Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination delivers a performance profile in Outriders that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphics preset. The measured data shows a system capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K gaming requires careful settings management to maintain smooth gameplay. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all tested configurations, interprets the scaling behavior, and contextualizes the combo’s standing within the broader benchmark database.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and reveals a clear shift in system bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 278 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops that to 213 FPS, a reduction of 23.4%. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 112 FPS, which is a 59.7% decrease from the 1080p Low result. This scaling pattern suggests that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high rates, but the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as pixel count rises.

The scaling is even more pronounced at higher settings. With High settings, the average FPS goes from 184 at 1080p to 116 at 1440p, a 37% drop, and then to 61 at 4K, a 66.8% drop from the 1080p figure. The Ultra preset shows a similar trend: 133 FPS at 1080p, 84 at 1440p (a 36.8% drop), and 44 at 4K (a 66.9% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across High and Ultra presets indicates that the GPU’s rendering workload scales predictably with resolution, while the CPU overhead remains relatively constant.

The most telling data point is the 4K Medium result, which shows an average of 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 and a maximum of 93. This is the only 4K configuration with min/max data, and the 24 FPS spread between min and max suggests some frame time variance, but the average remains playable. In contrast, the 4K Ultra average of 44 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold typically desired for smooth action in a looter shooter. The data indicates that at 4K, the RTX 4070 is the limiting component, as the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are taxed heavily by the higher pixel count, regardless of the CPU’s capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The GPU’s base clock is 1920 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz. These specifications directly influence the measured results in Outriders. The 12 GB frame buffer is sufficient for the game’s assets at all tested resolutions, as the data shows no anomalies that would indicate VRAM capacity limits at 4K Ultra.

The GPU’s performance percentile is 81, meaning it outperforms most GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 37648, placing it in close competition with the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (delta 0.1%), AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (delta 0.4%), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (delta -1.3%). The RTX 4070’s 5888 shading units and 184 texture mapping units provide the raw throughput needed for Outriders’ particle effects and environmental details. The 64 ROPs handle pixel output, which is crucial at 4K resolution where the pixel fill rate becomes a bottleneck.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU’s scaling with settings. At 1080p, the difference between Low (278 FPS) and Ultra (133 FPS) is a 52.2% reduction, indicating that the GPU can handle the increased shader complexity and texture filtering demands. At 4K, the Low to Ultra spread is from 112 FPS down to 44 FPS, a 60.7% reduction. This larger percentage drop at 4K reinforces that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the additional pixel count amplifies the cost of each setting increase. The 4K Medium result of 81 FPS, with its min of 69 FPS, suggests that the GPU maintains acceptable performance when settings are moderated, which is a practical consideration for players targeting 60 FPS at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Outriders, this pairing ranks 388 out of 2913 total combos. This places it in the top 13.3% of all tested configurations, indicating a strong overall performance level. The combo’s rank reflects the balance between the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the RTX 4070, which together produce the FPS figures measured across all settings and resolutions.

The CPU’s individual performance is notable. It holds an 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (delta 0.1%), Intel Core i9-13900HX (delta -0.1%), AMD EPYC 4364P (delta 0.2%), and AMD EPYC 7303 (delta 0.2%). These deltas are extremely small, all within 0.2%, meaning the Core Ultra 5 235 is essentially performance-equivalent to these four CPUs in aggregate benchmarks. This parity suggests that the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo’s ranking; rather, the GPU’s contribution is more significant.

The GPU’s ranking is 81st percentile among all GPUs, which is lower than the CPU’s 89th percentile. This disparity suggests that in this specific combo, the GPU is more likely to be the limiting factor in demanding scenarios, which aligns with the resolution scaling analysis. The combo’s overall rank of 388 out of 2913 indicates that many other configurations outperform it, likely those with higher-tier GPUs. However, the data shows that this combo still delivers high FPS at 1080p and 1440p, making it a competitive setup for Outriders despite its mid-pack rank.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver high averages: Low at 278 FPS, Medium at 246 FPS, High at 184 FPS, and Ultra at 133 FPS. For competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, Low or Medium settings provide the highest frame rates, with the Medium preset’s min of 209 FPS ensuring no dips below 200 FPS. High settings at 1080p still exceed 144 FPS, which is sufficient for most gaming displays. Ultra at 133 FPS is playable but offers diminishing returns over High for a 27.7% performance cost.

At 2560x1440, the data shows a similar pattern. Low yields 213 FPS, Medium 155 FPS (min 132, max 178), High 116 FPS, and Ultra 84 FPS. For 1440p, Medium is the recommended preset for a balanced experience, as it maintains an average above 155 FPS with a minimum above 130 FPS. High settings at 116 FPS are still smooth for most users, but the drop to 84 FPS on Ultra may be noticeable in fast-paced combat. The 4K resolution presents the most challenging trade-offs. Low settings achieve 112 FPS, Medium 81 FPS (min 69, max 93), High 61 FPS, and Ultra 44 FPS. To maintain a stable 60 FPS at 4K, High settings are borderline, with an average of 61 FPS. Medium is the safest choice, providing an average of 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS, ensuring no drops below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra at 4K is not recommended, as the 44 FPS average falls below acceptable playability for an action game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full range of presets was tested. Low settings produced an average of 278 FPS. Medium settings averaged 246 FPS, with a minimum of 209 FPS and a maximum of 283 FPS. High settings averaged 184 FPS. Ultra settings averaged 133 FPS. The data shows a consistent decrease as settings increase, with the largest single-step drop occurring from Medium to High at 62 FPS (25.2%).

At 2560x1440, the results are as follows: Low averaged 213 FPS, Medium averaged 155 FPS (min 132, max 178), High averaged 116 FPS, and Ultra averaged 84 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 60.6% reduction, which is slightly larger than the 52.2% reduction seen at 1080p. This indicates that the GPU’s workload increases disproportionately with resolution at higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the measurements show Low at 112 FPS, Medium at 81 FPS (min 69, max 93), High at 61 FPS, and Ultra at 44 FPS. The Medium preset’s min/max data reveals a 24 FPS range, which is the widest spread among all presets with min/max data. This variance could be attributed to scene complexity fluctuations, but the average remains solid. The step from Medium to High at 4K is a 20 FPS drop (24.7%), while the step from High to Ultra is a 17 FPS drop (27.9%), showing that the cost of Ultra is significant at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its architecture is Arrow Lake-S, built on a 3 nm process node from TSMC. The CPU supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The L3 cache is 24 MB shared, with 3 MB per core for L2 and 192 KB per core for L1. These specifications determine how well the CPU can feed the GPU in Outriders.

In the measured data, the CPU’s influence is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the 278 FPS average suggests that the CPU can drive the GPU to very high frame rates, as the GPU is not yet the primary bottleneck. The 14 threads are sufficient for the game’s multi-threaded workload, which typically uses several cores for physics, AI, and scene management. The 5.00 GHz boost clock helps with single-threaded tasks, which are often the limiting factor in game logic.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 5 235’s average benchmark score of 46062 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, delta -0.1%). This performance parity means that in Outriders, swapping the CPU for any of these rivals would likely produce very similar FPS results, assuming the same GPU. The CPU’s 89th percentile ranking indicates it is a high-performance part, but the combo’s 388th rank out of 2913 suggests that other factors, primarily the RTX 4070’s tier, limit the overall standing. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die contribute to its efficiency, but these factors do not directly affect the measured FPS. Instead, the cores, clocks, and cache are the relevant parameters, and the data confirms they do not bottleneck the GPU until very high frame rates are reached.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Outriders?*

A: The measured data supports 2560x1440 as the sweet spot. At Medium settings, it delivers 155 FPS average with a minimum of 132 FPS, providing a smooth experience. At 1080p, the combo achieves higher frame rates, but 1440p offers a better balance of visual fidelity and performance.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Medium, the average is 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS, which is playable. At 4K High, the average drops to 61 FPS, which is borderline. At 4K Ultra, the average falls to 44 FPS, which is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4070’s average benchmark score is 37648. It is 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (37628), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507), 1.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (38135), and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6400 (37157). These deltas are small, indicating similar aggregate performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings average 278 FPS, while Ultra settings average 133 FPS. This is a 145 FPS difference, or a 52.2% reduction in performance when moving from Low to Ultra.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any tested configuration?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at most tested settings. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 278 FPS, indicating the GPU is still the limiting factor. The CPU’s 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock are sufficient to feed the RTX 4070 up to this point. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the CPU has more headroom.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This combo ranks 388 out of 2913 tested combinations in Outriders, placing it in the top 13.3%. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, with the GPU’s 81st percentile being lower than the CPU’s 89th percentile, indicating the GPU is the more limiting component.