Outriders

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER delivers a playable experience in Outriders, but the data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the GPU at higher resolutions. The measured frames per second (FPS) show that the combination ranks in the 57th percentile (968 out of 1693 combos) in this title, indicating a mid-pack performance that leans on the CPU's strength to maintain high frame rates at 1080p, while the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution scales.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is dramatic and clearly illustrates the GPU bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 127.2 at 1080p to 81 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 36.3%, and then plummets to 41.3 at 4K, representing a 67.5% decrease from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline is a classic sign that the RTX 2070 SUPER's processing power is being saturated as pixel count increases. At 1080p, the system achieves 230.2 FPS on Low settings, suggesting the CPU is feeding the GPU efficiently, but this headroom vanishes at higher resolutions where the GPU’s 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is overwhelmed.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings presets. At Ultra, the frame rate drops from 86.4 at 1080p to 27.4 at 4K, a 68.3% reduction. Even at Low settings, which should minimize GPU load, the 4K average of 76.2 FPS is less than one-third of the 1080p result of 230.2 FPS. This data indicates that the limiting component at 4K is unambiguously the graphics card; the CPU’s high core count and 5.60 GHz boost clock are not the constraint, as evidenced by the fact that even the most demanding CPU scenarios at 1080p yield frame rates well above 100 FPS in most presets. The transition from 1440p to 4K is particularly punishing, with High settings losing nearly half its frame rate, confirming that users targeting 4K will need to make significant graphical compromises.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the decisive factor in this combo's performance ceiling. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, the card has sufficient memory capacity for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the data suggests it struggles with the demands of 4K in Outriders. The GPU’s base clock of 1605 MHz and boost clock of 1770 MHz, combined with 2560 shading units, produce the observed scores, but the benchmark results place it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A400, scores only 0.5% higher, indicating the 2070 SUPER is positioned at a specific performance tier that is not sufficient for ultra-high-resolution gaming.

The 4K results, particularly the 27.4 FPS at Ultra settings, show the GPU hitting its computational limits. The card’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores do not help in this scenario, as the title does not appear to leverage them to offset the raw pixel throughput required. The 12 nm process node and 215 W TDP are part of the physical constraints, but the measured FPS is the clearest indicator: at 4K Ultra, the card is rendering fewer than 30 frames per second, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, the GPU still manages 55.7 FPS at Ultra, which is borderline playable, but the 81 FPS at High settings suggests that users must prioritize settings over resolution to maintain fluidity. The GPU’s performance is consistent with its average benchmark score of 22206, which is notably lower than the CPU’s percentile ranking, reinforcing that the graphics card is the weaker link in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate, but the optimal preset depends on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 127.2 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, while Ultra still provides a very playable 86.4 FPS. Given the diminishing returns, High is the recommended setting at 1080p because it offers a 47.2% improvement over Ultra (86.4 to 127.2 FPS) with only a minor visual downgrade. At 2560x1440, the High preset at 81 FPS is the best balance, as it remains above the 60 FPS threshold, whereas Ultra drops to 55.7 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stutter in fast-paced action. Medium at 1440p provides 101.9 FPS but sacrifices too much visual quality for the extra headroom.

For 3840x2160, the data is less forgiving. The Medium preset yields 56.7 FPS, which is technically playable but marginal, while High drops to 41.3 FPS and Ultra to 27.4 FPS, both of which are below acceptable standards for a looter shooter. The Low preset at 4K achieves 76.2 FPS, but this likely represents a significant visual downgrade that undermines the purpose of high-resolution gaming. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Medium settings at 4K for a playable experience, or to reduce the resolution to 1440p and use High for a better overall experience. At 1080p, the High preset is the clear winner, providing near-maximum detail with frame rates that far exceed the display refresh rate of most monitors.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ranks 968 out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the bottom half of the database but slightly above the median. This ranking is driven by the GPU’s limitations, as the CPU itself is a top-tier performer. The i7-14700KF holds a 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70104, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, is virtually identical with a deltaPct of 0. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 0.4% higher, while the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 is 1.3% higher, indicating the CPU is not the bottleneck in this pairing.

The combo’s 57th percentile rank (968/1693) reflects the GPU’s 65th percentile standing, but the overall system performance is dragged down by the RTX 2070 SUPER’s inability to maintain high frame rates at 4K. In comparison to other combos in the database, this pairing is competitive at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU’s strength allows the GPU to operate near its peak, but it falls behind at 4K where the GPU’s 8 GB memory and compute limits are exposed. The data suggests that this combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it is not a top-tier 4K solution, which is consistent with its mid-pack ranking.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end processor that provides ample headroom for the RTX 2070 SUPER in this game. With 20 cores, 28 threads, and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, the CPU is capable of handling the most demanding game logic and physics without becoming the limiting factor. The benchmark results show exceptional multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and a Passmark multithread score of 52425, which are among the highest in the database. This is reflected in the game’s 1080p Low setting result of 230.2 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more frames than it can render.

The CPU’s 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 20 cores (likely 8 performance cores and 12 efficiency cores) provide the computational muscle needed for Outriders’ AI and particle effects. However, the data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 86.4 FPS, which is still well below the CPU’s potential output, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint even at the lowest resolution. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 70104 is 0.3% lower than the AMD EPYC 9115 and 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, placing it in a performance tier that is more than sufficient for this title. The CPU’s role is to ensure that the GPU is never starved of data, and the high frame rates at 1080p confirm this is achieved, but the GPU’s ceiling is ultimately what defines the system’s playable resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS across presets is as follows: Low yields 230.2 FPS, Medium 163.4 FPS, High 127.2 FPS, and Ultra 86.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is a 62.5% reduction, highlighting the GPU’s sensitivity to settings. At 2560x1440, the results are 143.2 FPS (Low), 101.9 FPS (Medium), 81 FPS (High), and 55.7 FPS (Ultra). The 1440p Ultra result is the first to fall below 60 FPS, indicating a threshold where the GPU begins to struggle. At 3840x2160, the results are 76.2 FPS (Low), 56.7 FPS (Medium), 41.3 FPS (High), and 27.4 FPS (Ultra). The 4K Ultra result is less than one-third of the 1080p Low result, demonstrating the exponential cost of resolution scaling.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by roughly 30-40%, and from 1440p to 4K by another 45-55%. For example, at High settings, the FPS drops from 127.2 to 81 to 41.3. This is a linear progression that confirms the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The 4K Ultra result of 27.4 FPS is particularly notable as it is below the 30 FPS threshold often considered the minimum for playability, making this setting effectively unusable. Conversely, the 1080p Low result of 230.2 FPS is so high that it suggests the CPU could support even higher refresh rates if the GPU were faster, but for this specific combo, the measured values define the performance envelope.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Outriders?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with High settings delivers 127.2 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 2560x1440, High settings yield 81 FPS, which is also playable, but 4K performance drops to 41.3 FPS at High, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rival in benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 22206, which is 0.5% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A400 (22307) and 0.9% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z (22006). This places it in a narrow performance band where small differences are negligible.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700KF a bottleneck at 4K in this game?

A: No. The CPU’s high performance, evidenced by its 96th percentile ranking and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557, is not the limiting factor. The 4K frame rates are determined by the GPU, as shown by the steep drop from 230.2 FPS at 1080p Low to 76.2 FPS at 4K Low.

Q: What is the playable frame rate at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 27.4 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold generally considered minimally playable. This setting is not recommended based on the data.

*Q: How does this combo rank against all tested combinations in Outriders?*

A: The combo ranks 968 out of 1693 tested combinations, placing it in the 57th percentile. This is a mid-pack result, driven by the GPU’s limitations at higher resolutions despite the CPU’s top-tier performance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings average 81 FPS, while Ultra averages 55.7 FPS. This represents a 31.2% reduction in performance for the Ultra preset, which may not justify the visual improvement.