Outriders

# Outriders CPU/GPU Performance Analysis

The Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a strong Outriders experience, with measured frame rates ranging from 62.3 FPS at 4K Ultra to 263.2 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination ranks 24th out of 1,693 tested CPU/GPU combinations in this title, placing it in the top 1.4% of all configurations. The data reveals a system with substantial headroom at lower resolutions, but one where the GPU becomes the primary constraint as settings and resolution scale upward.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF brings 14 cores and 20 threads to the Outriders benchmark, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. This Raptor Lake-R architecture part, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a 24 MB shared L3 cache alongside 2 MB per-core L2 and 80 KB per-core L1 caches. Its 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a flexible desktop processor, though the game's performance characteristics suggest that raw core count matters less than per-core efficiency.

In synthetic workloads, the i5-14600KF posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,889 and a single-core score of 4,643, with a Geekbench multi-core result of 15,636 and single-core of 2,778. These numbers place it at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49,367. Against its nearest rivals, the i5-14600KF trails the AMD EPYC 4345P by 0.5% (49,595 vs. 49,367) but leads the Intel Core i5-14600K by 0.4% (49,166 vs. 49,367), the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X by 0.6% (49,062 vs. 49,367), and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 1.4% (48,698 vs. 49,367). These are marginal deltas, indicating the CPU is operating within a tightly competitive performance band.

In Outriders specifically, the CPU's impact becomes visible when comparing frame rates at 1080p, where the GPU is less likely to be the bottleneck. The jump from 1080p Low (263.2 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (188.3 FPS) represents a 28.5% drop, which is relatively modest compared to the 4K scaling. This suggests the i5-14600KF's single-thread performance, as evidenced by its PassMark single-thread score of 4,273, is sufficient to keep up with the RTX 4090's output at lower settings. The processor's 20 threads and high boost clock help maintain consistent frame delivery across all tested presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring the AD102 chip on TSMC's 5 nm process with 76,300 million transistors across a 609 mm² die. Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory operates across a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 2,235 MHz with a boost of 2,520 MHz, and memory at 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). With 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, the RTX 4090 provides 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture fill rate.

The GPU's benchmark standing shows it at the 91st percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 66,473. Its nearest rivals in the database are the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66,733, which is 0.4% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66,127, 0.5% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67,097, 0.9% higher), and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (67,320, 1.3% higher). These deltas are all within 1.3%, suggesting the RTX 4090's raw compute performance is comparable to enterprise-class accelerators, though its gaming-oriented features like DLSS and ray tracing are not reflected in these synthetic scores.

In Outriders, the RTX 4090's memory bandwidth and 24 GB capacity become critical at 4K resolution. The measured frame rates at 3840x2160 show a clear progression: Low at 157.9 FPS, Medium at 112.8 FPS, High at 88.6 FPS, and Ultra at 62.3 FPS. This represents a 60.5% drop from Low to Ultra at 4K, which is far steeper than the 28.5% drop seen at 1080p (263.2 FPS Low to 188.3 FPS Ultra). This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the limiting factor, with the CPU providing enough headroom to let the RTX 4090 stretch its legs.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear relationship between quality settings and performance, with diminishing returns becoming apparent at the highest presets. At 1080p, the frame rate penalty for moving from Medium (235.1 FPS) to High (208.4 FPS) is 11.4%, while moving from High to Ultra (188.3 FPS) costs another 9.6%. At 1440p, the same progression shows Medium at 201.1 FPS, High at 163.9 FPS (an 18.5% drop), and Ultra at 118.2 FPS (a 27.9% drop from High). At 4K, the penalties are steeper: Medium at 112.8 FPS, High at 88.6 FPS (21.5% drop), and Ultra at 62.3 FPS (29.7% drop from High).

For the best balance of visual quality and frame rate, the High preset is the stand-out recommendation across all resolutions. At 1080p, High delivers 208.4 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on high-end monitors. At 1440p, High produces 163.9 FPS, still comfortably above 144 Hz. At 4K, High achieves 88.6 FPS, which is playable but not sufficient for 120 Hz displays. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 62.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for a smooth experience, despite being playable.

The Low preset offers the highest frame rates (263.2 FPS at 1080p, 223.9 FPS at 1440p, 157.9 FPS at 4K) but sacrifices visual fidelity. The Medium preset provides a middle ground, with 235.1 FPS at 1080p and 201.1 FPS at 1440p, but at 4K it still delivers 112.8 FPS. Given that the High preset at 4K (88.6 FPS) is only 21.5% slower than Medium (112.8 FPS) while offering substantially better visuals, High represents the optimal choice for most users.

FAQ

Q: How does the i5-14600KF compare to its nearest CPU rivals in overall benchmark performance?

A: The i5-14600KF scores 49,367 on average, which is 0.4% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K (49,166), 0.6% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49,062), and 1.4% higher than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48,698). It trails the AMD EPYC 4345P (49,595) by 0.5%.

Q: What is the best resolution/settings combination for 4K gaming on this system?

A: At 4K, the High preset delivers 88.6 FPS, which is the best balance of quality and performance. Ultra drops to 62.3 FPS, while Medium offers 112.8 FPS but with reduced visual quality. For 4K 60 Hz displays, High is the recommended choice.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's performance rank relative to other GPUs in the database?

A: The RTX 4090 sits at the 91st percentile, with an average benchmark score of 66,473. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66,733, 0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67,097, 0.9% higher), the NVIDIA Tesla P40 (66,127, 0.5% lower), and the NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (67,320, 1.3% lower).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Outriders?

A: The data indicates the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 4K, where frame rates drop from 157.9 FPS at Low to 62.3 FPS at Ultra, a 60.5% reduction. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is only 28.5%, suggesting the CPU can keep pace with the RTX 4090's output at lower resolutions.

Q: What frame rate can this system achieve at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average at 1920x1080 with High settings is 208.4 FPS. This is 11.4% lower than Medium (235.1 FPS) but offers significantly better visual quality.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings?

A: At High settings, the drop from 1080p (208.4 FPS) to 1440p (163.9 FPS) is 21.4%, and from 1440p to 4K (88.6 FPS) is 46.0%. The total loss from 1080p to 4K is 57.5%, indicating the GPU becomes increasingly constrained as resolution scales.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling across resolutions reveals the system's bottleneck characteristics with clarity. At Low settings, the progression from 1080p (263.2 FPS) to 1440p (223.9 FPS) to 4K (157.9 FPS) shows a 15.0% drop from 1080p to 1440p, followed by a 29.5% drop from 1440p to 4K. This pattern is consistent with GPU-bound behavior, where each resolution increase adds pixel work that scales roughly with the number of pixels.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 1080p (188.3 FPS) to 1440p (118.2 FPS) is a 37.2% reduction, and 1440p to 4K (62.3 FPS) is a 47.3% reduction. The total drop from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 66.9%, which is significantly steeper than the 40.0% drop seen at Low settings (263.2 FPS to 157.9 FPS). This suggests that at higher quality presets, the GPU's shading and memory bandwidth resources are being taxed more heavily, making the resolution scaling more punishing.

The High preset shows intermediate behavior: 1080p (208.4 FPS) to 1440p (163.9 FPS) is a 21.4% reduction, and 1440p to 4K (88.6 FPS) is a 46.0% reduction. The steeper drop at higher resolutions indicates that the RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth are being utilized more completely at 4K, where texture data and pixel throughput requirements increase substantially. The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal, as the i5-14600KF's high single-thread performance (4,273 in PassMark) ensures it does not become the limiting factor even at 1080p Low where frame rates exceed 260 FPS. The data confirms a GPU-bound system where resolution and quality settings have outsized impacts on frame delivery.