Outriders

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across the three tested resolutions reveal a system that scales predictably, but with a strong dependency on the graphics preset. At 1080p, the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 combination delivers a very wide spread of performance, ranging from 185.7 FPS at Low settings down to 85.1 FPS at Ultra. This substantial gap—more than doubling the frame rate between the lowest and highest presets—indicates that at 1080p, the GPU is the primary variable, but the CPU has enough headroom to feed it adequately even at the highest settings.

Moving to 1440p, the average frame rates drop across the board, but the pattern remains consistent. The Low preset yields 133.8 FPS, while High produces 70.5 FPS. The step from Medium to High at this resolution is particularly steep, with a drop from 97.6 FPS to 70.5 FPS, a reduction of roughly 27%. This suggests that the High preset introduces rendering features that are disproportionately expensive on the Radeon RX 7600's 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory interface.

At 4K, the picture changes decisively. The Ultra preset falls to 25.9 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth playability, while High manages only 35.1 FPS. The Low preset at 4K produces 69.6 FPS, which is still playable, but the gap between Low and Medium at this resolution (69.6 to 47.9 FPS) shows that even moderate quality increases overwhelm the GPU. The data indicates that at 4K, the Radeon RX 7600 becomes the limiting component almost entirely; the CPU's role diminishes as the pixel workload skyrockets.

The resolution scaling behavior tells a clear story: this is a GPU-bound system at 1440p and above. The 1080p results, especially the 185.7 FPS Low figure, show that the i5-11400F can push high frame rates when the GPU is not saturated. However, the 4K High result of 35.1 FPS versus the 1440p High result of 70.5 FPS demonstrates a 50% performance loss when doubling the pixel count, which is consistent with a card that has limited memory bandwidth (288.0 GB/s) and a 128-bit bus. For users targeting 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset is viable, and even then, the frame rate is far from high-refresh territory.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the sweet spot. At High settings, the combo delivers 110.6 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 70.5 FPS, which is still playable, but the 4K High result of 35.1 FPS is not smooth.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: The difference is significant. Ultra at 1080p produces 85.1 FPS, while High produces 110.6 FPS. That is a 25.5 FPS advantage for High, or roughly 30% more performance. Given the visual difference between High and Ultra in many games, the data suggests High offers a better balance.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at any tested resolution?

A: The data indicates the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at 1440p or 4K, as frame rates scale heavily with resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the 185.7 FPS result shows the i5-11400F can sustain very high frame rates, but the GPU still limits the Ultra preset to 85.1 FPS.

Q: What is the worst-performing setting and resolution combination?

A: The 4K Ultra preset yields the lowest measured average at 25.9 FPS. This is below playable levels for a looter shooter, where responsiveness is critical. Even 4K High at 35.1 FPS is marginal.

Q: How does the RX 7600's performance in Outriders compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 20258, placing it near the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (20146, +0.6%) and the AMD Radeon RX 460 (20088, +0.8%). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, -1.3%) and Intel Arc B570 (20556, -1.5%) by small margins. These deltas are within 1.5%, indicating the RX 7600 performs on par with its closest competitors.

Q: Can this system handle 1440p gaming in Outriders?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 1440p Medium, the combo achieves 97.6 FPS, which is excellent. At High, it drops to 70.5 FPS, which is still smooth. The Ultra preset at 54.9 FPS is borderline, but the Low preset at 133.8 FPS shows the hardware has ample headroom for competitive play.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of presets for the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 in Outriders. At 1080p, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering 110.6 FPS. This is a 25.5 FPS improvement over Ultra (85.1 FPS) while likely offering most of the visual enhancements that matter in a looter shooter. The Medium preset at 153.7 FPS is also a strong option for users with 144 Hz monitors, as it provides a massive frame rate boost without dropping to the bare-bones Low setting (185.7 FPS).

For 1440p users, the Medium preset is the best balance, achieving 97.6 FPS. This is substantially better than the High preset's 70.5 FPS, and the difference between Medium and High in terms of visual quality is often less pronounced than the frame rate gap suggests. The Low preset at 133.8 FPS is suitable for competitive play, but the Ultra preset at 54.9 FPS is not recommended due to the risk of frame drops below 60 FPS.

At 4K, the options are limited. The Low preset at 69.6 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently playable experience. The Medium preset (47.9 FPS) and High preset (35.1 FPS) are too demanding for the RX 7600's 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus. The Ultra preset at 25.9 FPS is effectively unplayable. For 4K, the data strongly suggests either lowering the resolution or accepting the Low preset.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize the High preset at 1080p or the Medium preset at 1440p. These settings provide the best combination of visual fidelity and frame rate based on the measured rows. Pushing to Ultra at any resolution results in diminishing returns, with a 25-30% frame rate penalty compared to High.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combinations for Outriders, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 1223 out of 1693 tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all systems tested, which is notable given the hardware's specifications. The rank suggests that while this combo is capable of smooth 1080p gaming, it is outclassed by many other CPU-GPU pairings in the database.

The CPU itself performs well in synthetic benchmarks, with an average benchmark score of 17181 and a percentile rank of 75 against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189, delta 0%), Intel Core i7-1260P (17212, -0.2%), and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U (17215, -0.2%). These deltas are minuscule, indicating the i5-11400F is competitive with these mobile and low-power parts, but it lacks the multi-core headroom of higher-end desktop chips.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 20258, with a percentile rank of 63 against all GPUs. Its nearest rivals, as noted in the FAQ, are all within 1.5% of its score. This indicates the RX 7600 is a solid mid-range performer, but it does not punch above its weight class. The combo's overall rank of 1223 out of 1693 suggests that the CPU's relatively modest multi-threaded performance (6 cores, 12 threads) and the GPU's 8 GB memory capacity are the limiting factors in Outriders, which can be demanding on both fronts.

The rank also implies that users seeking higher frame rates at 1440p or 4K would need to consider a more powerful GPU, as the RX 7600's performance ceiling is evident in the 4K results. Conversely, the CPU's single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score of 868, Cinebench R23 single-core of 2029) is sufficient for most gaming workloads, but its 12 threads are not exceptional by modern standards.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, manufactured on a 14 nm process. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide a solid foundation for gaming, but the data shows that its role in Outriders is secondary to the GPU. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 12 MB of shared L3 cache, which is adequate for feeding the RX 7600.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-11400F demonstrates strong single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2029 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1979. Its multi-threaded scores are also respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14372 and a Passmark multithread score of 16908. These numbers indicate the CPU can handle modern game engines, but the measured FPS data in Outriders suggests it is not the limiting factor in most scenarios.

The 1080p Low result of 185.7 FPS is telling. This frame rate is high enough that the CPU is likely the primary driver, as the GPU has less work to do at Low settings. However, the 1080p Ultra result of 85.1 FPS shows that the GPU becomes the bottleneck as the rendering load increases. The CPU's 12 threads are sufficient for Outriders, which is a DirectX 12 title that can utilize multiple cores, but the game does not appear to be heavily CPU-bound based on the scaling data.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 in dual-channel mode provides a memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, which is modest by current standards. This is unlikely to be a significant factor in Outriders, as the game's performance scales more with GPU settings than with memory speed. The CPU's PCIe Gen 4 support with 20 lanes ensures the RX 7600, which uses a PCIe 4.0 x8 interface, is not bandwidth-limited.

Overall, the i5-11400F plays a supporting role in this combo. It provides enough single-thread performance to avoid holding back the RX 7600 at lower resolutions and settings, but its 6 cores and 12 threads are not a standout feature in 2024. The CPU's percentile rank of 75 against all CPUs confirms it is above average, but the combo's overall rank of 1223 out of 1693 in Outriders shows that the pairing is more about GPU capability than CPU prowess.