Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS where frame rates far beyond display refresh rates are the norm, and the combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers exactly that. The measured data shows average frame rates ranging from 267 FPS at 4K Ultra to 368 FPS at 1080p Low, positioning this pairing as an exceptionally strong performer for the game. The RTX 4070 Ti, with its 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs, is clearly the dominant component, while the six-core i5-9400, sitting at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, provides enough throughput to keep pace in most scenarios. The benchmark results indicate a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions but begins to show CPU influence as resolution drops and frame rates climb past the 300 FPS mark.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K follows a clear pattern that reveals where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 309 FPS at 1920x1080 to 293 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 272 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a decline of 16 FPS (about 5.2%) when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 21 FPS (about 7.2%) when moving from 1440p to 4K. The total reduction from 1080p High to 4K High is 37 FPS, which represents a 12% drop. This relatively modest scaling curve is typical of a game like Valorant, which is not graphically demanding, but the pattern also indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti has ample headroom even at 4K.

Looking at Low settings, the scaling is slightly steeper in absolute terms. The average frame rate goes from 368 FPS at 1080p to 349 FPS at 1440p, and then to 324 FPS at 4K. That is a 19 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 25 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K, for a total reduction of 44 FPS (about 12%). The larger absolute drops at Low settings suggest that the CPU is starting to become a limiting factor at lower resolutions, where the GPU is completing frames faster and the processor must keep up with the increased draw call rate. At 1080p Low, the system is pushing 368 FPS, which is likely approaching the practical ceiling for the i5-9400’s six cores and six threads in this title.

Medium settings show a similar trend to High, with average frame rates of 314 FPS at 1080p, 298 FPS at 1440p, and 276 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset also includes the only min and max FPS data in the pack, showing a 267 FPS minimum and 361 FPS maximum at 1080p, a 253 FPS minimum and 342 FPS maximum at 1440p, and a 235 FPS minimum and 318 FPS maximum at 4K. The frame time consistency, as indicated by the spread between min and max, narrows slightly as resolution increases, which is counterintuitive but suggests that the GPU is working more uniformly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the spread is 94 FPS, while at 4K it is 83 FPS, indicating that the CPU-induced frame pacing variance is more pronounced at lower resolutions.

Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across the board, with 304 FPS at 1080p, 288 FPS at 1440p, and 267 FPS at 4K. The gap between Ultra and High is small, only 5 FPS at 1080p and 5 FPS at 4K, which indicates that the Ultra preset adds visual features that do not heavily tax the RTX 4070 Ti. The data strongly suggests that the GPU is the primary limiting component at 4K, where even the heaviest preset maintains an average above 267 FPS, while the CPU becomes more relevant at 1080p, where frame rates exceed 300 FPS and the processor’s single-thread performance starts to matter more.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti is the star of this pairing, and its specifications explain why Valorant runs at such high frame rates. The GPU features 7680 shading units, 240 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, paired with a boost clock of 2610 MHz. The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is far more than a game like Valorant requires. The GPU’s 40.09 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is overkill for this esports title, and the benchmark results confirm that the card is never the bottleneck even at 4K Ultra.

The RTX 4070 Ti’s average benchmark score of 44795 places it at the 84th percentile among all GPUs, which is a strong showing. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile with an average score of 45152 (a 0.8% advantage for the mobile part), the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT at 45384 (1.3% ahead), the NVIDIA RTX A6000 at 44075 (1.6% behind), and the Intel Arc A730M at 45592 (1.7% ahead). These deltas are all within 2%, meaning the RTX 4070 Ti is statistically tied with a diverse set of GPUs in synthetic workloads, though its real-world gaming performance in Valorant is exceptional.

The GPU’s memory clock runs at 1313 MHz, which translates to 21 Gbps effective, and the 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is more than sufficient for the texture and geometry data in Valorant. The card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, ensuring compatibility with the game’s rendering API. The 285 W TDP and 600 W suggested PSU are relevant for system builders, but the measured FPS data shows that the card delivers its performance without issue in this configuration. The pixel rate of 208.8 GPixel/s and texture rate of 626.4 GTexel/s are far above what Valorant needs, which is why the frame rates remain high even at 4K with Ultra settings.

The GPU’s 84th percentile ranking versus all GPUs, combined with its 1.6% delta to the RTX A6000 and 1.7% delta to the Intel Arc A730M, shows that it sits in a competitive tier. However, in Valorant specifically, the RTX 4070 Ti’s raw rasterization power ensures that the game’s simple geometry and lighting are processed with ease. The data shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or preset, as even the lowest frame rate measured (267 FPS at 4K Ultra) is far above what any display can refresh. The GPU role here is to provide an effectively unlimited frame rate ceiling, allowing the CPU to become the only potential constraint at very high FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 2939 out of 3708 tested combos for Valorant, placing it in the 79th percentile of all system pairings in the database. This rank reflects the overall performance of the duo, but the measured FPS data suggests that this ranking is conservative given the game’s low graphical demands. The combo rank is likely dragged down by the CPU’s modest single-thread performance relative to newer processors, but the actual frame rates show that this system is more than capable of delivering competitive play.

The i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, has an average benchmark score of 2254 and sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with an average score of 2259 (0.2% ahead), the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 (0.3% behind), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 (0.4% behind), and the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 (0.4% ahead). These deltas are all within 0.5%, indicating that the i5-9400 is a middle-of-the-road processor in synthetic benchmarks, but its real-world performance in Valorant is sufficient to keep frame rates above 300 FPS at lower resolutions.

The RTX 4070 Ti, on the other hand, is a top-tier GPU that ranks at the 84th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all within 2% of its average score. The disparity between the CPU’s 47th percentile and the GPU’s 84th percentile creates an imbalance, but Valorant’s engine is not particularly demanding on either component. The combo’s rank of 2939 out of 3708 means that roughly 79% of tested pairings are faster, but this is likely due to the fact that many of those combos include newer CPUs with higher single-thread performance. The data shows that the combo rank would improve significantly if the CPU were upgraded, but the measured FPS indicates that the current pairing is still excellent for Valorant.

The measured FPS data shows that the combo delivers over 300 FPS at 1080p for all presets except Ultra, which still hits 304 FPS. At 1440p, all presets stay above 288 FPS, and at 4K, the lowest average is 267 FPS. These numbers place the combo in the top tier for Valorant, regardless of its rank relative to other tested combinations. The rank is a useful metric for comparison, but the raw FPS figures are what matter for competitive play, and they are outstanding.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 309 FPS, according to the measured data.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 44795, which is 1.6% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A6000’s score of 44075, and 1.7% lower than the Intel Arc A730M’s score of 45592. It is also 0.8% lower than the RTX 5090 Mobile’s 45152 and 1.3% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro 5500 XT’s 45384.

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

A: The minimum FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 235 FPS, with a maximum of 318 FPS and an average of 276 FPS.

Q: What are the core and thread counts of the Intel Core i5-9400?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4070 Ti have, and what is its memory type?

A: The RTX 4070 Ti has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s.

Q: What is the combo’s rank in Valorant out of all tested combinations?

A: The combo of Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti ranks 2939 out of 3708 tested combos for Valorant.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which preset to use depending on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate at 368 FPS, while High settings yield 309 FPS, Medium 314 FPS, and Ultra 304 FPS. The difference between High and Ultra is only 5 FPS, while Low offers a 59 FPS advantage over High. For players with a 360 Hz monitor, the Low preset is the only one that consistently stays above 360 FPS, though the average of 368 FPS means there will be dips. For a 240 Hz display, any preset works, but High settings at 309 FPS provide a good balance of visual quality and frame rate headroom. The Medium preset, with a minimum of 267 FPS, is also safe for 240 Hz.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset again leads with 349 FPS, followed by High at 293 FPS, Medium at 298 FPS, and Ultra at 288 FPS. The gap between Low and High is 56 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is only 5 FPS. For 1440p, the High preset at 293 FPS is sufficient for a 240 Hz monitor, and even Ultra at 288 FPS stays above that threshold. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 253 FPS, which is still above 240 Hz. Players with a 144 Hz monitor can choose Ultra without concern, as the average of 288 FPS provides double the refresh rate headroom.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers 324 FPS, High delivers 272 FPS, Medium delivers 276 FPS, and Ultra delivers 267 FPS. The spread between presets is smaller at 4K, with only 57 FPS separating Low from Ultra. For a 144 Hz 4K display, the Ultra preset at 267 FPS is more than adequate, and even the Medium preset’s minimum of 235 FPS stays above 144 Hz. The data shows that the RTX 4070 Ti is so powerful that even the heaviest preset at 4K exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. The best experience depends on the display: for maximum competitive advantage, the Low preset at any resolution yields the highest FPS, but the High preset offers a better visual experience with only a modest FPS penalty. The Ultra preset provides marginal visual gains over High for a 5 FPS cost, making High the sweet spot for most users.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 plays a supporting role in this pairing, and its limitations become apparent only at very high frame rates. The processor has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It is built on Intel’s 14 nm process with a Coffee Lake architecture, and it features a 9 MB shared L3 cache, 256 KB of L2 per core, and 64 KB of L1 per core. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 2254 places it at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score, indicating that it is a mid-pack processor in synthetic workloads.

In Valorant, the CPU’s single-thread performance is the key factor, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The i5-9400’s boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides solid single-thread speed, but it is not exceptional compared to newer processors. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 368 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s ceiling. The fact that the FPS drops by 19 FPS when moving from 1080p Low to 1440p Low, and by another 25 FPS when moving to 4K Low, suggests that the GPU is taking on more of the load at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, as the GPU is finishing frames so quickly that the processor must keep up with the game’s logic and draw calls.

The i5-9400’s 6 threads are not a hindrance in Valorant, as the game typically uses fewer than 6 cores. However, the processor’s 47th percentile ranking indicates that many CPUs offer better single-thread performance, which would yield higher frame rates in CPU-limited scenarios. The combo rank of 2939 out of 3708 reflects this, as systems with newer CPUs like the Intel Core i3-10305 (which has a 0.4% higher average score) would likely rank higher in Valorant. The data shows that the CPU is adequate but not exceptional, and that the RTX 4070 Ti is doing most of the heavy lifting. For players who already own an i5-9400, this pairing provides excellent Valorant performance, but upgrading the CPU would unlock even higher frame rates at 1080p, where the current system is already pushing past 360 FPS in the best case.