Valorant

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER sits at rank 360 out of 1650 tested combos for Valorant. That places it in the top 22% of all configurations in the database, a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The ranking reflects how well this pairing handles Valorant's specific engine demands, where high frame rates are the primary metric.

What stands out is the gap between the CPU and GPU components. The i5-13400F ranks in the 82nd percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 4080 SUPER sits in the 88th percentile among GPUs. The combo ranking being lower than either component's individual percentile suggests that Valorant's performance ceiling here is dictated by the CPU's ability to feed frames to the GPU, not by the GPU's raw rendering power.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It runs at a 2.50 GHz base clock and boosts up to 4.60 GHz, with 20 MB of shared L3 cache. These specifications matter for Valorant because the game is notoriously CPU-bound at high frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU has spare capacity.

Benchmark data shows the CPU's multithreaded strength: it scores 21,279 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 7,307 in 3DMark max threads. Single-thread performance is also solid, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3,004. Valorant relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and physics, so these numbers are directly relevant to the measured FPS results.

The CPU's nearest rival is the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, which scores 25,365 on average versus the i5-13400F's 25,236 — a delta of -0.5%, meaning the Intel chip is effectively tied with that competitor. The Intel Core i7-13620H is also close at 25,201 (0.1% delta), and the AMD EPYC 9474F trails at 25,103 (0.5% delta). These margins are negligible in real-world gaming, so the i5-13400F's advantage comes from its combination of high clocks and adequate cache for Valorant's engine.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It packs 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a 2295 MHz base clock and boosts to 2550 MHz, with 10,240 shading units and 80 RT cores.

For Valorant, the GPU is almost overkill. The game's visual demands are modest compared to AAA titles, and the RTX 4080 SUPER's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is far more than needed for this esports title. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 34,245 places it in the 88th percentile, with its nearest rival being the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT at 53,489 (0.2% delta). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti trails at 52,086 (2.9% delta), so the 4080 SUPER holds a meaningful edge over that newer competitor.

The GPU's role in Valorant is primarily to ensure that frame times stay consistent at high refresh rates. With its 16 GB of VRAM and high bandwidth, there is no risk of memory capacity or bandwidth bottlenecks at any tested resolution, even at 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data shows this combo delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 552.4. Moving to Medium yields 472.8 FPS, High produces 462.8 FPS, and Ultra drops slightly to 456.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is about 96 FPS, indicating that settings have a moderate impact at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low settings produce 527.8 FPS, Medium drops to 444.5 FPS, High yields 440.9 FPS, and Ultra comes in at 434.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 93 FPS, similar to 1080p, but the absolute numbers are lower across the board.

At 3840x2160, the GPU starts to show its limits. Low settings deliver 489.7 FPS, Medium produces 416 FPS, High yields 409.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 403.7 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra is 86 FPS, slightly narrower than at lower resolutions. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is becoming more involved in the frame rate equation.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear trend in resolution scaling. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, FPS drops from 552.4 to 527.8, a reduction of about 4.5%. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, FPS drops from 527.8 to 489.7, a further 7.2% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drops are more consistent: 456.2 FPS at 1080p, 434.8 FPS at 1440p, and 403.7 FPS at 4K — a total reduction of about 11.5% from 1080p to 4K.

This scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is the primary limiter. The FPS barely moves when increasing resolution because the GPU has ample headroom. At 4K, the GPU begins to take on more of the load, as evidenced by the larger FPS drops. Still, even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains over 400 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of virtually all monitors.

The fact that Low settings at any resolution never dip below 489 FPS reinforces that this pairing is massively over-provisioned for Valorant. The GPU is never the bottleneck in any meaningful sense; the CPU's single-thread performance sets the ceiling, and that ceiling is high enough to keep frame rates in the hundreds.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p delivers the highest average FPS at 552.4. This is the optimal choice for players using high-refresh-rate monitors, as the reduced visual fidelity is unlikely to matter in a fast-paced tactical shooter where clarity and frame rate take priority. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs about 80 FPS (from 552.4 to 472.8), which is a significant loss for minimal visual gain.

At 1440p, the same logic applies. Low settings produce 527.8 FPS, while Medium drops to 444.5 FPS. The 83 FPS difference is substantial, and unless the visual improvements are important, Low is the better pick. At 4K, Low yields 489.7 FPS, which is still extremely high, but the margin over Medium (416 FPS) is 73 FPS — enough to justify staying on Low for maximum responsiveness.

For players who prioritize visual quality over raw frame rates, the Ultra preset at any resolution still delivers over 400 FPS. The 456.2 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 403.7 FPS at 4K Ultra are both playable on any current monitor. However, given that Valorant is a competitive title where every millisecond matters, the data strongly favors the Low preset. The measured results show that this combo has so much headroom that settings choices are purely about personal preference, not about hitting a playable frame rate.

The practical recommendation is straightforward: run Low at whatever resolution matches your monitor's native panel. This maximizes FPS without sacrificing competitive integrity. If you have a 240 Hz or 360 Hz display, the 552 FPS at 1080p Low ensures you never dip below the refresh rate, even in chaotic team fights. For 4K users, the 489.7 FPS at Low still provides ample margin over any display's refresh rate.