Outriders

The benchmark data for Outriders, captured with an Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, reveals a configuration that is heavily skewed toward GPU dominance. The measured frames per second across three resolutions and four quality presets provide a clear picture of where the bottlenecks lie and how the system scales under load. This analysis focuses strictly on the measured rows and the components' synthetic benchmark profiles to interpret the in-game results.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a predictable yet pronounced drop in average FPS as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop varies significantly by preset. At Low settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p sees a reduction from 215.6 FPS to 185.7 FPS, a decline of 29.9 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings further reduces the average to 145.4 FPS, another 40.3 FPS loss. This indicates that even at the lowest graphical load, the rendering pipeline is still heavily influenced by pixel count, though the absolute numbers remain high.

The scaling pattern shifts when examining the High preset. At 1080p, the average is 174 FPS, which drops to 147.4 FPS at 1440p and then to 90.8 FPS at 4K. The 56.6 FPS difference between 1440p and 4K is notably larger than the 26.6 FPS difference between 1080p and 1440p. This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K, the GPU's fill-rate and memory bandwidth become the primary limiting factors, as the pixel throughput requirement outpaces the compute available at lower resolutions.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling curve. Starting at 152.7 FPS in 1080p, it falls to 121.6 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 67.2 FPS at 4K. The 54.4 FPS drop from 1440p to 4K is nearly double the 31.1 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p. This behavior is consistent with a scenario where the GPU is saturated; the data implies that the RTX 5090 is the limiting component at 4K Ultra, while the CPU has more headroom to feed frames at lower resolutions. The ratio of 4K to 1080p performance at Ultra is 0.44, indicating a severe scaling penalty that points directly to GPU-bound rendering.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show a single-thread score of 910 in 3dmark and a multi-thread score of 5890 in the max threads test. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 2249 points in single-core and 15935 points in multi-core. These numbers suggest a capable mid-range processor that can handle modern game logic, but in Outriders, the data indicates it is not the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

Looking at the measured FPS at 1080p Low, the system produces 215.6 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the CPU is able to feed the GPU adequately at this resolution. However, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 62.9 FPS, which is substantial. This gap can be attributed to the GPU's workload increasing with graphical fidelity, but the CPU's role is to maintain a consistent frame delivery. The processor's 3dmark 2-thread score of 1692 and 4-thread score of 3012 indicate that it has sufficient single-core performance for typical game threads, but the game itself may not be optimized to leverage the full 12 threads effectively.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 19850 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700, which scores 19831 with a deltaPct of 0.1. It also edges out the Intel Core i5-11600K, which scores 19771 with a deltaPct of 0.4. This placement suggests that the i5-12400 is on par with older i7 parts in synthetic workloads. In game, the data shows that the CPU is unlikely to bottleneck the RTX 5090 until frame rates exceed the 200 FPS threshold, which only occurs at 1080p Low. Beyond that, the GPU takes over as the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a flagship GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2407 MHz, and it features 21760 shading units. The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial, with an FP32 throughput of 104.8 TFLOPS. These specifications explain its high benchmark scores, including a Passmark G3D score of 39650 and a 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14411.

In Outriders, the GPU's role is clearly dominant. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 67.2, which is the lowest across all tested configurations. This is despite the GPU's massive memory bandwidth and compute resources. The data suggests that the game's Ultra preset imposes a heavy load that the GPU cannot fully overcome at 4K, even with this hardware. The difference between 4K Low and 4K Ultra is 78.2 FPS, highlighting how much performance is sacrificed for visual fidelity.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 84306 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, which scores 84241 with a deltaPct of 0.1. It is also slightly ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile, which scores 84171 with a deltaPct of 0.2. This indicates that the RTX 5090 is at the top of the performance stack, yet the game's 4K Ultra results show it is still pushed to its limits. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a 56.6 FPS drop, which is a 38% reduction, demonstrating that the game is highly sensitive to pixel count and the GPU's memory subsystem is a critical factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 155th out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the top 10% of all configurations, which is impressive given the CPU's mid-range status. The rank reflects the overall system capability, and the data shows that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting.

The CPU's percentile rank of 77 versus all CPUs indicates it is better than 77% of processors, but its nearest rivals show a tight cluster. The GPU's percentile rank of 94 versus all GPUs puts it in the top 6% of all graphics cards. The disparity between these percentiles suggests that the combo's high rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU. In a game like Outriders, which appears to be GPU-intensive based on the resolution scaling, the CPU's lower percentile is less impactful.

The measured FPS at 1440p High is 147.4, which is a strong result for a looter shooter. At 1080p High, the system achieves 174 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on gaming monitors. These results indicate that the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gameplay at 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result of 67.2 FPS shows a limitation. The rank of 155 suggests that while this is a high-performing combo, there are 154 other configurations that achieve better overall scores, likely those with higher-end CPUs that can push frame rates even higher at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the Low preset yields 215.6 FPS, which is the highest measured value. However, the High preset at 174 FPS provides a better visual experience while still maintaining a frame rate above 170 FPS. The Ultra preset at 152.7 FPS is also viable for competitive play, offering a balance of quality and speed.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 147.4 FPS, which is a strong result for a high-resolution monitor. The Medium preset at 161 FPS is also a good choice, providing a higher frame rate with a modest reduction in visual quality. The Ultra preset at 121.6 FPS remains playable and offers the best visual fidelity without dropping below the 120 FPS threshold. The Low preset at 185.7 FPS is unnecessary for most users, as the High preset offers a better visual experience with only a 38.3 FPS penalty.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. The Low preset produces 145.4 FPS, which is excellent for 4K, but the graphical quality is significantly reduced. The Medium preset at 118.2 FPS provides a better visual experience while still maintaining a frame rate above 100 FPS. The High preset at 90.8 FPS is the recommended choice for a balanced 4K experience, as it offers good visual quality with a frame rate that is smooth for most gameplay. The Ultra preset at 67.2 FPS should be avoided if frame rate consistency is a priority, as it dips below the 70 FPS mark. The data suggests that for 4K, the High preset is the sweet spot, as it provides a 23.6 FPS improvement over Ultra while maintaining a significantly higher visual quality than Medium.