Valorant
Riot Games designed Valorant to run on a wide range of hardware by heavily modifying Unreal Engine 4. The game is intentionally CPU-bound to ensure competitive integrity, prioritizing visual clarity over heavy effects. However, Windows 11 users should note the TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements for the Vanguard anti-cheat, which necessitates relatively modern hardware (Intel 8th Gen / Ryzen 2000 or newer) despite the game's low graphical demands. For those aiming for a stable 360 FPS, high CPU clock speeds and low-latency RAM are key.
Actual FPS may vary based on RAM speed, background processes, and other system factors
Performance Report
At 1080p, all quality settings exceed 602 FPS, suitable for 144Hz+ monitors. At 1440p, all settings exceed 481 FPS. At 4K, all settings exceed 373 FPS.
The GeForce RTX 4090 is 500% above the recommended GPU (GeForce GTX 1050 Ti) for Valorant. The Xeon Gold 6548Y+ is 1045% above the recommended CPU (Core i3-4150).
No major FPS-ceiling mismatch detected. The GeForce RTX 4090 and Xeon Gold 6548Y+ stay close in effective frame-generation ceiling across the tested resolutions and quality settings.
Approximated average price on current market:
Combo price: $5375. At 1080p Ultra, this combo delivers 602 FPS, equivalent to 0.11 FPS per dollar.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 0.160 fps/$ | 0.144 fps/$ | 0.125 fps/$ | 0.112 fps/$ |
| 1440p | 0.134 fps/$ | 0.117 fps/$ | 0.101 fps/$ | 0.089 fps/$ |
| 4k | 0.099 fps/$ | 0.088 fps/$ | 0.078 fps/$ | 0.069 fps/$ |
* Table values represent FPS per Dollar (higher is better)
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This chart answers a simple question: which upgrade is more likely to increase FPS first? In this case, there is no clear winner.
The largest gap still appears at 1080p Low, where the Xeon Gold 6548Y+ reaches about 946 FPS, while the GeForce RTX 4090 still has headroom up to roughly 1036 FPS.
That means neither part is consistently hitting its ceiling far ahead of the other. Across all tested settings, this pairing is GPU-limited in 0 out of 12 cases, CPU-limited in 4, and balanced in 8.
Overall, this is a balanced combination in this game.
Neither the Xeon Gold 6548Y+ nor the GeForce RTX 4090 stands out as the consistent limiter in this game, so the better upgrade depends more on your target settings than on one obvious bottleneck.
This chart shows which upgrade is more likely to unlock more FPS in each tested setting. The lower line represents the part that reaches its limit first. When the CPU and GPU lines stay close together, the system is more balanced. When the gap widens, one component is more clearly holding the other back. Hover any setting to inspect it.
The lower line is the current limiter. The closer the two lines are, the more balanced the CPU and GPU are for this game.
Each line represents an estimated FPS ceiling for one component, rather than live usage alone.
To estimate the CPU ceiling, we pair the Xeon Gold 6548Y+ with GeForce RTX 5090, our current GPU anchor. To estimate the GPU ceiling, we pair the GeForce RTX 4090 with Ryzen 9 9950X3D, our current CPU anchor.
The lower line indicates the current limiter, since that component reaches its FPS ceiling first. In most scenarios, that is also the part most likely to deliver the bigger performance uplift if upgraded first.
The percentage shown represents the gap between the two ceilings. In practical terms, it shows how much of the stronger component's potential is left unused because the weaker one becomes the bottleneck first.
See how your processor and graphics card compare against the game official minimum and recommended system specs. The placement of your hardware is calculated using relative synthetic performance scores to help you gauge overall playability.
Your CPU is 1045% above and your GPU is 500% above the recommended specs. Ultra settings at 1080p, or High at 1440p/4K.
+1045%vsrecommended
+500%vsrecommended
+1688%vsminimum
+2484%vsminimum
Yes, the Xeon Gold 6548Y+ paired with the GeForce RTX 4090 can run Valorant smoothly up to 4k achieving around 373 FPS at Ultra quality. Your GPU is 500% above the recommended specs, and your CPU is 1045% above the recommended requirements.
This CPU + GPU combo costs approximately $5,375 ($3,726 CPU + $1,649 GPU). This is a well-balanced setup, meaning you're getting good value from both components without significant waste.
This setup is already well-balanced for Valorant. In the Performance Limiter Analysis, neither side consistently defines the maximum FPS across the tested presets. Across all tested settings, the distribution is 0/12 GPU-limited, 4/12 CPU-limited, and 8/12 balanced. In practice, this pairing behaves as a well-balanced combination in this game. Because of that, upgrading only one component would usually bring smaller gains than improving the overall pairing.
Valorant does not currently support Frame Generation technologies like DLSS 3 or FSR 3. Your performance is based entirely on native rendering. If the game adds support in a future update, newer GPUs will benefit the most.
Valorant requires at minimum a Core 2 Duo E8400 (CPU) and GeForce GT 730 (GPU) with 4 GB RAM and 23 GB storage. For the recommended experience, you need a Core i3-4150 and GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with 8 GB RAM. Your Xeon Gold 6548Y+ and GeForce RTX 4090 both exceed the recommended specs, so you're well-positioned for a great experience.
These Valorant FPS results are not arbitrary numbers. They come from calculations informed by thousands of real gaming benchmarks, and the typical accuracy range is around 10% to 15%. That makes them far more useful than generic FPS calculators that simply invent values without a benchmark foundation. Actual in-game performance can still vary with drivers, updates, RAM configuration, cooling, and the exact scene being rendered.
Performance estimates are based on synthetic benchmarks and hardware capabilities.
Results may vary based on drivers, OS, and background processes.
