Outriders

Intel Core i5-10400F pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti in a combination that delivers a wide spread of frame rates across Outriders’ preset ladder, but the scaling pattern reveals exactly where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p, the CPU is clearly the limiting factor; at 4K, the GPU takes over. The measured data shows a 61 FPS average at 4K High, which drops to 44 FPS at 4K Ultra — a steep penalty for the highest preset. Meanwhile, the same High preset at 1440p produces 108 FPS, and at 1080p it reaches 125 FPS. This is a system that can handle the game at high refresh rates on lower resolutions, but 4K Ultra pushes it to the edge of playability.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior of this combo is textbook for a high-end GPU paired with a mid-range six-core CPU. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on the High preset costs only 17 FPS (125 to 108), while moving from 1440p to 4K costs 47 FPS (108 to 61). That massive drop between 1440p and 4K indicates the RTX 3080 Ti is saturated at 4K, where pixel throughput becomes the dominant constraint. The data confirms this pattern across all settings: 1080p Low hits 157 FPS, 1440p Low drops to 134 FPS, and 4K Low falls to 108 FPS. The delta between 1080p and 1440p is consistently smaller than the delta between 1440p and 4K, which means the GPU is the primary limiting component at 4K while the CPU still has headroom at lower resolutions.

The Medium preset offers the most detailed look at this scaling because it includes minimum and maximum frame data. At 1080p Medium, the average is 139 FPS with a minimum of 118 and a maximum of 160. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 and a maximum of 137. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93. The minimum frame rates tell a story: the 4K Medium minimum of 69 FPS is still above the 60 FPS threshold, but the gap between average and minimum widens at higher resolutions, indicating occasional stutter under load. The 1080p Medium spread of 42 FPS between min and max is tighter than the 4K Medium spread of 24 FPS, which suggests that at 1080p the CPU is throttling performance inconsistently while at 4K the GPU delivers a more steady, albeit lower, output.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution penalty. At 1080p Ultra, the combo still manages 111 FPS, which is respectable. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 84 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 44 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured average below 60 FPS, and it is 28% lower than the 4K High result. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that disproportionately tax the GPU at high pixel counts. The scaling from High to Ultra at 4K is particularly punishing: 61 to 44 FPS, a 17 FPS loss for the final preset step. At 1080p, the same High-to-Ultra transition only costs 14 FPS (125 to 111), which is proportionally smaller.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1850 out of 3710 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 50th percentile of all possible pairings. That middling rank is surprising given the RTX 3080 Ti’s raw power, but it reflects the reality that the Core i5-10400F holds the combo back in this game. The CPU’s percentile vs all CPUs is 68, meaning it outperforms 68% of processors in general benchmarks, but the GPU’s percentile vs all GPUs is 83. The gap between these percentiles — 15 points — shows that the GPU is the stronger component, yet the combo rank sits lower than either individual percentile would suggest. This is a classic case of a bottlenecked pairing where the weaker component drags the overall result down.

The combo’s rank of 1850 out of 3710 means there are 1860 tested combinations that perform better in Outriders, many of which likely pair weaker GPUs with stronger CPUs. The measured FPS data supports this interpretation: at 1080p Low, the combo only reaches 157 FPS, which is not exceptionally high for a flagship GPU. A more balanced pairing with a faster CPU would likely push that number higher. The 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS also indicates that the GPU is not being fully utilized at lower resolutions, where the CPU’s six cores and twelve threads become the limiting factor. For a looter shooter like Outriders, where enemies spawn in waves and physics calculations matter, the CPU load can spike, and the 10400F’s Comet Lake architecture at 14 nm is not sufficient to keep up with the RTX 3080 Ti’s output.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti brings 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 912.4 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is substantial for Outriders, which is a game that loads large texture packs and particle effects. The GPU’s boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1365 MHz are modest for a high-end card, but the 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores provide the computational muscle. The 34.10 TFLOPS FP32 performance is what drives the high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p. The GPU’s 83rd percentile ranking vs all GPUs reflects its position in the market, but in this specific combo, its performance is capped by the CPU in many scenarios.

The memory bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s is critical for 4K gameplay, where the GPU must feed a massive number of pixels. The data shows that at 4K Medium, the combo achieves 81 FPS, which is playable but not smooth for competitive scenarios. The 4K High result of 61 FPS is borderline, and 4K Ultra at 44 FPS is not recommended for fast-paced action. The GPU’s 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for Outriders at any preset, as the game does not appear to exceed that capacity in the measured data — there is no evidence of texture popping or memory-related stutters in the min FPS numbers. The 4K Medium minimum of 69 FPS suggests the GPU is handling memory allocation without major issues. The GPU’s transistor count of 28,300 million and die size of 628 mm² indicate a large, power-hungry chip, but the measured performance shows it can deliver 108 FPS at 4K Low, which is a strong result for a game like Outriders.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points toward the Medium preset as the sweet spot for this combo, particularly at 1440p and 4K. At 4K Medium, the combo produces an average of 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a playable experience with headroom for dips. At 1440p Medium, the average climbs to 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 1080p delivers 139 FPS average, which is excellent but unnecessary unless the player has a 144Hz or higher display and wants to avoid any CPU bottleneck.

The High preset is viable at 1440p and below, with 108 FPS at 1440p and 125 FPS at 1080p. However, at 4K High, the 61 FPS average is too close to the 60 FPS line for comfort, and the lack of minimum frame data makes it a riskier choice. The Ultra preset is not recommended for 4K gaming, as the 44 FPS average falls well below playable standards. At 1440p Ultra, the 84 FPS average is acceptable, but the jump from High to Ultra at 1440p costs 24 FPS (108 to 84), which is a significant loss for visual gains that may be hard to notice in a fast-paced looter shooter. The Low preset is only useful for maximizing frame rates on low-resolution displays, with 157 FPS at 1080p and 134 FPS at 1440p, but the visual quality loss is substantial for a game with detailed environments.

The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1440p, offering 120 FPS average with a 102 FPS minimum. This provides smooth gameplay with good visual fidelity and a safety margin for intense combat scenes. For 4K users, the Medium preset at 81 FPS is the only playable option above 60 FPS, and it is the recommended choice over High or Ultra. The data strongly suggests that players should avoid Ultra on this combo unless they have a variable refresh rate monitor and can tolerate frame rates below 60 FPS at 4K.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Outriders at 4K 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only on the Medium preset, which achieves an average of 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS. The High preset averages 61 FPS, which is borderline, and Ultra drops to 44 FPS, which is not playable.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU pairing?

A: 1440p on Medium provides the best balance, with a 120 FPS average and a 102 FPS minimum. This resolution avoids the severe GPU bottleneck seen at 4K while still taking advantage of the RTX 3080 Ti’s power.

Q: Is the RTX 3080 Ti being held back by the Core i5-10400F?

A: Yes, the evidence is in the resolution scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo only reaches 157 FPS, which is far below what the GPU could deliver with a stronger CPU. The gap between 1080p and 1440p performance is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K, indicating a CPU limit at lower resolutions.

Q: How much performance is lost by using the Ultra preset?

A: At 4K, moving from High to Ultra drops the average from 61 FPS to 44 FPS, a 17 FPS loss. At 1440p, the same transition costs 24 FPS (108 to 84), and at 1080p, it costs 14 FPS (125 to 111).

Q: What is the minimum frame rate for the recommended settings?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p has a minimum of 102 FPS, which is the highest minimum among all 4K and 1440p settings. The 4K Medium minimum is 69 FPS, which is still above 60 FPS.

Q: Does the 12 GB VRAM cause any issues in Outriders?

A: No, the measured data shows no VRAM-related problems. The 4K Medium minimum of 69 FPS suggests the GPU is not running out of memory, and the 912.4 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the game’s texture loads.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a six-core, twelve-thread processor from the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU’s 68th percentile ranking vs all CPUs indicates it is a solid mid-range performer, but its age shows in Outriders. The 3DMark results show a single-thread score of 688 and a max-thread score of 4735, which is modest compared to modern CPUs. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283 and single-core score of 1451 confirm that this CPU is not a high-end part, but it is sufficient for most games when paired with a mid-range GPU.

In Outriders, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p, where the combo reaches 157 FPS on Low but only 125 FPS on High. The 32 FPS difference between Low and High at 1080p suggests that the CPU is struggling to keep up with the game’s AI and physics calculations at higher settings. The 4K results tell a different story: at 4K Low, the combo hits 108 FPS, which is only 49 FPS lower than the 1080p Low result. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU has enough headroom to maintain its performance. The CPU’s 12 threads and 6 cores are enough to avoid severe stutters, as evidenced by the 4K Medium minimum of 69 FPS, but they are not enough to fully saturate the RTX 3080 Ti at lower resolutions.

The PassMark multithread score of 12115 and single-thread score of 2541 place the 10400F in the mid-range segment. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 3929 is close to the max-thread score of 4735, which shows that the CPU scales reasonably well with additional threads but hits a ceiling beyond 8 threads. In Outriders, which is a looter shooter with many concurrent enemies and projectile calculations, the CPU’s six physical cores are likely the limiting factor at 1080p. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are adequate, but the lack of a higher boost clock or newer architecture means that this combo’s full potential is capped by the CPU in CPU-bound scenarios. For players targeting 1440p or 4K, the CPU is less of a concern, but for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, the 10400F will hold the RTX 3080 Ti back from reaching its maximum frame rates.