Outriders

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 pairing in Outriders presents a clear study in component hierarchy. The CPU is a flagship 16-core processor built for extreme throughput, while the GPU is a compact 8 GB card aimed at mainstream 1080p gaming. The measured frame rates reveal that in this looter shooter, the GPU is the dominant factor, with the CPU providing a robust foundation that never appears to bottleneck the experience. This analysis breaks down the measured data to show exactly how these components interact across resolutions and settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, running on the AM5 socket. Its base clock is 4.30 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.70 GHz, and it carries a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache. In the broader benchmark landscape, this CPU sits in the 95th percentile of all tested processors, indicating top-tier performance. Its average benchmark score of 75779 places it nearly neck-and-neck with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755, which scores 75738, a difference of just 0.1%. It is similarly matched with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D (75716, +0.1% delta) and the AMD EPYC 8224P (75582, +0.3% delta), showing that its raw compute power is at the very peak of what is available.

In the context of Outriders, this raw CPU power is largely held in reserve. The measured frame rates show a pattern where performance scales dramatically with resolution and graphics settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. For instance, at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 245 FPS, but at 4K with Ultra settings, it drops to 32 FPS. This massive swing is far more indicative of the graphics card's workload than the CPU's capabilities. The 9950X3D’s single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 3064 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1292, is more than sufficient to feed the RTX 4060 at any resolution. Even at 1080p Low, where CPU overhead is most likely to surface, the 245 FPS average suggests the processor is not a limiting factor.

The data indicates that the CPU's role here is to provide a stable, high-performance platform that ensures frame times remain consistent, even when the GPU is pushed to its limits. The 16 cores and 32 threads, while not fully utilized by Outriders, ensure that background tasks and the game's engine have ample resources. The processor’s 3DMark 16-thread score of 16374 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42018 show it can handle any CPU-intensive workload the game might throw at it, but the benchmark results for this specific title show that the FPS ceiling is set by the GPU, not the CPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the clear performance limiter in this pairing for Outriders. This GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. Its base clock is 1830 MHz, boosting to 2460 MHz. In the global GPU rankings, it holds the 61st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2% delta) and the AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3% delta), placing it in the mid-range tier of graphics cards.

The impact of the RTX 4060’s 8 GB VRAM and memory bandwidth is immediately apparent in the measured FPS. At 4K resolution, the card struggles, with an average of 44 FPS on High settings and just 32 FPS on Ultra. This is a clear sign that the GPU is running out of both memory bandwidth and raw shading power at this resolution. The 128-bit memory bus is a significant constraint for higher resolutions. The card's FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS and its 3072 shading units are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings.

However, the card shows its intended purpose at 1080p. Here, it delivers a very playable 134 FPS on High settings and a blistering 245 FPS on Low. This suggests that the RTX 4060 is well-suited for 1080p gaming, where its memory bandwidth is sufficient and its compute units are not overwhelmed. The data shows a clear correlation: as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the FPS drops proportionally. The GPU's performance is also heavily influenced by the settings preset. The jump from 134 FPS at 1080p High to 97 FPS at 1080p Ultra highlights the cost of the highest visual fidelity, which is a direct result of the GPU's limited processing power.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this combo in Outriders depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers an excellent balance, delivering 134 FPS. This is a significant upgrade over the Ultra preset, which drops to 97 FPS, a 37 FPS difference for what is often a marginal visual improvement. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 178 FPS, which is even smoother, but the High preset provides a better balance of visual quality and performance. For competitive play or maximum smoothness, the Low preset at 245 FPS is the clear choice, but for most players, High is recommended.

For 2560x1440, the High preset remains the best choice, with an average of 84 FPS. This is perfectly playable and looks great. The Medium preset offers a higher 112 FPS, which might be preferable for those who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, but High is still comfortably above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 61 FPS, which is borderline for a smooth experience, and the visual gain over High is not worth the significant performance hit. Therefore, High is the recommended preset for 1440p.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The RTX 4060 is not powerful enough for high-fidelity 4K gaming in this title. The High preset only manages 44 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience. The Medium preset achieves 59 FPS, which is playable but still not ideal. The Low preset at 81 FPS is the only option that provides a consistently smooth frame rate at 4K. For 4K users, the recommendation is to use the Low preset to maintain playability, or to consider dropping to 1440p and using the High preset for a superior overall experience. The data strongly suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where High settings provide the best experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1800th out of 3710 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the middle of the pack, which is a direct consequence of pairing a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU. The ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability, which is in the 95th percentile, but rather the GPU's, which is in the 61st percentile. In a game like Outriders, where the GPU is the primary driver of FPS, the overall combo rank is dragged down by the graphics card.

This rank of 1800 out of 3710 means that a majority of other CPU-GPU pairings tested will deliver higher average frame rates in this specific game. This is not surprising, as any combo with a more powerful GPU would likely outperform this pairing. The data indicates that the CPU is vastly overqualified for the task, and the bottleneck is almost entirely on the GPU side. This is a classic example of an unbalanced build, where the CPU's potential is not fully utilized because the GPU cannot keep up. The high rank of the CPU in isolation does not translate to a high combo rank in a GPU-bound scenario.

The practical takeaway is that for Outriders, the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor. The 9950X3D is essentially a non-factor in determining the final FPS. The combo rank is a useful indicator that this is not a top-tier gaming machine for this title, and that a more balanced pairing would perform better. For someone with this CPU, a more powerful GPU would be a necessary upgrade to move the combo rank significantly higher, as the CPU has plenty of headroom to support it.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a classic GPU-bound curve, but with a particularly steep drop-off due to the RTX 4060's limitations. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 134 at 1080p, to 84 at 1440p, and finally to 44 at 4K. This is a reduction of 50 FPS when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and another 40 FPS when moving from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is being overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count.

The pattern is similar across all settings. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 245 at 1080p to 155 at 1440p and 81 at 4K. At Medium settings, it's 178 to 112 to 59. At Ultra, it's 97 to 61 to 32. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is roughly 70-75% in all cases, which is a very significant performance penalty. This scaling behavior is a strong indicator that the system is entirely GPU-limited. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a smaller performance difference between 1080p and 4K, as the CPU load would remain relatively constant.

The data suggests that the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus of the RTX 4060 are the primary culprits for this scaling. At 4K, the GPU has to process four times as many pixels as at 1080p, and its memory bandwidth is insufficient to feed the shaders quickly enough. This results in the dramatic FPS drop. The results clearly show that this combo is designed for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and attempting to run Outriders at 4K with high settings will result in a subpar experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across all settings and resolutions.

1920x1080:

• Low: 245 FPS average.
• Medium: 178 FPS average, with a minimum of 152 FPS and a maximum of 205 FPS.
• High: 134 FPS average.
• Ultra: 97 FPS average.

At 1080p, this combo excels. Even at Ultra settings, it maintains an average of 97 FPS, which is very smooth. The Low preset offers an extremely high frame rate that would be ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium and High presets both offer excellent performance, with the High preset being the most balanced.

2560x1440:

• Low: 155 FPS average.
• Medium: 112 FPS average, with a minimum of 96 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS.
• High: 84 FPS average.
• Ultra: 61 FPS average.

At 1440p, the combo remains strong. The High preset at 84 FPS is a good target for a smooth experience. The Medium preset provides a comfortable buffer above 100 FPS. The Ultra preset at 61 FPS is playable but close to the edge of what is considered smooth.

3840x2160:

• Low: 81 FPS average.
• Medium: 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS.
• High: 44 FPS average.
• Ultra: 32 FPS average.

At 4K, the combo struggles. Only the Low preset manages to stay above 60 FPS. The Medium preset is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets are not suitable for a good gaming experience. This data confirms that 4K is not a viable resolution for this pairing in Outriders, and users should stick to 1080p or 1440p.