Outriders

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti combination lands at rank 1409 out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the lower half of the database. This is not a catastrophic result, but it signals that the pairing is not optimized for this particular looter shooter. The data suggests that while the GPU is capable of high frame rates, the CPU’s six-thread limit becomes a bottleneck in specific scenarios, preventing the combo from climbing higher in the rankings. The overall position reflects a system that can play the game, but requires careful settings management to avoid the worst performance dips.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 1409 out of 1693 combos is a clear indicator that this hardware pairing is below average for Outriders. The percentile data for the individual components tells a more nuanced story: the RTX 3060 Ti sits at the 69th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-9400 is at the 50th percentile among all CPUs. The GPU is a stronger performer relative to its peers than the CPU, yet the final combo rank suggests the CPU is dragging the overall experience down. This is typical of a system where the processor cannot consistently feed the graphics card in a game that relies on heavy physics and enemy AI calculations.

Looking at the measured frame rates, the gap between the GPU’s potential and the actual delivered performance becomes apparent. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo hits 127.2 FPS, which is respectable, but the CPU’s limitations show when comparing the scaling from Low to Medium settings. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p only reduces the frame rate by 14.7 FPS, whereas the drop from Medium to High is 11 FPS. This non-linear scaling suggests that the CPU is already struggling to keep up at Medium settings, and the GPU is not fully utilized until the resolution increases. The rank reflects this imbalance, placing the combo well behind pairings with newer, higher-thread-count processors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the clear star of this pairing, bringing 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, effectively 14 Gbps, which is ample for Outriders at most settings. The GPU’s boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1410 MHz are standard for the Ampere architecture, and the 4864 shading units provide substantial raw compute power. In the benchmark data, the GPU’s average score of 25120 places it just 0.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6700M and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600, indicating that it is a well-balanced mid-range card with no glaring weaknesses.

The GPU’s role in Outriders becomes clearer when examining the resolution scaling. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo drops to 29 FPS, which is unplayable. This is a GPU-bound scenario, as the 8 GB of VRAM and the memory bandwidth are pushed to their limits. The jump from 2560x1440 High (71.9 FPS) to 3840x2160 High (39.2 FPS) represents a 45% performance loss, which is consistent with the pixel count increase. However, at lower resolutions, the GPU is not the limiting factor. The fact that the 1920x1080 Ultra setting (83.9 FPS) is only 12.9 FPS slower than 2560x1440 High suggests that the CPU is starting to throttle the GPU’s output, as the pixel count difference should result in a larger gap if the GPU were fully utilized.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle Outriders at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average frame rate is 39.2 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. Ultra settings drop this to 29 FPS, making the game feel sluggish. For a consistent 60 FPS experience, you would need to use Low settings, which yield 71 FPS at 4K.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware in Outriders?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings provides a solid 71.9 FPS average. This is a sweet spot where the GPU is still the primary driver, and the CPU has enough headroom to maintain frame pacing. Moving to 1920x1080 Ultra (83.9 FPS) offers a higher frame rate but relies more on the CPU, which may cause stutters in dense combat.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 25120 is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6700M and 0.5% lower than both the AMD Radeon RX 6600 and AMD Radeon 890M. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP is 0.7% slower, so the 3060 Ti sits comfortably in the middle of this group.

Q: Is the i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The benchmark results indicate a CPU bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 Low (127.2 FPS) versus 2560x1440 Low (107.4 FPS), the frame rate only drops by 19.8 FPS, which is less than the pixel count increase would suggest. This implies the CPU is limiting the GPU’s output at 1080p, while at 1440p the GPU becomes more of a factor.

Q: What settings should be avoided with this combo?

A: Ultra settings at any resolution above 1080p should be avoided. At 2560x1440 Ultra, the average frame rate is 51.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. At 3840x2160 Ultra, the frame rate falls to 29 FPS, making the game nearly unplayable.

Q: Does the GPU’s memory configuration affect performance in Outriders?

A: The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for Outriders at High settings across all resolutions. The data shows that High settings are the most stable, with 71.9 FPS at 1440p and 39.2 FPS at 4K, suggesting the memory subsystem is not a limiting factor until Ultra settings are used.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combo reveal a clear pattern of diminishing returns as settings increase. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 127.2 FPS on Low to 83.9 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting delivers 112.5 FPS, which is only 14.7 FPS slower than Low, while High drops to 101.5 FPS. The 18.6 FPS gap between High and Ultra shows that the GPU is being pushed significantly at the highest preset, but the CPU is still able to keep up at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale more predictably. Low settings produce 107.4 FPS, Medium drops to 93.5 FPS, and High falls to 71.9 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is a substantial 20.1 FPS loss, resulting in 51.8 FPS. This indicates that Ultra settings at 1440p are not viable for smooth gameplay, as the frame rate dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. High settings yield 39.2 FPS, Medium drops to 47.7 FPS, and Low produces 71 FPS. The Ultra preset is the worst performer, with an average of 29 FPS. The data shows that 4K is only feasible with Low settings, which still provide a playable 71 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is significant. The frame rate differences between High and Medium at 4K (39.2 vs 47.7 FPS) are relatively small, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the primary bottleneck at this resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 101.5 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra at 83.9 FPS is playable, but the 17.6 FPS loss compared to High is not worth the marginal visual improvement. Medium at 112.5 FPS is a strong choice for competitive play, but High offers a better visual experience without sacrificing too much frame rate.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 71.9 FPS is the recommended choice. This provides a smooth experience that is above the 60 FPS target, and the visual fidelity is noticeably better than Medium at 93.5 FPS. Ultra at 51.8 FPS should be avoided, as the frame rate is too inconsistent for a looter shooter where combat encounters require fast reactions. Low at 107.4 FPS is viable for players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, but the graphical downgrade is significant.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 71 FPS is the only playable option. Medium at 47.7 FPS and High at 39.2 FPS are both below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra at 29 FPS is unplayable. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires substantial settings compromises, and most players would be better served by using 1440p with High settings for a better overall experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The 9 MB of shared L3 cache is modest by modern standards, and the lack of hyper-threading means the CPU can only handle six concurrent threads. In the benchmark data, the CPU’s average score of 2305 places it just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10305 and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134. It is 0.6% slower than the Intel Core i7-8809G, which shows that the i5-9400 is a mid-range performer that does not excel in multi-threaded workloads.

The CPU’s role in Outriders is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 127.2 FPS, but the frame rate does not scale linearly with settings. The drop from Low to Medium is only 14.7 FPS, which is less than the GPU would typically deliver if it were the sole bottleneck. This suggests the CPU is limiting the frame rate at these settings. The synthetic benchmark scores reinforce this: the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 is not exceptional, and the single-core score of 1125 indicates that the CPU’s per-thread performance is average.

The CPU’s six-thread limit becomes a problem in Outriders’ large-scale combat scenarios, where the game engine spawns multiple enemies and tracks numerous projectiles. The data shows that at 2560x1440 Ultra (51.8 FPS), the frame rate is significantly lower than at 1920x1080 Ultra (83.9 FPS), which is expected, but the CPU still has to process the same game logic. The percentile rank of 50 for the CPU versus 69 for the GPU highlights the imbalance. In this pairing, the CPU is the weaker link, and the benchmark results indicate that a processor with more threads would improve the combo’s overall rank in Outriders.