Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D paired with the Intel Arc B390 integrated graphics produces a highly constrained gaming experience in Outriders, where the GPU consistently acts as the primary bottleneck across all tested resolutions. The data shows a combo that can deliver playable frame rates only at 1080p with optimized settings, while 1440p and 4K resolutions push the integrated graphics beyond its practical limits. This analysis breaks down the measured performance metrics, contextualizes the hardware combination against other tested systems, and provides actionable settings guidance based solely on the empirical data.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a steep performance cliff that points squarely at the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 115 FPS, which drops to 72 FPS at 1440p and 38 FPS at 4K. That represents a 37% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear; the pixel count increase from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 78%, yet the frame rate drops by only 37%, suggesting some headroom exists at lower resolutions before the GPU becomes fully saturated.

Moving to High settings, the pattern intensifies. The average frame rate falls from 63 FPS at 1080p to 40 FPS at 1440p (a 37% drop) and then to 21 FPS at 4K (a 67% drop from 1080p). The consistent percentage drops across Low and High presets indicate that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, with the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity being exhausted at higher pixel counts. The 4K results are particularly telling: even at Low settings, the combo only manages 38 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced looter shooter.

The Medium preset, which is the only setting tier with complete min/max data, shows the scaling trend with additional granularity. At 1080p Medium, the average is 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 and maximum of 61. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 28 FPS with a minimum of 23 and maximum of 32. The minimum frame rates at 4K (23 FPS) confirm that the experience is not just average-limited but suffers from consistent dips that would be noticeable during combat sequences.

Ultra settings are essentially unplayable at every resolution. The combo produces 45 FPS at 1080p Ultra, 29 FPS at 1440p Ultra, and 15 FPS at 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 15 FPS is barely above a slideshow, and even 1080p Ultra at 45 FPS would feel stuttery during intense encounters. The scaling from High to Ultra at each resolution is also steep: at 1080p, Ultra is 29% slower than High; at 1440p, it is 28% slower; at 4K, it is 29% slower. This consistent penalty suggests that Ultra settings add a fixed overhead that this GPU cannot absorb, regardless of resolution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in this combo's performance. Its benchmark data is stark: a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it outperforms only about 9% of the database. Its nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts—the GeForce GT 520MX (deltaPct 1.3), GeForce 800M (deltaPct 1.5), GeForce GT 625 OEM (deltaPct 2.5), and GeForce GT 710 (deltaPct 2.7)—which underscores its position as an entry-level integrated solution rather than a discrete gaming card.

The GPU's architecture is Xe3-LPG on a 3 nm process from Intel, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The boost clock is the more relevant figure for gaming, but even at that speed, the hardware configuration is limited. The Arc B390 has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS. These specifications are modest for modern gaming, particularly at high resolutions where pixel throughput becomes critical.

Memory is a major constraint. The GPU uses "System Shared" memory with a type of "System Shared" and a bus width of "System Shared," meaning it relies on the CPU's DDR4 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which in this case is tied to the Ryzen 5 5500X3D's dual-channel DDR4 configuration with 51.2 GB/s memory bandwidth. For a game like Outriders, which loads large textures and environments, sharing system memory for both CPU and GPU workloads creates contention that likely contributes to the low 4K frame rates.

The GPU's TDP is 80 W, and it operates as an IGP (integrated graphics processor) with no power connectors and a slot width of "IGP." This thermal envelope limits sustained boost behavior, particularly under extended gaming loads. The measured FPS data reflects this: even at 1080p Low, where the CPU could theoretically drive higher frame rates, the GPU tops out at 115 FPS, suggesting a hard performance ceiling imposed by the integrated design rather than the CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all tested CPU-GPU combinations in the database for Outriders, this pairing ranks 2582 out of 2913 combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of systems. This rank is consistent with the GPU's 9th percentile standing, indicating that the Arc B390 is the primary drag on overall performance. The Ryzen 5 5500X3D, by contrast, is a far more capable component. Its average benchmark score is 37018, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0.2), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (deltaPct -0.2), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (deltaPct 0.2), and Intel Core i9-12900T (deltaPct -0.3)—are all within a fraction of a percent in performance. This means the CPU is not the limiting factor; the same CPU paired with a stronger discrete GPU would rank dramatically higher.

The rank disparity between the CPU and GPU components highlights a systemic imbalance. The CPU sits at the 85th percentile while the GPU sits at the 9th percentile, a 76-point gap that indicates severe bottlenecking. In a balanced system, these percentiles would be closer together. The combo's rank of 2582 out of 2913 is not just low in absolute terms but also relative to what the CPU alone suggests possible. The data implies that swapping the Arc B390 for even a mid-range discrete GPU would move this combo into the top half of the database, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed a faster graphics solution.

The measured FPS data corroborates this ranking. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 115 FPS, which is respectable for integrated graphics but far below what the CPU could support. The Passmark single-thread score of 2941 and multithread score of 20363 indicate that the CPU is capable of sustaining much higher frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios. The bottleneck is entirely on the GPU side, as evidenced by the steep frame rate drops at higher resolutions where GPU load increases disproportionately.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances playability with visual quality. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate at 115 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. However, Low settings in Outriders sacrifice significant visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS, which still comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS threshold while providing better texture and lighting quality. Given that the minimum frame rate of 71 FPS is above 60, the Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended choice for the best combination of smoothness and visual quality.

The High preset at 1080p averages 63 FPS, which is right at the edge of playability but with no minimum data available, there is risk of dips below 60 FPS during demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 45 FPS, which is below the playable threshold and should be avoided. For 1440p, the Low preset averages 72 FPS, making it the only 1440p option that maintains a comfortable frame rate. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 53 FPS, which is playable but may feel inconsistent, while High (40 FPS) and Ultra (29 FPS) are not recommended for active gameplay.

At 4K, none of the presets deliver a playable experience. The best 4K result is 38 FPS at Low settings, which falls short of the 60 FPS target and would feel sluggish during combat. The Medium preset at 4K averages 28 FPS with a minimum of 23 FPS, which is borderline unplayable. Given the data, users should stick to 1080p Medium for the best experience, with 1080p Low as a fallback if maximum smoothness is prioritized over visual quality. For users with 1440p monitors, the Low preset is the only viable option, while 4K should be considered unsupported for this combo in Outriders.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Outriders?*

A: The measured data shows 1080p Medium as the optimal choice, averaging 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS. This is the only preset that combines a 60+ FPS average with a 60+ FPS minimum, ensuring consistent playability.

*Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Outriders?*

A: No. The best 4K result is 38 FPS at Low settings, which is below playable thresholds. At 4K Medium, the average drops to 28 FPS with a minimum of 23 FPS, confirming that 4K is not viable for this pairing.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 5500X3D ranks in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU constraints.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: It ranks 2582 out of 2913 combos in Outriders, placing it in the bottom 11% of the database. This low rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU is competitive with top performers like the Intel Core i9-12900T.

Q: What are the frame rate differences between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 115 FPS while Ultra averages 45 FPS, representing a 70 FPS drop. The Medium preset at 83 FPS offers a middle ground with better visuals than Low and significantly higher frame rates than Ultra.

Q: Is the 1440p Medium setting playable?

A: The 1440p Medium preset averages 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS. While this is technically playable, the minimum frame rate of 45 FPS indicates noticeable dips below the 60 FPS target, making it a less consistent experience than 1080p Medium.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer) on a 7 nm process from TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.00 GHz and a boost clock of 4.00 GHz, with a TDP of 105 W. Its cache configuration is notable: 64 KB L1 per core, 512 KB L2 per core, and a massive 96 MB shared L3 cache, which is a key feature of the X3D series designed to improve gaming performance by reducing memory latency.

The CPU's benchmark scores demonstrate its strength. The Passmark multithread score is 20363, and the single-thread score is 2941. In data compression, it scores 230392, and in integer math, it scores 60033. These figures place it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37018. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (deltaPct 0.2), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (deltaPct -0.2), Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (deltaPct 0.2), and Intel Core i9-12900T (deltaPct -0.3), all within a negligible margin of performance.

In the context of Outriders, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics calculations, and game logic. The game is a looter shooter with fast-paced combat and numerous enemies on screen, which can be CPU-intensive. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 115 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game, but the GPU's performance ceiling prevents higher frame rates even at lower resolutions.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s (dual-channel DDR4) is shared with the GPU, which uses system memory as its VRAM. This sharing can create a bottleneck in memory-intensive scenes, but the CPU's large L3 cache helps mitigate some of this contention by reducing the frequency of main memory accesses. The 96 MB L3 cache is particularly beneficial for gaming, as it can hold large portions of the game's working set, reducing the performance penalty of the shared memory architecture.

The 5500X3D's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for modern games like Outriders, which typically scale well up to 8 cores. The CPU's multithread score of 20363 indicates it can handle the game's background tasks (AI, physics, streaming) without becoming a bottleneck. The data supports this: at 1080p Medium, where the GPU is more stressed, the frame rate drops from 115 FPS (Low) to 83 FPS (Medium), a 28% reduction that aligns with GPU workload increases rather than CPU limitations. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively flat across settings at a given resolution, but the data shows substantial variation with settings, confirming the GPU as the primary constraint.