Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Outriders ranks 843rd out of 3,710 tested combos, placing it in the top ~23% of all configurations tested for this title. This is a striking result given the hardware involved, and the measured frame rates across resolutions confirm that the RTX 5090 is doing the heavy lifting, while the Ryzen 5 5500's six Zen 3 cores keep pace adequately at lower settings but become a limiting factor at higher graphical presets. The data shows a combo that can deliver very high frame rates, but the distribution of scores across settings and resolutions tells a more nuanced story about where the bottleneck actually sits.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 843 out of 3,710 means this specific CPU-GPU pairing sits in the 77th percentile of all tested combinations for Outriders. That is a solid position, but it is not the top-tier result one might expect from a flagship GPU like the RTX 5090. The ranking reflects the entire system's performance, and the Ryzen 5 5500's mid-range standing drags the combo down from what the GPU alone could achieve. The RTX 5090 ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 5500 sits in the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. The delta between those two percentile figures—19 points—explains why this combo lands where it does: the CPU is the weaker link in the chain.

Looking at the measured FPS data, the combo's ranking is strongly influenced by the settings used. At 1080p Low, the system hits 189 FPS average, which is excellent, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 64 FPS average. The gap between those extremes is 125 FPS, and the ranking likely reflects performance across a mix of presets. In absolute terms, 843rd out of 3,710 is a strong finish, but it places this combo behind many others that pair the RTX 5090 with faster CPUs. The nearest CPU rivals to the Ryzen 5 5500 in average benchmark score are the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430 (0.1% faster), Intel Core i5-12500 (0.4% faster), Intel Core i7-10700F (0.5% slower), and Intel Core i5-11600KF (0.7% faster). Those are all very close in raw CPU performance, so the ranking differences in Outriders come down to how the game uses the CPU's architecture and cache rather than huge processing gaps.

The percentile data reinforces this. The Ryzen 5 5500's 73rd percentile among all CPUs means it is a capable processor, but not a top-tier one. The RTX 5090's 92nd percentile means it is near the top of the GPU hierarchy. When a 92nd-percentile GPU is paired with a 73rd-percentile CPU, the combo's overall rank of 77th percentile (843/3710) shows that the CPU is holding back the GPU in Outriders, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU has to feed frames faster.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090's role in this combo is defined by its massive memory and bandwidth. With 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, the GPU has 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. In Outriders, a looter shooter with dense particle effects and large environments, that bandwidth is critical. The measured FPS at 4K High is 88 FPS average, which is strong for a demanding resolution. At 4K Low, the average jumps to 131 FPS, showing that the GPU has plenty of headroom when the graphical load is reduced.

The clock speeds are also relevant. The base clock is 2017 MHz and the boost clock is 2407 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). These clocks, combined with 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs, give the RTX 5090 the raw throughput to push Outriders at high frame rates. The GPU's FP32 performance is 104.8 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s, which directly translates to fill-rate-heavy scenes like the ones Outriders throws at it.

At 1440p High, the combo hits 130 FPS average, and at 1080p High it reaches 151 FPS average. These numbers show that the RTX 5090 is not the limiting factor at those resolutions. The GPU's percentile ranking of 92nd among all GPUs is reflected in how well it scales from Low to High settings. For example, at 4K, moving from Low (131 FPS) to High (88 FPS) costs 43 FPS, but the GPU still delivers playable frame rates. At 1080p, the same settings change costs 38 FPS (from 189 to 151), which is a smaller absolute drop but a similar relative penalty.

The VRAM capacity of 32 GB is far more than Outriders needs, even at 4K Ultra. The game's measured rows do not show VRAM usage, but the fact that the GPU can run 4K Ultra at 64 FPS average without issue suggests that memory capacity is not a bottleneck. The bandwidth, however, is what matters more for this title, and 1.79 TB/s ensures that texture streaming and asset loading do not stutter.

Settings Recommendations

Looking at the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the resolution you target. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 168 FPS average with a minimum of 143 FPS and a maximum of 193 FPS. That is a tight frame-time distribution, and 143 FPS minimum is well above the refresh rate of most standard monitors. High at 1080p gives 151 FPS average, which is slightly lower, and Ultra drops to 134 FPS. For 1080p, Medium is the sweet spot because it offers a 17 FPS advantage over High and a 34 FPS advantage over Ultra, while the minimum FPS is not recorded for High or Ultra, making the Medium row the only one with a confirmed floor.

At 1440p, Medium again stands out with 144 FPS average, a minimum of 122 FPS, and a maximum of 166 FPS. High at 1440p gives 130 FPS average, and Ultra gives 115 FPS. The Medium preset's 144 FPS average is 14 FPS higher than High and 29 FPS higher than Ultra. The 122 FPS minimum on Medium is also comfortable for most high-refresh monitors. If you have a 144 Hz 1440p panel, Medium is the clear choice, as it keeps average FPS right at the refresh ceiling.

At 4K, the situation changes. Medium delivers 116 FPS average with a minimum of 99 FPS and a maximum of 133 FPS. High gives 88 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 64 FPS average. For 4K, Medium is the only preset that stays above 100 FPS average, and the 99 FPS minimum is still playable. High at 88 FPS is acceptable for a slower-paced looter shooter, but if you want smoothness, Medium is the better pick. Ultra at 64 FPS average is borderline, and the lack of a recorded minimum for Ultra means there is no data on frame drops, but the average itself is below what most players would consider ideal.

The data suggests a clear rule: use Medium. At every resolution, Medium has the best combination of high average FPS and a recorded minimum that is not far from the average. The gap between Medium and High is consistent—roughly 14-17 FPS at 1080p, 14 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The gap between Medium and Ultra is larger—34 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. Medium offers the best return in FPS for the visual quality trade-off, and the minimum FPS data confirms it is stable.

FAQ

Q: Why does the combo rank 843rd when the GPU is so powerful?

A: The RTX 5090 ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, but the Ryzen 5 5500 only ranks in the 73rd percentile among CPUs. The combo's overall rank of 843 out of 3,710 reflects the CPU's inability to fully feed the GPU at lower resolutions, which drags the system down from where the GPU alone would place.

Q: What is the best resolution to run Outriders with this combo?

A: At 1440p Medium, the combo hits 144 FPS average with a 122 FPS minimum, which is ideal for high-refresh monitors. At 1080p Medium, it hits 168 FPS average with a 143 FPS minimum. At 4K Medium, it drops to 116 FPS average with a 99 FPS minimum. The 1440p Medium setting offers the best balance of resolution and smoothness.

Q: Is the RTX 5090's 32 GB VRAM necessary for Outriders?

A: The measured data does not show VRAM usage, but the game runs at 4K Ultra with 64 FPS average, indicating that memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The GPU's 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is more relevant for this title's asset streaming than the 32 GB capacity itself.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500's average benchmark score is 19,593. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, scores 19,617 (0.1% faster). The Intel Core i5-12500 scores 19,668 (0.4% faster), and the Intel Core i5-11600KF scores 19,723 (0.7% faster). The Intel Core i7-10700F scores 19,499 (0.5% slower). These differences are negligible for gaming.

Q: Does the combo perform better at 1080p or 4K?

A: The combo performs better in raw FPS at 1080p, hitting 189 FPS average on Low and 151 FPS on High. At 4K, it hits 131 FPS on Low and 88 FPS on High. However, the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is larger at lower settings (31% drop on Low) than at higher settings (42% drop on High), which indicates that the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor as resolution increases.

Q: What is the minimum FPS on the Medium preset across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 143. At 1440p Medium, it is 122. At 4K Medium, it is 99. These minimums are recorded in the measured data and show that Medium is the most stable preset, with the smallest gap between average and minimum FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the combo scales from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average FPS goes from 189 at 1080p to 162 at 1440p to 131 at 4K. That is a 30.7% drop from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average goes from 151 at 1080p to 130 at 1440p to 88 at 4K, a 41.7% drop. At Medium, the average goes from 168 at 1080p to 144 at 1440p to 116 at 4K, a 31% drop. At Ultra, the average goes from 134 at 1080p to 115 at 1440p to 64 at 4K, a 52.2% drop.

The pattern is clear: higher settings cause a steeper drop as resolution increases. This is because at 1080p Low, the CPU is more likely to be the bottleneck, so the GPU has headroom to render faster. As resolution climbs, the GPU's workload increases, and the frame rate drops more sharply. The fact that Low settings only lose 31% of FPS from 1080p to 4K while Ultra loses 52% suggests that at Low, the Ryzen 5 5500 is holding the system back; the GPU cannot stretch its legs fully even at 1080p. At Ultra, the GPU is fully saturated, and the drop is more typical of a GPU-bound scenario.

The 4K Medium row has a minimum FPS of 99, while the 1440p Medium row has a minimum of 122, and the 1080p Medium row has a minimum of 143. The minimum FPS scales roughly linearly with resolution, losing about 21-22 FPS per step down in resolution. This indicates that the GPU is the primary component deciding frame pacing at Medium settings, because the minimum FPS tracks the average FPS closely—the gap between average and minimum is 25 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. That shrinking gap at higher resolutions suggests that the CPU has less influence on frame dips when the GPU is more loaded.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from AMD's 5000 series, based on the Zen 3 architecture and built on a 7 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a TDP of 65 W. The 16 MB of L3 cache is shared across the six cores, which is typical for this generation. The CPU's benchmark scores show a single-thread score of 836 in 3DMark and 2,319 in Cinebench R23, while the multi-thread scores are 5,411 in 3DMark max threads and 16,429 in Cinebench R23.

In Outriders, the CPU's role is most visible at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 189 FPS average, but at 1080p High it drops to 151 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra it drops to 134 FPS. The difference between Low and High at 1080p is 38 FPS, which is a significant gap that suggests the CPU is not the sole limiter at Low, but the GPU's faster rendering at Low settings allows the CPU to feed frames up to 189 FPS. The fact that Ultra at 1080p (134 FPS) is only 46 FPS higher than Ultra at 4K (64 FPS) shows that the CPU can maintain a decent frame rate even when the GPU is heavily loaded.

The Ryzen 5 5500's 73rd percentile among all CPUs places it in the mid-range of processors. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score are all within 0.7% of its performance, so the CPU is not a weak point in absolute terms. However, when paired with a GPU that ranks in the 92nd percentile, the relative weakness becomes apparent. The Intel Core i5-12500, which is 0.4% faster in average benchmark score, would likely produce a slightly higher combo rank in Outriders because of its better single-thread performance, but the data for this page only includes the Ryzen 5 5500.

The CPU's 12 threads are sufficient for Outriders, which is not a heavily threaded title. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5,386 is close to the max-thread score of 5,411, indicating that the CPU does not benefit much from more than 16 threads, and the game likely uses fewer than that. The single-thread score of 836 in 3DMark is modest, and that is what matters most for gaming. The boost clock of 4.20 GHz is decent, but not exceptional, and the CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s on dual-channel DDR4 is a potential bottleneck for a GPU that has 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. That mismatch is a key reason why the combo ranks 843rd rather than higher.

At 4K Ultra, the combo's 64 FPS average is the lowest measured value. The CPU is not the primary limiter at that setting—the GPU is—but the CPU's single-thread performance still sets a floor on how low the frame rate can go. If the Ryzen 5 5500 were faster, the 4K Ultra result might be slightly higher, but the GPU's raw power is the determining factor there. The data shows that the CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases, which is typical for a mid-range processor paired with a flagship GPU.