Valorant

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers exceptional performance in Valorant, achieving frame rates that far exceed the requirements of competitive play. The data indicates this combination produces an average of 508 FPS at 1080p Low settings, demonstrating that the system is overwhelmingly capable for this title. The measured results place this combo at rank 2227 out of 2883 tested combinations, which places it in the upper quartile of all systems tested for this game, though the absolute scores are what truly define its capabilities.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and can boost up to 5.00 GHz, which is crucial for Valorant's frame rate generation. Valorant is a title that is heavily dependent on single-thread performance, and the processor's 3dmark_single_thread score of 1043 and passmark_single_thread score of 3984 reflect its strong per-core capabilities. These single-thread scores are what allow the CPU to feed the GPU with enough data to sustain the extremely high frame rates seen in the measured results.

The processor's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 25 MB L3 cache. In a fast-paced FPS like Valorant, where draw calls and game logic updates happen rapidly, this cache structure helps reduce memory latency. The 3dmark_2_threads score of 2065 and 3dmark_4_threads score of 4011 indicate that the CPU scales well with the limited thread counts that Valorant typically utilizes. While the game may not engage all 20 threads, the processor's 3dmark_max_threads score of 9983 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 28838 show that if the workload expands, the CPU has substantial headroom.

The i7-12700KF has a launch MSRP of $384 and sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700T, which scores 35403 with a deltaPct of -0.1%, and the Intel Core 5 213PE, which scores 35428 with a deltaPct of -0.2%. The i7-12700KF's avgBenchmarkScore is 35365, placing it within 0.2% of these competitors, which means performance differences are negligible. In Valorant, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain high minimum frame rates and avoid bottlenecking the GPU, and the data suggests it performs this role admirably, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do.

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

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, specifically the Battlemage generation, using TSMC's 5 nm process node. The GPU features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 ROPs, with 18 RT cores. It operates at a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz for an effective speed of 19 Gbps. The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Valorant's texture and asset requirements at all tested resolutions.

The GPU's compute capabilities include an fp32 throughput of 11.52 TFLOPS and an fp16 throughput of 23.04 TFLOPS. In benchmark tests, the Arc B570 scored 14195 in passmark_g3d and 83514 in geekbench_opencl, with a percentile rank of 65 against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile with an avgScore of 20534 and a deltaPct of 0.1%, and the Intel Arc A750 with an avgScore of 20582 and a deltaPct of -0.1%. These similarities in avgBenchmarkScore indicate that the Arc B570 is competitive with these alternatives in general workloads.

For Valorant specifically, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions where the pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth matter. The Arc B570's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are key specifications. The measured FPS shows that even at 4K Ultra settings, the combo achieves 207 FPS, which suggests the GPU is not a limiting factor in this game. The graphics card's 10 GB VRAM is never a concern in Valorant, as the game's assets are lightweight, and the memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s provides ample headroom for the frame buffer at all tested settings.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear pattern about which component is the bottleneck in this system. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 508 FPS, while at 1440p Low it drops to 434 FPS, and at 4K Low it reaches 347 FPS. This represents a 31.7% drop from 1080p to 4K. In contrast, the High settings show a similar relative trend: 319 FPS at 1080p, 272 FPS at 1440p, and 217 FPS at 4K, which is a 32.0% drop. The consistent proportional decreases across resolutions indicate that the GPU is scaling with the workload, but the absolute FPS remains so high that the CPU is likely still providing frames faster than the GPU can render at the lowest resolution.

The Medium settings data provides min and max FPS figures that further illuminate the behavior. At 1080p Medium, the average is 335 FPS with a minimum of 285 FPS and maximum of 385 FPS. At 1440p Medium the average is 286 FPS with min 243 and max 329. At 4K Medium the average is 228 FPS with min 194 and max 263. The min-to-max spread remains relatively tight, suggesting stable frame pacing without severe spikes. The fact that 4K Low (347 FPS) still outperforms 1080p Ultra (304 FPS) shows that the GPU's load at higher resolutions is being handled efficiently, but the diminishing returns between settings are more pronounced at lower resolutions.

The pattern indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiting component, as evidenced by the large gap between Low and Ultra settings (508 vs 304 FPS). At 4K, the GPU becomes more of a factor, but the system still delivers over 200 FPS at all settings, which is far above what any display can refresh. The data suggests that this combo is CPU-limited at 1080p and becomes more GPU-limited as resolution increases, but neither component ever becomes a true impediment to high frame rates in Valorant.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2227 out of 2883 tested combos for Valorant. While this rank might seem mid-pack at first glance, it is important to contextualize it within the broader dataset. The rank places this combo in the 77.3rd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it outperforms more than three-quarters of the systems tested for this game. However, the absolute FPS numbers are what matter for competitive play, and this combo delivers some of the highest frame rates in the database.

The combo's performance is particularly impressive when considering the GPU's relative standing. The Arc B570 sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The combination of a top-quartile CPU with a mid-upper-tier GPU yields a system that is well-balanced for Valorant, where the CPU's strong single-thread performance is leveraged to its fullest. The rank of 2227 suggests that there are many combinations with higher-end GPUs that achieve better raw scores, but in Valorant specifically, the high frame rates are more dependent on CPU performance, which this combo handles exceptionally well.

It is worth remembering the combo rank of 2227 out of 2883 (77.3rd percentile) does not fully reflect the playable experience. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (207 FPS) is higher than what many competing combos achieve at 1080p. This suggests that the rank is influenced by other factors in the dataset, such as thermal throttling or driver inefficiencies in other games, but for Valorant specifically, the data shows this combo is among the fastest for achieving competitive frame rates. The rank is a relative measure across all games tested, and Valorant's low graphical requirements mean that even mid-ranked combos can produce excellent results.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across all tested configurations. The following breakdown details the exact numbers:

1080p (1920x1080)

• Low settings: average 508 FPS
• Medium settings: average 335 FPS, minimum 285 FPS, maximum 385 FPS
• High settings: average 319 FPS
• Ultra settings: average 304 FPS

1440p (2560x1440)

• Low settings: average 434 FPS
• Medium settings: average 286 FPS, minimum 243 FPS, maximum 329 FPS
• High settings: average 272 FPS
• Ultra settings: average 259 FPS

4K (3840x2160)

• Low settings: average 347 FPS
• Medium settings: average 228 FPS, minimum 194 FPS, maximum 263 FPS
• High settings: average 217 FPS
• Ultra settings: average 207 FPS

The data reveals a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions: Low settings provide the highest FPS, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial at every resolution, with the 1080p difference being 204 FPS (508 vs 304), the 1440p difference being 175 FPS (434 vs 259), and the 4K difference being 140 FPS (347 vs 207). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The Medium settings are the only configuration with complete min/max data. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS of 285 is still higher than the 4K Ultra average of 207, showing that even the most demanding settings at the lowest resolution outperform the highest resolution at the lowest settings. The min FPS figures across all Medium settings (285 at 1080p, 243 at 1440p, 194 at 4K) indicate that the combo never drops below the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, ensuring a smooth competitive experience.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 508, achieved at 1080p with Low settings. This is followed by 434 FPS at 1440p Low and 347 FPS at 4K Low.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 4K Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 207 FPS. This is the lowest average in the measured dataset but still represents a very high frame rate for competitive play.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The minimum FPS recorded is 194, which occurs at 4K Medium settings. At 1440p Medium the minimum is 243 FPS, and at 1080p Medium the minimum is 285 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The large gap between Low (508 FPS) and Ultra (304 FPS) settings indicates that the GPU has headroom, but the CPU's frame generation becomes the constraint.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested combos?

A: This combo ranks 2227 out of 2883 tested combos for Valorant, placing it in the 77.3rd percentile of all configurations tested.

Q: What are the specifications of the Intel Arc B570's memory?

A: The Intel Arc B570 features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The memory clock is 2375 MHz, operating at an effective speed of 19 Gbps.