Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor from the 7000 series, built on the Zen 4 architecture (codenamed Raphael) using a 5 nm process. It has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. For Outriders, a looter shooter that relies heavily on consistent frame pacing, this CPU’s multi-threaded muscle is relevant, but the game’s engine does not appear to be bottlenecked by it. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 262.8 FPS, which indicates the CPU is feeding the GPU effectively without being a limiting factor, even at lower resolutions where CPU load is typically highest. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 43695 and a PassMark multithread score of 51406, place it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, meaning it is a top-tier part for handling any background tasks while gaming.

The 7900X’s single-thread performance is equally strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6168 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1093. This matters for Outriders, as the game’s core logic and physics often rely on fewer threads. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, which is 0.1% ahead, and the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT, which is 0.4% ahead in average benchmark score. The Intel Core i7-13850HX and i9-13980HX are 0.5% and 0.8% ahead, respectively. These deltas are negligible, meaning the 7900X is effectively on par with these parts for this game’s CPU demands. With a TDP of 170 W and support for DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, the platform is modern, but the game’s frame rates at higher resolutions show that the GPU becomes the dominant factor long before the CPU’s headroom is exhausted.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combo provides clear guidance on the best settings preset for Outriders. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 262.8 FPS, Medium achieves 230.2 FPS, High reaches 209.3 FPS, and Ultra drops to 185.3 FPS. The jump from Low to Ultra is a 77.5 FPS reduction, but even Ultra remains well above the 144 Hz refresh rate that most high-end monitors target. At 1440p, the pattern shifts slightly: Low produces 226 FPS, Medium 196.8 FPS, High 167.6 FPS, and Ultra 126.1 FPS. Here, Ultra is the first preset to dip below 144 FPS, making High the more practical choice for a 144 Hz display at this resolution.

At 4K (3840x2160), the differences become stark. Low yields 161.7 FPS, Medium 120 FPS, High 89.5 FPS, and Ultra 62.8 FPS. The data indicates that for a smooth 4K experience, Low is the only preset that clears the 144 FPS threshold, while Medium still delivers a playable 120 FPS for 120 Hz panels. High and Ultra are better suited for 60 Hz displays, though Ultra’s 62.8 FPS is just above that mark. The recommendation is to use High at 1080p and 1440p for the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, as the performance drop from Low to High is only 53.5 FPS at 1080p and 58.4 FPS at 1440p, but the visual quality gain is substantial. At 4K, users should prioritize Low or Medium depending on whether they prefer maximum frame rate or are willing to accept 120 FPS for better visuals. The data shows that the Ultra preset’s cost is disproportionately high at 4K, where it delivers less than half the FPS of Low, making it the least efficient choice.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the combo drops from 262.8 FPS at 1080p to 161.7 FPS at 4K, a 101.1 FPS decrease. This 38.5% reduction in performance is substantial but not catastrophic, indicating that the RTX 5090 has enough headroom to handle the increased pixel count. At Medium settings, 1080p yields 230.2 FPS, while 4K drops to 120 FPS, a 110.2 FPS reduction. The High preset sees 209.3 FPS at 1080p fall to 89.5 FPS at 4K, a 119.8 FPS drop. The Ultra preset is the most affected, with 185.3 FPS at 1080p plummeting to 62.8 FPS at 4K, a 122.5 FPS reduction.

The pattern is consistent: as resolution increases, the frame rate penalty grows, which is a classic sign that the GPU is the limiting component. The RTX 5090’s 32 GB of VRAM and 1.79 TB/s memory bandwidth are more than sufficient for 4K textures, but the raw compute demand of 4K resolution outpaces even this flagship card’s capabilities at higher presets. At 1080p, the CPU’s role is more pronounced, but the 7900X’s high single-thread scores ensure it does not bottleneck the GPU. The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K, particularly at lower presets. For instance, at Low, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36.8 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 64.3 FPS. This indicates that 4K is where the GPU’s limits are truly tested, while 1440p remains a comfortable middle ground for high-refresh-rate gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combos for Outriders, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 19th out of 1693 total combinations. This places it in the top 1.1% of all tested systems, which is an exceptional result for a game that is not typically considered a benchmark powerhouse. The high rank is driven primarily by the RTX 5090’s sheer performance, as the GPU’s 94th percentile ranking among all graphics cards is a stronger indicator of in-game success than the CPU’s 93rd percentile. The combo’s performance at 1080p, where it hits 262.8 FPS on Low, suggests that only a handful of other configurations, likely those with even faster CPUs, can exceed this frame rate.

The rank of 19th out of 1693 is notable because it demonstrates that this combination is near the top of the performance hierarchy, but it is not the absolute best. The data implies that the 7900X, while excellent, is not the fastest CPU available, and in a game like Outriders that is not heavily CPU-threaded, the 12-core processor’s advantage over rivals is minimal. The nearest rival CPUs, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 235, are within 0.1% to 0.8% in average benchmark scores, meaning that swapping the 7900X for a slightly faster part would yield negligible FPS gains. The rank confirms the GPU’s dominance, as the RTX 5090’s nearest rivals, including the RTX 5090 D (0.1% ahead) and the RTX 5050 Mobile (0.2% ahead), are essentially identical in average score. This means the combo’s rank is more dependent on the game’s optimization for the GPU architecture than on the specific CPU choice.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the primary driver of this combo’s performance in Outriders. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, and is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process. The GPU has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with 21760 shading units and 680 TMUs. Its FP32 compute power is 104.8 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, which is relevant for a modern game like Outriders. The GPU’s benchmark scores are impressive, with a PassMark G3D score of 39650 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14411, placing it in the 94th percentile of all GPUs.

In Outriders, the GPU’s role is critical, especially at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 62.8 FPS, which is a significant reduction from the 1080p Ultra score of 185.3 FPS. This is not a VRAM capacity issue, as 32 GB is far more than any current game requires, but rather a compute limitation. The RTX 5090’s nearest rivals, such as the RTX 5090 D (0.1% ahead) and the RTX 5050 Mobile (0.2% ahead), show that this card is at the top of the performance stack, and its 1.6% deficit to the NVIDIA CMP 40HX is an outlier. The GPU’s 575 W TDP and suggested 950 W PSU make it a power-hungry component, but its performance justifies the requirements. The data indicates that the RTX 5090 is the deciding factor in this combo’s high rank, as its ability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p is unmatched by lesser cards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, 4K) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 262.8 FPS, Medium 230.2 FPS, High 209.3 FPS, and Ultra 185.3 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 77.5 FPS, with each preset step reducing performance by approximately 20-25 FPS. This resolution is clearly CPU-friendly, as the 7900X’s strong single-thread performance keeps the GPU fed.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 226 FPS for Low, 196.8 FPS for Medium, 167.6 FPS for High, and 126.1 FPS for Ultra. The gap between Medium and High is 29.2 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 41.5 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset has a disproportionately high cost at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the averages are 161.7 FPS for Low, 120 FPS for Medium, 89.5 FPS for High, and 62.8 FPS for Ultra. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K is 26.7 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference among the presets, but the percentage reduction is significant.

The data shows that the Low preset is the most scalable, with a 101.1 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K, while the Ultra preset has a 122.5 FPS difference. This indicates that the higher presets are more demanding on the GPU’s compute resources, making them less efficient at 4K. For players with a 144 Hz monitor, the sweet spot is 1440p High, which delivers 167.6 FPS, while 4K users should stick to Low for 161.7 FPS or Medium for 120 FPS. The Ultra preset is only viable for 60 Hz displays at 4K, and even then, it barely exceeds that threshold. Overall, the measured FPS data confirms that this combo is overkill for 1080p gaming, where it can push well beyond 200 FPS on most presets, but it is still one of the few systems that can approach 4K 120 FPS with medium settings.