Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that rewards high and stable frame rates, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER provides a clear picture of its capabilities. This combination delivers exceptionally high performance across all tested settings and resolutions, firmly positioning it in the upper echelon of tested configurations. The data indicates that this setup is capable of maximizing even the highest refresh rate displays on the market, with performance characteristics that shift between CPU and GPU bound scenarios depending on the configuration chosen.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent and clear hierarchy across the four tested presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—at every resolution from 1080p to 4K. For players prioritizing the absolute highest frame rates, the Low preset is the clear standout. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 596 FPS, which is a significant 51% increase over the next highest preset at that resolution. This margin narrows somewhat at higher resolutions, but the Low preset still leads at 2560x1440 with 508 FPS and at 3840x2160 with 406 FPS, demonstrating that it consistently provides the most headroom for competitive play.

However, the data also shows that the step from Low to Medium is a valuable one for visual clarity without a substantial performance penalty. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 392 FPS, which is still a very high number, and it comes with a more detailed visual environment that could aid in spotting enemies. The difference between Low and Medium is 34% at 1080p, 34% at 1440p, and 34% at 4K, showing a consistent relative cost. Given that the Medium preset maintains an average above 268 FPS even at 4K, it represents the sweet spot for balancing visual fidelity and the high refresh rates required for smooth gameplay.

The High and Ultra presets offer diminishing returns in terms of visual improvement while costing a more significant number of frames. The gap between Medium and High is roughly 5% at 1080p, while the gap between High and Ultra is even smaller at 5%. At 4K, the Medium preset (268 FPS) is 5% faster than High (255 FPS), and High is 5% faster than Ultra (243 FPS). Since all settings provide frame rates well above standard 144Hz monitors, the recommendation is to use the Medium preset as the primary choice. It provides the best balance of performance and visual quality, ensuring a responsive experience while maintaining high frame rates. The Low preset is reserved for those seeking the absolute maximum FPS, while High and Ultra can be used if visual fidelity is the sole priority, though the performance cost is measurable.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's core clocks are listed with a base of 1470 MHz and a boost of 1650 MHz. In Valorant, a game that is not traditionally considered graphically intensive, this GPU proves to be more than sufficient, as evidenced by the frame rates achieved. However, its role becomes more pronounced as the resolution and settings increase.

The data shows that the GPU's load scales with resolution. At 1920x1080, the difference between the Low and Ultra presets is substantial, but the absolute numbers are so high that the CPU is likely the primary limiter. As we move to 3840x2160, the GPU's workload increases significantly. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is most pronounced on the Low preset, where the average FPS falls from 596 to 406, a 32% reduction. This suggests that even at Low settings, the increased pixel count is demanding more from the GPU. The RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB of VRAM is not a bottleneck in these tests, as the game's requirements are easily met, but the raw processing power is what dictates the upper limits at 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate its mid-range positioning. It holds a percentile rank of 62 among all GPUs and its average benchmark score is 18093. Its nearest rivals in terms of overall score include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which is a mere 0.4% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which is 0.5% behind. This places the RTX 2060 SUPER in a solid performance tier. In the context of Valorant, this means it can comfortably handle the game's rendering demands, but it is not the component that pushes the frame rate to its extreme limits. The GPU's influence is most visible in the scaling from Medium to Ultra settings, where the frame rate drops are consistent, indicating that the additional graphical features are taxing the GPU's compute and fillrate capabilities.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. It has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory. This CPU is a high-performance part, ranking in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its performance is closely matched with rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which is only 0.4% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which is 0.5% behind, according to the average benchmark scores.

In Valorant, the CPU's role is critical, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The data shows that at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 596 FPS. This high frame rate is a direct result of the CPU's strong single-core performance, as Valorant is heavily dependent on a single primary game thread. The CPU's boost clock of 5.10 GHz is a key factor in this performance, allowing for rapid instruction processing. The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p is 240 FPS (from 596 to 356), which highlights how much the game's CPU load varies with settings.

As resolution increases, the CPU's relative importance diminishes, but its absolute performance still sets the ceiling. At 4K with Low settings, the system still manages 406 FPS, which is an incredibly high number. This indicates that even at 4K, the CPU is not being overwhelmed. The consistent performance across resolutions on the Low preset—from 596 FPS at 1080p to 508 FPS at 1440p and 406 FPS at 4K—shows a gradual decline that is more indicative of the GPU taking on more work than the CPU struggling. The Core Ultra 5 245's multi-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 score of 32924, ensures that background tasks and game engine processes do not interfere with the primary game thread, providing a stable foundation for the high frame rates seen in the measurements.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER has a measured combo rank of 1702 out of 2883 tested combinations in Valorant. This places it in the top 41% of all tested systems, which is a respectable position given the vast array of hardware configurations that can be used to play this game. While this rank might seem modest, it is important to consider that Valorant is a game where the top rankings are often dominated by the absolute latest and most expensive CPUs, as the game can be very CPU-bound at high frame rates.

The rank suggests that this combo is capable of delivering a high-performance experience, but it is not at the very pinnacle of the performance curve. The data indicates that there are 1701 other combinations that perform better, which likely include more powerful CPUs with higher clock speeds or more advanced architectures that can push frame rates even higher at the extreme low-settings, high-refresh-rate niche. However, within the context of this specific combo, the performance is very strong. The combo's rank is a reflection of the combined capabilities of the CPU and GPU, and given that the GPU is a mid-range part from a previous generation, the rank is largely driven by the CPU's excellent performance. The system is clearly not GPU-limited in most scenarios, allowing the CPU to push frame rates to levels that satisfy even the most demanding competitive players.

The delta between this combo and others is not provided, but the rank itself is a useful metric. It shows that while the system is not among the elite few that can achieve 800+ FPS, it is well ahead of the majority of systems, providing a smooth and highly competitive experience. The fact that it achieves over 400 FPS at 4K Low settings reflects its overall balance and capability.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data provides a clear view of how the system scales with resolution. From 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops by a significant amount across all settings. For example, on the Low preset, the drop is from 596 to 508 FPS, a 15% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the Low preset drops from 508 to 406 FPS, an additional 20% reduction. This pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the system is becoming more GPU-bound as the pixel count increases.

The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is a key indicator of the limiting component. For the Low preset, the total drop is 32%. For the Medium preset, the drop is 32% (from 392 to 268 FPS). For High, it is 32% (from 374 to 255 FPS), and for Ultra, it is 32% (from 356 to 243 FPS). This consistency suggests that the scaling is primarily due to the increased rendering load on the GPU, as the CPU's performance is not significantly impacted by resolution.

This behavior indicates that the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames quickly, but the CPU cannot feed it data fast enough to achieve even higher numbers. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and it becomes the limiting factor. The fact that the frame rate at 4K is still very high (243 FPS on Ultra) shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable GPU for this game, but the scaling pattern reveals that a more powerful GPU would yield higher frame rates at 4K, while a more powerful CPU would be needed to push 1080p performance beyond its current limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The comprehensive data set provides exact figures for each resolution and settings combination. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 596 FPS. The Medium preset averages 392 FPS, with a minimum of 334 FPS and a maximum of 451 FPS. The High preset averages 374 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 356 FPS. This shows a clear progression where each higher setting tier reduces performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 508 FPS. The Medium preset averages 335 FPS, with a minimum of 285 FPS and a maximum of 385 FPS. The High preset averages 319 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 304 FPS. The frame rates remain exceptionally high, ensuring smooth gameplay on 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 406 FPS. The Medium preset averages 268 FPS, with a minimum of 227 FPS and a maximum of 308 FPS. The High preset averages 255 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 243 FPS. Even at 4K, the system never dips below 227 FPS on the Medium preset, which is the only preset with min/max data. These figures confirm that the system is capable of handling 4K gaming with high refresh rates, though the lower settings are recommended for the most competitive edge.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS measured is 596, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K on the Low preset?

A: The average FPS on the Low preset drops from 596 at 1920x1080 to 406 at 3840x2160, which is a 32% reduction.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more of a limiting factor at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, as the frame rate is exceptionally high (596 FPS) and the scaling to higher resolutions shows a consistent GPU-bound pattern.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems in this game?

A: The combo is ranked 1702 out of 2883 tested combinations, placing it in the 59th percentile of performance.

Q: What is the average FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 508 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 304 FPS, a difference of 204 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB VRAM cause any performance issues in these tests?

A: The measured data does not indicate any VRAM-related performance issues, as the game runs smoothly at all settings and resolutions with the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory.