Outriders

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Outriders with the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 reveals a clear pattern: resolution scaling has a dramatic and predictable impact on performance, with the GPU becoming the dominant limiting factor as pixel count rises. At 1080p, the combo delivers 142 FPS on High settings, which drops to 89 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and further to 47 FPS at 4K (a 67% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline indicates that the Radeon RX 7700 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU has ample headroom at 1080p.

The scaling behavior becomes more revealing when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 215 FPS, demonstrating that the Intel Core i5-12400F can feed the GPU with enough data to approach very high frame rates. At 1440p Low, the drop to 164 FPS (a 24% reduction) shows the GPU starting to take on more load, but the system still maintains excellent fluidity. At 4K Low, the 86 FPS result represents a 60% drop from 1080p Low, confirming that the RX 7700's raw throughput is the ceiling when settings are minimized.

The Medium preset tells a similar story with slightly compressed margins. From 189 FPS at 1080p Medium to 119 FPS at 1440p Medium (a 37% drop) and 62 FPS at 4K Medium (a 67% drop from 1080p), the scaling curve remains consistent. Interestingly, the 4K Medium result includes measured minimum and maximum values of 53 FPS and 72 FPS respectively, suggesting some frame-time variance at this demanding configuration. The 1080p Medium range shows 161 FPS minimum and 217 FPS maximum, indicating a wide spread that hints at scenes with varying complexity.

Ultra settings amplify the GPU-bound nature of the system. At 1080p Ultra, the combo produces 102 FPS, which drops to 65 FPS at 1440p Ultra (a 36% reduction) and 34 FPS at 4K Ultra (a 67% reduction). The fact that all four settings presets show nearly identical percentage drops from 1080p to 4K — ranging from 60% to 67% — strongly suggests that the RX 7700's memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s and its 256-bit bus width are the constraining factors, rather than any CPU limitation. The i5-12400F's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are sufficient to keep up with the GPU's demands across all tested resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combo in Outriders?

A: The highest measured average is 215 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the more practical High preset, the maximum is 142 FPS at 1080p.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F or the AMD Radeon RX 7700 the bottleneck in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate the RX 7700 is the limiting component at higher resolutions. The consistent 60-67% FPS drops from 1080p to 4K across all presets point to GPU throughput as the ceiling, while the CPU maintains high frame delivery at 1080p.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High, the average is 47 FPS; at 4K Medium, it reaches 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS. For smooth 4K play, Low settings yield 86 FPS, but Ultra drops to 34 FPS, which is below typical playability thresholds.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest rival in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The RX 7700's average benchmark score is 15852, which puts it 1% behind the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (score 16014) and 1.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (score 16129). It is 1.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (score 15679).

Q: What CPU performance tier does the i5-12400F occupy?

A: The i5-12400F sits at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, scores 19047 (0% delta), while the Intel Core i5-1335U scores 18982 (0.3% behind).

Q: Does the game favor more cores or higher clocks for this combo?

A: The data suggests the 6-core/12-thread configuration with a 4.40 GHz boost is sufficient. The CPU's 3DMark scores show strong scaling from 2 threads (1699) to 8 threads (4779), but the game's FPS results at 1080p Low (215 FPS) indicate that single-core performance, reflected in the 909 3DMark single-thread score, is adequate for high frame delivery.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F plays a supporting role in Outriders, providing enough computational headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck at any tested resolution. With 6 physical cores and 12 threads based on Alder Lake architecture, this CPU delivers a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The benchmark data shows that this configuration is well-matched to the RX 7700 for this title, as evidenced by the high frame rates achieved at 1080p.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark scores provide context for its gaming behavior. In Cinebench R23, the i5-12400F scores 12380 in multi-core and 1680 in single-core tests. The 3DMark results show a progression from 909 in single-thread to 5895 in 16-thread tests, with 4779 in 8-thread and 5912 in max-thread scenarios. These numbers indicate that the CPU scales adequately with thread count, though the game's engine appears to benefit more from the strong single-thread performance (1680 in Cinebench R23 single-core) than from raw multi-threaded throughput.

The L3 cache configuration of 18 MB shared across cores, combined with 1.25 MB L2 per core and 80 KB L1 per core, provides sufficient on-die storage for game data. The dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 gives flexibility, though the measured results suggest that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor in Outriders. The CPU's 10 nm process node and 65 W TDP contribute to efficient operation, but these characteristics are secondary to the observed performance.

Comparing the i5-12400F to its nearest rivals, the average benchmark score of 19039 places it essentially on par with the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (19047, 0% delta) and Intel Core 3 201E (19056, -0.1% delta). It is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core i5-1335U (18982) and AMD EPYC 7773X (18979). This clustering indicates that the CPU's performance level is well-established within a narrow band, and any differences in Outriders would likely stem from the GPU rather than the processor.

The 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that the i5-12400F is above average, but not at the enthusiast tier. For Outriders specifically, the CPU's role is to maintain frame pacing and avoid stutters, which it does effectively. The fact that 1080p Low reaches 215 FPS while 1080p Ultra manages 102 FPS — a 53% reduction — shows that as settings increase, the GPU takes on more work, but the CPU never becomes the constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 142 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual quality and smoothness, outpacing the 60 Hz and 144 Hz refresh rates most common in this resolution class. Those with 240 Hz panels could consider Low settings at 215 FPS, though the visual trade-offs may not be worth the extra 73 FPS over High. The Medium preset at 189 FPS sits between these extremes and provides a wide measured range of 161 to 217 FPS, suggesting some scene-dependent variability that could be noticeable on high-refresh displays.

At 1440p, the High preset delivers 89 FPS, which is adequate for most gaming scenarios but falls short of 144 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 119 FPS provides a better experience for high-refresh 1440p monitors, with a measured minimum of 101 FPS ensuring that frame drops remain above 100 FPS in the tested scenarios. Low settings at 164 FPS offer the smoothest experience, but the visual compromise may be significant for a game that benefits from detail. Ultra at 65 FPS is playable on 60 Hz displays but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes.

For 4K resolution, the choices become more constrained. The Medium preset at 62 FPS is the recommended starting point, with a measured minimum of 53 FPS and maximum of 72 FPS indicating that the experience is playable but variable. High settings at 47 FPS are borderline for smooth play, while Low at 86 FPS offers a more comfortable margin for those prioritizing frame rate over visuals. Ultra at 34 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider minimum for a looter shooter.

The data suggests that the Medium preset provides the most consistent experience across all resolutions when considering the measured minimum FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the 161 FPS minimum ensures no drops below 144 Hz territory; at 1440p Medium, the 101 FPS minimum keeps play above 100 FPS; and at 4K Medium, the 53 FPS minimum is the only sub-60 result, but it remains playable. This consistency makes Medium the safest choice for maintaining smooth gameplay without excessive visual compromise.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1281 out of 2913 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 56th percentile of all configurations. This mid-pack positioning reflects the balanced nature of the pairing: the CPU is solidly above average (73rd percentile) while the GPU sits closer to the median (58th percentile among all GPUs). The combination's rank suggests that while it is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, it outperforms a majority of systems tested in this game.

The GPU's performance relative to its peers helps contextualize this ranking. The RX 7700's average benchmark score of 15852 places it within 1.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129), which is a well-known mid-range contender. The RX 7700 is also roughly on par with the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, -0.1% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679, 1.1% delta). This clustering around the 15800-16100 score range indicates that the RX 7700 delivers consistent mid-range performance, which translates to the 1080p and 1440p capabilities observed in Outriders.

The combo's rank of 1281 out of 2913 means that 1632 other combinations produce higher frame rates in this game, while 1280 produce lower results. This places the i5-12400F + RX 7700 squarely in the middle of the performance distribution, which is reasonable for a 6-core CPU paired with a mid-range GPU. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking is notably higher than the combo's overall rank, suggesting that the GPU is the limiting factor in achieving a better position.

For context, the CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, Intel Core 3 201E, Intel Core i5-1335U, and AMD EPYC 7773X — all score within 0.3% of the i5-12400F. If any of these CPUs were paired with the RX 7700, the resulting combo rank in Outriders would likely be very similar, as the game's performance is more dependent on the GPU at higher resolutions. This reinforces the conclusion that the combo's mid-pack ranking is primarily a function of the GPU's class, not the CPU's capability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Outriders with the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 covers three resolutions and four settings presets, yielding 12 distinct data points. At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates: Low averages 215 FPS, Medium averages 189 FPS with a range of 161 to 217 FPS, High averages 142 FPS, and Ultra averages 102 FPS. These results show that the combo can comfortably drive high-refresh monitors at 1080p, with Low capable of exceeding 200 FPS and High maintaining over 140 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings produce 164 FPS, Medium yields 119 FPS with a range of 101 to 137 FPS, High delivers 89 FPS, and Ultra drops to 65 FPS. The percentage reductions from 1080p are consistent: Low drops by 24%, Medium by 37%, High by 37%, and Ultra by 36%. This uniformity suggests that the resolution increase affects all settings similarly, pointing to a consistent GPU bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the system's limits become apparent. Low settings average 86 FPS, Medium averages 62 FPS with a range of 53 to 72 FPS, High drops to 47 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS. The reductions from 1080p are more severe: Low drops by 60%, Medium by 67%, High by 67%, and Ultra by 67%. The steeper decline at Low settings (60% versus 67% for other presets) indicates that at minimal graphical load, the GPU's raw fill rate becomes the limiting factor, while at higher settings, other GPU resources like shader throughput and memory bandwidth are also saturated.

The Medium preset is the only configuration with complete minimum and maximum FPS data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 161 to 217 FPS; at 1440p, it is 101 to 137 FPS; and at 4K, it is 53 to 72 FPS. The width of these ranges — 56 FPS at 1080p, 36 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K — shrinks as resolution increases, suggesting that frame-time consistency improves when the GPU is more fully utilized. This pattern indicates that at 1080p, the CPU may occasionally cause frame pacing variations, while at 4K, the GPU's consistent workload produces tighter frame times.

The data also reveals the impact of settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 113 FPS (215 to 102); at 1440p, it is 99 FPS (164 to 65); and at 4K, it is 52 FPS (86 to 34). The narrowing gap at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as pixel count rises, with the CPU's influence diminishing. For players targeting 60 FPS, the 4K Medium preset (62 FPS) is the minimum viable option, while 1440p High (89 FPS) and 1080p Ultra (102 FPS) both provide headroom above this threshold.