Outriders

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers an exceptional Outriders experience, with the data showing this combination sits in the 11th spot out of 1693 tested combos. This is a top-tier setup where the GPU is the primary driver of performance, but the CPU’s high core count ensures it never becomes a bottleneck, even at lower resolutions. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the board are high, but the real story is in the settings scaling, where the gap between Low and Ultra presets reveals how demanding the game’s higher visual fidelity can be.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data indicates that the High preset at 2560x1440 is the sweet spot for this hardware combination. It delivers an average of 165.7 FPS, which is more than sufficient for high-refresh-rate monitors while maintaining a substantial visual upgrade over Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the better choice, as it still produces 185.7 FPS, showing that the RTX 4090 has enough headroom to handle maximum detail without sacrificing smoothness.

If you are targeting 4K, the High preset is the only viable option for a competitive experience. The data shows 86.9 FPS at 3840x2160 on High, which is playable, but dropping to Medium yields 113.9 FPS, a significant improvement that might be preferable for fast-paced action. The Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding, averaging just 61.5 FPS, which is below the 70 FPS threshold many players find necessary for a fluid looter shooter. For the absolute highest frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p reaches 276 FPS, but this sacrifices too much visual quality for a game that benefits from seeing enemy effects clearly. The data suggests that High at 1440p offers the best balance of image fidelity and performance, with Medium serving as a fallback if you need extra headroom on a 240Hz display.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run Outriders at 4K with maximum settings?

A: Yes, but with a caveat. The measured average FPS for the Ultra preset at 3840x2160 is 61.5 FPS. This is playable but not ideal for a fast-paced shooter. The High preset at 4K provides 86.9 FPS, which is a more comfortable experience.

Q: How does the CPU handle the game at lower resolutions?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient. The data shows a 276 FPS average on Low settings, indicating that the i7-14700KF can feed the RTX 4090 effectively, preventing a CPU bottleneck even at high frame rates.

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

A: The difference is substantial. Medium averages 212.8 FPS, while High averages 165.7 FPS, a drop of roughly 47 FPS. This shows that the High preset includes more demanding visual effects that impact performance.

Q: Is the RTX 4090 overkill for 1080p gaming in this title?

A: The data suggests it is extremely powerful for 1080p. The average FPS ranges from 185.7 on Ultra to 276 on Low. This performance headroom means the GPU is not being fully utilized, as the frame rates are likely capped by the game engine or CPU limits.

Q: Which setting provides the largest performance jump?

A: Moving from Ultra to High provides the largest gain. At 4K, this change increases the average FPS from 61.5 to 86.9, a jump of 25.4 FPS. At 1440p, it goes from 116.8 to 165.7, an improvement of 48.9 FPS.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: The gap is massive. Low settings average 235.9 FPS, while Ultra averages 116.8 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset more than doubles the rendering workload compared to Low.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting component in this pairing. At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 185.7. Moving to 2560x1440, this falls to 116.8 FPS, a reduction of 68.9 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more severe, with the average plummeting to 61.5 FPS, a further drop of 55.3 FPS. This scaling pattern is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario, where the increased pixel count at higher resolutions directly taxes the RTX 4090’s rendering capabilities.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the frame rate drops are consistent with the increase in pixel count. For instance, the 1440p to 4K resolution increase (which roughly doubles the pixel count) results in a 47% reduction in FPS on Ultra settings, from 116.8 to 61.5. This is a proportional response, indicating the GPU is working at its limit. In contrast, the performance difference between Low and Ultra at the same resolution is much larger, showing that the game’s settings have a more significant impact on the GPU load than the resolution scaling itself. The i7-14700KF’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by a Geekbench single-core score of 2972, ensures that it can keep up with the GPU’s demands even at 1080p where frame rates are highest.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 11 out of 1693 tested combos for Outriders. This places it in the top 1% of all tested systems, proof of its raw power. The GPU is a major contributor, holding a 91st percentile ranking versus all GPUs, which is higher than the CPU’s 96th percentile ranking indicates relative to other processors. The data suggests that while the CPU is very strong, the GPU’s performance is what pushes this combo to the top tier.

The nearest rivals for the CPU, such as the Intel Core i7-14700K with a delta of 0% and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X with a delta of -0.4%, show that the i7-14700KF is statistically tied with the best consumer processors. This means that swapping the CPU for a direct rival would not yield a noticeable difference in Outriders, as the game is clearly GPU-limited at higher resolutions. The combo’s rank of 11 indicates that only a few other pairings, likely those with even more powerful GPUs or overclocked variants, can outperform it. This is a top-tier configuration for this game, and the benchmark results confirm that it is a high-end pairing that will not disappoint.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF’s role in Outriders is to provide a solid foundation that never holds the GPU back. With 20 cores and 28 threads, it offers massive parallel processing power, which is reflected in its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44,557. However, Outriders is not a heavily threaded game; it relies more on single-core performance for game logic and physics. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.60 GHz and its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6,290 demonstrate that it excels in this area, ensuring that it can handle the game’s primary thread without bottlenecking.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 276, which is a very high number that many CPUs would struggle to feed. The i7-14700KF handles this with ease, indicating that its 3.40 GHz base clock and high boost capability are sufficient. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache also helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for game performance. In comparison to its rivals, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 70,104 is within 0.4% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X, showing that they are functionally equivalent for this workload. The CPU’s role here is to provide a stable, high-performance platform that allows the RTX 4090 to operate at its full potential, and the data confirms it does so without issue.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 276 on Low to 185.7 on Ultra. The Medium preset averages 246.6 FPS, while High averages 218 FPS. This shows that even at the highest settings, the system is capable of hitting high refresh rates, making it ideal for 144Hz or 240Hz monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains excellent. The Low preset averages 235.9 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings produce 212.8 FPS, and High settings yield 165.7 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 116.8 FPS, which is still playable but shows the significant cost of maximum detail. The drop from High to Ultra at 1440p is 48.9 FPS, making High the more sensible choice for competitive play.

At 3840x2160, the demands of 4K become apparent. The Ultra preset averages just 61.5 FPS, which is on the edge of playability. High settings improve this to 86.9 FPS, a much more comfortable margin. Medium settings offer 113.9 FPS, and Low settings reach 160.1 FPS, showing that the RTX 4090 can still deliver high frame rates at 4K if visual fidelity is reduced. The data shows a consistent pattern: the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K, and the CPU’s performance is sufficient to avoid limiting frame rates at any settings combination.