Outriders

# Outriders with Intel Core i7-14700KF + Intel Arc B580

This combo lands at rank 1289 out of 1693 tested combinations for Outriders, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. The pairing of a high-end 14th Gen desktop CPU with Intel's Arc B580 graphics card produces a system that can handle the game at 1080p and 1440p comfortably, but struggles at 4K with higher presets. The data shows a clear story: this is a capable 1080p/1440p machine that runs into GPU limitations at 4K, particularly when pushing quality settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1289 out of 1693 tested combinations (roughly the 24th percentile) reflects a significant imbalance between the CPU and GPU capabilities. The Intel Core i7-14700KF sits in the 96th percentile among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K at 70074 (deltaPct 0), the AMD EPYC 9115 at 69887 (deltaPct 0.3), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 70420 (deltaPct -0.4). This processor is clearly at the top of its class, delivering multi-threaded performance that rivals the best consumer and server chips available.

The Intel Arc B580, by contrast, sits in the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23021. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 760M at 22999 (deltaPct 0.1), NVIDIA P106-100 at 22950 (deltaPct 0.3), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 at 23181 (deltaPct -0.7). The GPU is positioned as a mid-range contender, but the gap between the CPU's top-tier standing and the GPU's mid-tier placement explains why this combo underperforms relative to what the processor alone might suggest.

The data implies that in Outriders, the Arc B580 becomes the bottleneck in most scenarios. The CPU's raw compute power — demonstrated by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and single-core score of 6290 — is far beyond what this game needs at any resolution. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 15748 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 indicate a GPU that can handle modern titles but not at the highest settings with high resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Why does this combo rank so low (1289/1693) if the CPU is in the 96th percentile?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Arc B580 ranks in the 66th percentile among GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 23021 is only slightly above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (22729, deltaPct 1.3). In Outriders, the GPU's mid-range performance caps the system's overall capability, pulling the combo rank down despite the CPU's strength.

Q: Can this system run Outriders at 1080p with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at 1080p the data shows all preset levels deliver playable performance. Low settings produce 197.3 FPS average, Medium 146.1 FPS, High 107.6 FPS, and even Ultra hits 76.5 FPS. These numbers indicate smooth gameplay across the board at 1080p.

Q: What happens at 4K resolution?

A: The system struggles at 4K with higher presets. Ultra settings drop to 27.8 FPS average, and High settings only reach 38.1 FPS. Medium at 48.8 FPS is borderline playable, while Low at 64.1 FPS is the only 4K preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest GPU rival in terms of raw performance?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23021 is effectively tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (23181, deltaPct -0.7) and slightly ahead of the AMD Radeon 760M (22999, deltaPct 0.1). The deltaPct values of under 1% show these GPUs are nearly indistinguishable in aggregate benchmarks.

Q: Is the i7-14700KF significantly faster than its closest CPU rival?

A: The i7-14700KF scores 70104 on average, which is nearly identical to the i7-14700K at 70074 (deltaPct 0). It edges out the AMD EPYC 9115 (69887, deltaPct 0.3) and trails the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X (70420, deltaPct -0.4) by a negligible margin. These are all within a fraction of a percent of each other.

Q: What does the combo's rank imply about the game's optimization?

A: The rank suggests Outriders is more GPU-bound than CPU-bound at typical settings. The CPU's 96th percentile standing doesn't translate into a top-tier combo rank, indicating that the game's performance ceiling is set by the graphics card. The Arc B580's mid-range positioning becomes the determining factor.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a textbook GPU-bound scenario. At High settings, performance drops from 107.6 FPS at 1080p to 69 FPS at 1440p (a 35.9% reduction), then to 38.1 FPS at 4K (a 44.8% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline with each resolution increase is characteristic of a GPU that runs out of pixel-pushing capacity.

Low settings show a similar pattern but with a more dramatic fall: 197.3 FPS at 1080p, 124.6 FPS at 1440p (36.8% drop), and 64.1 FPS at 4K (48.6% drop). The fact that 1080p Low nearly hits 200 FPS while 4K Low barely clears 60 FPS illustrates the GPU's limited headroom at higher resolutions.

Medium settings follow the trend: 146.1 FPS at 1080p, 90.1 FPS at 1440p (38.3% drop), and 48.8 FPS at 4K (45.8% drop). Ultra settings are the most punishing: 76.5 FPS at 1080p, 48.2 FPS at 1440p (37% drop), and 27.8 FPS at 4K (42.3% drop). The consistent ~35-49% reduction per resolution step across all presets points to the GPU as the sole bottleneck — the CPU's performance remains constant regardless of resolution, so the scaling behavior is entirely attributable to the Arc B580's rendering capacity.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for this combo depends heavily on resolution. At 1080p, High settings at 107.6 FPS offer an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra at 76.5 FPS is also viable for those prioritizing visuals, though the 29% performance hit from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gain in a fast-paced looter shooter.

At 1440p, High settings at 69 FPS provide a smooth experience, while Medium at 90.1 FPS offers a more substantial frame rate cushion. Ultra at 48.2 FPS dips below the ideal range for competitive play but remains playable for single-player sessions. Low at 124.6 FPS is available for those who prioritize responsiveness above all else.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts dramatically. Low settings at 64.1 FPS is the only preset that maintains a playable frame rate, and even then it barely clears 60 FPS. Medium at 48.8 FPS may be acceptable for slower-paced moments, but the data suggests 4K gaming with this combo requires significant compromises. The 27.8 FPS Ultra result and 38.1 FPS High result are not recommended for any scenario.

For the best overall experience, the data points to 1440p High as the sweet spot: 69 FPS average with good visual fidelity, representing a 35.9% reduction from 1080p but with a 44.8% increase in pixel count. This combination leverages the GPU's capabilities without pushing it into the sub-60 FPS territory that dominates 4K results.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full preset range is playable. Low delivers 197.3 FPS average, which is exceptional for a looter shooter and indicates the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution. Medium produces 146.1 FPS, a 25.9% reduction from Low. High reaches 107.6 FPS, and Ultra drops to 76.5 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a total performance cost of 61.2%, yet even the most demanding preset remains above the 60 FPS standard.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens. Low achieves 124.6 FPS, still an excellent result. Medium drops to 90.1 FPS, a 27.7% reduction from Low. High falls to 69 FPS, and Ultra reaches only 48.2 FPS — the first preset to dip below 60 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra (20.8 FPS) is notable, suggesting Ultra settings impose a significant rendering burden.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become stark. Low produces 64.1 FPS, barely playable. Medium drops to 48.8 FPS, High to 38.1 FPS, and Ultra to 27.8 FPS. The difference between 1080p Low (197.3 FPS) and 4K Low (64.1 FPS) is a 67.5% reduction, while 1080p Ultra (76.5 FPS) versus 4K Ultra (27.8 FPS) shows a 63.7% loss. These numbers demonstrate that 4K gaming with this combo requires Low settings for a consistent experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF brings substantial compute resources to this pairing: 20 cores and 28 threads with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its Raptor Lake architecture (10 nm process, 257 mm² die size) includes 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core. The CPU's benchmark results are exceptional: Cinebench R23 multi-core at 44557, single-core at 6290, and Geekbench multi-core at 19287 with single-core at 2972.

In Outriders, the data indicates this processor is far more capable than the game demands. The 1080p Low result of 197.3 FPS shows the CPU can feed frames well beyond typical display refresh rates, and the consistent performance scaling across resolutions (rather than CPU-induced plateaus) confirms the processor is not the bottleneck. The 96th percentile CPU ranking versus the 66th percentile GPU ranking creates a lopsided pairing where the CPU's potential is unrealized in this game.

The CPU's nearest rivals — all within 1.3% deltaPct — include the i7-14700K, EPYC 9115, and Ryzen 9 9950X. This clustering indicates the i7-14700KF is at the performance ceiling for its class, and any frame rate limitations in Outriders cannot be attributed to processor inadequacy. The PassMark multi-thread score of 52425 and single-thread score of 4480 further reinforce this assessment.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the definitive performance limiter in this combo. Its Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation, 5 nm TSMC process) packs 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die with 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The GPU runs at a 2670 MHz base and boost clock, with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 456.0 GB/s bandwidth. Its FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s place it in the mid-range segment.

The GPU's benchmark scores tell a consistent story: PassMark G3D at 15748, 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 at 3068, and Geekbench Vulkan at 109672. Its 66th percentile ranking and average score of 23021 place it alongside the RTX 4060 (23181, deltaPct -0.7) and ahead of the RTX 4060 Mobile (22729, deltaPct 1.3). In Outriders, the GPU's mid-range positioning manifests as the steep resolution scaling described above.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is not the constraint here — the performance drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with rendering load rather than memory exhaustion. The 190 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface suggest a modern mid-range design, but the measured FPS data shows the GPU's rasterization throughput is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and presets. The 4K Ultra result of 27.8 FPS, in particular, highlights how the Arc B580's compute resources are overwhelmed when pixel count and quality settings both increase.