Valorant

The Intel Core i7-12700K pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER to produce an extremely high-performance Valorant configuration. The CPU’s hybrid Alder Lake architecture, combining 12 cores and 20 threads with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, provides the raw single-thread throughput that competitive FPS titles demand. The RTX 4080 SUPER, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory, ensures that even at maximum settings, the frame delivery remains consistently high. The benchmark results show this combo ranks 196th out of 1650 tested configurations, placing it in the top 12% of all systems tested for this game.

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

The Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake-S architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz are critical for Valorant, a game that relies heavily on single-core performance for its game logic and rendering thread. The CPU’s benchmark scores confirm this strength: a single-thread score of 1043 in 3dmark and 4128 in Cinebench R23 single-core indicate excellent per-core capability. In multi-threaded tests, the processor achieves 9979 in 3dmark max threads and 29241 in Cinebench R23 multicore, showing that even when the game utilizes additional threads for background tasks, there is ample headroom.

The 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache reduce latency for frequently accessed game data, which is beneficial in fast-paced scenarios with many entities. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 89th against all CPUs places it well above average, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, is only 0.3% behind in average score, while the Intel Core i7-13700T is 0.6% ahead. This indicates the 12700K is positioned in a tightly contested performance band. For Valorant specifically, the data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 612.4 FPS, which is likely limited by the CPU’s ability to feed frames to the GPU, given the GPU’s massive headroom. At higher resolutions, the FPS drops are more gradual, suggesting the CPU is not the primary bottleneck once resolution increases.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is an Ada Lovelace architecture GPU with a boost clock of 2550 MHz and a base clock of 2295 MHz. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s, which is far beyond what Valorant requires, as the game’s textures and assets are modest. The GPU’s compute capabilities are substantial, with 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores, but Valorant does not utilize ray tracing or heavy compute workloads. The GPU’s role here is to render frames at extremely high rates without becoming a limiting factor.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its high-end positioning: a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 246994 place it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, is only 0.2% ahead in average score, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is 2.9% behind. In practice, the RTX 4080 SUPER’s performance is so high that even at 4K Ultra settings, the measured average FPS of 441.4 is far above the refresh rates of most monitors. The data implies that the GPU is almost never the bottleneck in this configuration; instead, the CPU and memory subsystem determine the upper limits of frame rates.

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

Examining the measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of CPU limitation at lower resolutions and a gradual transition toward GPU involvement at higher ones. At 1080p Low settings, the system hits 612.4 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Moving to 1440p Low, the FPS drops to 578.3, a decline of 5.6%. At 4K Low, the FPS reaches 537.3, a further drop of 7.1% from 1440p. This relatively small decrease from 1080p to 4K Low (about 12.3% total) indicates that the CPU is still able to maintain a high frame rate even as the GPU’s workload increases.

However, when looking at High settings, the scaling is more pronounced. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 512.5; at 1440p High, it drops to 481.5 (a 6.0% decrease); and at 4K High, it falls to 448.3 (a 6.9% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p High to 4K High is 12.5%, nearly identical to the Low settings scaling. This suggests that the limiting component shifts from the CPU to the GPU as resolution increases, but the CPU’s strong single-thread performance keeps the system from experiencing severe frame rate collapses. The data shows that the difference between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution is modest: at 1080p, the gap between Low (612.4) and Ultra (500.5) is 18.3%, while at 4K, the gap between Low (537.3) and Ultra (441.4) is 17.8%. This consistent percentage gap implies that the GPU has enough headroom to render higher settings without major penalties, and the CPU remains the primary limiter even at 4K.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo’s capabilities across all standard resolutions and quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance: Low settings produce 612.4 FPS, Medium produces 519.3 FPS, High produces 512.5 FPS, and Ultra produces 500.5 FPS. The difference between Medium and Ultra is only 3.6%, indicating diminishing returns on visual fidelity for frame rate at this resolution. At 2560x1440, the scores are slightly lower but still extremely high: Low yields 578.3 FPS, Medium yields 489.8 FPS, High yields 481.5 FPS, and Ultra yields 476.6 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 5.6% for Low, 5.7% for Medium, 6.0% for High, and 4.8% for Ultra, showing a consistent scaling pattern.

At 3840x2160, the system remains highly capable: Low settings achieve 537.3 FPS, Medium achieves 459.6 FPS, High achieves 448.3 FPS, and Ultra achieves 441.4 FPS. The total drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 12.3%, while the drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 11.8%. This suggests that the GPU’s 16 GB of VRAM and high bandwidth are sufficient to handle the increased pixel count without causing a significant bottleneck. The data shows that even in the most demanding scenario tested (4K Ultra), the average FPS of 441.4 is well above the 240 Hz refresh rate of many high-end gaming monitors, making this combo suitable for competitive play at any resolution.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo of Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 196th out of 1650 tested combinations in Valorant, placing it in the top 11.9% of all systems benchmarked. This ranking is notable because it puts this configuration ahead of many other high-end pairings, but it also indicates that there are 195 combos that achieve higher average FPS. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked systems is likely due to the CPU’s single-thread performance, as the 12700K’s boost clock of 5.00 GHz is strong but not the absolute fastest available. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13700T (0.6% ahead in average score), suggest that slightly newer or higher-clocked processors can edge out this configuration in CPU-bound scenarios.

The GPU’s ranking percentile of 88th means it is among the top 12% of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, is statistically tied with it. This indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is not the limiting factor in achieving a higher combo rank. Instead, the data implies that upgrading the CPU to a model with higher single-thread performance would yield better results in Valorant, where the game’s engine is largely CPU-bound at lower resolutions. The combo’s rank of 196 out of 1650 is still excellent for competitive gaming, as it places the system in the top tier of all configurations tested.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 612.4, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 500.5 at 1080p to 441.4 at 4K, representing an 11.8% decrease.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiter, as the FPS drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is only 12.3%, while the GPU has significant headroom given its 16 GB VRAM and high bandwidth.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 196th out of 1650 tested combos, placing it in the top 11.9% of all configurations benchmarked for Valorant.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 578.3 FPS while Ultra settings produce 476.6 FPS, a difference of 17.6%.

Q: Could a different CPU improve performance in Valorant?

A: Based on the CPU’s nearest rivals, the Intel Core i7-13700T is 0.6% ahead in average benchmark score, suggesting that a slightly stronger CPU could yield higher FPS in CPU-bound scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user’s priority between visual quality and maximum frame rate. For players with a 240 Hz or 360 Hz monitor, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 612.4 FPS, ensuring the frame rate never dips below the monitor’s refresh rate. However, the Medium preset at 1080p still achieves 519.3 FPS, which is well above 360 Hz, and provides better visual clarity for spotting enemies at distance. The difference between Medium and Ultra at 1080p is only 3.6%, so players who prefer sharper textures without sacrificing competitive performance should choose Medium.

At higher resolutions, the scaling becomes more nuanced. For 1440p users, the Ultra preset at 476.6 FPS is still far above any current monitor’s refresh rate, making it a viable choice for those who want maximum visual fidelity without compromising frame rate. At 4K, the Ultra preset at 441.4 FPS is also playable, but players with 500 Hz monitors would need to drop to Low settings (537.3 FPS) to fully utilize the display’s capabilities. The data indicates that the High preset offers a balanced experience, with scores of 512.5 at 1080p, 481.5 at 1440p, and 448.3 at 4K, all of which are comfortably above 240 Hz. For most competitive scenarios, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual clarity and frame rate headroom, while the Low preset is recommended for extreme refresh rate displays.