Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination in Outriders demonstrates a clear progression of performance scaling across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system is primarily GPU-bound in most presets, delivering high frame rates that indicate strong headroom. As resolution increases to 2560x1440 and then 3840x2160, the average FPS drops consistently, with the 4K Ultra preset falling below playable thresholds. This scaling pattern suggests that while the CPU has sufficient throughput for lower resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher pixel counts, particularly under demanding graphical settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data reveals a predictable but steep performance curve as resolution climbs. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 164 FPS, which drops to 137 FPS at 1440p and further to 72 FPS at 4K. This represents a 56% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at the lowest settings, indicating that even with minimal graphical load, the rendering pipeline becomes increasingly strained at higher resolutions. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 27 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 65 FPS, showing that the transition to 4K is disproportionately expensive.

Moving to High settings, the pattern intensifies. The system posts 119 FPS at 1080p, 75 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37%, and from 1440p to 4K is 48%. This non-linear scaling suggests that the RTX 5050's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus begin to struggle with the increased pixel throughput at 4K, where the fill rate and texture bandwidth requirements exceed what the card can comfortably deliver. The 4K High result of 39 FPS is borderline for a looter shooter, where responsiveness matters during combat.

Ultra settings exacerbate the issue dramatically. The combo manages 86 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and just 28 FPS at 4K. The 1080p Ultra result is still playable, but the 4K Ultra figure is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra is a 37% reduction, similar to High, but the 1440p to 4K drop is 48%, matching the High preset pattern. This consistency across settings indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capacity are the primary constraints at 4K, rather than any specific setting causing a bottleneck.

The Medium preset provides the only complete FPS range data, with min and max values recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 146 FPS with a minimum of 124 and maximum of 167. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 100 FPS with a range of 85 to 115. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 52 FPS with a range of 44 to 60. The minimum FPS at 4K Medium of 44 suggests occasional stutters, but the average remains above the 30 FPS baseline for playability. This data indicates that Medium settings offer the most stable experience across all resolutions, with the frame time variance increasing as resolution rises.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Outriders?

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution for this pairing. The system delivers 119 FPS at High settings and 86 FPS at Ultra, both of which are well above playable thresholds. At 2560x1440, performance remains acceptable with 75 FPS at High, but 4K drops to 39 FPS at High, which is marginal.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. The combo achieves 72 FPS at 4K Low and 52 FPS at 4K Medium, which are playable. However, 4K High drops to 39 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 28 FPS, making those presets unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 perform relative to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 21035, which places it slightly below the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M by 1%, while being 1.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% faster.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 3700X a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches 164 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU effectively at lower settings. However, the 1080p Ultra result of 86 FPS indicates the GPU is still the primary constraint, as the CPU's 8-core, 16-thread configuration provides ample processing headroom.

Q: What settings preset provides the most balanced experience at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 100 FPS average with a minimum of 85 FPS, making it the most balanced option. High settings at 75 FPS are also viable, while Ultra at 54 FPS may be too demanding for consistent smoothness.

Q: How does the frame rate vary between presets at the same resolution?

A: At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 164 FPS to 86 FPS, a difference of 78 FPS. At 1440p, the spread is 137 FPS to 54 FPS, a difference of 83 FPS. At 4K, the spread narrows to 72 FPS to 28 FPS, a difference of 44 FPS, showing that resolution has a greater impact than preset selection.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2049 out of 2913 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 30th percentile of all configurations. This rank is primarily driven by the GPU's position in the overall graphics hierarchy, as the RTX 5050 sits at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, while the CPU performs better at the 84th percentile among all processors.

The CPU's nearest rivals show a tight grouping in average benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 scores 34222, which is 0.1% lower than the 3700X's 34260 average. The AMD EPYC 4244P scores 34220, also 0.1% lower. The Intel Core i5-13450HX scores 34333, which is 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H scores 34083, which is 0.5% lower. These sub-1% differences indicate that the 3700X is well-matched against modern alternatives in raw compute, meaning the CPU is not a weak link in this combo.

The GPU's competitive position is more varied. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153, which is 0.6% higher than the RTX 5050's 21035 average. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, which is 1% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, which is 1.6% lower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, which is 1.6% higher. This places the RTX 5050 in a competitive mid-range segment, but its 8 GB memory capacity likely limits performance in memory-intensive scenarios like 4K gaming.

The overall rank of 2049 out of 2913 suggests that while this combo is not a top-tier performer, it sits comfortably in the middle of the pack. The gap between the CPU's strong percentile ranking and the GPU's weaker ranking indicates that the graphics card is the limiting factor for Outriders specifically, as the game appears to be more GPU-bound based on the resolution scaling data.

Settings Recommendations

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 86 FPS, which is playable for most users, but the High preset at 119 FPS offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. The Medium preset at 146 FPS is the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, while Low at 164 FPS is only necessary for competitive play where maximum frame rates are prioritized.

At 2560x1440, the High preset provides 75 FPS, which is the recommended choice for a smooth experience. The Medium preset at 100 FPS is the best option for those who want to prioritize frame rate, as the visual difference between Medium and High is often less noticeable than the 25 FPS gap. The Ultra preset at 54 FPS is playable but may result in occasional dips during intense combat sequences.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset at 72 FPS is the only option that delivers consistently smooth performance. The Medium preset at 52 FPS is playable, but the minimum of 44 FPS suggests possible stutters. The High and Ultra presets at 39 FPS and 28 FPS respectively are not recommended for gameplay, as they fall below the threshold for responsive action in a looter shooter.

The Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot for this combo across all resolutions. At 1080p it provides 146 FPS, at 1440p it delivers 100 FPS, and at 4K it maintains 52 FPS. This preset offers the most consistent frame pacing, as evidenced by the complete min/max data available for Medium settings, with the minimum FPS never dropping below 44 at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces the following average frame rates: Low settings achieve 164 FPS, Medium settings achieve 146 FPS with a minimum of 124 and maximum of 167, High settings achieve 119 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 86 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 78 FPS drop, with the largest single-step decrease occurring between Medium and High at 27 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance scales as follows: Low settings deliver 137 FPS, Medium settings deliver 100 FPS with a range of 85 to 115, High settings deliver 75 FPS, and Ultra settings deliver 54 FPS. The total spread from Low to Ultra is 83 FPS, with the Medium to High transition representing a 25 FPS decrease. The minimum FPS at Medium settings of 85 indicates that even at 1440p, the system maintains playable frame rates under load.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low settings achieve 72 FPS, Medium settings achieve 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 60, High settings achieve 39 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 28 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 44 FPS, which is narrower than at lower resolutions, suggesting that the GPU's rendering pipeline becomes the dominant constraint at 4K. The Medium preset's minimum of 44 FPS shows that even the more moderate settings can experience significant frame drops at this resolution.

The data shows that the RTX 5050's performance degrades more rapidly between 1440p and 4K than between 1080p and 1440p. This is consistent with the GPU's memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s and 8 GB GDDR6 memory, which may not be sufficient to maintain high fill rates at 4K with complex shaders and textures. The 128-bit memory bus further constrains data throughput at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a Zen 2 architecture processor based on the Matisse codename, manufactured on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The CPU supports DDR4 memory with dual-channel configuration and a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, along with PCIe Gen 4 connectivity for 24 lanes.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate strong multi-threaded performance relative to its position. It scores 2092 in Cinebench R15 multicore and 204 in singlecore, with a Geekbench multicore score of 8899 and singlecore score of 1593. The Passmark multithread score is 22458, with a single-thread score of 2656. The average benchmark score of 34260 places it at the 84th percentile among all CPUs, showing that it remains competitive despite being from the 3000 series.

In Outriders, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics calculations, and game logic. The 8-core, 16-thread configuration provides substantial parallel processing capability, which is beneficial for handling the numerous entities and effects typical of a looter shooter. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensures adequate single-thread performance for game engine tasks that rely on fewer threads.

The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this combo. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 164 FPS, which is likely near the GPU's maximum output at that setting. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS across different resolutions at the same settings, but the data shows consistent scaling with resolution, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s and dual-channel DDR4 support are sufficient for the RTX 5050's requirements, as the GPU has its own 320.0 GB/s bandwidth. The PCIe Gen 4 interface provides ample bandwidth for data transfer between CPU and GPU, though the RTX 5050 uses a PCIe 5.0 x8 interface, which is backward compatible. The 65 W TDP of the CPU indicates efficient power consumption, leaving thermal headroom for sustained boost clocks during extended gaming sessions.

The 3700X's nearest rival comparisons show that it performs within 0.5% of modern alternatives like the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and Intel Core i5-13450HX. This suggests that the CPU's age does not significantly handicap the combo in Outriders, and that upgrading the GPU would yield more noticeable performance gains than upgrading the CPU for this specific game.