Outriders

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2582nd out of 2913 tested combos in Outriders. This places the combination in the bottom 11% of all tested systems, a position that reflects the GPU's severe limitation rather than any deficiency in the processor. The Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs in the database, while the i7-14700KF ranks at the 94th percentile among all CPUs — an extreme imbalance that defines this pairing's performance ceiling. Benchmark results indicate this combo is fundamentally GPU-bound at every measurable setting, with the processor's substantial headroom never being fully utilized.

The gap between the two components' capabilities is stark. The CPU's average benchmark score of 70163 places it within 1% of several high-end rivals, while the GPU's average score of 1482 places it alongside legacy integrated-class parts. In practical terms, this means the combo's rank is almost entirely determined by the Arc B390's output. The data shows a system where the processor could drive far more demanding workloads, but the graphics solution caps the experience at entry-level performance levels.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF brings substantial processing resources to this pairing. With 20 cores and 28 threads based on the Raptor Lake-R architecture, the chip operates between a 3.40 GHz base clock and a 5.60 GHz boost clock. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 33 MB L3 cache. This configuration delivers strong multi-threaded and single-threaded results: Cinebench R23 scores reach 44167 in multi-core and 6235 in single-core, while Geekbench reports 21462 multi-core and 2578 single-core. PassMark multi-thread performance hits 52425, with single-thread at 4480.

In Outriders, these CPU resources are largely underutilized. The game's demands at the tested settings never approach the limits of this processor. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU produces 115 FPS on average, the CPU is not the constraining factor — the bottleneck remains firmly with the graphics solution. The i7-14700KF's percentile ranking of 94 versus the Arc B390's 9 creates a delta of 85 percentile points, indicating that the processor has roughly ten times the relative capability of the GPU in this context. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% faster), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% faster), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% faster), with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K trailing by 1%. These margins are negligible in gaming scenarios and reinforce that the processor's performance tier is not the limiting factor here.

The 125W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate a chip designed for high sustained performance, yet Outriders' frame rates show no evidence of CPU throttling or constraint. The processor's PassMark physics score of 2961 and integer math score of 183056 suggest ample compute headroom for the game's enemy AI and loot calculations. The data consistently points to a CPU that is waiting on its GPU counterpart.

# GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive component in this combo, and its specifications explain the measured outcomes. This integrated-class GPU uses the Xe3-LPG architecture on a 3 nm process, operating between 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost clocks. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units, with 12 ray tracing cores. The memory configuration is marked as System Shared, with bandwidth described as System Dependent — meaning the GPU relies on the host system's memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs.

The nearest GPU rivals highlight the performance tier: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3% faster, the GeForce 800M is 1.5% faster, and the GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% faster, with the GeForce GT 710 trailing by 2.7%. These are all legacy entry-level parts, which contextualizes the Arc B390's standing. In Outriders, the GPU's limited ROPS (24) and shared memory bandwidth constrain fill-rate-heavy scenes and high-resolution rendering. The 80W TDP and IGP form factor (slot width marked as "IGP") indicate this is not designed for discrete gaming workloads, yet it is being tasked with running a modern looter shooter.

The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so feature compatibility is not the issue — raw throughput is. The shading unit count is modest, and the FP32 figure of 7.680 TFLOPS is low by contemporary standards. The data shows that in Outriders, the GPU's output scales poorly with resolution increases, and even at its best case (1080p Low at 115 FPS), the performance is only acceptable for low-fidelity play. The lack of dedicated VRAM means texture-heavy scenes at higher settings likely spill into system memory, though the measured FPS values do not isolate this effect explicitly.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings levels, providing a comprehensive view of the combo's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low 115 FPS, Medium 83 FPS (with min 71 and max 96), High 63 FPS, and Ultra 45 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the figures drop to: Low 72 FPS, Medium 53 FPS (min 45, max 61), High 40 FPS, and Ultra 29 FPS. At 3840x2160, the performance falls further: Low 38 FPS, Medium 28 FPS (min 23, max 32), High 21 FPS, and Ultra 15 FPS.

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern of decline across both resolution and settings. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 32 FPS (a 28% drop), from Medium to High costs 20 FPS (a 24% drop), and from High to Ultra costs 18 FPS (a 29% drop). The settings scaling is relatively linear, suggesting the GPU's compute and memory resources are being saturated at each step. The min/max values for Medium settings — 71 to 96 at 1080p, 45 to 61 at 1440p, and 23 to 32 at 4K — show that frame pacing remains stable, with no severe stutter or dropouts, but the overall headroom is minimal.

The 1440p results are particularly telling. At High settings, the combo produces 40 FPS, which is borderline playable for a looter shooter that benefits from smooth aiming. At Ultra, the 29 FPS figure falls below the threshold for comfortable action gameplay. The 4K results are uniformly low, with even Low settings yielding only 38 FPS and Ultra dropping to 15 FPS — effectively a slideshow for a fast-paced game. The data indicates that this combo is only viable at 1080p, and even there, only Low-to-Medium settings provide consistently smooth frame rates.

# Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior is the clearest indicator of the GPU bottleneck. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average FPS drops from 115 to 72, a reduction of 43 FPS or approximately 37%. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, the drop is from 72 to 38 FPS, another 47% reduction. At High settings, the progression is 63 (1080p) to 40 (1440p) to 21 (4K) — a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p, then a 48% drop from 1440p to 4K. The pattern repeats across all settings levels: the 1080p-to-1440p transition costs roughly 35-40% of frame rate, while the 1440p-to-4K transition costs roughly 45-50%.

This scaling behavior is characteristic of a GPU that is severely limited by its rendering throughput and memory bandwidth. A CPU-bound system would show much flatter FPS across resolutions, but here the FPS drops almost proportionally to the pixel count increase. Going from 1080p (2.07 million pixels) to 1440p (3.69 million pixels) represents a 78% increase in pixel count, yet the FPS drops only 37% — suggesting some headroom exists at the lower resolution. However, going from 1440p to 4K (8.29 million pixels, a 125% increase) produces a 48% FPS drop, indicating the GPU is being pushed far beyond its efficient operating range.

The limiting component is unambiguously the GPU. The i7-14700KF's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and PassMark multi-thread score of 52425 indicate it can handle far more demanding frame production than the Arc B390 can deliver. If the CPU were the constraint, the resolution scaling would show minimal FPS variation between 1080p and 4K — the opposite is observed. The data supports a conclusion that this combo's playable envelope is essentially 1080p, with 1440p being marginal at low settings and 4K being impractical at any setting.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which produces 115 FPS on average. This is the only configuration that exceeds the 100 FPS threshold, providing the smoothest gameplay for a looter shooter where fast target acquisition matters. The 1080p Medium setting at 83 FPS remains highly playable and offers better visual fidelity while staying above 60 FPS. For players prioritizing visual quality over frame rate, 1080p High at 63 FPS is acceptable, though it dips below the smoothness of the lower presets. The 1080p Ultra at 45 FPS is not recommended for action-heavy content, as the reduced frame rate impacts responsiveness.

At 1440p, the only viable option is Low settings at 72 FPS, which is playable but visually sparse. The 1440p Medium at 53 FPS is borderline — playable in slower moments but likely to feel sluggish during intense firefights. The 1440p High at 40 FPS and Ultra at 29 FPS fall below acceptable thresholds for this genre. At 4K, all settings produce frame rates between 15 and 38 FPS, which are unsuitable for a game requiring precise aiming and quick reactions. The data suggests that 4K is not a realistic option for this combo, and even 1440p should be approached with caution.

The best balance of visual quality and performance is 1080p Medium, which delivers 83 FPS with a min of 71 FPS — ensuring that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays within a comfortable range. The step from Low to Medium adds significant visual detail (textures, shadows, effects) for a cost of 32 FPS, which is a reasonable trade at this performance tier. Moving to High costs another 20 FPS for diminishing returns, and Ultra costs 18 FPS more for marginal improvements. The recommendation is to prioritize frame rate stability: use 1080p Medium as the baseline, drop to Low if aiming for maximum smoothness, and only consider High if the player can tolerate sub-70 FPS. Ultra and all 4K settings should be avoided based on the measured data.