Outriders

The Intel Core i7-12700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti delivers a commanding performance in Outriders, placing the combo in the 136th spot out of 1693 tested configurations. This places it firmly in the top 8% of all recorded systems, indicating that this pairing is exceptionally well-suited for high-refresh-rate looter-shooter gameplay. The data shows a system that can handle the game’s chaotic combat with ease, though the settings you choose will significantly dictate whether you prioritize raw frame rates or visual fidelity. The measured FPS across all resolutions and presets provides a clear roadmap for optimizing your experience.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the High preset is the clear winner across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, High settings produce an average of 197.5 FPS, which is only a 49.5 FPS drop from Low but a 42.5 FPS gain over Ultra. At 2560x1440, High delivers 135.3 FPS, maintaining a fluid experience well above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. Even at 3840x2160, High settings hold at 72.4 FPS, which is playable and looks substantially better than the Medium preset's 97.7 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra is punishing, costing roughly 40-50% of the frame rate at each resolution (e.g., from 197.5 to 155 at 1080p, and from 72.4 to 51.4 at 4K), while the visual uplift is typically marginal in fast-paced action. The data strongly suggests that Ultra is reserved for screenshot moments or slower exploration, not for combat.

If you are chasing maximum refresh rates on a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, the Medium preset offers a compelling middle ground. At 1080p, Medium produces 222.5 FPS, which is only 24.5 FPS less than Low but provides noticeably better texture filtering and shadow detail. At 1440p, Medium hits 181.3 FPS, comfortably exceeding 144Hz refresh rates. The Low preset should be avoided unless you are targeting absolute maximum FPS on a 360Hz panel, as the performance gain over Medium is relatively small (24.5 FPS at 1080p, 30.8 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K) compared to the significant visual downgrade. In summary, use High for the best experience on standard monitors, Medium for high-refresh-rate competitive play, and Ultra only when you have headroom to spare.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Outriders at 4K smoothly?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the system averages 72.4 FPS, which is smooth for a story-driven looter shooter. However, enabling Ultra drops the average to 51.4 FPS, which may feel less fluid during intense firefights. For a locked 60 FPS experience, High is the recommended 4K preset.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The performance hit is moderate. Using the High preset as a reference, the average FPS drops from 197.5 at 1920x1080 to 135.3 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 62.2 FPS (approximately 31%). This indicates that the GPU is still the primary driver, but the CPU is keeping up well.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: The data indicates it is not for competitive play. At 1080p, Ultra yields 155 FPS compared to High's 197.5 FPS, a 42.5 FPS loss. At 1440p, the gap widens to 39.9 FPS (95.4 vs 135.3), and at 4K it drops to a 21 FPS loss (51.4 vs 72.4). The visual difference between High and Ultra is often subtle in motion, making High the more practical choice.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in general benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 44900 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Mobile, which scores 45152, a difference of only -0.6%. It sits slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (44195, +1.6% delta) but trails the Intel Arc A730M (45592, -1.5% delta) in synthetic tests, though real-world gaming performance can differ.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance like for game logic?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K shows strong single-thread capability with a 3DMark Single Thread score of 1043 and a Passmark Single Thread score of 4013. This robust single-core performance is crucial for handling game engine physics and draw calls, ensuring the GPU isn't bottlenecked at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The sweet spot is 2560x1440. It offers a significant visual upgrade over 1080p while maintaining high frame rates. With High settings, the system produces 135.3 FPS, and even with Ultra, it manages 95.4 FPS, making it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario, but with a capable CPU underneath. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on High settings, the average FPS drops from 197.5 to 135.3, a 31.5% decrease. This is a substantial hit, but the frame rate remains very high. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced, with High settings falling from 135.3 FPS to 72.4 FPS, a 46.5% reduction. This steep drop-off at 4K is typical for a GPU with a 192-bit memory bus and 12GB of VRAM, indicating that the RTX 4070 Ti is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Interestingly, the scaling pattern shifts with lower settings. At Low settings, the frame rate goes from 247 FPS at 1080p to 212.1 FPS at 1440p and then to 130.7 FPS at 4K. The relatively small drop from 1080p to 1440p (34.9 FPS) compared to the large drop from 1440p to 4K (81.4 FPS) suggests that at lower settings, the CPU begins to play a larger role at 1080p and 1440p, while the GPU still takes over as the bottleneck at 4K. The data indicates that the i7-12700K is strong enough to feed the GPU at 1080p, but the sheer pixel count at 4K overwhelms the RTX 4070 Ti, regardless of settings. This is a system optimized for 1440p high-refresh-rate play, with 4K being a viable but more demanding option.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. Low settings average 247 FPS, Medium 222.5 FPS, High 197.5 FPS, and Ultra 155 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 24.5 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 25 FPS. The most significant drop is from High to Ultra, which costs 42.5 FPS. This resolution is clearly CPU-bound at lower presets, as the FPS is high enough to suggest the GPU is not fully saturated.

At 2560x1440, the data shows a more balanced load. Low settings average 212.1 FPS, Medium 181.3 FPS, High 135.3 FPS, and Ultra 95.4 FPS. The drop from Low to Medium is 30.8 FPS, and from Medium to High is 46 FPS. The Ultra preset is the first to dip below 100 FPS at this resolution, marking a clear threshold for competitive play. The difference between High and Ultra is 39.9 FPS, mirroring the 1080p pattern but at a lower absolute level.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck. Low settings average 130.7 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium drops to 97.7 FPS, High to 72.4 FPS, and Ultra to 51.4 FPS. The scaling here is dramatic: Low to Medium is a 33 FPS loss, Medium to High is a 25.3 FPS loss, and High to Ultra is a 21 FPS loss. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS playability threshold, indicating that 4K gaming requires a reduction in settings for a consistent experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti combination holds the 136th position out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the top 8% of all systems, a remarkable achievement that underscores the synergy between these components. This ranking suggests that this pairing outperforms the vast majority of other CPU-GPU combinations tested in this game, likely including many systems with more expensive or newer parts. The combo's strength lies in its ability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K, where many other mid-range systems would struggle.

The rank of 136 is particularly impressive considering the GPU's general benchmark percentile of 85 and the CPU's percentile of 89. This indicates that while both components are individually high-performing, their combination in Outriders is even more effective than their synthetic benchmarks might suggest. The game appears to favor the high single-thread performance of the i7-12700K and the raw rasterization power of the RTX 4070 Ti. This is not a system that merely scrapes by; it is a top-tier setup for this specific title, providing a smooth experience even in the most chaotic battle scenarios. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, this ranking confirms that the hardware is well-matched to the game's demands.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, running on the Intel Socket 1700 platform. Its boost clock reaches 5.00 GHz, and it features a 25 MB shared L3 cache. In Outriders, this CPU's role is to feed the RTX 4070 Ti with data. The benchmark results show that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 247 FPS, which is a clear indicator that the CPU is capable of driving very high frame rates without becoming a bottleneck. The single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark Single Thread score of 1043 and a Cinebench R23 Single Core score of 4128, is crucial for the game's primary game logic thread.

The data suggests that the CPU has significant headroom. At 1440p and 4K, the frame rate drops are directly attributable to the GPU's workload, not CPU limitations. The i7-12700K's multi-threaded capabilities, shown by a 3DMark Max Threads score of 9979 and a Cinebench R23 Multi Core score of 29241, also help with background tasks and any game engine systems that utilize multiple cores. Its performance relative to its nearest rivals is tight, with a 0.3% deficit to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 and a 0.6% lead over the Intel Core i7-13700T. This indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this combo; the RTX 4070 Ti is the primary driver of frame rates at higher resolutions. The CPU's robust single-core and multi-core scores ensure that it will not hold back the GPU in Outriders, making it an excellent partner for the 4070 Ti.