Outriders

The Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 pairing in Outriders presents a classic study in bottleneck dynamics. The CPU, a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake-S part, operates with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support provide a solid foundation for game logic and physics. In synthetic benchmarks, this processor achieves a multi-thread score of 16,518 in Cinebench R23 and a single-core score of 2,332, indicating strong per-thread performance that typically favors game responsiveness. The processor’s 3DMark scores show a scaling pattern from 909 in the single-thread test to 5,912 in the max-threads test, suggesting it can leverage its 12 threads effectively when the workload demands it.

The data reveals a significant spread in performance based on settings, which points to the CPU being a capable but not dominant partner. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces an average of 209.7 FPS, while at 1440p Low it drops to 128.5 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 67 FPS. This scaling from Low to Ultra at any given resolution shows the GPU becoming progressively more stressed, with the CPU’s influence waning as resolution increases. The core count of 6 and thread count of 12 are sufficient for the game’s looter-shooter mechanics, but the benchmark results suggest that the graphics card is the primary limiter when pushing higher visual fidelity. The processor’s performance percentile of 77 versus all CPUs places it in a strong position, yet the measured FPS data indicates that its headroom is not fully utilized in this specific title.

FAQ

Q: How does the Core i5-12400F compare to its nearest rivals in raw processing power?

A: The benchmark data shows the i5-12400F is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-8700K, with a deltaPct of 0.1% and an average score of 19,221 versus 19,210. It is also 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U, and 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS. The AMD EPYC 7773X trails by 1.3% in this comparison.

Q: What is the FPS difference between the highest and lowest settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 209.7 on Low settings down to 82.4 on Ultra. The Medium setting yields 152.8 FPS, while High produces 112.3 FPS. This represents a performance drop of 127.3 FPS from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the RX 7600’s memory bandwidth become a limiting factor at higher resolutions?

A: The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 25, which is a stark contrast to the 67 FPS at 4K Low, suggesting that the combination of memory size and bandwidth is heavily taxed by the game’s high-resolution textures and effects.

Q: How does the combo rank against all other tested configurations in Outriders?

A: The combination of the i5-12400F and RX 7600 is ranked 1,113 out of 1,693 total tested combos. This places it in the lower third of all configurations, indicating that while it is playable, many other setups deliver higher frame rates in this specific game.

Q: What is the FPS penalty for moving from 1440p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 71.7. Moving to 3840x2160 at the same settings results in an average of 38.3 FPS. This is a drop of 33.4 FPS, or approximately 46.6% fewer frames, showing a steep cost for the resolution increase.

Q: Is the CPU’s single-thread performance more relevant than its multi-thread performance for this game?

A: The processor’s single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark and 2,332 in Cinebench R23 suggests strong per-core capability. However, the FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher settings, since even with the CPU’s 12 threads, the frame rate scales more with resolution and settings changes than with CPU-bound tasks.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance, particularly as settings increase. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 209.7 FPS at 1080p to 128.5 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 81.2 FPS. Moving further to 4K Low yields 67 FPS, which is a 61.5 FPS drop from 1440p. This scaling suggests that even at Low settings, the rendering load is significant enough to strain the RX 7600, though the CPU is still able to feed it adequately.

The situation changes drastically at Ultra settings. The system achieves 82.4 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 55.1 FPS at 1440p, and then plummets to 25 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 27.3 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 30.1 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is reaching its computational limits as pixel count increases, with the 8 GB VRAM and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth becoming insufficient for the Ultra preset’s demands. The data implies that at 1080p and 1440p, the system is more balanced, but at 4K, the graphics card is the definitive limiting component, unable to maintain playable frame rates at the highest quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7600 is ranked 1,113 out of 1,693 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the 34th percentile of all configurations, meaning that roughly two-thirds of tested systems deliver higher average frame rates. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual component scores; the CPU’s average benchmark score of 19,221 is above the 77th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU’s average score of 20,258 places it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Yet, the combined result lags, suggesting that the pairing may not be optimally synchronized for this title’s engine.

The data indicates that the system is not a top performer, but it is far from the bottom. With a rank of 1,113, it sits in the middle-to-lower range, which aligns with the measured FPS at 1440p High (71.7 FPS) being playable but not exceptional. The ranking implies that other combinations of CPUs and GPUs can extract more performance from Outriders, likely due to different architectural strengths or memory configurations. This specific combo’s position suggests that while it handles 1080p and 1440p well, it is not optimized for the highest resolutions or settings in this game.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600, based on the Navi 33 chip with RDNA 3.0 architecture, is the primary driver of frame rates in Outriders. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s, which is a key factor in how the game performs at higher resolutions. The GPU’s boost clock of 2655 MHz and game clock of 2250 MHz allow it to reach an FP32 throughput of 21.75 TFLOPS, which is substantial for a card in its class. The 64 ROPs and 128 TMUs handle pixel and texture processing, with a pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s.

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the bottleneck in most scenarios. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 209.7 FPS, which is high, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 82.4 FPS, showing that the GPU struggles with the increased shader and texture complexity. The memory speed of 18 Gbps effective becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where the frame rate falls to 25 FPS at Ultra settings. The data suggests that while the GPU is capable of high frame rates at lower resolutions, its 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface constrain performance in Outriders when the game’s visual demands are at their peak. The GPU’s percentile of 63 versus all GPUs indicates it is an average performer, but the game’s specific requirements for memory bandwidth and capacity are not fully met by this card.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 209.7 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest recorded value across all configurations. Medium settings yield 152.8 FPS, High settings produce 112.3 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 82.4 FPS. The pattern shows a consistent decline as settings increase, with the most significant drop occurring between Medium and High, a difference of 40.5 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS is 128.5 on Low, 96.2 on Medium, 71.7 on High, and 55.1 on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 73.4 FPS, indicating that the GPU is more heavily taxed at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are 67 on Low, 51.9 on Medium, 38.3 on High, and 25 on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra at 4K is 42 FPS, which is a significant reduction, but the absolute values are much lower, highlighting the GPU’s limitations at this resolution. The data shows a clear trend: the system is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can maintain high frame rates even at Ultra settings, while 4K gaming is only viable at Low or Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset provides an average of 112.3 FPS, which is smooth and visually detailed. The Ultra preset at 82.4 FPS is still playable but offers diminishing returns over High. For competitive play, the Medium preset at 152.8 FPS or Low at 209.7 FPS would be preferable to maximize responsiveness, though the visual quality is reduced.

At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 71.7 FPS, which is acceptable for a single-player looter shooter, but the Medium preset at 96.2 FPS offers a better balance of fluidity and visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 55.1 FPS is on the edge of playability and may cause noticeable stuttering in action-heavy scenes. For 4K, the Low preset at 67 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience, as Medium at 51.9 FPS and High at 38.3 FPS are below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. The Ultra preset at 25 FPS is not recommended for any scenario. The data suggests that a balance between Medium and High settings at 1440p, or High at 1080p, offers the best overall experience for the majority of players.