Outriders

The Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 pairing delivers a solid 1080p and 1440p experience in Outriders, but the data shows a sharp performance cliff at 4K Ultra settings. The measured frame rates indicate that the most balanced experience is achieved at High settings for 1440p, offering a strong 85.7 FPS average without the steep cost of Ultra. For 1080p, High settings at 99.6 FPS provide an excellent baseline, though Medium at 115.3 FPS is a viable alternative if fluidity is prioritized over visual fidelity. The data indicates that dropping to Low settings yields diminishing returns in frame rate gains at lower resolutions, with only a 31.1 FPS difference between Low and High at 1080p, compared to a 29.1 FPS difference between High and Ultra at the same resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows reveal a clear hierarchy of performance across presets. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium is modest, with the average FPS increasing from 130.7 to 115.3, which is a counterintuitive drop—this suggests the Low preset may be CPU-bound or have inconsistent scaling. The High preset at 99.6 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a substantial visual upgrade over Medium with only a 15.7 FPS penalty. Ultra at 1080p pulls 93.4 FPS, a mere 6.2 FPS less than High, making Ultra a viable choice for those with 144Hz displays who want maximum fidelity without sacrificing playability. At 1440p, High stands out as the optimal preset, delivering 85.7 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium trails at 99 FPS, but the visual downgrade is significant, while Ultra at 76.3 FPS remains playable but approaches the lower bound of smoothness for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, averaging just 39.5 FPS, making it unsuitable for competitive play; High at 4K is borderline at 59 FPS, while Low and Medium at 87.7 and 77.9 FPS respectively are the only playable 4K options.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. In Outriders, this CPU provides a stable foundation, but its performance ceiling is evident in the benchmark results. The data shows that the i5-9400 scores 7969 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 in single-core, placing it at the 50th percentile of all CPUs. This mid-pack positioning means it is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions where the GPU is the primary driver, but it can limit frame rates when settings are reduced. The nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305, which scores 2300 on average, a mere 0.2% higher, and the Intel Core i7-8809G, which scores 2319, a 0.6% advantage. This indicates the i5-9400 is closely matched with other mid-range desktop parts. In Outriders, the CPU’s six threads are sufficient for the game’s looter-shooter mechanics, but the 4.10 GHz boost clock is not exceptional, so the processor relies on the GPU to maintain high frame rates. The measured FPS data confirms this: at 1080p Low, the frame rate reaches 130.7 FPS, but this is likely GPU-limited, as the CPU cannot push much higher, and the gap between Low and High at 1080p is only 31.1 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not the limiting factor at these settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070 is the dominant component in this pairing, built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with a 4 nm process node and featuring 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU’s boost clock of 2520 MHz and game clock of 2070 MHz drive its performance, which is reflected in its 79th percentile ranking among all GPUs. The RX 9070’s raw compute power is substantial, with 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 3584 shading units. In Outriders, the GPU is clearly the performance driver, as evidenced by the scaling across resolutions. At 1080p, the RX 9070 delivers 130.7 FPS on Low, but this drops to 93.4 FPS on Ultra, a 28.5% reduction. At 1440p, the same pattern holds, with Low at 108.3 FPS and Ultra at 76.3 FPS. The GPU’s VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Outriders, even at 4K, where the High preset averages 59 FPS, indicating the memory bandwidth is not a constraint. The nearest rivals for the RX 9070 include the NVIDIA A2, which scores 34866 on average, a 0.2% difference, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970, which scores 34541, a 0.7% delta, showing the RX 9070 is positioned among high-end cards. The GPU’s performance in Outriders is strong, but the 4K Ultra result of 39.5 FPS suggests the card’s 16 GB of VRAM is not the issue—rather, the computational load at that preset exceeds the card’s capabilities.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks 1210 out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 71st percentile of all configurations. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the GPU’s high performance, but it reflects the CPU’s mid-range positioning. The data indicates that the i5-9400, despite its 50th percentile CPU ranking, holds back the RX 9070 in CPU-bound scenarios, which is why the combo does not rank higher. Compared to other combos, this pairing is not top-tier, but it is far from the bottom, and the measured FPS results show it is capable of delivering playable frame rates at most settings. The combo’s rank suggests that users with this setup will get a good experience, but they are leaving some performance on the table relative to configurations with stronger processors. The GPU’s 79th percentile ranking is significantly higher than the CPU’s 50th percentile, creating an imbalance where the processor limits the system’s overall potential. In Outriders specifically, this means the combo can handle 1440p High with ease, but it cannot fully utilize the RX 9070’s power at 1080p Low, where the frame rate is capped by the CPU’s single-thread performance.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1440p High is the optimal configuration, delivering 85.7 FPS, which balances visual quality and smoothness. At 1080p, High at 99.6 FPS is also excellent, while 4K should be avoided at Ultra due to the 39.5 FPS average.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the primary driver in most scenarios, as evidenced by the high FPS at 1080p Low (130.7 FPS) and 1440p Low (108.3 FPS). However, the CPU’s 50th percentile ranking and the combo’s 1210th rank out of 1693 indicate the i5-9400 limits performance in CPU-bound situations.

Q: How does the RX 9070 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RX 9070 scores 34780 on average, which is 0.2% lower than the NVIDIA A2 (34866) and 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Quadro GV100 (34677). The AMD Radeon HD 7970 is 0.7% behind, showing the RX 9070 is competitively positioned.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: Yes, but only at lower presets. The High preset at 4K averages 59 FPS, which is borderline playable, while Low and Medium achieve 87.7 and 77.9 FPS respectively. Ultra is not viable at 39.5 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Medium and High settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Medium averages 115.3 FPS, while High averages 99.6 FPS, a difference of 15.7 FPS. The visual upgrade from Medium to High is typically significant, making High the preferred choice for most users.

Q: Is there a significant frame rate drop when moving from 1440p to 4K?

A: Yes, at High settings, the average FPS drops from 85.7 at 1440p to 59 at 4K, a reduction of 26.7 FPS. This is a substantial decline, and users should stick to 1440p for a consistently smooth experience.