Outriders

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its closest rivals in overall CPU performance?

A: The Core Ultra 5 235 sits in a tight cluster with its nearest rivals. It is 0.1% behind the Intel Core i9-13900HX, 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, and 0.2% ahead of both the AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303. This places the processor in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What is the performance tier of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 based on GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5050 lands in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 21035 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which scores 20713 (1.6% slower), and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which scores 21153 (0.6% faster). The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% faster with a score of 21379.

Q: What are the key specifications of the RTX 5050's memory subsystem?

A: The card features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. Memory operates at 2500 MHz with an effective speed of 20 Gbps. The GPU also has a pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 5 235 perform in single-threaded Cinebench tests?

A: In Cinebench R23 single-core, the processor scores 2085 points. Its single-core performance in Cinebench R20 is 875 points, and in Cinebench R15 it achieves 210 points. The PassMark single-thread score is 4516.

Q: What is the GPU's raw compute capability in FP32 operations?

A: The RTX 5050 delivers 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Its FP16 performance is identical at 13.17 TFLOPS (1:1 ratio). The card contains 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster operations pipelines.

Q: How does the combo rank for this CPU and GPU pairing in Outriders?

A: The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2203 out of 3710 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the lower half of all possible system configurations for this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using the GB207 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. The GPU contains 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die, giving it a transistor density of 113.4M per mm². Clock speeds are set at a 2317 MHz base and 2572 MHz boost, with the memory running at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). These specifications produce a peak FP32 throughput of 13.17 TFLOPS.

For Outriders, the GPU's memory configuration—8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus with 320.0 GB/s bandwidth—becomes a critical factor. The measured frame rates show a clear pattern: at 1080p Ultra, the card averages 86 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 28 FPS. The 8 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p workloads, but the bandwidth constraints become apparent at higher resolutions.

The RTX 5050's position in the GPU hierarchy—66th percentile—suggests it is a mid-range performer. Its nearest competitors include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% slower) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (0.6% faster). The card's 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores provide hardware support for ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured data does not specify whether these features were enabled during testing.

The GPU's 130 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a power-efficient implementation. With a suggested power supply of 300 W and a single 8-pin connector, the card is designed for mainstream systems. The PCIe 5.0 x8 interface offers ample bandwidth for the 8 GB frame buffer, and the 1x HDMI 2.1b plus 3x DisplayPort 2.1b outputs support modern display configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data reveals how Outriders scales across resolutions for this specific CPU-GPU combination. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 218 FPS, while at 4K Low it drops to 72 FPS—a 67% reduction. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU becomes increasingly the limiting factor as resolution rises, but the CPU still has headroom even at 4K.

Moving from 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS across all settings drops by approximately 37%. For example, High settings go from 119 FPS at 1080p to 75 FPS at 1440p. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper, around 48% on average. At 4K Medium, the system produces 52 FPS with a minimum of 44 FPS and maximum of 60 FPS, showing notable frame time variance.

The resolution scaling behavior suggests that the RTX 5050's 8 GB memory and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but 4K pushes the card to its limits. At 4K Ultra, the system only manages 28 FPS, which is below playable thresholds. The data indicates that 1440p is the practical ceiling for this GPU in Outriders, with 4K requiring significant settings reductions.

At 1080p, the system shows strong performance across all settings, suggesting the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The Ultra 5 235's 14 cores and 14 threads, running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost of 5.00 GHz, provide sufficient processing power. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (102.4 GB/s bandwidth) help maintain consistent frame delivery.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5050 delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 218 FPS, while Medium settings achieve 158 FPS with a minimum of 135 FPS and maximum of 182 FPS. High settings average 119 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 86 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 132 FPS, showing that settings have a substantial impact at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains respectable. Low settings average 137 FPS, Medium settings achieve 100 FPS (minimum 85, maximum 115), High settings reach 75 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 54 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 83 FPS, indicating the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the card struggles. Low settings average 72 FPS, which is playable, but Medium settings drop to 52 FPS (minimum 44, maximum 60). High settings average 39 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 28 FPS. The performance cliff between 1440p and 4K is evident: even Low settings at 4K are 48% slower than Low at 1440p.

The frame time consistency also degrades at higher resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the range between minimum and maximum FPS is 47 FPS, while at 1440p Medium it expands to 30 FPS, and at 4K Medium it narrows to 16 FPS. This pattern suggests that at 4K, the system is consistently GPU-bound, whereas at lower resolutions, there is more variability in frame delivery.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the data supports using Ultra settings. The system averages 86 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. High settings at 119 FPS provide additional headroom for competitive play, but Ultra remains viable for visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 1440p, High settings offer the best balance. The 75 FPS average is smooth, while Ultra drops to 54 FPS, which may feel less responsive. Medium settings at 100 FPS (minimum 85) provide a strong alternative for players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. Low settings at 137 FPS are excessive for most displays but useful for high-refresh monitors.

For 4K, the recommendation is Low settings, which average 72 FPS. Medium settings at 52 FPS (minimum 44) are borderline playable, but the frame drops below 45 FPS may cause noticeable stutter in combat sequences. High and Ultra settings at 39 FPS and 28 FPS respectively are not recommended for active gameplay.

The data suggests that the RTX 5050 is best utilized as a 1080p Ultra or 1440p High card for Outriders. Players with 4K displays should consider lowering resolution or accepting Low settings. The GPU's 8 GB memory and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K exceeds the card's comfortable operating range.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 provides 14 cores and 14 threads, a configuration that prioritizes multi-core throughput over simultaneous multithreading. The processor runs at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boosts to 5.00 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. Its architecture, Arrow Lake-S, is built on TSMC's 3 nm process node, containing 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strong multi-core performance. Cinebench R23 multicore scores 14769, while R20 and R15 achieve 6202 and 1488 respectively. PassMark multithread results reach 37816, with floating point math at 117951 and integer math at 87948. The processor's 89th percentile ranking places it among capable desktop CPUs.

For Outriders, the CPU's role appears secondary to the GPU. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 218 FPS, suggesting the CPU can handle high frame rates without bottlenecking. The processor's 14 cores handle background tasks and game logic, while the 24 MB L3 cache helps with data locality. The dual-channel DDR5 memory interface provides 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is sufficient for gaming workloads.

The nearest rivals show how tightly grouped the Ultra 5 235 is in overall performance. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030 (0.1% slower), while the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098 (0.1% faster). This means the CPU's performance headroom is not a distinguishing factor in Outriders—the GPU's capabilities define the gaming experience at 1440p and above.

The processor's boost clock of 5.00 GHz provides excellent single-thread performance for game logic, while the 14 cores ensure that background processes don't interfere with gameplay. PassMark single-thread score of 4516 supports this assessment. However, the CPU's 65 W TDP and locked multiplier indicate it is designed for efficiency rather than extreme overclocking, which aligns with its role as a mainstream desktop processor.