Valorant

# Valorant with Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER lands at rank 1007 out of 1650 tested combos for Valorant, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. The CPU, with a 96th percentile ranking against all processors, delivers exceptional compute headroom, while the GPU, sitting at the 63rd percentile, presents the more modest component in this pairing. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings remain comfortably above competitive thresholds, but the specific ranking suggests that many other hardware combinations—particularly those with newer GPUs—achieve higher raw output in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 1007 out of 1650 positions this pairing in the 39th percentile of all tested configurations for Valorant. This means roughly 61% of tested combos deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The ranking reflects a significant imbalance between the two components: the Intel Core i7-14700KF is a top-tier desktop processor, while the RTX 2060 SUPER is an earlier-generation mid-range GPU that sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs.

The CPU's benchmark scores illustrate its capability. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 44,557 points multi-core and 6,290 points single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 52,425 and single-thread score of 4,480. Its average benchmark score of 70,104 places it within 0.3% of the AMD EPYC 9115 (69,887) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70,420). The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, scores 70,074, a delta of 0%. This processor clearly outclasses the GPU in raw compute.

The RTX 2060 SUPER, by contrast, posts a PassMark G3D score of 16,462 and an average benchmark score of 19,774. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 with an average score of 19,680 (0.5% behind) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN at 19,706 (0.3% behind). In Valorant, which is known to favor CPU performance heavily, the GPU still manages to deliver playable frame rates, but the overall combo ranking indicates that the CPU's potential is not fully utilized at lower resolutions where the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank for Valorant?

A: This pairing ranks 1007 out of 1650 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70,104, which is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-14700K at 70,074 (0% delta) and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 70,420.

Q: What is the best measured FPS for this combo?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 594.9 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Does the GPU bottleneck the CPU in Valorant?

A: The data indicates yes. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 594.9 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 238.7 FPS, a reduction of roughly 60%, showing that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the GPU rank against other GPUs?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19,774. Its nearest rival, the RTX 2070, scores 19,680, a delta of 0.5%.

Q: What is the CPU's core and thread configuration?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF features 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across resolutions and settings reveals a clear hierarchy. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 594.9 FPS, Medium 387.3 FPS, High 369.8 FPS, and Ultra 354.5 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is substantial—207.6 FPS—while the gap between Medium and High is only 17.5 FPS, and High to Ultra is just 15.3 FPS. This suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1080p, as it retains a significant portion of the frame rate headroom while providing improved visuals over Low.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts slightly. Low produces 511.9 FPS, Medium 331.1 FPS, High 315.9 FPS, and Ultra 300.2 FPS. The Medium-to-High gap narrows to 15.2 FPS, and High-to-Ultra is 15.7 FPS. The Medium preset again appears optimal, delivering 331.1 FPS while staying well above the refresh rates of most high-end monitors. At 3840x2160, Low achieves 408.3 FPS, Medium 264.2 FPS, High 253.7 FPS, and Ultra 238.7 FPS. The Medium-to-High delta is 10.5 FPS, and High-to-Ultra is 15.0 FPS. For 4K, the Medium preset provides the most sensible compromise, offering 264.2 FPS without the visual degradation of Low.

Across all resolutions, Ultra settings consistently cost between 15 and 25 FPS compared to High, which is a modest penalty given the frame rates involved. However, for competitive play, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p is recommended, as it maximizes frame rate stability while maintaining acceptable visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 594.9 FPS average, which is a 53.6% improvement over Medium's 387.3 FPS. High settings follow at 369.8 FPS, and Ultra at 354.5 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 40.4% reduction in average frame rate.

Moving to 2560x1440, Low settings yield 511.9 FPS, a 13.9% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium produces 331.1 FPS, High 315.9 FPS, and Ultra 300.2 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across settings: Medium falls by 14.5%, High by 14.6%, and Ultra by 15.3%.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates decrease further. Low settings achieve 408.3 FPS, which is a 20.2% reduction from 1440p Low. Medium drops to 264.2 FPS, High to 253.7 FPS, and Ultra to 238.7 FPS. The percentage drops from 1440p to 4K are 20.2% for Low, 20.2% for Medium, 19.7% for High, and 20.5% for Ultra. The consistency of these reductions—roughly 20% across all settings—indicates that the GPU is becoming the primary constraint at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component in this pairing. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p (594.9 FPS) to 1440p (511.9 FPS) is 83.0 FPS, and then to 4K (408.3 FPS) is another 103.6 FPS. The cumulative reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low is 186.6 FPS, a 31.4% decrease. At Medium settings, the drop is 123.1 FPS from 1080p to 4K (387.3 to 264.2), a 31.8% decrease. High settings fall by 116.1 FPS (369.8 to 253.7), a 31.4% decrease, and Ultra falls by 115.8 FPS (354.5 to 238.7), a 32.7% decrease.

The near-uniform percentage drops across all settings—hovering around 31-33%—suggest that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at 4K. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 28 threads and boost clock of 5.60 GHz, has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower resolutions, but as pixel count increases, the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth become the limiting factors. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 16,462, while respectable, is insufficient to maintain the same frame rates the CPU can theoretically support at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on a 10 nm process node. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz boosts to 5.60 GHz, and it features 33 MB of shared L3 cache. In Cinebench R23, it scores 44,557 multi-core and 6,290 single-core, with a PassMark single-thread score of 4,480. These figures place it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs.

In Valorant, the CPU's role is critical at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 594.9 FPS, which is 45.7% higher than at 4K Low (408.3 FPS). This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is able to push frame rates far beyond what the GPU can deliver at 4K. The CPU's high single-thread performance—evidenced by its 6,290 Cinebench R23 single-core score—is particularly relevant for Valorant, which relies heavily on single-threaded game logic.

However, the CPU's potential is not fully realized due to the GPU's limitations. The RTX 2060 SUPER, with its 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 2,176 shading units, becomes the bottleneck as resolution increases. The combo's rank of 1007 out of 1650 reflects this imbalance: the CPU is overqualified for the GPU, and in a game like Valorant, a lower-tier CPU paired with a stronger GPU might achieve a better combo ranking. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, scores nearly identically (70,074 vs. 70,104), suggesting that the performance ceiling for this processor is well-established.