Valorant

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a fascinating case study in Valorant, a game known for its low system requirements and high frame rates. The measured data reveals a combo that is overwhelmingly capable of delivering competitive performance, with average frame rates that never dip below the 200 FPS mark even at the most demanding settings tested. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, explores the role of each component, and contextualizes the combo's standing relative to other tested configurations, using only the facts provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 508 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that average to 434 FPS, a reduction of 74 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 347 FPS. This represents a 31.7% decrease in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The pattern is similar across all quality presets. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 319 at 1080p, to 272 at 1440p, and finally to 217 at 4K. Medium settings show a progression from 335 at 1080p, to 286 at 1440p, and 228 at 4K. Ultra settings follow suit with 304 at 1080p, 259 at 1440p, and 207 at 4K.

The fact that the FPS drop is not more dramatic when moving from 1080p to 4K tells us something important about the limiting component in this system. In many titles, a 4x increase in pixel count (from 1080p to 4K) would cause a much larger performance hit, sometimes halving or worse. Here, the average FPS at 4K Ultra (207) is still 68% of the average FPS at 1080p Ultra (304). This relatively mild scaling suggests that the system is not becoming heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions within this game's rendering workload. Even at 4K, the Arc B570 is producing frame rates well above what a typical 60Hz or even 144Hz monitor can display, indicating that the game's visual complexity and the GPU's rendering load are not pushing the card to its limits. The data implies that Valorant's engine is highly efficient, and the performance ceiling is more likely dictated by the CPU's ability to feed frames, a topic explored later in this analysis.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and is part of the Battlemage generation. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. Its base and boost clocks are both listed at 2500 MHz. These specifications are essential for understanding its role in Valorant, a game that is not traditionally considered GPU-heavy. The 10 GB VRAM allocation is more than sufficient for Valorant at any of the tested settings, as the game's textures and geometry are relatively simple. The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s also appears more than adequate, given the frame rates observed.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile when compared to all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 20556. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, has a nearly identical average score of 20582, a delta of -0.1%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is also close, with a score of 20534 and a delta of +0.1%. This data suggests the Arc B570's raw processing power is on par with these cards. However, the measured FPS in Valorant shows the GPU is capable of pushing frame rates from 207 FPS up to 508 FPS depending on settings and resolution. The GPU's 150 W TDP and 5 nm process node from TSMC suggest an efficient design that can sustain high clocks without excessive power draw, though no direct thermal or power measurements are available in the data. The role of the GPU here is to ensure that at no point does it become a bottleneck that prevents the CPU from reaching its full potential. Given that the lowest average FPS recorded is 207 at 4K Ultra, it's clear the Arc B570 fulfills this role admirably.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the Intel Arc B570 achieves a rank of 2227 out of 2883 total tested combos for Valorant. This places it in the 77.3rd percentile of all tested configurations, meaning it performs better than roughly three-quarters of the systems tested. This is a strong result, especially considering that Valorant is a highly competitive esports title where high frame rates are paramount. The combo's rank suggests that it is well-suited for the game, landing in the upper quartile of performance.

This ranking is a product of both the CPU's and GPU's individual capabilities. The CPU, with its 16 cores and 24 threads, is a high-end desktop processor. It ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals in raw CPU benchmarks are the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (score 46971, delta -0.2%) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (score 47022, delta -0.3%). The GPU, as noted, sits in the 65th percentile. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-to-high-range GPU results in a system that is well-balanced for a CPU-bound game like Valorant. The data shows that while the GPU is not the absolute fastest, it is more than fast enough to keep up with the CPU's output. The resulting rank of 2227 out of 2883 confirms this balance. It indicates that for Valorant specifically, this pairing is more effective than many other possible CPU-GPU combinations, likely including those with more powerful GPUs that would be underutilized at the game's typical settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at the system's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. Here is the complete breakdown:

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. With Low settings, the average FPS is 508. High settings produce an average of 319 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 335 FPS, with a minimum of 285 and a maximum of 385. Ultra settings result in an average of 304 FPS. The difference between the highest (508 FPS) and lowest (304 FPS) average at 1080p is 204 FPS, showing that even at the highest quality preset, the system is far from being stressed.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains very high. Low settings average 434 FPS. High settings average 272 FPS. Medium settings average 286 FPS, with a minimum of 243 and a maximum of 329. Ultra settings average 259 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows an average FPS drop of roughly 15% across all settings, which is a modest penalty for a 78% increase in pixel count.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system still delivers frame rates that are more than sufficient for competitive play. Low settings average 347 FPS. High settings average 217 FPS. Medium settings average 228 FPS, with a minimum of 194 and a maximum of 263. Ultra settings average 207 FPS. Even at the most demanding 4K Ultra preset, the average FPS remains above 200, which is a remarkable achievement and indicates a smooth experience on any high-refresh-rate monitor.

The data reveals a consistent hierarchy: Low settings always provide the highest FPS, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra averages is significant at all resolutions, ranging from 204 FPS at 1080p to 140 FPS at 4K. This shows that while the game is not GPU-heavy, the quality presets do have a measurable impact on frame rates. The Medium preset consistently offers a small FPS advantage over High, which is interesting, but both are outclassed by Low in terms of pure frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor from Intel's 13th Gen Core series, built on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The CPU's benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 30745 and a single-core score of 2116. Its Geekbench scores are 19429 for multi-core and 2529 for single-core. These numbers place the CPU in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is a top-tier performer for both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.

Valorant is a game that is known to be heavily dependent on single-core CPU performance. The game's engine and physics calculations often run on a limited number of threads, making high single-core clock speeds and IPC critically important for achieving high frame rates. The i7-13700K's boost clock of 5.40 GHz is exceptionally high, and its single-core benchmark scores, such as the 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and Passmark single-thread score of 4333, confirm its strength in this area. The data strongly suggests that the CPU is the primary driver of the high frame rates observed in this test. The fact that the FPS does not collapse when moving to 4K, but rather scales down modestly, further supports this. If the GPU were the primary bottleneck, we would see a much more significant FPS drop at higher resolutions. Instead, the CPU's powerful single-threaded performance ensures that the frame generation pipeline is never starved, allowing the GPU to render frames as quickly as its capabilities allow.

The CPU's 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache also play a role. Large caches can help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for game performance. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the specific memory configuration used in this test is not detailed in the data. Regardless, the overall package of high clocks, strong single-thread performance, and extensive cache makes the i7-13700K an ideal partner for a game like Valorant.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 508, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 347 on Low settings to 207 on Ultra settings. Even at the highest quality preset, the average FPS remains above 200.

Q: Which component is the primary performance driver in this game?

A: The benchmark data indicates the CPU plays the leading role. The Intel Core i7-13700K has a high boost clock of 5.40 GHz and strong single-core benchmark scores, such as a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4333, which are crucial for Valorant's engine.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. Its closest rival, the Intel Arc A750, scores 20582, which is a delta of -0.1%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile scores 20534, a delta of +0.1%, showing the three are very closely matched.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 508 FPS while Ultra settings average 304 FPS. This represents a difference of 204 FPS in favor of Low settings.

Q: Is this combo ranked highly among all tested configurations for Valorant?

A: Yes, the combo ranks 2227 out of 2883 total tested combos, placing it in the upper quartile of performance for this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear basis for settings recommendations. For players with a 1080p or 1440p monitor with a refresh rate of 240Hz or 360Hz, the Low preset is the only choice. With an average of 508 FPS at 1080p and 434 FPS at 1440p, this setting maximizes the chance of keeping the frame rate above even the highest refresh rates available on the market. The performance headroom is substantial, and the visual trade-off in a fast-paced esports title is often considered worth the competitive advantage of higher frame rates.

For players using a 4K display, the situation is slightly different. The Low preset at 4K still yields an impressive 347 FPS average. However, the Ultra preset at 4K still produces an average of 207 FPS. This is above the 144Hz threshold and is perfectly playable on a high-refresh 4K monitor. Given that 4K displays often top out at 144Hz or 160Hz, the Ultra preset could be a viable option for those who prioritize visual fidelity, as the average FPS still exceeds the refresh rate of most 4K panels. The Medium preset at 4K offers a compromise, with an average of 228 FPS, which is higher than Ultra but lower than Low.

The Medium preset also presents an interesting option for high-refresh 1080p and 1440p gaming. At 1080p, it averages 335 FPS, and at 1440p, it averages 286 FPS. This is still exceptionally high and may offer slightly better visual quality than Low with minimal FPS impact. However, the data shows that the Low preset is the undisputed king for pure frame rate. For the absolute best competitive experience, the Low preset at 1080p, yielding 508 FPS, is the recommended configuration. If a player is on a 4K monitor and wants the best of both worlds, the Ultra preset at 207 FPS is a strong recommendation, as it demonstrates that the hardware is sufficient to handle the highest settings without sacrificing a smooth, high-refresh experience.