Valorant

Valorant is a fast-paced FPS where frame rate consistency often matters more than absolute graphical fidelity. The measured data for the Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER shows a system that is overwhelmingly CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU only becoming a meaningful factor at 4K. The combo ranks 764th out of 1650 tested combinations, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems measured for this title, a position that reflects the strength of the processor rather than the aging graphics card.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz can boost up to 5.40 GHz, and this high single-core frequency is the primary driver of Valorant’s performance. The benchmark data strongly supports this: in the 3dmark single-thread test, the CPU scores 1136, and in the 2-thread test, it scores 2262, indicating that the processor’s strength lies in low-thread-count workloads. This is critical for Valorant, which typically relies on a few heavily loaded threads for game logic and rendering commands.

The CPU’s performance scales predictably with thread count, with scores of 4469 in the 4-thread test and 8193 in the 8-thread test. However, the data suggests that the extra cores beyond eight provide diminishing returns for this game. The multi-threaded scores, such as 12412 in the 3dmark max-threads test and 39000 in Cinebench R23 multicore, are impressive for productivity, but they do not translate into proportional gains in Valorant’s frame rates. Instead, the high boost clock of 5.40 GHz is what allows the system to achieve the very high frame rates seen at 1080p, where the CPU is the primary bottleneck. The processor’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache also helps maintain smooth frame pacing by keeping frequently accessed game data close to the cores.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-13700K is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-13700KF, showing a negligible delta of -0.1%. It also sits within a tight competitive group, being 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4364P and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i9-12900F. The data indicates that while the CPU is a top performer for general benchmarks, its specific advantage in Valorant comes from its ability to sustain high clocks on a few cores, not from its 16-core count.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 659.4 FPS, which is the highest frame rate of any configuration tested. This is a massive margin over the next tier, with Medium producing 432.8 FPS and High producing 412.6 FPS. The Ultra preset drops further to 390.2 FPS. The data indicates that the Low preset is not just the fastest, but it also provides a significant performance headroom that could be beneficial for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the pattern remains the same. The Low preset achieves 561.3 FPS, while Medium and High deliver 369.9 FPS and 350.4 FPS, respectively. The Ultra preset trails at 334.6 FPS. The gap between Low and the other presets narrows slightly at this resolution, but the Low preset still holds a commanding lead of over 190 FPS compared to Medium. This suggests that the graphical settings have a measurable impact on the CPU’s workload, likely due to changes in draw calls and object detail.

For a competitive FPS like Valorant, the data strongly recommends the Low preset. The difference between Low and Medium is substantial, representing a 34.4% increase in frame rate at 1080p. While the visual fidelity may be lower, the performance gain is significant enough to justify the trade-off for players seeking maximum responsiveness. The Medium preset can be considered a balanced option for players who prefer better visuals, but the measured data shows that it sacrifices a considerable amount of performance for that improvement.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is telling about the system’s bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 659.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the frame rate drops to 561.3 FPS, a reduction of 14.9%. At 4K, the frame rate falls to 449.2 FPS, which is a 31.8% drop from the 1440p figure and a 31.9% drop from the 1080p figure. This indicates that while the CPU is still strong at 4K, the GPU is beginning to become a limiting factor.

The scaling pattern is more pronounced at higher settings. With Ultra settings, the system achieves 390.2 FPS at 1080p, 334.6 FPS at 1440p, and 267.8 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K here is 31.4%, which is similar to the Low preset. However, the absolute frame rates are much lower. This suggests that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s workload increases significantly with resolution and graphical fidelity, but the i7-13700K is still capable of feeding it enough data to maintain high performance.

The data reveals that the system is CPU-bound at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the very high frame rates that exceed what most GPUs could render. At 4K, the GPU becomes more relevant, but the system still delivers over 267 FPS on Ultra settings. The limiting component shifts from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at 4K, but the overall performance remains exceptionally high for Valorant, which is not a graphically demanding title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 764th out of 1650 tested combos for Valorant. This position in the 46th percentile is interesting because it places the system in the middle of the pack, despite the CPU being a high-end part. The ranking reflects the fact that many of the tested combos likely include newer or more powerful GPUs, which can push frame rates even higher at 4K or with higher graphical settings.

However, the ranking does not tell the whole story. The CPU’s benchmark percentile is 93, meaning it outperforms 93% of all CPUs tested. The GPU’s percentile is 65, which is lower. This disparity suggests that the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the GPU’s relative performance. If the system were paired with a stronger GPU, the rank would likely be much higher, as the CPU has significant headroom to drive more frames.

The data shows that this combo is more than capable of delivering a competitive experience in Valorant. While it may not be in the top 10% of all systems, its rank of 764 out of 1650 is respectable, and the measured FPS figures demonstrate that it can handle the game at high frame rates across all resolutions. The limiting factor for the rank is the GPU, not the CPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is based on the Turing architecture and features 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1605 MHz, with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. These specifications place it in the mid-to-high range for its generation, and its benchmark percentile of 65 indicates it performs better than 65% of all GPUs.

In Valorant, the GPU’s role is secondary to the CPU at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p, the Low preset produces 659.4 FPS, which is a frame rate that the RTX 2070 SUPER can easily achieve. The GPU’s performance only becomes a significant factor at 4K with higher settings, where the frame rate drops to 267.8 FPS on Ultra. This is still a very playable frame rate, but it represents a significant reduction from the 1080p figure.

The GPU’s nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A400, which scores 0.5% higher on average, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z, which scores 0.9% lower. The data indicates that the RTX 2070 SUPER is a capable card for Valorant, but it does not have the raw power to fully utilize the i7-13700K’s potential at 4K. The GPU’s 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for this game, as Valorant is not memory-intensive, but its compute power is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system’s performance across all settings and resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 659.4 FPS. The Medium preset achieves 432.8 FPS, which is 34.4% lower. The High preset produces 412.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset yields 390.2 FPS. The data shows a clear hierarchy, with Low being the fastest and Ultra being the slowest.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 561.3 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 369.9 FPS, a 34.1% reduction. The High preset delivers 350.4 FPS, and the Ultra preset achieves 334.6 FPS. The relative performance gaps between settings remain consistent with the 1080p results.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 449.2 FPS. The Medium preset produces 291 FPS, which is 35.2% lower. The High preset achieves 277 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 267.8 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows that the Low preset loses 31.9% of its performance, while the Ultra preset loses 31.4%, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck at this resolution, but the system remains highly capable.

The data shows that the Low preset is the best choice for maximizing frame rate at any resolution. The Medium preset offers a balanced experience, but the performance penalty is significant. The High and Ultra presets provide diminishing returns in visual quality while costing a considerable number of frames. For competitive play, the Low preset is clearly the recommended setting based on the measured data.