Valorant

Valorant is a highly CPU-bound competitive FPS, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER confirms this, delivering exceptionally high frame rates that are limited more by the processor than the graphics card. This combination sits in the 93rd percentile of all tested combos for this game, ranking 201st out of 2883, which places it firmly in the upper echelon of performance. The measured results show that even at 4K, the system never drops below 442 average FPS, indicating that this pairing is overkill for standard 1080p and 1440p high-refresh-rate monitors but provides headroom for future titles or more demanding scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic CPU bottleneck, with the GPU only becoming a limiting factor at the highest resolution. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 670 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops this to 635 FPS, a reduction of 5.2%, and then to 590 FPS at 3840x2160 Low, another 7.1% decrease. This relatively minor drop across a 4x increase in pixel count suggests that the CPU is the primary constraint, as the GPU has ample headroom to render the less demanding frames at lower resolutions.

The pattern shifts when examining the higher preset levels. For the High preset, the frame rates are 562 FPS at 1080p, 533 FPS at 1440p, and 464 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 12.9%, which is more pronounced than the Low preset's drop, indicating the GPU begins to take on more work. This trend continues with the Ultra preset, where the system yields 553 FPS at 1080p, 524 FPS at 1440p, and 442 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1440p to 4K here is a 15.6% reduction, showing that as the settings increase, the graphics card's workload rises, but the CPU still keeps the minimum well above playable thresholds.

The most telling data point is the difference between the Low and Ultra presets at each resolution. At 1080p, the gap is 117 FPS (670 vs 553), while at 4K, the gap is 148 FPS (590 vs 442). This widening gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming more influential, but the absolute numbers remain incredibly high. The data suggests that for Valorant's engine, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225's single-thread performance is the star, as the frame rate ceiling does not collapse when the resolution is raised, which would be the case if the GPU were the bottleneck. The measured results show that even in the worst-case scenario (4K Ultra), the system maintains an average of 442 FPS, which is well beyond the refresh rate of any current monitor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 192-bit memory bus providing 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, is not the limiting factor in this configuration. The GPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223, places it as a high-end part, but its role in Valorant is secondary to the CPU. The memory clocks run at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective), and the boost clock is 2475 MHz, but these specifications are rarely stressed to their limits by this game's engine.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is more than sufficient for Valorant, which is a lightweight game in terms of texture memory. The benchmark results do not show any significant frame time spikes or stutters that would indicate VRAM overflow, as the minimum FPS values, where recorded, are not disproportionately low compared to the averages. For instance, at 4K Medium, the average is 487 FPS with a minimum of 414 FPS, a drop of only 15% which is typical for a CPU-bound scenario. This suggests that the GPU is not struggling with memory allocation or bandwidth.

The RTX 4070 SUPER's role becomes more apparent when comparing the Low and Ultra presets. The difference between these settings is where the GPU's shading units (7168), texture mapping units (224), and render output units (80) come into play. The FP32 performance of 35.48 TFLOPS ensures that even at 4K, the GPU can handle the increased pixel shader workload. However, the data indicates that the GPU is still not fully utilized, as the frame rate differences between 1080p and 4K on the same settings are not as severe as they would be in a graphically intensive AAA title. The GPU is effectively "along for the ride," providing more than enough power to ensure that the CPU remains the primary determinant of the final frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific combo, the data suggests that the Low preset is the optimal choice for competitive play, as it provides the highest average frame rates across all resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system hits 670 FPS, which is the peak measured performance. This setting minimizes GPU load, ensuring that the CPU's capabilities are fully expressed, which is critical for reducing input latency in a fast-paced shooter. However, the differences between presets are minimal in absolute terms, so players with high-refresh-rate monitors (240Hz or 360Hz) will not notice a practical difference between Low and Medium.

For those who prioritize visual fidelity without sacrificing competitive performance, the Medium preset offers a balanced experience. At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 542, with a minimum of 461 and a maximum of 623, providing a stable experience well above the 360Hz threshold. The jump from Low to Medium costs only 93 FPS at 1080p (670 to 571), which is a negligible loss for the visual improvement. The High preset, at 533 FPS at 1440p, is also a viable option, but the Ultra preset offers the least value, yielding 524 FPS at 1440p, only 9 FPS less than High, but with more demanding graphics effects.

The data indicates that at 4K, even the Ultra preset maintains an average of 442 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. For 4K users, the Medium preset at 487 FPS is the sweet spot, as it provides a 10% gain over the Ultra preset and a 21% gain over the High preset's 464 FPS. The Low preset at 4K (590 FPS) is overkill for any current display, but it demonstrates the headroom available. The recommendation is to use the Medium preset at any resolution, as it consistently provides a stable, high frame rate with only a modest reduction from the absolute maximum, while offering better visual clarity than Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy. The Low preset achieves the highest average FPS at 670, followed by Medium at 571, High at 562, and Ultra at 553. The Medium preset has recorded minimum and maximum values of 486 and 657, respectively, indicating a stable frame delivery with no significant dips. The difference between Medium and High is only 9 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is also 9 FPS, showing that the CPU's performance ceiling is reached at this resolution, with the GPU having minimal impact.

2560x1440: At this resolution, the Low preset still leads with 635 FPS average. The Medium preset follows at 542 FPS, with a minimum of 461 and a maximum of 623, showing a wider spread than at 1080p but still well within the range of smooth gameplay. The High preset delivers 533 FPS, and the Ultra preset is close behind at 524 FPS. The data shows that the gap between Low and Medium has widened to 93 FPS, compared to 99 FPS at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to contribute more to the frame rate difference.

3840x2160: At 4K, the Low preset maintains the top spot with 590 FPS average. The Medium preset drops to 487 FPS, with a minimum of 414 and a maximum of 560. This minimum is the lowest recorded across all settings and resolutions, suggesting a more demanding scene, but it still represents a highly playable experience. The High preset yields 464 FPS, and the Ultra preset produces 442 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is now 148 FPS, the largest of any resolution, confirming that the GPU's workload at 4K is significant, but the CPU remains the dominant factor, as the frame rates are still in the hundreds.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 201st out of 2883 tested combos for Valorant, placing it in the top 7% of all systems. This is a strong ranking, reflecting the high performance of both components. The CPU alone has an 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938, while the GPU holds an 83rd percentile ranking, with an average score of 43223. The combination of two high-percentile parts results in a top-tier gaming experience for this title.

The ranking is particularly notable given that the CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (avg score 36945, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (avg score 37018, -0.2% delta). This means the Core Ultra 5 225 is essentially on par with these processors in synthetic benchmarks, yet the combo rank in Valorant is excellent. The GPU's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (avg score 43262, -0.1% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (avg score 43268, -0.1% delta), but the RTX 4070 SUPER's desktop-class performance and drivers contribute to its strong showing in this game.

The rank of 201 out of 2883 means that this combo outperforms the vast majority of systems tested, including many with more expensive or newer components. The data suggests that this pairing is well-balanced for Valorant, where the CPU's strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655) and the GPU's ample power combine to deliver frame rates that are only matched by a small fraction of other configurations. For players seeking a system that can easily drive a 500Hz monitor, this combo is among the most capable tested.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is the primary performance driver in this configuration, and its specifications explain why. With 10 cores and 10 threads, a base clock of 3.30 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, this Arrow Lake-S processor is built for high single-threaded performance, which is exactly what Valorant demands. The lack of hyper-threading is a non-issue here, as the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide fast access to game data, reducing latency and improving frame consistency.

The benchmark results for this CPU show strong performance across the board. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and single-core score of 3655 demonstrate its capability. The PassMark single-thread score of 4412 is particularly relevant for Valorant, as the game's engine relies heavily on a single primary thread for game logic and physics. The CPU's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938, confirms that it is a top-tier part for this type of workload.

The data shows that the CPU's boost clock of 4.90 GHz is likely being sustained during gameplay, as the frame rates remain consistently high across all settings and resolutions. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (670) is indicative of a CPU that is not being bogged down by the GPU. The fact that the frame rate only drops by 80 FPS when moving from 1080p Low to 4K Low (670 vs 590) highlights that the CPU is the bottleneck, as a GPU-bound system would see a much larger decrease. The Core Ultra 5 225's performance is also validated by its nearest rivals; it matches the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F and slightly trails the Ryzen 5 5500X3D by 0.2%, but the measured game results show that this CPU is more than sufficient for Valorant's requirements. Ultimately, the CPU is the star of this show, providing the frame rate headroom that makes this combo a top-200 performer.