Valorant

Valorant’s benchmark results for the Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B390 show a combination that is heavily CPU-bound, delivering playable frame rates across all tested configurations but ranking in the bottom 12% of all tested combos. The Arc B390’s integrated design, which relies on system shared memory, creates a notable performance ceiling that even the flagship i9-14900K cannot overcome. The data shows that while the CPU provides exceptional headroom, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, making the Low preset the only configuration that consistently approaches the high refresh rates competitive players seek.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i9-14900K + Intel Arc B390 combo rank in Valorant?

A: This specific combination ranks 2534 out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant. That places it in the bottom 12.1% of all tested systems, indicating that while the game runs, the overall performance is far below what most dedicated gaming rigs achieve.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080 with the Low preset, the combo reaches an average of 331 FPS. This is the highest average frame rate recorded across all resolutions and settings in the measured data.

Q: Does the Arc B390 have dedicated VRAM?

A: No, the Intel Arc B390 uses "System Shared" memory for both its memory size and type. Its bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," meaning performance relies on the host system's RAM, which is a significant factor in its low performance percentile.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scores 1482, which is 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. This places the GPU in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the difference in frame rate between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 282 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 169 FPS. This represents a 113 FPS difference, or a 40% reduction in average frame rate when moving to the highest settings.

Q: Is the Core i9-14900K a high-performing CPU?

A: Yes, the Core i9-14900K sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097. It is 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-14900KF and 1.7% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 in average CPU benchmark scores.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. Its most defining characteristic is its memory configuration: it uses "System Shared" memory for size, type, and bus width, with bandwidth that is "System Dependent." This means the GPU does not have dedicated VRAM but instead borrows from system RAM, which significantly impacts its performance in a fast-paced FPS like Valorant.

The GPU's clock speeds are 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost. It has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. Peak FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS. In synthetic testing, the Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This low percentile is reflected in its nearest rivals, which include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710, both of which are over a decade old.

Despite these modest specifications, the measured FPS data shows the GPU can handle Valorant. The average frame rates at 1920x1080 range from 198 FPS on Ultra to 331 FPS on Low. However, the lack of dedicated memory becomes more apparent as resolution increases. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 135 on Ultra and 141 on High. The system-shared memory architecture is the primary bottleneck, preventing the GPU from delivering the kind of consistent, high-refresh-rate performance that competitive Valorant players expect, especially when compared to systems with dedicated graphics cards.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K + Intel Arc B390 combo ranks 2534 out of 2883 tested combos in Valorant. This position in the bottom 12% of all tested systems is a clear indicator that this pairing is not optimized for high-end gaming performance, despite featuring a top-tier CPU. The ranking is a direct result of the GPU's limitations, as the Arc B390's integrated nature and 9th percentile GPU benchmark score drag down what would otherwise be an elite-level system.

The contrast between the CPU and GPU performance is stark. The i9-14900K is a top-tier processor, ranking in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. It outperforms its nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-14900KF, by a negligible 0.3% and beats the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 by 1.7%. However, the GPU is in the 9th percentile, 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M and 2.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM. This massive disparity means the combo's overall rank is almost entirely determined by the Arc B390's performance.

In practical terms, this ranking means that while the system can run Valorant, it will not be able to compete with systems using dedicated mid-range or high-end GPUs. The 2883 combos tested include a wide variety of hardware, and this specific pairing falls behind the overwhelming majority. The data suggests that the i9-14900K's potential is severely underutilized in this configuration, making the combo a poor choice for gamers who prioritize Valorant performance over other considerations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how the combo performs across four resolutions and four settings presets. The data shows a clear pattern: lower resolutions and lower settings yield higher frame rates, but even the best results are below what a high-refresh-rate monitor can fully utilize in some cases.

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results. The Low preset delivers an average of 331 FPS. The Medium preset averages 218 FPS, with a minimum of 185 FPS and a maximum of 250 FPS. The High preset averages 207 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 198 FPS. These numbers show that the combo can push beyond 200 FPS on most settings, which is suitable for 144Hz and even some 240Hz monitors, though the Low preset is the only one that consistently stays above the 300 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. The Low preset averages 282 FPS, which is still strong. The Medium preset averages 186 FPS, with a minimum of 158 FPS and a maximum of 214 FPS. The High preset averages 177 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 169 FPS. The data shows that at this resolution, the GPU becomes a more significant bottleneck, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening to 113 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. The Low preset averages 225 FPS, which is respectable. However, the Medium preset drops to 149 FPS, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS. The High preset averages 141 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 135 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is not a strength of this combo, as even the lowest settings fail to reach the frame rates seen at lower resolutions. The system-shared memory of the Arc B390 is likely the cause, as the higher resolution demands more memory bandwidth than the shared configuration can provide.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's resolution and refresh rate goals. For competitive play, where frame rate is paramount, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the clear choice, delivering an average of 331 FPS. This is the only configuration that consistently provides frame rates above 300 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate competitive monitors.

For users with 1920x1080 144Hz monitors, the Medium or High presets are viable, offering 218 FPS and 207 FPS respectively. These settings provide a better visual experience without sacrificing the ability to keep the frame rate above the monitor's refresh rate. The Ultra preset at 198 FPS is also usable but offers diminishing returns in visual fidelity for a 13 FPS drop from High.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only configuration that maintains a high frame rate, averaging 282 FPS. The Medium preset at 186 FPS is still playable, but the High and Ultra presets, at 177 FPS and 169 FPS, may not be sufficient for users with 240Hz monitors. For 1440p, the data suggests that users should stick to Low or Medium settings to ensure a responsive experience.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset, averaging 225 FPS, is the only option that provides a competitive frame rate. The Medium preset at 149 FPS is borderline, while the High and Ultra presets at 141 FPS and 135 FPS are too low for fast-paced gameplay. Given the data, the recommendation is to prioritize the Low preset at any resolution to maximize frame rate, as the visual differences in Valorant are often less important than the performance advantage.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, specifically the Raptor Lake-R refresh. It has a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with a 125W TDP. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration and uses the Intel Socket 1700.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i9-14900K is a powerhouse. It scores 39399.5 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2262.5 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 21697 multicore and 2655 single-core. These scores place it in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79097. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which is 0.3% faster, and the AMD EPYC 7413, which is 1.2% faster.

In the context of Valorant, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with data as quickly as possible. Valorant is known to be CPU-intensive, and the i9-14900K's high single-core performance, evidenced by its 2262.5 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is well-suited for this task. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo. The frame rates are consistently bottlenecked by the Arc B390's integrated GPU, which cannot translate the CPU's processing power into higher FPS. This is evident in the fact that the combo ranks 2534 out of 2883, a position that would be impossible if the CPU were the primary driver of performance. The CPU is capable of far more, but the GPU holds the system back.