Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination delivers a commanding performance in Outriders, ranking 8th out of 1,693 tested hardware combos in this title. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with CPU headroom that only becomes apparent at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, scaling behavior, and the specific roles of the processor and graphics card in shaping the experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, confirming that the RTX 5090 is the primary performance limiter at 1440p and 4K. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 195.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 125.9 FPS, a reduction of 35.6%. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 62.1 FPS, which is 68.2% lower than the 1080p result. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario where pixel throughput dictates performance.

The scaling story changes when looking at lower settings. At Low settings, the frame rate only drops from 273.9 FPS at 1080p to 164.7 FPS at 4K, a 39.9% reduction. Compare that to the High preset, which drops by 60.2% from 217.2 FPS at 1080p to 86.4 FPS at 4K. The larger percentage drop at High settings indicates that the GPU is working much harder to maintain visual fidelity, while at Low settings, the rendering load is lighter, allowing the CPU to maintain a higher floor. This suggests that at 1080p Low, the Ryzen 7 9800X3D is starting to become a more significant factor, as the GPU is not fully saturated.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings is telling. The 9800X3D pushes 242.6 FPS at 1080p, but at 1440p it drops to 206.9 FPS, a decline of only 14.7%. This modest drop indicates that 1440p Medium is still well within the GPU's comfort zone, and the CPU is still delivering high frame rates. The real bottleneck emerges at 4K, where even Medium settings yield 120.2 FPS, highlighting that the resolution, not the CPU, is the limiting factor in most scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip and a 5 nm process from TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The card is equipped with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This massive memory pool and bandwidth are crucial for 4K gaming, where high-resolution textures and complex effects demand rapid data access.

In Outriders, the GPU's role is dominant. The benchmark results show that at 4K Ultra, the combo achieves 62.1 FPS, which is a playable but not high-refresh-rate experience. The card's 21,760 shading units and 176 ROPs are pushed hard, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops at higher settings. The RTX 5090's pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are the raw specifications that determine how quickly it can fill the screen with rendered geometry and apply textures.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is notable. The data places it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,306. Its nearest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, scores 84,241, a delta of just 0.1%. The RTX 5090 also edges out the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 by 1.3%, while being 1.6% behind the NVIDIA CMP 40HX. This indicates that the RTX 5090 sits at the very top of the performance hierarchy, and its measured FPS in Outriders reflects that position.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D provides the computational foundation for this system, 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, with a 96 MB shared L3 cache. This large cache is particularly beneficial for gaming, as it reduces latency when accessing frequently used data. The processor’s Cinebench R23 multicore score of 34,004 and single-core score of 4,800 indicate strong all-around performance.

In Outriders, the CPU's influence is most visible at 1080p. At Low settings, the combo reaches 273.9 FPS, while at Ultra it achieves 195.5 FPS. The difference of 78.4 FPS between these settings at the same resolution shows that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high rates, but the GPU's workload still dictates the final output. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D’s Passmark single-thread score of 4,430 and multithread score of 40,009 suggest it has ample headroom for this title, which is not heavily threaded.

The CPU’s standing among rivals reinforces its capability. It holds the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37,780. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6353P, scores 37,811, a negligible delta of -0.1%. Similarly, the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 is -0.1% behind, and the Intel Core i9-13900HK is -0.6% behind. These tiny margins show that the 9800X3D is competitive with the best, but its real advantage in gaming often comes from its cache hierarchy, which is not fully captured in general synthetic scores.

FAQ

*Q: Is the RTX 5090 the bottleneck at 4K in Outriders?*

A: Yes, the data confirms this. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 62.1 FPS, while at 1080p Ultra it hits 195.5 FPS. This 68.2% drop strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at high resolutions, as the CPU has enough headroom to push higher frame rates at lower resolutions.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9800X3D compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 37,780, which is -0.1% behind the Intel Xeon 6353P and -0.1% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 225. It is -0.6% behind the Intel Core i9-13900HK and -0.7% behind the Intel Core i5-13600KF, indicating performance parity with top-tier CPUs.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 168 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is a strong result, suggesting that 1440p High is an excellent balance for high-refresh-rate monitors with this hardware combination.

Q: Does the 32 GB VRAM on the RTX 5090 make a difference in this game?

A: While the RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory with a 1.79 TB/s bandwidth, the measured FPS data does not isolate VRAM usage. However, the high memory capacity ensures that texture loading and data transfer are not limiting factors at any resolution tested.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The Low preset yields the highest average at 273.9 FPS, followed by Medium at 242.6 FPS, High at 217.2 FPS, and Ultra at 195.5 FPS. The choice depends on whether you prioritize maximum FPS or visual quality.

*Q: How does the combo rank overall in Outriders?*

A: This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 8th out of 1,693 tested hardware combos in this game, placing it in the top tier of systems for playing Outriders.

Settings Recommendations

For a 4K display, the data suggests that Medium settings at 120.2 FPS is the optimal choice for a smooth experience. Ultra at 62.1 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid, while High at 86.4 FPS offers a middle ground. Low at 164.7 FPS is excessive for most displays and sacrifices too much visual fidelity. At 1440p, the High preset at 168 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a high frame rate with good visual quality. The Ultra preset at 125.9 FPS is also viable, but the drop in FPS may not justify the visual gain for all users. At 1080p, the Medium preset at 242.6 FPS is the best balance, as it delivers a very high frame rate while maintaining better visual detail than Low. The High preset at 217.2 FPS is also a strong option for those who prioritize image quality over raw FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS are as follows: Low settings produce 273.9 FPS, Medium produces 242.6 FPS, High produces 217.2 FPS, and Ultra produces 195.5 FPS. This shows a clear progression, with the difference between Low and Ultra being 78.4 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 237.1 FPS, Medium at 206.9 FPS, High at 168 FPS, and Ultra at 125.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra widens to 111.2 FPS, demonstrating the increased GPU load.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 164.7 FPS, Medium at 120.2 FPS, High at 86.4 FPS, and Ultra at 62.1 FPS. Here, the difference between Low and Ultra is 102.6 FPS. The data points to a system that is extremely powerful at lower resolutions but becomes firmly GPU-limited at 4K, making settings adjustments critical for maintaining high frame rates at that resolution.