Outriders

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is a balanced mid-range combination for Outriders, a looter shooter that scales heavily with both CPU and GPU depending on settings. The measured data shows this combo ranks 855th out of 1693 tested configurations, placing it just above the median of all combos. The results indicate that the RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this title, but the choice of settings dramatically changes the experience, swinging from a highly playable 217.5 FPS at 1080p Low to a borderline 33.5 FPS at 4K Ultra. The i5-12400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads boosting to 4.40 GHz, provides enough headroom to keep up at lower resolutions, but at 4K the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. Below is a breakdown of how this combo behaves across resolutions and presets, with practical advice on where to set the dials for the best balance of visual quality and frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

The data reveals a clear sweet spot for this hardware: the Medium preset at 1440p. At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo delivers 116.2 FPS, which is a significant jump from the 84.4 FPS seen at High, while still maintaining a visually acceptable level of detail for a fast-paced looter shooter. Pushing to Ultra at the same resolution drops the frame rate to 61.1 FPS, which is playable but sacrifices the smoothness that benefits the genre’s combat. For the most demanding visual fidelity, 1080p Ultra at 97.6 FPS is the better choice than 1440p Ultra, as the former stays above the 90 FPS threshold while the latter dips below 70.

If the priority is maximum frame rate for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, 1080p Low achieves 217.5 FPS, but this comes at the cost of visual clarity. The most balanced approach for a 60 Hz or 144 Hz monitor is 1440p Medium, which nearly doubles the 4K High result of 45.1 FPS without the visual penalty of Low settings. At 4K, no preset is ideal: High sits at 45.1 FPS, Medium at 59.5 FPS, and Ultra at 33.5 FPS, making 4K a poor fit for this GPU unless the user is willing to accept sub-60 frame rates. The measured rows suggest that the Medium preset at 1440p is the highest quality setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, with a 116.2 FPS average that leaves room for demanding combat scenes.

GPU Role

The RTX 3060 Ti’s specifications directly explain the measured performance. With a boost clock of 1665 MHz, 4864 shading units, and 152 texture mapping units, the GPU handles Outriders’ particle effects and environmental detail well at lower resolutions. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus is the key constraint at higher settings; the jump from Medium to Ultra at 1440p costs 55.1 FPS (from 116.2 to 61.1), and at 4K the Ultra preset falls to 33.5 FPS. This pattern indicates that the game’s Ultra settings likely exceed the memory capacity or fill-rate headroom of the GPU, causing a disproportionate performance drop compared to the step from Low to Medium.

The GPU’s pixel rate of 133.2 GPixel/s and texture rate of 253.1 GTexel/s are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results show the limits. At 4K Low, the combo still manages 81.6 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck at that resolution; rather, the GPU’s shading and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed by the pixel count. The RTX 3060 Ti’s 16.20 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the theoretical peak, but the real-world data shows that Ultra settings at 4K push the GPU past its effective capability, resulting in a 33.5 FPS average that is below the playable threshold for most users. For this game, the GPU is the dominant factor in the transition from Medium to Ultra, while the CPU takes a back seat at resolutions above 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is stark and reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, the combo goes from 217.5 FPS at 1080p to 162.2 FPS at 1440p (a 25.4% drop) and then to 81.6 FPS at 4K (a 49.7% drop from 1440p). This scaling suggests that at Low settings, the CPU is still a relevant factor at 1080p, but the GPU becomes the sole limiter as resolution increases. At Ultra settings, the drop is more dramatic: 97.6 FPS at 1080p, 61.1 FPS at 1440p, and 33.5 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is only 34.3% of the 1080p Ultra figure, which indicates a severe GPU-bound scenario.

The data shows that the i5-12400F has enough single-thread performance (with a 3DMark single-thread score of 909) to feed the RTX 3060 Ti at 1080p, as evidenced by the 217.5 FPS Low result. However, as resolution climbs, the GPU’s workload increases quadratically, and the CPU’s role diminishes. The gap between Medium and High at 4K (59.5 vs. 45.1 FPS) is smaller than at 1080p (187.1 vs. 136.5 FPS), confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. For users targeting 4K, this combo is only viable at Low settings (81.6 FPS), and even then, the visual quality is compromised. The measured data strongly suggests that this hardware is best suited for 1080p or 1440p, where the CPU and GPU are more evenly matched.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers excellent performance across all presets. Low settings hit 217.5 FPS, Medium reaches 187.1 FPS, High manages 136.5 FPS, and Ultra stays at a solid 97.6 FPS. The difference between Medium and High is 50.6 FPS, which is larger than the 38.9 FPS gap between High and Ultra, indicating that the High preset introduces significant additional GPU load. For 1080p users, any preset is playable, but Ultra provides the best visual experience while remaining above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the results show more variation. Low settings produce 162.2 FPS, Medium drops to 116.2 FPS, High falls to 84.4 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 61.1 FPS. The step from Medium to High costs 31.8 FPS, which is a substantial hit for a moderate visual improvement. At this resolution, Ultra is only marginally above the 60 FPS line, making it a risky choice for demanding scenes. High settings at 84.4 FPS offer a better safety margin, but Medium is the recommended balance of quality and performance.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates on higher presets. Low settings yield 81.6 FPS, Medium drops to 59.5 FPS, High falls to 45.1 FPS, and Ultra reaches only 33.5 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is 14.4 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra is 11.6 FPS; both are significant losses for the visual fidelity gained. For 4K, only Low settings provide a consistently smooth experience, and even that is below the 100 FPS mark seen at lower resolutions. The data clearly shows that this combo is not intended for 4K gaming beyond the lowest preset.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 855th out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 50.5th percentile. The i5-12400F has a percentile rank of 77 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19221, while the RTX 3060 Ti has a percentile rank of 69 among all GPUs, with an average score of 25120. The combo’s mid-pack ranking is consistent with the hardware’s individual standing: the CPU is above average, the GPU is slightly above average, but neither is a top-tier part for this specific game.

The CPU’s nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-8700K (avg score 19210, deltaPct 0.1%), the Intel Core i5-1335U (19167, 0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (19364, -0.7%). The i5-12400F is essentially tied with the i7-8700K, meaning that in CPU-bound scenarios, this combo would perform nearly identically to that older flagship. For the GPU, the nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (25180, -0.2%), the Radeon RX 6600 (25235, -0.5%), and the Radeon 890M (25246, -0.5%). The RTX 3060 Ti is slightly behind these AMD parts in average score, but the delta is within 1%, so real-world game performance would be indistinguishable in most cases. The ranking suggests that this combo is a dependable middle-of-the-pack option, not a standout performer but far from a weak one.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for a 144 Hz monitor?

A: At 1440p, Medium settings deliver 116.2 FPS, which is the highest preset that stays above the 100 FPS mark. For 1080p, High settings at 136.5 FPS are the best balance, as Ultra drops to 97.6 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 81.6 FPS. Medium drops to 59.5 FPS, High to 45.1 FPS, and Ultra to 33.5 FPS, all of which are below the ideal playable threshold for a fast-paced game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival?

A: The i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, which is within 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-8700K (19210) and 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-1335U (19167). It is 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (19364).

Q: Is the GPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is still relevant at 1080p Low (217.5 FPS), but the GPU becomes the limiter as settings increase. At 1080p Ultra, the 97.6 FPS result is 44.9% lower than Low, indicating the GPU’s load is the primary constraint.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Medium and High at 1440p?

A: Medium produces 116.2 FPS, while High produces 84.4 FPS, a difference of 31.8 FPS. This is a significant drop for a single preset step, making Medium the more sensible choice for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this combo rank overall in Outriders?

A: It ranks 855th out of 1693 tested combos, placing it just above the median. The CPU ranks in the 77th percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 69th percentile, so the overall ranking reflects the mid-range nature of both components.