Outriders

Outriders, a looter shooter that leans heavily on both CPU and GPU throughput, presents a distinct performance envelope when paired with Intel's Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 4090. Measured data from the benchmark database shows this combo ranks 103rd out of 3,710 tested combinations, placing it in the top 3% of all tested rigs for this title. The following sections break down how each component contributes to that result, what the measured frames reveal, and which settings will give you the most consistent experience.

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

The Intel Core i5-14600K brings a hybrid layout: 14 physical cores with 20 threads, arranged on the Raptor Lake architecture with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost up to 5.30 GHz. This is a chip designed to deliver both high multithreaded throughput (for scene simulation and physics) and very high single-thread agility (for engine tick, logic, and input handling). Outriders, like many modern looter shooters, uses thread-level parallelism for gameplay logic and world streaming; the i5-14600K’s split between performance and efficiency cores may help keep individual workloads responsive.

Synthetic benchmarks highlight the CPU's raw strengths. In Cinebench R23, the chip scores 24,491 in multi-core and 2,064 in single-core—a ratio of roughly 12:1. Geekbench multi-core and single-core scores are 16,673 and 2,491, respectively. PassMark multi-thread accords 38,682, while single-thread is 4,270. These numbers place the CPU in the 90th percentile of all tested CPUs, indicating it is far stronger than the median. Its nearest rivals are extremely close: the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H averages 48,698 (−0.2%), the AMD EPYC 4345P averages 48,470 (+0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48,287 (−0.2%), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 averages 48,995 (−0.8%). The 0.2% to 0.8% margins mean microarchitectural differences might shift performance in either direction; however, the 5.30 GHz boost clock is among the highest measured for any CPU, suggesting that the component can rapidly front-end even the lowest-threaded portions of a frame.

Looking at the measured game results, at 1080p Low settings the combo reaches 263 FPS average—a number that reflects the CPU's ability to feed the GPU without limiting frame rate. At 1080p Ultra (the highest preset) the average remains 187 FPS, still very high. The CPU does not appear to cap the system: even when the title is set to 1080p Low, the GPU is what is likely to prevent higher frames. The Core i5 likely does not bottleneck in Outriders, as the typical peak thread usage is around 6–8 threads, but the 20-thread count offers headroom for background shader compilation and streaming. The 24 MB of L3 cache shared across cores helps keep game world data close.

Access to DDR4 or DDR5 memory, through a dual-channel controller, supports quick access to texture data, though the specific game that matters most. The CPU's TDP of 125 W and process design (10 nm, Intel, 257 mm² die) are consistent with a high-end gaming part, though system builders would need to pair it with a capable cooler as per the TDP envelope.

The measured data couples this solid engine with a GPU that is initially unusual in competitor terms.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a high-end Ada Lovelace part, based on the AD102 die, with 5 nm process and 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die. Its base clock is 2235 MHz and boost up to 2520 MHz. The memory system is a notable aspect: 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. That bandwidth is critical for high-resolution textures, particle effects, and fast geometry. For Outriders, which is a graphical shooter with volumetric and post-processing effects, the 24 GB capacity is more than enough even at 4K Ultra, eliminating any barrier from VRAM overflow – though the benchmark does not directly test VRAM usage.

The GPU's raw compute is substantial: 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, 176 ROPs, and 128 ray-tracing cores. It can render 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, and its pixel rate is 443.5 GPixel/s. In the benchmark database, the RTX 4090 hits an average score of 60,347, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. The nearest rivals, however, are surprising: the Intel Arc Pro A60 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, both within 1–3% in average score. This TikTok phenomenon—where high-end gaming GPUs closely match workstation cards in benchmarks—suggests that the game uses the specific features that these rivals also support well. The 4090's boost clock and memory strength will push high settings at 4K.

In Outriders, the GPU is the ultimate arbiter at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 397 (actually 263? Wait we have 263 for Low, yes). At 4K Low, it drops to 158, which is a 40% reduction. This is expected, as the pixel workload quadruples. The GPU carries the entire scene output; even with the strong CPU, the 4090 can limit frame rate when the rasterization load climbs. The card's 450 W TDP requires an 850 W power supply (per the suggestions), plus a triple-slot heatsink.

However, the benchmark does not provide a single score that would indicate a CPU bottleneck. In a game like Outriders, a powerful CPU enables physics and action logic, but the 4090 handily pumps high frames. The combo's synergy is best shown by the 1080p Medium stats.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from the data

Q: What is the maximum boost clock of the CPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K boosts up to 5.30 GHz.

Q: How much direct memory and bandwidth does the RTX 4090 have?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X across a 384-bit bus, giving a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s.

Q: What percentile does the CPU and GPU individually rank relative to all CPUs/GPUs?

A: The CPU is at the 90th percentile of all CPUs; the GPU is at the 88th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: Does the combo achieve a higher FPS at Low settings than at Medium at same resolution?

A: Yes, for every resolution, Low gives a higher average FPS than Medium. For instance, at 1440p Low avg 226 vs Medium 201.

Q: What resolution yields the highest absolute average FPS across all measured settings?

A: 1920x1080 at Low settings gives 263 FPS, the highest frame rate in the dataset.

Q: Is there any setting where the minimum FPS is recorded?

A: Only the Medium preset at each resolution has a min and max FPS notation: 4K Medium (min 97 stays 115), 1440p Medium (min 171, max 231), 1080p Medium (min 199 max 269).

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel i5-14600K + RTX 4090 combination has a 103rd rank out of 3,710 tested combos in Outriders. That places it just top end: 103/3710 ≈ 2.8% of all combos. To contextualise, a 103rd place means it better than approx. 3,607 combos, i.e, the top 2.8% of all tested in-game systems. Since the CPU is at 90th percentile and the GPU at 88th percentile, the combo’s rank is slightly better than either component alone percentile might suggest—implying an efficient pairing for Outriders. The combos that beat it likely involve Even higher end GPUs like 4090 Ti? Or perhaps specialized CPUs not in these datasheets, or maybe a mix like i9-1940K + RTX 4090. Without specifying details on the rivals, the ordinal position conveys that this dual is an high-end pairing. The game is currently best matched by top-tier silicon.

Clear improvement over the bottom half: the rank of 103 out of 3710 means that many combos with traditional midrange parts (e.g, 3090 with a 5600X) would trail, but the biggest performance boost comes from the GPU. The 4090, in particular, as a cause of the high rank.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings

We have 12 data points. The following table presents exactly the measured metrics.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 86 | – | – |

| | Low | 158 | – | – |

| | Medium | 115 | 97 | 132 |

| | Ultra | 62 | | |

| 2560x1440 | High | 165 | – | – |

| | Low | 226 | – | – |

| | Medium | 201 | 171 | 231 |

| | Ultra | 119 | | |

| 1920x1080 | High | 211 | – | – |

| | Low | 263 | – | – |

| | Medium | 234 | 199 | 269 |

| | Ultra | 187 | | |

The planned has no min/max for High, Low, and Ultra, only Medium includes a min and max. Note the medium samples for each resolution give a range – e.g, 4K Medium avg 115 min 97 max 132, while 4K High avg 86 (no range provided). This absence might be a data anomaly.

Comparing resolutions in the same preset: at 1080p Low, avg 263; 1440p Low, 226; 4K Low, 158. For High: 211 -> 165 -> 86. For Medium: 234 -> 201 -> 115. For Ultra: 187 -> 119 -> 62.

That shows a significant drop; the 4K numbers, for Ultra, show a large gap (64 – Low), etc.

The 1080p numbers indicate that at 1080p, even the most demanding Ultra setting delivers 187 FPS, meaning the rig is severely unbound by CPU at that resolution. In 4Kg, the drop-down to 62 FPS at Hero suggests a GPU-heavy load.

Note: All the values are averages. The game might, for a few seconds, hit lower or higher values, but the min/max for Medium is the only indication of variance.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For the given data, the answer is concrete: Medium appears to be the balanced sweet spot across all resolutions. Here is the evidence:

At 4K, Medium delivered an average of 115 FPS vs High’s 86 and Ultra’s 62; that’s 33% higher than High and 85% higher than Ultra. Medium also reports a maximum of 97 FPS as a floor—the only preset with a floor recorded—whereas High and Ultra do not give min/max data, implying but not proving a less stable pattern. At 1440p, Medium averages 201 FPS vs High (165) and Ultra (119), and the 60-cycle (171-231) is wider than any other but still above any common refresh rate. At 1080p, Medium average 234 is higher than High (211) and Ultra (187), while providing a 199-269 range.

Low preset does offer the highest frame rate at every resolution—263, 226, and 158 respectively—but the lower settings will typically it lowers and accessibility; that is a subjective decision. However, the data does not report other visual or, no stability data is given.

Medium also reports a compliance between min and max that suggests the system can maintain a confirmed frame pace. If the user wants 4K gaming, Medium is the highest preset that we can bracket with a clear floor (97 FPS) and cap (132 FPS). For 1440p, Medium gives an excellent 171–231, which is both above high refresh and stable, while Ultra drops 60% in average vs Medium. For 1080p, any preset is usable, but Medium beats High by 24% in average FPS and keeps a 199 min.

Ultimately, the Medium setting is the highest preset that provides data-proven frame pacing; it also should make the most of the 4090's potential without pushing into Ultra’s 4K 62 fps—or any user lower frame degradation.

Resolution Scaling — how GPU drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting hardware

Looking at the measured frames, the scaling pattern is clear and interpretable.

Take Medium preset numbers: 1080p 234, 4K 144p: 201, 4K: 115. The percentage reduction from 1080p to 1440p is 234−201=33 fps, dropped 14.1%. From 1440p to 4K: 201−115=86 fps, dropped 42.8%. Thus the big performance cliff is happening only above 1440p.

Similarly, Low: 263 → 226 → 158, drop from 1080p to 1440p is 37 fps (14%), drop to 4K is 68 fps (30%). High: 211 → 165 → 86 (13% to 48%). Ultra: 187 → 119 → 62 (drop of 27% from 176 to 1440, but 47% to 4K).

Regardless of preset, the fractional decrease from 1080p to 1440p is always about 13–14%—a modest, resolution doubling that corresponds to 1.8× the pixels. From 1440p to 4K, the drop increases to 43–52%, large enough to be highly disproportionate to the same 2.2× pixel count (4K has ~2.25× of 1440p). This non‑linearity suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU or the game's render pipeline do not saturate the GPU—it is, GPU limited, and the GPU can render at full speed. At 4K, the GPU's shading and VBW work as a barrier: the 4K texture load more than triples compute burden per frame, so the frame rate collapses.

This drop pattern points to the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K, despite the 4090's massive bandwidth; the CPU stays far ahead at even 1080p medium. The fact that `low` scaling also mirrors this (only slight at 1440p but huge at 4K) suggests that many equal processing components, such as shader algebra or its memory bandwidth, are hit from the pixel count.

Therefore, the data nudges that at 1080p, the i5-14600K and 4090 are relaxed; at 1440p, they 're evenly matched; at 4K, the graphics card dictates performance. This is exactly as the physics of pixel load dictate, but the measurement shows the transition, and the large visible drop implies the user would lose less by stepping down to 1440p or using DLSS (not tested) than by lowering internal render scale. However, we have no data on upscaling; we can only measure native. This benchmark reveals that 4K is inherently limited by the GPU for this combination, and that’s the expected outcome.

As a final note, the High preset at 1080p (211) is still well above fluid thresholds, and users who prefer the highest IQ and running at 1440p will find the High (165) playable without compromising too many frames; but the data singles out Medium for the core balance of measurements and stability.

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This analysis yields a clear conclusion: the i5-14600K + RTX 4090 is a top-3% performer that excels in Outriders, retaining a CPU-bowered 1080p experience and then surrendering to great energy at 4K. Understanding the measured frames gives players a practical holding point of the "Medium" setting for a reliable high-fps experience in a that checks both the CPU and GPU.