Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a compelling experience in Outriders, a looter shooter that scales impressively across a wide range of graphical presets and resolutions. The measured frame rates reveal a combination that is rarely stressed at lower settings, but which shows clear performance boundaries as visual fidelity and pixel count increase. This analysis examines the benchmark data to determine optimal settings, interpret the system's ranking among other tested combinations, and isolate the roles played by the CPU and GPU in shaping the final results.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results for Outriders show a clear hierarchy across the four tested presets, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings becoming more pronounced as resolution rises. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate at Low settings is 272 FPS, which drops to 242 FPS at Medium, 218 FPS at High, and 170 FPS at Ultra. The performance cost of the Ultra preset is substantial, but even the most demanding settings at this resolution remain far beyond the refresh rate of typical displays.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern continues with a Low average of 233 FPS, 198 FPS at Medium, 149 FPS at High, and 108 FPS at Ultra. The High preset here offers an excellent balance, delivering nearly 150 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a smooth experience on high-refresh-rate monitors. At 4K, the scaling becomes more critical: High average is 78 FPS, Medium 104 FPS, Low 143 FPS, and Ultra drops to 56 FPS. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 provides a stable 104 FPS, with a recorded minimum of 88 FPS and maximum of 119 FPS, making it the most balanced option for 4K if aiming for a smooth experience. The data shows that the Low preset is the only one that consistently maintains a high frame rate across all resolutions, but it sacrifices visual quality.

For a general recommendation, the High preset at 1080p and 1440p appears to be the sweet spot, offering high visual quality with excellent performance. At 4K, the user should choose between Medium for performance and High for visual quality, with Ultra being a demanding option for those who prioritize graphics over frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 in Outriders achieves a rank of 144 out of 3710 tested combos. This places it in the top 3.9% of all tested configurations, a strong position that underscores the raw performance potential of this pairing. The rank is particularly impressive given that it places the combo above the vast majority of systems, many of which may use higher-end CPUs or GPUs but are likely constrained by other factors. The data indicates that this combo is well-balanced, with neither component acting as a severe bottleneck in Outriders at the tested settings. The ranking in this specific game reflects the RTX 4080's ability to drive the high frame rates and the Core Ultra 5 225's capacity to keep up with the game's CPU demands. The combo rank of 144 out of 3710 suggests that it is a top-tier configuration for this title, but it is not at the absolute pinnacle, which leaves room for systems with more powerful parts to achieve even higher positions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this configuration, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit memory bus providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU's base clock is 2205 MHz, with a boost clock of 2505 MHz, and its large memory capacity is a significant asset for Outriders, which can be demanding on VRAM at higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 56 FPS, indicating that the GPU is pushed to its limits. The 16 GB of VRAM is likely sufficient for the game's textures, even at the highest settings, but the raw compute power is the primary factor driving the performance. The RTX 4080's performance in this game is strong, but the data shows that it cannot maintain a high frame rate at 4K Ultra alone. The GPU's compute performance, as measured by its FP32 of 48.74 TFLOPS, is likely a key reason for its strong showing at lower resolutions. The GPU's performance is the main factor in the frame rate at higher resolutions, with the CPU becoming less relevant as the resolution increases.

The RTX 4080's performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% difference in average benchmark score) and AMD Radeon Pro W5700X (1.1% slower), indicates that it is a top-tier performer. Its 16 GB of VRAM is a key asset for looter shooters, which often feature dense environments and many objects on screen.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measurements show a strong progression from Low to Ultra. The Low preset averages 272 FPS, Medium averages 242 FPS with a minimum of 206 and a maximum of 278, High averages 218 FPS, and Ultra averages 170 FPS. These numbers demonstrate that the RTX 4080 can easily handle the game at this resolution, even at the highest settings. The frame rate differences between presets are relatively small, indicating that the CPU is not limiting at this resolution. The experience at 1080p is characterized by very high frame rates, making it ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales logically. Low averages 233 FPS, Medium 198 FPS, High 149 FPS, and Ultra 108 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 169 FPS and maximum of 228 FPS, indicating a typical frame time distribution. The High preset at 1440p offers a great balance between visual quality and performance, with the Ultra preset still providing over 100 FPS, which is a solid choice for users with high-refresh monitors.

At 3840x2160, the data shows a significant drop in performance. Low averages 143 FPS, Medium 104 FPS, High 78 FPS, and Ultra 56 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K is particularly notable, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS, suggesting a playable experience for most users. The High and Ultra presets at 4K are more demanding, with Ultra averaging below 60 FPS, which is on the edge of playability for many. The data indicates that 4K gaming with this combo is best suited to Medium or Low settings to maintain a consistent frame rate.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rates from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 show a clear scaling pattern. At Low settings, the average frame rate decreases from 272 FPS at 1080p to 143 FPS at 4K, a drop of 47%. At Medium settings, the drop is from 242 to 104 FPS, a 57% decrease. High settings drop from 218 to 78 FPS, a 64% decrease, and Ultra settings drop from 170 to 56 FPS, a 67% decrease. The percentage drop becomes more pronounced with higher settings, indicating that the GPU is increasingly the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The data shows that the transition from 1080p to 1440p has a smaller impact than the transition from 1440p to 4K, which is typical, as the pixel count increase is more substantial at the higher end. The 4K resolution presents the greatest challenge, with the GPU being the primary limitation, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops across all settings. The scaling pattern suggests that the RTX 4080 is well-suited for 1440p gaming, offering high frame rates at the highest settings, but that 4K requires a carefully balanced settings to achieve a playable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 has 10 cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its single-threaded performance is strong, as indicated by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and a multi-core score of 25891. This CPU is likely not a bottleneck in Outriders, given the high frame rates observed, particularly at 1080p where the CPU's performance is more relevant. The game's performance at 1080p shows a difference between the Low and Ultra presets, with the Ultra preset dropping to 170 FPS, which could be a result of increased CPU load, but the CPU's performance is sufficient to maintain high frame rates. At 1440p and 4K, the CPU's role becomes less critical as the GPU takes over the primary processing load. The CPU's performance in the game is less of a factor than the GPU's, especially at higher resolutions. The Ultra 5 225's position relative to its rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (0% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (0.2% slower), suggests that it is a solid mid-range to upper-mid-range processor. Its 20 MB of L3 cache and 10 cores are sufficient for Outriders, which may not be heavily multi-threaded, but the CPU's decent multi-core performance ensures it can handle the game's processing without limiting the GPU. The 4.9 GHz boost clock is a strong asset for the game's single-threaded tasks.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for the highest frame rate?

A: The Low preset at 1920x1080 yields the highest average frame rate of 272 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset still yields the highest average at 143 FPS, though the Medium preset provides a more balanced experience with 104 FPS.

Q: How does the combo rank in Outriders?

A: It ranks 144th out of 3710 tested combos, which places it in the top 3.9% of all tested systems.

Q: Is the CPU limiting performance in Outriders?

A: The data suggests not. At 1080p, the CPU is more relevant, but even at its most demanding, the Ultra preset still averages 170 FPS. At higher resolutions, the GPU clearly becomes the limiting factor.

Q: What is the most challenging setting for the RTX 4080 in Outriders?

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 is the most demanding, with an average frame rate of 56 FPS. This is the only setting and resolution combination that drops below 60 FPS.

Q: Are there any frame rate drops in the Medium presets?

A: Yes, the Medium presets show some variance. At 3840x2160, the minimum is 88 FPS and the maximum is 119 FPS. At 2560x1440, the minimum is 169 FPS and the maximum is 228 FPS, and at 1920x1080, the minimum is 198 FPS and the maximum is 278 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's performance in Outriders compare to its overall benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247 and a percentile of 86% among all GPUs. Its performance in Outriders is strong, with high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset is a challenge, demonstrating that even a high-end GPU can be pushed to its limits.