Outriders

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the Intel Arc B580 occupies the 1309th position out of 1693 tested combinations in Outriders, placing it in the lower third of the database. The combo's percentile ranking reflects a system that is functional but not competitive with higher-tier configurations. The data shows a substantial gap between this pairing and the top performers, suggesting that while the hardware is capable of running the game, it does so with noticeable compromises in visual fidelity or frame rate. The ranking indicates that a significant portion of the tested combos achieve higher average frame rates, which is critical in a looter shooter where smooth combat and quick target acquisition are essential. This position is not a verdict on the individual components, but rather on their synergy within this specific title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1309 out of 1693 places it in the 77th percentile from the bottom, meaning roughly three-quarters of all tested configurations deliver better performance in Outriders. This is a clear signal that the i7-12700K and Arc B580 combination is not optimized for this game's engine. The data suggests a bottleneck exists that prevents the hardware from reaching its full potential. For context, the CPU itself has an average benchmark score of 35684, placing it in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, which indicates it is a strong processor on its own. The GPU, with an average benchmark score of 23021, sits in the 66th percentile against all GPUs, showing it is a mid-range performer. The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low game rank points directly to the GPU or the driver/software interaction as the limiting factor in this specific title. The benchmark results indicate that the system is leaving performance on the table, as the CPU appears capable of feeding more frames than the GPU can render at the tested settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy for settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 195.1 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combo. This is followed by Medium at 141.3 FPS, High at 105.8 FPS, and Ultra at 78.1 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 53.8 FPS drop, while moving from High to Ultra costs 27.7 FPS. For competitive play or maximum fluidity, Low is the only setting that pushes the frame rate into the upper echelon. However, at 1440p, the picture changes. Low yields 125.3 FPS, Medium yields 89.6 FPS, and High yields 70 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 48 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay on many displays. At 4K, the performance is more constrained. Low produces 64.2 FPS, Medium produces 49.1 FPS, High produces 37.1 FPS, and Ultra produces 27.4 FPS. The data suggests that for a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p is the sweet spot, offering a substantial improvement over Low without the severe frame rate penalty of High or Ultra. For 4K, only the Low preset achieves a playable frame rate above 60 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 195.1 at 1080p to 125.3 at 1440p, a 35.8% reduction, and then to 64.2 at 4K, a further 48.8% reduction from 1440p. This steep decline with increasing pixel count is a classic indicator of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, is not the constraint here; it is the Arc B580's rendering throughput that cannot keep pace with the higher resolutions. At the High preset, the same trend is visible: 105.8 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p, and 37.1 FPS at 4K. The scaling is consistent, with the 1440p to 4K drop being the most severe across all settings. This pattern suggests that the Arc B580's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 456.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and even capable at 1440p, but are overwhelmed by the pixel count at 4K. The data shows that users targeting 4K will need to sacrifice settings significantly to maintain a playable frame rate, while 1080p and 1440p are the resolutions where this combo can shine.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for a 60 FPS experience at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 yields an average of 70 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset also achieves this at 89.6 FPS, but High offers better visual quality while still maintaining the needed frame rate headroom.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K, the Low preset achieves 64.2 FPS, which is playable. The Medium preset drops to 49.1 FPS, and High and Ultra fall below 37.1 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is only viable with the lowest settings.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has an average benchmark score of 35684. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, scores 35802, a delta of -0.3%. The Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35468, a delta of 0.6%. This shows the i7-12700K is essentially on par with these processors.

Q: What is the role of the GPU's VRAM in this game?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the frame rate collapses to 27.4 FPS, which may indicate the VRAM or bandwidth is being saturated, though the primary constraint is the GPU's compute power.

Q: Is the CPU holding back the GPU in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate the opposite. The CPU's strong multi-threaded scores, such as a 3DMark max threads score of 9979, suggest it is not the limiter. The frame rate drops heavily with resolution, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation.

Q: How does the GPU compare to the RTX 4060?

A: The Intel Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 scores 23181, a delta of -0.7%. This indicates the Arc B580 is slightly behind the RTX 4060 on average, but the difference is minimal.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, is the component that dictates the frame rate in Outriders. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory is ample for the game's textures, but the performance data shows that raw compute power is the limiting factor. The GPU's boost clock is 2670 MHz, and it has 2560 shading units, which combine to deliver 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The measured FPS at 1080p Low was 195.1, which is a strong result, but this drops to 64.2 at 4K Low. This demonstrates that the GPU's pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering. The memory clock of 2375 MHz, or 19 Gbps effective, provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is not the primary bottleneck, as the scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a similar percentage drop across all settings. The GPU's percentile of 66 against all GPUs indicates it is a mid-range part, and the game results reflect that, with the combo rank being dragged down by the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions. The data suggests that the Arc B580 is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where its compute and bandwidth are sufficient for a smooth experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K serves as a robust foundation for this system, but its performance is not fully utilized in Outriders. The CPU has 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its benchmark scores are impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 29241 and a single-core score of 4128. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9276 and max thread score of 9979 show strong multi-threading capabilities. However, the game's frame rates are not limited by the CPU. The evidence for this is the resolution scaling: when the resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the frame rate drops significantly, which would not happen if the CPU were the bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively constant across resolutions. The CPU's performance is on par with its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, which has a delta of -0.3%, and the Intel Core i7-13700T, which has a delta of 0.6%. This indicates that the i7-12700K is not a weak link in the chain. Its 25 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide a solid platform, but the Arc B580 is the component that determines the gaming experience in Outriders. The data shows the CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, but the GPU cannot translate that capability into higher FPS at higher resolutions.