Outriders

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a distinctive performance profile in Outriders, ranking in the 35th percentile of tested combinations. Specifically, this combo sits at rank 2404 out of 3710 tested configurations, meaning approximately 65% of all tested combos deliver higher average frame rates in this title. This ranking reflects a substantial imbalance between the two components: the GPU is a top-tier part, while the CPU is a six-core, six-thread Coffee Lake processor that anchors the system's overall performance ceiling. The data indicates that the RTX 4080's capabilities are heavily constrained by the i5-9400, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU must feed frames faster.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2404 out of 3710 places it in the lower-middle tier of all tested configurations for Outriders. This position is notably weaker than what the GPU alone would suggest, given that the RTX 4080 ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The discrepancy between the GPU's high percentile and the combo's mediocre rank highlights a severe bottleneck scenario. Benchmark results indicate that the i5-9400, which sits in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, cannot keep pace with the RTX 4080's rendering speed. The CPU's average benchmark score of 2254 places it within a tight cluster of rivals, including the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (deltaPct -0.2), Intel Core i7-10710U (deltaPct 0.3), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (deltaPct 0.4), and Intel Core i3-10305 (deltaPct -0.4). All of these processors are within a fraction of a percent of each other, confirming that the i5-9400 is operating at a mainstream performance level that is far below the RTX 4080's potential.

In practical terms, this ranking means that most users with a mid-range or high-end CPU paired with a comparable graphics card will see better Outriders performance. The data shows that the combo's measured frame rates, while playable, do not approach the high refresh rate territory that the RTX 4080 is designed to achieve. The gap between this combo's rank and what the GPU could deliver with a stronger processor is significant, suggesting that the i5-9400 is the primary limiting factor in nearly all scenarios. The combo's position in the 35th percentile is a clear warning that pairing a last-generation six-core CPU with a flagship Ada Lovelace GPU creates an underutilized graphics card.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 bottlenecking the RTX 4080 in Outriders?

A: Yes, the data strongly indicates a CPU bottleneck. The combo ranks 2404 out of 3710, while the GPU alone sits in the 86th percentile. The CPU's 47th percentile ranking and six-core/six-thread configuration limit the frame delivery, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to avoid severe CPU limits?

A: The measured data shows that at 4K, the average frame rates across settings are 71 (High), 79 (Medium), 88 (Low), and 56 (Ultra). At 1440p, the averages are 88, 98, 110, and 78 respectively. At 1080p, they are 102, 114, 128, and 91. The progression suggests that moving to higher resolutions reduces the CPU bottleneck, as the GPU takes on more work.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 4080's nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209, deltaPct 0.1). It is slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (54828, deltaPct -1.1) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55698, deltaPct -2.6). However, these GPU-level comparisons do not account for the CPU bottleneck present in this specific combo.

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo in Outriders?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 128 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 114 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 110 FPS at 1440p Low. These figures are far below what the RTX 4080 could deliver with a more capable processor.

Q: Does the CPU's boost clock help mitigate the bottleneck?

A: The i5-9400 has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. While the boost clock provides some headroom, the processor's six threads and 9 MB of shared L3 cache are insufficient for fully utilizing the RTX 4080. The benchmark scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core 6629) confirm a mid-range performance level.

Q: Is this combo suitable for 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: The data shows average frame rates at 3840x2160 ranging from 56 FPS (Ultra) to 88 FPS (Low). The 71 FPS average at High settings is playable, but the 56 FPS at Ultra is below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K results are less CPU-bound than lower resolutions, making it the most balanced scenario for this pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 brings substantial resources to Outriders, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2205 MHz, boosting to 2505 MHz, with memory running at an effective 22.4 Gbps. These specifications place the RTX 4080 in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. The card's nearest rivals are extremely close in performance: the RTX 4080 SUPER scores 54209 (deltaPct 0.1), while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828 (deltaPct -1.1), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698 (deltaPct -2.6). This tight grouping indicates that the RTX 4080 is at the top of its performance class.

In Outriders, the GPU's role is heavily dependent on resolution and settings. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is forced to work harder, producing an average of 56 FPS. At 4K Low, the average rises to 88 FPS, showing that the GPU can deliver higher frame rates when pixel shading demands are reduced. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for this title, as Outriders does not appear to exceed the memory limit even at 4K Ultra, given that the frame rates are limited by compute rather than memory allocation. The GPU's 9728 shading units and 76 RT cores provide ample compute throughput, but the measured results show that this power is only partially utilized due to the CPU constraint. The data reveals a clear pattern: as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the GPU's load increases, and the average frame rates drop, but the relative performance gap between settings narrows, indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary limiter at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combo in Outriders show a consistent pattern across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS values are 128 (Low), 114 (Medium), 102 (High), and 91 (Ultra). The Medium setting also provides a minimum FPS of 97 and a maximum of 131, while other settings lack min/max data. At 2560x1440, the averages are 110 (Low), 98 (Medium), 88 (High), and 78 (Ultra). The 1440p Medium setting shows a minimum of 83 and a maximum of 112 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 88 (Low), 79 (Medium), 71 (High), and 56 (Ultra). The 4K Medium setting records a minimum of 67 and a maximum of 90 FPS.

These numbers illustrate a clear hierarchy: at every resolution, Low settings yield the highest average frame rate, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra producing the lowest averages. The differences between settings are substantial; for example, at 1080p, the gap between Low (128 FPS) and Ultra (91 FPS) is 37 FPS, representing a 29% reduction. At 1440p, the gap between Low (110 FPS) and Ultra (78 FPS) is 32 FPS. At 4K, the gap narrows to 32 FPS as well (88 to 56), but the absolute values are lower. The min/max data for Medium settings shows that frame pacing is relatively stable, with the 1080p Medium range spanning from 97 to 131 FPS, while 1440p Medium ranges from 83 to 112, and 4K Medium from 67 to 90. These ranges indicate that the combo can maintain playable frame rates, but the CPU's limitations become evident in the lower averages at 1080p, where the RTX 4080 is waiting on the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about the limiting component. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 102 at 1080p to 88 at 1440p, then to 71 at 4K. This represents a 13.7% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 30.4% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the averages are 128 (1080p), 110 (1440p), and 88 (4K), showing a 14.1% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 31.3% drop from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the progression is 114 (1080p), 98 (1440p), and 79 (4K), with reductions of 14.0% and 30.7% respectively. At Ultra settings, the averages are 91 (1080p), 78 (1440p), and 56 (4K), representing a 14.3% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 38.5% drop from 1080p to 4K.

The scaling pattern shows that the frame rate reduction from 1080p to 1440p is consistently around 14% across all settings, which is relatively modest. This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is heavily limiting performance, so increasing resolution to 1440p does not proportionally reduce the frame rate because the GPU has more headroom to work while the CPU remains the bottleneck. The drop from 1440p to 4K is more pronounced, especially at Ultra settings (38.5% total from 1080p), indicating that the GPU begins to become the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is fully engaged, producing only 56 FPS. In contrast, at 1080p Low, the CPU limits the combo to 128 FPS, far below what the RTX 4080 could theoretically deliver. This scaling analysis confirms that the i5-9400 is the primary constraint below 4K, while the RTX 4080 becomes more relevant at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's resolution and performance targets. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers an average of 102 FPS, which is smooth for most displays, while the Ultra preset drops to 91 FPS. The Medium preset at 114 FPS offers a better balance, with a minimum of 97 FPS ensuring consistent frame delivery. However, the Low preset at 128 FPS is the only setting that approaches high refresh rate territory, though it sacrifices visual quality. For users with 144Hz monitors, the Low preset is the only option that comes close to saturating the display, but the 110 FPS at 1440p Low may be preferable for higher resolutions.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 98 FPS (minimum 83) provides a solid experience, while High at 88 FPS is also playable. The Ultra preset at 78 FPS is below the 80 FPS threshold but still acceptable for slower-paced gameplay. At 3840x2160, the High preset at 71 FPS is the recommended choice, as it achieves playable frame rates without the severe drop seen at Ultra (56 FPS). The Medium preset at 79 FPS is slightly better, but the difference is marginal. The data suggests that for this combo, the Medium or High presets offer the best experience across all resolutions, as they avoid the extreme CPU bottleneck seen at Low settings (where the GPU is underutilized) and the heavy GPU load at Ultra (which produces sub-60 FPS at 4K). The 4K Medium setting, with its minimum of 67 FPS, is the most balanced option for high-resolution gaming.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU features 9 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory in a dual-channel configuration, providing 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth. Its benchmark scores include a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935, along with a Geekbench multi-core score of 5141 and a single-core score of 1389. These figures place the i5-9400 in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals are clustered closely: the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (deltaPct -0.2), Intel Core i7-10710U (deltaPct 0.3), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (deltaPct 0.4), and Intel Core i3-10305 (deltaPct -0.4). This indicates that the i5-9400 performs at a mainstream level, comparable to other mid-range processors from its era.

In Outriders, the CPU's role is to feed the RTX 4080 with draw calls and game logic. The measured frame rates show that the CPU becomes the bottleneck at lower resolutions, limiting the combo to 128 FPS at 1080p Low, which is well below the GPU's potential. The six threads are insufficient for fully utilizing the RTX 4080, especially in a looter shooter where multiple enemies and physics objects require CPU processing. The 4.10 GHz boost clock helps maintain decent single-thread performance, but the lack of hyper-threading means the CPU struggles to keep up with the GPU's frame production. The data shows that at 4K, the CPU bottleneck is less severe, as the GPU's rendering time increases, allowing the CPU to keep pace. However, even at 4K Ultra, the 56 FPS average is limited by the GPU's raw compute, not the CPU. The i5-9400's performance in this combo is a classic example of a mid-range processor constraining a flagship GPU, resulting in a system that underperforms relative to its components' individual capabilities.