Outriders

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a playable, but ultimately GPU-bound, experience in Outriders. The data shows a clear pattern: frame rates scale dramatically with resolution, and the graphics card is the primary bottleneck at higher settings, while the processor provides ample headroom at lower resolutions and settings. This combo ranks in the 32nd percentile of tested configurations, indicating that while it is not a top-tier setup, it offers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the GPU at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 113 FPS at 1920x1080 to 71 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 37%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 37 FPS, which is a 67% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER's rendering capabilities are exhausted as pixel count increases, making the graphics card the definitive limiting factor at 4K.

The trend is consistent across all quality presets. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 207 FPS at 1080p to 131 FPS at 1440p and further to 68 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is more than three times slower than the 1080p Low result, highlighting the massive computational cost of 4K resolution. Even at Medium settings, which include measured minimum and maximum frame rates, the average drops from 150 FPS at 1080p to 95 FPS at 1440p and 50 FPS at 4K. The minimum frame rates at Medium settings also show this strain: 128 FPS at 1080p, 81 FPS at 1440p, and 42 FPS at 4K, showing that not only the average but also the consistency of frame delivery degrades significantly at higher resolutions.

This behavior suggests that for a smooth experience, the resolution must be matched to the GPU's capabilities. The 1080p and 1440p results show a playable range, while 4K pushes the card to its limits, even at lower presets. The data confirms that the i5-12600KF is not the limiting factor in most scenarios; the performance cliff at 4K is a classic sign of GPU saturation, where the CPU is waiting on the graphics card to complete its work.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, provides a 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth. This is a critical specification for a looter shooter like Outriders, which features dense environments and numerous visual effects. The GPU's boost clock of 1650 MHz and its 2176 shading units are tasked with rendering the game's scenes, and the benchmark results show that this configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but struggles at 4K Ultra.

The GPU's performance percentile is 62, placing it above average among all tested GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 18093 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (18159, -0.4% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (18189, -0.5% delta). This indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a well-understood mid-range performer. In Outriders, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the textures and assets at High and Ultra settings, as there is no evidence of a hard VRAM limit causing a catastrophic performance drop. The issue is raw compute power.

The difference between the Low and Ultra presets at the same resolution underscores the GPU's workload. At 1080p, the average frame rate drops from 207 FPS on Low to 81 FPS on Ultra, a 61% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 131 FPS on Low to 51 FPS on Ultra, a 61% reduction as well. At 4K, the drop is from 68 FPS on Low to 27 FPS on Ultra, a 60% reduction. This consistent proportionality suggests that the GPU is being scaled linearly with the quality settings, and the card's architecture is the primary determinant of performance. The card's 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the engine driving these numbers, and it is simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a powerful processor that is not a bottleneck in this configuration. With 10 cores and 16 threads, it offers substantial multi-threading capability for modern games. Its boost clock of 4.90 GHz ensures strong single-thread performance, which is often crucial for game logic and frame pacing. The CPU's average benchmark score of 27799 places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, -0.3% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, -0.3% delta), show that it is a top-tier performer.

In the Outriders results, the CPU's strength is evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 207 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires a capable processor to feed the GPU. The CPU's single-thread score of 1016 in 3dmark and 3302 in Cinebench R23 indicates that it can handle the game's processing demands. The multi-core scores, such as 23391 in Cinebench R23, also show that it can manage the background tasks and game threads without issue.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would see similar frame rates across different resolutions. Instead, the frame rates scale inversely with resolution, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. For example, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 113 at 1080p to 71 at 1440p, and then to 37 at 4K. This scaling is directly tied to the GPU's rendering load, not the CPU's processing power. The i5-12600KF has enough headroom to support even the highest frame rates recorded in this dataset, confirming that its role here is to enable the GPU to reach its full potential rather than to constrain it.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2514 out of 3710 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the 32nd percentile of all configurations, meaning that roughly two-thirds of tested systems perform better in this game. This rank is a reflection of the GPU's mid-range status, as the CPU is a high-end part that is being paired with a more modest graphics card.

The ranking suggests that while this combo is not a top performer, it is far from being a low-end setup. The 4K Ultra result of 27 FPS and the 4K High result of 37 FPS are below the threshold for smooth gameplay, which pulls the overall rank down. However, the 1080p and 1440p results are competitive. The combo's performance at 1080p High (113 FPS) and 1440p High (71 FPS) shows that it can deliver a good experience on those resolutions, which are the primary targets for this class of hardware.

When interpreting the rank, it is important to consider the benchmark results from the individual components. The CPU's percentile of 79 and the GPU's percentile of 62 indicate that the system is balanced in favor of the processor. This imbalance is a common pairing, but it does mean that the GPU is the limiting factor in most gaming scenarios. The data indicates that upgrading the graphics card would yield a much larger performance boost in Outriders than upgrading the CPU, as the CPU is already performing at a high level.

FAQ

*Q: Is this combo capable of running Outriders at 4K?*

A: Technically, yes, but not at a playable frame rate on higher settings. The data shows an average of 37 FPS at 4K High and 27 FPS at 4K Ultra. At 4K Low, it achieves 68 FPS, which is playable, but the visual quality is significantly reduced.

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this hardware?

A: The benchmark results indicate that 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. At High settings, it achieves 113 FPS, and even at Ultra, it reaches 81 FPS. The 2560x1440 resolution is also viable, with 71 FPS on High, but 4K should be avoided for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 18093. Its closest competitor, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, scores 18159, which is a -0.4% delta. The AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, a -0.5% delta. These differences are negligible, indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a solid mid-range performer.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12600KF a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER in this game?

A: No. The performance scaling across resolutions shows a classic GPU bottleneck. For instance, the frame rate drops by 67% from 1080p High to 4K High, which is due to the GPU's rendering load. The CPU, with a 79th percentile ranking, is not limiting the system.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates at Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 128. At 2560x1440 Medium, it drops to 81, and at 3840x2160 Medium, it is 42. These figures show that frame pacing becomes less consistent at higher resolutions.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its rivals?

A: The i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799. Its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, have scores of 27872 and 27896, respectively, with deltas of -0.3%. This puts it in a statistically identical performance class.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal experience balances visual quality with frame rate. For 1080p, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 113 FPS. This provides a smooth and responsive experience while maintaining a high level of visual fidelity. While the Ultra preset offers 81 FPS, the jump from High to Ultra yields diminishing returns in visual quality for a significant 28% performance hit. For 1440p, the High preset is also recommended, as the 71 FPS average is sufficient for most players. The Medium preset at 1440p, with its 95 FPS average and a minimum of 81 FPS, is a strong alternative for those who prioritize higher, more consistent frame rates over visual details.

At 4K, the data suggests that a playable experience is not achievable on the higher presets. The 4K High average of 37 FPS and 4K Medium average of 50 FPS are below the standard for smooth gameplay. The 4K Low preset achieves 68 FPS, but this requires sacrificing most visual quality settings. Therefore, this combo is not recommended for 4K gaming in Outriders; users should stick to 1440p or below for the best experience.

The Low preset, while capable of very high frame rates (207 FPS at 1080p), is not recommended for general play as it strips away the visual effects that define the game's aesthetic. The Medium preset at 1080p provides a good balance with 150 FPS, but the High preset's 113 FPS is still well above the 60 FPS threshold and offers better visuals. The data shows that the High preset is the sweet spot for this hardware, providing a strong frame rate without pushing the GPU to its limits and causing significant frame drops.