Outriders

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a distinctly GPU-limited experience in Outriders. Across all tested resolutions and settings, the frame rates are dictated almost entirely by the graphics solution, which exhibits a performance profile comparable to legacy discrete GPUs from over a decade ago. The data indicates that while the CPU is capable of high-throughput compute tasks, the integrated-class Arc B370 restricts gameplay to lower resolutions and reduced graphical fidelity to maintain playable frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a severe performance drop as resolution increases, a classic indicator of a system bottlenecked by the graphics processor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 104 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 65 FPS, a 37.5% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 34 FPS, which is a 67.3% decline from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is not linear, suggesting the GPU is hitting compute or memory bandwidth limits as pixel count increases.

The trend is consistent across all quality presets. With High settings, the average FPS goes from 57 at 1080p to 36 at 1440p, and then to 19 at 4K. The 4K High result of 19 FPS is effectively unplayable, while the 1440p High result of 36 FPS is marginal. The Ultra preset yields the most extreme scaling, starting at 41 FPS at 1080p and collapsing to 26 FPS at 1440p and 13 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that the render pipeline is saturated by the 4K framebuffer, leaving very little headroom for additional graphical effects.

The delta between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution further confirms the GPU-bound nature. At 1080p, the spread between Low (104 FPS) and Ultra (41 FPS) is 63 FPS. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 39 FPS (65 vs 26). At 4K, the spread is just 21 FPS (34 vs 13). This compression of the settings delta at higher resolutions is a textbook sign that the GPU is the limiting component; when the pixel workload is massive, the cost of enabling higher-quality shaders and effects becomes relatively smaller compared to the fixed cost of rasterization.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured rows, the only consistently playable configuration is at 1080p. The Low preset at 1080p delivers 104 FPS, which is smooth for a looter shooter genre that benefits from responsive aiming. The Medium preset at 1080p produces 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS, indicating a stable experience that remains above common 60 FPS thresholds. This is the recommended balance for visual quality and performance.

The High preset at 1080p yields 57 FPS, which is playable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes. The data shows no minimum FPS for this setting, but the average is close to the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 41 FPS, which is noticeably less fluid and should be avoided if frame pacing is a priority.

At 1440p, the Low preset is the only setting that approaches playability with 65 FPS. Medium at 1440p falls to 48 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS, which will produce noticeable stutter in combat. High and Ultra at 1440p are not recommended, with averages of 36 and 26 FPS respectively. At 4K, no preset is playable; the best result is 34 FPS on Low, which is below acceptable thresholds for an action game.

The measured data suggests that users should prioritize resolution over settings for this combo. Running at 1080p with Medium settings provides a 75 FPS average and a 64 FPS minimum, which is a superior experience to 1440p Low at 65 FPS average with no guaranteed minimum. The Medium preset at 1080p appears to be the sweet spot, offering improved textures and effects over Low while maintaining a comfortable frame rate cushion.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset reaches 41 FPS, while at 1440p the Low preset drops to 65 FPS and at 4K the Low preset falls to 34 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to Low at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS, which is 63 FPS lower than the Low preset's 104 FPS. The Ultra preset represents a 60.6% reduction in average frame rate compared to Low.

Q: Is the Arc B370 capable of 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: No. The highest average FPS at 4K is 34 FPS on Low settings. The Medium preset at 4K averages 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 FPS, and the High preset averages 19 FPS. None of these are suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset has recorded minimum FPS values of 64 at 1080p, 40 at 1440p, and 21 at 4K. This indicates that the 1080p Medium setting is the most stable configuration with the highest floor.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The combo is ranked 2679 out of 2913 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the bottom 9.4% of all combinations, reflecting the GPU's low performance percentile.

Q: What does the 3DMark score indicate about this GPU?

A: The Intel Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770, which score 1186 and 1190 respectively.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame data places this specific configuration at rank 2679 out of 2913 tested combos. This is a very low standing, indicating that the vast majority of other CPU/GPU pairings deliver better performance in Outriders. The rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's weakness, as the Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs based on its 3DMark benchmark score of 1184.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186 score, -0.2% delta) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190 score, -0.5% delta). These comparisons highlight the Arc B370's performance class, which is aligned with integrated graphics from the early 2010s rather than modern discrete solutions. The fact that Outriders is a 2021 title with demanding rendering requirements means this GPU class is severely underpowered.

The CPU, in contrast, is a high performer. The Intel Core i5-14600K ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48618. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698 score, -0.2% delta) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (48470 score, +0.3% delta). This stark contrast between CPU and GPU capabilities means the combo's rank is dragged down almost entirely by the graphics component.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary limiting factor in this configuration. Its specifications reveal an integrated graphics processor (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, which is a fraction of what discrete gaming GPUs consume. The GPU is built on a 3 nm process with 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units. It has 10 ray tracing cores and operates at a base clock of 300 MHz with a boost clock of 2400 MHz.

The memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning the GPU relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. This is a significant drawback for a game like Outriders, which benefits from fast, dedicated graphics memory. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," so performance will vary based on the platform's memory speed and architecture. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, which are modest figures that align with the low frame rates observed.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile. The nearest rivals in this benchmark are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and ATI Radeon HD 5770, which are over a decade old. This explains why the measured FPS in Outriders is so low: the GPU simply does not have the raw throughput or memory bandwidth to handle modern game engines at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 104 FPS on Low, 75 FPS on Medium, 57 FPS on High, and 41 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 64 and a maximum of 87, indicating a relatively stable frame time distribution. The Low and High presets do not have recorded minimum or maximum values in the data.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 65 on Low, 48 on Medium, 36 on High, and 26 on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. This resolution represents a significant step down in playability, with only the Low preset maintaining an average above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 34 on Low, 25 on Medium, 19 on High, and 13 on Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS. No 4K configuration reaches even 35 FPS, making this resolution entirely unsuitable for this combo.

The data shows a clear pattern: 1080p is the only viable resolution, and even then, the Ultra preset struggles. The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best combination of visual fidelity and performance, with a 75 FPS average and a 64 FPS minimum that ensures smoother gameplay than the High preset's 57 FPS average.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a high-end desktop processor that is not the bottleneck in this configuration. It features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU has a 125 W TDP and is built on Intel's 10 nm Raptor Lake architecture. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong across the board. It achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064. Geekbench results show 16673 multi-core and 2491 single-core. PassMark tests show a multi-thread score of 38682 and a single-thread score of 4270. The CPU ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48618.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, -0.2% delta), AMD EPYC 4345P (48470, +0.3% delta), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287, +0.7% delta). These comparisons show the i5-14600K is well-matched against professional and high-end consumer processors. The CPU has 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core, with an 80 KB L1 cache per core.

Given the GPU's low performance, the CPU's capabilities are largely untapped in Outriders. The measured FPS drops significantly with resolution increases, which is a GPU-bound behavior. The CPU could easily feed a more powerful GPU, as evidenced by its high single-thread and multi-thread scores. In this combo, the i5-14600K is effectively waiting on the Arc B370 to complete rendering tasks, leaving the CPU's potential unused.