Outriders

The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 12th out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the top 1% of all hardware pairings. This is a dominant position that reflects the sheer ceiling of the RTX 5090, though the data reveals that the GPU's massive 32 GB VRAM and 512-bit memory bus are not the primary constraints at lower resolutions. The combo's rank is impressive, but the measured FPS deltas between settings and resolutions tell a more nuanced story about where the bottleneck shifts between the CPU and GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

With a rank of 12 out of 1693 combos, this pairing sits at the very apex of Outriders performance. The RTX 5090's average benchmark score of 84306 and its 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs are the driving forces behind this placement. The i7-13700K, while strong with a 93rd percentile ranking and an average score of 47282, is not the limiting factor here; the GPU's raw power is what propels this combo into the top tier. The nearest GPU rival, the RTX 5090 D, trails by just 0.1% in average score, while the AMD Radeon PRO W6600 is 1.3% behind. On the CPU side, the i7-13700K is effectively tied with the i7-13700KF (-0.1%) and the AMD EPYC 4364P (+0.3%), indicating that CPU choice within this performance class yields negligible differences in overall score. The data shows that this combo is built for maximum frame rates, and the measured FPS numbers confirm it, with even the most demanding Ultra preset at 4K achieving 64.5 FPS.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 is the star of this pairing, and its specifications explain why it dominates. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost of 2407 MHz, and memory runs at 1750 MHz (effective 28 Gbps). These figures translate to a fill rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s, which are essential for handling Outriders' dense particle effects and fast-paced combat. The GPU's FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is the raw compute horsepower behind the high frame rates. In practical terms, the 32 GB VRAM is overkill for Outriders at any resolution, but it ensures zero texture swapping or stutter. The data shows that the GPU's percentile rank of 94 places it above nearly all other graphics cards, and its nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, is nearly identical in score, confirming that this is a flagship part with no meaningful competition at the top.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear shift in bottleneck behavior. At 1080p with High settings, the combo hits 212.6 FPS, while at 1440p it drops to 169.8 FPS (-20.1%), and at 4K it falls to 90.5 FPS (-57.4% from 1080p). This steep drop at 4K indicates the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the RTX 5090's massive compute resources are fully engaged. However, at lower resolutions, the CPU's role becomes more apparent. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 268 FPS, which is only 15.6% higher than the 1080p High result of 212.6 FPS. This relatively small gain suggests the i7-13700K's 16 cores and 24 threads are near their ceiling, even with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. The scaling pattern across resolutions shows that 1440p is the sweet spot: the FPS remains above 169 FPS even on High settings, indicating that the GPU is still providing headroom. At 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 64.5 FPS, a 76% reduction from 1080p Low, which clearly demonstrates that the RTX 5090 is the primary constraint at the highest settings.

FAQ

Q: Why is the 4K Ultra FPS so much lower than 1080p Low?

A: The 4K Ultra result of 64.5 FPS is 76% lower than the 1080p Low result of 268 FPS. This is because Ultra settings at 4K require significantly more GPU compute and memory bandwidth, and the RTX 5090's resources are fully saturated, whereas at 1080p Low, the CPU becomes the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo compare to the nearest rival GPUs?

A: The RTX 5090's average score of 84306 is 0.1% higher than the RTX 5090 D and 1.3% higher than the AMD Radeon PRO W6600. The data shows these are the closest competitors, but the 5090 maintains a slight edge.

Q: Is the i7-13700K a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests yes. At 1080p Low, the FPS is 268, but increasing to High only drops it to 212.6 FPS. This smaller-than-expected delta indicates the CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads are limiting the frame rate, as the GPU has plenty of headroom at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: Based on the measured rows, 1440p High at 169.8 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual quality and high frame rates. It maintains over 120 FPS even on Ultra, making it more versatile than 4K.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark score affect gaming performance?

A: The i7-13700K's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and single-core score of 5505 indicate strong all-around performance. In Outriders, the single-core score is more relevant for framerate ceilings, and the data confirms the CPU can push past 200 FPS at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows show that the High preset at 1440p delivers the best overall experience, achieving 169.8 FPS with a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1080p, the Medium preset at 239.7 FPS is the most balanced, as it offers a significant jump over High (212.6 FPS) while avoiding the diminishing returns of Low (268 FPS). For 4K users, the Medium preset at 115.6 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a playable frame rate without the 33% drop seen when moving from Medium to High (90.5 FPS). The Ultra preset is only advisable at 1080p, where it hits 191.5 FPS, but at 1440p it drops to 122.4 FPS, which is still playable but not optimal for competitive play. The data clearly shows that Low settings at any resolution are unnecessary with this hardware, as even 4K Medium delivers over 100 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K features 16 cores (with 24 threads) based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 2 MB L2 per core, and 30 MB shared L3. These specifications translate to a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. In Outriders, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the gap between Low and High settings is only 55.4 FPS (268 vs 212.6), indicating that the CPU is the limiting factor. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10717 and max-thread score of 12412 show strong multi-threaded performance, but the single-thread score of 1136 is what matters most for game logic. The nearest rival CPUs—the i7-13700KF (-0.1%) and AMD EPYC 4364P (+0.3%)—are essentially identical in average score, confirming that the 13700K is a top-tier choice. However, the data shows that at 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes, as the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The full dataset reveals a consistent pattern across all resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 268 FPS on Low, 239.7 FPS on Medium, 212.6 FPS on High, and 191.5 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 28.5% drop, which is relatively modest and suggests the CPU is holding back the GPU. At 2560x1440, the results are 228.6 FPS (Low), 203.7 FPS (Medium), 169.8 FPS (High), and 122.4 FPS (Ultra). The drop from Low to Ultra here is 46.5%, showing that the GPU is starting to become more involved. At 3840x2160, the results are 164.8 FPS (Low), 115.6 FPS (Medium), 90.5 FPS (High), and 64.5 FPS (Ultra). The scaling from Low to Ultra is a massive 60.9% drop, clearly indicating that the RTX 5090 is the primary limiter at 4K. The data shows that moving from 1080p to 4K on the same settings results in a 38.5% FPS reduction for Low (268 to 164.8) and a 69.8% reduction for Ultra (191.5 to 64.5). These numbers confirm that while the CPU is sufficient for high refresh rates at lower resolutions, the GPU's massive compute resources are best utilized at 1440p, where even Ultra settings maintain over 120 FPS.