Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination delivers an exceptionally strong performance profile in Outriders, placing 7th out of 1693 tested combos. The data indicates that the RTX 4090 is the dominant performance driver, with the CPU providing ample headroom even at lower resolutions. This pairing is capable of pushing high refresh rates at 1440p and maintains very playable frame rates at 4K, though the scaling between settings reveals where the GPU's immense power is best utilized.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern: performance scales heavily with resolution, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly depending on the graphics preset. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 282.8 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 241.1 FPS, a reduction of 41.7 FPS. The jump to 4K Low results in 154.9 FPS, a further substantial drop of 86.2 FPS from the 1440p result. This indicates that even at Low settings, the 4K resolution imposes a significant workload on the GPU.

The scaling pattern changes at higher presets. For example, at High settings, the frame rate goes from 226.4 FPS at 1080p to 165.9 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 85.8 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper at High settings (a 48% reduction) compared to Low settings (a 36% reduction). This suggests that the game's higher presets introduce effects that are particularly demanding at 4K resolution.

The data suggests that the RTX 4090 is the limiting component across all tested resolutions. Even at 1080p Low, where a CPU bottleneck would typically be expected, the frame rate of 282.8 FPS is substantial but not indicative of a hard CPU limit. The Ryzen 5 9600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, appears to provide sufficient processing power to keep up with the GPU's output. The consistent frame rate drops as resolution increases point directly to the GPU's rendering pipeline being the primary constraint, rather than any CPU-side limitation. This is a GPU-bound scenario in the truest sense, even at the lowest tested resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results provide a clear hierarchy for optimal settings. At 4K resolution, the Ultra preset yields 64.2 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The High preset at 4K provides a more comfortable 85.8 FPS, a 33.6% improvement over Ultra. This makes High the recommended preset for 4K, as it offers a significantly smoother experience while presumably retaining most of the visual fidelity.

For 1440p users, the data supports pushing the settings higher. The Ultra preset at 1440p achieves 120.6 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. However, the High preset at 1440p delivers 165.9 FPS, which is a 37.6% increase over Ultra and will be preferable for competitive play or displays with refresh rates above 120Hz. The Medium preset at 1440p (214.5 FPS) and Low preset (241.1 FPS) are available for those seeking maximum frame rates, but the High preset appears to be the sweet spot for balancing visual quality and performance.

At 1080p, the frame rates are universally high, ranging from 185.4 FPS on Ultra to 282.8 FPS on Low. The Ultra preset at 1080p still delivers 185.4 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any current monitor. Given the high numbers, the recommendation is to use the Ultra or High preset at 1080p, as the performance overhead is so large that there is little benefit to sacrificing visual quality for marginal frame rate gains. The High preset at 1080p (226.4 FPS) is a strong choice, but Ultra (185.4 FPS) is also viable for a more visually rich experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the central component in this configuration's performance. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth are more than adequate for Outriders, ensuring that texture streaming and memory allocation are not bottlenecks. The GPU's 16384 shading units and 512 texture mapping units provide the raw compute power needed to drive the high frame rates observed in the data.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a factor. With a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, the RTX 4090 is able to maintain high throughput across the test suite. The benchmark results show the RTX 4090 scores 38194 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. This high percentile is reflected in the game's performance, where the GPU consistently delivers frame rates that are near the top of the tested combinations.

The data suggests that the RTX 4090's role is to provide a massive performance ceiling. The fact that it is the limiting factor at 1080p, with the CPU not being a bottleneck, means that users are getting the full benefit of the GPU's capabilities. The 4K Ultra result of 64.2 FPS is the only scenario where the GPU's performance is challenged, but even this is a respectable result for a demanding preset at that resolution. The GPU's architecture, with 128 RT cores, is also well-suited for potential ray-traced workloads, although no specific ray-tracing data is present in the measured FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for a 4K display?

A: The High preset at 3840x2160 yields 85.8 FPS, which is a 33.6% improvement over the Ultra preset's 64.2 FPS. High is recommended for a smoother experience at 4K.

Q: Can this combo achieve 144Hz at 1440p?

A: Yes. The High preset at 2560x1440 achieves 165.9 FPS, and the Ultra preset achieves 120.6 FPS. Both are capable of driving a 144Hz monitor, with High being the safer choice.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: No. The data shows the frame rate still increases from 226.4 FPS (High) to 282.8 FPS (Low) at 1920x1080, indicating the GPU is still the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 9600X provides enough performance to avoid a CPU bottleneck.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The 4K Ultra result is 64.2 FPS, while the 1080p Ultra result is 185.4 FPS. This represents a 65.4% drop in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K at the Ultra preset.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 241.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset achieves 120.6 FPS. This is a difference of 120.5 FPS, or exactly a 50% reduction in performance.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: Yes. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory is well beyond the requirements of Outriders, ensuring no memory-related performance issues are present in the benchmark data.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 7th out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders. This top-tier ranking is a direct result of the RTX 4090's exceptional performance. The GPU's average benchmark score of 66473 sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are professional-grade cards like the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (deltaPct 0.5) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (deltaPct -0.9). This places the RTX 4090 in a class of its own for gaming.

The CPU's contribution to this high rank is also notable. The Ryzen 5 9600X has an average benchmark score of 28246, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-13490F (deltaPct 0.3) and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (deltaPct -0.4), are all very close in score, indicating that the 9600X is a solid mid-range performer that does not hold back the GPU. The fact that this combo ranks 7th overall, despite the CPU being a 6-core part, demonstrates that the GPU is the primary driver of the game's performance.

The high ranking is not just about raw scores; it is about the synergy between the components. The data shows no evidence of a CPU bottleneck, which allows the RTX 4090 to operate at its full potential. This combination of a very fast GPU with a competent CPU results in a system that is among the best for Outriders.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, plays a supporting role in this configuration. Its base clock of 3.90 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz, combined with its Zen 5 architecture, provide sufficient single-thread performance to avoid being a bottleneck. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3603 and multi-core score of 25525 are strong results for a 6-core part.

The benchmark data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Outriders. Across all resolutions and settings, the frame rates scale consistently with GPU load, which is the expected behavior when the CPU is not the primary constraint. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth) provide enough bandwidth for the GPU to feed it data without stalling.

The Ryzen 5 9600X's 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 28246, confirms its capability. Its nearest rivals are all within a 0.5% performance delta, indicating that it is a competitive mid-range processor. In the context of Outriders, the CPU ensures that the RTX 4090 is never waiting for data, allowing the GPU's massive compute resources to be fully utilized. While it is not the star of the show, its role is crucial for achieving the high frame rates seen in the data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 282.8 FPS
• Medium: 252.6 FPS
• High: 226.4 FPS
• Ultra: 185.4 FPS

The 1080p results show a clear progression, with Low settings providing the highest frame rate. The spread from Low to Ultra is 97.4 FPS, demonstrating the significant impact of the Ultra preset's added graphical effects. Even at Ultra, the frame rate exceeds 180 FPS, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate gaming.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 241.1 FPS
• Medium: 214.5 FPS
• High: 165.9 FPS
• Ultra: 120.6 FPS

At 1440p, the frame rates remain very high. The Low preset still achieves over 240 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 120.6 FPS. The relative performance hit from moving to Ultra is more pronounced at this resolution, with a 50% reduction from Low to Ultra. High settings offer a good balance at 165.9 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 154.9 FPS
• Medium: 113.7 FPS
• High: 85.8 FPS
• Ultra: 64.2 FPS

The 4K results show the most significant impact of the Ultra preset. The Low preset provides 154.9 FPS, which is still very playable, but the Ultra preset drops to 64.2 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 90.7 FPS. The High preset at 85.8 FPS is the recommended setting for a balance between visual quality and performance at this resolution. The data confirms that 4K is the only resolution where the RTX 4090's performance is challenged by the Ultra preset.