Valorant

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 in Valorant?

A: This combination ranks 870th out of 2,883 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the upper tier of tested systems. The rank reflects the measured FPS data across all tested resolutions and settings.

Q: Which resolution delivers the highest average FPS for this combo?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings produces the highest measured average FPS at 595. For context, the same Low preset at 2560x1440 yields 564 FPS, and at 3840x2160 it drops to 510 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27,799, which is 0.3% lower than the Intel Core i9-10900K (27,872) and 0.3% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE (27,712). The difference is negligible.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Ultra and Low settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 447 FPS while Low averages 595 FPS, a difference of 148 FPS. The Medium preset sits between them at 493 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s bandwidth. Given that Valorant is an FPS title with measured frame rates above 300 FPS at 4K, the VRAM capacity is more than sufficient.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance relative to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU scores 3,302 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 23,391 in multi-core. The single-core score is about 14% of the multi-core score, indicating strong per-core performance, which matters for game logic and physics.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is built on the Alder Lake architecture with 10 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This hybrid design combines performance and efficiency cores, though the FACT PACK does not specify the core distribution. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes.

In Valorant, the CPU's role is critical because the game is known for high frame rates that depend on per-core throughput. The 10-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample parallelism for background tasks while the game's main thread benefits from the 4.90 GHz boost clock. The measured FPS data shows that even at 4K with Ultra settings, the system achieves 305 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at any tested resolution.

The CPU's benchmark scores reinforce this interpretation. In 3DMark, the single-thread score is 1,016, while the 2-thread score is 1,995, and the 4-thread score is 3,806. The scaling from 2 to 4 threads is strong, but the jump from 4 to 8 threads (6,128) is less dramatic, indicating diminishing returns beyond four threads for this workload. The max-thread score of 7,952 is nearly identical to the 16-thread score of 7,956, suggesting that the CPU's additional threads beyond 8 provide minimal benefit in threaded benchmarks.

In Cinebench R23, the multi-core score of 23,391 and single-core score of 3,302 place the CPU in a competitive position. The ratio between these scores shows that the CPU can deliver roughly 7x the performance when all cores are active, which is typical for a 10-core design. For Valorant, the single-core performance is more relevant because the game's frame generation is largely single-threaded, and the 3,302 single-core score contributes to the high frame rates observed.

The CPU's percentile rank of 79 among all CPUs indicates it outperforms most processors in general benchmarks. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K with an average score of 27,872 (0.3% higher), the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE at 27,712 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D at 27,896 (0.3% higher). These deltas are within noise, meaning the i5-12600KF is effectively equivalent to these processors in average benchmark performance, despite architectural differences.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings provides clear guidance for optimizing the gameplay experience. The goal is to balance visual quality with frame rate stability, and Valorant is a competitive FPS where higher frame rates often translate to smoother gameplay and reduced input latency.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 595 FPS, which is the highest measured value for any combination. The Medium preset drops to 493 FPS, High to 469 FPS, and Ultra to 447 FPS. The gap from Low to Medium is 102 FPS, while the gap from Medium to High is only 24 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 22 FPS. This suggests that the Low preset is heavily optimized for frame rate, while the step from Medium to High or Ultra incurs progressively smaller penalties.

At 2560x1440, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute values. Low averages 564 FPS, Medium 421 FPS, High 401 FPS, and Ultra 381 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 143 FPS, which is larger than the 1080p difference, indicating that the resolution increase amplifies the cost of higher settings. The Medium to High gap is 20 FPS, and High to Ultra is 20 FPS as well.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset still manages 510 FPS, which is remarkably high. Medium drops to 336 FPS, High to 320 FPS, and Ultra to 305 FPS. The Low to Medium gap is 174 FPS, showing that the Medium preset at 4K is significantly more demanding. However, even the Ultra preset at 4K exceeds 300 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most displays.

For the best experience, the data suggests using the Low preset at 1080p if maximum frame rate is the priority, as it delivers 595 FPS. However, the Medium preset at 1080p offers 493 FPS, which is still extremely high and provides better visual fidelity. The Medium preset also has measured minimum FPS of 419 and maximum of 567, indicating consistent frame delivery. At higher resolutions, the Medium preset provides a reasonable balance, with 421 FPS at 1440p and 336 FPS at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 870 out of 2,883 tested combos places this system in the top 30% of all tested configurations. This rank is derived from the measured FPS data in Valorant, which includes all resolution and setting combinations. The rank suggests that while this system is not at the absolute top tier, it delivers consistently high frame rates across the board.

To put this rank in perspective, the CPU's percentile rank of 79 among all CPUs indicates it is in the top 21% of processors. The GPU's percentile rank of 58 among all GPUs places it in the top 42% of graphics cards. The combo rank of 870 out of 2,883 (roughly the 70th percentile) is lower than the CPU's percentile but higher than the GPU's percentile, suggesting that the overall performance is limited more by the GPU than the CPU in this title.

The nearest GPU rivals provide context for the GPU's performance. The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15,852, which is 0.1% higher than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15,862) and 1% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16,014). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16,129, which is 1.7% higher. These small deltas indicate that the RX 7700 performs similarly to these cards in general benchmarks, though Valorant's specific workload may favor one over another.

The combo's rank of 870 out of 2,883 means there are 869 combos that perform better and 2,013 that perform worse. Given that Valorant is not a graphically demanding game, many high-end GPUs will achieve similar frame rates, and the differences come down to CPU performance and memory configuration. The i5-12600KF's strong single-core performance likely contributes to this combo's relatively high rank.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is based on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units, along with 40 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1900 MHz, a game clock of 2041 MHz, and a boost clock of 2459 MHz.

The memory subsystem consists of 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth. This is substantial for a mid-range GPU, and the 16 GB capacity ensures that VRAM is never a limiting factor in Valorant. The memory clock runs at 2438 MHz, which translates to 19.5 Gbps effective.

In Valorant, the GPU's role is less demanding than in graphically intensive titles. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU can deliver 510 FPS at 4K with Low settings, which is exceptionally high. The fact that the Low preset at 4K (510 FPS) is only 85 FPS lower than the Low preset at 1080p (595 FPS) indicates that the GPU is not heavily taxed by resolution increases, at least at Low settings.

However, the setting level has a more pronounced effect. At 4K, moving from Low to Medium drops the frame rate by 174 FPS, from 510 to 336. This suggests that the Medium preset introduces effects that are more GPU-intensive, such as higher-quality textures and shading. The High and Ultra presets are closer in performance, with 320 and 305 FPS respectively, indicating diminishing returns at the top end.

The GPU's benchmark scores show a PassMark G3D score of 20,974 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,865. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 186 is notably higher than the DirectX 12 score of 96, which may reflect the driver optimization for DX11 titles. The GPU's percentile rank of 58 among all GPUs places it slightly above the median, which is consistent with its performance class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions and four settings, providing a comprehensive picture of performance. Each resolution has measured values for Low, Medium, High, and Ultra presets, with the Medium preset also including minimum and maximum FPS.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 595 FPS average, the highest of any configuration. The Medium preset averages 493 FPS with a minimum of 419 and maximum of 567. The High preset delivers 469 FPS, and the Ultra preset 447 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 148 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 564 FPS, which is 31 FPS lower than at 1080p. The Medium preset averages 421 FPS with a minimum of 357 and maximum of 484. The High preset achieves 401 FPS, and the Ultra preset 381 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 183 FPS, a larger gap than at 1080p, indicating that higher resolution amplifies the cost of higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset still manages 510 FPS, which is only 85 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. The Medium preset averages 336 FPS with a minimum of 286 and maximum of 387. The High preset delivers 320 FPS, and the Ultra preset 305 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 205 FPS, the largest of any resolution, showing that the Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding configuration tested.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values. Across resolutions, the minimum FPS scales from 419 at 1080p to 357 at 1440p to 286 at 4K, while the maximum scales from 567 to 484 to 387. The ratio of minimum to average is roughly 85% at each resolution, indicating consistent frame delivery without severe drops.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals how the system scales with resolution and which component is the limiting factor. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 595 FPS at 1080p to 510 FPS at 4K, a reduction of 85 FPS or about 14%. This relatively small drop indicates that at Low settings, the CPU is the primary bottleneck, as the GPU has ample headroom to render more pixels.

At Medium settings, the drop is more pronounced. The frame rate falls from 493 FPS at 1080p to 421 FPS at 1440p to 336 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 72 FPS (about 15%), and from 1440p to 4K is 85 FPS (about 20%). The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 157 FPS, or about 32%. This larger drop indicates that the GPU is becoming more involved as settings increase.

At High settings, the frame rate drops from 469 FPS at 1080p to 401 FPS at 1440p to 320 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 68 FPS (about 14%), and from 1440p to 4K is 81 FPS (about 20%). The total drop is 149 FPS, or about 32%. This pattern is similar to Medium, suggesting that the GPU workload scales consistently with resolution.

At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 447 FPS at 1080p to 381 FPS at 1440p to 305 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 66 FPS (about 15%), and from 1440p to 4K is 76 FPS (about 20%). The total drop is 142 FPS, or about 32%. The consistency of the percentage drop across Medium, High, and Ultra settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at these settings.

The data shows that at Low settings, the CPU limits performance, as resolution scaling has a minimal effect. At Medium and above, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, as evidenced by the consistent 32% drop from 1080p to 4K. This is typical for a game like Valorant, which is CPU-bound at low settings and becomes more GPU-bound as visual fidelity increases. The system's high frame rates at all settings mean that even at 4K Ultra, the game remains playable on high-refresh-rate displays.