Outriders

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a highly playable experience in Outriders, but its position in the broader benchmark hierarchy reveals a system tuned for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K. The combo sits at rank 2440 out of 2913 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of all tested systems. This ranking is driven by the CPU's modest multi-threaded performance and the GPU's mid-range standing, yet the measured frame rates show that the pairing is well-balanced for the game's demands at mainstream resolutions.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution to play Outriders with this hardware?*

A: The data indicates 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. At Medium settings, the combo averages 114 FPS, and at High settings it averages 96 FPS, both well above the 60 FPS threshold. At 2560x1440, High settings still deliver a solid 61 FPS average, making it a viable alternative.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Outriders?*

A: 4K is only borderline playable. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 58, which is just shy of 60. Moving up to Medium drops the average to 42 FPS, and High settings fall to 32 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K are not viable, with an average of only 23 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-9400 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. This places it within a tight competitive cluster: it is 0.2% slower than the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (score 2259), 0.3% faster than the Intel Core i7-10710U (score 2248), and 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (score 2246). It is also 0.4% slower than the Intel Core i3-10305 (score 2264). These are negligible performance deltas.

Q: What is the GPU's standing relative to other graphics cards?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the Intel Arc A750 (score 20582), which is 0.1% faster. It also trades blows with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (score 20534), which is 0.1% slower, and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X (score 20662), which is 0.5% faster.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data shows the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rate scales significantly with settings (128 FPS at Low to 70 FPS at Ultra), indicating GPU load. However, at 2560x1440 and 3840x2160, the performance drops are more severe, suggesting the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are the bottleneck, while the CPU's six cores provide adequate support.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the Intel Arc B570?

A: The launch MSRP of the Intel Arc B570 is 219 USD.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B570 achieves a rank of 2440 out of 2913 tested system configurations for Outriders. This places the pairing in the 16th percentile of all tested combos, meaning a substantial majority of other systems deliver higher frame rates. The ranking is a consequence of the individual components' standings: the CPU sits in the 47th percentile of all processors, while the GPU sits in the 65th percentile of all graphics cards. The system's overall rank is dragged down by the CPU, which is an older six-core part without hyper-threading.

In practical terms, this rank indicates the combo is not a high-end enthusiast setup. However, the measured FPS data shows that the rank does not tell the whole story. The system's performance in Outriders is highly dependent on resolution and settings, and it can achieve smooth gameplay when configured appropriately. The delta between the CPU and GPU percentiles also suggests a slight imbalance; the GPU is relatively stronger than the CPU, which can lead to the CPU becoming a bottleneck in CPU-intensive scenes, although the game's measured results show this is not a severe issue at standard settings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the centerpiece of this combo's gaming performance. It features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This is a crucial specification for Outriders, a looter shooter that can load large texture sets and environments. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both set to 2500 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective).

The GPU's compute resources include 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. It also has 18 ray tracing cores. The card's raw throughput is rated at 11.52 TFLOPS for FP32 operations. These specifications place the B570 in the mid-range tier of graphics cards, as evidenced by its 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its performance is closely matched with the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% faster) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% slower), according to average benchmark scores.

In Outriders, the GPU's role is dominant. The measured FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern with settings. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (128 FPS) and Ultra (70 FPS) is 58 FPS, demonstrating the GPU's workload. At 2560x1440, the spread widens (110 FPS at Low to 44 FPS at Ultra), and at 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened at higher settings, with Ultra yielding only 23 FPS. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game at 1080p and 1440p, but the 160-bit memory bus and 380 GB/s bandwidth may be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where texture streaming demands are highest.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable performance curve based on resolution and graphical settings. The system was tested across three resolutions and four quality presets, with all data points recorded as average frame rates.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are underwhelming for high-fidelity play. Low settings yield an average of 58 FPS, which is technically playable but not smooth. Medium settings drop to an average of 42 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 49 FPS. High settings further reduce the average to 32 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 23 FPS. Based on these numbers, 4K is only feasible with the Low preset, and even then, the frame rate is marginal.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the system performs much better. Low settings deliver an excellent average of 110 FPS. Medium settings produce a strong average of 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. High settings maintain a smooth 61 FPS average. Ultra settings, however, fall to an average of 44 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for competitive play but still usable for a slower-paced game.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the hardware shines. Low settings achieve a very high average of 128 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 FPS and a maximum of 131 FPS. High settings are still excellent at 96 FPS. Even Ultra settings manage a respectable 70 FPS average, making this resolution the only one where all presets are playable.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear guide for optimal settings. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, the High preset at 2560x1440 is the highest visual quality option that meets this target, averaging 61 FPS. If the user prefers a higher frame rate for smoother gameplay, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is a strong choice, averaging 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS, ensuring it stays above 60 FPS even in demanding scenes.

For users with 1080p displays, the High preset is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, averaging 96 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p is also viable, averaging 70 FPS, which will be smooth on most monitors. The data shows that dropping to Medium at 1080p only gains 18 FPS over High (114 FPS vs 96 FPS), so the visual upgrade from Medium to High is likely worth the small performance cost.

At 4K, the only playable option is Low settings, which averages 58 FPS. However, this is not recommended for an optimal experience due to the visual compromises. The Medium preset at 4K (42 FPS) is too inconsistent for a smooth experience, and the minimum frame rate of 36 FPS will cause noticeable stutters. Therefore, users are advised to stick to 1080p or 1440p for the best experience with this hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The CPU supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, with a memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. It has a 9 MB shared L3 cache. These specifications are typical of a mid-range desktop processor from 2018, and its benchmark scores reflect its age.

In synthetic tests, the i5-9400 scores 6629 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 935 points in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core. These results place the CPU in the 47th percentile of all processors. Its performance is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with deltas of less than 0.5% compared to the i7-1068NG7, i7-10710U, Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, and i3-10305.

In Outriders, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU. The game is a looter shooter with a focus on graphical effects and large battlefields, which tends to be more GPU-intensive. The six physical cores without hyper-threading are sufficient to feed the Arc B570 at 1080p and 1440p, as evidenced by the high frame rates at those resolutions. However, the CPU's modest single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935) may become a limiting factor in scenarios with many AI enemies or complex physics calculations. The data does not show a CPU bottleneck at the tested settings, but the 47th percentile ranking suggests that users should not expect the CPU to push frame rates higher than what the GPU can deliver, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. The 65W TDP and lack of overclocking support (multiplier is locked) mean the CPU operates within its stock power envelope, which is adequate for this gaming workload.