Outriders

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers an exceptionally strong experience in Outriders, consistently pushing frame rates well beyond the threshold for high-refresh-rate displays. The data shows that even at 4K Ultra, the combination maintains playable performance, while at lower resolutions it becomes a showcase for the CPU’s high-frequency capabilities. The key takeaway is that this pairing is overkill for standard 1080p monitors but hits a sweet spot at 1440p, where it can comfortably drive very high refresh rates while still leaving headroom for maximum visual quality.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frames per second, the "High" preset is the optimal balance point for this configuration. At 1080p, High delivers 219.9 FPS, which is sufficient to saturate all but the most extreme 240Hz+ displays, and it does so with a significant visual uplift over Medium. While the jump from High to Ultra at 1080p costs 38.7 FPS (from 219.9 down to 181.2), the latter still remains exceptionally smooth, but the perceptual difference between High and Ultra in a fast-paced looter shooter is often negligible compared to the performance savings.

At 1440p, the argument for High becomes even stronger. The measured 159.5 FPS at this setting is a remarkable result, placing it firmly in the territory of high-refresh-rate gaming. Ultra at 1440p drops to 115.3 FPS, which is still playable, but the 44.2 FPS penalty is steep for the marginal fidelity gains. For 4K, the choice is more nuanced. High produces a solid 84.5 FPS, which is ideal for a smooth 60Hz+ experience on a large screen. Ultra at 4K falls to 62 FPS, which is at the edge of playability for many and represents a significant 22.5 FPS loss from High; therefore, High is the recommended ceiling for 4K to maintain consistent frame pacing.

The data indicates that the "Low" preset offers little reason to be used, as it yields 272.6 FPS at 1080p, 238.8 FPS at 1440p, and 151.6 FPS at 4K. These numbers are far beyond what any current monitor can display, and the graphical downgrade is unnecessary. Medium settings are also largely superfluous, as the performance jump from Medium to High is smaller than the visual quality difference. Therefore, High is the clear recommendation across all resolutions for the best experience, with Ultra being a viable option only for those prioritizing maximum fidelity at 1080p or 1440p where frame rates remain above 115 FPS.

FAQ

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Outriders?*

A: Yes, the benchmark results show it is well-suited for 4K. At 4K High settings, the average frame rate is 84.5 FPS, which is excellent for a smooth experience. Even at 4K Ultra, it maintains an average of 62 FPS, which is playable, though High is recommended for a more consistent frame rate.

Q: What is the best resolution to use with a 144Hz monitor?

A: For a 144Hz display, 1440p is the ideal match. The data shows 1440p High settings produce 159.5 FPS, which is above the monitor's refresh rate. At 4K High, the 84.5 FPS result is insufficient to fully saturate a 144Hz panel, so 1440p is the sweet spot for high-refresh gaming.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth the performance cost?

A: The data suggests it is not. At 1080p, Ultra is 181.2 FPS, while High is 219.9 FPS, a 38.7 FPS difference. At 1440p, the gap is even larger, with Ultra at 115.3 FPS versus High's 159.5 FPS. The visual improvements from High to Ultra are typically subtle in Outriders, making the performance hit difficult to justify.

Q: How does the CPU perform in this game?

A: The Core i7-14700KF has 20 cores and 28 threads, which is far more than Outriders needs. Its high boost clock of 5.60 GHz is more relevant, as it helps drive the very high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p, where the system is not limited by the GPU. The benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557, confirm its top-tier processing power.

Q: Will frame rates be limited by the CPU or GPU?

A: The resolution scaling suggests the system is GPU-limited at 4K and increasingly CPU-bound at 1080p. The frame rate drops significantly from 1080p High (219.9 FPS) to 4K High (84.5 FPS), indicating the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the very high frame rates suggest the CPU's single-thread performance is a limiting factor.

Q: Is this combo a top performer compared to other tested systems?

A: Yes, the data places this specific combination at rank 15 out of 1693 tested combos for Outriders. This puts it in the top 1% of all configurations tested, indicating it is an elite-level pairing for this game.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a clear and expected trend: performance scales down as resolution increases, but the rate of decline reveals the system's balance. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 219.9 FPS to 159.5 FPS, a reduction of 60.4 FPS or roughly 27%. This is a substantial hit, indicating that the GPU is being tasked with a significantly larger pixel load, but the CPU is still capable of feeding it enough data to maintain a high frame rate.

The jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings is even more severe, with the average frame rate falling from 159.5 FPS to 84.5 FPS, a drop of 75 FPS or 47%. This steep decline is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck. The RTX 5080, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, is powerful, but the sheer pixel count of 4K is a massive workload. The data indicates that at 4K, the GPU is nearly maxed out, while the CPU has plenty of headroom left.

This scaling pattern is typical for a high-end system. At 1080p, the CPU's excellent single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290, allows the GPU to run at very high utilization, leading to the 272.6 FPS result on Low settings. As resolution increases, the GPU's workload grows, and the frame rates become more reflective of the GPU's raw compute power. The 1080p Ultra result of 181.2 FPS versus the 4K Ultra result of 62 FPS highlights how a demanding preset combined with a high resolution can cripple performance, while a lower preset at a high resolution remains playable.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates is as follows, organized by resolution and settings preset.

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 272.6 FPS
• Medium: 246.9 FPS
• High: 219.9 FPS
• Ultra: 181.2 FPS

At 1080p, the combination is exceptionally powerful. Even on the Ultra preset, the frame rate remains above 180 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decrease in performance, with a total drop of 91.4 FPS from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 238.8 FPS
• Medium: 211.7 FPS
• High: 159.5 FPS
• Ultra: 115.3 FPS

1440p is where this system truly shines. The High preset offers an excellent 159.5 FPS, which is perfect for 144Hz and 165Hz displays. The Ultra preset, at 115.3 FPS, still provides a smooth experience for 120Hz monitors. The performance gap between Medium and High (52.2 FPS) is larger than the gap between Low and Medium (27.1 FPS), suggesting a significant increase in GPU load at the High preset.

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 151.6 FPS
• Medium: 111 FPS
• High: 84.5 FPS
• Ultra: 62 FPS

At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The Low preset delivers a very playable 151.6 FPS, but the Ultra preset drops to 62 FPS, which is on the edge of the ideal range for smooth gaming. High settings provide the best balance at this resolution, offering 84.5 FPS, which is well-suited for a 60Hz or 75Hz 4K monitor.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination at rank 15 out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders. This is a top-tier ranking, placing it in the top 0.9% of all configurations tested for this game. This high rank confirms the synergy between the powerful CPU and the high-end GPU, ensuring that neither component is a significant bottleneck in most scenarios.

This rank of 15 signifies that almost no other tested system can produce higher frame rates in Outriders. The few combos that rank higher are likely to feature even more extreme hardware, such as the RTX 5090 or a flagship CPU with even higher clock speeds. However, for the vast majority of gamers, this performance level is effectively at the pinnacle of what is achievable, providing an ultra-smooth experience at 1440p and a highly playable one at 4K.

The ranking also reflects the efficiency of the hardware. The RTX 5080's nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark data, such as the Intel Arc A580, have lower average scores, but in a real-world game like Outriders, this specific pairing demonstrates its strength. The CPU, ranking in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, ensures that it never holds the GPU back, allowing the combination to achieve its full potential and secure a spot near the top of the chart.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. While Outriders is a looter shooter that can utilize multiple cores, its performance is heavily dependent on strong single-thread performance. The high boost clock of 5.60 GHz is the most critical factor in the CPU's contribution to the high frame rates observed in this benchmark.

The benchmark data confirms the CPU's immense processing capability. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44557 and single-core score of 6290 are indicative of a top-tier chip. The single-core score is particularly relevant for gaming, as it determines how quickly the CPU can process the game's main logic and feed the GPU. This is why the system can achieve 272.6 FPS at 1080p Low; the CPU is fast enough to handle the workload at such high frame rates.

The CPU's role changes with resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU can become a limiting factor, as the GPU is not working as hard. At 4K, the GPU's workload becomes much more intensive, and the CPU has ample headroom. The 20 cores and 28 threads ensure that any background tasks or streaming overhead will not impact game performance, and the 33 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data access efficiency. In this specific title, the i7-14700KF provides more than enough processing power to fully support the RTX 5080, ensuring that the GPU is the primary performance driver at higher resolutions.