Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that rewards high frame rates, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 shows a system that is overwhelmingly capable at every tested resolution. The combination of a modern 10-core CPU and a Turing-architecture GPU delivers average frame rates well above the refresh rates of most monitors, even at 4K. The data indicates that this pairing is significantly overqualified for Valorant, with performance bottlenecks shifting between the CPU and GPU depending on the resolution and settings preset.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic shift in system limitation. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 543 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops the average to 463 FPS, a reduction of 80 FPS (approximately 14.7%). At 3840x2160 Low, the average further drops to 370 FPS, which is another 93 FPS reduction (approximately 20.1%) from the 1440p result.

This pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases is typical. At 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiting factor, as the GPU can produce frames faster than the processor can issue draw calls. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225, with its 10 cores and 10 threads, is strong, but even it caps the frame rate in this scenario. As the resolution increases to 1440p and then 4K, the rendering load on the RTX 2060 increases, and the GPU begins to take over as the bottleneck.

The gap between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution further illustrates this. At 1080p, the difference between Low (543 FPS) and Ultra (324 FPS) is 219 FPS. At 4K, the difference between Low (370 FPS) and Ultra (221 FPS) is 149 FPS. The absolute frame rate delta narrows at higher resolutions because the GPU is already working harder, but the percentage difference remains substantial. The data shows that while the RTX 2060 is not a high-end card by modern standards, it is more than sufficient to push Valorant to extremely high frame rates, even at 4K, where the average FPS never drops below 221.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate this combo can achieve in Valorant?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 543 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 with the Low settings preset.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Valorant?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the system delivers an average of 370 FPS on Low settings, 244 FPS on Medium, 232 FPS on High, and 221 FPS on Ultra. All of these results are well above playable thresholds.

Q: How does the Medium preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 305 FPS, while the High preset averages 291 FPS. The Medium preset is 14 FPS faster on average.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded for this configuration?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 221 FPS, which is found at 3840x2160 with the Ultra settings preset.

Q: Is the frame rate at 1080p High sufficient for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: Yes. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system averages 341 FPS. This is more than enough to drive a 240Hz or even a 360Hz monitor.

Q: Are there any frame time data points for the Medium preset?

A: Yes, the Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p, the min is 304 FPS and the max is 411 FPS. At 1440p, the min is 259 FPS and the max is 351 FPS. At 4K, the min is 207 FPS and the max is 280 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p or 1440p is the optimal choice, as it maximizes frame rate. The data shows 543 FPS at 1080p Low and 463 FPS at 1440p Low. These numbers provide the lowest input latency and the smoothest possible motion, which is critical in a fast-paced shooter. The jump from High to Low at 1080p yields a significant 202 FPS increase, which can be the difference between a smooth and a slightly less responsive experience on very high refresh rate displays.

If visual fidelity is a priority, the High preset offers an excellent balance. At 1440p High, the system still produces a very high average of 291 FPS, and at 1080p High it reaches 341 FPS. The Medium preset is a middle ground, but the data shows it is only 17 FPS faster than High at 1080p and 14 FPS faster at 1440p, making the visual upgrade to High a relatively small performance cost. For 4K users, the High preset at 232 FPS is a strong option, as it provides a more detailed image while still maintaining frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of most 4K high-refresh monitors. The Ultra preset, while visually the most demanding, still delivers 221 FPS at 4K, proving to be a viable choice for those who prioritize image quality above all else.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets.

At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well. The Low preset delivers an average of 543 FPS. The Medium preset averages 358 FPS, with a minimum of 304 FPS and a maximum of 411 FPS. The High preset averages 341 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 324 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a clear trade-off between fidelity and speed, but even the most demanding preset at 1080p stays well above the 300 FPS mark.

At 2560x1440, performance remains incredibly high. The Low preset averages 463 FPS. The Medium preset averages 305 FPS, with a minimum of 259 FPS and a maximum of 351 FPS. The High preset averages 291 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 277 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p reduces the Low preset performance by 80 FPS, but the system remains far from being GPU-bound in a way that would hinder gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the system still delivers outstanding results. The Low preset averages 370 FPS. The Medium preset averages 244 FPS, with a minimum of 207 FPS and a maximum of 280 FPS. The High preset averages 232 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 221 FPS. Even at 4K, the minimum recorded frame rate for the Medium preset is 207 FPS, which is higher than what many systems achieve at lower resolutions in other titles. The data confirms that this combination of CPU and GPU is not a limiting factor for Valorant, even at the highest resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit memory bus, provides a substantial amount of rendering power for a game like Valorant. The GPU's boost clock of 1680 MHz and its 1920 shading units are more than adequate for the game's stylized, low-polygon art style. The 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 48 ROPs ensure that pixel throughput is not a bottleneck.

However, the benchmark data suggests that the RTX 2060 is rarely the primary limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU is clearly the constraint. Even at 4K, the average frame rates of 370 FPS (Low) and 221 FPS (Ultra) indicate that the GPU is handling the load with significant headroom. The GPU's percentile rank of 58 places it in the mid-range of all GPUs, but its performance in this specific title is exceptional. The data implies that the RTX 2060 is being underutilized, as the frame rates are driven by the CPU's ability to feed it data. The 6 GB VRAM is not a concern here, as Valorant is not a texture-heavy game, and the measured settings show no signs of memory-related performance drops.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is the star of this configuration for Valorant. With 10 cores and 10 threads, a base clock of 3.30 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, this processor provides the single-threaded horsepower that competitive FPS games demand. The CPU's strong single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655, directly translates to high frame rates in games that are not heavily multi-threaded.

The data strongly suggests that the CPU is the primary driver of the frame rates seen in this benchmark. The fact that the system can achieve 543 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the CPU is capable of processing game logic and issuing draw calls at an extremely fast rate. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache is also beneficial for gaming, as it reduces memory latency. The CPU's performance in the Passmark single-thread test, where it scores 4412, further confirms its strength in this area. The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is a clear enabler of the high refresh rates experienced in Valorant, and it is the component that allows the RTX 2060 to stretch its legs.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Valorant, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 pairing ranks at 2070 out of 2883 tested combos. This places the combo in the 28th percentile, meaning that approximately 72% of tested configurations perform better in this game. This ranking is interesting because it does not reflect the absolute performance level seen in the measured FPS data.

The ranking indicates that there are many other hardware combinations that can push Valorant to even higher frame rates, likely involving flagship CPUs and GPUs. However, the rank is more a measure of the absolute ceiling of the hardware, rather than its suitability for the game. The difference between 2070th place and the top is likely a matter of a few hundred FPS, which is virtually imperceptible on most monitors. The combo's rank is heavily influenced by the CPU's overall average benchmark score of 36938, which is comparable to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018), with negligible percentage differences. In the context of Valorant, where this combo delivers over 220 FPS at 4K Ultra, the rank of 2070 confirms the extreme performance ceiling of other tested systems, rather than a criticism of this one. The data shows that while this combo may not be at the top of the leaderboard, it is absolutely in the upper echelon of playable performance for the game.