Valorant

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread desktop processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, featuring 9 MB of shared L3 cache. This CPU sits at the 47th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals in aggregate performance are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259 (a 0.2% difference), and the Intel Core i7-10710U, which scores 2248 (a 0.3% difference). The data shows this is a mid-range part, and in Valorant, its role is to feed frames to the GPU; with 6 threads and a 4.1 GHz boost, it provides adequate single-thread performance for a competitive FPS, but the measured results suggest it is not the primary bottleneck at most settings.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a vastly more powerful component, sitting at the 82nd percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 40377. It features 6144 shading units, 192 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2512 MHz. The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 580, which scores 40318 (a 0.1% difference), and the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100, which scores 40063 (a 0.8% difference). In Valorant, the RTX 5070’s raw power is evident, but the game’s engine and the CPU’s limits mean that the GPU is often underutilized, especially at lower resolutions.

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

Valorant is a tactical FPS that heavily relies on single-core performance for game logic and draw calls, while multi-core scaling is limited. The Intel Core i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, provides a baseline for this workload. Its boost clock of 4.10 GHz is the key factor for single-threaded tasks; the data shows that in Cinebench R20 single-core, it scores 392, which is a modest figure. In the context of Valorant, this means the CPU can maintain high frame rates, but it is not the strongest part of this combo. The CPU’s 9 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data locality, but the benchmark results indicate that the processor is the limiting factor when comparing the measured FPS across different settings.

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the average FPS drops, but the drop is relatively small. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 309 FPS, while at 4K High, it achieves 272 FPS, a drop of 37 FPS. This suggests that the CPU is holding the system back at lower resolutions, where the GPU could otherwise produce even higher frame rates. The CPU’s percentile rank of 47 means it is outclassed by many other processors, but in Valorant, the results are still playable. The 6 threads limit the ability to handle background tasks, but for pure gaming, the 4.1 GHz boost is sufficient. The data indicates that the CPU’s contribution to the frame rate is stable across settings, but it caps the maximum achievable FPS. For instance, at 1080p Low, the combo hits 368 FPS, which is the highest average in the dataset; this is likely near the CPU’s ceiling for this game engine.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the average FPS for the Intel Core i5-9400 + RTX 5070 combo at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 309 at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: How does the combo’s performance at 4K Ultra compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 267, while at 1920x1080 Ultra, it is 304, representing a 37 FPS difference.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo at 1440p Medium?

A: The minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 253, with an average of 298 and a maximum of 342.

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

A: The combo ranks 2939 out of 3708 tested combos in Valorant.

Q: Which rival GPU is closest in average benchmark score to the RTX 5070?

A: The AMD Radeon Pro 580 has an average score of 40318, a 0.1% difference from the RTX 5070’s 40377.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile rank among all CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 is at the 47th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 2254.

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

The measured FPS data reveals how the system scales across resolutions. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 309 at 1080p to 293 at 1440p, and then to 272 at 4K. This is a total drop of 37 FPS from 1080p to 4K, which is a relatively small percentage decrease (about 12%). Similarly, at Low settings, the FPS goes from 368 at 1080p to 349 at 1440p to 324 at 4K, a drop of 44 FPS (about 12%). The consistency of this drop across settings indicates that the GPU is not the primary bottleneck; if the GPU were the limit, the drop from 1080p to 4K would be much more severe, as the pixel count quadruples. Instead, the data shows that the CPU is constraining the frame rate at lower resolutions, preventing the RTX 5070 from reaching its full potential.

At 4K, the GPU has more work to do, but the average FPS remains very high (272 at High, 324 at Low), suggesting that the RTX 5070 is still not fully taxed. The difference between Low and High settings at the same resolution is also telling: at 4K, Low produces 324 FPS, while High produces 272 FPS, a 52 FPS gap. This gap is larger than the resolution scaling gap, which implies that the settings are affecting the GPU workload more than the resolution itself. The data suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor across all resolutions, but the GPU becomes slightly more relevant at higher settings. The benchmark results indicate that this combo is capable of delivering high frame rates at any resolution, but the CPU’s 6 threads and 4.1 GHz boost are the ceiling. For a game like Valorant, which is designed for esports, the 4K results are still excellent, but the 1080p results are where the CPU’s limitation is most visible.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data provides four settings presets: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra. At 1080p, the average FPS for these presets are 368, 314, 309, and 304, respectively. The difference between Low and Medium is 54 FPS, which is significant, but the difference between Medium and Ultra is only 10 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, as it provides a substantial FPS boost over Low while maintaining a high frame rate. At 1440p, the pattern is similar: Low gives 349 FPS, Medium gives 298 FPS, High gives 293 FPS, and Ultra gives 288 FPS. The gap between Medium and Ultra is again only 10 FPS, while the gap between Low and Medium is 51 FPS. At 4K, Low gives 324 FPS, Medium gives 276 FPS, High gives 272 FPS, and Ultra gives 267 FPS. The Medium preset provides a 48 FPS increase over Low, but only a 9 FPS decrease from High.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It offers a significant FPS improvement over Low, but the visual fidelity is much higher, and the FPS is still well above the refresh rates of most monitors. The Ultra preset provides only marginal FPS gains over Medium, making it less efficient. For competitive play, where frame rate is king, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p is recommended, as it yields 314 FPS and 298 FPS respectively, which are both well above 240 Hz. The Low preset is only advisable if the player prioritizes maximum FPS over everything else, but the data shows that the CPU limits the gains; the 368 FPS at 1080p Low is the highest in the dataset, but the visual downgrade is steep. The High and Ultra presets offer diminishing returns, with the data showing that they are only 5-10 FPS slower than Medium, which is negligible in real-world play.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-9400 + RTX 5070 combo ranks 2939 out of 3708 tested combos in Valorant. This places it in the bottom 21% of all combinations tested. This is a surprisingly low rank given the high FPS numbers, but it reflects the fact that most other combos in the database likely use faster CPUs. The RTX 5070 is a top-tier GPU (82nd percentile), but the CPU is only average (47th percentile). The combo rank suggests that the CPU is the weak link, and that pairing the RTX 5070 with a stronger processor would yield a much higher rank. The data shows that the combo’s FPS is high in absolute terms, but the rank indicates that many other combos achieve even higher frame rates in Valorant.

The nearest rival CPUs to the i5-9400, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (avg score 2259) and the Intel Core i7-10710U (avg score 2248), have similar aggregate scores, but the i5-9400’s single-thread performance is likely what matters in Valorant. The combo rank of 2939 out of 3708 means that 769 other combos perform worse, but 2938 perform better. This is a stark reminder that in a game like Valorant, the CPU matters more than the GPU for achieving the highest frame rates. The measured FPS data shows that the combo is not GPU-bound at 1080p, so the rank is a reflection of the CPU’s limitations. The data suggests that this combo is overkill on the GPU side, but the CPU prevents it from being a top-tier performer in this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low yields 368 FPS, Medium yields 314 FPS (with a minimum of 267 FPS and a maximum of 361 FPS), High yields 309 FPS, and Ultra yields 304 FPS. The Medium preset provides the only min/max data, showing a 267-361 FPS range. At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low yields 349 FPS, Medium yields 298 FPS (with a minimum of 253 FPS and a maximum of 342 FPS), High yields 293 FPS, and Ultra yields 288 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low yields 324 FPS, Medium yields 276 FPS (with a minimum of 235 FPS and a maximum of 318 FPS), High yields 272 FPS, and Ultra yields 267 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: Low settings are the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is consistent across resolutions: 64 FPS at 1080p (368 vs 304), 61 FPS at 1440p (349 vs 288), and 57 FPS at 4K (324 vs 267). The Medium preset’s min/max values show that the frame rate is stable, with the spread being about 94 FPS at 1080p, 89 FPS at 1440p, and 83 FPS at 4K. This stability is good for a competitive game. The FPS at 4K Low (324) is still higher than the FPS at 1080p Ultra (304), which highlights the GPU’s headroom. The data confirms that the combo is capable of exceeding 300 FPS at all resolutions if settings are lowered, but the CPU’s ceiling is visible in the fact that the 4K Low result is only 44 FPS lower than 1080p Low.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is a high-end GPU with 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2512 MHz, and it has a TDP of 250 W. In Valorant, the GPU’s role is to render the game at high frame rates, but the data shows that it is not the limiting factor. The GPU’s memory bandwidth is more than sufficient for a game like Valorant, which has modest VRAM requirements. The 12 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a bottleneck at any resolution or setting tested, as the game’s textures are not demanding. The GPU’s raw compute power, measured at 30.87 TFLOPS for FP32, is also overkill for this title.

The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 5070 is a top-18% GPU (82nd percentile), but in this combo, its performance is constrained by the CPU. The data shows that the FPS difference between Low and High settings at the same resolution is larger than the difference between resolutions at the same setting. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 59 FPS, while the difference between 1080p and 4K at High is 37 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is handling the increased visual load from settings, but the CPU is capping the overall frame rate. The GPU’s high bandwidth and clock speed are not being fully utilized, as the CPU cannot feed it enough data. The data indicates that the RTX 5070 would perform better with a stronger CPU, but as it stands, it delivers excellent frame rates in Valorant, well above the 240 Hz threshold for competitive play. The GPU’s 12 GB of VRAM and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth ensure that there are no memory-related stutters, and the measured FPS is smooth, as shown by the min/max values for Medium settings.