Outriders

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Outriders, with the GPU clearly dominating the performance curve. This analysis breaks down the CPU and GPU roles, scaling behavior, and how this specific combination ranks among the 1,693 tested system configurations.

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, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor includes 12 MB of shared L3 cache, alongside 80 KB of L1 and 512 KB of L2 cache per core. This configuration is a solid mid-range desktop part, and its benchmark scores place it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, indicating it is capable of handling modern gaming workloads without becoming a primary bottleneck.

The CPU's multi-threaded performance is relevant here. In Cinebench R23, the i5-11400F scores 14,372 points in multi-core and 2,029 in single-core. Geekbench results show 7,579 multi-core and 1,979 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 16,908, while the single-thread score is 2,981. These numbers suggest a balanced part that can feed a fast GPU in most scenarios. However, in Outriders, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as the CPU's performance headroom is sufficient to push frame rates well beyond 144 FPS at 1080p.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-11400F's average benchmark score of 17,181 is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17,189, deltaPct 0) and the Intel Core i7-1260P (17,212, deltaPct -0.2). It is also within 0.2% of the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U. This indicates that, in synthetic tests, the processor performs on par with these mobile-oriented or lower-power parts, but its desktop design with a 65 W TDP and dedicated socket (Intel Socket 1200) ensures sustained performance for gaming sessions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the clear performance driver in this pairing. It is based on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and the GB203 chip, fabricated on TSMC's 5 nm process. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its memory clock runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective), while the base and boost clocks are 2295 MHz and 2452 MHz, respectively. With 8,960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, the RTX 5070 Ti is a high-end part, ranking in the 87th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's raw compute power is substantial. It achieves 43.94 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 6,604. In PassMark, the G3D score is 32,974, and the GPU compute score is 20,203. Geekbench Vulkan and OpenCL scores are 227,554 and 231,226, respectively. This hardware muscle translates directly into Outriders performance. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 182.1 FPS average, and even at 4K Ultra, it maintains 53.4 FPS. The 16 GB VRAM buffer is more than sufficient for Outriders, which is a 2021 title, meaning memory capacity is unlikely to be a constraint at any tested setting.

The RTX 5070 Ti's nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which scores 52,085 (deltaPct 0) — a statistical tie. The AMD Radeon RX 7700S scores 52,505 (deltaPct -0.8), and the RTX A1000 scores 50,826 (deltaPct 2.5). This places the 5070 Ti in the top tier of GPUs, and the measured FPS data confirms it is not the bottleneck in this system until very high resolutions and maxed-out settings.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At 1080p with Low settings, the system averages 182.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 156.4 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls further to 124.6 FPS. This is a 24% drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the CPU can handle the frame production, but the GPU is working harder at higher pixel counts.

At High settings, the pattern is more pronounced. The system averages 145 FPS at 1080p, 125 FPS at 1440p, and 73.8 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 41%, showing that the GPU is becoming the primary limiter as resolution increases and shading complexity grows. At Ultra settings, the scaling is steepest: 127.4 FPS at 1080p, 101.9 FPS at 1440p, and 53.4 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is nearly half the 1080p Ultra score, a clear sign that the RTX 5070 Ti is fully saturated at this extreme setting.

The data shows that at 1080p and 1440p, the i5-11400F provides enough throughput to keep the GPU fed, as frame rates remain high across Low, Medium, and High presets. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU's compute limits are reached, and the CPU headroom becomes irrelevant. This identifies the RTX 5070 Ti as the performance ceiling for this combo, not the processor.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested configurations, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti holds a rank of 519 out of 1,693 total combos tested in Outriders. This places it in the top 30% of all systems evaluated, which is a strong showing given the diverse range of hardware tested.

The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. While the RTX 5070 Ti is a top-tier GPU (87th percentile), the i5-11400F is a mid-range processor (75th percentile). The combo's rank of 519 suggests that while the GPU is capable of high frame rates, the CPU prevents the system from reaching the absolute top tier of results. Systems with more powerful processors, such as high-core-count desktop CPUs, would likely rank higher because they can extract slightly more performance from the RTX 5070 Ti in CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions.

However, the rank also shows that this pairing is far from a bottleneck disaster. The 519th position out of 1,693 indicates that the i5-11400F does not significantly hold back the RTX 5070 Ti in Outriders, as the game appears to be GPU-intensive based on the scaling data. The combo achieves playable frame rates at all tested settings, with the only exception being 4K Ultra, which still hits 53.4 FPS average.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings to play Outriders with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1440p High provides an excellent balance with 125 FPS average. If you prefer maximum visual fidelity, 4K High is playable at 73.8 FPS, but 4K Ultra drops to 53.4 FPS, which may be too low for fast-paced action.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: At 1080p and 1440p, frame rates are high across all settings, indicating the GPU is the primary driver. At 4K Ultra, the FPS drops significantly to 53.4, showing the GPU is fully saturated. The CPU is not the limiting factor in Outriders.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti compare to its closest rival, the RTX 4080?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 52,086, while the RTX 4080 scores 52,085, a deltaPct of 0. They are effectively identical in synthetic performance, so expect similar frame rates in Outriders.

Q: Can this system handle high refresh rate monitors at 1440p?

A: Yes. At 1440p, the combo averages 156.4 FPS on Low, 142.2 FPS on Medium, 125 FPS on High, and 101.9 FPS on Ultra. This means it can comfortably drive a 144 Hz monitor even at High settings.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: The difference is substantial. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 124.6, while at 4K Ultra, it drops to 53.4. This is a 57% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra at 4K resolution.

Q: Is the i5-11400F holding back the RTX 5070 Ti in this game?

A: Based on the measured FPS, the CPU is not a significant bottleneck. The frame rates scale smoothly with resolution and settings, indicating that the GPU is the limiting component. The combo ranks 519th out of 1,693, suggesting good balance.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, the 1440p High preset is the sweet spot, delivering 125 FPS average. This provides high visual quality while maintaining a frame rate that is smooth on most displays. If you own a 4K monitor and prioritize visual fidelity, 4K High at 73.8 FPS is a solid choice, offering a significant improvement over Low settings without the steep performance penalty of Ultra.

If you are aiming for competitive play or have a high-refresh-rate 1080p display, the 1080p Medium preset at 160.6 FPS or even 1080p Low at 182.1 FPS will maximize responsiveness. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides 127.4 FPS, which is above the 120 Hz threshold for most monitors.

Avoid 4K Ultra unless you have a VRR display and can tolerate 53.4 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs 20.4 FPS, a 28% reduction, for marginal visual gains. The data suggests that 1440p Ultra (101.9 FPS) is a better high-fidelity option than 4K High, as it offers higher frame rates and a resolution that is still crisp on most screens. For the most consistent experience across all resolutions, Medium settings at 1440p (142.2 FPS) provide a strong balance of performance and quality.