Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 presents a compelling 1080p and 1440p configuration for Outriders, though 4K Ultra pushes the GPU to its limits. The measured data reveals a system where the RTX 4070 is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions, while the Ryzen 5 3600 remains a capable partner that does not bottleneck the experience until frame rates climb well past 144 FPS. This combination ranks 852nd out of 1693 tested combos in the game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates where the performance ceiling lies. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 127.3 FPS at 1920x1080 to 107 FPS at 2560x1440, then falls sharply to 61.5 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 16% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a much steeper 42.5% drop from 1440p to 4K. The pattern indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the system has enough headroom to keep frame rates well above 100 FPS, but the jump to 4K nearly halves performance, suggesting the RTX 4070's 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at the higher pixel count.

The scaling behavior changes dramatically when moving between quality presets. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra is substantial: 107 FPS on Low versus just 43 FPS on Ultra, a difference of 64 FPS. The 4K Medium preset delivers 79 FPS, which is 36 FPS higher than Ultra but still 28 FPS lower than Low. This wide spread indicates that Outriders' visual effects, likely including volumetric lighting and particle effects, scale aggressively with settings at 4K. At 1080p, the same preset range yields a much tighter spread: from 159.6 FPS on Low to 114.9 FPS on Ultra, a 44.7 FPS difference. The diminishing impact of settings at lower resolutions points to the CPU becoming a more significant factor as frame rates approach 160 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the scaling pattern sits between the two extremes. Low settings produce 137.1 FPS, Medium 123 FPS, High 107 FPS, and Ultra 81.5 FPS. The step from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 25.5 FPS, which is a larger penalty than the 12.4 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 1080p. This suggests that at 1440p, the GPU is already working harder, and the additional load from Ultra settings creates a more pronounced performance hit. The data shows that the Ryzen 5 3600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, can sustain these frame rates without becoming the limiting factor until the system approaches the 160 FPS range at 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting a smooth experience at 4K, the High preset at 61.5 FPS provides a playable frame rate that hovers near the 60 FPS threshold, though it leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 79 FPS offers a more comfortable margin while still delivering improved visual quality over Low. The 4K Ultra preset, at 43 FPS, falls below the playable threshold for most action-oriented games, making it unsuitable for sustained gameplay despite the visual fidelity. The data suggests that 4K High is the most balanced choice, providing a nearly 60 FPS experience without the steep performance cost of Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 107 FPS, which is an excellent target for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 123 FPS offers even more headroom, but the visual difference between Medium and High in a looter shooter like Outriders, where enemy readability and environmental detail matter, likely justifies the 16 FPS cost. The Ultra preset at 81.5 FPS remains playable, but the 25.5 FPS penalty over High makes it a less attractive option for competitive play. The 1440p Low preset at 137.1 FPS is only useful for players prioritizing maximum frame rates over visual quality, as the jump from Low to Medium costs just 14.1 FPS while providing a noticeable improvement in texture and lighting quality.

For 1080p users, the High preset at 127.3 FPS is the sweet spot. It delivers well above 120 FPS, which satisfies most high-refresh-rate displays, and maintains sufficient visual quality. The Ultra preset at 114.9 FPS is also viable, costing only 12.4 FPS over High while adding the full suite of effects. The Medium preset at 142.2 FPS and Low at 159.6 FPS are better suited for esports-style play where frame rate is paramount, but for Outriders' cooperative gameplay, the visual benefits of High are worth the modest frame rate reduction. The 1080p data shows the system is capable of exceeding 114 FPS at every preset, making the choice primarily a question of visual preference rather than playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 852nd out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 50th percentile of all configurations in the database. This mid-pack ranking reflects the balanced nature of the pairing: the RTX 4070 is a strong performer, but the Ryzen 5 3600, despite being a capable 6-core processor, does not boost the combo to the top tiers where newer CPUs with higher single-thread performance would be paired with equally powerful GPUs. The rank suggests that while this system handles Outriders well, there are many faster combinations in the database.

The CPU's benchmark performance provides context for this ranking. The Ryzen 5 3600 scores 15045 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2124 in single-core, with an average benchmark score of 18129. This places it in the 76th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-11400, which scores 18150 (a 0.1% difference), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS at 18101 (0.2% difference). These close scores indicate that the Ryzen 5 3600 is competitively positioned in its processor class, but the GPU's performance relative to other graphics cards is what drives the combo's overall ranking.

The RTX 4070, with an average benchmark score of 37283, sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 at 37507 (0.6% higher), the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A at 38008 (1.9% higher), and the AMD Radeon RX 5300M at 36371 (2.5% lower). The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 26927 and DirectX 12 score of 103 demonstrate solid DirectX 12 performance, which is relevant for Outriders. The combo's 852nd place ranking out of 1693 indicates that while the individual components are above average, the pairing does not create a top-tier result for this specific game, likely due to the CPU's limitations at very high frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all presets. Low settings produce 159.6 FPS, Medium 142.2 FPS, High 127.3 FPS, and Ultra 114.9 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 44.7 FPS, and every preset exceeds the 114 FPS threshold, making 1080p the most versatile resolution for this combo. The step from Low to Medium costs 17.4 FPS, while the step from Medium to High costs 14.9 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 12.4 FPS. This consistent scaling suggests the GPU is handling the workload efficiently at this resolution, with diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show a wider gap between presets. Low achieves 137.1 FPS, Medium 123 FPS, High 107 FPS, and Ultra 81.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 55.6 FPS, which is larger than at 1080p. Notably, the drop from High to Ultra at 1440p is 25.5 FPS, significantly larger than the 12.4 FPS drop at 1080p. This suggests that Ultra settings at 1440p introduce effects that heavily tax the GPU's memory bandwidth, as the 12 GB GDDR6X pool and 192-bit bus become strained.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates at demanding settings. Ultra produces only 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. High settings recover to 61.5 FPS, barely crossing the threshold, while Medium reaches 79 FPS and Low delivers 107 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 64 FPS, the largest of any resolution. The data shows that 4K Ultra is essentially unplayable, 4K High is marginal, and 4K Medium provides a comfortable experience. The 4K Low preset at 107 FPS demonstrates that the RTX 4070 has enough raw compute power, but the memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck at higher settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 plays a central role in determining Outriders' performance, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. Its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, running at 1313 MHz with a 192-bit bus, provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz, with a base clock of 1920 MHz, allows it to maintain high throughput during intense firefights. The 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units handle the game's particle effects and environment details, while the 64 ROPs manage pixel output at 4K.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at 4K, where even the Medium preset at 79 FPS requires significant memory bandwidth. The 4K Ultra preset at 43 FPS indicates that the GPU's compute resources, rated at 29.15 TFLOPS FP32, are insufficient for the highest settings at this resolution. The 5 nm process node from TSMC, with 35,800 million transistors on a 294 mm² die, allows for high clock speeds, but the memory bus width remains a constraint for 4K gaming.

At 1080p and 1440p, the GPU has sufficient headroom, and the Ryzen 5 3600 becomes more relevant. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth from dual-channel DDR4 support the GPU's demands without creating a bottleneck. The GPU's 200 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x16 interface ensure it can access data quickly from the CPU. The RTX 4070's 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores, while not directly measured in the FPS data, contribute to the game's DirectX 12 Ultimate features. The PassMark DirectX 12 score of 103 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 157352 confirm the GPU's strong API support for modern titles like Outriders.