Outriders

The pairing of AMD’s Ryzen 5 3600 with NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4090 is a study in asymmetric capability. The RTX 4090, an Ada Lovelace flagship with 16,384 shading units and 24 GB of GDDR6X memory, is clearly the dominant component. Yet the benchmark results in Outriders reveal that the six-core, twelve-thread Zen 2 processor from 2019 is not merely along for the ride; it actively shapes the performance envelope. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to show where the bottleneck truly lies and how the combination ranks among all tested systems.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking pattern in the measured data is how frame rates scale with resolution. At 1080p, the system delivers 158.4 FPS on Low settings, but this drops to 113.7 FPS on Ultra—a 44.7 FPS swing between the two extremes. Moving to 1440p, the same settings gap narrows to 38.7 FPS (136.8 Low versus 98.1 Ultra). At 4K, the gap compresses further to 45.6 FPS (110.3 Low versus 64.7 Ultra), but the absolute numbers tell a more important story.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at High settings shows a drop from 124.6 FPS to 106.7 FPS, a 17.9 FPS reduction. From 1440p to 4K at High, the drop is 18.8 FPS (106.7 to 87.9). This near-linear degradation suggests that the GPU is becoming the primary limiter at higher resolutions. However, the 1080p Low result of 158.4 FPS is telling. Despite having a GPU that can theoretically push far beyond this in less demanding titles, the frame rate caps out well below what the RTX 4090’s raw compute (82.58 TFLOPS FP32) would suggest. This indicates that at 1080p, the Ryzen 5 3600’s single-thread performance (2,124 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is the ceiling.

The data confirms a classic CPU-bound scenario at 1080p Low, where the processor’s 3.60 GHz base and 4.20 GHz boost clocks become the limiting factor. As resolution increases, the GPU’s workload grows, and the system transitions to a GPU-bound state. At 4K Ultra, the RTX 4090 is clearly working hard, producing just 64.7 FPS—a figure that, while playable, is far from the card’s potential. The 4K Low result of 110.3 FPS versus 4K Ultra’s 64.7 FPS shows a 45.6 FPS penalty for maxing out settings, which is a substantial cost for visual fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy of playable experiences. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, Low settings at 1080p delivers 158.4 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. This is the only configuration that approaches the 144 Hz+ territory, making it the pick for esports-style responsiveness. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 18.9 FPS (158.4 to 139.5), which is a 12% reduction—a meaningful trade-off for slightly better visuals.

For a balanced experience, Medium settings at 1440p offers 117.5 FPS. This is a 19.3 FPS improvement over High at the same resolution (106.7 FPS) and only 4.9 FPS behind 1080p High (124.6 FPS). The 1440p Medium configuration appears to be the sweet spot, providing a resolution bump without sacrificing frame rate stability. At 4K, High settings at 87.9 FPS is the most sensible high-fidelity option; dropping to Medium at 4K yields 98.9 FPS, an 11 FPS gain that might be worth the visual downgrade for those seeking smoother motion.

Ultra settings should be avoided unless absolute image quality is the sole priority. At 4K Ultra, the system produces 64.7 FPS, which is below the 70 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. Even at 1440p Ultra (98.1 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (113.7 FPS), the performance is respectable but the marginal gains over High are minimal. The data suggests that High settings at 1440p or Medium at 4K offer the best balance of visual quality and playable frame rates for this hardware combination.

FAQ

*Q: Does the Ryzen 5 3600 bottleneck the RTX 4090 in Outriders?*

A: Yes, particularly at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system produces 158.4 FPS, which is far below what the RTX 4090 is capable of in many titles. The CPU’s single-thread score of 2,124 in Cinebench R23 suggests it is the limiting factor at 1080p, while the GPU becomes more influential as resolution increases.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows 1440p Medium (117.5 FPS) as the most balanced option. It offers a significant resolution upgrade over 1080p while maintaining frame rates above 115 FPS. At 4K, the system still performs well, with High settings hitting 87.9 FPS, but the overall smoothness diminishes.

Q: Is Ultra settings viable with this hardware?

A: Ultra is playable but not ideal. At 1080p Ultra, the system hits 113.7 FPS, which is fine. However, at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 64.7 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter on high-refresh-rate monitors. High settings are generally the better choice for consistent performance.

Q: How does the RTX 4090’s performance here compare to its peers?

A: The RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66,473, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, scores 66,733, which is a 0.4% difference. This indicates the RTX 4090 is performing as expected in synthetic tests, but the Outriders data shows real-world frame rates are heavily influenced by the CPU.

Q: What settings should I use for a 60 FPS target at 4K?

A: The data shows that 4K High (87.9 FPS) and 4K Medium (98.9 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS with comfortable margins. Even 4K Ultra (64.7 FPS) barely clears the 60 FPS threshold, so any setting above Low will meet a 60 FPS target at 4K.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 3600 a good match for a flagship GPU?

A: The data is mixed. The CPU’s multi-thread score of 15,045 in Cinebench R23 is solid, but its single-thread performance limits high-FPS scenarios. For 1440p and 4K gaming, the combo works well, as the GPU takes over the workload. For 1080p competitive gaming, the CPU holds the system back from reaching its full potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 158.4 FPS, which is the peak measured value. Medium settings drop to 139.5 FPS, a 18.9 FPS reduction. High settings yield 124.6 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 113.7 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 44.7 FPS, with each tier costing roughly 10-15% performance.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings hit 136.8 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. Medium settings produce 117.5 FPS, High settings reach 106.7 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 98.1 FPS. The gap from Low to Ultra narrows to 38.7 FPS, indicating that the GPU is beginning to handle more of the load.

At 3840x2160, the system remains playable but the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings yield 110.3 FPS, Medium settings produce 98.9 FPS, High settings hit 87.9 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 64.7 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread is 45.6 FPS, which is the largest absolute difference at any resolution. Notably, the 4K Low result is only 25.9 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result (158.4 FPS), showing that the CPU bottleneck at 1080p is nearly eliminated at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 3600 and RTX 4090 ranks 706th out of 1,693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all systems. This is a surprisingly low rank for a system with the RTX 4090, which is in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. The discrepancy highlights the impact of the CPU pairing. The Ryzen 5 3600 is in the 76th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18,129. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-11400, scores 18,150, a negligible 0.1% difference. This means the CPU is not a weak performer in general, but it cannot fully unlock the RTX 4090’s potential.

The rank of 706 suggests that many other combinations—likely those with newer, higher-clocked CPUs—achieve better frame rates in Outriders. The data shows that the RTX 4090 is capable of far higher performance in isolation, as evidenced by its passmark G3D score of 38,194. However, in this specific pairing, the CPU’s 4.20 GHz boost clock and Zen 2 architecture become the limiting factor, particularly at 1080p. For users targeting 4K gaming, the rank is less concerning, as the system still delivers 87.9 FPS at High settings. The overall ranking reflects a mismatch: a top-tier GPU held back by a mid-range CPU from an older generation.