Outriders

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a severely GPU-limited experience in Outriders. The data shows a massive performance cliff as resolution increases, with the integrated GPU's 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute being the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 115 FPS, but this drops to 21 FPS at 4K High, representing an 82% reduction in frame rate. This behavior indicates that the Core i5-12400's six P-cores are more than capable of feeding frames, but the Arc B390's 24 ROPs and system-shared memory architecture simply cannot sustain rendering workloads at higher pixel counts. Benchmark results place this combo in the 2582nd position out of 2913 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 11% of all tested combos for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows a steep and consistent decline across all settings presets. At Low settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 sees the average FPS drop from 115 to 72, a 37% reduction, while moving to 3840x2160 further reduces performance to 38 FPS, which is 67% below the 1080p result. This pattern strongly suggests that the Arc B390's fillrate limitations, specifically its 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate, become the dominant constraint as the number of pixels quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

For Medium settings, the measured data shows a similar trajectory: 83 FPS at 1080p, 53 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K represents a 47% performance loss, slightly less severe than the 48% drop seen when going from 1080p to 1440p, indicating that the rendering overhead scales almost linearly with pixel count. High settings follow the same pattern with 63, 40, and 21 FPS across the three resolutions, while Ultra settings are nearly unplayable at higher resolutions, delivering 45 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and just 15 FPS at 4K.

The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU. The Core i5-12400's 3DMark max threads score of 5890 and Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15989 demonstrate ample processing headroom. Even at 1080p Ultra, where the CPU would be most stressed, the 45 FPS result is far below what the CPU's capabilities would suggest. The i5-12400's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 2.50 GHz base clock provide sufficient bandwidth for game logic, but the Arc B390's system-shared memory bandwidth, which is dependent on the host system, creates a clear ceiling. The frame time consistency also deteriorates at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the Medium preset's min/max spread: 71-96 FPS at 1080p, 45-61 FPS at 1440p, and 23-32 FPS at 4K, showing increasing variance as the GPU becomes more saturated.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of playing Outriders at 4K?*

A: No. The measured data shows 4K performance ranging from 15 FPS on Ultra to 38 FPS on Low settings. Even the best 4K result (38 FPS at Low) falls below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth, and the 21 FPS High setting result is effectively unplayable.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware?

A: 1920x1080 is the only resolution where acceptable frame rates are achievable. At 1080p, the combo delivers 115 FPS on Low, 83 FPS on Medium, and 63 FPS on High, all of which are playable. The 2560x1440 resolution only becomes viable on Low settings with 72 FPS.

Q: How does the Core i5-12400 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-12400's average benchmark score of 18683 places it within 0.7% of the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (18811) and 0.9% ahead of the Intel Core i3-14100F (18519). It sits 0.1% behind the AMD EPYC 7643 (18697) and 0.3% behind the Intel Core i7-1355U (18730), showing near-identical synthetic performance.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a weak GPU for this game?

A: Yes. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), which is 1.3% slower, and the GeForce GT 710 (1443), which is 2.7% slower. This positions the Arc B390 squarely in entry-level integrated graphics territory.

Q: What settings preset gives the most balanced experience?

A: Medium at 1080p offers the best balance, delivering 83 FPS average with a minimum of 71 FPS. This provides a 76% improvement over High settings' 63 FPS while only requiring a 28% performance sacrifice compared to Low settings' 115 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any point?

A: The data suggests no. The i5-12400's performance percentile of 72% versus the GPU's 9% percentile creates a significant imbalance. Even at 1080p Low with 115 FPS, the CPU has substantial headroom, as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and PassMark single-thread score of 3456, both of which indicate strong per-core performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Core i5-12400 + Arc B390 combination ranks 2582nd out of 2913 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the bottom 11.4% of all configurations. This low ranking is directly attributable to the GPU's performance ceiling rather than any CPU deficiency. The Arc B390's 9th percentile standing among all GPUs means that virtually any discrete graphics card from the past decade would outperform it, while the i5-12400's 72nd percentile CPU ranking shows it is a mid-range processor capable of handling modern game workloads.

The delta between the CPU's and GPU's performance percentiles (72% vs 9%) creates a massive imbalance that manifests in the measured frame rates. In games where the GPU is the primary bottleneck, such as Outriders, this combo behaves like a low-end system despite having a respectable six-core processor. The data indicates that pairing this i5-12400 with even a modest discrete GPU would yield dramatically better results, as the CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 5873 and Cinebench R20 multicore score of 6715 show it can handle sustained multi-threaded loads without breaking a sweat.

Compared to other combos in the database, this configuration sits in the bottom decile, meaning that 331 other tested combinations (2913 total minus 2582) perform worse. However, the vast majority of those lower-ranked combos likely feature much older CPUs paired with similarly weak GPUs. The i5-12400's inclusion in this pairing is almost wasted, as the GPU cannot leverage the CPU's advantages in cache size (18 MB L3) or clock speed (4.40 GHz boost).

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings preset depends on the user's priority between visual fidelity and frame rate. For a smooth, competitive experience, Low settings at 1920x1080 delivers the highest frame rate at 115 FPS, which is 39% faster than Medium and 83% faster than High settings. This preset ensures the game remains well above the 60 FPS threshold with minimal frame drops.

For players seeking a balance between visual quality and performance, Medium settings at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice. The 83 FPS average with a 71 FPS minimum provides a consistent experience that stays above 60 FPS even in demanding scenes. The visual improvement over Low settings is substantial in a looter shooter where enemy effects and particle systems are common, and the 32 FPS drop from Low (115 to 83) is a reasonable trade-off for the enhanced detail.

High settings at 1080p (63 FPS) is playable but leaves little headroom for frame drops during intense combat. The 2560x1440 resolution should only be considered with Low settings (72 FPS), as Medium drops to 53 FPS and High falls to 40 FPS, both below the smoothness threshold. Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution; even at 1080p, the 45 FPS result is below 60, and at 4K, the 15 FPS result is a slideshow. The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely, as even Low settings only manage 38 FPS, which is insufficient for a fast-paced shooter.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full settings range was tested with complete data. Low settings produce an average of 115 FPS, representing the best performance. Medium settings yield 83 FPS with a measured range of 71 to 96 FPS, showing a 25 FPS spread between minimum and maximum. High settings average 63 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 45 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 61% performance reduction (115 to 45 FPS), with each successive preset tier costing approximately 20-25% performance.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades significantly. Low settings average 72 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution. Medium settings deliver 53 FPS with a range of 45 to 61 FPS, indicating occasional dips below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 40 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 29 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p results in a 37% performance loss on Low (115 to 72), 36% on Medium (83 to 53), 37% on High (63 to 40), and 36% on Ultra (45 to 29), showing consistent resolution scaling across all presets.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal for all settings. Low settings average 38 FPS, which is the only preset that approaches playability. Medium settings average 28 FPS with a range of 23 to 32 FPS. High settings drop to 21 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 15 FPS. The transition from 1440p to 4K incurs a 47% performance loss on Low (72 to 38), 47% on Medium (53 to 28), 48% on High (40 to 21), and 48% on Ultra (29 to 15). The consistent ~47-48% loss across all presets confirms that the GPU's pixel throughput is the sole limiting factor, with no CPU-related bottlenecks emerging at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 brings six physical cores and 12 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture processor, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features an 18 MB shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 cache per core. The CPU's benchmark results indicate strong multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 15989, while the 3DMark max threads test reaches 5890. Single-thread performance is equally solid, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and Cinebench R23 singlecore score of 2257.

In Outriders, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, enemy AI, and physics calculations, which the i5-12400 does with considerable headroom. The 65W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a mainstream processor, and its 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms it outperforms the majority of installed processors. The PassMark multithread score of 18747 and Geekbench multicore score of 8564 further validate its capability for gaming workloads.

However, the CPU's performance is entirely wasted in this configuration because the Arc B390 cannot translate CPU throughput into frame rate. The GPU's 1536 shading units and 12 ray tracing cores are insufficient for Outriders' rendering demands, as demonstrated by the 9th percentile GPU ranking. The CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 1692 shows that even lightly-threaded workloads are handled efficiently, but the frame rate ceiling is set by the GPU's 2500 MHz boost clock and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate. The data shows no scenario where the CPU becomes the bottleneck, as even the highest frame rate (115 FPS at 1080p Low) leaves the CPU with significant unused capacity. This imbalance means that upgrading the GPU would yield substantial performance gains without requiring a CPU change, making the i5-12400 a future-proof component in an otherwise underpowered system.