Outriders

# Outriders with AMD Ryzen 7 7700 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Outriders presents a fascinating case study in bottleneck behavior, where the data reveals a system that transitions from CPU-limited at 1080p to GPU-limited at 4K, all while maintaining playable performance across every measured configuration. This combination ranks 81st out of 2,913 tested combos in the game, placing it in the top ~2.8% of all tested systems, yet the frame rate scaling patterns suggest the CPU—not the GPU—is the primary constraint at lower resolutions. The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this pairing behaves across three resolutions and four quality presets, with results that invite deeper questioning about where the true performance ceiling lies.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic bottleneck shift that becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At Low settings, the system delivers 250 FPS at 1920x1080, drops to 215 FPS at 2560x1440, and falls to 172 FPS at 3840x2160—a total reduction of 78 FPS (31.2%) from 1080p to 4K. This scaling pattern indicates that even at Low settings, the GPU is beginning to feel the pixel-count pressure, but the relatively modest drop between 1080p and 1440p (35 FPS) suggests the CPU is still contributing meaningfully to the frame rate at the lower resolution.

Moving to High settings, the scaling becomes more dramatic: 200 FPS at 1080p, 172 FPS at 1440p, and 94 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure represents a 53% reduction from the 1080p result, which strongly indicates the GPU is now the limiting component at this resolution. The 4K High result of 94 FPS is particularly telling—it is nearly identical to the 4K Medium result of 125 FPS when considering the gap between presets, but the jump from High to Ultra at 4K (94 to 68 FPS) shows a 27.7% performance penalty for the highest preset.

The Medium preset data includes min and max FPS values, offering insight into frame pacing. At 4K Medium, the system averages 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 and maximum of 144, producing a 38 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the average rises to 191 FPS with min/max of 162/219 (57 FPS spread), while 1080p Medium averages 222 FPS with min/max of 189/256 (67 FPS spread). This widening range at lower resolutions suggests that frame time variance increases when the CPU has more headroom to push frames, potentially indicating inconsistent frame delivery that could be perceptible despite high averages.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe resolution scaling: 177 FPS at 1080p, 130 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured on this system, and the 109 FPS gap between 1080p Ultra and 4K Ultra (61.6% reduction) demonstrates how the RTX 5090 D's massive compute resources are progressively saturated as pixel count grows. Interestingly, the 1080p Ultra result of 177 FPS is lower than the 1080p High result of 200 FPS, but the delta between these presets (23 FPS) is smaller than the delta between 4K High and 4K Ultra (26 FPS), suggesting the Ultra preset's additional effects are more costly at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7700 brings 8 cores and 16 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This 7000-series processor built on Zen 4 architecture (Raphael) features a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with dual-channel configuration delivering 83.2 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU's benchmark results show strong multithreaded performance—Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18,760 and Geekbench multicore of 15,371—while single-thread performance is equally respectable with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,930 and Geekbench single-core of 2,525.

In Outriders, the CPU's role becomes evident when examining the performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p. At Low settings, the system achieves 250 FPS, which likely represents the CPU's maximum frame delivery capability in this game. The fact that Ultra settings at 1080p still achieve 177 FPS—only 29.2% lower than Low—indicates the CPU is capable of maintaining high frame rates even with more demanding CPU-side game logic. However, the 3DMark scores provide context: the 16-thread score of 8,484 and single-thread score of 1,049 suggest this CPU is well-balanced for gaming workloads that depend on both multi-core scaling and per-core performance.

The percentile placement of 87th among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40,081, places the Ryzen 7 7700 slightly above the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (deltaPct 0.1) and slightly below the Intel Core 5 221E (deltaPct -0.2) and AMD Ryzen 9 270 (deltaPct -0.4). These near-ties in synthetic benchmarks suggest the CPU is not an outlier for its class, yet the Outriders data shows it can drive frame rates above 200 FPS at 1080p—a result that aligns with its high single-thread performance relative to its multi-thread capabilities.

The boost clock of 5.30 GHz, combined with the 5 nm process node from TSMC (6,570 million transistors on a 71 mm² die), enables the CPU to maintain high sustained clocks during gaming workloads. The 65 W TDP indicates efficient power delivery, but the question arises whether the CPU's thermal headroom allows consistent boost behavior in extended gaming sessions, as the measured data shows no min FPS values at most settings—only the Medium preset includes this metric.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus delivering 1.79 TB/s bandwidth. The Blackwell 2.0 architecture (GB202 chip) built on TSMC's 5 nm process contains 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die, with 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. The boost clock of 2,407 MHz (base 2,017 MHz) drives FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS, and the memory clock of 1,750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) ensures the GPU is rarely memory-bandwidth constrained.

In Outriders, the GPU's massive resources become the limiting factor at 4K resolution, where the measured results show a clear performance hierarchy across presets: Low (172 FPS), Medium (125 FPS), High (94 FPS), and Ultra (68 FPS). The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K represents a 60.5% performance reduction, which is substantial but not unexpected given the 4K pixel count and the Ultra preset's additional rendering effects. The GPU's percentile rank of 92nd among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712, places it in the top tier, though its nearest rivals are notably lower-powered parts: the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (deltaPct 1.1), RX 6850M XT (deltaPct -1.6), and NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (deltaPct -2.1 and -2.4).

The RTX 5090 D's 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, though Outriders' rendering workload appears to favor raw rasterization throughput. The 575 W TDP and suggested 950 W PSU indicate this GPU demands substantial power, but the measured FPS results show it delivers accordingly—even at 4K Ultra, the system maintains 68 FPS, which is playable for a looter shooter genre where consistent frame delivery matters more than extreme refresh rates.

The memory configuration of 32 GB GDDR7 is overkill for Outriders, which likely uses far less at any resolution, but the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensures texture streaming and high-resolution assets never cause stutter. The pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s provide the raw throughput needed to maintain the frame rates observed in the measured data, particularly at 4K where pixel fill rate becomes critical.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on resolution priorities. For 4K users, the Medium preset at 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS offers the best balance—it delivers 33% more FPS than High (94 FPS) while maintaining a minimum above 100 FPS, which is crucial for smooth gameplay in a looter shooter with fast-paced combat. The 4K Ultra preset at 68 FPS is technically playable but represents a 45.6% reduction from Medium, making it difficult to recommend unless visual fidelity is the absolute priority and frame rate consistency is secondary.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again emerges as the sweet spot with 191 FPS and a minimum of 162 FPS. This provides excellent headroom above 144 Hz displays while maintaining the min FPS above 160, ensuring no perceptible dips during intense encounters. The High preset at 172 FPS is also viable, but the 19 FPS advantage of Medium over High comes with minimal visual trade-off in most game scenes. The Ultra preset at 130 FPS is acceptable for 120 Hz displays, though the lack of min FPS data for this setting makes it harder to guarantee consistent frame delivery.

For 1080p, the High preset at 200 FPS provides the best experience for high-refresh-rate displays (240 Hz or above), as it delivers 100% more FPS than Ultra (177 FPS) while still maintaining a substantial margin above 144 Hz. The Medium preset at 222 FPS offers even more headroom with a minimum of 189 FPS, making it the safest choice for competitive play where frame consistency matters more than visual quality. The Low preset at 250 FPS is only 12.6% faster than Medium, suggesting diminishing returns from lowering settings further—the CPU is likely approaching its frame delivery ceiling at this point.

FAQ

Q: Does the RTX 5090 D bottleneck the Ryzen 7 7700 at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the opposite—at 1080p Low, the system achieves 250 FPS, and the gap between Low and Ultra (250 to 177 FPS, a 29.2% reduction) indicates the CPU is likely the limiting factor at 1080p, since the GPU has ample headroom to render frames faster than the CPU can feed them.

Q: Is this combination capable of 4K gaming?

A: Yes, the measured results show 4K Medium at 125 FPS (min 106 FPS) and 4K High at 94 FPS, both exceeding the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. Even 4K Ultra at 68 FPS remains playable, though it represents a significant frame rate sacrifice.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This pairing ranks 81st out of 2,913 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the top ~2.8% of all systems. The CPU ranks in the 87th percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs.

Q: What is the best preset for competitive play at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 191 FPS with a minimum of 162 FPS, which provides the highest consistent frame rate with min FPS data available. This offers the best buffer for competitive scenarios where frame drops could affect gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 7700 has an average benchmark score of 40,081, which is 0.1% above the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (40,048), 0.2% below the Intel Core 5 221E (40,144), 0.4% below the AMD Ryzen 9 270 (40,246), and 0.6% below the Intel Core i9-13905H (40,313).

Q: Does the 32 GB VRAM provide any advantage in Outriders?

A: The 32 GB GDDR7 memory (with 1.79 TB/s bandwidth) is far more than Outriders likely requires, but the bandwidth ensures texture streaming at 4K Ultra never causes stutter. The measured min FPS of 106 at 4K Medium suggests memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers average FPS values of 250 (Low), 222 (Medium, min 189, max 256), 200 (High), and 177 (Ultra). The Medium preset shows a 67 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, which is the widest range of any 1080p setting, indicating variable frame delivery in demanding scenes. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 29.2% reduction in average FPS, with the largest single-step drop occurring between High and Ultra (23 FPS, an 11.5% reduction).

At 2560x1440, the measured averages are 215 (Low), 191 (Medium, min 162, max 219), 172 (High), and 130 (Ultra). The Medium preset's 57 FPS spread is narrower than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is becoming more consistently utilized. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 39.5% reduction, with the High-to-Ultra drop of 42 FPS (24.4%) being the most significant single-step penalty.

At 3840x2160, the results are 172 (Low), 125 (Medium, min 106, max 144), 94 (High), and 68 (Ultra). The Medium preset's 38 FPS spread is the tightest across all resolutions, indicating the GPU is now firmly the limiting component. The Low-to-Ultra reduction is 60.5%, and the High-to-Ultra drop of 26 FPS (27.7%) shows the Ultra preset's additional effects are most costly at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 81 out of 2,913 tested combinations places this system in the 97.2nd percentile of all tested configurations in Outriders. This ranking reflects the synergy between the Ryzen 7 7700 and RTX 5090 D, which delivers consistently high frame rates across all measured settings. The CPU's 87th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs suggest the system is well-balanced, though the GPU's slightly higher percentile indicates it has more relative headroom than the CPU.

The ranking becomes more meaningful when considering the measured FPS data: at 1080p Medium, this system achieves 222 FPS, which is 77.6% higher than the 4K Ultra result of 68 FPS. This wide range of performance across resolutions means the combo's rank could vary significantly depending on the target resolution—at 1080p, the CPU's frame delivery ceiling may limit the GPU's potential, while at 4K, the GPU's rendering capabilities are more fully utilized. The rank of 81 suggests that in the aggregate across all tested settings, this combination outperforms the vast majority of systems, but the data reveals that the CPU is the more likely bottleneck at lower resolutions, while the GPU becomes the constraint at 4K.