Outriders

Intel Core i5-10400F pairs with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 in Outriders to deliver a combination that is firmly mid-pack among 1,693 tested system configurations, ranking 871st overall. The pairing shows a clear split in workload behavior: at 1080p the CPU keeps pace with the GPU, but as resolution climbs toward 4K, the graphics card becomes the dominant constraint, with average frame rates dropping by roughly half between the lowest and highest quality presets. This is a balanced pairing for high-refresh 1440p play, though the data reveals distinct bottlenecks depending on where you set the quality dial.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 14 nm process. It runs at a 2.90 GHz base clock and boosts up to 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. Its synthetic benchmark scores place it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average score of 14,168 across all tests. In multi-threaded workloads, the chip scores 4,324 in Cinebench R20 and 10,297 in Cinebench R23, while single-thread performance trails at 610 and 1,453 respectively in those same tests. These numbers indicate a solid mainstream part, but not one that will push frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios.

In Outriders, the CPU’s role becomes evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 158.9 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested configurations. However, this is only 35% higher than the 4K Ultra result of 41.8 FPS, showing that the CPU can feed the GPU well at lower resolutions but is not the limiting factor once resolution increases. The processor’s 3DMark scores reinforce this: 4,748 with 16 threads, 3,929 with 8 threads, and 2,560 with 4 threads, indicating that the chip scales reasonably with thread count but lacks the raw single-core punch of newer designs. Its single-thread 3DMark score of 688 and PassMark single-thread score of 2,541 suggest that while it won’t bottleneck a mid-range GPU at high settings, it may hold back performance in very light CPU-load scenarios, such as 1080p Low where the GPU is underutilized.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD EPYC 7552 (0.4% faster), the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (0.8% slower), and the Intel Core i5-8500 (1.1% slower), placing it in a tight performance band. For Outriders specifically, the 6-core/12-thread configuration is adequate for the game’s looter-shooter mechanics, which typically rely on consistent frame pacing rather than extreme multi-threading. The 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are standard for this class, and the PCIe Gen 3 interface with 16 lanes does not appear to impede the RTX 4070 in this title, given that frame rates scale predictably with resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the clear performance driver in this pairing, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 5,888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 raster output units, along with 46 ray tracing cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1920 MHz and boosts to 2475 MHz, with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. Its synthetic scores are strong: a 26,927 PassMark G3D score and 14,720 in GPU compute, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 37,283.

In Outriders, the GPU’s influence is most pronounced at 4K resolution. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 41.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, while 4K High reaches 62.7 FPS and 4K Medium hits 81.5 FPS. The jump from Ultra to High at 4K represents a 50% increase in frame rate, underscoring how sensitive this title is to quality settings on the RTX 4070. At 1440p, the GPU easily handles all presets, with Ultra delivering 86.3 FPS and High reaching 108 FPS, both well above playable thresholds. The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark score include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.6% faster) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (1.9% faster), though these comparisons are based on synthetic averages, not Outriders-specific performance.

The RTX 4070’s 12 GB of VRAM is ample for Outriders at all tested resolutions and settings, as no configuration shows a memory-related bottleneck that would cause frame rate collapses. The card’s 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth, combined with its 29.15 TFLOPS FP32 compute, allows it to maintain high frame rates at 1440p even on Ultra settings. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, with the 41.8 FPS result indicating that the card is fully saturated. The RTX 4070’s launch MSRP is 599 USD, and it is marked as end-of-life production, but its performance in this title remains competitive.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear scaling pattern that identifies the limiting component at each setting. At 1080p, the combo delivers 158.9 FPS on Low, 141.2 FPS on Medium, 123.6 FPS on High, and 113.7 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, these figures drop to 132 FPS on Low, 118.1 FPS on Medium, 108 FPS on High, and 86.3 FPS on Ultra. Finally, at 4K, the numbers fall to 105.4 FPS on Low, 81.5 FPS on Medium, 62.7 FPS on High, and 41.8 FPS on Ultra.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at the same settings shows the GPU’s workload increasing sharply. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is 53.5 FPS (from 158.9 to 105.4), a 34% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is 71.9 FPS (from 113.7 to 41.8), a 63% reduction. This widening gap indicates that at Ultra, the RTX 4070 is the limiting factor, as the CPU’s performance deficit becomes less relevant when the GPU is under heavy load. Conversely, at Low settings, the smaller percentage drop suggests that the CPU is keeping up better, though the 1080p Low result of 158.9 FPS remains the highest of any configuration, showing that the i5-10400F can still push high frame rates when the GPU is not fully taxed.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 45.2 FPS (158.9 vs 113.7). At 1440p, the difference is 45.7 FPS (132 vs 86.3). At 4K, the difference is 63.6 FPS (105.4 vs 41.8). This trend confirms that at 4K, the GPU’s raw throughput is the deciding factor, while at 1080p, the CPU still has headroom to influence results. For gamers targeting 4K, the RTX 4070 is the bottleneck at Ultra, but lowering to High or Medium settings brings frame rates above 60 FPS, making the combo viable for 4K play with adjusted quality.

FAQ

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

A: Only with lowered settings. At 4K High the combo averages 62.7 FPS, while 4K Medium reaches 81.5 FPS, but 4K Ultra drops to 41.8 FPS.

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

A: 1440p is the sweet spot, as all presets exceed 86 FPS, with High delivering 108 FPS and Ultra hitting 86.3 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo hits 158.9 FPS, suggesting the GPU is not fully saturated, so the CPU is likely the limiting factor at lower settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4070 scores 37,283 on average, with the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 being 0.6% faster and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A 1.9% faster.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F is in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14,168.

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

A: No, the data shows no VRAM-related frame rate drops at any resolution or setting, confirming 12 GB is sufficient for this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 871st out of 1,693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 49th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking reflects a balance between the CPU’s 73rd percentile standing and the GPU’s 81st percentile, with the overall performance being dragged down by the CPU’s relative weakness at lower resolutions. The combo’s measured FPS data shows it excels at 1080p and 1440p, where frame rates are consistently above 86 FPS even on Ultra, but struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Compared to the individual component rankings, the combo’s performance is slightly below what the GPU alone might suggest, indicating that the i5-10400F is a mild limiting factor in CPU-bound scenarios. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 158.9 FPS, which is only 35% higher than the 4K Ultra result, confirming that the CPU does not prevent the GPU from reaching high frame rates when quality is reduced. However, the 871st ranking out of 1,693 combos indicates that many other systems with faster CPUs achieve better results in this title, particularly at 4K where the GPU’s workload is highest. For those prioritizing 1440p gaming, this combo is well-matched, but for 4K Ultra enthusiasts, a stronger CPU would likely yield better results, though the RTX 4070 remains the primary constraint in that scenario.