Outriders

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for Outriders with the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D show a clear progression as resolution drops, but the shape of that curve reveals where the bottleneck shifts. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces 68 FPS average. Dropping to 1440p Ultra raises that to 130 FPS, a 91% improvement. At 1080p Ultra, the average climbs to 175 FPS, another 35% jump. The scaling from 4K to 1440p is steep, indicating the GPU is heavily loaded at the highest resolution. From 1440p to 1080p, the gains are smaller, which suggests the CPU begins to assert itself at lower pixel counts.

Look at the Low preset for the cleanest scaling picture. At 4K Low, the average is 171 FPS. At 1440p Low, it reaches 212 FPS, a 24% increase. At 1080p Low, it hits 247 FPS, another 16.5% gain. The diminishing returns from 1440p to 1080p are a classic sign of a CPU limit emerging. The Core i7-12700K, with its 12 cores and 20 threads, is strong, but even it cannot feed the RTX 5090 D enough frames at 1080p to match the GPU's raw potential.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern with more granular data. At 4K Medium, the average is 125 FPS, with minimums and maximums recorded at 106 and 144 FPS respectively. At 1440p Medium, the average jumps to 188 FPS, a 50% increase, with a min of 160 and max of 217. At 1080p Medium, the average reaches 220 FPS, with a min of 187 and max of 253. The spread between minimum and maximum frames widens as resolution drops, from 38 FPS at 4K to 66 FPS at 1080p, which indicates more variance in frame delivery at lower resolutions where CPU work becomes more prominent.

The High preset data tells the same story. From 4K High at 94 FPS to 1440p High at 170 FPS is an 81% increase. From 1440p High to 1080p High at 198 FPS is only a 16.5% gain. The 4K to 1440p scaling is massive because the RTX 5090 D is being freed from a massive pixel workload. The 1440p to 1080p scaling is modest because the CPU is now the limiting factor.

Overall, the data indicates that this CPU-GPU combination is well-balanced for 4K gaming in Outriders, where the GPU is the clear bottleneck. At 1440p and below, the CPU becomes increasingly relevant, and the frame rate gains from lowering resolution shrink accordingly. The 92nd percentile rank out of 2913 tested combinations for this game confirms that this is a top-tier pairing, but it is not one that scales linearly with resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why it leads the frame rate charts at every resolution. The GPU has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This massive memory pool and bandwidth are more than sufficient for Outriders, a game that does not typically stress memory capacity at 1080p or 1440p. At 4K, the 32 GB buffer ensures there is no risk of running out of video memory, which can be a concern for lower-capacity cards in modern titles.

The core configuration is equally imposing. The RTX 5090 D has 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. The boost clock is 2407 MHz, with a base clock of 2017 MHz. The texture rate is 1,636.8 GTexel/s, and the pixel rate is 423.6 GPixel/s. These figures translate directly to the 4K Ultra result of 68 FPS average. That is a demanding settings level, and the GPU is clearly working hard to maintain that frame rate.

The GPU's benchmark data places it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% higher score), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% lower), and two NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants (2.1% and 2.4% lower). These are not direct competitors in the same performance class, but the delta percentages show that the RTX 5090 D sits in a unique performance envelope. The PassMark G3D score of 44,065 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,915 further underscore its compute strength.

In Outriders specifically, the GPU's role is clearest when looking at the Low preset across resolutions. At 4K Low, the GPU still manages 171 FPS, which is higher than the High preset at 1440p (170 FPS). This suggests that at Low settings, the GPU's fill rate and shading power are sufficient to push high frame rates even at 4K, but the CPU becomes a constraint as the resolution drops. The fact that 4K Low (171 FPS) nearly matches 1440p High (170 FPS) shows how much headroom the GPU has when visual effects are reduced.

The RTX 5090 D's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. This is a physically large and power-hungry chip, but the data shows it delivers. The measured frame rates in Outriders are consistently high, and the GPU is never the limiting factor at 1080p, where the CPU takes over. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the primary driver, and its performance scales predictably with settings changes.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this CPU-GPU combo in Outriders?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 247 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How much does the average frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops from 175 FPS at 1920x1080 to 68 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 107 FPS.

Q: Which settings level provides the most consistent frame rate at 4K based on the measured data?

A: The Medium preset at 4K shows the most consistent frame delivery, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS, yielding a 38 FPS spread around the 125 FPS average.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D the bottleneck at 1080p resolution?

A: No. The frame rate scaling from 1440p to 1080p is smaller than from 4K to 1440p, indicating the Intel Core i7-12700K becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the percentile rank of this CPU-GPU combination among all tested combos for Outriders?

A: This combo ranks in the 92nd percentile, placing it in the top 8% of the 2,913 tested combinations.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its closest rival in GPU benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, which is 1.1% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for Outriders with this hardware points to a clear recommendation: the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 4K, Medium delivers a 125 FPS average, which is substantially higher than High's 94 FPS and Ultra's 68 FPS. The gap between Low (171 FPS) and Medium (125 FPS) is significant, but the visual upgrade from Low to Medium is typically worth the 46 FPS cost in a game like Outriders, which relies on environmental detail and particle effects.

At 1440p, Medium produces a 188 FPS average, which is only 24 FPS lower than Low (212 FPS) but 58 FPS higher than High (170 FPS) and 58 FPS higher than Ultra (130 FPS). This is the sweet spot for high-refresh-rate monitors. The minimum frame rate of 160 FPS at 1440p Medium ensures that even in busy combat scenes, the frame rate stays above the 144 Hz threshold, providing a smooth experience on typical gaming displays.

At 1080p, Medium delivers a 220 FPS average, with a minimum of 187 FPS and a maximum of 253 FPS. This is the only resolution where High (198 FPS) and Ultra (175 FPS) also provide high frame rates, but Medium still offers the best combination of stability and visual fidelity. The 33 FPS difference between Medium and High at 1080p is notable, and the 45 FPS difference between Medium and Ultra is even more so.

For players who prioritize maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1440p (212 FPS) or 1080p (247 FPS) is the choice, but this sacrifices too much visual quality for a game that already runs well at Medium. The Ultra preset is only recommended for users with 60 Hz displays at 4K, where the 68 FPS average still clears the refresh rate, but it is not ideal for competitive play. The High preset is a middle ground, but the data shows it does not justify its frame rate cost relative to Medium.

In summary, the Medium preset is the optimal default for this hardware. It provides frame rates that exceed 120 FPS at all resolutions, with minimums that stay above 100 FPS at 4K and above 160 FPS at 1440p and 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full set of measured frame rates for Outriders with the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is as follows.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the Ultra preset produces an average of 68 FPS. The High preset raises the average to 94 FPS. Medium improves further to 125 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 144 FPS. Low delivers the highest 4K average at 171 FPS. The progression from Ultra to Low is a 103 FPS increase, showing how sensitive this resolution is to settings changes.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), Ultra averages 130 FPS. High reaches 170 FPS. Medium delivers 188 FPS, with a minimum of 160 FPS and a maximum of 217 FPS. Low tops out at 212 FPS. The difference between Ultra and Low is 82 FPS, which is smaller than at 4K because the CPU begins to play a larger role.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), Ultra averages 175 FPS. High reaches 198 FPS. Medium delivers 220 FPS, with a minimum of 187 FPS and a maximum of 253 FPS. Low achieves the highest average of all at 247 FPS. The total spread from Ultra to Low is 72 FPS, the smallest of the three resolutions, confirming the CPU limit at this resolution.

Comparing across resolutions, the Medium preset shows the most complete data with minimum and maximum values. At 1080p Medium, the 220 FPS average with a 187 FPS minimum means the frame rate rarely dips below the 180 FPS mark. At 1440p Medium, the 188 FPS average with a 160 FPS minimum still keeps frame rates comfortably above 144 Hz. At 4K Medium, the 125 FPS average with a 106 FPS minimum is suitable for high refresh rate gaming but not for the fastest panels.

The Low preset shows the least variation across resolutions. From 4K Low (171 FPS) to 1080p Low (247 FPS), the increase is 76 FPS. In contrast, the Ultra preset goes from 68 FPS at 4K to 175 FPS at 1080p, a 107 FPS increase. This disparity reinforces that the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K Ultra, while the CPU becomes more relevant at lower settings and resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, based on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration places it in the 84th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35,287.

Its nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores are the Intel Core i5-13600T (0.1% higher score), the Intel Core i7-12700KF (0.2% lower), the Intel Core i7-13700T (0.3% lower), and the Intel Core 5 213PE (0.4% lower). These delta percentages are minuscule, indicating that the 12700K sits in a tightly packed performance band. The multi-threaded performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 19,784 and a Geekbench multicore score of 15,790. Single-thread performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1,850.5 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,308.

In Outriders, the CPU's role becomes evident when examining the frame rate scaling at lower resolutions. At 4K, the GPU is the bottleneck, and the CPU has ample headroom. The fact that 4K Low (171 FPS) is lower than 1440p Low (212 FPS) by 41 FPS shows that the GPU is still the limiting factor at 4K Low, but the margin shrinks. At 1440p Low, the CPU begins to matter, and at 1080p Low (247 FPS), the CPU is likely the primary constraint.

The 3DMark benchmark scores for the CPU provide insight into its threading capabilities. The 16-thread score is 9,276, the 8-thread score is 7,202, the 4-thread score is 4,011, the 2-thread score is 2,065, and the single-thread score is 1,043. The scaling from 2 threads to 4 threads (94% increase) and from 4 to 8 threads (79.5% increase) shows good multi-threading efficiency. The jump from 8 to 16 threads is only 28.8%, indicating that Outriders does not fully utilize all 20 threads, but the processor has enough cores to handle the game's engine overhead.

The PassMark scores further characterize the CPU. The multithread score is 34,404, the single-thread score is 4,013, the integer math score is 114,264, and the floating point math score is 88,035. These scores suggest that the CPU can handle both game logic and background tasks without issue. In Outriders, which is not a CPU-heavy title compared to strategy games, the 12700K is more than sufficient.

The key takeaway is that the Core i7-12700K is not the limiting factor at 4K, where the RTX 5090 D is clearly the bottleneck. At 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint, as evidenced by the smaller frame rate gains when moving from 1440p to 1080p. The 92nd percentile combo rank demonstrates that this CPU-GPU pairing is well-matched for Outriders, with the CPU providing enough single-thread and multi-thread performance to keep the GPU fed at all but the lowest resolutions.