Valorant

Valorant is a competitive FPS built around low-latency, high-refresh-rate gameplay, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 show a system that is overwhelmingly capable at every tested resolution and preset. The data set captures average frame rates across three resolutions and four settings presets, with the only min/max frame data recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution. This analysis interprets those numbers in the context of the CPU’s and GPU’s specifications, the combo’s standing among 2,883 tested combinations, and what the frame rate scaling reveals about system bottlenecks.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 7 nm process node. It carries a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz, with a thermal design power of 28 W. The cache hierarchy includes 112 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor sits in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs according to its average benchmark score of 32,697, which places it in the upper tier of mobile silicon for general compute tasks.

In Valorant, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and process game logic, and the benchmark results indicate that this processor is more than sufficient for the task. The frame rates at 1080p Low reach 521 FPS average, and at 1080p Ultra they still hold at 430 FPS average. These numbers suggest that even at the lowest resolution and settings, where the GPU has the least work to do, the CPU is not the limiting factor in a meaningful way—the system is still producing frame rates far beyond what most monitors can display. The 16-core configuration with 22 threads is likely overkill for a game like Valorant, which typically leverages fewer cores for its main simulation thread, but the high single-thread performance indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,743 helps ensure that the game’s primary thread is handled without creating a bottleneck.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the average scores are nearly identical. The Intel Core i5-14600T scores 32,707, which is a 0% delta from the Ultra 7 155H. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 scores 32,662, a 0.1% difference. The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H score 32,750 and 32,812, representing -0.2% and -0.4% deltas respectively. This clustering means that, in terms of raw compute, the Ultra 7 155H is effectively on par with its closest competitors, and any performance differences in Valorant would likely stem from other system factors rather than CPU compute power. The data shows that this CPU, with its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth), provides a solid foundation for the high frame rates observed.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 957 out of 2,883 total tested combos in the database for Valorant. This places it in the top third of all tested systems, which is notable given that the RTX 4090 is a desktop-class GPU and the Ultra 7 155H is a mobile processor. The rank reflects the actual measured frame rates across the tested resolutions and settings, and the fact that this combo sits at rank 957 suggests that there are many other systems—likely with higher-end desktop CPUs—that outperform it in this specific game.

The rank is somewhat surprising given the raw power of the RTX 4090, which sits in the 88th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 60,347. The GPU’s nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Arc Pro A60 with a score of 60,326 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 with 60,140 (0.3% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M with 61,896 (-2.5% delta). These are all professional or workstation-class GPUs with similar average scores, but none of them are gaming-focused parts like the RTX 4090. The fact that the RTX 4090’s average score is so close to these workstation cards highlights that the average benchmark score is not fully representative of gaming performance, especially in a lightly threaded game like Valorant.

The combo rank of 957 out of 2,883 means that roughly 1,926 other combos rank higher in Valorant. This suggests that while the system is fast, it is not the absolute top performer. The gap likely comes from the CPU side: the Ultra 7 155H is a mobile chip with a 28 W TDP, and even though it boosts to 4.80 GHz, it cannot match the sustained clock speeds of high-end desktop CPUs that often appear in the top ranks of the database. The data shows that the combo produces a 521 FPS average at 1080p Low, which is excellent, but top-tier combos might exceed that by a significant margin. The rank also reflects that Valorant is highly sensitive to CPU performance, and the mobile processor’s limitations become more apparent when compared to desktop parts with higher power budgets and faster memory configurations.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of scaling that points to the CPU as the primary limiter at lower resolutions, with the GPU taking over at higher ones. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 521 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 494 FPS, a reduction of 27 FPS or about 5.2%. At 4K Low, the average is 458 FPS, which is 63 FPS lower than 1080p Low, representing a 12.1% drop. This scaling is relatively mild, suggesting that the GPU is still not fully saturated even at 4K with Low settings.

However, when looking at the High preset, the scaling is different. At 1080p High, the average is 437 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 414 FPS (a 5.3% decrease), and at 4K High, it falls to 384 FPS (a 12.1% decrease from 1080p). The percentage drops are nearly identical to the Low preset, which indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor; if it were, the drop from 1080p to 4K would be much more pronounced because the GPU would be doing significantly more work at higher resolutions. Instead, the consistent ~12% drop from 1080p to 4K across both Low and High presets points to a CPU bottleneck that caps the frame rate regardless of GPU load.

The Medium preset shows similar behavior, with 444 FPS at 1080p, 421 FPS at 1440p, and 391 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset follows the same trend: 430 FPS at 1080p, 407 FPS at 1440p, and 378 FPS at 4K. The delta between 1080p and 4K for Ultra is 52 FPS, or 12.1%, matching the other presets. This consistency strongly suggests that the CPU is the limiting component: the RTX 4090 is so powerful that even at 4K, it is not being pushed to its limits in this game, and the frame rate is instead constrained by how fast the CPU can process game state and issue draw calls. The data shows that the Ultra 7 155H’s boost clock of 4.80 GHz and its 16 cores are sufficient to drive frame rates in the 378–521 FPS range, but the scaling indicates that a faster desktop CPU would likely push these numbers higher.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate is 521 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The lowest average frame rate in the data set is 378 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems in Valorant?

A: This combo ranks 957th out of 2,883 total tested combos in the database, placing it in the top third of systems tested for this game.

Q: Does the settings preset significantly affect performance at 4K?

A: The impact is modest. At 4K, the average frame rate ranges from 458 FPS on Low settings to 378 FPS on Ultra settings, a difference of 80 FPS or about 17.5%. The frame rate remains high across all presets.

Q: What does the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K indicate about the system?

A: The consistent ~12% drop in average FPS from 1080p to 4K across all settings presets indicates that the CPU is the primary limiting factor. The RTX 4090 is not fully utilized, even at 4K, because the frame rate is constrained by the processor’s ability to feed the GPU.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The Ultra 7 155H has an average benchmark score of 32,697. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i5-14600T at 32,707 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 at 32,662 (0.1% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F at 32,750 (-0.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H at 32,812 (-0.4% delta). The differences are negligible.

Q: What is the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum frame rates?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the min is 377 FPS and max is 511 FPS; at 1440p Medium, min is 358 and max is 484; at 4K Medium, min is 332 and max is 449.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a massive 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die. It features 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, along with 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The GPU has a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with memory running at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). It comes with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. This is a desktop GPU that draws 450 W and requires a triple-slot cooler and an 850 W power supply, though the data set does not indicate how it is paired with a mobile CPU in a test system.

In Valorant, the RTX 4090’s role is almost secondary given the game’s low graphical demands. The frame rates are so high that the GPU is clearly not the bottleneck. The GPU’s 24 GB of VRAM is far more than needed; Valorant is not a VRAM-intensive title, and the data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 378, which is still exceptionally playable. The GPU’s 1.01 TB/s bandwidth and 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are effectively wasted in this game, as the CPU limits the system to frame rates well below what the GPU could theoretically deliver.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reflect its overall compute power, with a Passmark G3D score of 38,194 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 271,631. Its nearest rivals in the database are the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326 average score, 0% delta), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140, 0.3% delta), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61,896, -2.5% delta), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58,657, 2.9% delta). These comparisons show that the RTX 4090’s average benchmark score of 60,347 is right in line with some professional cards, but in gaming, especially in a CPU-bound title like Valorant, the actual performance is dictated by the processor. The data shows that the RTX 4090’s high clocks and massive memory bandwidth do not translate into proportionally higher FPS in this game because the CPU cannot keep up.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data includes four settings presets—Low, Medium, High, and Ultra—at three resolutions, and the frame rates are consistently high across all of them. The best experience depends on what the user prioritizes: raw frame rate or visual fidelity. For competitive play, the Low preset at 1080p offers the highest average FPS at 521, which provides the lowest latency and best responsiveness for a fast-paced FPS. The drop to Medium at 1080p is only 77 FPS (521 to 444), which is a 14.8% reduction, but the Medium preset likely offers better visual clarity for spotting enemies at a distance.

If the user is playing at 1440p, the Low preset gives 494 FPS, while Medium gives 421 FPS, High gives 414 FPS, and Ultra gives 407 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 87 FPS, or 17.6%. Given that the min FPS data is only available for Medium (358 at 1440p), this preset provides a known floor, which is useful for ensuring consistent performance during intense action. At 4K, the Low preset delivers 458 FPS, Medium 391 FPS, High 384 FPS, and Ultra 378 FPS. The spread is smaller at 4K, with only 80 FPS separating Low from Ultra.

Considering the data, the Medium preset appears to be the most balanced choice. It offers only slightly lower average FPS than Low (e.g., 444 vs. 521 at 1080p) while presumably providing better visual detail, and it is the only preset with recorded min and max frame rates, showing a minimum of 377 FPS at 1080p, 358 FPS at 1440p, and 332 FPS at 4K. These minimums are still exceptionally high, ensuring that even the most demanding scenes will not drop below 332 FPS. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors (e.g., 360 Hz or 500 Hz), the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p is the recommended choice because it maintains frame rates above 420 FPS average while offering better visuals than Low, and the min FPS data confirms that frame pacing will remain smooth. The Ultra preset, while offering the best visual quality, provides the lowest average FPS (378 at 4K) and lacks min/max data, so its worst-case performance is unknown. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for a competitive advantage without sacrificing too much visual clarity.