Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS where frame rate consistency often matters more than absolute visual fidelity, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B580 provides a clear picture of how this combination behaves across resolutions and settings. The results show a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at lower settings but becomes increasingly CPU-bound as resolution rises, with the Arc B580’s 12 GB of VRAM and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth proving more than sufficient for a game of Valorant’s visual scope. Across all tested configurations, the average frame rates never dip below 235 FPS at 4K Ultra, which indicates that this pairing delivers exceptionally high performance, though the scaling patterns reveal where the bottleneck shifts.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is relatively modest compared to what would be expected in a more graphically demanding title, which speaks to Valorant’s lightweight rendering engine. At Low settings, moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 reduces the average FPS from 368 to 349, a decline of roughly 5.2% based on the measured figures. Continuing to 3840x2160 at Low brings the average down to 324, which is another 7.2% reduction from the 1440p result. This gentle slope indicates that even at 4K, the GPU is not being pushed to its limits, and the CPU’s six cores are likely holding the frame rate back more than the graphics card.

For High settings, the pattern is similar but with slightly larger drops. The 1080p High average is 309 FPS, which falls to 293 FPS at 1440p (a 5.2% decrease) and then to 246 FPS at 4K (a 16% decrease from the 1440p figure). The larger jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings suggests that the Arc B580 begins to feel the pixel count more heavily, though 246 FPS is still far beyond what any display would need for competitive play. Ultra settings show the tightest scaling, with 304 FPS at 1080p, 288 FPS at 1440p, and 235 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra is only 69 FPS, which is a 22.7% drop—remarkably small for a resolution quadrupling in pixel count.

The limiting component shifts depending on resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the 368 FPS average is almost certainly CPU-capped, as the i5-9400’s six threads can only feed the GPU so quickly. At 4K Ultra, the 235 FPS result suggests the GPU is doing more work, but even then, the Arc B580’s 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is not being fully utilized. The data shows that this combo is never truly GPU-bound in Valorant; instead, the CPU’s single-threaded performance and the game’s engine overhead dictate the ceiling. The fact that 4K Low (324 FPS) is only 12% slower than 1080p Low (368 FPS) reinforces that resolution has a limited impact on this pairing, with the CPU being the consistent limiter across all tested rows.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average is 368 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 349 FPS at 2560x1440 Low, showing that even at higher resolutions, the performance ceiling remains extremely high.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B580 struggle at 4K in Valorant?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the lowest average is 235 FPS on Ultra settings, and the highest is 324 FPS on Low. These numbers indicate that the GPU handles 4K effortlessly, with no measured average below 235 FPS across all four settings presets.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from Low to Ultra at the same resolution?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 368 FPS while Ultra averages 304 FPS, a difference of 64 FPS (17.4% slower). At 1440p, the gap is 61 FPS (349 vs. 288), and at 4K, the gap is 89 FPS (324 vs. 235), which is a 27.5% reduction.

Q: Is the Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the Arc B580 in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate yes, particularly at lower resolutions and settings. The 1080p Low average of 368 FPS is likely near the CPU’s limit, and the relatively small FPS gains when lowering resolution (from 368 at 1080p to 324 at 4K Low) suggest the six-core processor constrains the maximum frame rate more than the GPU does.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The only min FPS values provided are for Medium settings: 220 FPS at 4K, 253 FPS at 1440p, and 267 FPS at 1080p. These minimums are still above typical high-refresh-rate display capabilities, indicating consistent frame delivery.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The comboRankInGame places this pairing at rank 2978 out of 3708 total combinations. While the absolute frame rates are high, the rank suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings produce even higher averages in Valorant, likely due to newer or faster processors.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It lacks hyper-threading, which means it has exactly six threads to handle all game logic, physics, and draw calls. In Valorant, a game known for being CPU-sensitive due to its low graphical overhead, this processor’s single-threaded performance is critical. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935 and multi-core score of 6629 provide context: the single-thread result is moderate by modern standards, but the game’s engine appears to scale reasonably with the six available cores.

The measured FPS data reveals the CPU’s influence clearly. At 1080p Low, the average is 368 FPS, but increasing resolution to 4K Low only drops that to 324 FPS—a mere 44 FPS difference. If the GPU were the primary limiter, quadrupling the pixel count would cause a much larger frame rate collapse. Instead, the relatively flat scaling indicates that the i5-9400 is delivering close to its maximum frame output even at 1080p. The 47th percentile ranking among all CPUs in the database reinforces that this is a mid-range processor, not a top-tier performer, yet it still manages to push Valorant past 300 FPS in most configurations.

The processor’s 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth) are adequate for this workload. Valorant does not demand massive memory bandwidth, and the i5-9400’s six cores are sufficient to avoid major stuttering, as evidenced by the min FPS values on Medium settings (267 FPS at 1080p, 253 FPS at 1440p, 220 FPS at 4K). These minimums suggest that even under load, the CPU maintains frame pacing well. However, the lack of additional threads means that background tasks or complex in-game scenarios could cause occasional dips, though the measured data does not show any catastrophic drops.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the i5-9400’s average benchmark score of 2254 sits within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246) and 0.3% below the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248). This places it in a tight performance band, and in Valorant, that translates to similar CPU-bound frame rates. The data does not include direct CPU comparisons in-game, but the benchmark proximity suggests that users with any of these processors would see comparable results when paired with the same GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the i5-9400 and Arc B580 combination delivers its highest raw frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 368 FPS, which is the peak across all resolutions. Medium settings drop to 314 FPS, with a minimum of 267 FPS and a maximum of 361 FPS. High settings average 309 FPS, and Ultra settings average 304 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 64 FPS, which is modest, indicating that even at the highest quality preset, the CPU remains the primary limiter rather than the GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are still exceptionally high. Low settings hit 349 FPS, while Medium averages 298 FPS with a min of 253 FPS and max of 342 FPS. High settings produce 293 FPS, and Ultra averages 288 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at each settings level is consistent: Low loses 19 FPS, Medium loses 16 FPS, High loses 16 FPS, and Ultra loses 16 FPS. This uniformity suggests that the GPU is handling the additional pixels with only marginal impact, and the CPU’s frame generation rate remains the dominant factor.

At 3840x2160, the averages remain extraordinarily high for a 4K resolution. Low settings average 324 FPS, Medium averages 259 FPS with a min of 220 FPS and max of 297 FPS, High averages 246 FPS, and Ultra averages 235 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced: Low falls by 25 FPS, Medium by 39 FPS, High by 47 FPS, and Ultra by 53 FPS. This widening gap at higher settings indicates that the Arc B580 starts to become more of a factor at 4K, particularly with the increased shading and texture work. Even so, 235 FPS at 4K Ultra is far beyond what most competitive monitors can display, and the minimum FPS on Medium (220 FPS) shows no concerning frame drops.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min and max values, providing insight into frame pacing. At 1080p Medium, the min of 267 FPS and max of 361 FPS create a 94 FPS range, which is relatively wide but still entirely playable. At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 77 FPS (220 to 297), suggesting that higher resolutions actually smooth out the frame time variance due to the GPU taking on more consistent work. Overall, the measured FPS breakdown shows that this combo is capable of maintaining high refresh rates at every resolution and settings preset, with no configuration falling below 220 FPS average.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame field places this specific pairing at rank 2978 out of 3708 tested combinations. That means roughly 80% of all CPU-GPU pairings tested in Valorant achieve higher average frame rates than this one. This ranking might seem counterintuitive given the high absolute FPS numbers, but it reflects the fact that Valorant can run on almost any hardware, and many modern processors with higher single-threaded performance (such as newer Intel and AMD chips) can push frame rates even higher, often exceeding 500 FPS.

The rank of 2978 is not a measure of poor performance; rather, it indicates that the i5-9400’s six threads, while capable, are not among the fastest for this specific game. The Arc B580’s GPU percentile of 68 (meaning it outperforms 68% of all GPUs) is strong, but the CPU’s 47th percentile pulls the combo down. In a game where CPU speed is paramount, the i5-9400’s modest boost clock of 4.10 GHz and lack of hyper-threading limit the pairing’s headroom. The nearest rival CPUs in the database—such as the Intel Core i3-10305 with a deltaPct of -0.4 and the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 at -0.2—show that the i5-9400 is not far from other mid-range options, but none of these would dramatically change the ranking.

For context, the combo’s rank places it in the lower third of all tested configurations, but the measured FPS data shows that even the lowest average (235 FPS at 4K Ultra) exceeds the refresh rate of virtually all gaming monitors. This discrepancy between rank and real-world playability highlights that Valorant’s performance ceiling is extremely high, and a rank of 2978 still delivers an excellent experience. The data suggests that users seeking the absolute highest frame rates (above 400 FPS) would need a newer CPU with stronger single-thread performance, but for standard high-refresh displays (144 Hz to 240 Hz), this combo is more than adequate.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings preset depends on the target refresh rate and resolution. For a 1080p display with a 240 Hz refresh rate, Low settings (368 FPS) provide the highest headroom, but High settings (309 FPS) still exceed 300 FPS and offer better visual clarity. Medium settings (314 FPS) are nearly identical to High, and the min FPS of 267 ensures that even in busy scenes, the frame rate stays above 240 Hz. Ultra settings (304 FPS) are also viable, though the visual improvements over High are minimal in a game like Valorant.

At 1440p, Low settings (349 FPS) are the only preset that comfortably exceeds 300 FPS, while Medium (298 FPS), High (293 FPS), and Ultra (288 FPS) all hover near 290-300 FPS. For a 144 Hz or 165 Hz monitor, any of these settings work, but Ultra provides the best image quality with only a 61 FPS penalty compared to Low. The min FPS on Medium (253 FPS) suggests that even the lowest dips remain above 240 Hz, so there is no risk of stuttering on high-refresh displays.

For 4K, the recommendations shift. Low settings (324 FPS) are the only preset above 300 FPS, while Medium (259 FPS), High (246 FPS), and Ultra (235 FPS) all fall between 235 and 260 FPS. If the display is 4K with a 144 Hz refresh, Medium settings are the sweet spot, offering a balanced average of 259 FPS with a min of 220 FPS. High and Ultra are also playable, but they reduce the margin above the refresh rate. Given that Valorant’s visual differences between Medium and Ultra are subtle, Medium at 4K provides the best combination of frame rate and visual fidelity for this combo.

The data indicates that this pairing performs so well that settings recommendations are almost entirely about maximizing headroom rather than avoiding poor performance. No measured configuration drops below 220 FPS average, so even the most demanding preset at 4K is playable. For competitive play, lower settings at native resolution are preferable to reduce input latency and ensure frame times are as consistent as possible.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is a Battlemage-generation GPU built on TSMC’s 5 nm process, with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It features 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, with a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. The 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is far more than Valorant requires. The GPU’s 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 427.2 GTexel/s texture rate are also overkill for this game’s simple geometry and limited texture work.

In the measured data, the Arc B580’s role becomes apparent when comparing settings at the same resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is only 64 FPS, which suggests the GPU is not the limiting factor—the CPU is. However, at 4K, the gap widens to 89 FPS, indicating that the GPU starts to influence performance more as pixel count increases. The 4K Ultra average of 235 FPS is still excellent, but the scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra (a 133 FPS drop) shows that the GPU does have a measurable impact at the highest resolution and quality settings.

The Arc B580’s 12 GB VRAM is never a constraint in Valorant, as the game’s textures are modest and the memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s is more than sufficient for any settings preset. The GPU’s percentile ranking of 68 places it above most GPUs in the database, and its average benchmark score of 23021 is within 0.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172) and 0.6% above the RTX 2080 (22895). This indicates that the Arc B580’s raw compute performance is comparable to high-end NVIDIA cards from previous generations, which explains why it handles 4K Valorant with ease.

The GPU’s power draw of 190 W and suggested PSU of 450 W are not reflected in the FPS data, but the card’s dual-slot design and single 8-pin connector suggest it is a straightforward addition to any gaming PC. The lack of any measured frame drops below 220 FPS across all rows confirms that the Arc B580 is never a weak link in this pairing. Instead, the GPU provides consistent, high-throughput rendering that allows the i5-9400 to dictate the maximum frame rate, with the B580 easily keeping pace at every resolution and settings combination tested.