Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 230th out of 1,693 tested combos in Outriders. This places the pairing in the top 14% of all configurations tested, a strong result that reflects the combination of a high-end GPU with a mid-range CPU. The RTX 5090's percentile rank of 94 among all GPUs is the primary driver here, while the Ryzen 5 5600 sits at the 79th percentile among CPUs. The data indicates that while the CPU does not hold the combo back, it also does not boost it into the top tier of results; the bottleneck is clearly on the processor side at lower resolutions, but the overall ranking remains excellent for a desktop setup.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 230 out of 1,693 tested configurations means it outperforms roughly 86% of all tested pairings in this game. This is a high placement, but not a dominant one, given that the RTX 5090 is one of the most powerful GPUs available. The delta between the CPU and GPU performance tiers explains this: the Ryzen 5 5600's average benchmark score of 21,765 places it within 1% of several server and workstation processors, such as the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (0.6% faster) and the AMD EPYC 9554P (0.6% slower). In contrast, the RTX 5090's average score of 84,306 is nearly tied with the RTX 5090 D (0.1% faster) and the RTX 5050 Mobile (0.2% faster), showing the GPU is at the very edge of its performance class.

In practical terms, the CPU's single-threaded and multi-threaded scores—like the 3DMark single-thread score of 882 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 18,309—are sufficient to feed the GPU in most scenarios, but they do not provide headroom for extreme frame rates. The result is that the combo ranks well below the top 100, where CPU-bound configurations with stronger processors would dominate. The 230th rank suggests that in Outriders, this is a high-refresh-rate 1440p machine rather than a 4K ultra powerhouse, as the GPU will often be waiting on the CPU at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 brings 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This memory configuration is far beyond what Outriders requires, as the game's largest texture and geometry loads are unlikely to stress even a fraction of that capacity. The GPU's clock speeds—a base of 2017 MHz and boost of 2407 MHz—are modest compared to the 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, indicating that the architecture is designed for high throughput rather than raw clock frequency. The 21760 shading units and 680 tensor cores provide ample compute for the game's visual effects and any DLSS or ray tracing features, though the measured FPS data does not specify which features were enabled.

The GPU's benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 39,650 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 380,114, both of which are elite-tier results. However, the measured FPS in Outriders reveals that the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p, where the CPU becomes the constraint. At 4K, the GPU's role becomes more prominent, and the data shows it can still deliver playable frame rates even at Ultra settings. The 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms that this is a top-tier part, but the combo's overall rank is pulled down by the CPU's relative weakness in this specific game.

Resolution Scaling

Frame rates scale predictably across resolutions, but the pattern reveals a significant CPU bottleneck at lower settings. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 159.5 to 139.8, a loss of 12.3%. The same transition at Low settings sees a smaller drop from 202.9 to 170.4, a 16% reduction, suggesting that the CPU is already saturated at 1080p Low. At 4K, the scaling becomes more GPU-bound: High settings drop from 139.8 at 1440p to 91.3 at 2160p, a 34.7% decrease, which is much closer to what the GPU alone can deliver.

The most telling comparison is between Low settings at 1080p (202.9 FPS) and Low settings at 4K (142.1 FPS). The 30% drop indicates that even at the lowest settings, the GPU is still doing substantial work, but the CPU is not keeping pace at 1080p. The gap between Ultra at 1440p (124.5 FPS) and Ultra at 4K (66.8 FPS) is a 46.3% reduction, which is a clear sign that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. Conversely, the difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p (202.9 vs. 142.8 FPS) is only 29.6%, while the same difference at 4K (142.1 vs. 66.8 FPS) is 52.9%, confirming that the CPU bottleneck diminishes as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 202.9 FPS, which is the peak across all tested configurations. Medium settings drop to 180 FPS, High settings to 159.5 FPS, and Ultra settings to 142.8 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 60.1 FPS, showing that the CPU can still push high frame rates even at maximum settings, but the GPU is not fully utilized at Low.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still high but show a tighter spread. Low settings average 170.4 FPS, Medium 153.8 FPS, High 139.8 FPS, and Ultra 124.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 45.9 FPS, which is smaller than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is starting to become more relevant. The High setting at 1440p (139.8 FPS) is nearly identical to the Ultra setting at 1080p (142.8 FPS), suggesting that resolution scaling is more impactful than settings scaling at this level.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly. Low settings average 142.1 FPS, Medium 120.9 FPS, High 91.3 FPS, and Ultra 66.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 75.3 FPS, the largest of any resolution, confirming that the GPU is the dominant factor at 4K. The Ultra setting at 4K (66.8 FPS) is barely above the 60 FPS threshold, while High at 4K (91.3 FPS) provides a smoother experience.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 202.9 FPS, which is CPU-bound, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 66.8 FPS, which is GPU-bound. The 4K Ultra result is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, whereas 1080p and 1440p offer much higher frame rates.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5600 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600's average benchmark score of 21,765 is 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon D-1746TER (21,635) and 0.6% lower than the AMD EPYC 9554P (21,899). It also trails the Intel Core i7-11700F (21,957) by 0.9%.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and how does it affect 4K performance?

A: The RTX 5090 has a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s over a 512-bit bus with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory. This bandwidth is sufficient to maintain 91.3 FPS at 4K High settings, indicating that memory bandwidth is not a bottleneck in this game.

Q: Does the CPU limit the GPU at any resolution?

A: Yes, at 1080p Low, the frame rate of 202.9 FPS is likely CPU-limited, as the GPU is capable of much higher output. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (60.1 FPS) is smaller than at 4K (75.3 FPS), suggesting the CPU is the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of each component?

A: The Ryzen 5 5600 ranks in the 79th percentile among all CPUs, while the RTX 5090 ranks in the 94th percentile among all GPUs. This discrepancy explains why the combo's overall rank of 230 out of 1,693 is strong but not top-tier.

Q: What are the highest and lowest average FPS values across all tested configurations?

A: The highest average FPS is 202.9 at 1080p Low settings, and the lowest average FPS is 66.8 at 4K Ultra settings. These values represent the full range of performance for this combo in Outriders.

Settings Recommendations

For a 1080p monitor with a high refresh rate, the Low preset at 202.9 FPS is the best choice for competitive play, but the Medium preset at 180 FPS offers a better balance of visual fidelity and performance. The High preset at 159.5 FPS is also viable, while Ultra at 142.8 FPS still exceeds 144 Hz, making it the recommended choice for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 124.5 FPS is the most balanced option, as it provides high visual quality while staying above 120 FPS. The High preset at 139.8 FPS is nearly as good and offers a slight performance boost. The Low preset at 170.4 FPS is unnecessary unless the user prioritizes frame rate above all else, but it demonstrates the CPU's capability at this resolution.

At 4K, the Ultra preset at 66.8 FPS is playable but may feel inconsistent on VRR displays. The High preset at 91.3 FPS is the recommended choice for a smooth 4K experience, as it is nearly 25 FPS faster than Ultra. The Medium preset at 120.9 FPS is the best option for those who want to approach 120 Hz, while the Low preset at 142.1 FPS is ideal for high-refresh-rate 4K monitors. Across all resolutions, the data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a strong balance between visual quality and measured frame rates.