Outriders

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings a 10-core, 16-thread configuration to Outriders, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This Raptor Lake Refresh processor, built on Intel's 10 nm process, carries 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU's benchmark profile shows a strong single-threaded presence—Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093 and Geekbench single-core of 2333—which matters for a looter shooter where enemy AI, physics, and loot calculations often hinge on single-thread responsiveness.

The multicore results are equally telling. Cinebench R23 multicore hits 21914, while Passmark's multithread score reaches 25783. These numbers place the i5-14400F in the 88th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32513 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 scores 32446 (0.2% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 7 250 scores 32584 (-0.2% delta). This near-tie suggests the i5-14400F delivers performance squarely in the upper-midrange tier, with no clear winner among these comparable parts.

In Outriders, the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the data shows frame rates well above 140 FPS across all settings, indicating the processor is not the bottleneck. The boost clock of 4.70 GHz helps maintain high minimum frames during chaotic firefights, where multiple enemies and particle effects compete for processing time. The CPU's 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support provide flexibility, but the benchmark data confirms that at higher resolutions, the workload shifts decisively to the GPU.

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is the dominant partner in this pairing. Built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with the Navi 31 chip, this GPU packs 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, delivering 800.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective), with a boost clock of 2394 MHz and a game clock of 2025 MHz. The 5376 shading units, 336 TMUs, and 192 ROPs translate to a pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s.

The GPU's compute capabilities are substantial: FP32 performance reaches 51.48 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 103.0 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The 84 ray accelerators support DirectX 12 Ultimate, though Outriders' implementation of ray tracing is not a major factor in the measured data. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 29009 places it in the 82nd percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 38358. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile at 38349 (0% delta), the NVIDIA CMP 70HX at 38225 (0.3% delta), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile at 38135 (0.6% delta).

For Outriders, the 20 GB VRAM pool is generous—the game's texture streaming at Ultra settings can consume substantial memory, but the data shows no VRAM-related stutter at any resolution tested. The 800 GB/s bandwidth ensures that high-resolution textures load quickly, which becomes critical at 4K where the frame buffer demands are highest. The GPU's boost clock of 2394 MHz provides the raw throughput needed to push frame rates at 1440p and beyond, though the measured results reveal how settings and resolution interact with this headroom.

# Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern that shifts the bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 183.8 FPS; at 1440p High, it drops to 122.8 FPS; and at 4K High, it falls to 67.5 FPS. This represents a 63% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which is a steeper drop than what a purely GPU-bound scenario would suggest if the CPU were fully capable at all resolutions. The CPU's single-thread strength (Cinebench R15 single-core score of 311) is sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU becomes the limiter as pixel count increases.

Looking at Low settings across resolutions, the pattern is even more pronounced. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 228 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 198.6 FPS; and at 4K Low, it falls to 119.1 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 48%, smaller than the High setting's drop, because Low settings reduce GPU load more than CPU load, allowing the GPU to stretch further at 4K. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU retains more headroom, but the GPU still dominates the scaling curve.

The Medium and Ultra settings tell a similar story. At Medium, frame rates go from 203.8 FPS (1080p) to 166.3 FPS (1440p) to 85.6 FPS (4K)—a 58% total drop. At Ultra, the numbers are 140.6 FPS, 87.3 FPS, and 44.6 FPS, respectively—a 68% drop. The Ultra setting shows the steepest degradation, confirming that the GPU's workload scales super-linearly with resolution when visual fidelity is maximized. The data implies that for 4K Ultra, the RX 7900 XT is the clear limiting component, while at 1080p Low, the system is likely approaching the CPU's practical ceiling.

# Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 228 FPS, Medium yields 203.8 FPS, High reaches 183.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 140.6 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 87.4 FPS, or 38%—a significant range that shows how much headroom exists for visual tuning at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers compress slightly. Low settings hit 198.6 FPS, Medium reaches 166.3 FPS, High achieves 122.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 87.3 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap narrows to 111.3 FPS, but the percentage drop from Low to Ultra is 56%, indicating that Ultra settings place a heavier relative burden on the GPU at 1440p compared to 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more moderate. Low settings still manage 119.1 FPS, Medium drops to 85.6 FPS, High sits at 67.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44.6 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra gap is 74.5 FPS, but the percentage reduction is 63%, making 4K Ultra the most demanding configuration in the measured set. Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers a consistent middle ground—at 1080p it delivers 203.8 FPS, at 1440p it achieves 166.3 FPS, and at 4K it maintains 85.6 FPS, all of which are playable for a looter shooter.

# How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT ranks 289th out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the top 17% of all configurations, which is a strong showing given the game's release date in 2021 and the hardware's 2024 CPU and 2022 GPU release dates. The rank reflects the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings, weighted toward the system's overall capability.

This ranking suggests that while the combo is not at the absolute top tier, it outperforms the vast majority of tested systems. The 82nd percentile GPU performance and 88th percentile CPU performance align with the 289th rank, indicating that both components contribute proportionally to the overall result. The near-tie with the Intel Core i7-12800H (0% delta) in CPU benchmarks and the RTX 5080 Mobile (0% delta) in GPU benchmarks suggests that this combo is comparable to systems using those parts, though the desktop GPU's 20 GB VRAM and higher bandwidth give it an edge in memory-intensive scenes.

The rank also reveals that Outriders is not exceptionally demanding—many lower-tier combos achieve playable frame rates—but the i5-14400F plus RX 7900 XT combo provides headroom for high-refresh monitors at 1440p and solid 4K performance at Medium settings. The data implies that for competitive play at 1080p, this combo is overkill, but for 4K Ultra enthusiasts, the 44.6 FPS average may be the deciding factor.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Outriders?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 at High settings delivers 122.8 FPS, which balances visual quality with fluidity. At 4K High, the frame rate drops to 67.5 FPS, still playable but less smooth.

Q: How does the GPU's VRAM affect performance at 4K?

A: With 20 GB of GDDR6 memory and 800.0 GB/s bandwidth, the RX 7900 XT has ample resources for 4K textures. The measured 4K results show no VRAM-related issues, with frame rates scaling predictably with settings.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The i5-14400F's single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093) keeps 1080p frame rates high—228 FPS at Low settings—but the drop to 140.6 FPS at Ultra suggests the GPU becomes more influential as settings increase.

Q: How does this combo compare to the nearest GPU rival?

A: The RX 7900 XT's average benchmark score of 38358 is a 0% delta from the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile's 38349, indicating near-identical raw performance, though the desktop GPU's 300 W TDP and 20 GB VRAM differ from mobile parts.

Q: What settings provide the smoothest 4K experience?

A: At 3840x2160, Medium settings achieve 85.6 FPS, which is the highest frame rate above 60 FPS at that resolution. High settings drop to 67.5 FPS, still above 60, while Ultra falls to 44.6 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU's rank affect gameplay?

A: The i5-14400F ranks in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are within 0.2% delta, so any performance difference in Outriders would be negligible in practice.

# Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset at 203.8 FPS provides the best balance—it's 24.2 FPS below Low but 63.2 FPS above Ultra, offering a substantial visual upgrade without sacrificing the high-refresh experience. For 1440p, High settings at 122.8 FPS are the sweet spot, as they deliver near-120 FPS performance while the Ultra preset drops to 87.3 FPS, which may be too low for fast-paced encounters. At 4K, Medium settings at 85.6 FPS are the recommended choice, as they maintain smooth gameplay while High drops to 67.5 FPS and Ultra falls to 44.6 FPS, the latter being below the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play.

The data suggests that the Ultra preset is best reserved for 1080p (140.6 FPS) or 1440p (87.3 FPS) where the frame rate remains playable, but at 4K, the 44.6 FPS average is too low for a looter shooter that requires responsive aiming. Low settings are only advisable for competitive 1080p play at 228 FPS, where every millisecond counts. Overall, the Medium preset across all resolutions provides the most consistent experience relative to the GPU's capabilities, aligning with the RX 7900 XT's 82nd percentile standing and the combo's 289th rank out of 1693 tested configurations.