Outriders

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER lands at rank 1189 out of 1693 tested combos in Outriders. That places this configuration in the lower third of all tested systems, which is a notable result given the CPU's capabilities. The data suggests that this ranking is heavily constrained by the GPU, as the RTX 2060 SUPER sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, while the i9-14900K ranks at the 97th percentile among all CPUs. The gap between these two components' percentile standings is enormous, and it shows in the measured frame rates. This is not a balanced pairing in the context of Outriders; the CPU is dramatically overqualified relative to the graphics card. The combo ranking reflects the weakest link principle, where the GPU's mid-range standing drags the entire system down despite the flagship-class processor.

# GPU Role

The RTX 2060 SUPER brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock runs at 1470 MHz with a boost clock of 1650 MHz, and memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). This is a Turing-architecture card built on TSMC's 12 nm process, with 2176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. The GPU also includes 34 RT cores and 272 tensor cores, though Outriders' rasterization-focused workload may not fully utilize these specialized units. The card's FP32 throughput is 7.181 TFLOPS, which is modest by modern standards but still capable of producing respectable frame rates at lower resolutions and settings.

In Outriders, the GPU's role is decisive. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 207.1 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it collapses to 25.6 FPS. This massive spread indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary bottleneck across most configurations. The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce this: its PassMark G3D score of 16462 places it just 0.3% above the GTX TITAN and 0.5% below the RTX 2070 in the nearest rivals list. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for Outriders at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K with higher settings, memory bandwidth and raw compute become limiting factors, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K is a 24-core, 32-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh generation, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz, with 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus, and it includes integrated UHD Graphics 770, though discrete GPU testing means this is irrelevant for gaming. The processor's benchmark results are exceptional: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 49872, single-core 7040, and Geekbench multi-core hits 20370.

Given this immense CPU power, the i9-14900K is never the limiting factor in Outriders. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 207.1 FPS, which is far beyond what the GPU could theoretically sustain at higher settings. The CPU's percentile ranking of 97 means it outperforms 97% of all processors, and its nearest rivals include the EPYC 7413 (0.3% lower score), the i9-14900KF (0.7% higher), and the Core Ultra 7 265KF (0.7% higher). The CPU's headroom is so large that even at the lowest tested settings, the GPU is still the bottleneck. The fact that FPS scales dramatically with resolution and settings changes confirms that the CPU is not constraining performance at any tested configuration.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces 207.1 FPS on Low, 146.4 FPS on Medium, 112.2 FPS on High, and 81.3 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a clear progression where each settings tier reduces performance by roughly 30-35 FPS. At 2560x1440, the results are 127.8 FPS on Low, 96.1 FPS on Medium, 72.5 FPS on High, and 53.3 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 74.5 FPS, a smaller absolute gap than at 1080p but a similar percentage reduction. At 3840x2160, the system delivers 67.6 FPS on Low, 47.1 FPS on Medium, 39.1 FPS on High, and 25.6 FPS on Ultra.

The 4K results are particularly telling. Even on Low settings at 4K, the FPS falls to 67.6, which is below the 72.5 FPS achieved at 1440p High. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is working at its absolute limits regardless of settings. The Ultra preset at 4K produces only 25.6 FPS, which is borderline unplayable for a looter shooter that requires fast reactions. The data shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER can handle 1080p and 1440p competently, but 4K gaming is not viable beyond Low settings.

# Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component clearly. At Low settings, FPS falls from 207.1 at 1080p to 127.8 at 1440p (a 38.3% drop), then to 67.6 at 4K (a 47.1% drop from 1440p). At High settings, the progression is 112.2 → 72.5 → 39.1, representing drops of 35.4% and 46.1% respectively. At Ultra settings, FPS goes from 81.3 → 53.3 → 25.6, with drops of 34.4% and 52.0%.

The scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario. When resolution increases, the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the FPS does not drop by a factor of four. This is because the GPU's compute resources scale sub-linearly with resolution, and memory bandwidth becomes increasingly important. The fact that the FPS drops are more severe at Ultra settings (52% from 1440p to 4K) compared to Low (47.1%) suggests that higher settings amplify the memory bandwidth bottleneck. The CPU's 6.00 GHz boost clock and massive core count have no trouble feeding the GPU at any resolution, so the scaling behavior is purely a function of GPU limits.

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in Outriders?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K with RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1189 out of 1693 tested combos, placing it in the lower third of all configurations.

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

A: At 4K, the combo achieves 67.6 FPS on Low, 47.1 FPS on Medium, 39.1 FPS on High, and 25.6 FPS on Ultra. Only Low settings approach playable territory, while Ultra is not viable.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The RTX 2060 SUPER sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, while the i9-14900K ranks at the 97th percentile, creating a massive imbalance.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER's average benchmark score is 19774, which is 0.3% above the GTX TITAN, 0.5% below the RTX 2070, and 0.8% above the Quadro K5200.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: At 1440p, the system delivers 127.8 FPS on Low and 96.1 FPS on Medium, which are solid numbers. 1080p is even better, with 146.4 FPS on Medium and 112.2 FPS on High.

Q: Does the CPU's performance match its high-end positioning?

A: Yes, the i9-14900K scores 49872 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 7040 in single-core, with a 97th percentile ranking, confirming its flagship status.

# Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to 1440p Medium as the sweet spot. At this configuration, the system produces 96.1 FPS, which is smooth for a looter shooter while still delivering a substantial visual upgrade over 1080p. The jump from Medium to High at 1440p costs 23.6 FPS (96.1 → 72.5), which is a significant loss for modest visual gains. If the player prioritizes frame rate over fidelity, 1080p Medium at 146.4 FPS is the best choice, offering a comfortable margin above 144 FPS for high-refresh displays.

At 4K, the only viable option is Low settings at 67.6 FPS, which barely maintains playability. Medium at 4K drops to 47.1 FPS, and High/Ultra fall below 40 FPS, making them unsuitable for action gameplay. For players with 4K monitors, the recommendation is to accept Low settings or drop to 1440p to unlock better visual quality. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution above 1080p, as it reduces FPS by 30-40% compared to High while offering diminishing returns. At 1080p Ultra, the 81.3 FPS is playable but not optimal when Medium provides 146.4 FPS and High provides 112.2 FPS. The data clearly indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings, where the system maintains frame rates well above 60 FPS.