Valorant

The Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination delivers exceptional performance in Valorant, a tactical FPS where high frame rates directly translate to smoother aim and faster reaction times. The measured data shows this pairing is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the CPU's robust specifications ensuring it never becomes a bottleneck in typical gameplay scenarios. The i7-12700KF features 12 cores and 20 threads, a configuration that provides ample headroom for Valorant's engine, which is not particularly demanding on multi-threaded workloads but benefits from strong single-core performance. With a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, this processor is well-suited for the game's physics and netcode calculations. While the CPU's 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache contribute to its overall responsiveness, the benchmark results indicate that the RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 7168 shading units, is the primary driver of the exceptional frame rates observed at 1080p and 1440p. The data shows that at 1080p, even the most demanding settings produce an average of 499 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate capabilities of most monitors, making the CPU's role more about maintaining consistency than pushing raw limits.

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

The Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. Its hybrid design, while not explicitly detailed in the data, is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071. These scores place the CPU at the 85th percentile when compared to all CPUs, indicating strong overall performance. In Valorant, a game that is highly sensitive to single-threaded performance, the processor's 5.00 GHz boost clock is a critical asset. The Geekbench single-core score of 2255 and 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 corroborate this strength.

However, the measured FPS data reveals a nuanced relationship. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 605 FPS. This figure is so high that it suggests the game's frame rate is likely capped by the engine or the GPU's raw fill rate, not the CPU. The RTX 4070 SUPER's pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s are more than sufficient to handle the light rendering load of Valorant. The CPU's multi-threading capabilities, evidenced by a Passmark multi-thread score of 34092, are not fully utilized by this game, but they ensure that background tasks or streaming do not interfere with frame pacing. The processor's 12 cores provide a safety margin; even if the game uses only a few threads, the remaining cores handle system overhead without contention.

When comparing to its nearest rivals, the i7-12700KF shows a deltaPct of -0.1% against the Intel Core i7-13700T and 0.2% against the Intel Core i5-13600T. This indicates that in general compute benchmarks, these processors are nearly identical. In Valorant, this translates to similar CPU-bound performance ceilings, meaning the i7-12700KF is not leaving any significant performance on the table. The real-world impact of the CPU is most visible when the frame rate is uncapped and the GPU is not the limiting factor. The data shows that from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by only about 6% on High settings (from 507 to 481), which is a smaller drop than what would be expected if the CPU were the bottleneck. This suggests that even at 1440p, the RTX 4070 SUPER is still the primary driver of performance, and the CPU has sufficient headroom to feed the GPU without becoming a constraint.

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

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset to choose for the optimal experience. At 1080p, the Low preset yields an average of 605 FPS, while the Medium preset drops to 516 FPS, High to 507 FPS, and Ultra to 499 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is a 17.5% reduction in average FPS, but even the Ultra preset's 499 FPS is far above the refresh rate of any current consumer monitor, which typically maxes out at 360 Hz. For competitive play, the Low preset is the logical choice, as it maximizes frame rate and minimizes input latency, which is crucial for a game like Valorant. The data shows that the minimum FPS for the Medium preset at 1080p is 438 FPS, which is still exceptionally high, indicating that even with more demanding settings, frame drops are unlikely to be noticeable.

At 1440p, the pattern is similar. The Low preset averages 574 FPS, while Medium, High, and Ultra average 489, 481, and 473 FPS respectively. The gap between Low and Ultra is 17.6%, nearly identical to the 1080p scaling. This consistency indicates that the game's settings have a predictable impact on performance, regardless of resolution. For 1440p users with high-refresh-rate monitors (e.g., 240 Hz or 360 Hz), the High preset is a strong recommendation, as it provides a 481 FPS average, which is still well above the display's capabilities, while offering improved visual fidelity over Low. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum FPS of 416, which is the lowest recorded figure in the entire dataset, but it is still comfortably above the 360 Hz threshold.

At 4K, the Ultra preset averages 439 FPS, while Low averages 532 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is more pronounced for the Ultra preset, which drops by 12% (from 499 to 439). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is beginning to become a more significant factor, but it is still far from being overwhelmed. For 4K gaming, the High preset is the best balance, offering a 447 FPS average. The data indicates that there is no scenario in this dataset where the combination of the i7-12700KF and RTX 4070 SUPER produces a frame rate below 439 FPS, which means that any of the four presets will deliver a fluid experience. However, for the absolute best competitive edge, the Low preset is recommended across all resolutions, as it consistently provides the highest average FPS and likely the lowest input lag.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions is a clear indicator of where the performance bottleneck lies. Looking at the High settings row, the average FPS goes from 507 at 1080p to 481 at 1440p, a drop of 5.1%. From 1440p to 4K, the average drops to 447, a further 7.1% decrease. This non-linear scaling is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain nearly constant across resolutions, as the CPU's workload does not change significantly with resolution. The fact that the FPS drops when the resolution increases proves that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the component being tasked with more work.

The Low settings row shows a similar trend. The average FPS is 605 at 1080p, 574 at 1440p (a 5.1% drop), and 532 at 4K (a 7.3% drop). The percentage drops are nearly identical to the High settings, which is interesting. This suggests that the relative load on the GPU scales consistently with the number of pixels, regardless of the graphical detail level. The RTX 4070 SUPER's memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s and its 192-bit bus are sufficient to handle the 4K frame buffer without causing a significant performance cliff.

The data also reveals that the gap between 1080p and 4K is smaller than what is often seen in more graphically intensive games. At High settings, the difference is 60 FPS (507 vs 447), which is an 11.8% reduction. In a game like Valorant, which has relatively simple geometry and textures, the GPU is not the sole determinant of frame rate. The CPU's ability to process game logic and network data at high speeds is also a factor. However, the consistent percentage drops across all settings indicate that the scaling is primarily driven by the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities. The i7-12700KF, with its high single-core performance, is able to keep up with the GPU's demands even at 4K, ensuring that the GPU is never starved of data. This is a positive sign for the combo's overall balance, as it means the CPU is not holding back the GPU in this title, even at the highest resolution tested.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 545th out of 3708 tested combos in Valorant. This places it in the top 14.7% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing given the specific hardware pairing. The rank is a composite score that takes into account the average FPS across all tested settings and resolutions. The data suggests that this combo outperforms the vast majority of other systems, which is expected given the high-end nature of both the CPU and GPU.

To contextualize this rank, it is helpful to look at the individual component performance. The CPU's percentile rank of 85 means it is better than 85% of all CPUs, while the GPU's percentile rank of 83 means it is better than 83% of all GPUs. The combo's rank of 545 out of 3708 is slightly lower than what one might expect if the two components' percentiles were combined, which indicates that there are other combos with slightly more balanced or better-suited hardware for this specific game. For example, the CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-13700T, have nearly identical average benchmark scores (35403 vs 35365), but the combo rank suggests that the i7-12700KF's higher boost clock of 5.00 GHz might not be as beneficial in Valorant as the extra efficiency of a newer part.

The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, have a slightly higher average benchmark score (43262 vs 43223), but the RTX 4070 SUPER's superior architecture and features make it a better fit for gaming. The combo rank of 545 is impressive when considering that there are 3708 possible combinations, many of which feature more expensive or newer hardware. The data indicates that this pairing is well-optimized for Valorant, providing a frame rate that is in the top tier of all tested systems. It is important to note that the rank is based on the average FPS across all presets and resolutions, so the combo's performance in the most competitive scenario (1080p Low) is likely even higher relative to the field. The 605 FPS at 1080p Low is a figure that only a small fraction of the 3708 combos can achieve, confirming that this is a high-tier setup for esports titles.

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

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

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 605, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset. This is the peak performance point in the measured data.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K compared to 1080p?

A: At 4K (3840x2160) with High settings, the average FPS is 447, which is 60 FPS lower than the 507 FPS at 1080p with the same settings. This represents an 11.8% performance drop, indicating that the GPU is still handling the load well at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The FPS drops by a similar percentage (around 5-7%) when moving from 1080p to 1440p and 1440p to 4K, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's high single-core performance (5.00 GHz boost) ensures it does not become a limiting factor.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded in the dataset?

A: The dataset only provides minimum FPS values for the Medium settings preset. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 438. This drops to 416 at 1440p Medium and 386 at 4K Medium. These figures represent the lowest frame rates recorded for any specific configuration.

Q: How does this combo's rank compare to other systems?

A: The combo ranks 545th out of 3708 tested combinations in Valorant. This places it in the top 14.7% of all systems, which is a strong result given the high frame rates achieved across all resolutions and settings.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 574 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 473 FPS. This is a difference of 101 FPS, or a 17.6% reduction in performance when moving to the highest visual quality settings.

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

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination:

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 605 FPS
• Medium: 516 FPS (min: 438, max: 593)
• High: 507 FPS
• Ultra: 499 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 574 FPS
• Medium: 489 FPS (min: 416, max: 563)
• High: 481 FPS
• Ultra: 473 FPS

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 532 FPS
• Medium: 454 FPS (min: 386, max: 522)
• High: 447 FPS
• Ultra: 439 FPS

The data shows a consistent hierarchy across all resolutions: Low settings produce the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing a more detailed look at frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range from 438 to 593 FPS shows a spread of 155 FPS, which is a significant variance but still within an acceptable range for high-refresh-rate gaming. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows slightly to 147 FPS (416 to 563), and at 4K Medium, the spread is 136 FPS (386 to 522). This narrowing of the range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes more consistently loaded, reducing the frequency of very high frame rate spikes.

The performance drop from Low to Ultra is remarkably consistent across resolutions: 17.5% at 1080p (605 to 499), 17.6% at 1440p (574 to 473), and 17.5% at 4K (532 to 439). This consistency suggests that the game's graphical settings have a uniform impact on GPU workload, regardless of the output resolution. The absolute FPS figures are all exceptionally high, with the lowest recorded average being 439 FPS at 4K Ultra. This means that even the most demanding settings at the highest resolution produce frame rates that are more than triple the refresh rate of a standard 144 Hz monitor. The RTX 4070 SUPER's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than sufficient for Valorant's texture requirements, and its 80 ROPs handle the pixel output efficiently. The i7-12700KF's 20 threads ensure that the game's logic threads are always scheduled, and the 3DMark 16-thread score of 9282 indicates that the CPU can handle any background processing without impacting game performance. Overall, this combo provides a level of performance that is overkill for Valorant, ensuring a buttery-smooth experience at any resolution and settings combination.