Outriders

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D in Outriders delivers a performance profile that is heavily dictated by resolution and preset choice. The data reveals a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, but one that experiences a significant drop in frame rate when pushed to 4K, particularly at higher graphical settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 193 FPS at 1080p to 166 FPS at 1440p, a decrease of 27 FPS, and then falls further to 94 FPS at 4K, a substantial 72 FPS drop from the 1440p result. This scaling suggests that while the GPU is powerful, the jump to 4K nearly halves the performance seen at 1080p.

Examining the Low preset reveals an even more telling story about the system's bottlenecks. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves an average of 242 FPS. At 1440p Low, this drops to 207 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 167 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is a 75 FPS reduction. This indicates that even when the graphical load is minimized, the sheer pixel count at 4K presents a significant challenge for the RTX 5090 D, suggesting a strong GPU-bound scenario at that resolution.

The data also shows that the performance hit from 1440p to 4K is more severe than the hit from 1080p to 1440p. For instance, at Ultra settings, the average FPS goes from 171 at 1080p to 130 at 1440p (a 41 FPS drop), but then plummets to 68 at 4K (a 62 FPS drop). This non-linear scaling implies that the GPU's rendering capabilities are being saturated as the pixel count increases, making the 4K Ultra setting particularly demanding for this hardware configuration.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data, including min and max FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 215 FPS with a min of 183 and max of 247. At 1440p Medium, the average is 184 FPS with a min of 157 and max of 212. Finally, at 4K Medium, the average is 125 FPS with a min of 106 and max of 144. The frame time consistency appears to hold up well across resolutions, with the min FPS scaling proportionally with the average. The 4K Medium result of 125 FPS average suggests that this is a viable target for a smoother 4K experience compared to High or Ultra.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the performance headroom observed at lower resolutions. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a substantial 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This massive memory allocation is more than sufficient for Outriders at any of the tested settings, meaning VRAM capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor. The data confirms this, as the performance scaling is more closely tied to resolution and preset complexity than to memory constraints.

The GPU's clock speeds are also a key factor. With a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, the RTX 5090 D is capable of sustaining high throughput. This is reflected in the 1080p Low result of 242 FPS, which shows the GPU's raw processing power when the workload is not pixel-bound. However, the significant FPS drops at 4K, especially at Ultra (68 FPS), suggest that the GPU's compute and pixel fillrate are being heavily taxed by the higher resolution and more demanding effects, despite its high absolute performance.

The RTX 5090 D's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC and features 21,760 shading units. This hardware is clearly designed for extreme throughput, which is evident in the 1440p results where the combo maintains over 130 FPS at all tested settings. The GPU's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance is a theoretical ceiling, and the measured data shows that while it can achieve high frame rates, it is not immune to the demands of 4K rendering, particularly with Ultra settings that likely enable more intensive lighting and post-processing effects.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Outriders?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 242 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low preset.

Q: Can this system maintain a 144 Hz refresh rate at 4K?

A: Based on the measured data, no. The only 4K result that approaches 144 Hz is the Medium preset, which has an average of 125 FPS and a max FPS of 144. The High and Ultra presets at 4K average 94 FPS and 68 FPS, respectively.

Q: How much of a performance penalty is associated with the Ultra preset at 1440p compared to High?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset averages 166 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 130 FPS. This represents a 36 FPS drop, or approximately 21.7% lower performance when moving from High to Ultra.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB of VRAM a limiting factor in this game?

A: The data does not suggest that VRAM capacity is a bottleneck. Outriders is not typically a VRAM-heavy title, and the 32 GB allocation is far beyond what is needed at the tested resolutions. The performance drops at 4K are more likely due to the GPU's raw rasterization and shading workload rather than memory capacity.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 242 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 171 FPS. This is a difference of 71 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding on the GPU.

Q: Are the frame times consistent at 4K Medium?

A: The data for 4K Medium shows an average FPS of 125, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 144. This indicates a relatively stable frame pacing, with the min FPS staying well above 100 FPS, suggesting a playable and smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest possible refresh rates, the 1080p Low preset is the clear choice, delivering an average of 242 FPS. This setting is ideal for competitive play or for users with very high refresh rate monitors. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers a strong balance, with an average of 215 FPS and a minimum of 183 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience even during intense action sequences. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides a very playable 171 FPS average, making it a good option for those who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again provides an excellent experience, with an average of 184 FPS and a minimum of 157 FPS. This is arguably the sweet spot for this resolution, offering high frame rates with better visual quality than Low. The High preset at 1440p also performs exceptionally well at 166 FPS average, which is a great option for users who want a balance of visual quality and performance. While the Ultra preset at 1440p achieves 130 FPS, it may not be worth the 36 FPS hit compared to High for a marginal visual improvement.

For 4K gaming, the choice is more constrained. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as the 68 FPS average falls below the 60 FPS threshold for very smooth gameplay and represents a massive performance cost. The High preset, at 94 FPS, is playable but may not fully utilize a 120 Hz or 144 Hz display. The Medium preset emerges as the best overall recommendation for 4K, as its 125 FPS average and 106 FPS minimum provide a fluid and responsive experience that is significantly smoother than the High or Ultra alternatives. This makes 4K Medium the optimal preset for the RTX 5090 D in Outriders.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset provides a detailed view of the system's performance across all combinations.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average FPS 242.
• Medium: Average FPS 215, with a minimum of 183 and a maximum of 247.
• High: Average FPS 193.
• Ultra: Average FPS 171.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average FPS 207.
• Medium: Average FPS 184, with a minimum of 157 and a maximum of 212.
• High: Average FPS 166.
• Ultra: Average FPS 130.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average FPS 167.
• Medium: Average FPS 125, with a minimum of 106 and a maximum of 144.
• High: Average FPS 94.
• Ultra: Average FPS 68.

These numbers illustrate a consistent hierarchy, with the Low preset always yielding the highest frame rate and the Ultra preset the lowest. The gap between presets widens as resolution increases, emphasizing the growing strain on the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. Its performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302, indicates a very capable CPU. Given that Outriders is a looter shooter that typically relies more on GPU performance, the CPU is likely not the primary bottleneck in most of the tested scenarios. The high frame rates at 1080p, such as 242 FPS on Low, suggest that the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output at lower resolutions.

However, the data also shows the CPU's limits. At 1080p, the difference between the Low (242 FPS) and Ultra (171 FPS) presets is significant, but the CPU is still able to feed the GPU enough data to maintain high frame rates. The fact that the 1080p Low result is not significantly higher than the 1440p Low result (242 FPS vs 207 FPS) suggests that the CPU may start to become a limiting factor at these extreme frame rates. The CPU's boost clock of 4.90 GHz and its strong single-thread performance are critical for maintaining high FPS in games, and the data indicates it performs its role well.

The processor's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory also contribute to its gaming performance. While the RTX 5090 D is clearly the dominant component for pixel pushing, the i5-12600KF provides a solid foundation that prevents it from holding back the GPU in most scenarios. The benchmark results show this CPU sits in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27799, placing it in a competitive position relative to its nearest rivals like the Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, both of which have a deltaPct of -0.3 compared to the i5's score.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination is ranked 113th out of 2913 tested combos in Outriders. This places the system in the top 4% of all tested configurations, underscoring its high-end performance status. The rank reflects the powerful GPU and capable CPU working in tandem to produce excellent frame rates.

This high ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. The ability to achieve an average of 242 FPS at 1080p Low and 125 FPS at 4K Medium demonstrates a level of performance that few systems can match. The GPU's own benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 44065, place it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, further validating its strength. While the i5-12600KF is not the absolute fastest CPU on the market, its performance is sufficient to complement the RTX 5090 D, allowing the combo to achieve a ranking that is much higher than many other pairings. The data suggests that this system is exceptionally well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1440p and provides a viable 4K experience, a fact reflected in its top-tier percentile ranking among the 2913 tested combinations.