Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS that traditionally favors high frame rates over visual fidelity, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER confirms this pairing is exceptionally strong for the game. The combination delivers playable-to-elite performance across all tested resolutions and settings, with the data showing that the CPU is the primary driver of performance at lower resolutions while the GPU becomes a more significant factor as resolution climbs. The benchmark results indicate a system that can comfortably push past the refresh rates of most high-end monitors, making it a capable choice for competitive play.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic pattern of component limitation shifting. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 656 FPS, which drops to 560 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 447 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 31.9% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 20.2% decrease from 1440p to 4K, showing that the system is heavily CPU-bound at the lowest resolution where the GPU has ample headroom. The 1080p Low result of 656 FPS is the highest average recorded in the entire dataset, suggesting the CPU is the limiting factor here, as the GPU is not being fully utilized.

Moving to High settings, the scaling pattern changes. The average FPS at 1080p is 412, at 1440p it is 351, and at 4K it is 281. The percentage drops are 14.8% from 1080p to 1440p and 19.9% from 1440p to 4K, indicating that the GPU begins to take a more prominent role as settings increase. The difference between Low and High at 1080p is 244 FPS (656 vs 412), which is a substantial 37.2% reduction, demonstrating that while the CPU still leads at lower settings, the GPU's workload at High settings starts to constrain the frame rate more noticeably.

At Medium settings, the data shows 432 FPS at 1080p, 369 FPS at 1440p, and 295 FPS at 4K, with the resolution scaling being relatively consistent at around 14.6% and 20.1% respectively. The Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates across the board, with 392 FPS at 1080p, 334 FPS at 1440p, and 267 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is 14.8%, and from 1440p to 4K is 20.1%, which closely mirrors the High settings pattern. This consistency across High, Medium, and Ultra settings suggests that once the GPU is sufficiently loaded, the resolution scaling is predictable and primarily driven by the GPU's rendering capabilities.

The 4K results are particularly telling for understanding the limiting component. At 4K Low, the combo still produces 447 FPS, which is remarkably high for a 4K resolution. However, the difference between 4K Low and 4K Ultra is 180 FPS (447 vs 267), a 40.3% reduction. This wide gap at 4K indicates that the GPU is indeed the bottleneck at this resolution, as increasing settings from Low to Ultra nearly halves the frame rate. In contrast, the gap at 1080p between Low and Ultra is 264 FPS (656 vs 392), a 40.2% reduction, which is similar in percentage terms, but the absolute frame rates are much higher, suggesting the CPU is still keeping pace adequately.

Benchmark results indicate that for competitive play at 1080p, which is the most common resolution for Valorant esports, the system is overwhelmingly CPU-limited. The frame rates at 1080p Low (656 FPS) and 1080p High (412 FPS) are both far above what any current display can refresh, meaning the CPU's capability is the sole determinant of performance. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, but even then, the lowest recorded average is 267 FPS at Ultra settings, which is still well above the 144Hz threshold that most high-refresh monitors target.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip, plays a critical role in this game's performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for Valorant's relatively modest VRAM requirements. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo still achieves 267 FPS, indicating that the GPU is not running out of memory or bandwidth, as frame rates remain high even at the most demanding settings.

The GPU's clock speeds are 1605 MHz base and 1770 MHz boost, which are modest by modern standards but adequate for a game like Valorant that is not graphically intensive. The 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are responsible for the pixel and texture processing, and the measured results show that the GPU can handle the game's rendering load efficiently. At 1080p High, the GPU produces 412 FPS, and at 4K High, it produces 281 FPS, which demonstrates that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution, as expected from its specifications.

The RTX 2070 SUPER sits at the 65th percentile when compared to all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 20282. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M, which is 1% slower, and the Intel Arc B570, which is 1.3% slower. This places the GPU in the upper-midrange tier, and the Valorant results reflect this positioning. The GPU's 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are largely irrelevant for Valorant, which does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS, but they do not negatively impact performance either.

The GPU's role in this combo is to provide a solid baseline of rendering power that does not bottleneck the CPU at lower resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the GPU is far from being the limiting factor, as the 656 FPS result is likely near the CPU's maximum frame generation capability. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, with the 267 FPS result being 59.3% lower than the 1080p Low result. This indicates that the GPU is fully utilized at 4K Ultra, and any further increases in resolution or settings would likely precipitate a more significant frame rate drop.

The GPU's 215 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this performance class, and the PCIe 3.0 x16 interface does not appear to be a bottleneck, as the frame rates are consistently high across all tested configurations. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 provides a synthetic reference point, but the Valorant-specific results are more relevant for understanding this game's performance. Overall, the RTX 2070 SUPER is well-matched to the Core Ultra 5 245 for Valorant, providing enough GPU power to avoid being the primary limiting factor at all but the most demanding settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Valorant?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 656 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is the absolute peak performance in the measured dataset.

Q: How does the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 412 FPS at 1920x1080 to 351 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 281 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a total reduction of 31.8% from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the CPU is clearly the limiting component, as evidenced by the 656 FPS result at Low settings, which is far above what the GPU would be expected to produce if it were the constraint.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest average is 267 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is still well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors and indicates no performance issues.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Valorant?

A: The combo ranks 1292nd out of 2883 tested combinations, placing it in the top 44.8% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the difference between Low (560 FPS) and Ultra (334 FPS) is 226 FPS, with Ultra producing 40.4% lower frame rates compared to Low.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and RTX 2070 SUPER perform across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the results are uniformly excellent, with the lowest average being 392 FPS at Ultra settings. The Medium settings at 1080p produce an average of 432 FPS with a minimum of 367 FPS and a maximum of 497 FPS, showing consistent frame delivery. The Low settings at 1080p achieve 656 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset, while High settings produce 412 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains exceptionally high. Low settings deliver 560 FPS, which is still above the refresh rate of any consumer monitor. High settings produce 351 FPS, Medium settings produce 369 FPS with a minimum of 313 FPS and maximum of 424 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 334 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is a 14.6% reduction, while at Ultra settings it is a 14.8% reduction, indicating that the GPU is handling the increased pixel count efficiently.

At 3840x2160, the performance is still impressive for a 4K resolution. Low settings achieve 447 FPS, which is higher than most systems can achieve at 1080p. Medium settings produce 295 FPS with a minimum of 251 FPS and maximum of 339 FPS, High settings produce 281 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 267 FPS. The 4K results show a more pronounced GPU limitation, as the frame rates drop more significantly when moving from Low to Ultra settings compared to lower resolutions.

The Medium settings across all resolutions show the most complete data with both min and max FPS recorded. At 1080p Medium, the range is 367 to 497 FPS, at 1440p Medium it is 313 to 424 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 251 to 339 FPS. This data indicates that the frame pacing is consistent, with the minimum FPS never dropping below 251 FPS even at 4K, which is crucial for maintaining smooth gameplay in a competitive shooter. The lack of min/max data for other settings does not detract from the overall picture, as the average FPS values are consistently high across all configurations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1292nd out of 2883 tested combinations in Valorant, placing it in the 44.8th percentile of all systems. This ranking puts it slightly below the median, which is noteworthy given the high absolute frame rates achieved. The reason for this mid-pack ranking is likely due to the GPU's age, as the RTX 2070 SUPER is from the Turing generation and is now end-of-life, while many newer GPUs in the database offer higher raw performance.

However, the ranking does not tell the whole story. The measured FPS data shows that this combo is capable of frame rates that are far above what is necessary for competitive play, with even the lowest recorded average of 267 FPS at 4K Ultra being more than sufficient for a 144Hz monitor. The 1292nd ranking out of 2883 combos means that there are 1591 combos that perform better, but the vast majority of those likely feature much more expensive and newer GPUs, and the actual gameplay experience with this combo would be nearly indistinguishable from higher-ranked systems at typical gaming resolutions.

The CPU component of this combo, the Core Ultra 5 245, performs well in its own right, ranking in the 90th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which is 0.4% slower, and the Intel Core i5-14600K, which is 0.8% faster. This places the CPU in a very competitive position, and its 14 cores and 14 threads with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz are well-suited for Valorant's CPU-intensive nature. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking is the more limiting factor in this combo's overall position.

The data suggests that if the goal is to maximize Valorant performance, the CPU could be paired with a more powerful GPU to achieve a higher combo ranking. However, the current combo already delivers frame rates that exceed the refresh rates of all but the most extreme gaming monitors, so the practical benefit of a higher ranking would be minimal. The combo's position in the middle of the pack is more a reflection of the GPU's age than any deficiency in actual gaming performance, as the measured FPS results demonstrate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a significant contributor to this combo's Valorant performance, and the data clearly shows that the CPU is the primary driver of frame rates at lower resolutions. The CPU features 14 cores and 14 threads, which is an unusual configuration that omits hyper-threading, but this does not appear to hinder performance in Valorant, a game that is known to favor high single-thread performance. The base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz provide strong single-thread capabilities, which is essential for Valorant's game engine.

The CPU's Cinebench R23 scores of 32924 in multi-core and 4648 in single-core demonstrate its strong overall performance, with the single-core score being particularly relevant for Valorant. The PassMark single-thread score of 4394 further confirms this, and the 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that the Core Ultra 5 245 is a high-performing processor. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, is only 0.8% faster in average benchmark score, showing that the Core Ultra 5 245 is competitive with one of the most popular gaming CPUs on the market.

The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast memory for game data, which helps maintain high frame rates even in complex gameplay scenarios. The memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s from dual-channel DDR5 support is also adequate for Valorant's needs. The CPU supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes, which future-proofs the system for faster storage and GPUs, but this is not a factor in the current GPU's PCIe 3.0 x16 interface.

The measured FPS data provides the clearest evidence of the CPU's role. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 656 FPS, which is likely very close to the CPU's maximum frame generation capability, as the GPU has very little work to do at these settings. The fact that the frame rate drops by 31.9% when moving to 1440p Low (656 to 560 FPS) suggests that the GPU is starting to become a factor, but the CPU is still not fully bottlenecked. At 1080p Ultra, the 392 FPS result is still extremely high, indicating that the CPU can sustain high frame rates even when the GPU is more heavily loaded.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 3 nm process node from TSMC are efficient, and the integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 EU is a bonus for systems without a discrete GPU, though it is not relevant for this combo. The CPU's launch MSRP is $270, which positions it as a mid-range processor, and its performance in Valorant is exceptional, as the data shows that it can drive frame rates beyond what most displays can show. The CPU's role in this combo is to provide a solid foundation that does not bottleneck the GPU, and the results indicate that it succeeds admirably in this regard.