Building a gaming PC is never an easy task. You have to keep in mind what specs you need depending on what you would want to use. There are a lot of things to consider, especially with new and upcoming games going out. One of these games is Valorant, a first-person shooter from Riot Games.
So today, we are going to present to you something different. If you are aiming to play the game, but you still haven’t built a PC for it, then don’t worry. What we are about to show you today is probably the best mid-range PC setup for playing Valorant.
But first, let’s look at what that game is.
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Rapid Riot Rundown
Last year, the indie company with almost 200+ years of experience, Riot Games, has released an anniversary video/stream containing a lot of their upcoming projects. There were updates to their existing products, League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics, as well as new IPs that are sure to rally up gamers from all walks of life and skillsets.
One of these games there is a first-person shooter or FPS that reminded people of Overwatch on their first look. But as the video announcement moved forward, the game started to resemble Counterstrike more and more.
That game was revealed to be Valorant, an upcoming FPS game that incorporates the core shooting principles of CS: GO with shooter-with-skills games like Overwatch or Paladins. It retained the “buy your loadout” scheme and bomb-planting schematics of the former, while each character you use on Valorant has their own unique skills like in the latter. This makes for unbelievably massive amounts of strategical shooting variations, incorporating your character’s skills with what gun you have in your hand.
Developers of the game include previous Counterstrike professionals, so a lot of thought was put in the game to make sure it runs as it was intended to run.
When choosing a gaming PC build…
The game prides itself on letting your shooting skills do the talking instead of relying heavily on your computer to make sure you can play properly. Quoting the developers, Valorant can run “at least 30 frames per second on most min-spec computers (even dating back a decade), 60 to 144+ FPS on modern gaming rigs”. That’s quite a lot of room to work on when choosing the best gaming PC for Valorant.
In this guide, we will be looking at something that isn’t too pricey but is not something that would run on coals either. Somewhere between a low-budget and an android is what we are looking for. Still, a lot of room to work on, but what can I say? Technology right now moves in such a fast-paced way that we just need to keep up with the times over almost always.
Anyways, we are going to look for PC parts that provide excellent value for its cost. Often times, a lot of people always pick the ones that are “new” or “innovative.” They are not really looking at what they need or just how much they are going to use their gear to their maximum potential. Hence we are going to look for the best parts in the market right now for shooters like Valorant to be run on the highest efficiency possible without sacrificing graphics.
If you are ready for this, then let’s begin!
The Heart: Choosing the Best CPU for Valorant
Some of the parts of this guide will pit two pieces of hardware with each other. We do this to help you understand just why we prefer one brand over the other. Not only do we want you to have the best build possible, but we also want to part knowledge so you’d know what to do if ever you would like to upgrade your gear in the future.
AMD vs. Intel
Back to the issue at hand. There has always been an extensive discussion on whether the tried-and-tested Intel Core series or the new AMD CPUs are better in this day and age.
Way back, AMD always preferred to go with the “low-price, but low-value” sort of thing. They aren’t terrible, but you’d still prefer picking up an Intel processor back then. But with the changes in modern AMD CPUs, they now stand toe-to-toe with the big guns of Intel in terms of performance. What didn’t change is the fact that they retained the “low-price” tags they have been proud of.
Meanwhile, Intel has been the king of processors for decades. They have constantly dished out processors that perform excellently. They were a bit stuck with the i7 for a long time, but when AMD resurfaced with its new products, Intel showed that they aren’t too far behind either. They released their i9 processors, and it has become one of the best CPUs the world has seen.
The Verdict: AMD Ryzen 5 3600
The comparison for these brands is so neck-to-neck that it’s tough to choose which one is the best for what we are using it for. Performance-wise, a lot of their products are matched, and the quality will always be top-notch, no matter which brand we use.
But to create the best PC build for Valorant, we have to give it to AMD. Specifically, we have to give our vote to the AMD Ryzen 5 3600.
The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a very impressive processor that provides excellent value for what it’s worth. This is comparing it with the Intel Core i5-9400F, which is at almost the same price range.
The Ryzen 5 3600 has better threading with 12 threads compared to the i5’s 6 threads. Multithreading won’t be an issue with the Ryzen 5’s 6 cores, which makes for faster computing speed. It has a base clock of 3.6 GHz and can go up to 4.2 GHz with turbo clocking and overclocking. It has 16 lanes of PCIe 4.0 for more processing power. It also has an excellent looking stock cooler which is still around the intended price range.
This is probably the best mid-tier processor we can think of. It’s also an excellent gateway if you want to upgrade to better AMD CPUs in the future. So to play Valorant, our verdict goes to the AMD Ryzen 5 3600.
Motherboard: ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus
If the CPU is the heart of your rig, then the motherboard is your skeletal system, and muscle system, and more systems that you can imagine. It’s where you consolidate most of your hardware, after all. There are tons of motherboards in the market, and each one of them has specific features that work with several other pieces of equipment. When we were choosing the best motherboard for playing Valorant, we took into account that we are going to use an AMD processor. And the best one we can find right now for mid-range rigs is a product by ASUS.
ASUS has always been one of the best brands that provide hardware and equipment for gaming purposes. It’s no wonder the ROG series had come into fruition. But any of the ROG series motherboards is a bit high in the price spectrum, so we are going for the next best thing, Enter the ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus.
The TUF Gaming X570-Plus comes with an AMD AM4 socket. This makes it ready for second and third-generation AMD processors, of which the Ryzen 5 3600 is included in. It also contains dual PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, which for the unversed, sounds like technical jargon. To sum it up, these slots allow for NVMe Solid State Drive (SSD) RAID performance boost. This boost is almost double the performance of many motherboard configurations out there when it comes to data transfer speed. It utilizes the processing power of the Ryzen 5 to process data from your SSD in the quickest, most efficient way possible.
Cooling capabilities are not a problem for this board. It has a VRM heatsink, an active PCH heatsink, M.2 heatsink, and Fan Xpert technology that utilizes hybrid fan headers. The TUF Gaming X570-Plus also does not break down easily. It is made with military-grade materials and high-tech power solutions that do not compromise stability for performance.
Other features include an exclusive Gigabit Ethernet, an Intel Wireless AC-9260 for Wi-Fi capabilities, and more. So if you want to make sure that you are using one of the best motherboards that will give you stable Valorant gaming, then definitely get the ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3000
Random Access Memory or RAM allows data to be read and stored temporarily. These data are imperative for making applications to work correctly. Lack of RAM from a PC often results in the PC freezing, glitching, or the infamous Blue Screen of Death. As the technology for apps and programs improve, so does the memory usage they require. For low-end PCs, they opt for 8 GB of RAM, which is the bare minimum needed for a modern PC to work. But since we are aiming for a mid-tier build, we need at least 16 GB of RAM.
Enter the Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3600.
In truth, the product is actually just one RAM card that is worth 8 GB. But because our motherboard allows for two RAM slots, we can put two of them, and that is what will power up our memory. The Vengeance LPX is designed for overclocking speeds, meaning that it can handle high-performance memory calculations easily. The heat spreader used for this RAM card is made from pure aluminum that allows for rapid heat dissipation. Meanwhile, the custom PCB helps manage heat so your memory allocation won’t get messed up by overheating. The XMP 2.0 support enables you to adjust your speed to the best possible performance without the risk of lock-ups or other weird freezes.
Design-wise, the Vengeance LPX has a low-profile design that makes it fit for cases and rig builds that does not allow for too much space. Although we won’t have to worry about this (you’ll know why later on), it’s still a good thing to have. If you have a recurring color theme in the rig you are building, this RAM card is also available in several colors if you want to get your stylish groove on.
The Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3600 is probably the best RAM card we can slot for our Valorant-ready gaming PC build. It’s fast, stable, and reliable build ensures that we can focus more on getting our shots to line up than worry about a BSOD happening.
Main Storage: Crucial P1 1TB NVMe SSD
When it comes to modern PC storage units, nothing beats the Solid State Drive or SSD. Compared to the well-known (and still useful) hard disk drives or HDD, the SSD accesses data quicker and with lower latency. You get to run all your programs, including your OS boot up, in the fastest manner possible. While SSDs cost more than HDDs, we prefer to use an SSD as your main storage unit in this build. Preferably, the Crucial P1 1TB NVMe SSD.
The Crucial P1 is a storage-wonder when it comes to a lot of SSDs in the market. Not only does it store and retrieve data as fast as its competitors, but it also is quite affordable. By itself, it already has data read and write speeds that reach up to 2000 Mbps
But because it’s an NVMe SSD, you can fully take advantage of the ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus RAID performance boost. Shave a few more seconds of application and program load times with these running on your rig. Now you don’t have to worry about PC related lags while playing Valorant.
Additional Storage (Optional): Western Digital WD Black 1 TB
There’s a reason why storage drives are partitioned on a PC. Smart people part their storage space to focus priority on which drive it usually runs on boot-up (contains OS and other stuff) and what parts are solely used for storage. Since we are running an SSD for the rig we are building, it’s actually more than enough.
But we’re gamers, right? Yeah! We wouldn’t want to do that partition thing to our storage just like that, right?. We go the extra mile and get something better and radical. Yeah, gamers!
Sorry, that got a little out of hand. Ok, so the reason why we are putting in some optional storage for our rig is that a lot of modern games and files often take up a lot of installation space. Sure, Valorant might not really eat up too much space on the PC. But if you plan to do other things and play other games, then it might get a little too crowded for our SSD there. Hence, we highly recommend getting an additional storage device for our other apps and programs. Luckily, the Western Digital WD Black 1 TB hits the perfect spot on our rig.
Probably one of the fastest HDDs on the market for its price, the WD Black 1 TB is a godsend to our future storage problems. It has a 7200 RPM with a 32 GB cache, ready to transfer data in the quickest manner possible for an HDD. Sure, other WD products like the Blue offers more capacity. Still, we would want to focus on speed for this particular gaming rig. It becomes future-proof this way too, meaning you can use and abuse this HDD over many upgrades you will be doing in the future.
So even if you think your SSD will be enough for Valorant gaming, consider getting the Western Digital Black 1 TB as a backup for your other files. Trust us, it will become handy as time goes by.
Another Dilemma: AMD vs. Nvidia Video Cards
For some reason, AMD really wants to have a go at other big brands when it comes to technology. Besides its long-standing feud with Intel for the top spot in processors, it also had another long-running dispute with another PC hardware manufacturer, Nvidia.
AMD and Nvidia were competitors in the Graphics Processing Unit (known as GPU or a video card) space for a long time too. AMD’s Radeon line always clashed with Nvidia’s GeForce and other GPU products. Although different GPUs also fight with these two, such as Intel’s integrated graphic units, the Nvidia and AMD feud is still widely known for vying for the crown of video card supremacy.
AMD, as per usual, prides itself on the “value for your money” mindset, giving us products that provide excellent value for a fraction of the price that Nvidia products have to offer. The Radeon series provides outstanding performance for mid to high-end PCs.
On the other end of the spectrum, Nvidia has long dominated the GPU space by providing top-of-the-line technology. Every Nvidia card, no matter how pricey it may be, always offers outstanding performance when it comes to processing graphics.
Yet, for making the best gaming PC build for Valorant, we have to balance out our budget without sacrificing a lot of graphical processing capabilities. Thus, as what happened in our previous clash, AMD still takes the stage for our preferred video card for our Valorant-ready PC.
The Verdict: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
The Radeon RX 5700 XT has got to be one of the best mid-range video cards in existence right now without hurting your wallet too much. Compared to other Nvidia products that cost more for the same performance, the Radeon RX 5700 XT is enough to keep you going for a long time.
This GPU prides itself in accelerating gaming fidelity by using high-performance RDNA architecture on its build. Features like the Radeon Image Sharpening, VR technologies, and FIdelityFX are superbly enhanced for maximum experience when playing games. If you wish to immerse yourself more on Valorant’s stunning graphics, then this video card also helps you achieve that. With Radeon Anti-Lag, graphical input gets smoother by the second. The frame count is everything for shooter games, and the less lag you have, the better your response rate will be. The AMD Radeon FreeSync technology, coupled with the latest Radeon Software, makes sure that any graphics stutters and tears will get eliminated easily.
Refresh rates are also not a problem for the RX 5700 XT. DisplayPort 1.4 technology and Display Stream Compression readily empower your frame rates and refresh rates for your monitor, as well as color depth and resolution. It supports up to 8K resolution, so feel free to choose the best gaming monitor for Valorant and shoot away, lag-free (at least graphics-wise).
Other manufacturers have licensed and are using Radeon RX 5700 XT technology. For the best bang out of your buck, we recommend the one brought to you by MSI. There is also the ASUS ROG Strix RX 5600 XT that costs almost the same as the 5700 XT if you prefer to use other ASUS products in this rig.
Power Supply Unit: EVGA 650 BQ, 80+ Bronze 650W
Power Supply Units or PSUs are underrated yet vital PC parts that a lot of people just get and be done with. That shouldn’t be the case since this unit will be powering your PC correctly and should be chosen according to several categories: surge protection, efficiency, and modular capabilities. Luckily we have found the EVGA 650 Bq, 80+ Bronze 650W to meet all the categories for this.
The EVGA 650 Bq, 80+ Bronze 650W PSU, is one of the best mid-range PSUs we could find. Multiple layers of protection for your internal hardware include:
- Over Voltage Protection (OVP)
- Under Voltage Protection (UVP)
- Over Current Protection (OCP)
- Over Power Protection (OPP)
- Short Circuit Protection (SCP, and no, not the UGC monster repository)
Although some may find “Gold” Efficiency PSUs better, and they actually are in terms of efficiency, our rig will only be needing “Bronze” level efficiency. And this isn’t really something that strikes too much of a difference. Colling this unit down is a 140 mm Teflon nano-steel fan/bearing. This is an ultra-quiet cooling solution that operates at a silent yet intense operation.
PC Case: NZXT H510
We gamers not only care about performance and functionality but also about style. No matter how geeky our specs are, we also aim for our equipment to look as sleek as possible without losing the essence of what it’s made for. Hence for the casing on our best PC build for Valorant, we are going for the NZXT H510.
This case has got to be something else. For a mid-range case, it offers a stellar build for maximum protection on your other hardware. This is one of the best airflow pc case as the built-in fans are quiet, while the spacious insides provide excellent airflow.
As we mentioned earlier, style-wise, choosing the H510 is a no-brainer. One of the sides has a part for a removable tempered glass panel. Since it is made from glass, you can easily see through your internals. Do you have RGB hardware? Then enjoy the light show as you rev up Valorant. And speaking of RGB, it also has an RGB and Fan controller added for extra oomph.
The case specifics are as follows:
- Supports Mini ITX, MicroATX and ATX motherboards
- Pre-installed channels and cable routing kits allow for easy wiring.
- Flush tempered glass that installs with an easy to lock/unlock thumb screw
- Easy to remove mounting radiator bracket
- Fan filters
- USB 3.1 Gen 2 Compatibility
- Front I/O Type C Port
There is also an upgraded version, which is the NZXT H510i, which has more capabilities than this one. This is totally an optional upgrade for those who would like more sexiness in their case.
CPU Cooling Device (Optional): Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler
Our AMD Ryzen 5 3600 has a strong enough fan that, by itself, does need any external support from any cooling device. But if you really prefer to subject your CPU to overclocking and high-stress operations without the risk of breaking your rig, then you should probably opt to get a cooling device. For the best PC build for Valorant, we suggest going for the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler.
Coolers Master has always been a brand that puts its entire focus on creating the best cooling devices for PC hardware. They have been around for years, and they made sure that all their products are of top quality. Of course, the Hyper 212 Evo is not an exception to this. In fact, for a mid-range gaming rig, this has got to be one of the best ones the company has ever made.
To start off, the Hyper 212 Evo showcases a “Four Heatpipe Air Cooler” system. These are Continuous Direct Contact heat pipes that are packed directly into the CPU cooler base. These pipes instantly dissipate an enormous amount of heat by acting as a vapor chamber. The heat pipes are placed directly on the surface of the CPU for a faster surface to surface heat transfer. These give it a reliable cooling performance like no other. The unique PVM air fan has a “wave” design that allows for an excellent flow of air, avoiding trapping heat on your CPU.
Operation is quiet, only clocking at 36 decibels at max, which is basically the sound of a quiet library (not joking). Airflow is at a good level at 82.9 CFM. The fan is 120 x 120 x 25 millimeters or 4.7 x 4.7 x 1 inches. The heatsink is about 116 x 51 x 159 millimeters or around 4.6 x 2 x 6.2 inches, which roughly spans the fan as well. With
So, if you want to game hard and reach processing speeds without the worry of turning your CPU into a stove, then the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler is an excellent addition to this rig.
Gaming Performance on Valorant
Conclusion
There we go! We have just built the best gaming PC build for Valorant. You can now focus on all of your games, knowing that your rig can withstand pressure and even perform in maximum efficiency. We highly recommend getting the optional parts as well, since these clearly makes the rig operate more smoothly.
To sum it all up, here’s a quick rundown and a tl;dr explanation for all the parts we have included in this guide:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 – very powerful CPU with 12 threads and 6 cores. Compared to competitors with the same specs, the Ryzen 5 3600 is much less cheap.
Motherboard: ASUS AM4 TUF Gaming X570-Plus – motherboard that can give further speed boosts to an NVMe SSD. It is perfectly compatible with and AM4 processor.
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX – two cards of 8 GB RAM makes reaching the 16 GB mid-range rig dream a reality. It allows for smooth overclocking operations as well without the risk of overheating.
Main Storage: Crucial P1 1TB NVMe SSD – High-speed data read and write speeds. Works well the boost from our motherboard. Data transfer speed reaches up to 2000 Mbps.
Video Card: AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT – Still on the Red Team, this card packs a wallop when consolidating and reducing graphics speed lags. Let’s you shoot and respond better.
Power Supply Unit: EVGA 650 BQ – solid choice for a PSU, with Bronze quality efficiency. Fans allow proper airflow. High-quality protection.
PC Case: NZXT H510 – Style and functionality combined. It has a tempered glass panel on the side to allow people to see what’s inside your rig. Has RGB and Fan controllers.
Additional Storage (Optional): Western Digital WD Black 1 TB – Fast HDD. Future-proof for additional storage in the long run when you upgrade.
CPU Cooling Device (Optional): Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler – Provides exceptional cooling to your CPU. AM4 compatible.
Now that you have the best PC build, why don’t you check our other articles for other PC peripherals to complete your Valorant-ready setup?
