Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in Outriders delivers a playable experience across most settings, but the data reveals a clear bottleneck in the aging CPU. This combination ranks 2111th out of 3710 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower half of the database. The RTX 4080 has the horsepower to push high frame rates, but the Ryzen 5 2600’s single-thread performance limits how much of that power is accessible. The benchmark results show that the most effective way to maximize frame rate is to prioritize GPU-bound settings that shift the workload away from the processor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of how this combo responds to different quality presets. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is a 40 FPS gap, from 138 down to 98. This large spread indicates that the CPU is not delivering enough frames to keep the RTX 4080 fully occupied, so lowering settings has a substantial impact. The sweet spot for this pairing is the Medium preset. At 1920x1080, Medium delivers an average of 123 FPS with a minimum of 104 and a maximum of 141. This provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS while maintaining visual quality. High settings at 1080p drop to 110 FPS average, which is still smooth, but the 13 FPS loss from Medium is not worth the modest visual gains on a system where the CPU is already the limiting factor.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again proves to be the most balanced choice. It delivers an average of 105 FPS with a minimum of 89 and a maximum of 121. This is well within the range for high-refresh-rate monitors, and the 16 FPS difference between Medium and High at this resolution is less pronounced than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is starting to take on more of the workload. For 4K, the Medium preset produces an average of 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 and a maximum of 97. This is the only 4K preset that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, making it the only viable option for a locked 60 FPS experience.

Ultra settings are not recommended for this combination. At every resolution, Ultra shows a significant performance penalty: 98 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result drops below the 60 FPS threshold, and the 1080p Ultra result is only 12 FPS faster than 4K Medium, which looks much better visually. The data indicates that this CPU cannot feed the GPU enough data at Ultra settings to justify the frame rate cost. Low settings are useful for competitive play, reaching 138 FPS at 1080p and 118 FPS at 1440p, but they sacrifice too much visual fidelity for a 15-18 FPS gain over Medium. Stick with Medium for the best balance of frame rate and image quality across all resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 in Outriders?

A: The measured FPS data suggests yes, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 98 on Ultra to 138 on Low. The RTX 4080 is capable of much higher frame rates, but the Ryzen 5 2600’s single-thread performance, indicated by its Cinebench R15 single-core score of 157.3 and Geekbench single-core score of 1154, limits the number of frames the CPU can process. This is why lowering settings from Medium to Low at 1080p only yields a 15 FPS increase, whereas a GPU-bound system would show a larger jump.

Q: What is the best preset for a 60 Hz monitor at 4K?

A: The Medium preset is the only option that reliably hits 60 FPS at 3840x2160. It averages 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS. The High preset averages 76 FPS, which may dip below 60 in heavy scenes, and the Ultra preset averages 56 FPS, which is below the target. For a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, Medium is the clear choice.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54209, a delta of 0.1%. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher. These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, so the RTX 4080’s performance in Outriders is representative of its class.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 2600’s 6-core/12-thread configuration matter for Outriders?

A: The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Outriders is a looter shooter that relies heavily on single-thread performance. The benchmark data shows that the CPU’s multi-threaded capability (Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 1248) is not the limiting factor; rather, the per-core speed is what holds back the RTX 4080, especially at 1080p where frame rates are lower than the GPU’s potential.

Q: Is there a significant difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The measured data shows High averages 95 FPS while Ultra averages 84 FPS, an 11 FPS difference. This is a noticeable drop, and given that the RTX 4080 has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 9728 shading units, the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution. The CPU is causing the performance ceiling, so the extra visual fidelity from Ultra is not worth the frame rate loss.

Q: What is the minimum FPS on Medium settings at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 has a documented minimum FPS of 104 and a maximum of 141, with an average of 123. This indicates a stable frame pacing with no severe drops, making it a reliable choice for consistent gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a system that is primarily CPU-limited at lower resolutions and becomes more GPU-bound as resolution increases. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 123 at 1080p to 105 at 1440p (a 14.6% decrease) and then to 85 at 4K (a 19% decrease from 1440p). The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is larger than from 1080p to 1440p, which is the opposite of what you would expect on a purely GPU-limited system. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is holding back the frame rate, and as resolution increases, the GPU workload grows, allowing the CPU to catch up and maintain a higher utilization.

Looking at High settings, the scaling is similar: 110 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p, and 76 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 13.6% and 20% respectively. The 4K High result of 76 FPS is still respectable, but the 1080p High result of 110 FPS is only 15 FPS higher than the 4K result, a very small gain for a resolution that is 4x less demanding on the GPU. This is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck. If the RTX 4080 were fully utilized at 1080p, the frame rate would be much higher than 110 FPS given its 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 98 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 56 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 42.9%, which is more in line with a GPU-bound scenario. However, the absolute numbers are still low for an RTX 4080. This indicates that even at 4K Ultra, the Ryzen 5 2600’s single-thread performance is preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 40 FPS (138 vs 98), but at 4K the gap shrinks to 39 FPS (95 vs 56). This consistency shows that the CPU is the primary limiter across all resolutions, but the GPU becomes a co-limiter at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data for this combination is as follows:

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 95 FPS average
• Medium: 85 FPS average, 72 FPS minimum, 97 FPS maximum
• High: 76 FPS average
• Ultra: 56 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 118 FPS average
• Medium: 105 FPS average, 89 FPS minimum, 121 FPS maximum
• High: 95 FPS average
• Ultra: 84 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 138 FPS average
• Medium: 123 FPS average, 104 FPS minimum, 141 FPS maximum
• High: 110 FPS average
• Ultra: 98 FPS average

At 1080p, the Low preset delivers the highest average at 138 FPS, but the Medium preset’s 123 FPS average with a 104 FPS minimum provides a more stable experience for less visual compromise. The High preset at 110 FPS is still smooth, but the Ultra preset drops to 98 FPS, which is a 20 FPS penalty over Medium for marginal visual gains. The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings, showing 104 at 1080p, 89 at 1440p, and 72 at 4K. These minimums are all above 60 FPS, indicating that the Medium preset offers the most consistent frame pacing.

At 1440p, the pattern is similar. Low hits 118 FPS, Medium 105 FPS, High 95 FPS, and Ultra 84 FPS. The gap between Medium and Ultra is 21 FPS, while the gap between Low and Medium is 13 FPS. This shows diminishing returns for lower settings beyond Medium. At 4K, the scaling becomes more pronounced: Low 95 FPS, Medium 85 FPS, High 76 FPS, and Ultra 56 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth play. The Medium preset at 4K, with a 72 FPS minimum, is the only reliable option for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 2111th out of 3710 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the 43rd percentile of all tested systems, meaning that over half of the tested combinations perform better in this game. The ranking is a direct consequence of the CPU-GPU mismatch. The RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU, ranking in the 86th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (1.1% delta), showing that the GPU is performing at the expected level.

In contrast, the Ryzen 5 2600 ranks in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21484. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i9-11900H (0.5% delta). While the CPU is not weak in absolute terms, its single-thread performance (Geekbench single-core score of 1154) is far below what the RTX 4080 needs to be fully utilized in a game like Outriders. The combo rank of 2111 reflects this bottleneck. If the CPU were paired with a less powerful GPU, the rank would likely be higher relative to other combos. Conversely, if the RTX 4080 were paired with a stronger CPU, the combo would rank significantly higher.

The data shows that the combo is held back by the CPU in Outriders. The GPU’s performance is not in question; it is a top-tier card. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for modern games, but the Zen architecture’s lower IPC (instructions per clock) compared to newer designs limits the frame rate ceiling. The 3.90 GHz boost clock is respectable, but it cannot compensate for the architectural disadvantage. This is why the combo sits in the lower half of the ranking, despite having a high-end GPU.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen+ architecture, manufactured on a 12 nm process at GlobalFoundries. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz. The CPU has a 16 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 1248 in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 157.3 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 5648 and single-core score of 1154. These scores place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs.

In Outriders, the CPU’s role is to process game logic, physics, and draw calls. The measured FPS data indicates that the Ryzen 5 2600’s single-thread performance is the limiting factor. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 123 FPS, but the RTX 4080 is capable of far more. The GPU has 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. Its FP32 performance is 48.74 TFLOPS. This is a massive amount of compute power that the CPU cannot feed fast enough.

The 6-core/12-thread configuration is not the issue. Outriders is a looter shooter that benefits from high single-thread performance. The Ryzen 5 2600’s boost clock of 3.90 GHz is moderate, and its single-core Cinebench score of 157.3 is low compared to modern CPUs. This is reflected in the 1080p results, where the difference between Low (138 FPS) and Ultra (98 FPS) is only 40 FPS. On a GPU-limited system, this gap would be much larger, as the GPU would be the primary constraint at Ultra settings.

The CPU also has a TDP of 65 W, which is low, but this does not directly impact gaming performance. The memory bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s is standard for DDR4, but it is not a bottleneck in this case. The data clearly shows that the Ryzen 5 2600’s per-core performance is what holds back the RTX 4080. The CPU’s 16 MB L3 cache is sufficient, but the Zen+ architecture’s lower IPC means each core can process fewer instructions per clock cycle than newer designs. This results in a CPU-bound scenario at all resolutions, with the gap between CPU and GPU performance being most pronounced at 1080p. For a system with an RTX 4080, a CPU with higher single-thread performance would unlock significantly more FPS in Outriders.