Outriders

The benchmark data for Outriders with the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and Intel Arc B390 presents a clear picture of a system where the graphics processor is the decisive factor. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings reveal a component that struggles to maintain playable performance under load, while the CPU’s capabilities remain largely untapped. This analysis walks through the measured results, contextualizes the combo's standing against other tested configurations, and breaks down the specific roles of the GPU and CPU in shaping the gameplay experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data indicates that the most practical experience is found at the Low preset across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 115 FPS, which is the highest score recorded in the entire dataset. This is the only configuration that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, making it the clear choice for smoother gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p yields an average of 83 FPS, which is still playable but represents a 32 FPS drop from Low, a significant sacrifice for marginal visual gains.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset remains the only viable option for a stable experience, producing an average of 72 FPS. The High preset at this resolution drops to 40 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for comfortable play in a fast-paced looter shooter. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset manages only 38 FPS, which is borderline at best. The data shows that the gap between Low and Medium is substantial: at 1080p, it is a 32 FPS difference, and at 1440p, it is a 19 FPS difference. This suggests that the graphics card's limited processing power is quickly overwhelmed by the increased shading and texture work required by higher presets.

The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable at any resolution, with results ranging from 45 FPS at 1080p down to 15 FPS at 4K. The recommendation is therefore to prioritize the Low preset for any resolution above 1080p, and to consider Medium only if the user can tolerate a lower frame rate at 1080p. The data does not support using High or Ultra settings for this combination if frame rate consistency is the goal.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Outriders, this specific pairing ranks 3299 out of 3710 total combos. This places it in the bottom 11 percent of all tested configurations, indicating that it performs poorly relative to the broader field. The rank of 3299 is a direct reflection of the measured FPS scores, which are consistently low, particularly at higher settings and resolutions.

The CPU itself, the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, has a percentile rank of 87 against all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 87 percent of processors in general benchmarks. However, this strength does not translate into a high combo ranking in Outriders. The bottleneck is clearly the Intel Arc B390, which has a percentile rank of only 9 against all GPUs, indicating it is in the bottom 9 percent of graphics cards. The combo's rank in the game is a weighted result of these two components, and the GPU's poor standing drags the entire system down to the 3299 position. The data suggests that any other GPU in the database with a higher ranking would likely improve this combo's standing, as the CPU is not the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture. Its performance characteristics are clearly defined by the measured data, which shows a GPU that is not suited for demanding titles like Outriders at high settings. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, but these clock speeds are insufficient to sustain high frame rates when the game’s graphical load increases.

The memory configuration is a critical limitation. The GPU uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it relies on the system's main DDR5 RAM rather than dedicated video memory. This shared memory setup often results in lower bandwidth and higher latency compared to dedicated VRAM, which can severely impact performance in texture-heavy scenes common in looter shooters. The GPU's pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, figures that are modest for modern gaming. The FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, which places it in a low-performance tier.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the GPU scored 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (scoring 1463, a 1.3 percent difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (scoring 1460, a 1.5 percent difference). These are legacy, low-end parts from over a decade ago, which contextualizes the Arc B390's performance level. The measured FPS in Outriders aligns with this low benchmark standing; the GPU simply does not have the computational or memory bandwidth resources to handle the game beyond the Low preset at 1080p.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Outriders with this hardware?*

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the frame rate can be considered consistently smooth, and only with the Low preset, which achieves an average of 115 FPS.

Q: Can the Ultra preset be used at any resolution?

A: The data shows that Ultra settings produce an average of 45 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K. These frame rates are not adequate for a responsive experience, so the Ultra preset is not a usable option.

Q: Why is the performance so low despite having a high-end CPU?

A: The Intel Arc B390 GPU is the limiting component. Its benchmark scores place it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its system shared memory and modest computational throughput cannot keep up with the demands of the game, leaving the CPU's capabilities unused.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its direct rivals in benchmarks?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scores 1482. This is 1.3 percent higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 1.5 percent higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), indicating it performs at a similar level to those older, entry-level parts.

Q: Is the system memory a factor in the low performance?

A: Yes, the GPU's memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which introduces variability and likely contributes to the lower frame rates compared to dedicated graphics solutions.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS. This is playable but not optimal.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and expected drop as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop reveals the GPU's limitations. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 (115 FPS) to 2560x1440 (72 FPS) results in a 43 FPS decrease, which is a 37 percent reduction. Moving further to 3840x2160 (38 FPS) from 1440p results in another 34 FPS drop, a 47 percent reduction. This shows that the GPU's rendering capabilities are severely taxed by the increase in pixel count.

At High settings, the scaling is even steeper. The average FPS falls from 63 at 1080p to 40 at 1440p (a 23 FPS drop) and then to 21 at 4K (a further 19 FPS drop). The percentage decrease from 1080p to 4K at High settings is approximately 67 percent. This steep drop indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor; a system with a more powerful GPU would typically show a less dramatic decrease in FPS as resolution scales, as the CPU would start to become a more significant factor at lower resolutions. Here, even at 1080p, the GPU is already saturated, so any increase in resolution directly and severely impacts the frame rate.

The data for Medium settings also shows a similar trend: 83 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern across all settings is that the FPS roughly halves when moving from 1080p to 4K, which is a strong indicator that the rendering pipeline is bottlenecked by the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth rather than the CPU's processing power.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz, and it includes 96 MB of shared L3 cache, which is a significant amount for gaming. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 23230 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2080 in single-core, demonstrating strong processing capabilities. Its average benchmark score is 39768, and it sits at the 87th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (scoring 40081, which is 0.8 percent higher) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (scoring 40048, which is 0.7 percent higher).

However, in Outriders, the CPU's potential is not realized. The measured FPS is consistently low, and the pattern of performance degradation with increasing resolution points entirely to the GPU as the bottleneck. The CPU is capable of feeding frames much faster than the GPU can render them. For example, the fact that the FPS at 1080p Low (115 FPS) is significantly higher than at 1080p Ultra (45 FPS) shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower graphics settings; if it were, the frame rate would be similar regardless of preset.

The CPU's robust single-thread performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1212 and Geekbench single-core score of 2964, is more than sufficient for the game's logic and physics calculations. The data suggests that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is operating well below its capacity in this configuration, with the Intel Arc B390 unable to keep up with the CPU's output.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete set of measured FPS data for Outriders with this hardware combination.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: Average FPS of 115.
• Medium: Average FPS of 83, with a minimum of 71 and a maximum of 96.
• High: Average FPS of 63.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 45.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: Average FPS of 72.
• Medium: Average FPS of 53, with a minimum of 45 and a maximum of 61.
• High: Average FPS of 40.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 29.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: Average FPS of 38.
• Medium: Average FPS of 28, with a minimum of 23 and a maximum of 32.
• High: Average FPS of 21.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 15.

The data shows that the only settings that provide a consistently fluid experience are Low at 1080p and Low at 1440p, with the latter being a borderline case at 72 FPS. For all other configurations, the frame rates are below 60 FPS, and the Ultra preset is universally unplayable. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only other option that stays above 60 FPS, but it still represents a significant compromise in visual fidelity for a 32 FPS gain over High. The performance deltas between presets are consistent, indicating a stable, predictable response to graphical load, but the overall performance ceiling is simply too low for a satisfying experience in Outriders.