Valorant

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a capable combination for Valorant, delivering extremely high frame rates across all tested settings. This pairing ranks in the 20th percentile of tested combos, placing it in the upper tier of systems capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors in this competitive FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average is 372 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 307.5 FPS at 1920x1080 to 270.6 FPS at 3840x2160, a decrease of approximately 12%.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER or the i5-9400 the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is a significant factor, as the i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The GPU, with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, is likely less stressed since even at 4K Ultra the average FPS remains above 265.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average frame rate drops from 349.3 FPS on Low to 287 FPS on Ultra, a difference of about 18%.

Q: How does this combo's ranking compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1325 out of 1650 tested combos, meaning it performs better than roughly 80% of all systems in the database for Valorant.

Q: Does the GPU's VRAM capacity pose a limitation at any resolution?

A: No. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and a 256-bit bus, the RTX 2070 SUPER appears sufficient, as the lowest average FPS across all tested settings and resolutions is 265.5 at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, which is critical for Valorant's engine that often relies on single-thread performance. The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close for faster processing.

In this benchmark set, the CPU's influence is visible when comparing frame rates across different quality presets. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1920x1080 is 68.1 FPS (372 vs 303.9), which indicates that while the GPU is doing more work at higher settings, the i5-9400 is still able to feed it adequately. The processor's performance percentile stands at 50, placing it in the middle of all CPUs tested, but its boost clock of 4.10 GHz is well-suited for the high-frequency demands of a competitive shooter.

The i5-9400's average benchmark score is 2305, with its nearest rival being the Intel Core i3-10305 at a 0.2% delta. This suggests that the CPU is not an outlier in performance, but rather a solid mid-range part. In Valorant, the data shows that even at 4K Ultra (265.5 FPS), the frame rate remains exceptionally high, indicating that the CPU is not bottlenecking the system at any point in these tests.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 1770 MHz and 2560 shading units handle the graphical workload efficiently. The GPU's average benchmark score is 22206, and it ranks in the 65th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role becomes more apparent at higher resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the frame rate drops from 328 FPS on Low to 265.5 FPS on Ultra, a decrease of 62.5 FPS (19%). This shows the GPU being pushed harder as pixel count and visual fidelity increase. However, even the lowest average of 265.5 FPS is far above the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 2070 SUPER is 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 and 2.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5700. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is never a constraint in these tests, as evidenced by the consistent high performance across all settings. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed ensures that texture streaming and data transfer do not create stutters, even at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this i5-9400 + RTX 2070 SUPER system ranks 1325 out of 1650 combos for Valorant. This places it in the top 20% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing for a pairing of this generation. The rank reflects the combination's ability to maintain very high frame rates, which is the primary metric for a competitive FPS.

The ranking indicates that while there are faster systems, this combo is far from the bottom. It outperforms 325 other tested pairings, making it a solid choice for players who want to maximize their refresh rate without needing the absolute top-tier hardware. The percentile placement suggests that the system is well-balanced for Valorant's specific demands, where both CPU and GPU contribute to the final frame output.

The data shows that the combo is more than adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and it even handles 4K at playable frame rates. The rank of 1325 reflects the i5-9400's strong single-core boost and the RTX 2070 SUPER's high memory bandwidth, which together create a synergistic pair for this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance. Low settings yield an average of 372 FPS. Moving to Medium drops this to 312.3 FPS. High settings produce 307.5 FPS, and Ultra is only slightly lower at 303.9 FPS. The difference between Medium and Ultra is just 8.4 FPS, showing that the GPU handles the extra details with ease at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are still remarkably high. Low settings produce 349.3 FPS. Medium settings drop to 298.3 FPS. High settings yield 290.5 FPS, and Ultra is at 287 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is smooth, with only a 6-7% reduction in frame rate across all settings, indicating that the system is not heavily taxed at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to feel the load. Low settings still push 328 FPS. Medium settings drop to 279.1 FPS. High settings yield 270.6 FPS, and Ultra is at 265.5 FPS. Even at 4K, the system never drops below 265 FPS, which is still far above the 144 Hz refresh rate that many competitive players target. The 4K Low to Ultra gap is 62.5 FPS, showing that the GPU's workload increases significantly with resolution and quality.

Settings Recommendations

For players with a 144 Hz monitor at 1920x1080, any preset will be more than sufficient. The lowest tested average at 1080p is 303.9 FPS on Ultra, so there is no need to compromise visuals for performance. The High preset at 307.5 FPS offers a good balance, but Ultra adds minimal cost in frame rate while providing the best image quality.

At 2560x1440, the same logic applies. Even Ultra settings maintain an average of 287 FPS, which is nearly double the refresh rate of most 1440p gaming monitors. For players with a 240 Hz 1440p display, the Low preset at 349.3 FPS is the only setting that consistently exceeds that threshold, but Medium at 298.3 FPS is still close.

At 3840x2160, the recommendation changes. For 4K 120 Hz displays, the Medium preset at 279.1 FPS or the High preset at 270.6 FPS are excellent choices, as both exceed the display's capabilities. The Ultra preset at 265.5 FPS is also viable, but the marginal visual improvement over High may not be worth the slight frame rate dip. For 4K 144 Hz displays, the Low preset at 328 FPS is the only option that fully saturates the refresh rate, though the visual quality loss is notable.

The data shows that this combo is so powerful for Valorant that the best experience is often just selecting the highest preset your monitor can support. For most users, this will be Ultra at 1080p or 1440p. Only at 4K with very high refresh rate displays does the user need to make a trade-off, and even then, the choice is between 265 FPS and 328 FPS, both of which are playable at the highest level.