Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 pairing in Outriders represents a study in bottleneck dynamics, where a highly capable mainstream CPU meets one of the most powerful consumer GPUs available. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal a system that is almost entirely GPU-bound at higher quality presets, but which still delivers exceptional performance throughout. This analysis breaks down the component roles, scaling behavior, and optimal settings based strictly on the benchmark data provided.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Phoenix. It operates with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, and it is built on TSMC's 4 nm process node. This CPU sits in the 82nd percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 25064. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X (scoring 25057, a 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F (scoring 24993, a 0.3% delta in favor of the 8400F), indicating that its raw multi-threaded throughput is competitive with older 8-core designs.

In Outriders, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p resolution, where the frame rate ceiling is highest. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 225.1 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra it still manages 160.6 FPS. The gap between these two settings — 64.5 FPS — is substantial, suggesting that while the GPU is doing heavy lifting, the CPU's six fast Zen 4 cores are sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 without creating a hard cap below 200 FPS in most scenarios. The 3DMark single-thread score of 951 and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943 indicate strong per-core performance, which is crucial for a game like Outriders that relies on a limited number of primary threads for game logic and physics.

The CPU's L3 cache is 16 MB shared across all cores, and it supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s. This memory bandwidth is adequate for the CPU's needs, but the data suggests that the processor is not the primary constraint in this pairing. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 61.5 FPS, a massive reduction from the 1080p Ultra figure. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across resolutions at the same settings; instead, the steep decline with resolution increases points squarely at the GPU. The CPU's percentile rank of 82 versus the GPU's percentile rank of 94 reinforces this hierarchy: the 8400F is a solid mid-range part, while the RTX 5090 is a top-tier enthusiast part, and Outriders leverages the GPU far more heavily at higher resolutions.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with a massive 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. This GPU is in the 94th percentile of all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 84306. Its nearest rivals include the RTX 5090 D (scoring 84241, a 0.1% delta) and the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 (scoring 83209, a 1.3% delta in favor of the RTX 5090), showing that it is at the very top of the performance stack.

In Outriders, the GPU's raw power is the dominant factor determining frame rates at 4K and at higher quality settings. At 4K High, the system produces 90.3 FPS, which is a playable and smooth experience for a looter shooter. However, the jump to 4K Ultra drops the average to 61.5 FPS, a 31.9% reduction from High. This is a clear indication that the Ultra preset's additional effects, likely including higher shadow quality, volumetric lighting, and post-processing, are extremely demanding on the GPU's shading units and ray tracing cores (170 RT cores, 680 tensor cores). The GPU's FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is enormous, but Outriders at Ultra still manages to stress it to the point of a significant frame rate hit.

The 32 GB VRAM buffer is far more than any current game needs, and Outriders is no exception. The data shows no indication of VRAM capacity being a bottleneck; the frame rate differences between settings are attributable to compute load, not memory allocation. At 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 225.1 FPS, which is likely near the engine's internal frame rate limit or the CPU's practical upper bound. The fact that 1080p Medium (204.3 FPS) and 1080p High (182.4 FPS) are both well above 144 Hz refresh rates means that the RTX 5090 is leaving headroom on the table at lower resolutions, confirming that the GPU is underutilized there and the CPU is setting the pace.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates across resolutions provide a textbook example of GPU-bound scaling. Moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K at the same settings shows a consistent and expected decline in average FPS. At High settings, the progression is 182.4 FPS (1080p) → 154 FPS (1440p) → 90.3 FPS (4K). The drop from 1440p to 4K is 63.7 FPS, or roughly 41.4%, which is a much steeper decline than the 28.4 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p (approximately 15.6%). This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU that is becoming increasingly saturated as pixel count rises, with the 4K resolution requiring four times the pixel work of 1080p.

At Low settings, the scaling is less severe but still pronounced: 225.1 FPS at 1080p, 193.7 FPS at 1440p, and 155.2 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low figure is higher than the 1080p Ultra figure (160.6 FPS), which underscores that the GPU's workload is the primary variable. When the visual effects are minimal, the RTX 5090 can brute-force 4K to over 150 FPS, but when effects are maxed out, the same resolution drops to 61.5 FPS. This indicates that the limiting component is the GPU's compute throughput, not its memory bandwidth or the CPU's ability to issue draw calls.

The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal but not zero. At 1080p Low, the 225.1 FPS figure may be close to what the Ryzen 5 8400F can sustain for game logic updates. The fact that 1080p Medium (204.3 FPS) and 1080p High (182.4 FPS) are lower than Low suggests that the GPU is still the primary limiter even at 1080p, but the relatively small gaps between these settings (20.8 FPS between Low and Medium) compared to the 4K gaps indicate the CPU is starting to assert some influence. The data clearly shows that to maximize frame rates, users should reduce resolution or settings to shift the balance toward the CPU, but for a smooth 60+ FPS experience at 4K, the High preset is the sweet spot, delivering 90.3 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Outriders with this combo for a 144 Hz monitor?*

A: At 1440p High, the system achieves 154 FPS, which is above the 144 Hz threshold. At 1080p High, it reaches 182.4 FPS, providing extra headroom. For 4K, the High preset at 90.3 FPS is not sufficient for 144 Hz, so a 1440p monitor is recommended for high refresh rate play.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The 32 GB GDDR7 VRAM with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is not a limiting factor in Outriders. The frame rate differences between settings are due to compute load, not memory capacity. The GPU's memory subsystem is overprovisioned for this title.

*Q: Is the Ryzen 5 8400F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in Outriders?*

A: At 1080p Low, the 225.1 FPS result suggests the CPU may be near its limit, but at higher resolutions and settings, the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The 8400F's 6 cores and 12 threads with a 4.70 GHz boost clock are sufficient to avoid major frame pacing issues, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from 1080p to 4K.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 4K Ultra is 61.5 FPS. This is playable but below the 90.3 FPS seen at 4K High, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a heavy GPU workload that is not worth the performance cost for marginal visual gains.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 5090 D in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 84306, while the RTX 5090 D scores 84241, a delta of 0.1% in favor of the RTX 5090. This means they are effectively identical in performance, and the measured Outriders frame rates would be nearly the same.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance relative to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU's 3DMark single-thread score is 951, while its max-thread score is 6165. In Cinebench R23, the single-core score is 2943 and the multi-core score is 20851. This shows strong single-core capability, which is adequate for Outriders' game logic, but the GPU still dominates the frame rate equation.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 113th out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders. This top 7% placement is notable given the CPU's mid-range positioning. The rank reflects the GPU's immense power compensating for the CPU's more modest standing. The combo's performance is heavily skewed by the RTX 5090, which sits in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, versus the CPU's 82nd percentile. This means that while the CPU is not the weakest link in most scenarios, the combo's overall ranking is buoyed by the GPU's ability to maintain high frame rates even at 4K.

The ranking suggests that this pairing is overkill for 1080p gaming, where the CPU limits the GPU's potential, but it is exceptional for 4K gaming. At 4K High, the 90.3 FPS average is a strong result that places this combo among the top performers for high-resolution play. The 113th rank out of 1693 combos confirms the RTX 5090's raw power, but it also indicates that there are 112 other combos (likely featuring faster CPUs like the Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Core i9-14900K) that can extract even more performance from the RTX 5090, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU speed matters more.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of presets, and the optimal choice depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 4K gaming, the High preset is the clear winner, delivering 90.3 FPS. This is a 46.8% improvement over the Ultra preset's 61.5 FPS, while the visual difference between High and Ultra is typically minimal in Outriders (mostly shadow and post-processing quality). The 4K Medium preset at 118.3 FPS is also viable for high refresh rate 4K monitors, but the jump from Medium to High (28 FPS drop) is acceptable if you prefer better visuals.

For 1440p gaming, the High preset at 154 FPS is the most balanced, offering a smooth experience on 144 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 170.3 FPS provides a slight edge for 165 Hz monitors, but the visual quality reduction may not be worth it. The Low preset at 193.7 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is paramount. At 1080p, the High preset at 182.4 FPS is the best experience, as it provides excellent visual fidelity while still exceeding 144 Hz. The Ultra preset at 160.6 FPS is also playable and maximises visual quality, but the performance cost is steeper than at lower resolutions.

In summary, the Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K due to the sub-60 FPS average (61.5 FPS, which is too close to the 60 FPS floor for comfort). The High preset is the universal recommendation for this combo, providing 90.3 FPS at 4K, 154 FPS at 1440p, and 182.4 FPS at 1080p. These figures indicate that the High preset is the most efficient use of the RTX 5090's capabilities without overburdening the GPU or leaving performance on the table.