Valorant

Valorant with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B390 delivers a highly playable experience across all tested settings and resolutions, with the data showing that the strongest performance is achieved at Low settings, where frame rates exceed 225 FPS even at 4K. The combination ranks in the lower half of the database, indicating that while this setup is far from the top tier for competitive play, it provides smooth and responsive gameplay for the vast majority of users. The benchmark results indicate a system where the CPU is the dominant performance driver, allowing even the integrated GPU to produce high frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear and consistent hierarchy across all three resolutions: Low settings yield the highest average frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra producing the lowest averages. For players prioritizing maximum responsiveness and competitive advantage in a fast-paced FPS like Valorant, the Low preset is the definitive choice. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 331 FPS, which is 113 FPS higher than the High preset's 207 FPS and 133 FPS higher than the Ultra preset's 198 FPS. This substantial jump in frame rate comes at the cost of visual fidelity, but for a game where reaction time is paramount, the smoother motion provided by the higher frame rate is a significant benefit.

Moving up to Medium settings provides a compelling balance between visual quality and performance. The data shows that at 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 218 FPS, which is only 11 FPS less than High but offers better visual detail. The Medium preset also has the only recorded minimum frame rate data, with a minimum of 185 FPS at 1080p, 158 FPS at 1440p, and 126 FPS at 4K. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset is a stable and reliable choice, ensuring that frame times remain consistent even in demanding scenes. For players with high refresh rate monitors, the Medium preset at 1440p, with an average of 186 FPS and a minimum of 158 FPS, is an excellent option that keeps the experience well above the 144Hz threshold.

The High and Ultra presets, while offering the best visual quality, show a notable performance penalty. At 1920x1080, the difference between High (207 FPS) and Ultra (198 FPS) is only 9 FPS, indicating that the most demanding settings have a diminishing impact on performance at this resolution. However, compared to Low, the Ultra preset is 133 FPS slower at 1080p, a 40% reduction in average frame rate. The data suggests that for this specific hardware combo, the Low preset is the best experience for pure competitive performance, and Medium is the optimal choice for those who want a balance of visual clarity and high frame rates.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and built on a 3 nm process node. Its performance profile, as indicated by its benchmark scores, is modest. The GPU's average benchmark score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This low percentile is reflected in its nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GeForce GT 625 OEM, and GeForce GT 710, with performance deltas of 1.3%, 1.5%, 2.5%, and 2.7% respectively. These are all entry-level or legacy components, confirming that the Arc B390 is not a high-performance graphics solution.

Despite this modest standing in the broader GPU landscape, the Arc B390 performs admirably in Valorant. The GPU's base clock is 300 MHz and its boost clock is 2500 MHz. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster output units (ROPs), alongside 12 ray tracing cores. The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a critical detail, as the bandwidth is "System Dependent," meaning performance can be influenced by the speed and configuration of the system's RAM. The data shows that this shared memory setup is sufficient to feed the GPU for frame rates well above 100 FPS in Valorant, even at 4K Ultra, where the average is 135 FPS.

The GPU's compute capabilities, rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32 and 15.36 TFLOPS for FP16, are more than sufficient for a lightly demanding esports title like Valorant. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is not the primary bottleneck in this system. The fact that it can produce an average of 141 FPS at 4K High and 225 FPS at 4K Low demonstrates that the processor is doing the heavy lifting. The GPU's role here is to efficiently execute the rendering commands, and the data confirms it does so without creating a significant performance ceiling until the resolution and settings are pushed to their limits.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is heavily CPU-bound. At Low settings, the average frame rates are 331 FPS at 1080p, 282 FPS at 1440p, and 225 FPS at 4K. This represents a 32% drop in performance from 1080p to 4K. If the system were purely GPU-bound, we would expect a much more dramatic decline, as the number of pixels increases by a factor of four from 1080p to 4K. The relatively modest drop indicates that the CPU is the limiting factor, and the GPU has enough headroom to handle the increased resolution load without a proportional loss in frame rate.

At High settings, the scaling is similar. The average frame rates are 207 FPS at 1080p, 177 FPS at 1440p, and 141 FPS at 4K, a 32% drop from 1080p to 4K. This consistent percentage drop across different settings reinforces the idea that the CPU is the primary constraint. The GPU's workload increases with resolution, but the CPU's frame production rate is the limiting factor. The data suggests that even at 4K, the Arc B390 is not fully saturated, as the frame rate is still being dictated by the CPU's ability to process the game logic and prepare draw calls.

The difference between settings at the same resolution further underscores this point. At 1440p, the difference between Low (282 FPS) and Ultra (169 FPS) is 113 FPS. This gap is primarily due to the increased GPU workload from more complex shaders and effects, but the CPU is still able to maintain a high frame rate. The data indicates that the limiting component transitions from the CPU at lower resolutions and settings to a more balanced state at higher resolutions and settings, but the CPU remains the dominant factor throughout. The system is capable of pushing frame rates that are more than adequate for any current display technology, even at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2534 out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the lower 12% of all configurations. This ranking is a direct result of the GPU's low performance percentile, as the CPU is a high-performing part. The combo rank of 2534 indicates that while this system is capable of playing Valorant smoothly, there are thousands of other configurations in the database that achieve higher frame rates. The data shows that this is not a top-tier competitive setup, but rather a mid-range to entry-level option for this specific game.

This ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's position in the overall GPU hierarchy. With a percentile of 9, the Arc B390 is in the bottom 10% of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, the GT 520MX and GT 710, are components that are typically not considered for modern gaming. The fact that this combo still achieves an average of 198 FPS at 1080p Ultra confirms the CPU's strength and the efficient nature of Valorant's engine. The combo rank would be significantly higher if the GPU were more powerful, as the CPU's benchmark scores indicate it has the potential to drive much higher frame rates.

The data suggests that the CPU is being held back by the GPU in this pairing. The i7-12700KF has a percentile of 85 against all CPUs, meaning it is more powerful than 85% of all processors in the database. Its average benchmark score is 35365, which is nearly 24 times higher than the GPU's average score of 1482. This massive disparity in compute capability is the primary reason for the low combo rank. In a game like Valorant, which is known to be CPU-intensive, this pairing results in a system where the CPU is waiting on the GPU to finish rendering frames, preventing it from reaching its full potential.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071. This strong single-core performance is crucial for Valorant, as the game's engine relies heavily on a few primary threads for game logic and rendering commands. The CPU's high clock speed and robust single-threaded performance are the main reasons this combo can achieve such high frame rates.

The CPU's performance is further highlighted by its nearest rivals. It sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-12700K and Intel Core i5-13600T, and within 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-13700T. This indicates that the i7-12700KF is a top-tier performer in its class, and its capabilities are not a limiting factor in this system. With a PassMark multithread score of 34092 and a single-thread score of 3984, the CPU demonstrates a balanced performance profile that is well-suited for gaming. The L3 cache of 25 MB is shared across all cores, providing ample fast-access memory for game data.

In the context of Valorant, the CPU's role is to maintain a high and consistent frame rate. The data shows that the CPU is the primary driver of performance, as the frame rates scale more with resolution and settings than with any indication of CPU bottlenecking. The i7-12700KF is able to feed the Arc B390 with enough data to keep the frame rate above 135 FPS even at 4K Ultra. The benchmark results indicate that the CPU has significant headroom and is not being fully utilized, meaning that its performance is more than sufficient for Valorant. The system's overall performance is therefore constrained by the GPU, not the processor.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate at 1920x1080 is 331 FPS, which is achieved with the Low settings preset.

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

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 207 FPS at 1080p to 141 FPS at 4K, a decrease of 66 FPS or roughly 32%.

Q: What is the best settings preset for stable performance, according to the data?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum frame rate data, showing a minimum of 185 FPS at 1080p, 158 FPS at 1440p, and 126 FPS at 4K, suggesting it is a stable option.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested combos in Valorant?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 2534 out of 2883 tested combos, placing it in the lower 12% of configurations.

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

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU has a high benchmark score and the frame rates are relatively high, but the combo rank is low due to the GPU's low performance percentile of 9.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 282 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves an average of 169 FPS, a difference of 113 FPS.