Valorant

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Valorant with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER reveals a remarkably flat performance curve across resolutions. At 1080p High settings, the combo produces 311.8 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 291.8 FPS, a decline of roughly 6.4%. Stepping up to 4K High yields 251.8 FPS, which is 19.2% below the 1080p figure. This is an unusually small penalty for a 4x increase in pixel count, suggesting the bottleneck is not primarily the GPU.

The Low preset tells a similar story. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 367.8 FPS. At 1440p Low, it climbs to 349.6 FPS, and at 4K Low it still manages 324.2 FPS. The spread from 1080p to 4K on Low is only 11.9%. Compare this to typical AAA titles where 4K can halve frame rates; the data here indicates Valorant's engine is extremely light on the rasterization pipeline. The RTX 2060 SUPER, with its 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, is never fully saturated even at 4K.

What does this imply about the limiting component? At 1080p Low, the 367.8 FPS ceiling is likely constrained by the CPU's single-thread performance. The i5-9400 boosts to 4.10 GHz and scores 1125 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which is strong but not elite. The game's draw call and physics simulation work scales with core speed, and six threads without hyper-threading may cap the frame rate. As resolution increases, the GPU takes on more pixel work, but the FPS drop is modest because the CPU remains the primary constraint throughout. The 4K Ultra result of 238.7 FPS is telling: even at maximum settings and 8.3 million pixels, the system stays above 238 FPS, which is far beyond any 60 Hz display's capability.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows show that settings have a surprisingly small impact on performance at any given resolution. At 1080p, the gap between Low (367.8 FPS) and Ultra (305.2 FPS) is 17.0%. At 1440p, Low delivers 349.6 FPS while Ultra delivers 285.4 FPS, a 18.4% difference. At 4K, Low runs at 324.2 FPS and Ultra at 238.7 FPS, a 26.4% difference. The pattern is consistent: higher settings cost some frames, but never enough to threaten playability.

For competitive play, Low settings at 1080p give the highest measured average at 367.8 FPS. This maximizes input responsiveness and minimizes frame time variance, which matters in a tactical FPS where reaction time is critical. However, the data shows that even Ultra at 1080p produces 305.2 FPS, which is still far above the refresh rate of most gaming monitors. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus are more than sufficient for Valorant's modest texture and shadow demands.

The best experience per the measured rows depends on the display. For a 144 Hz monitor, Medium at 1440p (296.7 FPS) offers a strong balance: it keeps the frame rate comfortably above the refresh ceiling while providing better visual fidelity than Low. For a 240 Hz display, High at 1080p (311.8 FPS) is the sweet spot, delivering smooth motion without the visual degradation of Low. The 4K Ultra setting at 238.7 FPS only makes sense for a 240 Hz 4K panel, which is rare. In all cases, the data indicates the player has enormous headroom; even the most demanding preset at the highest resolution clears the 200 FPS threshold.

FAQ

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER bottleneck the i5-9400 in Valorant?

A: No. The data shows frame rates remain high even at 4K Ultra (238.7 FPS), and the drop from 1080p to 4K is modest (19.2% at High). The GPU's 7.181 TFLOPS and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are more than adequate, so the CPU's six cores and 4.10 GHz boost are the more likely limiting factor.

Q: What is the best resolution for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: All measured resolutions and settings exceed 144 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the combo produces 296.7 FPS, which is 106% above the refresh rate. Even 4K Ultra at 238.7 FPS clears it by a wide margin, so any resolution works.

Q: How much performance is lost by using Ultra instead of Low at 1080p?

A: The measured difference is 367.8 FPS (Low) versus 305.2 FPS (Ultra), a 17.0% reduction. This is a significant relative drop but an absolute loss of 62.6 FPS, which is unlikely to be perceptible on most monitors.

Q: Is the i5-9400's six-thread configuration a problem for Valorant?

A: The data suggests not in absolute terms. The CPU scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core, but the game still achieves 367.8 FPS at 1080p Low. However, the flat scaling across resolutions implies the CPU is the primary constraint, so a stronger single-thread performer might push higher.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Valorant?

A: Yes. The 4K Low setting yields 324.2 FPS, and 4K Ultra yields 238.7 FPS. Both are well above typical display refresh rates, making 4K fully playable in this title.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 19774, which is 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070 (19680) and 0.3% ahead of the GTX TITAN (19706). The RTX 2060 SUPER also sits at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Valorant, this pairing of Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1334 out of 1650 combos. This places it in the 19th percentile of all systems tested, meaning roughly 81% of combinations deliver higher frame rates in this specific game. The rank is surprisingly low given the absolute FPS numbers, which suggests that Valorant's measured results are heavily influenced by CPU single-thread performance. Many systems with faster processors or higher-clocked memory achieve higher averages, even if their GPUs are weaker.

The comboRankInGame of 1334/1650 must be interpreted carefully. The measured FPS values are extremely high — 367.8 FPS at 1080p Low is far beyond competitive needs. The rank reflects that other combos, likely with newer CPUs like the i7-8809G (which scores 2319 in average benchmarks, 0.6% higher than the i5-9400's 2305), can push even higher. The RTX 2060 SUPER's GPU percentile of 63 is respectable, but the CPU's 50th percentile suggests the processor is the weaker link in this pairing. For a game that rewards high refresh rates, this combo is functional but not top-tier.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on Coffee Lake, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache. The lack of hyper-threading means it handles six threads simultaneously, which is adequate for Valorant's engine that typically uses fewer than four cores. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1125 and multi-core score of 7969 place it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it is exactly average.

In Valorant, the CPU's role is to process game logic, player positions, and network interpolation. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 367.8 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit. The boost clock of 4.10 GHz is decent but not exceptional; processors that boost higher, such as the i7-8809G, can achieve higher frame rates. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s over dual-channel DDR4 is also a potential constraint, as Valorant's engine may be sensitive to memory latency.

The flat scaling across resolutions reinforces the CPU-bound nature. At 4K Ultra, the FPS drops only to 238.7, which is 35.1% below the 1080p Low figure. If the GPU were the bottleneck, the 4K results would be significantly lower. Instead, the CPU's six threads appear to be the ceiling, and the 4.10 GHz boost clock is the key variable. For players seeking higher frame rates, a CPU with higher single-core performance would be the logical upgrade path, not a faster GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the results across settings are: Low 367.8 FPS, Medium 314.3 FPS, High 311.8 FPS, Ultra 305.2 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is negligible (only 2.5 FPS), while Low has a 53.5 FPS advantage over Medium. At 2560x1440, the numbers are: Low 349.6 FPS, Medium 296.7 FPS, High 291.8 FPS, Ultra 285.4 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 52.9 FPS, but the spread from Medium to Ultra is just 11.3 FPS. At 3840x2160, the results are: Low 324.2 FPS, Medium 266.8 FPS, High 251.8 FPS, Ultra 238.7 FPS. Here, the Low-to-Medium gap is 57.4 FPS, and the Medium-to-Ultra gap is 28.1 FPS.

The pattern across all resolutions is that Low settings provide a significant boost over Medium, but Medium through Ultra are closely grouped. This suggests that the Low preset disables certain expensive effects that have a large performance cost, while the higher presets share similar computational loads. The 4K Low result of 324.2 FPS is particularly notable — it is only 11.9% below the 1080p Low figure, indicating that even at 4K, the GPU is not the primary limit. The absolute numbers are all far above typical display refresh rates, so the measured differences are more academic than practical for most users.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing architecture GPU built on TSMC's 12 nm process. It features 2176 shading units, 136 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores. The GPU has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1470 MHz, boosting to 1650 MHz, and it delivers 7.181 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The GPU sits at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs and has an average benchmark score of 19774, which is 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070.

In Valorant, the GPU's role is primarily to render simple geometry and textures. The measured data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the GPU maintains 238.7 FPS, which reflects both the game's efficiency and the GPU's capabilities. The 8 GB VRAM is ample for this title, as Valorant's texture budgets are modest. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is also more than sufficient, as the frame rate does not collapse at 4K, which would indicate memory bandwidth saturation.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the RTX 2060 SUPER's average score is 19774, just 0.3% ahead of the GTX TITAN's 19706 and 0.8% ahead of the Quadro K5200's 19623. The 0.5% lead over the RTX 2070 (19680) is within the margin of error, indicating that these GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic tests. In Valorant, the GPU is never the bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates at all settings and resolutions. The GPU's 1650 MHz boost clock and 7.181 TFLOPS are more than enough for this esports title, and the data confirms that players should focus on CPU upgrades to push frame rates higher.