Outriders

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread desktop processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on the Alder Lake architecture with a 10 nm process node. Its base clock is 2.50 GHz with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, and it features 18 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 16,518 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,332 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 19,433. Its average benchmark score of 19,221 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i7-8700K (0.1% faster) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS (0.7% slower). For a game like Outriders, a looter shooter with dense combat scenarios, the 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient to handle the game's logic and physics without becoming the primary bottleneck at standard resolutions. The CPU's single-thread performance, reflected in its Geekbench single-core score of 2,221, is particularly relevant for maintaining consistent frame pacing in a genre that often relies on a primary game thread for enemy AI and loot calculations.

The processor's memory support includes both DDR4 and DDR5, though the measured performance in this benchmark set does not differentiate between the two. The CPU's 65 W TDP and dual-channel memory bus suggest a balanced platform that will not starve the GPU in typical gaming loads. In the context of Outriders, the data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the CPU is capable of pushing the average frame rate to 217.1 FPS, which indicates that the processor has ample headroom. This is further supported by the fact that moving from Low to Ultra settings at 1080p reduces the average FPS to 116.6, a drop of approximately 46%, which is a larger relative change than what would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor. The CPU's role here is to provide a stable foundation, and its benchmark scores, particularly the 3DMark 8-thread score of 4,779, align with a processor that can handle the multi-threaded demands of modern game engines while leaving the visual fidelity work to the GPU.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti is the primary driver of visual performance in this configuration. It features 8 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 608.3 GB/s. The GPU's architecture is Ampere, built on an 8 nm process from Samsung, with a base clock of 1575 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz. Its 6,144 shading units and 48 RT cores give it substantial compute power, reflected in a Passmark G3D score of 23,356. The GPU's average benchmark score of 30,849 places it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 6700 (0.8% slower) and the NVIDIA Quadro M5000 (0.9% slower). For Outriders, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor; at 4K resolution, the game's High preset demands more memory, and the data shows a significant performance drop when moving from Medium (71.1 FPS) to High (51.4 FPS) at 3840x2160, indicating the GPU is working near its memory and compute limits.

The RTX 3070 Ti's 21.75 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is substantial, but the measured frame rates reveal that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS of 116.6 is high, but at 4K Ultra it falls to 37.1 FPS, a reduction of roughly 68%. This scaling behavior is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload increases disproportionately with resolution. The GPU's boost clock of 1770 MHz and its texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s are sufficient for the game's visual effects, but the data suggests that the 8 GB VRAM buffer is the most constrained resource when pushing the Ultra preset at 4K. The Passmark DirectX 12 score of 91 further indicates that the GPU's API-level performance is well-suited for modern titles, yet the benchmark results in Outriders show that the card's raw throughput is the limiting factor for achieving high frame rates at maximum fidelity.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy of performance across settings and resolutions. For the best overall experience, the High preset at 2560x1440 offers the most balanced result, delivering an average of 98.1 FPS. This is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced looter shooter, and it avoids the steep performance penalty seen with the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the High preset achieves 159.7 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the Medium preset at 188.3 FPS provides diminishing returns in visual quality for the extra frames. The data shows that the jump from Medium to High at 1080p costs roughly 15% of the average FPS (188.3 to 159.7), while the jump from High to Ultra costs another 27% (159.7 to 116.6). Therefore, High is the recommended preset for 1080p and 1440p, as it provides the most significant visual improvements over Medium without the steep frame rate drop associated with Ultra.

For 4K users, the situation is more constrained. The High preset at 3840x2160 yields 51.4 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive scenarios, while the Medium preset at 71.1 FPS offers a better balance for maintaining responsiveness. The Ultra preset at 4K is untenable for smooth play, with an average of 37.1 FPS. Consequently, the data recommends Medium as the highest viable setting for 4K, as it keeps the frame rate above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 4K (93.7 FPS) is an option for those prioritizing frame rate over visuals, but it sacrifices too much detail for a game that relies on environmental readability. In summary, High at 1440p is the sweet spot, providing near-100 FPS performance with high visual fidelity, while 4K users should cap their settings at Medium to maintain a consistent experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Ti ranks 623rd out of 1,693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. This ranking is a reflection of the balanced nature of the pairing, where the CPU's 77th percentile performance and the GPU's 74th percentile performance complement each other well. The combo rank is likely influenced by the fact that the GPU is the more demanding component in this game, and the CPU's headroom ensures that it does not hinder the RTX 3070 Ti's output. Compared to other tested combos, this setup sits comfortably above the median, but it is not at the top tier, as higher-end GPUs with more VRAM would achieve better results at 4K Ultra settings.

The data suggests that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers frame rates well above 100 FPS on High settings. The ranking also indicates that the pairing is not overly CPU-bound, as the i5-12400F's strong single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 3,481) prevents the processor from becoming a liability in Outriders' combat-heavy scenes. The 623rd rank out of 1,693 is a solid mid-to-upper tier placement, showing that this combination outperforms the majority of systems while still leaving room for upgrades in the future, particularly for 4K gaming where the GPU's 8 GB VRAM becomes a limiting factor.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU dominance. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 159.7 at 1080p to 98.1 at 1440p, a reduction of 38.6%, and then to 51.4 at 4K, a further reduction of 47.6% from 1440p. This steep decline at 4K is indicative of the GPU being the primary bottleneck, as the rendering resolution quadruples the pixel count from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant. The data shows that the RTX 3070 Ti's performance scales poorly at 4K, with the High preset falling below 60 FPS, which is a critical threshold for smooth gameplay. In contrast, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more moderate, suggesting that the GPU still has sufficient headroom at that resolution.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 217.1 FPS at 1080p drops to 185.4 FPS at 1440p (a 14.6% reduction) and then to 93.7 FPS at 4K (a 49.5% reduction from 1440p). The large drop from 1440p to 4K at Low settings confirms that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, as the CPU is clearly capable of higher frame rates (as evidenced by the 217.1 FPS at 1080p). The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, with 116.6 FPS at 1080p falling to 70.9 FPS at 1440p (39.2% reduction) and then to 37.1 FPS at 4K (47.7% reduction from 1440p). This pattern indicates that for this combo, 1080p and 1440p are the optimal resolutions, while 4K should only be attempted with Medium or Low settings to maintain playable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings deliver 217.1 FPS, Medium delivers 188.3 FPS, High delivers 159.7 FPS, and Ultra delivers 116.6 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 46.3% reduction in frame rate, which is a significant cost for the visual improvements. The 1080p results are all above the 60 FPS threshold, making this resolution ideal for high-refresh-rate displays, with even the Ultra preset providing a smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 185.4 for Low, 133.0 for Medium, 98.1 for High, and 70.9 for Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 28.3%, while the drop from High to Ultra is 27.7%. The Ultra preset at 1440p is still playable, but it approaches the lower bound of what is considered smooth, while High offers a much more comfortable margin. The 1440p High result of 98.1 FPS is the recommended target for this combo.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are 93.7 for Low, 71.1 for Medium, 51.4 for High, and 37.1 for Ultra. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 40 FPS, which is generally considered unplayable for a fast-action game. The Medium preset at 71.1 FPS is the highest setting that maintains a playable frame rate at 4K, while the Low preset offers a high frame rate but at a significant visual quality cost. The data clearly shows that 4K is the most demanding scenario, and users should adjust their settings accordingly to balance visual fidelity with performance.