Outriders

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D sits at the top of the desktop processor stack with 16 cores and 32 threads, built on the Zen 5 architecture at TSMC's 4 nm process. Its base clock of 4.30 GHz and boost clock of 5.70 GHz, combined with a 128 MB L3 cache, give it substantial headroom for both lightly-threaded and fully-loaded workloads. The chip's 170 W TDP reflects its high-end positioning, while its 95th percentile ranking among all CPUs in the database confirms that it is one of the fastest processors available for general-purpose computing.

Looking at synthetic benchmarks, the 9950X3D posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,018 and a single-core score of 2,259. In Geekbench, it achieves 26,736 multi-core and 3,064 single-core. These numbers translate directly to gaming performance in Outriders, where the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations is critical. The 3DMark results tell a similar story: 17,184 at max threads, 9,259 at 8 threads, 4,963 at 4 threads, and 2,549 at 2 threads. Even at just two threads, the processor maintains strong performance, which matters for games that rely on a few heavily-utilized threads.

The nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark database are extremely close. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755 scores 75,738 on average, a mere 0.1% behind, while the Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D is also 0.1% behind at 75,716. The AMD EPYC 8224P trails by 0.3%, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 is 0.4% behind. This clustering shows that the 9950X3D is at the very front of a tightly-packed pack of high-end processors, but its advantage in Outriders specifically comes from the combination of high single-thread performance and massive cache.

In Outriders, the data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 293. At 1080p Ultra, it drops to 188 FPS. The CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings, where the GPU is not the bottleneck. The fact that 1080p Low (293 FPS) is only about 56% faster than 1080p Ultra (188 FPS) indicates that the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame rates, but the GPU still plays a significant role even at the lowest settings. The 9950X3D's 16 cores and 32 threads are more than sufficient for Outriders' engine, which is not known for extreme core scaling; instead, the processor's strong single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1,292) ensures that the game's main simulation thread is never starved.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the flagship of the GeForce 40-series, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture at TSMC's 5 nm process. It houses 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation pipelines, along with 128 ray tracing cores and 512 tensor cores. The GPU's base clock is 2,235 MHz with a boost clock of 2,520 MHz, and its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory runs at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) across a 384-bit bus, yielding 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This massive memory pool is far more than Outriders requires, even at 4K Ultra settings, which means VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in any of the measured configurations.

The RTX 4090's compute capabilities are equally impressive: 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s, and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s. These figures explain why the GPU can handle Outriders' particle effects and environmental detail at high resolutions. In the benchmark database, the RTX 4090 sits at the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60,347. Its nearest rivals are interesting: the Intel Arc Pro A60 is essentially tied at 60,326 (0% delta), and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 is 0.3% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M is actually 2.5% ahead, while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 trails by 2.9%. This comparison suggests that the RTX 4090's raw benchmark scores are in a similar range to some workstation-class GPUs, but its gaming-oriented feature set and driver optimizations give it an edge in actual game performance.

In Outriders, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 62, which is the lowest of any measured configuration. At 4K Low, it jumps to 158 FPS. The GPU is clearly the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, as the CPU has plenty of headroom. The RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM ensures that even the most detailed textures at 4K do not cause memory pressure, allowing the GPU to focus all its compute resources on rendering. The clock speeds are also relevant: the boost clock of 2,520 MHz helps maintain consistent frame times, which is reflected in the 4K Medium results showing a min FPS of 97 and max of 132, a spread of 35 FPS that indicates some scene-to-scene variation but no major stuttering.

# Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for Outriders shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 293. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 251 FPS, a 14.3% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls to 158 FPS, a 46.1% decrease from 1080p. This scaling behavior indicates that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is doing more of the heavy lifting, but even then, the GPU is not completely idle — the fact that 293 FPS at 1080p Low is not higher suggests that Outriders' engine has some inherent frame rate ceiling or that the CPU's performance is being taxed by the game's logic.

At High settings, the scaling is similar but with a slightly different character. 1080p High averages 234 FPS, 1440p High drops to 165 FPS (a 29.5% decrease), and 4K High falls to 86 FPS (a 63.2% decrease from 1080p). The larger percentage drop from 1440p to 4K at High settings compared to Low settings shows that the GPU is becoming more of a bottleneck as both resolution and graphical fidelity increase. This is expected, as higher settings increase the per-pixel workload.

The Medium settings row provides the most complete data, with min and max FPS recorded for each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the average is 260 FPS with a min of 221 and max of 299. At 1440p Medium, the average is 219 FPS with a min of 187 and max of 252. At 4K Medium, the average is 115 FPS with a min of 97 and max of 132. The min-to-max spread grows from 78 FPS at 1080p to 65 FPS at 1440p and then narrows to 35 FPS at 4K. This narrowing suggests that at 4K, the GPU is consistently saturated, leading to more uniform frame times, whereas at lower resolutions, the CPU's variable workload causes more fluctuation.

Ultra settings show the steepest resolution penalty. 1080p Ultra averages 188 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 119 FPS (a 36.7% decrease), and 4K Ultra falls to 62 FPS (a 67.0% decrease from 1080p). The 4K Ultra result of 62 FPS is the only measured configuration that dips below 60 FPS territory in terms of average, though the 4K High result of 86 FPS is also below the 1440p Ultra result of 119 FPS. This data clearly shows that the RTX 4090 is the primary limiting component at 4K, especially with higher settings, while the Ryzen 9 9950X3D has enough headroom to support very high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

# FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Outriders?

A: The highest average FPS is 293, achieved at 1080p with Low settings. This is the maximum measured value across all resolution and settings combinations.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM ever become a limiting factor in Outriders?

A: No, the data shows that the 24 GB VRAM is more than sufficient. Even at 4K Ultra, which is the most demanding configuration, the average FPS is 62, and there are no indications of texture loading issues or memory-related stuttering.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 188 at 1080p to 119 at 1440p, and then to 62 at 4K. This represents a 67.0% decrease from 1080p to 4K, showing that the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: Which setting provides the best balance of visual quality and performance at 4K?

A: At 4K, the Medium settings provide an average of 115 FPS with a min of 97 and max of 132. This is the only 4K configuration with recorded min/max values, and it offers a substantial improvement over High (86 FPS) and Ultra (62 FPS) while still maintaining smooth frame rates.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 9950X3D compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The 9950X3D is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755, which is 0.1% behind in average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 9755X3D is also 0.1% behind, while the AMD EPYC 8224P is 0.3% behind and the Intel Core Ultra 9 285 is 0.4% behind.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the FPS differences between settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the FPS differences between Low (293), Medium (260), High (234), and Ultra (188) are relatively small in percentage terms compared to the differences at 4K. This suggests that the CPU is able to feed the GPU adequately at 1080p, and the GPU's workload scaling with settings is the primary factor, but the CPU's performance ceiling is also visible in the fact that even Low settings do not produce higher than 293 FPS.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 31st out of 3,710 tested combinations in Outriders. This places it in the top 0.84% of all tested combos, which is an exceptional result. The rank of 31 indicates that there are 30 other combinations that achieve higher average FPS in this game, likely involving even more specialized hardware or overclocked configurations. However, given that the RTX 4090 is listed as end-of-life and the 9950X3D is a recent release, this combo represents one of the most powerful current-generation pairings available.

The fact that this combo does not rank first overall suggests that Outriders has some specific hardware sensitivities. The CPU's percentile ranking of 95 and GPU's percentile of 88 are both high, but the combo rank of 31 out of 3,710 implies that the game responds disproportionately well to certain other hardware combinations. The data shows that the combo's performance is strong across all resolutions and settings, but the 4K Ultra result of 62 FPS is the weakest point, indicating that even this top-tier hardware cannot fully overcome the demands of maximum settings at 4K in Outriders.

Looking at the measured FPS values, the combo's strengths are most apparent at 1080p and 1440p, where it maintains averages above 188 FPS at all settings. The 1440p High result of 165 FPS is particularly noteworthy, as it provides a smooth experience for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K, the combo is still capable of playable frame rates at Medium (115 FPS) and High (86 FPS), but Ultra (62 FPS) is borderline for smooth gameplay. The rank of 31 reflects these balanced results — the combo is excellent across the board, but not the absolute fastest in any single configuration.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K gaming, the Medium settings are the clear recommendation. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 115, with a min of 97 and max of 132, which provides a smooth and consistent experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K High setting averages 86 FPS, which is still playable, but the 4K Ultra setting at 62 FPS — while technically above 60 — leaves little headroom for demanding scenes and could cause noticeable dips. The 4K Low setting at 158 FPS is not recommended because the visual quality loss is substantial for a game that is not competitively multiplayer.

For 1440p, the High settings are the best choice, delivering 165 FPS on average. This is a 46 FPS improvement over Ultra at 119 FPS, while the visual difference between High and Ultra is typically minor in Outriders. The 1440p Medium setting at 219 FPS is also viable for players with 240 Hz monitors, but the jump from Medium to High costs 54 FPS, which is a larger drop than the visual improvement justifies for most users.

At 1080p, the High setting at 234 FPS is the sweet spot. It provides a 46 FPS improvement over Ultra (188 FPS) while still looking significantly better than Medium (260 FPS) — the difference between High and Medium is only 26 FPS, but the visual quality gain is noticeable. The 1080p Low setting at 293 FPS is only useful for competitive play or for users with extremely high refresh rate monitors (300 Hz or above), as the visual quality trade-off is severe.

For users seeking the absolute best visual fidelity at any resolution, the Ultra preset is available, but the data shows that the performance cost is steep: 62 FPS at 4K, 119 FPS at 1440p, and 188 FPS at 1080p. The measured FPS values indicate that the Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that approaches the 60 FPS threshold, and even then, it lacks the headroom for consistent frame pacing.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in Outriders is as follows:

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 293 FPS average
• Medium: 260 FPS average, with min 221 and max 299
• High: 234 FPS average
• Ultra: 188 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 251 FPS average
• Medium: 219 FPS average, with min 187 and max 252
• High: 165 FPS average
• Ultra: 119 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 158 FPS average
• Medium: 115 FPS average, with min 97 and max 132
• High: 86 FPS average
• Ultra: 62 FPS average

The Medium settings are the only ones that include min and max FPS values, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the 78 FPS spread between min (221) and max (299) indicates that the CPU and GPU are both working hard, causing some fluctuation. At 1440p Medium, the spread narrows to 65 FPS (187 to 252), and at 4K Medium, it narrows further to 35 FPS (97 to 132). This pattern shows that as the GPU becomes more saturated at higher resolutions, the frame times become more consistent, which is typical for GPU-bound scenarios.

The data also reveals the scaling factors between resolutions. At Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces FPS by 14.3%, and from 1440p to 4K by 37.1%. At High settings, the drops are 29.5% and 47.9% respectively. At Ultra settings, they are 36.7% and 47.9%. The largest single drop is from 1440p High (165 FPS) to 4K High (86 FPS), a 47.9% decrease, which highlights the significant computational cost of 4K rendering. The smallest drop is from 1080p Low (293 FPS) to 1440p Low (251 FPS), a 14.3% decrease, showing that the CPU is the primary limiter at lower resolutions and settings.

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9950X3D and RTX 4090 delivers excellent performance in Outriders across all measured configurations. The CPU's 16 cores and high clock speeds ensure that the game's logic is never the bottleneck at 1080p, while the GPU's massive compute and memory bandwidth handle 4K rendering admirably. The rank of 31 out of 3,710 combos confirms that this pairing is among the fastest available for this game, with the only weakness being the 4K Ultra preset, which dips to 62 FPS. For most users, the Medium or High settings at 1440p or 4K will provide the best balance of visual quality and performance.