Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that responds dramatically to hardware, and the combination of an Intel Core i7-13700K with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D produces exceptionally high frame rates across all tested configurations. The benchmark data shows this pairing ranks 208th out of 2883 tested combos, placing it in the top 7.2% of all systems evaluated for this title. The measured results reveal a system that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the GPU only beginning to assert its influence as resolution increases. The i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 24 threads boosting up to 5.40 GHz, provides the foundational single-thread performance that Valorant demands, while the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensure that even at 4K, the frame rates remain far beyond what most displays can refresh.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is primarily limited by the CPU at lower resolutions, with the GPU taking on a larger role as pixel count increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 552 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 523 FPS, a reduction of 29 FPS or approximately 5.3%. The step from 1440p to 4K High is more pronounced, with the average falling to 486 FPS, another 37 FPS decline or roughly 7.1%. This pattern indicates that while the GPU is being utilized more heavily at higher resolutions, the CPU still has substantial headroom to feed the RTX 5090 D.

The scaling behavior becomes clearer when examining Low settings, where the CPU bottleneck is most evident. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 658 FPS average. At 1440p Low, this decreases to 624 FPS, a 34 FPS drop. The 4K Low result is 579 FPS, which is 45 FPS lower than 1440p. This represents a cumulative 12% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The relatively modest scaling across resolutions at Low settings strongly suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor, as the GPU is capable of rendering these lighter scenes much faster than the processor can issue draw calls.

At Ultra settings, the scaling pattern is similar but with slightly lower absolute numbers. The 1080p Ultra average is 543 FPS, 1440p Ultra delivers 515 FPS, and 4K Ultra drops to 478 FPS. The total scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is 65 FPS, or about 12%, which mirrors the Low setting behavior. This consistency across settings indicates that the resolution scaling is primarily a function of pixel throughput, not scene complexity. The data shows that this combo maintains over 478 FPS even at the most demanding tested configuration of 4K Ultra, which is far beyond the refresh rate capabilities of virtually all commercial monitors.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on how each preset affects performance, with the differences between settings being relatively small in absolute terms but potentially significant for competitive play. At 1080p, the Low preset yields 658 FPS average, which is 106 FPS higher than the Ultra preset's 543 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 561 FPS, while High achieves 552 FPS. This 115 FPS spread between lowest and highest settings at 1080p suggests that for players seeking maximum responsiveness on high refresh rate displays, the Low preset offers the best measured experience.

At 1440p, the pattern is consistent. Low settings produce 624 FPS average, Medium delivers 532 FPS, High achieves 523 FPS, and Ultra drops to 515 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 109 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p, with its measured minimum of 452 FPS and maximum of 612 FPS, shows that even the lowest frame dips remain well above the 360 Hz threshold found on the fastest gaming monitors. For most users, the visual quality improvements from Medium or High settings will not be perceptible at these frame rates, but the competitive advantage of higher averages can matter in professional play.

The 4K results show a tighter grouping. Low settings at 4K achieve 579 FPS average, Medium delivers 494 FPS with a minimum of 420 FPS and maximum of 568 FPS, High produces 486 FPS, and Ultra yields 478 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 101 FPS. Given that the Medium preset at 4K has a documented minimum of 420 FPS, even the most demanding tested scenario maintains frame rates above the refresh rate of any mainstream display. The data indicates that players using this combo should prioritize the Low preset for maximum frame rates in competitive scenarios, while those who value visual fidelity can confidently select Ultra without dropping below 478 FPS average at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D plays a critical role in ensuring that frame rates remain exceptionally high even at 4K resolution, though its full capabilities are not stretched by Valorant's engine. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz and 21760 shading units deliver 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is far more than Valorant requires for its stylized, low-polygon environments. The GPU's 176 ROPs and 680 texture units ensure that pixel fill and texture filtering are never bottlenecks.

The benchmark results for the RTX 5090 D show a PassMark G3D score of 44065 and a PassMark GPU Compute score of 28396, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 77712 is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, according to the nearest rivals data. These synthetic benchmarks indicate that the GPU is operating at the upper echelon of graphics hardware, though the measured FPS in Valorant suggest that the game does not fully utilize this compute potential.

The GPU's memory configuration is particularly relevant for high-resolution gaming. At 4K, the game's textures and frame buffers require significant video memory, and the 32 GB capacity ensures there is no risk of memory-related stuttering. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth easily handles the data transfer requirements of Valorant at 4K, as evidenced by the 579 FPS average at Low settings. The GPU's role in this system is to remove any potential GPU bottleneck, allowing the CPU to dictate the maximum frame rate. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo still produces 478 FPS average, confirming that the GPU has ample headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results span from 543 FPS at Ultra settings to 658 FPS at Low settings. The Medium preset produces 561 FPS average with a minimum of 477 FPS and maximum of 645 FPS. High settings deliver 552 FPS average. The spread of 115 FPS between Low and Ultra represents the full range of performance available at this resolution. Notably, the Medium preset's maximum of 645 FPS approaches the Low preset's average, suggesting that frame pacing is consistent across settings.

At 2560x1440, the averages cluster between 515 FPS at Ultra and 624 FPS at Low. Medium settings achieve 532 FPS with a minimum of 452 FPS and maximum of 612 FPS, while High settings produce 523 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across all settings, with an average decline of approximately 30 FPS per preset. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 452 FPS, which is the lowest frame rate recorded for this resolution but still far exceeds the refresh rate of 240 Hz monitors commonly used in competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the results range from 478 FPS at Ultra to 579 FPS at Low. Medium settings deliver 494 FPS average with a minimum of 420 FPS and maximum of 568 FPS. High settings achieve 486 FPS average. The drop from 1440p to 4K averages about 45 FPS per preset, which is slightly larger than the 1080p to 1440p decline. This indicates that the GPU is beginning to take on more work at 4K, though it still has substantial processing power available. The Medium preset at 4K demonstrates the widest minimum-to-maximum range of 148 FPS, from 420 to 568 FPS, showing some scene-dependent variability but no concerning frame drops.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 208th out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the top 7.2% of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the combined capabilities of the CPU and GPU, though the individual components show different competitive positions in their respective markets. The CPU's average benchmark score of 46881 places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 at 46971, a delta of -0.2%. The GPU's average benchmark score of 77712 places it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78940 representing a 1.6% higher score.

The ranking in Valorant at 208th out of 2883 is notably lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest, indicating that many other combos achieve higher frame rates in this specific game. This is likely due to Valorant's extreme sensitivity to CPU single-thread performance, where processors with even higher boost clocks may outperform the i7-13700K despite its strong 5.40 GHz boost. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1136 and PassMark single-thread score of 4333 provide context for the CPU's capabilities, but the game's engine appears to reward slightly different performance characteristics.

The combination's rank also reflects the fact that Valorant is not a GPU-intensive title, so the RTX 5090 D's position in the 92nd percentile of GPUs does not translate directly to a top-100 ranking in this game. Systems with slightly slower GPUs but faster CPUs may achieve higher frame rates in Valorant. The 208th rank out of 2883 combos still places this system in the upper echelon for competitive play, with frame rates that exceed the refresh rate capabilities of nearly all displays on the market.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 658 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the peak performance available from this combination.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D bottleneck the i7-13700K in Valorant?

A: No. The data shows that frame rates scale very little with resolution, with only a 12% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. This indicates the CPU is the primary limiter, not the GPU.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all tested configurations?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 420 at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. This minimum is still far above the refresh rate of standard gaming monitors.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The combo ranks 208th out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the top 7.2% of all systems evaluated for this game.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Medium and High settings?

A: The difference is minimal. At 1080p, Medium delivers 561 FPS and High delivers 552 FPS, a gap of only 9 FPS. At 4K, the difference is 8 FPS (494 vs 486).

Q: What does the 4K Ultra result tell us about this system's capabilities?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 478 FPS average. This demonstrates that the system can handle the most demanding tested configuration while still maintaining frame rates far above display refresh rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K serves as the primary performance driver in Valorant, with its 16 cores and 24 threads providing ample processing power for the game's engine. The CPU's boost clock of 5.40 GHz is critical for Valorant's single-threaded workload, and the measured results confirm that this clock speed allows for exceptionally high frame rates. The CPU's benchmark scores show strong single-thread performance, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4333 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1136, both of which are relevant to Valorant's performance characteristics.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides low-latency access to frequently used game data, which is essential for maintaining high average frame rates. The 3DMark multi-threaded scores range from 2262 at 2 threads to 12412 at max threads, showing that the CPU scales well with additional threads, though Valorant primarily benefits from the single and dual-thread performance.

The CPU's position in the market is reflected in its 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, scores 46971, representing a negligible 0.2% difference. This places the i7-13700K in a tightly contested performance tier. The CPU's 125W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 platform provide a solid foundation for sustained gaming performance, and the measured FPS data confirms that the CPU can maintain high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck, even at 4K resolution where the GPU is more heavily utilized.