Outriders

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

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 2 architecture with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This 7 nm chip from TSMC features a 32 MB L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration. For a looter shooter like Outriders, the thread count matters because the game must simultaneously handle enemy AI, physics calculations, and the persistent loot-drop logic that defines the genre. The 3700X’s 16 threads provide ample parallel processing headroom, and the benchmark results indicate that at lower resolutions where the GPU is less taxed, the CPU’s role becomes more prominent.

In the synthetic benchmark suite, the 3700X posts a Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 2092 and a single-core score of 204, while Geekbench results show 8899 multi-core and 1593 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score of 22458 and single-thread score of 2656 further quantify its capability. The processor sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 34260. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (0.1% faster), the AMD EPYC 4244P (0.1% faster), and the Intel Core i5-13450HX (0.2% slower), placing the 3700X in a tightly contested performance band. For Outriders specifically, the CPU’s 8 cores are sufficient to feed the RTX 2060 without becoming a bottleneck at 1080p, where the measured FPS numbers reach their peak.

The relationship between CPU and game performance becomes evident when examining the frame rate progression across settings at 1080p. At Low settings, the combo achieves 164 FPS average, which drops to 137 FPS at Medium, 103 FPS at High, and 74 FPS at Ultra. The relatively modest drop from Low to Medium (27 FPS) suggests the CPU can sustain high throughput even as graphical load increases. Notably, the CPU’s 65 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate headroom for overclocking, though the data does not include overclocked results. The 3700X’s memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s and PCIe Gen 4 support with 24 lanes ensure that data transfer to the GPU is not a limiting factor in this pairing.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a Turing-architecture GPU built on TSMC’s 12 nm process, featuring 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. Its base clock runs at 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz, and the 6 GB of GDDR6 memory operates on a 192-bit bus delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card includes 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, providing hardware support for ray tracing and DLSS, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether these features were enabled. The GPU’s FP32 performance of 6.451 TFLOPS and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s position it as a mid-range part from the GeForce 20-series.

The RTX 2060’s role in Outriders is clearly dominant across most resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 24 FPS average, a figure that points squarely at GPU limitations. The card’s 6 GB VRAM is a critical factor here — at 4K resolution with Ultra textures, the memory capacity becomes strained, and the benchmark results reflect this with a steep performance cliff. The GPU’s 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290, places it near the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (0% delta), AMD Radeon 680M (0.1% faster), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (0.6% faster). These rivals are all within a 0.8% performance band, underscoring that the RTX 2060 sits at a specific performance tier.

When examining the 1080p results, the GPU still leads the workload. From Low (164 FPS) to Ultra (74 FPS), the frame rate drops by 90 FPS, a 55% reduction that scales with the increased pixel shading and texture work. The Medium preset at 1080p shows a minimum FPS of 117 and a maximum of 158, indicating the GPU can maintain playable frame rates even with some variance. The RTX 2060’s 160 W TDP and dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector are consistent with its performance class. The card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, all of which are relevant for a 2021 title like Outriders.

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

The measured data reveals a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K, with the GPU increasingly becoming the bottleneck as resolution rises. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 103 at 1080p to 65 at 1440p, then to 34 at 4K. This progression shows a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K, a decline that far exceeds what CPU limitations would produce. The 1440p High result of 65 FPS represents a 37% drop from 1080p, while the 4K High result is another 48% lower than 1440p. Such consistent degradation points to pixel throughput and memory bandwidth as the limiting factors.

The Low settings row provides the clearest look at CPU-bound performance. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 164 FPS, which drops to 119 FPS at 1440p and 62 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop of 45 FPS (27%) is smaller than the High settings drop (37%), suggesting that at Low settings, the system has more headroom before GPU limits take over. The 1440p-to-4K drop of 57 FPS (48%) is nearly identical to the High settings drop, indicating that once pixel count increases sufficiently, the GPU’s fill rate becomes the dominant constraint regardless of settings. The 4K Low result of 62 FPS is notably higher than the 4K High result of 34 FPS, confirming that reducing graphical fidelity can offset resolution demands.

The Medium preset at each resolution offers the most complete data with minimum and maximum FPS values. At 1080p, Medium averages 137 FPS with a range of 117 to 158. At 1440p, Medium averages 87 FPS with a range of 74 to 99. At 4K, Medium averages 45 FPS with a range of 38 to 52. The proportional drops (37% from 1080p to 1440p, 48% from 1440p to 4K) mirror the High settings pattern. This consistency across presets confirms that resolution scaling in Outriders is primarily a GPU-bound exercise for this combo. The CPU’s 16 threads are sufficient to maintain frame delivery even at 1080p Low where the GPU is least stressed, but the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit memory bus become the hard ceiling at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2951 out of 3710 tested combos in Outriders. This places the pairing in the 21st percentile of all combinations tested, meaning roughly 79% of tested combos deliver higher average FPS. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range positioning more than the CPU’s capability — the 3700X sits at the 84th percentile among CPUs, while the RTX 2060 rests at the 58th percentile among GPUs. The combination’s rank is dragged down by the GPU’s performance ceiling, especially at higher resolutions and settings where the measured FPS numbers fall below 60.

Relative to other combos, this pairing’s performance is consistent with its component positions. The CPU’s nearest rivals (Ryzen AI 7 350, EPYC 4244P, Core i5-13450HX) all have average benchmark scores within 0.5% of the 3700X, meaning any of those processors paired with the RTX 2060 would likely produce similar Outriders results. The GPU’s nearest rivals (GTX 580, Radeon 680M, RTX 3050 OEM, RX 7600) are all within 0.8% of the RTX 2060’s average score, further indicating that the combo’s rank is driven by the GPU tier rather than any specific pairing anomaly.

The measured FPS data shows that this combo can exceed 100 FPS at 1080p on High settings, which is a respectable result for the 21st percentile. However, at 4K Ultra, the 24 FPS average is borderline unplayable. The rank of 2951 out of 3710 suggests that many other combos in the database feature more powerful GPUs that handle 4K better. For users seeking 1440p gaming, this combo delivers 65 FPS on High settings, a playable but not exceptional result. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 is the limiting factor in this pairing, as upgrading to a stronger GPU would likely improve the combo’s rank significantly more than upgrading the CPU.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1080p provides the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. The 1080p Medium result averages 137 FPS with a minimum of 117 and maximum of 158, ensuring smooth gameplay even during intense combat sequences with multiple enemies and particle effects. The 117 FPS minimum is well above the 60 FPS threshold for responsive play in a looter shooter, and the 158 FPS maximum indicates headroom for occasional spikes. Compared to High settings at 103 FPS average, Medium offers a 33% FPS increase with a modest visual downgrade.

For 1440p displays, the Medium preset again proves optimal, delivering 87 FPS average with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 99. The 74 FPS minimum is still above 60 FPS, providing a consistent experience. High settings at 1440p drop to 65 FPS average, which is playable but leaves less margin for frame drops during heavy action sequences. The Low preset at 1440p reaches 119 FPS, but the visual fidelity loss is significant for a game that relies on environmental detail for its sci-fi atmosphere. The Medium preset at 4K averages 45 FPS with a minimum of 38, which is below the 60 FPS threshold but may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution with this combo. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 74 FPS, and at 1440p Ultra it falls to 47 FPS, while 4K Ultra manages only 24 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra settings exceeds the visual benefit, particularly given the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM limitation at higher resolutions. The Low preset delivers the highest frame rates (164 FPS at 1080p, 119 FPS at 1440p, 62 FPS at 4K), but the visual compromise is substantial. For competitive play where frame rate is paramount, Low at 1080p offers the best responsiveness, but for the majority of players, Medium at 1080p or 1440p provides the optimal experience per the measured rows.

FAQ

Q: What average FPS does this combo achieve at 1080p with High settings?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and RTX 2060 combination delivers an average of 103 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings, according to the measured data.

Q: Is this combo capable of 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: At 4K resolution, the combo achieves 62 FPS on Low settings, 45 FPS on Medium, 34 FPS on High, and 24 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 45 FPS is the highest quality setting that remains marginally playable, while Ultra is not recommended.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290, placing it within 0.8% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, AMD Radeon 680M, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM, and AMD Radeon RX 7600. It ranks at the 58th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS, making it the recommended choice. High settings drop to 65 FPS average, which is still playable but offers less headroom.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 3700X rank among all CPUs?

A: The 3700X sits at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34260. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (0.1% faster), AMD EPYC 4244P (0.1% faster), and Intel Core i5-13450HX (0.2% slower).

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank in Outriders?

A: This CPU-GPU pairing ranks 2951 out of 3710 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 21st percentile of all combinations tested.