Outriders

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT delivers a mid-pack performance tier in Outriders, ranking 2303rd out of 3710 tested combinations. This places the combo in the 62nd percentile of all tested systems, indicating a solid but not exceptional standing. The pairing leverages a high-end 20-core CPU with a mainstream 8 GB GPU, creating a system that excels at high refresh rates in lighter settings but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at maximum quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2303 out of 3710 places it squarely in the middle of the database, reflecting a balance between a very capable processor and a mid-range graphics card. The CPU itself is a top-tier part, holding the 91st percentile among all tested CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. This discrepancy suggests the graphics card is the primary limiter in demanding scenarios, which is typical for a pairing where the processor has significantly more headroom than the graphics solution. The measured FPS data confirms this: the system can push frame rates above 200 FPS at 1080p Low, but drops to 28 FPS at 4K Ultra, a range that is more dependent on GPU load than CPU capability.

Benchmark scores further highlight the CPU’s strength. The i7-14700F achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958, placing it within 0.8% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X in average score. This level of processing power is far beyond what the RX 6650 XT can utilize in most gaming scenarios, meaning the CPU is rarely the bottleneck. Conversely, the GPU’s PassMark G3D score of 17166 and its 65th percentile ranking indicate a mid-range part that is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but not designed for 4K Ultra.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip, fabricated on a 7 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. The GPU’s clock speeds are set at a base of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost clock of 2635 MHz. This configuration provides 10.79 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is modest by modern standards but sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

In Outriders, the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth play a critical role at higher resolutions. At 4K, the 8 GB frame buffer becomes a limiting factor, as the game’s High preset at 3840x2160 yields only 39 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 28 FPS. The medium preset at 4K shows a more usable 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS, but the overall trend indicates that the GPU is overwhelmed by the pixel count. The 128-bit memory bus, while adequate for 1080p, struggles to feed the shader units efficiently at 4K, leading to the significant performance drop from 71 FPS at Low to 28 FPS at Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1080p with the High preset, which delivers an average of 117 FPS. This frame rate is smooth for a looter shooter, offering a good balance between visual fidelity and responsiveness. The Medium preset at 1080p also performs well at 156 FPS, but the High preset provides better image quality without a substantial performance penalty. For players seeking maximum refresh rates, the Low preset at 1080p achieves 215 FPS, but this sacrifices visual clarity.

At 1440p, the High preset is the best choice, delivering 74 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The Medium preset at 1440p provides 99 FPS, making it a strong alternative for those who prefer smoother motion over higher detail. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 53 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience in a fast-paced shooter. At 4K, the Low preset is the only playable option at 71 FPS, but the Medium preset at 52 FPS is borderline, and High and Ultra are not recommended due to frame rates below 40 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system performs exceptionally well: Low settings produce an average of 215 FPS, Medium yields 156 FPS with a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 180 FPS, High reaches 117 FPS, and Ultra drops to 85 FPS. These numbers indicate that the CPU and GPU combination is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming, with even the Ultra preset staying above 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings maintain a high average of 136 FPS, Medium provides 99 FPS with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 113 FPS, High delivers 74 FPS, and Ultra falls to 53 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, particularly at High settings, where the average frame rate decreases by 43 FPS. This suggests the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 71 FPS, Medium averages 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS, High drops to 39 FPS, and Ultra falls to 28 FPS. The performance cliff between 1440p and 4K is steep, with the High preset losing 35 FPS. This reinforces the notion that the RX 6650 XT is not designed for 4K gaming, and the 8 GB VRAM capacity is a bottleneck at this resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Outriders at 4K with high settings?

A: No. The measured data shows an average of 39 FPS at 4K High and 28 FPS at 4K Ultra. These frame rates are below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, so 4K High is not a viable option.

Q: What is the best resolution and settings for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: The data indicates that 1080p High (117 FPS) or 1440p Medium (99 FPS) are the best choices for exceeding 60 FPS. At 1440p High, the average drops to 74 FPS, which is still above 60 but less consistent.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 53620, placing it within 0.8% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X and 0.2% of the Intel Xeon 6505P. It is also 0.3% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290.

Q: Is the GPU’s memory bandwidth sufficient for 1440p gaming?

A: The RX 6650 XT has a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s on a 128-bit bus. The measured FPS at 1440p High (74 FPS) and Medium (99 FPS) suggests the bandwidth is adequate, but the 8 GB capacity becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low settings average 215 FPS, while Ultra settings average 85 FPS. This represents a 130 FPS difference, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant GPU load compared to Low.

Q: Does the combo’s rank in the database reflect its performance in this specific game?

A: The combo ranks 2303rd out of 3710 tested combos, which is in the 62nd percentile. This rank is based on the CPU’s 91st percentile and GPU’s 65th percentile, but the game’s measured FPS shows the GPU is the bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It features 33 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU excels, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 35122 and a Geekbench multicore score of 19620. Its PassMark multithread score of 41317 places it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs.

In Outriders, the CPU’s role is less critical than the GPU’s, given the game’s graphics demands. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 215 FPS, which is likely CPU-bound, but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 28 FPS, indicating a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s high single-core performance (Cinebench R23 score of 4958) ensures that it can feed the GPU efficiently at all settings, but the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node contribute to its efficiency, but its performance headroom is largely unused in this game.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU’s limitations. At 1080p High, the system averages 117 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the average drops to 74 FPS, a 37% decrease. At 4K High, the average falls to 39 FPS, a 67% decrease from 1080p. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is bandwidth and VRAM constrained at higher resolutions.

At Medium settings, the scaling is slightly less severe: 1080p averages 156 FPS, 1440p averages 99 FPS, and 4K averages 52 FPS. The 4K Medium result, with a minimum of 44 FPS, is the only playable option at that resolution, but it still falls short of a smooth 60 FPS. The Low preset shows the most linear scaling, from 215 FPS at 1080p to 136 FPS at 1440p and 71 FPS at 4K, suggesting that the GPU’s compute units are still the bottleneck, but the lower memory pressure allows for better utilization.

The data indicates that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the GPU can maintain high frame rates. At 4K, the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become critical weaknesses, leading to sub-60 FPS performance even on Low settings. The CPU’s performance does not degrade with resolution, confirming that the GPU is the sole limiting factor at higher pixel counts.