Valorant

Valorant is a fast-paced FPS where frame rate consistency often matters more than raw graphical fidelity, and the measured results for the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 place this combination in the 79.5th percentile of all tested systems, ranking 2292nd out of 2883 combos. The data indicates a system capable of delivering extremely high frame rates across all tested resolutions, though the performance ceiling is clearly dictated by the processor in lighter settings and the graphics card in heavier ones. This analysis breaks down the specific roles each component plays, how the system scales across resolutions, and where it stands relative to other hardware pairings in the database.

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

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It features a 9 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 5141 and single-core score of 1389. Its average benchmark score of 2254 places it at the 47th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it sits near the middle of the pack in overall processing power.

For a game like Valorant, which is primarily CPU-bound at lower graphical settings, the i5-9400's six physical cores are relevant because the game's engine can utilize them for game logic and physics, but the lack of hyper-threading means it relies on raw core speed rather than additional thread count. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz is the critical specification here, as higher clock speeds directly translate to better frame rates in CPU-limited scenarios. The benchmark data supports this: at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 368 FPS, which is the highest recorded in this dataset, suggesting the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to maintain these high frame rates.

The CPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is tight. The data shows the i5-9400 is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which has an average score of 2259, and 0.4% slower than the Intel Core i3-10305 with a score of 2264. Conversely, it is 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248) and 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246). These margins are negligible, meaning the i5-9400's performance in this game is on par with those processors, and any FPS differences between them would be within the margin of error. The CPU's percentile rank of 47 suggests that while it is not a top-tier processor, it does not bottleneck the GPU in this specific title, as evidenced by the high average frame rates.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 32 chip, featuring 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units. It operates with a base clock of 1900 MHz, a boost clock of 2459 MHz, and a game clock of 2041 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s. Its memory clock runs at 2438 MHz, which translates to 19.5 Gbps effective. In synthetic tests, the RX 7700 scores 20974 in Passmark G3D and 2865 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, with an average benchmark score of 15852, placing it at the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

In Valorant, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution and graphical settings increase. The 16 GB of VRAM is far more than the game requires, but the high memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming is never a bottleneck, even at 4K Ultra settings. The boost clock of 2459 MHz is substantial, and the data shows that the GPU can push frame rates well above 300 FPS at lower settings. Specifically, at 1080p Low, the combo hits 368 FPS, and at 1440p Low, it reaches 349 FPS. However, the GPU's performance does not degrade as sharply as one might expect when moving to higher settings, indicating that the RX 7700 is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at competitive settings.

The GPU's comparison to its nearest rivals shows it is 0.1% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 370X (average score 15862), 1% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014), 1.1% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679), and 1.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129). These deltas are small, meaning the RX 7700 delivers performance comparable to those cards in this title. The GPU's 58th percentile ranking indicates it is above average, and its ability to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra (267 FPS) suggests it is not the limiting factor in this combo, even at the highest settings tested.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo scales across resolutions. Moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, the average frame rates at High settings drop from 309 FPS to 293 FPS to 272 FPS, respectively. This represents a 5.2% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a further 7.2% decrease from 1440p to 4K. The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K is 12%, which is relatively modest and indicates that the system is not severely stressed by the increase in pixel count.

At Low settings, the scaling is more pronounced: 1080p yields 368 FPS, 1440p yields 349 FPS, and 4K yields 324 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 12%, which is nearly identical to the High settings scaling. This consistency suggests that the CPU is the primary limiting factor at Low settings, as the GPU has enough headroom to handle the lower graphical load, but the frame rates still decrease due to the increased resolution requiring more work from the processor to maintain the scene.

The Medium settings data, which includes minimum and maximum FPS values, shows a similar pattern: 1080p averages 314 FPS with a minimum of 267 and a maximum of 361, 1440p averages 298 FPS with a minimum of 253 and a maximum of 342, and 4K averages 276 FPS with a minimum of 235 and a maximum of 318. The minimum FPS values are notably lower than the averages, suggesting that there are occasional dips in performance, but the overall trend is stable. The fact that the 4K Ultra settings (267 FPS) are only slightly lower than the 4K High settings (272 FPS) indicates that the GPU is not being overwhelmed by the highest settings, and the system remains playable at all resolutions.

The scaling behavior points to a balanced combo where the CPU and GPU share the workload effectively. At lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is the bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates that do not scale linearly with GPU load. At higher resolutions and settings, the GPU becomes more relevant, but the RX 7700 has enough power to keep frame rates well above 240 FPS even at 4K Ultra. This suggests that for competitive play at 1080p or 1440p, the system is CPU-limited, while at 4K, it shifts toward being GPU-limited, though neither component becomes a significant constraint.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 368 FPS at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-10710U?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, which is 0.3% higher than the i7-10710U's score of 2248.

Q: What is the minimum FPS observed at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 resolution with Medium settings, the minimum FPS recorded is 235.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 7700 faster or slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852, which is 1.7% lower than the RTX 3060 Ti's score of 16129.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 304 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it achieves 267 FPS, representing a 12.2% decrease.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1440p High settings?

A: At 1440p High, the combo achieves 293 FPS, which is close to the 1080p High result of 309 FPS, indicating the CPU is still a significant factor, but the GPU is also contributing to the frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 2292nd out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the 79.5th percentile of all systems. This rank is relatively low in absolute terms, but given that there are thousands of possible combinations, it reflects that this setup is above average for this specific game. The rank is influenced by the CPU's 47th percentile performance and the GPU's 58th percentile performance, which together produce a system that can handle Valorant very well.

The combination's ranking suggests that while it is not among the top-tier systems for Valorant, it outperforms a significant majority of tested configurations. This is likely due to the high frame rates achieved, which are above the threshold for competitive play. The CPU's six cores are sufficient for the game's demands, and the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM and high bandwidth ensure smooth performance at all settings. The 79.5th percentile rank indicates that this combo is in the upper fifth of all systems, making it a solid choice for players who prioritize high and consistent frame rates in Valorant.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing's strengths lie in its ability to maintain high FPS at 4K, which is unusual for a mid-range CPU. The data shows that the combo achieves over 260 FPS at 4K Ultra, which confirms the GPU's power and the CPU's adequate single-thread performance. The rank of 2292 out of 2883 is a reflection of the overall system balance, and it suggests that users can expect excellent performance in Valorant without needing to overclock or upgrade either component.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo is comprehensive, covering three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are as follows: Low settings produce 368 FPS, Medium settings produce 314 FPS with a minimum of 267 and a maximum of 361, High settings produce 309 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 304 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 64 FPS, which is significant but still leaves the system well above 300 FPS at all settings.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates decrease slightly: Low settings yield 349 FPS, Medium settings yield 298 FPS with a minimum of 253 and a maximum of 342, High settings yield 293 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 288 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is 19 FPS, and at Ultra settings, it is 16 FPS, indicating a consistent reduction across all settings.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are: Low settings achieve 324 FPS, Medium settings achieve 276 FPS with a minimum of 235 and a maximum of 318, High settings achieve 272 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 267 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 44 FPS, and at Ultra settings, it is 37 FPS. The 4K Medium settings show the lowest minimum FPS of 235, but the average remains high, suggesting that the system can handle 4K gaming without significant stuttering. Overall, the data shows that this combo delivers frame rates above 260 FPS in every tested configuration, making it highly suitable for high-refresh-rate displays at any resolution.