Outriders

Intel Core i5-11400F paired with Intel Arc B390 in Outriders delivers a dataset that is as revealing about the engine's demands as it is about the hardware itself. The measured frames per second (FPS) across resolutions and settings paint a clear picture of a system where the integrated graphics solution is the definitive performance bottleneck, while the capable six-core processor remains largely underutilized. The data suggests that this combination is positioned near the bottom of the tested combos, with a combo rank of 2582 out of 2913, placing it in the bottom 11 percent of all tested configurations. This analysis breaks down the measured results to understand the scaling behavior, component roles, and the most practical settings for playability.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 reveals a brutal and consistent frame rate collapse that is classic symptom of a GPU-bound scenario. At the "High" preset, the average FPS falls from 63 at 1080p to 40 at 2560x1440, and then plummets to just 21 at 4K. This represents a 33 percent drop when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 48 percent drop from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear; the cost of each additional pixel at higher resolutions becomes exponentially more punishing, indicating that the rendering pipeline is completely saturated by the pixel throughput demands.

Looking at the "Low" preset provides a clearer view of the ceiling. At 1080p "Low," the system achieves 115 FPS, which drops to 72 FPS at 1440p, and then to 38 FPS at 4K. While the absolute numbers are higher, the percentage losses are similar, with a 37 percent reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 47 percent reduction from 1440p to 4K. This consistent pattern of roughly a one-third to one-half performance loss with each resolution step-up strongly suggests that the limiting factor is the GPU's fillrate and shading capacity, not the CPU's ability to feed the renderer.

The data implies that the Intel Arc B390, with its modest 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs, is being overwhelmed by the sheer number of fragments and texels required at higher resolutions. The gap between the "Low" and "Ultra" presets also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between "Low" (115 FPS) and "Ultra" (45 FPS) is 70 FPS. At 4K, the difference between "Low" (38 FPS) and "Ultra" (15 FPS) shrinks to 23 FPS. This compression of the performance envelope at 4K indicates that even the lowest settings cannot escape the fundamental geometric and pixel processing limits of the GPU. The processor, a 6-core 12-thread part, is unlikely to be the constraint here, as its workload doesn't scale with resolution in the same way. The data strongly indicates that for this combination, resolution is the primary lever on performance, and 4K is simply not a viable target.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) that operates with system-shared memory, a factor that profoundly influences its performance in a title like Outriders. With a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, the GPU has a wide dynamic range, but its performance is constrained by its memory architecture. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which means it relies on the same DDR4 memory as the CPU, and the bandwidth is shared. This is a critical bottleneck, as the game must constantly transfer texture and geometry data between the CPU and GPU over the same memory bus.

The GPU's raw compute specifications are modest, with 1536 shading units and a FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS. The benchmark data shows a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark are ancient parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 and GT 625 OEM, with deltaPct values of 2.7 and 2.5 respectively, meaning the B390 is only slightly faster. This contextualizes the game's FPS numbers perfectly; the card is performing at a level comparable to entry-level hardware from over a decade ago.

The fact that the memory size and type are also listed as "System Shared" means there is no dedicated VRAM pool. In Outriders, a game with detailed environments and effects, the lack of dedicated VRAM likely causes significant performance dips when texture data exceeds the available system memory allocation for graphics. This explains why the "High" and "Ultra" presets, which demand more memory and bandwidth, see such dramatic FPS drops (e.g., from 63 FPS at 1080p High to 45 FPS at 1080p Ultra). The GPU is not just limited by its shader cores, but also by its inability to efficiently access the data it needs, making it the unequivocal bottleneck in this system.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Outriders with this hardware?

A: According to the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution that provides consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 45 on "Ultra" to 115 on "Low," whereas at 2560x1440, the maximum average FPS is 72 on "Low," and at 3840x2160, it drops to 38 on "Low."

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, the Arc B390 scores 1482. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463 (1.3% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, which scores 1460 (1.5% slower). It is 2.5% faster than the GeForce GT 625 OEM and 2.7% faster than the GeForce GT 710.

Q: Is the "Ultra" preset ever worth using with this CPU/GPU combo?

A: The data suggests no. Even at 1080p, the "Ultra" preset yields an average of 45 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 63 FPS on "High." At higher resolutions, "Ultra" becomes unplayable, with averages of 29 FPS at 1440p and 15 FPS at 4K.

Q: What is the performance difference between the "Low" and "Medium" presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset achieves an average of 115 FPS, while "Medium" achieves 83 FPS. This is a 32 FPS difference, representing a 28 percent reduction in performance for the visual upgrade that "Medium" provides.

Q: How does this system's overall ranking look compared to all other tested combos in Outriders?

A: This combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2582 out of 2913 tested combos for Outriders. This places it in the bottom 11 percent of all configurations tested on this benchmark database.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary limiting factor for this game?

A: The benchmark results clearly indicate the GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, while the Intel Core i5-11400F ranks in the 71st percentile of all CPUs. The frame rates scale dramatically with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination prioritize resolution and preset selection to achieve a playable frame rate. The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the system can consistently exceed 60 FPS. At this resolution, the "High" preset offers an average of 63 FPS, which is the best balance between visual fidelity and performance among the higher-quality settings. The "Medium" preset provides a more comfortable margin, with an average of 83 FPS, which would be preferable for maintaining a smoother experience during intense combat scenes.

For players who prioritize frame rate above all else, the "Low" preset at 1080p yields an average of 115 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play or for use with high-refresh-rate monitors. However, venturing above 1080p is not recommended. At 2560x1440, only the "Low" preset (72 FPS average) approaches playability, but the "Medium" preset drops to 53 FPS, and "High" falls to 40 FPS. At 4K, even the "Low" preset only manages a 38 FPS average, which is below the threshold for a fluid experience. The data suggests that the "Medium" preset at 1080p is the most sensible choice for a general user, offering a significant visual improvement over "Low" while maintaining a high average frame rate of 83 FPS. The "High" preset is viable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and the Intel Arc B390 is ranked 2582 out of 2913 tested combos for Outriders. This rank places it in the bottom 11 percent of all systems benchmarked for this game, indicating that it is a low-performance configuration relative to the broader database. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's capabilities, as its 9th percentile standing among all GPUs drags the overall combo down despite the CPU's more respectable 71st percentile ranking.

This disparity in component performance levels is the defining characteristic of this system. The CPU is a capable mid-range part; its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7H12 (0.3% faster), the Intel Core i5-12450H (0.4% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (0.6% slower). In contrast, the GPU's nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1.3% faster) and the GeForce 800M (1.5% faster), which are entry-level parts from a much older generation. This creates a significant imbalance where the CPU's potential is left untapped because the GPU cannot keep up with the rendering demands. Consequently, the system's actual in-game performance is far closer to the bottom of the GPU rankings than the middle of the CPU rankings, confirming that the GPU is the sole determinant of this combo's low standing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average frame rates for this configuration in Outriders. All values are taken directly from the benchmark results.

At 1920x1080, the system achieves its highest performance. The "Low" preset leads with an average of 115 FPS. The "Medium" preset follows with an average of 83 FPS (min 71, max 96). The "High" preset delivers an average of 63 FPS. The "Ultra" preset is the most demanding, producing an average of 45 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. The "Low" preset yields an average of 72 FPS. The "Medium" preset produces an average of 53 FPS (min 45, max 61). The "High" preset falls to an average of 40 FPS. The "Ultra" preset drops to an average of 29 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The "Low" preset is the most performant with an average of 38 FPS. The "Medium" preset manages an average of 28 FPS (min 23, max 32). The "High" preset drops to an average of 21 FPS. The "Ultra" preset reaches its lowest point with an average of 15 FPS.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores are respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340 and a single-core score of 2024. It ranks in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, which indicates it is a solid mid-range performer. However, in the context of this game with this GPU, the CPU's role appears to be secondary, as the data shows the system is heavily GPU-bound.

The processor's capabilities are far ahead of what the Intel Arc B390 can utilize. With a 3DMark 16-thread score of 5619 and a Geekbench single-core score of 1777, the i5-11400F has ample processing power to handle the game's game logic, physics, and draw calls. The fact that frame rates scale so dramatically with resolution and settings, rather than remaining flat or CPU-limited, confirms this. For example, the 38 FPS average at 4K "Low" is not a CPU limitation; it's the GPU struggling to fill the 8.3 million pixels on screen. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS numbers across different resolutions at the same settings, which is not the case.

The data implies that Outriders is not particularly demanding on the CPU for this setup. The 6-core design with 12 threads is more than sufficient, and the 12 MB of shared L3 cache likely helps with data locality. The CPU's memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is also a shared resource, but it's the GPU's dependency on this system memory that is the critical weakness. Ultimately, while the i5-11400F is a competent performer, its power is largely untapped in this configuration. The system's performance ceiling is defined entirely by the Intel Arc B390's rendering capabilities, making the CPU a silent partner in a duo where the GPU is the clear bottleneck.