Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that scales dramatically with CPU performance, and the Intel Core i7-14700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D delivers exceptional results. The benchmark data for this combination shows average frame rates ranging from 492 FPS at 4K Ultra settings to a staggering 677 FPS at 1080p Low settings, placing it in the 145th position out of 2,883 tested combos. This places the combo in the top 5% of all configurations tested, underscoring the synergy between a high-core-count CPU and a flagship GPU in a game that rewards both raw compute and high refresh rates.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process by Intel. It operates with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, supported by a 33 MB shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache. For Valorant, a game that is notoriously sensitive to single-thread performance, the high boost clock and substantial cache hierarchy are critical. The processor’s single-core benchmark results confirm its strength: a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,160 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,569 place it among the top echelon of desktop CPUs, with a 94th percentile ranking versus all CPUs.

The multi-core capabilities of the i7-14700K are equally formidable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33,440.5 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 20,767. While Valorant’s engine primarily leverages a few cores for gameplay logic, the 28 threads ensure that background tasks, anti-cheat systems, and voice communication do not introduce frame-time spikes. The processor’s Passmark multithread score of 52,392 and single-thread score of 4,472 further illustrate its balanced profile. In the context of Valorant’s measured FPS, the CPU’s ability to maintain high clock speeds under load directly translates to the 677 FPS ceiling seen at 1080p Low, where the GPU is less of a bottleneck and the CPU’s instruction throughput dominates.

The nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores provide context: the AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69,288 (0.1% ahead), while the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X scores 69,515 (-0.2% behind), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX scores 69,875 (-0.7% behind). These deltas are minimal, indicating that the i7-14700K’s raw compute is on par with top-tier server and mobile processors, though none of these rivals are specifically optimized for gaming. The i7-14700K’s architecture, with its high boost clock and large L3 cache, is better suited for the low-latency, high-frequency demands of Valorant than these multi-core-focused alternatives, which is why the measured FPS numbers remain exceptionally high even at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a rank of 145 out of 2,883 tested combos in Valorant, placing it in the 95th percentile of all configurations. This is a remarkable position, especially considering that the RTX 5090 D is a GPU with a 92nd percentile ranking versus all GPUs, and the i7-14700K holds a 94th percentile ranking. The fact that the combo ranks slightly below the individual percentiles of its components suggests that Valorant is not fully utilizing the GPU’s immense power, and the CPU is the primary limiter at higher frame rates.

In comparison to other combos, this rank indicates that the i7-14700K + RTX 5090 D outperforms the vast majority of systems, including those with older or less capable CPUs. The 145th rank out of 2,883 means there are 2,738 combos that produce lower average FPS, which confirms the high-frequency capabilities of the i7-14700K. However, the rank also implies that a small number of combos, likely with CPUs that have even higher boost clocks (such as the Core i9-14900K or AMD’s 3D V-Cache parts), can push slightly higher frame rates. The data shows that this combo is not the absolute best, but it is within striking distance of the top, with the delta between ranks likely being only a few dozen FPS in the most CPU-bound scenarios.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores further contextualize the combo’s performance: the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scores 76,904 (1.1% ahead of the RTX 5090 D), while the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (-1.6% behind), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB and 16 GB score 79,396 and 79,605, respectively (-2.1% and -2.4% behind). These rivals are all older or less powerful in gaming workloads, yet the RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and Blackwell architecture ensure that it is not a bottleneck in Valorant, allowing the CPU to dictate the combo’s overall ranking.

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

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear trend across resolutions, with average frame rates decreasing as resolution increases, but the drop is relatively modest due to the game’s light GPU load. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 677 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 642 FPS (-5.2%); and at 4K Low, it falls to 596 FPS (-12% from 1080p). For Medium settings, the figures are 578 FPS at 1080p, 548 FPS at 1440p, and 508 FPS at 4K, representing a 12.1% drop from 1080p to 4K. High settings show 568 FPS at 1080p, 539 FPS at 1440p, and 500 FPS at 4K, a 12% reduction. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 559 FPS at 1080p, 530 FPS at 1440p, and 492 FPS at 4K, an 11.9% drop.

This scaling pattern is indicative of a CPU-limited scenario. If the GPU were the bottleneck, the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K would be much steeper, often exceeding 30-40% in graphically intensive titles. Here, the maximum drop is only around 12%, which suggests that the RTX 5090 D is barely breaking a sweat even at 4K Ultra, while the i7-14700K is working near its limits to feed frames. The fact that the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution is relatively small (e.g., 677 vs 559 FPS at 1080p, an 17.4% difference) further confirms that the CPU is the primary limiter, as GPU-heavy settings changes have a muted impact on performance.

The implications for competitive play are significant: players can run Valorant at 4K Ultra with an average of 492 FPS, which is still well above the refresh rates of most high-end monitors (360 Hz or 500 Hz). The data suggests that downgrading to 1080p Low yields a 37.6% FPS increase over 4K Ultra, which could be beneficial for those seeking the absolute maximum frame rate for 540 Hz displays. However, the diminishing returns of lower resolutions indicate that the i7-14700K is approaching its ceiling around 677 FPS, and further FPS gains would require a CPU with higher single-thread performance.

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

The benchmark data provides exact average FPS figures for all combinations of four resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), with some Medium settings also reporting minimum and maximum FPS. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 677 FPS on Low, 578 FPS on Medium (with a min of 491 and max of 664), 568 FPS on High, and 559 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 118 FPS, representing a 17.4% performance penalty for maxing out settings, which is minimal for a game that is not visually demanding.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 642 on Low, 548 on Medium (with a min of 466 and max of 630), 539 on High, and 530 on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings, ranging from 5.2% on Low to 5.2% on Ultra, indicating that the added pixel count has a uniform impact. The minimum FPS on Medium at 1440p is 466, which is still well above the 360 Hz refresh rate threshold, ensuring smooth gameplay even in intense firefights.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS figures are 596 on Low, 508 on Medium (with a min of 432 and max of 585), 500 on High, and 492 on Ultra. The 4K Ultra average of 492 FPS is notably lower than 1080p Low but remains extremely high for a 4K resolution. The minimum FPS on Medium at 4K is 432, which is the lowest recorded value in the entire dataset but still exceeds the 240 Hz refresh rate of most 4K gaming monitors. The data shows that even at the most demanding settings, the combo never drops below 432 FPS, making it overkill for virtually any display configuration available in the market.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a flagship GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. It has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation units. The GPU is built on TSMC’s 5 nm process with a die size of 750 mm² and contains 92,200 million transistors. Its compute capabilities are immense, with a FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s, but these figures are largely irrelevant for Valorant, which is a lightweight game by modern standards.

The RTX 5090 D’s role in this combo is to ensure that the GPU never becomes a bottleneck, even at 4K Ultra. The measured FPS data supports this: the difference between 4K Low and 4K Ultra is only 104 FPS (596 vs 492), which is a 17.4% reduction. In a GPU-limited game, this gap would be much larger, often exceeding 50%. The GPU’s 32 GB VRAM is far more than what Valorant requires, as the game’s textures and assets are modest, but the excess memory ensures that there are no frame drops due to memory constraints. The GDDR7 memory at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) provides ample bandwidth for 4K rendering, although the game’s engine does not heavily utilize it.

The GPU’s benchmark scores further contextualize its performance: a Passmark G3D score of 44,065 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 310,674 place it in the 92nd percentile versus all GPUs. The nearest rivals in GPU benchmark scores are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (76,904, 1.1% ahead), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78,940, -1.6% behind), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (79,396 and 79,605, -2.1% and -2.4% behind). These rivals are all older or mobile parts, which highlights the RTX 5090 D’s dominance in raw compute, but in Valorant, the GPU’s advantage is muted because the CPU is the limiting factor. The RTX 5090 D’s power (575 W TDP) and its PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensure that it can communicate with the i7-14700K at maximum bandwidth, but the game’s low graphical demands mean that the GPU is often idle, waiting for the CPU to process the next frame.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The combo achieves an average of 677 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is the highest recorded value in the dataset.

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

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 492, while at 1080p Low it is 677, representing a 37.6% decrease in frame rate when moving to the most demanding settings and resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Valorant for this combo?

A: The data indicates a CPU bottleneck, as the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is only around 12% across all settings, and the difference between Low and Ultra at the same resolution is less than 18%.

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

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 432 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings, which still exceeds the 240 Hz refresh rate of most 4K gaming monitors.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Valorant?

A: The combo ranks 145th out of 2,883 tested combos, placing it in the top 5% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB VRAM provide any benefit in Valorant?

A: The 32 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for Valorant, but the game’s modest graphical requirements mean that the GPU’s memory capacity does not directly impact FPS; instead, the CPU’s single-thread performance is the primary driver of the measured frame rates.