Outriders

# Outriders Performance Analysis: Intel Core i3-12100F + AMD Radeon RX 570

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 delivers a playable but constrained experience in Outriders, a looter shooter released on 2021-03-31. With a combo rank of 3533 out of 3710 tested configurations, this pairing sits in the lower percentile of systems, yet the measured frame rates reveal a nuanced story about where bottlenecks emerge. At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 99 FPS average, suggesting the hardware can push respectable numbers when graphical load is minimized, but the steep drop at higher resolutions and settings indicates a GPU that struggles under pressure. The data shows a system that rewards players willing to compromise on visual fidelity, with the RX 570's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and the i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads creating a partnership that is clearly GPU-limited in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a dramatic scaling pattern across resolutions, with the RX 570's limitations becoming increasingly apparent as pixel count rises. At 1080p High settings, the combo averages 54 FPS, which drops to 34 FPS at 1440p High—a 37% reduction—and plummets to 18 FPS at 4K High, representing a 67% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline indicates that the GPU's 224.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are insufficient to feed the increasing pixel throughput demanded by higher resolutions.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings shows a similar pattern: 99 FPS falls to 63 FPS, a 36% decrease, while 4K Low yields 33 FPS—a 67% reduction from 1080p. The consistency of these percentages across settings suggests that resolution scaling is governed primarily by the GPU's raw throughput capabilities rather than memory capacity or other factors. At Medium settings, the measured minimum and maximum FPS values provide additional insight: 1080p Medium shows 61-83 FPS with an average of 72, while 1440p Medium shows 39-53 FPS with an average of 46, and 4K Medium shows 20-27 FPS with an average of 24.

This scaling behavior strongly indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. The RX 570's 4 GB VRAM buffer likely becomes a constraint at 4K, where texture data and frame buffers exceed comfortable capacity. The CPU's role appears secondary—the i3-12100F's single-thread performance (893 in 3dmark single-thread, 1674 in Cinebench R23 single-core) is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions, but the gap widens as resolution increases, confirming that Outriders is GPU-bound in this configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 3533 out of 3710 tested combinations places it in the bottom 5% of all systems benchmarked in Outriders. This low standing reflects the RX 570's age and position in the GPU hierarchy rather than any fundamental flaw in the pairing. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 74 indicates it outperforms 74% of all GPUs in general benchmark terms, yet in Outriders specifically, the combo's rank suggests the game's demands are particularly harsh on this hardware.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the RX 570's average benchmark score of 28766 sits within 1.2% of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (28421) and within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28580). The RX 6800M scores 28874, just 0.4% higher, while the RX 470 scores 28996, 0.8% higher. These tight margins indicate that the RX 570 is performing exactly as expected relative to its peers, meaning the low combo rank in Outriders stems from the game's specific engine characteristics rather than a defective or underperforming unit.

The CPU's ranking provides context: the i3-12100F's percentileVsAllCpus of 68 shows it beats 68% of all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 13494 is nearly identical to the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta) and within 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-9500 (13452). This suggests the processor is not the primary bottleneck—a conclusion supported by the resolution scaling data, which shows the GPU limiting performance more severely as pixel count increases. The combo's rank reflects a GPU-limited system where the CPU has headroom that cannot be utilized due to graphics constraints.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the dominant factor in this combo's Outriders performance. Built on the Polaris 20 chip using GCN 4.0 architecture at 14 nm, this GPU operates with a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz. The memory configuration consists of 4 GB of GDDR5 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth—a figure that proves insufficient for Outriders' higher resolution demands.

The GPU's 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs provide a compute foundation that yields 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s are modest by modern standards, and the 4 GB VRAM capacity becomes a practical limitation at 4K resolution. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 13 FPS, while 4K High yields 18 FPS—both figures indicating the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and demanding settings.

The RX 570's benchmark results reinforce its mid-range positioning: 880 in 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12, 39349 in Geekbench Metal, 32084 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 42752 in Geekbench Vulkan. These scores, combined with its 74th percentile ranking among all GPUs, paint a picture of a capable 1080p performer that struggles beyond that resolution. In Outriders, the GPU's role as the limiting component is clear—the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K follows the GPU's throughput curve, not the CPU's capability curve.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the Outriders experience on this hardware. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 99 FPS average, which is the only setting that achieves near-100 FPS performance. High settings at 1080p yield 54 FPS, while Medium produces 72 FPS, and Ultra drops to 39 FPS. The Medium preset's measured range of 61-83 FPS suggests it provides the best balance between visual quality and playability, offering a consistent experience above typical 60 FPS thresholds.

For players prioritizing smooth gameplay over visual fidelity, 1080p Low is the recommended starting point, as the 99 FPS average provides substantial headroom for demanding scenes. Those seeking better visuals should consider 1080p Medium, where the 72 FPS average and 61 FPS minimum ensure that most gameplay remains fluid. The High preset at 54 FPS is borderline, while Ultra at 39 FPS may struggle in intense combat sequences typical of looter shooters.

At 1440p, the options become more limited. Low settings yield 63 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 46 FPS and High to 34 FPS. The 4K resolution is not viable for this hardware—even Low settings produce only 33 FPS, and Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 FPS. The data clearly indicates that 1080p is the target resolution for this combo, with Medium settings representing the optimal compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate stability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Outriders?

A: The measured data shows 1080p as the only viable resolution for smooth gameplay. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 99 FPS average, while 1440p Low drops to 63 FPS and 4K Low falls to 33 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Outriders at 4K?

A: Technically yes, but not at playable frame rates. The 4K High preset averages 18 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 FPS, and even Low settings only reach 33 FPS—all well below acceptable thresholds for an action game.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. Resolution scaling shows FPS dropping by approximately 67% from 1080p to 4K at both Low and High settings, a pattern consistent with GPU-bound performance. The i3-12100F's 68th percentile CPU ranking supports this conclusion.

Q: How does the RX 570 compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The RX 570's average benchmark score of 28766 is within 0.4% of the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (28874), within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28580), and within 1.2% of the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (28421).

Q: What settings provide the best experience at 1080p?

A: Medium settings offer the best balance, with a 72 FPS average and minimum of 61 FPS. For maximum smoothness, Low settings deliver 99 FPS, while High and Ultra provide 54 FPS and 39 FPS respectively.

Q: Does the 4 GB VRAM capacity affect performance in Outriders?

A: The 4 GB GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth appears insufficient at 4K resolution, where even Low settings produce only 33 FPS. The steep FPS drops at higher resolutions suggest VRAM capacity or bandwidth becomes a limiting factor.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F plays a supporting role in this combo's Outriders performance, providing sufficient processing power without becoming the primary constraint. This Alder Lake-S architecture CPU features 4 cores and 8 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache provide reasonable data locality for game workloads.

Benchmark results show the i3-12100F's capabilities: a single-thread score of 893 in 3dmark, 1674 in Cinebench R23 single-core, and 1932 in Geekbench single-core. Multi-threaded performance includes 4026 in 3dmark 8-threads, 11860 in Cinebench R23 multicore, and 7252 in Geekbench multicore. These scores place the CPU at the 68th percentile among all processors, indicating it outperforms a majority of CPUs despite its budget positioning.

The CPU's 58 W TDP and 10 nm process node contribute to efficient operation, while its PCIe Gen 5 support with 16 lanes ensures the GPU has adequate bandwidth—though the RX 570 itself uses PCIe 3.0 x16. In Outriders, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the data suggests it does so adequately at 1080p, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The fact that FPS scales consistently with resolution rather than showing CPU-induced plateaus confirms that the i3-12100F is not the bottleneck in this system.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across all tested configurations:

At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are consistently low: High preset averages 18 FPS, Low averages 33 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 FPS and maximum of 27 FPS, and Ultra averages 13 FPS.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), performance improves but remains limited: High averages 34 FPS, Low averages 63 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the combo shows its best results: High averages 54 FPS, Low averages 99 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 83 FPS, and Ultra averages 39 FPS.

The Medium preset's min/max data at each resolution provides insight into frame time consistency: 1080p Medium ranges from 61 to 83 FPS, 1440p Medium from 39 to 53 FPS, and 4K Medium from 20 to 27 FPS. This data reveals that even at lower resolutions, the frame rate fluctuation is manageable, with the spread between minimum and maximum averaging roughly 22-30% of the average value across all Medium presets. The 1080p Low preset's 99 FPS average represents the only configuration that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, while all other settings and resolutions fall below 75 FPS, indicating that players seeking smooth performance should prioritize 1080p with reduced graphical settings.