Outriders

Outriders, a looter shooter from 2021, places significant demands on the rendering pipeline, and the pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F with the Intel Arc B390 illustrates a system where the graphics subsystem is the definitive constraint. The benchmark data shows a consistent and dramatic collapse in frame rates as resolution climbs, a classic indicator that the GPU is saturated long before the CPU becomes a factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 115 FPS, which is comfortable for fast-paced gameplay. However, stepping up to 1440p at the same Low preset drops the average to 72 FPS, a reduction of 43 FPS. The trend accelerates sharply at 4K, where the Low preset yields just 38 FPS on average. This pattern—a 67% loss in average frame rate from 1080p to 4K on the lowest settings—points to a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput and memory bandwidth, not a processor struggling with game logic.

The scaling from Medium to High settings further confirms the GPU bottleneck. At 1080p, moving from Medium (83 FPS) to High (63 FPS) costs 20 FPS. At 1440p, the same settings step drops from 53 FPS to 40 FPS. The data suggests that the i5-12400F has ample headroom; the frame rate differences between resolutions are far larger than any potential variance caused by the CPU's six cores. If the processor were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across resolutions at a given setting, since the CPU workload remains relatively constant. Instead, the measured FPS scales inversely with pixel count, a textbook sign of a GPU-bound scenario. For players targeting 4K, the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 15 FPS, and even High struggles to maintain a fluid presentation, indicating that this combination is best suited for lower resolutions or significant graphical compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior of this hardware combination is stark and reveals the fundamental imbalance between the components. Starting at 1080p, the system shows it can handle the game when the GPU is not overwhelmed. The jump from 1080p to 1440p at High settings results in a 36.5% performance drop, from 63 FPS to 40 FPS. This is a severe penalty for a single resolution step, suggesting that the Intel Arc B390's rendering capabilities are quickly exhausted. The situation worsens at 4K, where the High preset manages only 21 FPS, a 66.7% reduction from the 1440p figure. This is not a linear scaling; it is an exponential collapse, indicating that the GPU is hitting hard limits on fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The Low preset tells a similar story, though with higher absolute numbers. At 1080p Low, the system produces 115 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 72 FPS, a 37.4% decrease. At 4K Low, it falls to 38 FPS, another 47.2% drop from the 1440p result. These percentages are substantial and show that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the GPU cannot maintain performance as resolution increases. The data implies that the Intel Arc B390, with its system-shared memory and 80W power envelope, is simply not designed for high-resolution gaming. The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU; the CPU's frame delivery is far ahead of what the GPU can process at these pixel densities. The measured FPS curves suggest that 1080p is the only viable resolution for this pairing, and even then, only at lower settings for high refresh rate displays.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances frame rate against visual fidelity. For a 60 FPS target, the data shows that 1080p Medium is the highest setting that achieves this goal, with an average of 83 FPS and a minimum of 71 FPS. This provides a smooth, responsive experience for the looter shooter genre, where quick reactions are necessary. The High preset at 1080p falls to 63 FPS, which is still playable, but the Medium preset offers a more significant safety margin above the 60 FPS threshold, especially considering potential combat scenarios with numerous enemies and particle effects.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset is the only option that approaches a smooth experience, averaging 72 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 53 FPS, which is a compromise between visual quality and smoothness, but the minimum of 45 FPS could lead to noticeable stutters in intense firefights. For 4K, no setting provides a playable experience; the Low preset averages 38 FPS, which is below the threshold for a comfortable action game. The data suggests that users should prioritize 1080p with Medium settings for the best overall experience. If visual fidelity is paramount, the High preset at 1080p is acceptable, but it pushes the average frame rate closer to the edge. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it yields a maximum average of 45 FPS at 1080p, which is a poor trade-off for the marginal visual gains.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate a capable mid-range processor; for instance, it scores 12,380 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,680 in single-core. In the context of Outriders, the CPU's role appears to be secondary to the GPU. The data shows that the frame rates are primarily dictated by resolution and settings, not by CPU-bound tasks like physics or AI. This is expected for a game of this genre, which typically scales well with GPU resources.

The processor's 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are standard for its class. Its performance percentile of 73 against all CPUs places it firmly in the upper half of processors, meaning it is not a weak link in this system. However, the benchmark results from the game do not show any signs of CPU limitation. For example, the 115 FPS at 1080p Low is likely near the upper ceiling of what the GPU can produce, not the CPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates at 1440p and 4K on the Low preset, but we do not. The i5-12400F is likely providing frames well above the GPU's ability to render them, making it a non-factor in this specific configuration. The data suggests that the CPU has significant headroom, and upgrading the GPU would yield far more substantial performance gains than any CPU change.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2582nd out of 2913 combos for Outriders. This places it in the bottom 11.3% of all tested systems, a low position that aligns with the measured FPS results. The ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's modest performance, as the CPU is comparatively strong. The combo's rank indicates that most other tested hardware configurations deliver higher frame rates, likely due to more powerful graphics cards. This is not a surprise given the Arc B390's benchmark percentile of 9, which puts it in the bottom tier of all GPUs.

The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS and Intel Core 3 201E, have nearly identical average benchmark scores (within 0.3%), confirming that the i5-12400F is a solid performer in isolation. However, the GPU's nearest rivals are legacy parts like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, which are over a decade old and have significantly lower performance. This contrast highlights the severe bottleneck in this system. The data suggests that the combo's low rank is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, and any performance improvements would require a graphics card upgrade. The 2582nd rank out of 2913 combos is a clear signal that this is a low-end gaming configuration, suitable only for esports titles or older games at low resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its performance is characterized by a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This is a very low score, indicative of entry-level integrated graphics rather than a discrete solution. The GPU relies on system-shared memory, which means its bandwidth is system-dependent and likely a limitation in high-resolution scenarios.

The GPU's role in Outriders is the primary determinant of the measured FPS. The data shows a clear correlation between the GPU's workload and the frame rates. At 1080p, the GPU can manage playable frame rates at lower settings, but its limitations become apparent at higher resolutions. The 4K results, where even Low settings average only 38 FPS, demonstrate that the GPU lacks the raw processing power and memory bandwidth for such pixel counts. The 80W TDP and IGP form factor further confirm that this is not designed for demanding gaming. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the GeForce GT 710, are similarly low-powered parts, reinforcing its position at the bottom of the performance spectrum. In this configuration, the Arc B390 is the clear limiting factor, and its performance dictates that users must make significant sacrifices in resolution and settings to achieve acceptable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 115 FPS on Low settings, 83 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 71 and maximum of 96), 63 FPS on High, and 45 FPS on Ultra. These figures show that 1080p is the only resolution where the system approaches a high-refresh-rate experience, but only at the cost of visual fidelity. The drop from Low to Ultra is 70 FPS, a 60.9% reduction, indicating that the GPU struggles with the increased shading and post-processing effects.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 72 FPS on Low, 53 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 45 and maximum of 61), 40 FPS on High, and 29 FPS on Ultra. The performance gap between Low and Ultra narrows in percentage terms to 59.7%, but the absolute numbers are much lower, making Ultra unplayable. At 3840x2160, the system averages 38 FPS on Low, 28 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 23 and maximum of 32), 21 FPS on High, and 15 FPS on Ultra. These numbers are all below the threshold for smooth gameplay, confirming that 4K is not a viable option for this combo. The data across all resolutions shows a consistent pattern: the system is heavily GPU-bound, and the frame rates scale predictably with the GPU's workload, with no indication of CPU involvement in limiting performance.