Outriders

The benchmark results for Outriders with the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER reveal a configuration that is decisively GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet capable of delivering high refresh rates at 1080p. The data indicates a clear hierarchy where the graphics card is the primary bottleneck for 4K gaming, while the processor provides sufficient headroom for competitive frame rates at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, demonstrating how quickly the GPU becomes the limiting factor in this looter shooter. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 121.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 77.2 FPS at 2560x1440, a 36.6% reduction, before plummeting to 39.5 FPS at 3840x2160, a 67.6% drop from the 1080p baseline. This pattern confirms that the RTX 2070 SUPER’s compute resources are exhausted by the pixel count at 4K, leaving the CPU largely idle.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced when comparing Low settings. The 1080p Low result reaches 156.8 FPS, while 1440p Low drops to 134 FPS, and 4K Low manages only 74.3 FPS. The 4K Low figure is notable: it is barely half of the 1440p Low score, indicating that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot sustain high frame rates at 2160p. This suggests the 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are sufficient for the texture loads, but the raw shading throughput of 9.062 TFLOPS is insufficient for 4K at playable levels.

The transition from 1440p to 4K is the most punishing. At Medium settings, 1440p delivers 102.6 FPS, but 4K Medium falls to 52.5 FPS—a 48.8% reduction. Similarly, at Ultra, 1440p achieves 57.3 FPS while 4K Ultra drops to 28.8 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo at higher settings, while 1080p provides the best opportunity to leverage the CPU’s capabilities.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications directly explain the observed frame rates. With a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, the GPU’s 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs are tasked with rendering Outriders’ dense environments. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for the game’s asset streaming at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result of 28.8 FPS indicates that the memory subsystem and compute units are overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and maximum settings.

The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 65 places it above average among all GPUs, but its nearest rivals show a tight competitive cluster. It trails the NVIDIA RTX 4060 Mobile by 2.3% in average benchmark score, while leading the AMD Radeon RX 5700 by 2.5%. This mid-tier positioning explains why 4K High (39.5 FPS) and 4K Ultra (28.8 FPS) are not viable for consistent play. The Turing architecture’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores do not provide a meaningful advantage in Outriders, as the game’s rendering load is primarily rasterization-based.

The performance gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution highlights the GPU’s scaling efficiency. At 1080p, the spread from Low (156.8 FPS) to Ultra (88.5 FPS) is 68.3 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact. At 4K, the same spread is 45.5 FPS (74.3 to 28.8), which is smaller in absolute terms but represents a larger relative drop—the Ultra score is only 38.8% of the Low score. This indicates that the GPU’s fixed execution resources are saturated at 4K regardless of settings, making the GPU the unequivocal bottleneck at that resolution.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Outriders?*

A: The highest measured average is 156.8 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that exceeds 150 FPS, suggesting that the CPU and GPU can push well beyond typical refresh rates when graphical load is minimized.

*Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER capable of 4K gaming in Outriders?*

A: No. The best 4K result is 74.3 FPS at Low settings, but High and Ultra settings drop to 39.5 FPS and 28.8 FPS, respectively. These figures indicate that 4K is only playable at the lowest settings, and even then, the frame rate is not consistently smooth.

Q: How does the GPU’s benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER’s average benchmark score of 22206 is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307) and 0.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22006). It also trails the RTX 4060 Mobile by 2.3% but leads the RX 5700 by 2.5%.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 141.2 FPS at 1080p to 102.6 FPS at 1440p, a 27.3% reduction. This is a significant but manageable loss, making 1440p Medium a viable option for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any resolution?

A: The data does not show evidence of a CPU bottleneck. The 1080p Low result of 156.8 FPS is the highest recorded, and the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, indicating that the GPU is the limiting component across all tested configurations.

Q: What is the worst-case performance scenario for this combo?

A: The worst-case is 4K Ultra, which yields an average of 28.8 FPS. This is below the 30 FPS threshold considered the minimum for playability, making this configuration unusable for high-fidelity 4K gaming.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 1693 tested combinations in Outriders, this pairing of Intel Core i5-10400F and RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 1196th. This places it in the lower third of all combos, reflecting the GPU’s mid-tier status rather than a fundamental flaw in the pairing. The rank is driven by the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 65th percentile standing among all GPUs, which limits the system’s ability to compete with higher-end cards that can handle 4K Ultra settings.

The CPU’s percentile of 73 is higher than the GPU’s, suggesting that the i5-10400F is relatively stronger in the broader hardware landscape. However, in Outriders, the game’s GPU-intensive nature means the graphics card dictates the overall ranking. The combo’s position at 1196 out of 1693 indicates that while this system can deliver solid 1080p and 1440p performance, it is outclassed by a significant portion of the tested configurations, particularly those with more powerful GPUs. The rank is not a verdict on the combo’s playability but rather its standing relative to all possible pairings, many of which include flagship graphics cards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates show a clear progression across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 156.8 (Low) to 88.5 (Ultra), with Medium at 141.2 and High at 121.8. These figures indicate that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, as even Ultra settings maintain a playable frame rate above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings produce 134 FPS, Medium 102.6 FPS, High 77.2 FPS, and Ultra 57.3 FPS. The Ultra result is just below the 60 FPS target, making it marginal for smooth gameplay, while High remains comfortable. The 1440p data shows that the GPU can handle higher resolutions when settings are moderated.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely disappointing. Low settings achieve 74.3 FPS, Medium 52.5 FPS, High 39.5 FPS, and Ultra 28.8 FPS. Only the Low preset is consistently playable, and even that is below the 80 FPS threshold that many gamers prefer. The 4K data confirms that this combo is not designed for ultra-high-definition gaming, with the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth being insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, the 1080p High preset is the recommended choice. At 121.8 FPS, it exceeds the 100 FPS mark that is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays, providing a smooth experience without the visual degradation of Low settings. Gamers prioritizing competitive play can select 1080p Low for 156.8 FPS, which maximizes responsiveness but sacrifices detail.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 102.6 FPS is the optimal pick. It maintains triple-digit frame rates while offering better visual fidelity than Low. The High preset at 77.2 FPS is also viable for those who prefer higher quality, but the drop below 80 FPS may be noticeable on 144Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 57.3 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

For 4K, the only playable option is Low settings at 74.3 FPS. However, this comes with significant graphical compromises, and the Medium preset at 52.5 FPS is borderline, while High and Ultra are unsuitable. Given the data, this combo should be paired with a 1080p or 1440p monitor for the best experience, as 4K gaming is not a realistic use case.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides a solid foundation for this combo, with 6 cores and 12 threads running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s are adequate for feeding the GPU in Outriders. The CPU’s benchmark results, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and a single-core score of 1453, indicate a capable processor that does not bottleneck the GPU at any tested resolution.

The CPU’s 73rd percentile ranking among all processors and its nearest rival comparisons—0.4% behind the AMD EPYC 7552 and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C—show that it is a solid mid-range chip. In Outriders, the game’s thread utilization appears to benefit from the 12 threads, as the 1080p Low result of 156.8 FPS suggests the CPU can handle high frame rates without becoming a limiting factor. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748 and max-thread score of 4735 reinforce that multi-threaded performance is consistent.

The 65W TDP and 14 nm process node contribute to efficient operation, but the key takeaway is that the i5-10400F is not the constraint in this system. The data shows that frame rates scale inversely with resolution and settings, which is the signature of a GPU-bound configuration. For gamers looking to upgrade, investing in a more powerful GPU would yield greater performance gains than replacing the CPU, as the current processor has ample headroom for Outriders’ demands.