygon environments and effects with ease. The benchmark data shows that the GPU is capable of pushing frame rates well beyond 300 FPS even at 4K, indicating that its raw compute power is not a limiting factor until the resolution is maximized.

The RTX 3070's performance in this game is further contextualized by its benchmark scores, where it achieves an average benchmark score of 28238 and sits in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which has a delta of 0.9%, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti, which is 1% behind. These comparisons show that the RTX 3070 is a strong performer, but the data suggests that in Valorant, the GPU is rarely the primary bottleneck. The measured FPS at the Low preset, which reduces the GPU load, shows a maximum of 530.3 FPS at 1080p, highlighting that the card is not being fully utilized at lower settings.

The GPU's role becomes more apparent at 4K, where the average FPS at Ultra settings drops to 323.7. This is still an exceptionally high frame rate, but it demonstrates the increased workload on the GPU. The 8 GB of VRAM is ample for Valorant, and the card's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s ensures that there are no data transfer bottlenecks. The data implies that while the RTX 3070 is a capable card for this game, its performance headroom means that players are more likely to be limited by their CPU's ability to feed it frames at lower resolutions.

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

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a solid foundation for gaming. In Valorant, which is known for being CPU-bound at high frame rates, this processor's performance is critical. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p, the average FPS across all settings ranges from 438.5 to 530.3, which is indicative of a CPU that can handle the game's physics and game logic calculations with ease.

The i5-12400F's benchmark scores support its strong gaming performance. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16518 and a single-core score of 2332, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2221. These metrics show that the processor has excellent per-core performance, which is essential for a game like Valorant that relies heavily on a few threads. The processor's 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs further establishes its capability, with its average benchmark score of 19221 being nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-8700K, which has a delta of 0.1%.

The data suggests that the CPU is the primary limiting factor at 1080p and 1440p for this combo. At the Low preset, the FPS at 1080p is 530.3, but at 4K it is 468.5. This 61.8 FPS difference is relatively small compared to the 87.7 FPS difference seen between 1080p and 4K at the Ultra preset. This pattern indicates that the CPU is able to maintain high frame rates even as the resolution increases, but the GPU's workload becomes the constraining factor. For players using high refresh rate monitors, the i5-12400F provides enough single-threaded performance to keep the RTX 3070 fed at 1080p and 1440p, ensuring a smooth experience.

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

Analyzing the measured FPS across settings, the Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest average frame rate at 530.3 FPS. This is the best choice for players who prioritize maximum performance over visual fidelity, as the increase in FPS can be substantial. However, the difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 79.6 FPS (530.3 vs 450.7), which is significant. Moving from Medium to High results in a much smaller drop of 7.3 FPS (450.7 to 443.4), and from High to Ultra, the drop is just 4.9 FPS (443.4 to 438.5). This suggests that the Medium preset offers a good balance, but the Low preset is the most performant.

At 1440p, the Low preset again provides the highest FPS at 507, which is 76.6 FPS higher than the Medium preset's 430.4. The High preset at 423 is only 7.4 FPS behind Medium, and Ultra is 18.5 FPS behind High. The pattern is consistent, showing that the Low preset is the clear winner for frame rate, but the differences between the other presets are smaller. For players with 144Hz or 240Hz monitors, the High preset at 1440p still delivers an average of 423 FPS, which is more than enough to avoid any screen tearing or input lag.

At 4K, the Low preset provides 468.5 FPS, while the High preset drops to 342.6. The Medium preset offers 361, and Ultra is the lowest at 323.7. Given that 4K monitors typically have lower refresh rates (60Hz or 120Hz), the High preset at 342.6 FPS is more than sufficient. The data shows that the Low preset is the best for maximal FPS, but the High preset is a reasonable choice for a balance of visuals and performance. The Ultra preset, while the most visually demanding, still provides a playable frame rate, but its 15.8 FPS difference from High is not worth the potential visual gains for competitive play.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 achieves a rank of 557 out of 1650 tested combos in Valorant. This places the combo in the top 33.8% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a strong performer for this game. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, where the i5-12400F's strong single-core performance complements the RTX 3070's high frame rate capabilities. The data shows that this combo is better than the majority of other tested systems, but it is not at the very top of the rankings, which are likely occupied by higher-end CPUs and GPUs.

The ranking suggests that while this combo is excellent for Valorant, there is still headroom for improvement. The i5-12400F is a mid-range processor, and its 77th percentile ranking among CPUs indicates that there are faster processors available. Similarly, the RTX 3070's 72nd percentile ranking among GPUs shows that there are more powerful graphics cards. However, the synergy between these two components is what makes the combo effective. The data implies that for players looking to maximize their Valorant performance, this combo is a solid choice, but upgrading either component could push the rank higher.

The combination's rank is particularly impressive given that it is not a top-tier setup. It outperforms many combos that might have more expensive components, which speaks to the efficiency of the i5-12400F and RTX 3070 in this specific game. The measured FPS numbers, which are all above 300 FPS at 4K, show that the combo is never truly bottlenecked, and the rank reflects its ability to deliver a consistent, high-performance experience. For a competitive FPS like Valorant, this rank is a strong indicator of the system's capability to handle high-refresh-rate gaming.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS varies by preset: Low delivers 530.3, Medium delivers 450.7, High delivers 443.4, and Ultra delivers 438.5. The difference between the highest and lowest settings at this resolution is 91.8 FPS, highlighting the impact of graphics settings on performance. The Low preset is the clear winner, but all presets provide frame rates well above 400 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience on any monitor.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 507 for Low, 430.4 for Medium, 423 for High, and 404.5 for Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 102.5 FPS, which is larger than at 1080p. This suggests that the GPU's workload is increasing, but the CPU is still able to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset remains the most performant, while the Ultra preset is the least, but even the Ultra preset offers over 400 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 468.5 for Low, 361 for Medium, 342.6 for High, and 323.7 for Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 144.8 FPS, which is the largest across all resolutions. This indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at 4K, as the higher resolution and settings demand more from the RTX 3070. Despite this, all presets maintain an average FPS above 320, which is still exceptionally high for a 4K resolution. The data clearly shows a consistent performance hierarchy, with the Low preset always providing the highest FPS, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Valorant?

A: The highest average FPS is 530.3, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

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

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 323.7 at the Ultra preset to 468.5 at the Low preset, showing that the system is capable of high frame rates even at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the main bottleneck at 1080p, as the FPS differences between presets are smaller, indicating the GPU has headroom.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combos in Valorant?

A: The combo ranks 557 out of 1650 tested combos, placing it in the top 33.8% of all systems tested.

Q: How much FPS is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the High preset?

A: At the High preset, the average FPS drops from 443.4 at 1920x1080 to 342.6 at 3840x2160, a loss of 100.8 FPS.

Q: Which preset provides the best performance for competitive play?

A: The Low preset provides the best performance, delivering the highest average FPS at all resolutions, with 530.3 at 1080p, 507 at 1440p, and 468.5 at 4K.