Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS where frame rate often matters more than visual fidelity, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 reflects this dynamic. The combination delivers exceptionally high frame rates across all tested configurations, with the lowest average being 207 FPS at 4K Ultra and the highest reaching 508 FPS at 1080p Low. These results indicate a system that is overwhelmingly capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors, though the scaling patterns reveal where the performance bottlenecks lie and how the hardware responds to different graphical loads.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is significant but not catastrophic, indicating a blend of CPU and GPU limitations depending on the settings preset. At Low settings, the progression from 1080p to 1440p to 4K yields average FPS of 508, 434, and 347, respectively. This represents a 14.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 20.0% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 31.7%, which is substantial but still leaves the system well above the 300 FPS mark at 4K.

With High settings, the scaling is similar but slightly steeper in percentage terms. The averages are 319 FPS at 1080p, 272 FPS at 1440p, and 217 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 14.7%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 20.2%, resulting in a 32.0% total decrease. Medium settings follow the same pattern, with 335 FPS at 1080p, 286 FPS at 1440p, and 228 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings show the most pronounced scaling, dropping from 304 FPS at 1080p to 259 FPS at 1440p (14.8% decrease) and then to 207 FPS at 4K (20.1% decrease), for a total reduction of 31.9%.

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings presets is telling. Regardless of whether the scene complexity is low or ultra, the resolution scaling penalty remains nearly identical, which suggests the limiting factor is not the GPU's shading workload but rather the memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate. The Arc B570 has a 160-bit memory bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth and a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s. As resolution increases, the demand on these fixed resources grows linearly, explaining the uniform percentage drops. The CPU, with its 14 cores and 20 threads boosting to 5.30 GHz, appears to be far from saturation even at 1080p, as evidenced by the massive 508 FPS figure at Low settings.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured rows, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the target refresh rate and resolution. At 1080p, which is the most common competitive resolution, all presets deliver well over 300 FPS. The Low preset achieves 508 FPS, while Medium reaches 335 FPS, High hits 319 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 304 FPS. For players with a 360 Hz monitor, the Low preset is the only one that guarantees frame rates above 500 FPS, providing a substantial buffer. However, for a 240 Hz display, Medium at 335 FPS offers a significant visual upgrade over Low while still maintaining a comfortable margin above the refresh rate.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more nuanced. Low settings produce 434 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate gaming. Medium drops to 286 FPS, High to 272 FPS, and Ultra to 259 FPS. All four presets remain above 240 FPS, making Medium the recommended choice for 1440p users who want a balance between visual quality and performance. The jump from Low to Medium adds detail without compromising the ability to drive a 240 Hz panel. Ultra at 259 FPS is still viable, but the marginal visual gains over High may not justify the 13 FPS difference.

At 4K, the frame rates are still remarkably high for a competitive title. Low settings yield 347 FPS, Medium 228 FPS, High 217 FPS, and Ultra 207 FPS. Here, Medium is the sweet spot for 4K, as it provides a substantial improvement over Low while staying above 200 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is only 11 FPS, and between High and Ultra it is 10 FPS, so players prioritizing visual fidelity at 4K can opt for Ultra with only a 21 FPS penalty compared to Medium. The data suggests that this combo is powerful enough to run Valorant at high settings even at 4K, evidence of the game's optimization and the hardware's capability.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, plays a crucial role in these results. Its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus delivers 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is likely the primary factor in the consistent resolution scaling observed. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2500 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, indicating a fixed clock speed that does not vary under load. This steady clock rate contributes to predictable performance across different settings, as the GPU does not thermally throttle or boost dynamically.

With 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, the Arc B570 provides ample compute for Valorant's relatively light graphics workload. The FP32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are more than sufficient for a game that emphasizes clean geometry and minimal post-processing. The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility ensure it can handle the game's rendering paths efficiently. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (207 FPS) versus 4K Low (347 FPS) shows a 40.3% performance delta, highlighting how the GPU's fixed-function units and memory bandwidth respond to increased shading complexity.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is not a limiting factor in these tests, as Valorant is not a memory-intensive title. The frame time consistency, evidenced by the min and max FPS at Medium settings, shows tight ranges. At 1080p Medium, the range is 285 to 385 FPS, and at 1440p Medium it is 243 to 329 FPS. These narrow ranges indicate stable frame pacing, which is critical for competitive play. The GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s becomes more relevant at higher resolutions, and the data shows that even at 4K, the Arc B570 sustains over 200 FPS, proving its capability as a high-resolution esports GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2227 out of 2883 combos for Valorant. This percentile placement, roughly in the bottom 23% of all tested systems, is surprising given the high absolute frame rates. The explanation lies in the nature of the benchmark database, which includes many combinations with top-tier GPUs that achieve even higher frame rates in this CPU-bound game. The rank reflects relative standing among all combos, not an absolute measure of playability.

The CPU itself, the i5-14600KF, holds a percentile of 90 against all CPUs, indicating it outperforms 90% of processors in general benchmarks. Its average benchmark score is 49394, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228, a delta of 0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 scores 49796, a delta of -0.8%. This places the i5-14600KF in a tight cluster of high-performance CPUs, all within 1% of each other. The GPU, meanwhile, ranks in the 65th percentile against all GPUs with an average score of 20556, closely matching the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, 0.1% delta) and Intel Arc A750 (20582, -0.1% delta).

The low combo rank is likely due to the GPU being the weaker link in this pairing. While the CPU is in the top 10% of all processors, the GPU is in the top 35%, creating an imbalance that prevents the combo from reaching the upper echelons of the ranking. For Valorant specifically, where high frame rates are achievable even with modest GPUs, the combo's rank indicates that other configurations with faster GPUs or more balanced pairings produce higher average FPS. However, the practical takeaway is that this combo delivers frame rates far beyond what most displays can show, making the rank a statistical curiosity rather than a performance indictment.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 508, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is followed by 434 FPS at 2560x1440 Low and 347 FPS at 3840x2160 Low.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo delivers an average FPS of 207. This is the lowest measured average across all configurations, but it remains well above the 144 Hz refresh rate commonly found in 4K monitors.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck in this setup?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The consistent percentage drops in FPS from 1080p to 4K across all settings presets point to memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate limitations, both of which are GPU attributes. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by its Geekbench single-core score of 2445, appears sufficient for the game's demands.

Q: What are the min and max FPS values for this combo?

A: Min and max FPS are only provided for Medium settings. At 1080p, the range is 285 to 385 FPS. At 1440p, it is 243 to 329 FPS. At 4K, it is 194 to 263 FPS. These values indicate stable frame pacing with no significant stutters.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534) and 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750 (20582). It also sits 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M390X.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 2227 out of 2883 total combinations for Valorant. This places it in the lower 23% of all tested systems, despite delivering frame rates above 200 FPS even at 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 304 at Ultra to 508 at Low. The Medium preset yields 335 FPS with a min of 285 and a max of 385, while High produces 319 FPS. These numbers show that even the most demanding settings at 1080p exceed 300 FPS, making this resolution ideal for maximum frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 434 FPS at Low, 286 FPS at Medium (min 243, max 329), 272 FPS at High, and 259 FPS at Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent at roughly 15% across all presets, indicating a proportional increase in pixel workload. At 1440p, all settings remain above 250 FPS, preserving high-refresh-rate capability.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 347 FPS at Low, 228 FPS at Medium (min 194, max 263), 217 FPS at High, and 207 FPS at Ultra. The 4K results show a 20% drop from 1440p, which is slightly steeper than the 1080p to 1440p drop, reflecting the quadratic increase in pixel count. Even at 4K Ultra, the combo maintains an average above 200 FPS, which is exceptional for a competitive FPS. The min FPS at 4K Medium is 194, ensuring that even the lowest frame times stay within the 200 FPS ballpark.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a single-core score of 4594. The Geekbench scores of 17085 multi-core and 2445 single-core further underscore its capability. For Valorant, which is known to be sensitive to single-thread performance, the i5-14600KF's high boost clock and strong IPC are crucial.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This substantial cache reduces memory latency, which is beneficial for a game that requires rapid data access for game state updates and input processing. The PassMark single-thread score of 4273 places it in the top tier of processors for lightly-threaded workloads, directly impacting the 508 FPS result at 1080p Low. The CPU's performance percentile of 90 against all CPUs confirms its elite status, and its average benchmark score of 49394 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with deltas of less than 1% against the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, Intel Core Ultra 5 245, and AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388.

The fact that the CPU is not the bottleneck is evident from the frame rate scaling. If the CPU were limiting, the FPS would remain constant regardless of resolution or settings. Instead, the FPS drops consistently with increased resolution and settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU's 125 W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide flexibility, but the measured data shows that even with a mid-range GPU like the Arc B570, the i5-14600KF has ample headroom in Valorant. This makes the combo well-suited for future GPU upgrades, as the CPU would not need to be replaced to achieve higher frame rates with a more powerful graphics card.