Outriders

The pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 in Outriders is a study in imbalance. The data shows a processor with top-tier synthetic scores paired with a GPU that sits near the middle of the pack, resulting in a combo that ranks in the 1351st position out of 1693 tested combinations. This configuration is clearly limited by the graphics card in most scenarios, though the CPU’s strength becomes apparent at lower resolutions and settings. The benchmark results indicate that this is a pairing where the RTX 2060 is the definitive bottleneck, and the 9800X3D’s potential is largely left on the table.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations in Outriders?

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1351st out of 1693 tested combos in the game. This places it in the lower half of the database, reflecting the significant performance gap between the CPU and GPU.

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 74.2. This is the most demanding preset tested at this resolution, while Low settings produce an average of 187 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 33.5 on High settings and 26.2 on Ultra. The CPU’s high core count and clock speeds are not the constraint here; the RTX 2060’s 6 GB VRAM and compute capabilities are.

Q: How does the RTX 2060's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU has an average benchmark score of 16074. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, scores 15996, making the RTX 2060 0.5% faster. The AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and Pro 5700 both score 16351, which is 1.7% higher than the RTX 2060.

Q: What are the CPU's clock speeds and how do they affect performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. These high frequencies contribute to its strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a passmark single-thread score of 4430, which helps maintain high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS on Low settings is 117.1, while on Ultra settings it drops to 46.5. This represents a 70.6 FPS difference, showing how dramatically the graphical load impacts the RTX 2060.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the primary determinant of this combo's performance in Outriders. The data shows its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is a significant constraint at higher resolutions and settings. The card's boost clock is 1680 MHz, and it has a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s. In practice, these specifications translate to a GPU that can handle 1080p gaming well but struggles as resolution increases.

The benchmark results show a clear pattern: the GPU's performance collapses under load. With an average benchmark score of 16074, it sits in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, is only 0.5% slower, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M is 1.7% faster. This places the RTX 2060 in a narrow performance band, and the measured FPS in Outriders confirms this. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is just 26.2, which is unplayable. Even at 1440p Ultra, the average of 46.5 FPS is below the smooth 60 FPS target most players seek.

The GPU's 6 GB VRAM is likely a factor in the steep performance drop at 4K. The data shows that at 3840x2160, even dropping from High to Medium settings only yields a 10 FPS improvement (33.5 to 43.5), while dropping to Low yields 62.5 FPS. This suggests that the card's memory bandwidth and compute resources are saturated, not just its VRAM capacity. The RTX 2060 is a capable 1080p card, but in this pairing, it is clearly the weak link.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is an exceptionally strong processor that is overqualified for this pairing. It features 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. Its 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a defining characteristic, and its benchmark scores are top-tier. For example, it scores 34004 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 4800 in single-core. The data shows it ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37780.

In Outriders, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with frames, and it does so without breaking a sweat. The processor's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6353P, which is only 0.1% slower, and the Intel Core i9-13900HK, which is 0.6% slower. This places the 9800X3D at the very top of the performance hierarchy. The data indicates that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 187 FPS, which is likely near the upper limit of what the RTX 2060 can output. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by a Passmark single-thread score of 4430, ensures that frame times are consistent.

However, the CPU's potential is wasted in this config. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 26.2, which is entirely GPU-bound. The 9800X3D's 3DMark multi-thread score of 10067 and its 8 cores are not the limiting factor; the RTX 2060 simply cannot process frames fast enough. The CPU's role is to avoid bottlenecking, and it does that effectively, but the GPU's performance ceiling is so low that the CPU's power is largely irrelevant in demanding scenarios.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1351st out of 1693 tested combinations in Outriders, placing it in the bottom 20% of all configurations. This low rank is a direct result of the GPU's limitations. The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 16074 is far below what the CPU can support. For context, the CPU's average benchmark score is 37780, which is more than double the GPU's score. This massive gap means the system is heavily unbalanced.

The data shows that this combo performs worse than many others with lower-end CPUs but stronger GPUs. The rank of 1351 suggests that most other tested combos have a more balanced CPU-GPU pairing. The 9800X3D is a flagship processor, but it is paired with a mid-range GPU from a previous generation. The result is that the combo's overall performance is dragged down by the GPU's inability to keep up with the CPU's output. In practical terms, this means a user could achieve similar or better FPS in Outriders with a much cheaper CPU paired with a better GPU.

The percentile ranking of the GPU (58th) versus the CPU (90th) highlights the imbalance. The combo's rank is closer to the GPU's percentile than the CPU's, indicating that the GPU is the deciding factor in the overall score. This is a classic case of a CPU bottleneck in reverse—the CPU is so fast that it makes the GPU look even weaker than it is in isolation.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep decline as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 103.5. Moving to 1440p High, it drops to 66.7, a 36.8 FPS decrease. At 4K High, it falls to 33.5, a further 33.2 FPS decrease. This pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the RTX 2060 is the limiting component at every resolution above 1080p.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is particularly revealing. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 187 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of very high frame rates. However, at 4K Low, the average FPS is 62.5, a 124.5 FPS drop. This demonstrates that the GPU's performance is heavily impacted by the increase in pixel count. The RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are simply not sufficient for 4K rendering, even at Low settings.

The data indicates that the CPU's role in resolution scaling is minimal. The 9800X3D's high clock speeds and cache help maintain high frame rates at 1080p, but as the resolution increases, the GPU becomes the sole bottleneck. The FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are so large that it is clear the GPU is working at its absolute limit, while the CPU remains underutilized. For users, this means that lowering resolution will yield significant FPS gains, but only up to the point where the GPU can keep up.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of this combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo is most capable. Low settings produce an average of 187 FPS, Medium settings yield 139 FPS, High settings deliver 103.5 FPS, and Ultra settings result in 74.2 FPS. These numbers show that 1080p is the sweet spot for this pairing, with even Ultra settings being playable.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. Low settings average 117.1 FPS, Medium settings average 88.4 FPS, High settings average 66.7 FPS, and Ultra settings average 46.5 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is substantial, with the Ultra setting losing 27.7 FPS. This resolution is still playable on Low to High settings, but Ultra settings fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 2060 is overwhelmed. Low settings average 62.5 FPS, Medium settings average 43.5 FPS, High settings average 33.5 FPS, and Ultra settings average 26.2 FPS. Only Low settings are playable at 4K, and even then, the frame rate is marginal. The data shows a clear pattern: the GPU's performance degrades linearly with resolution, while the CPU's potential is never fully realized. The 9800X3D is capable of far more, but the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and 160 W TDP limit the system to 1080p gaming in Outriders.