Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a dominant performance in Outriders, placing in the 93rd percentile of all 3,710 tested hardware combos. The data shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet capable of exceptional frame rates that will satisfy high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and provide a smooth 4K experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 232 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops this to 149 FPS, a reduction of roughly 36%. The jump to 4K (3840x2160) further reduces the average to 78 FPS, which is another 48% decrease from the 1440p result. This steep decline indicates that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count, which is the expected behavior for a game like Outriders.

The scaling pattern across all settings confirms the GPU is the primary limiting factor. At Low settings, the system achieves 290 FPS at 1080p, 249 FPS at 1440p, and 143 FPS at 4K. The performance drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is roughly 51%, which is substantial. This suggests that even when the graphical workload is minimized, the RTX 4080's rendering capabilities are being pushed to their limit at higher resolutions. The CPU is not the bottleneck here; the data implies that the GPU's pixel throughput and memory bandwidth are what govern the frame rate.

The difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K is particularly telling. At 1080p, the gap between Low (290 FPS) and Ultra (170 FPS) is 120 FPS. At 4K, the same settings gap is 87 FPS (143 FPS Low vs 56 FPS Ultra). The fact that the absolute difference shrinks at higher resolutions while the percentage drop remains large indicates that the GPU is saturated. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the data throughput, but the compute load of Ultra settings at 4K simply overwhelms the processor, resulting in a 56 FPS average.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is a Zen 5 architecture processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, capable of a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, with an average benchmark score of 69,996, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. This places it in direct competition with the Intel Core i7-14700KF, which scores 70,163, a negligible 0.2% difference. It also edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.7% and the Intel Core i7-14700K by 0.9%.

In the context of Outriders, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic. The benchmark results indicate that the 9700F is more than capable of this task. At 1080p Ultra, the system produces 170 FPS, and at Low settings, it reaches 290 FPS. These high frame rates demonstrate that the CPU is not creating a performance ceiling. The single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Passmark score of 4,691, is crucial for a game engine that often relies on a few primary threads for simulation. The high boost clock of 5.50 GHz ensures that these threads can execute quickly.

The 32 MB of shared L3 cache is also a positive factor, as it reduces latency for frequently accessed game data. The data suggests that even at the lowest resolution and settings, where the GPU workload is lightest, the CPU is able to maintain a frame rate above 290 FPS, which is a clear indication that it is not the bottleneck in this system. The 65W TDP and 4nm process node also indicate an efficient processor that won't introduce thermal throttling issues that could affect sustained performance in long gaming sessions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the clear performance driver in this pairing. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, it offers a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its Ada Lovelace architecture features 9,728 shading units and 76 RT cores, providing immense raw compute power for rasterization and ray tracing. The GPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Passmark G3D score of 34,457, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. It is nearly identical in performance to the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209 versus the 4080's 54,247 average, a delta of just 0.1%.

The GPU's role is most evident when analyzing the frame rate drops at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra setting yields a 56 FPS average, which is a demanding workload that stresses the GPU's compute units and memory subsystem. The 4K High setting improves this to 78 FPS, showing that reducing the quality of effects and textures has a direct impact on the GPU's workload. The boost clock of 2505 MHz allows the GPU to operate at high speeds, but the data shows that the sheer volume of pixels at 4K is the limiting factor, not the clock speed.

The 16 GB VRAM capacity is a significant asset. While the FACT PACK does not provide specific VRAM usage data for Outriders, the ability to run High settings at 4K with a 78 FPS average suggests that memory capacity is not a constraint that forces the system to drop to lower quality assets. The performance gap between Low and Medium settings at 4K (143 FPS to 104 FPS) further emphasizes the GPU's role. The medium preset, with its 88 FPS minimum, shows a playable experience, but the Ultra preset's 56 FPS average illustrates the extreme load placed on the GPU by the highest quality settings.

FAQ

Q: Is this CPU-GPU combo sufficient for 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: Yes, the data shows it can achieve a 78 FPS average at 4K High settings and a 104 FPS average at 4K Medium settings. However, the 4K Ultra preset drops to a 56 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS target for many players.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9700F compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF?

A: The benchmark data shows they are statistically tied. The 9700F has an average score of 69,996, while the i7-14700KF scores 70,163, a difference of only 0.2%.

Q: Will I see a significant performance difference between 1080p and 1440p?

A: Yes, the improvement is substantial. At High settings, the system produces 232 FPS at 1080p and 149 FPS at 1440p. This is a 36% reduction in frame rate, but the 149 FPS average is still exceptionally smooth and well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming if I want the highest frame rate?

A: At Low settings, the system produces 249 FPS. If you prefer higher visual quality, the High preset still delivers a very high 149 FPS, which is ideal for a 144Hz or 165Hz monitor.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU the limiting factor for performance in Outriders?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. This is evident from the significant frame rate drops as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU is capable of producing over 290 FPS at 1080p Low, showing it is not a bottleneck.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The benchmark scores are nearly identical. The RTX 4080 has an average score of 54,247, while the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54,209, a difference of just 0.1%, making them effectively equal in performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. The following breakdown uses the exact average FPS values from the FACT PACK.

At 1920x1080, the system is clearly capable of high refresh rates. The Low preset yields an average of 290 FPS. The Medium preset produces an average of 258 FPS, with a minimum of 219 FPS and a maximum of 297 FPS. The High preset delivers 232 FPS, and the Ultra preset is still very fast at 170 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance remains excellent. The Low preset produces an average of 249 FPS. The Medium preset averages 198 FPS, with a minimum of 169 FPS and a maximum of 228 FPS. The High preset averages 149 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 108 FPS, which is still a very playable frame rate for most titles.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed harder. The Low preset averages 143 FPS. The Medium preset averages 104 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS. The High preset averages 78 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of 56 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: each step up in resolution or settings reduces the average FPS, but even the most demanding combination, 4K Ultra, remains above 30 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 1440p, the High preset is the optimal choice. It delivers a 149 FPS average, which is more than sufficient for a 144Hz monitor, while providing a significant visual upgrade over the Medium preset. The Ultra preset at 1440p, with a 108 FPS average, is also a strong option for those who prioritize visual fidelity and have a 120Hz display. The Low preset at 1440p offers a 249 FPS average, but the visual compromises are likely too steep for most players.

For 4K, the High preset is the recommended choice for a balance of quality and performance, yielding a 78 FPS average. This provides a smooth experience on a 60Hz display and is playable on higher refresh rate monitors, though it won't fully utilize them. The Medium preset, at 104 FPS, is the better choice for players with a 120Hz 4K display, as it maintains a frame rate above 100 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K, with a 56 FPS average, is not recommended for competitive play but is viable for slower-paced, visually focused sessions.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset is the clear recommendation. With a 170 FPS average, it provides an exceptional experience on high-refresh-rate monitors without sacrificing visual quality. The High preset at 232 FPS is suitable for the most competitive players who need the absolute highest frame rates. In summary, the best experience is achieved by prioritizing High settings at 4K, High or Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p, based on the measured averages in the data.