Valorant

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is an exceptionally strong combination for Valorant, delivering frame rates that far exceed the requirements of even the highest refresh-rate monitors. The data shows this combo ranks 61st out of 1650 tested combinations, placing it in the top 3.7% of all systems tested for this game. Benchmark results indicate that the system is heavily CPU-limited in Valorant, with the GPU rarely being the bottleneck, even at 4K resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 569.6. This is a very high frame rate that ensures smooth gameplay on most high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-14700K's score of 70074, showing a deltaPct of 0. The two processors perform essentially at parity in synthetic tests.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile compared to all other GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER falls in the 84th percentile when compared to all GPUs in the benchmark database. This indicates it outperforms the majority of graphics cards tested.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 682.9, which was achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This demonstrates the system's capability to produce exceptionally high frame rates when graphical load is minimized.

Q: How much of a performance gap is there between the Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 resolution, the average FPS drops from 596.8 on Low settings to 440.4 on Ultra settings. This represents a significant 156.4 FPS difference, showing that even at 4K, settings have a measurable impact on performance.

Q: Is the GPU's memory bandwidth sufficient for this game?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory with a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This is more than adequate for Valorant, as the game's requirements are modest and the bottleneck in this title is clearly the CPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is the primary driver of performance in Valorant. This processor belongs to the Core 14th Gen series, built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. It features 20 cores and 28 threads, which is a substantial amount of processing power for a competitive FPS title that typically favors high single-core performance. The CPU's boost clock of 5.60 GHz is particularly relevant, as Valorant's game logic and draw calls rely heavily on fast single-threaded execution.

The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache is another key asset for this game, helping to reduce memory latency and keep frequently accessed data close to the cores. Benchmark results support this, with the CPU achieving a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290 and a multi-core score of 44557. The single-core score is critical for Valorant, as it indicates the processor's ability to handle the primary game thread efficiently. The CPU also has a PassMark single-thread score of 4480, placing it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, which confirms its elite status for tasks that depend on single-thread speed.

The high core count of 20 cores also ensures that any background processes or streaming applications will not interfere with the game's main threads. While Valorant may not utilize all 28 threads, the headroom provided by the i7-14700KF prevents any potential CPU bottlenecks from secondary tasks. The CPU's 125 W TDP indicates it is a high-power part, but this is a reasonable trade-off for the performance it delivers in this specific title, where it consistently pushes frame rates past 550 FPS at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER places this combo at rank 61 out of 1650 tested combinations in Valorant. This position in the top 3.7% of all systems tested demonstrates that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for the game. The CPU alone sits in the 96th percentile among all processors, while the GPU is in the 84th percentile, but the combination's rank is higher than either component's individual percentile, highlighting the synergy for this particular workload.

The data indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems, even those with more powerful components. This is because Valorant's performance scaling with the GPU is minimal once a certain threshold is met, and the i7-14700KF's strong single-core performance is what truly matters. The combo's rank of 61 suggests it is capable of delivering competitive frame rates in high-level play, where consistency and high refresh rates are paramount. The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the Intel Core i7-14700K and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, are within a 0.4% deltaPct of its average score, indicating that other top-tier CPUs would likely produce similar results in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across various resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 682.9 FPS on Low settings, 579.6 FPS on Medium, 569.6 FPS on High, and 559 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 123.9 FPS, showing that the system has enough headroom to run at maximum settings while still maintaining exceptionally high frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 648.9 on Low, 549.3 on Medium, 538.4 on High, and 530.1 on Ultra. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is relatively modest, with the Low settings showing a decrease of 34 FPS and the Ultra settings showing a decrease of 28.9 FPS. This indicates that the resolution scaling is efficient and the system remains highly performant at 1440p.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the system still delivers very high frame rates, with averages of 596.8 on Low, 484 on Medium, 459.1 on High, and 440.4 on Ultra. Even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains an average of 440.4 FPS, which is well above the 240 Hz refresh rate common on high-end gaming monitors. The data shows a consistent pattern where the Low preset offers the highest performance, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra, respectively.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER plays a supporting role in this combination, as the CPU is the limiting factor in Valorant. The GPU is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, featuring the AD104 chip with 35,800 million transistors. It has a boost clock of 2475 MHz and 7168 shading units, which provides more than enough raw compute power for this game's graphics requirements.

The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is ample for the textures and assets used in Valorant. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 29995 places it in the 84th percentile among all GPUs, confirming its high-end status. However, in this specific game, the GPU's performance is underutilized. The fact that the FPS difference between 1080p and 4K is relatively small (for example, 682.9 vs. 596.8 on Low settings) is strong evidence that the CPU is the primary bottleneck, not the GPU.

The RTX 4070 SUPER's DirectX 12 Ultimate support and Vulkan 1.4 API compatibility ensure that it is fully capable of handling Valorant's engine. The GPU's 220 W TDP and 550 W suggested PSU are standard for this performance class, and its dual-slot design makes it compatible with most cases. While the GPU is not the star of the show in Valorant, it provides the necessary headroom to run the game at any settings without breaking a sweat.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience is achieved with the Low settings preset, as it consistently provides the highest frame rates. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 682.9 FPS, which is a 123.9 FPS improvement over the Ultra preset. For competitive players who prioritize maximum frame rates and minimal input latency, the Low preset is the clear choice. Even at 4K, the Low preset delivers 596.8 FPS, which is still exceptionally high.

However, for players who prefer better visual fidelity without significant performance loss, the Medium preset offers a strong balance. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 579.6 FPS, which is only 103.3 FPS less than Low but provides noticeably better graphics. The High and Ultra presets offer diminishing returns in visual quality while costing additional performance, with Ultra being 123.9 FPS slower than Low at 1080p. Given that Valorant is a competitive title where frame rate consistency is critical, the data strongly suggests that the Low preset is optimal for serious play. The performance gap between presets remains consistent across all resolutions, indicating that the settings have a predictable impact on frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear pattern in how performance scales with resolution. When moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS decreases by approximately 5% across all settings. For instance, the Low preset drops from 682.9 FPS at 1080p to 648.9 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 34 FPS. The Ultra preset drops from 559 FPS to 530.1 FPS, a reduction of 28.9 FPS. This modest decrease suggests that the system has substantial headroom and that the CPU is still the primary limiter at 1440p.

The transition from 1440p to 4K produces a more pronounced drop. The Low preset falls from 648.9 FPS to 596.8 FPS, a decrease of 52.1 FPS. The Ultra preset falls from 530.1 FPS to 440.4 FPS, a decrease of 89.7 FPS. The larger drop at Ultra settings indicates that the GPU begins to become more involved at 4K, especially with higher graphical settings. However, even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains 440.4 FPS, which is still significantly higher than the refresh rates of most monitors.

The overall scaling pattern shows that the system is CPU-bound at 1080p and 1440p, with the GPU only becoming a more significant factor at 4K with high settings. The fact that the FPS at 4K Low (596.8) is still higher than the FPS at 1080p Ultra (559) confirms the CPU's strength. This indicates that players can increase resolution to 4K without sacrificing frame rates, provided they adjust the settings accordingly. The data suggests that for maximum performance, lower resolutions and settings are preferred, but the system is versatile enough to handle any combination without dropping below the 440 FPS threshold.