Valorant

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers an extraordinary level of performance in Valorant, a title that is famously more dependent on the CPU than the GPU. This combination produces frame rates so high that they exceed the refresh rate of virtually all gaming monitors, making the experience exceptionally smooth. The following analysis breaks down how this specific hardware duo behaves across different resolutions and graphical settings, utilizing the measured data to provide a clear picture of what users can expect.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear progression in frame rates as resolution decreases, though the scale of the change is moderate due to the game's strong reliance on the CPU. At the highest tested resolution of 3840x2160 (4K), the average frame rate across all settings is 471 FPS. When dropping to 2560x1440, the average frame rate increases to 507.25 FPS. Finally, at 1920x1080, the average frame rate climbs to 535 FPS. This trend indicates that while the GPU is being relieved of work at lower resolutions, the CPU becomes the limiting factor, preventing a massive jump in performance.

For instance, looking at the "High" preset, the frame rate goes from 449 FPS at 4K, to 484 FPS at 1440p, and then to 510 FPS at 1080p. The difference between 1080p and 1440p is an increase of 26 FPS, while the difference between 1440p and 4K is a 35 FPS decrease. This relatively modest scaling, especially when compared to the massive pixel count difference, confirms that the frame rate is heavily constrained by the processor. The Intel Core i7-12700K, a 12-core, 20-thread chip from the Alder Lake architecture, is doing a significant amount of work, and in a game like Valorant, it is often the bottleneck.

The situation is similar with the "Low" settings. The frame rate only drops by 73 FPS from 1080p to 4K, a difference of roughly 12%. This is a key indicator that the GPU is not the primary source of the frame rate ceiling. If the RTX 4090 were the limiting factor, the drop would be far more severe when quadrupling the pixel count. The results suggest that even at 1080p, the CPU is hitting its performance limits in this game, and the GPU has ample headroom. The benchmark results indicate that the performance scaling is primarily a function of the CPU's processing power, not the GPU's rendering capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of how the game is affected by different presets. The "Ultra" setting consistently produces the lowest average frame rates, while the "Low" setting yields the highest. This is a typical pattern, but the margin is relatively small. At each resolution, the difference between the least demanding and most demanding visual presets is around 100 FPS. For example, at 1080p, the "Low" preset averages 609 FPS, while "Ultra" averages 502 FPS. At 4K, the difference is 94 FPS, with 536 FPS on "Low" and 442 FPS on "Ultra."

Given that the frame rates are so high, the choice of settings becomes a matter of how much visual fidelity a user wants against the backdrop of a still exceptionally high frame rate. The "Medium" preset offers a good balance. At 1080p, it averages 519 FPS, only 90 FPS below the "Low" setting. At 4K, it averages 457 FPS. The "High" preset is also a good option, providing a marginal increase in visual quality over "Medium" while maintaining a 510 FPS average at 1080p, and 449 FPS at 4K.

The "Ultra" preset, while still producing incredibly high numbers, is the most demanding and yields the lowest scores. A player seeking the absolute maximum performance for competitive play might choose "Low," but the data suggests the gains are minimal. The "Medium" or "High" presets offer the best experience for the measured rows, as they provide high frame rates with better visual fidelity than "Low." The drop from "Low" to "Medium" at 1080p is only a 90 FPS difference, which is unlikely to be noticed on a 240Hz or even a 360Hz monitor, but the visual upgrade can be significant. The "Ultra" settings, while still playable, do not provide a meaningful advantage given the already high CPU limit.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for Valorant at 1080p with the "Low" settings preset using this combination?

A: The average frame rate for Valorant at 1920x1080 with the "Low" settings is 609 FPS. This is the highest average score across all tested resolutions and settings in the data.

Q: Are the frame rates on the "Medium" preset stable, or are there significant dips?

A: The data includes min and max FPS readings for the "Medium" preset. At 1080p, the average is 519 FPS, with a minimum of 441 FPS and a maximum of 597 FPS. At 1440p, the average is 492 FPS, with a minimum of 418 FPS and a maximum of 566 FPS. At 4K, the average is 457 FPS, with a minimum of 388 FPS and a maximum of 525 FPS. These figures show the frame times are consistent with no severe drops.

Q: What is the performance difference between the "High" and "Ultra" presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the "High" preset averages 484 FPS, while the "Ultra" preset averages 476 FPS. The difference is only 8 FPS. This suggests that the "Ultra" preset is not significantly more demanding than "High" for this CPU-GPU combination.

Q: How does the performance at 4K compare to the performance at 1080p?

A: At 4K with the "High" settings, the average frame rate is 449 FPS. At 1080p with the same settings, the average is 510 FPS. The frame rate increases by 61 FPS when dropping resolution, indicating the CPU is the primary limiting factor. The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is only 61 FPS, which is a much smaller percentage than the pixel count difference.

Q: What is the most demanding setting in this game for this combination?

A: The "Low" setting is the least demanding and produces the highest frame rates, while the "Ultra" setting is the most demanding, producing the lowest frame rates. For instance, at 4K, "Low" produces 536 FPS, while "Ultra" produces 442 FPS.

Q: Is it better to use a high or low setting for a competitive advantage?

A: While the "Low" setting provides the highest average frame rate, the difference is small. At 1440p, "Low" produces 577 FPS, and "High" produces 484 FPS. For a player, the "High" or "Medium" presets will provide a much better visual experience with a minimal frame rate penalty, especially since all presets are likely far above the refresh rate of most monitors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a complete list of the measured average frame rates for the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination across all tested resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: 609 FPS
• Medium: 519 FPS (min 441, max 597)
• High: 510 FPS
• Ultra: 502 FPS

At 2560x1440, the results are:

• Low: 577 FPS
• Medium: 492 FPS (min 418, max 566)
• High: 484 FPS
• Ultra: 476 FPS

At 3840x2160, the results are:

• Low: 536 FPS
• Medium: 457 FPS (min 388, max 525)
• High: 449 FPS
• Ultra: 442 FPS

This breakdown reveals that the CPU has a significant impact on the performance. The frame rate differences between the resolutions are not proportional to the pixel load, confirming the CPU is the main limiter. The "Medium" preset is the only one with detailed min and max FPS data, with the lowest dip being 388 FPS at 4K, which is still a very high minimum.

How This Combo Ranks

When looking at the combined performance of this CPU and GPU, the data places this combo at rank 527 out of 3,708 total combinations. This puts it in the top 14.2% of all tested combos for Valorant. The ranking indicates that this is a high-performing setup, but the game's CPU-bound nature means the GPU's power is not fully utilized. The ranking is a measure of the combo as a whole, not just the GPU or CPU individually.

The combo's ranking of 527 is a strong score, but it's notable that many other combinations with similar GPUs may rank similarly, given that the RTX 4090 is not the primary constraint. A high-ranking combo like this means that the game will run smoothly at any resolution and settings. However, the user may be able to achieve near-identical performance with a less powerful graphics card, since the RTX 4090 is not the bottleneck. The data shows that the CPU is doing most of the heavy lifting in determining the final frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core processor, a central processing unit with 20 threads. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The benchmark results show it has excellent single-core performance, with a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1043. This is critical for Valorant, a game that is known for its heavy reliance on a single, fast core. The CPU also features a large 25 MB shared L3 cache, which helps with data storage and processing for the game.

The data from the benchmarks shows how the CPU scales with threads. The 3dmark_2_threads score is 2065, the 4_threads score is 4011, the 8_threads score is 7202, and the max_threads score is 9979. This indicates that the CPU's performance scaling is not linear, but it does provide a strong multi-threaded performance. The processor is also ranked in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35,287.

Given the results in Valorant, the CPU's high boost clock and strong single-core performance is the primary reason for the high frame rates. Even at 4K, the CPU is still the limiting factor, as the frame rate only drops by a modest amount compared to 1080p. The RTX 4090, with its enormous power, is capable of rendering these frames quickly, but it is waiting on the CPU to send data. The game's engine is clearly able to utilize the i7's capabilities, but the ceiling is determined by the CPU's single-thread speed. The data shows that this combination is an excellent pairing for Valorant, but its performance is a reflection of the CPU's strength rather than the GPU's raw power.