Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents a striking case study in system bottlenecking within Outriders. The measured frames per second (FPS) data reveals a configuration that is profoundly limited by its graphics subsystem at higher resolutions, yet shows surprising capability when the graphical load is reduced. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, contextualizes it against the component's individual benchmark standings, and explores what the data implies for a player seeking a playable experience.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The scaling of performance from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At the Low preset, the system delivers 104 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 65 FPS at 1440p (a 37.5% reduction), and then plummets to 34 FPS at 4K (a 67.3% reduction from 1080p). This steep decline is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario; the Arc B370's rendering pipeline is saturated by the increasing pixel count, and the CPU's potential is left untapped.

The trend continues across all settings. At High, the progression is 57 FPS at 1080p, down to 36 FPS at 1440p, and finally 19 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most brutal scaling: 41 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 13 FPS at 4K. The data indicates that the Intel Arc B370, with its integrated graphics architecture and system-shared memory, is the definitive limiting factor. Its performance percentile of 5 places it in the bottom tier of all GPUs, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 is on par with legacy discrete GPUs from over a decade ago, as shown by its nearest rivals.

This is in stark contrast to the CPU's capabilities. The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX, with deltas of 0.1% and -0.1% respectively, indicating it is a high-performance processor. The fact that FPS nearly triples from 13 at 4K Ultra to 34 at 4K Low suggests that even at 4K, the GPU is so overwhelmed that reducing graphical fidelity provides massive headroom, whereas a more balanced system would see a smaller relative gain from lowering settings.

The implication is clear: the CPU is never the constraining factor. The data suggests that at 1080p Low, where the system achieves 104 FPS, the GPU is finally able to keep up with the CPU's instruction stream to a degree, but the processor is still likely waiting on the graphics card. The scaling curve is convex, meaning the performance loss per pixel added increases as resolution goes up, which is the expected behavior for a system where the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are severely limited. The game is not CPU-bound at any measured point; it is a pure GPU limitation scenario.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for playing Outriders with this hardware?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the only viable resolution for a smooth experience. At this resolution, the system achieves 104 FPS on Low and 57 FPS on High. Moving to 2560x1440 drops the High preset to 36 FPS, which is below the threshold for fluid gameplay, and 4K is entirely impractical.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 1184 is nearly identical to its closest competitors. It is 0.2% slower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, 0.5% slower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770, and 0.7% slower than the AMD Radeon HD 7650M. It is 1.4% faster than the AMD FirePro M2000. This places it firmly in the entry-level or legacy performance tier.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 a capable processor for gaming?

A: Yes, the CPU is a high-end part. Its benchmark scores are competitive with top-tier mobile and desktop processors, as evidenced by its 89th percentile ranking. Its performance is within 0.2% of the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303, showing it is a powerful compute engine. The bottleneck in this system is entirely the GPU, not the CPU.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 104 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. This represents a 63 FPS difference, or roughly a 2.5x improvement in frame rate when switching from Ultra to Low.

Q: Does the system's performance at 4K suggest any particular hardware limitation?

A: Yes, the 4K results are exceptionally poor, with a maximum average of 34 FPS on Low and a minimum of 13 FPS on Ultra. This indicates the GPU's memory bandwidth, which is "System Dependent," and its raw pixel throughput are severely insufficient for high-resolution rendering. The GPU is the sole limiting factor.

Q: What does the combo's rank of 2679 out of 2913 imply?

A: This rank places the combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B370 in the bottom 8% of all tested system configurations for Outriders. This is a direct result of the GPU's low performance dragging down what is otherwise a very fast processor.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a clear strategy for this specific hardware combination: prioritize resolution over graphical fidelity. The only way to achieve a frame rate that approaches or exceeds 60 FPS is to play at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which yields 104 FPS. This is the only setting that provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS target, allowing for potential dips without becoming jarring.

For players who desire better visual quality, the Medium preset at 1080p is a viable compromise, delivering 75 FPS with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS. This is still a playable experience and offers a significant visual upgrade over Low. The High preset at 1080p, with an average of 57 FPS, is borderline; it is playable but sits just below the 60 FPS threshold, which may be noticeable in fast-paced combat.

The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended. At 1080p, it only manages 41 FPS, and at higher resolutions, it becomes a slideshow. The data suggests that the cost of Ultra settings is too high for the integrated GPU. At 1440p, the system is only viable on Low, with 65 FPS, or Medium, with 48 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p fall below 40 FPS. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1080p Medium, as it provides a smooth, consistent frame rate while retaining a moderate level of visual detail. If maximum fluidity is the absolute priority, then 1080p Low is the top choice.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows its strongest performance. The Low preset leads with an average of 104 FPS. The Medium preset averages 75 FPS, with a minimum of 64 FPS and a maximum of 87 FPS. The High preset averages 57 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings up the rear with 41 FPS. This resolution is the only one where the system consistently delivers a playable frame rate across all settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. The Low preset averages 65 FPS, making it the only playable option. The Medium preset averages 48 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 55 FPS. The High preset averages 36 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 26 FPS. The 1440p resolution is only recommended for the Low preset, which still offers a decent experience.

At 3840x2160, the system is severely overwhelmed. The Low preset averages 34 FPS. The Medium preset averages 25 FPS, with a minimum of 21 FPS and a maximum of 29 FPS. The High preset averages 19 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages a mere 13 FPS. No setting at 4K is considered playable, as even the lowest preset fails to reach 35 FPS. The data shows a clear and consistent degradation as resolution increases, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle pixel-heavy workloads.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the definitive bottleneck in this system. Its specifications paint a picture of a component designed for low-power, integrated scenarios rather than high-performance gaming. The GPU operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, but its memory configuration is "System Shared" with a bus width that is also "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory. This is a critical weakness for a game like Outriders, which requires high memory bandwidth for textures. The bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which introduces variable performance based on the CPU's memory controller.

The GPU's raw compute is limited as well. With 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, it offers a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS. These figures align with its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, which is virtually identical to the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570. The data suggests that in terms of raw performance, this integrated GPU is equivalent to a mid-range discrete GPU from the late 2000s. Its 5th percentile ranking of all GPUs confirms its position at the very bottom of the performance tier.

The GPU's 10 RT cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate, but the low overall performance means ray tracing is unlikely to be feasible in any demanding scenario. The 25 W TDP and "IGP" slot width indicate that this is a power-efficient part soldered onto the CPU package, not a standalone card. This is the core reason for the system's poor scaling; the GPU simply lacks the hardware resources to push high resolutions. The system-shared memory is a particular concern, as the game's assets will compete with the CPU for bandwidth, further exacerbating the performance deficit.

CPU Role

In stark contrast to the GPU, the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a powerhouse that is completely held back by its graphics counterpart. This processor, based on the Arrow Lake architecture and built on a 3 nm process by TSMC, is a 14-core, 14-thread part. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This configuration provides substantial computational headroom for any game. Its benchmark results confirm its high-end status. In Cinebench R23, it scores 14769 in multi-core and 2085 in single-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 37816, and its single-thread score is 4516.

The CPU's 89th percentile ranking among all processors confirms its capabilities. Its nearest rivals all have average scores within a fraction of a percent. For instance, it is 0.1% faster than the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and 0.2% faster than the AMD EPYC 4364P. This places the Core Ultra 5 235 in the same performance class as these high-end chips. In Outriders, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and AI. The measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is never the limiting factor. Even at 1080p Low, where the FPS is highest at 104, the GPU is the one working at its maximum capacity.

The fact that the CPU has a 24 MB shared L3 cache and a 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth on a dual-channel DDR5 interface means it can feed data to the GPU quickly. However, the GPU's "System Shared" memory is likely the same memory the CPU uses, and the "System Dependent" bandwidth is a bottleneck that no amount of CPU speed can fix. The data implies that if this CPU were paired with a more capable discrete GPU, the frame rates in Outriders would be dramatically higher. The CPU is capable of far more than the 104 FPS it achieves at 1080p Low; that number is a ceiling imposed by the graphics card, not the processor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2679 out of 2913 tested combos for Outriders. This places it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested, a ranking that is directly attributable to the GPU. This is a classic case of a high-end CPU being paired with a low-end GPU, resulting in a system that underperforms relative to its processor's potential. The CPU's high benchmark scores are essentially negated by the GPU's inability to render frames quickly enough.

To put this in perspective, the CPU alone is in the top 11% of all processors, while the GPU is in the bottom 5% of all graphics cards. The system's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's dismal performance. The data shows that while the CPU is a top-tier component that could handle high frame rates and complex calculations, the GPU is a legacy-tier part that struggles to maintain playable frame rates even at 1080p. This pairing represents an extreme imbalance. The rank of 2679 out of 2913 is a strong indicator that users seeking to play Outriders should not expect a high-performance experience. The system will function, but it will do so at the mercy of its graphics processor. The data suggests that the Arc B370 is the primary reason for this low ranking, and any other modern GPU would boost this combo's standing significantly.