Outriders

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a highly capable 1080p experience in Outriders, but the data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor beyond 1440p. At 1080p, the combo achieves a Low preset average of 182.7 FPS, which drops to 78.7 FPS at 4K—a 56.9% reduction that clearly demonstrates the rendering load scaling with pixel count. The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing: High settings fall from 85.5 FPS to 43.2 FPS, a loss of 42.3 FPS, while Ultra settings plummet from 61.9 FPS to 32.7 FPS, barely maintaining playability. This pattern confirms that while the CPU has ample headroom at lower resolutions, the RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width become bottlenecks when pushing 3840x2160, especially on higher presets that increase texture and shader complexity.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear inverse relationship between resolution and performance, with the most dramatic drops occurring between 1440p and 4K. At 1080p Low, the system produces 182.7 FPS, but stepping up to 1440p Low yields 154.7 FPS—a modest 15.3% reduction that suggests the CPU and GPU are still working in relative balance. However, moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings cuts performance from 154.7 FPS to 78.7 FPS, a 49.1% collapse that far exceeds the proportional increase in pixels, indicating the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing throughput are saturated. The Ultra preset tells an even more revealing story: 1080p Ultra runs at 95.8 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 61.9 FPS (a 35.4% drop), and 4K Ultra at 32.7 FPS (a 47.2% drop from 1440p). This scaling behavior points to a system where the RTX 4060, with its 272.0 GB/s bandwidth and 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 throughput, is the decisive component at higher resolutions, while the i5-11400F's six cores and 12 threads remain underutilized beyond 1080p.

The 1080p to 4K gap widens dramatically with higher settings, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound rendering. At Low, the spread from 182.7 FPS to 78.7 FPS is 104 FPS; at Ultra, the spread from 95.8 FPS to 32.7 FPS is 63.1 FPS. This narrowing absolute delta at higher presets suggests that Ultra settings impose a fixed overhead that limits peak FPS even at 1080p, while the resolution scaling still dominates the performance curve. The data strongly indicates that for 4K gaming, users would need to accept Low settings (78.7 FPS) as the only viable path to smooth gameplay, whereas Medium (58.5 FPS) and High (43.2 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for action titles. This resolution analysis leads to the conclusion that the combo is optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K reserved for those willing to compromise on visual fidelity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, provides the graphical muscle for this combo, and its specifications directly explain the observed FPS patterns. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus delivers 272.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes strained at 4K where texture streaming and frame buffer demands increase exponentially. The boost clock of 2460 MHz, paired with 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs, yields a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s—figures that support high frame rates at lower resolutions but struggle to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The GPU's 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23181, places it in the mid-range tier, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321 with a deltaPct of -0.6, indicating near-parity performance.

The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 compute capability is the primary driver of Outriders' rendering performance, and the data shows that the GPU's limits are reached at 4K High where the average FPS falls to 43.2. At 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to push High settings to 132.3 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 95.8 FPS reveals that even at this resolution, the additional shading and post-processing effects tax the GPU's resources. The 12-pin power connector and 115 W TDP suggest a power-efficient design, but the performance ceiling is clear: the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for current titles at 1440p, yet the 128-bit memory bus limits bandwidth scalability. Compared to the Intel Arc B580, which scores 23021 with a deltaPct of 0.7, the RTX 4060 holds a slight edge, but this advantage does not translate to 4K dominance, as the data shows the GPU consistently fails to hit 60 FPS at 3840x2160 on Medium and above.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F, a Rocket Lake-S desktop processor with six cores and 12 threads, provides the computational foundation for this combo, and its specifications reveal that it is not the bottleneck in Outriders. The CPU's base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, combined with 12 MB of shared L3 cache, deliver strong single-threaded performance that is critical for game logic and physics. In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-11400F scores 14372 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 2029 in single-core, placing it in the 75th percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 17181. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, scores 17189 with a deltaPct of 0, indicating that the i5-11400F is statistically tied with a mobile processor in overall CPU performance—proof of its efficiency but also a hint that its desktop advantage is limited.

In the context of Outriders, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game state updates, and the measured FPS data shows that the i5-11400F is more than capable at 1080p. At Low settings, the combo achieves 182.7 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate of most gaming monitors, and the fact that this number drops to 154.7 FPS at 1440p Low (a smaller relative decline than the GPU-bound scenarios) suggests the CPU maintains high throughput even as resolution increases. The CPU's 65 W TDP and 14 nm process node from Intel indicate a power-efficient design, but the 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes provide ample bandwidth for the RTX 4060's PCIe 4.0 x8 interface. The data implies that the CPU is not the limiting factor until perhaps 4K, where the GPU's inability to render frames quickly enough leaves the CPU idle waiting for work—a classic GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's 3DMark scores, such as 5652 in max threads and 868 in single thread, corroborate its balanced performance profile, but Outriders' engine appears to scale well with the six-core configuration, as evidenced by the high FPS at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this combo is the High preset at 1440p, which delivers 85.5 FPS—smoothly above the 60 FPS threshold while providing enhanced textures and lighting. For 1080p users, Ultra is viable at 95.8 FPS, offering the best visual fidelity without sacrificing playability, and even the most demanding preset maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. At 4K, the data strongly recommends Low settings, which achieve 78.7 FPS, as Medium (58.5 FPS) and High (43.2 FPS) fall below the minimum acceptable frame rates for a looter shooter where split-second reactions matter. The Medium preset at 1080p (163.1 FPS) and 1440p (112.8 FPS) provides a middle ground for users who prioritize frame rate over fidelity, but the jump from Medium to High at 1440p only costs 27.3 FPS (from 112.8 to 85.5), making High the superior choice for most players.

The Ultra preset at 4K (32.7 FPS) is effectively unplayable, and the data shows that even at 1440p, Ultra (61.9 FPS) barely meets the 60 FPS standard, suggesting that this setting is only recommended for 1080p displays. The Low preset at 1080p (182.7 FPS) is excessive for most monitors, and users with 144 Hz displays would benefit more from High or Ultra settings that utilize the GPU's headroom. For competitive play, Low at 1440p (154.7 FPS) or Medium at 1080p (163.1 FPS) offers the highest frame rates, but the visual quality trade-off is significant. Overall, the data indicates that High at 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, delivering 85.5 FPS with a balance of detail and responsiveness, while 1080p Ultra at 95.8 FPS is the best choice for those with high-refresh monitors who want maximum graphical settings.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p High provides 85.5 FPS, which is the highest resolution that maintains comfortable framerates above 60 FPS. At 4K, only Low settings (78.7 FPS) achieve playable performance, while 1080p offers the highest FPS across all presets, with Ultra reaching 95.8 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which produce 78.7 FPS. Medium (58.5 FPS) and High (43.2 FPS) fall below 60 FPS, and Ultra (32.7 FPS) is unplayable. The 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus of the RTX 4060 are the limiting factors at 3840x2160.

Q: How does the i5-11400F perform relative to its rivals?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, placing it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, scores 17189 with a deltaPct of 0, indicating identical performance, while the Intel Core i7-1260P scores 17212 with a deltaPct of -0.2, showing the i5-11400F is slightly behind.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 a good match for this CPU in Outriders?

A: Yes, the data indicates a balanced pairing at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU is the primary driver of FPS. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 182.7 FPS, and at 1440p High, it achieves 85.5 FPS, showing the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU until 4K.

Q: What FPS can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows 95.8 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS threshold and suitable for high-refresh monitors. This is a drop from High (132.3 FPS) and Medium (163.1 FPS), but still provides smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 947th out of 1693 tested combinations in Outriders, placing it in the middle of the distribution. This ranking reflects its strong 1080p performance but also its limitations at 4K, where many higher-end GPUs would outperform it.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest performance across all settings. Low settings produce 182.7 FPS, Medium 163.1 FPS, High 132.3 FPS, and Ultra 95.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 86.9 FPS, showing that Ultra imposes a significant rendering load but remains playable. At 2560x1440, performance drops consistently: Low achieves 154.7 FPS, Medium 112.8 FPS, High 85.5 FPS, and Ultra 61.9 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap at 1440p is 92.8 FPS, indicating that Ultra settings take a proportionally larger toll as resolution increases. At 3840x2160, the numbers collapse: Low offers 78.7 FPS, Medium 58.5 FPS, High 43.2 FPS, and Ultra 32.7 FPS. The 4K Low-to-Ultra gap is 46 FPS, but the absolute values are too low for most gaming scenarios, with only Low exceeding the 60 FPS mark.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p at High settings costs 46.8 FPS (from 132.3 to 85.5), while the transition from 1440p to 4K at High costs 42.3 FPS (from 85.5 to 43.2). This shows that the per-step degradation is relatively consistent, but the 4K baseline is too low to absorb further reductions. At Medium settings, the 1080p-to-1440p drop is 50.3 FPS (163.1 to 112.8), and the 1440p-to-4K drop is 54.3 FPS (112.8 to 58.5), demonstrating that Medium settings scale poorly at 4K. The data also reveals that Low settings are the most scalable, with a 1080p-to-4K drop of 104 FPS (182.7 to 78.7), but this still lands below the 1440p High value, underscoring the GPU's resolution limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 947th out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 56th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the hardware's specifications: the CPU sits in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 66th percentile, and the combined performance lands between these values due to the GPU's 4K limitations. The combo's average FPS across all settings and resolutions is roughly 92 FPS, but this figure masks the wide variance from 182.7 FPS at 1080p Low to 32.7 FPS at 4K Ultra. In the context of the benchmark database, this rank suggests that the combo is a solid mid-range choice for 1080p and 1440p gaming but does not compete with high-end configurations for 4K performance.

The ranking reflects the RTX 4060's position relative to its rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, which scores 23321 with a deltaPct of -0.6, and the Intel Arc B580, which scores 23021 with a deltaPct of 0.7. These near-parity scores mean that the combo's rank is largely determined by the CPU, which outperforms its nearest rivals but does not break into the top tier. The i5-11400F's 75th percentile CPU ranking and the RTX 4060's 66th percentile GPU ranking combine to produce a system that is better than average but not exceptional. For Outriders specifically, the combo's 947th rank out of 1693 indicates that roughly 44% of tested configurations perform better, likely those with higher-end GPUs or newer CPUs. However, the data shows that this combo's 1080p Ultra performance of 95.8 FPS is competitive with many higher-ranked systems, and its 1440p High performance of 85.5 FPS makes it a strong choice for gamers using those resolutions.