Outriders

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Zen 3 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM4 platform. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it carries a 65 W TDP. The CPU’s cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3. This is a desktop part with a 7 nm process node, and it supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s. The processor’s PCIe support is Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the CPU.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 5600 posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18309 and a single-core score of 2584. The 3DMark results show a single-thread score of 882 and a 16-thread score of 5641, with the max-threads score reaching 5659. PassMark single-thread performance is 3256, while multithreaded performance is 21541. The processor sits at the 79th percentile compared to all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21765. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (0.6% higher average score), the AMD EPYC 9554P (0.6% lower), and the Intel Core i7-11700F (0.9% lower).

For Outriders, a looter shooter that relies on both sustained multi-core throughput for enemy AI and physics, and strong single-core performance for game logic, the 5600’s 6-core/12-thread configuration is well-suited. The game is not heavily threaded beyond 12 threads, so the CPU’s 12 threads align well with typical engine workloads. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz provides the single-core responsiveness needed for frame pacing. In the measured data, the combo with the RTX 2060 shows that at 1080p Low settings, the average FPS reaches 186.1, suggesting that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with frames well above typical display refresh rates. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 25.4 FPS, which indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint — a pattern consistent with a balanced mid-range pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of this CPU and GPU pairing in Outriders?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1377 out of 1693 tested combos in this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600’s average benchmark score of 21765 is 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (21635) and 0.6% lower than the AMD EPYC 9554P (21899). It also trails the Intel Core i7-11700F (21957) by 0.9%.

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved at 1080p with this combo?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 186.1 FPS. The same resolution at Medium yields 134.4 FPS, High 102.1 FPS, and Ultra 72.4 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU bottleneck at 4K resolutions?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 64.2 (Low) down to 25.4 (Ultra). The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 38.8 FPS, which is proportionally larger than at lower resolutions, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the RTX 2060’s percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 2060 sits at the 58th percentile, with an average benchmark score of 16074. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, scores 15996 (0.5% lower), while the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 16351 (1.7% higher).

Q: How many threads does the Ryzen 5 5600 have, and why does that matter for Outriders?

A: The CPU has 12 threads. Outriders, as a looter shooter, benefits from having enough threads to handle simultaneous game logic, physics, and streaming without oversubscribing cores. Twelve threads is sufficient for this workload, as evidenced by the high 1080p Low result of 186.1 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 lands at rank 1377 out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the field — roughly the 81st percentile of all tested combinations. The ranking reflects a pairing that is capable of smooth 1080p play at most settings but struggles at 4K Ultra. To contextualize, the CPU alone is at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is at the 58th percentile among all GPUs. The combined rank is pulled down more by the GPU’s relative position, since the CPU is comparatively stronger.

The nearest CPU rivals (Intel Xeon D-1746TER, AMD EPYC 9554P, AMD EPYC 9534, Intel Core i7-11700F) all have average scores within 0.9% of the 5600, meaning the CPU is not the differentiator in this combo’s rank. Instead, the RTX 2060’s position relative to its own rivals (RX 7600S, Radeon Pro 5600M, Radeon Pro 5700, Radeon Pro W5500) matters more. The GPU’s nearest rival, the RX 7600S, is only 0.5% lower in score, so small GPU changes could shift the combo rank. In practice, the measured FPS data shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can exceed 100 FPS on High settings, or 1440p with reduced settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average FPS: Low 186.1, Medium 134.4, High 102.1, and Ultra 72.4. The step from Low to Medium costs 51.7 FPS, from Medium to High 32.3 FPS, and from High to Ultra 29.7 FPS. This shows a fairly linear degradation as settings increase, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 118.2, Medium 87.2, High 67.7, and Ultra 48.0. Compared to 1080p, the Low setting loses 67.9 FPS, Medium loses 47.2 FPS, High loses 34.4 FPS, and Ultra loses 24.4 FPS. The percentage loss is greatest at Low (36.5% drop) and smallest at Ultra (33.7% drop), indicating that the GPU’s fill-rate limits become more uniformly restrictive as resolution increases.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 64.2, Medium 44.7, High 32.0, and Ultra 25.4. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steep: Low loses 54.0 FPS, Medium 42.5 FPS, High 35.7 FPS, and Ultra 22.6 FPS. Notably, the absolute difference between Ultra at 1440p (48.0) and Ultra at 4K (25.4) is 22.6 FPS, while the difference between Low at 1440p (118.2) and Low at 4K (64.2) is 54.0 FPS. This suggests that at lower settings, the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are more heavily taxed by the resolution increase, whereas at higher settings, the fixed overhead of effects and shading dominates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 186.1 FPS, which is well above the 1440p Low result of 118.2 FPS — a 36.5% reduction. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, the drop is 54.0 FPS (45.7% reduction). This accelerating decline indicates that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly insufficient as pixel count rises. The GPU’s 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs are simply not enough to maintain frame rates at 4K, even on Low settings.

At 1080p Ultra, the average is 72.4 FPS, which is still playable. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 48.0 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 25.4 FPS. The ratio between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra is 2.85x, meaning the FPS is reduced by roughly two-thirds. This is close to the theoretical pixel-count ratio between 1080p (2.07 million pixels) and 4K (8.29 million pixels), which is 4x. The fact that the FPS drop is less than the pixel-count increase suggests that the CPU or memory system mitigates some of the load, but the trend is clear: the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K. The CPU’s strong single-thread score (2584 in Cinebench R23) ensures that it is not holding back the GPU at lower resolutions, but at 4K, the GPU’s raw throughput limits everything.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience at 1920x1080, the High preset (102.1 FPS) offers a strong balance between visual quality and smoothness. The Ultra preset (72.4 FPS) is still above 60 FPS, so players with high-refresh monitors may prefer High to stay well above 100 FPS. The Medium preset (134.4 FPS) is unnecessary unless targeting very high refresh rates, but it does provide a 32.3 FPS uplift over High. Low (186.1 FPS) is only relevant for competitive play or extremely high refresh displays, as the visual compromise is substantial.

At 2560x1440, the High preset (67.7 FPS) is marginal for 60 Hz displays — it stays above 60 FPS but with little headroom. The Medium preset (87.2 FPS) is the better choice for 1440p, offering a 19.5 FPS improvement over High while still looking respectable. The Ultra preset (48.0 FPS) falls below 60 FPS and should be avoided unless visual fidelity is the sole priority. Low (118.2 FPS) is viable for fast-paced play, but the visual downgrade is notable.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset (64.2 FPS) is the only setting that maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS. Medium (44.7 FPS) is borderline, and High (32.0 FPS) and Ultra (25.4 FPS) are not recommended for smooth gameplay. For 4K users, the data suggests that reducing to 1440p and using High or Medium settings provides a far better experience than staying at 4K with Low. Given the measured rows, the sweet spot for this combo is 1080p High or 1440p Medium, depending on the display’s native resolution.