Valorant Requirements: Do You Need Upgrade in Motherboard?

Quick Answer

Valorант does not require a motherboard upgrade. Its minimum requirements - a CPU with at least 2 cores, 4GB RAM, and a DirectX 11 compatible GPU - run on virtually any modern motherboard. The only Valorant-related motherboard concern is TPM 2.0, which is required by Windows 11 and is supported on most boards made after 2016.

Valorант is deliberately designed to run on low-end hardware, which is part of what has made it so popular across markets like South Africa where high-end PC ownership is not universal. The question of whether you need a motherboard upgrade for Valorant is almost always no - but there are a few edge cases worth understanding.

Valorant's Actual System Requirements

Riot Games publishes minimum and recommended specs for Valorant that are intentionally modest. Minimum requirements call for an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 or AMD Phenom 1 X3 8750, 4GB of RAM, and a GPU capable of DirectX 11. These are chips from 2008 to 2011. Any motherboard that supports a processor released in the last 12 years will handle Valorant's minimum bar without any upgrade. The recommended specs for 60 FPS target an Intel i3-4150 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300U with 4GB RAM - again, hardware that any LGA1150/AM4 or newer board already handles. For competitive 144 FPS+ gameplay you want more, but the bottleneck will be your CPU or GPU, not your motherboard.

The TPM 2.0 and Windows 11 Factor

The one scenario where your motherboard matters for Valorant is if you are running Windows 11. Valorant's anti-cheat (Vanguard) operates at the kernel level and requires Windows 11 on systems where Microsoft mandates it. Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0. Motherboards made before approximately 2016 may lack an onboard TPM 2.0 chip, though many older boards support a discrete TPM module in a header. If your board predates 2016 and lacks TPM support, Windows 11 will not install officially - which is the actual barrier, not Valorant itself. Most boards with LGA1151 (Intel 6th/7th gen) or AM4 (Ryzen 1st gen and newer) onward have TPM 2.0 capability either natively or via firmware.

When a Motherboard Upgrade Makes Sense

If your goal is to run Valorant at 240 FPS or higher for competitive play, the upgrade path usually goes CPU first, then RAM speed, and only then motherboard as a platform enabler rather than a direct performance component. Upgrading from an older platform like LGA1151 to LGA1700 or AM5 to access faster CPUs will inherently involve a new motherboard, but the driver is the CPU capability, not the board itself. In South Africa, LGA1700 (Intel 12th/13th/14th gen) and AM4 (Ryzen 5000 series) motherboards are available across a wide price range and provide a solid platform for Valorant and anything else you throw at it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will Valorant run on a 10-year-old motherboard? A: In most cases yes, provided the CPU and RAM installed in it meet the minimum specs. The bottleneck is almost always the CPU or GPU, not the motherboard itself.

Q: Does Valorant require TPM 2.0? A: Valorant does not directly require TPM 2.0, but Windows 11 does - and some systems running Vanguard will push you toward Windows 11. Most motherboards from 2016 onward support TPM 2.0.

Q: What should I upgrade first to improve Valorant performance - CPU, GPU, or motherboard? A: CPU first if you are below 60 FPS on minimum settings, GPU if you want higher resolutions or smoother frame delivery. Motherboard upgrades are rarely the direct answer for Valorant performance.