Valorant

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers exceptional frame rates in Valorant, a tactical FPS that scales aggressively with CPU performance. Across all tested resolutions and presets, the combo never dips below 241.5 average FPS, making it a dominant performer for high-refresh-rate displays. The data shows that this pairing is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes more relevant as resolution increases.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in Valorant?

A: The highest recorded average is 597.7 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the absolute peak of the measured data.

Q: How much performance is gained by switching from Ultra to Low settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate jumps from 356 FPS on Ultra to 597.7 FPS on Low, a difference of 241.7 FPS. This indicates a 68% performance uplift from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER bottleneck the i5-14600K at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the drop from Low to Ultra is 508.5 FPS to 301.3 FPS, a 207.2 FPS difference. While the delta is significant, the absolute numbers remain so high that the GPU is not a limiting factor for competitive play.

Q: What is the frame rate at 4K with High settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 254 FPS. This is still well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for Valorant?

A: The combo ranks 968th out of 1650 tested combinations. This places it in the top 59% of all configurations, though the rank is influenced by the sheer number of combos with more powerful GPUs.

Q: Is the difference between Medium and High settings more pronounced at 4K than at 1080p?

A: At 4K, the gap between Medium (265.1 FPS) and High (254 FPS) is 11.1 FPS. At 1080p, the same gap is 388.7 FPS to 374.5 FPS, a difference of 14.2 FPS. The relative impact is similar, but the 4K delta is smaller in absolute terms.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process, provides ample graphics horsepower for Valorant's stylized visuals. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for this esports title. The GPU's boost clock of 1650 MHz and base clock of 1470 MHz contribute to its strong performance, but the data indicates that the card is rarely the primary constraint.

At 1920x1080, the GPU's role diminishes significantly. The difference between Low (597.7 FPS) and High (374.5 FPS) settings is substantial, but even the highest preset clears 356 FPS. This suggests that the RTX 2060 SUPER's 2176 shading units are not being fully utilized until resolution increases. The 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is adequate to push frame rates well beyond typical 240 Hz monitor capabilities.

The GPU's impact becomes more visible at 3840x2160. Here, the Ultra preset drops to 241.5 FPS, while Low settings yield 405.6 FPS. The 164.1 FPS gap between these presets at 4K versus a 241.7 FPS gap at 1080p shows that the card's pixel throughput, rated at 105.6 GPixel/s, is starting to matter. The memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s also plays a larger role at higher resolutions, though it never becomes a bottleneck.

The RTX 2060 SUPER sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19774. It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 by just 0.5% in average score, indicating that the performance difference between these two cards is negligible in compute workloads. For Valorant specifically, the GPU's 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores are irrelevant, as the game does not use ray tracing or DLSS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows that Low settings provide the best competitive experience at every resolution. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 597.7 FPS, which is 209.2 FPS higher than Ultra (356 FPS). This massive headroom ensures that frame times remain consistent even during intense firefights.

For players prioritizing visual clarity over raw frame rate, High settings represent a balanced choice. At 2560x1440, High settings yield 320 FPS, which is still exceptional for a 1440p panel. The gap between High and Ultra at this resolution is only 18.7 FPS (320 vs 301.3), suggesting that the visual uplift from Ultra is not worth the performance cost.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation shifts. Medium settings produce 265.1 FPS, which is 11.1 FPS higher than High (254 FPS) and 23.6 FPS higher than Ultra (241.5 FPS). The 4K results show diminishing returns from Low to Medium, with a 140.5 FPS jump, but the Medium to High transition is much smaller.

The optimal preset depends on the target refresh rate. For 360 Hz monitors at 1080p, Low is mandatory. For 240 Hz displays at 1440p, High settings are sufficient. At 4K, even Ultra clears 240 FPS, making any preset viable for standard 144 Hz monitors. The data indicates that the combo is so fast that users can prioritize visual fidelity without sacrificing competitive integrity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 968th out of 1650 tested combinations for Valorant. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is surprising given the absolute frame rates. The rank reflects that many combos with newer or higher-tier GPUs achieve even higher scores, though the actual gameplay experience is already beyond what most displays can show.

The i5-14600K itself sits at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49166. It is nearly identical in performance to the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, with a deltaPct of just 0.2% in favor of the Intel chip. The i5-14600KF is 0.4% faster, making the K variant essentially equal to its unlocked counterpart.

The RTX 2060 SUPER, by contrast, sits at the 63rd percentile among GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 19774 places it just 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN and 0.5% behind the RTX 2070. This mid-range GPU positioning explains why the combo ranks lower than configurations with flagship graphics cards, even though the CPU is top-tier.

The rank is also influenced by the game's CPU sensitivity. Valorant's engine benefits disproportionately from high single-thread performance, which the i5-14600K provides with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The GPU's role is secondary, so the combo's rank is lower than what the raw FPS numbers might suggest, but the actual playability is exceptional.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is the primary driver of Valorant's performance in this pairing. With 14 cores and 20 threads, the Raptor Lake processor offers a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is critical for a game where single-threaded performance directly translates to frame rate.

The CPU's benchmark results confirm its dominance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 32881 multi-core and 4642 single-core. The single-core score is particularly relevant for Valorant, as the game's engine relies heavily on a few threads. The PassMark single-thread score of 4270 reinforces this, placing the CPU in the top tier for esports workloads.

The i5-14600K's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide low-latency access to game data. The 10 nm process node allows for efficient power delivery, though the 125 W TDP is substantial. The CPU's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5 provides flexibility, though the dual-channel bus is standard.

The data shows how the CPU scales with resolution. At 1920x1080, the frame rate is 597.7 FPS on Low settings, which is 192.1 FPS higher than at 3840x2160 (405.6 FPS). This 32% drop from 1080p to 4K indicates that the GPU becomes more involved as resolution increases, but the CPU remains the performance ceiling at lower resolutions.

The i5-14600K's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, has an average score of 49062, a 0.2% deltaPct behind the Intel chip. This near-tie suggests that Valorant players would see virtually identical performance with either processor. The Intel Core i5-14600KF is 0.4% ahead, making the non-F variant the slightly slower choice for the same architecture.