Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a highly capable Outriders experience, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the graphics card as the primary constraint at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at 4K, yet capable of exceptional frame rates at 1080p, making it a versatile combination for this looter shooter.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions reveals a textbook GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces 143 FPS average. Moving to 2560x1440 drops this to 90 FPS, a 37% reduction, and then to 47 FPS at 3840x2160, a 67% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steep decline as pixel count increases indicates that the RTX 5060’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor; the CPU is not holding back performance at any resolution.

The behavior at Low settings further confirms this. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 261 FPS, which is extraordinarily high and suggests the CPU can feed the GPU well beyond typical display refresh rates. At 1440p Low, it still manages 165 FPS, and at 4K Low, it produces 86 FPS. The fact that lowering settings from High to Low at 4K yields an 83% performance uplift (from 47 to 86 FPS) while the same settings change at 1080p yields an 83% uplift (from 143 to 261 FPS) shows that the GPU workload scales predictably with settings, and the CPU headroom remains constant.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is approaching a balance where even the powerful 14-core CPU begins to matter less, as the GPU is still the bottleneck but with less pressure. At 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the limiting component. The gap between Medium and Ultra settings at 4K is particularly telling: Medium achieves 63 FPS, while Ultra drops to 34 FPS, a 46% penalty for the highest preset. This indicates that Ultra settings at 4K simply demand more from the 8 GB frame buffer and the 19.18 TFLOPS of compute than the card can efficiently deliver.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Outriders, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 achieves a rank of 1452 out of 3710 tested combos. This places it in the top 39% of all systems tested for this game, which is a respectable position given the wide range of hardware configurations in the database.

The combo rank reflects the balance of the two components. The CPU itself sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs tested in the database, indicating strong processing power. The GPU, however, sits in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-to-upper-tier GPU results in a system that is well above average for Outriders but not at the extreme high end, where more powerful GPUs would be paired with similar processors.

This rank is particularly meaningful when considering the frame rates achieved. The system can handle 1440p High at 90 FPS and 1080p Ultra at 103 FPS, which are excellent results for a game of this type. The rank suggests that while there are faster combos, this pairing offers a strong balance for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming and smooth 1440p gameplay, with 4K being a stretch at higher settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 14,769 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,085 points in single-core, which are strong results that put it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its PassMark single-thread score of 4,516 further demonstrates its capability in lightly-threaded workloads.

For Outriders, a game that does not typically scale perfectly with many cores, the CPU’s high single-core performance is more relevant than its multi-core might. The 5.00 GHz boost clock ensures that the primary game thread has ample processing power. The benchmark data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 261 FPS, a frame rate so high that it would challenge many CPUs, yet the Ultra 5 235 sustains it. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor even at very high frame rates.

The CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth also contribute to consistent frame pacing. The data shows that the CPU’s role is to provide a stable, high-frequency foundation that allows the RTX 5060 to operate at its full potential. The 0.1% deltaPct between the Ultra 5 235 and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 in aggregate benchmarks, and the -0.1% deltaPct versus the Intel Core i9-13900HX, suggest that this CPU performs on par with those high-end parts, meaning any performance differences in Outriders are almost entirely due to the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s capabilities across three resolutions and four settings levels.

At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. Low settings yield an average of 261 FPS. Medium settings produce 190 FPS, with a minimum of 162 FPS and a maximum of 219 FPS. High settings achieve 143 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 103 FPS. The 1080p results show that even at Ultra, the system maintains over 100 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong. Low settings deliver 165 FPS. Medium settings average 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. High settings produce 90 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 65 FPS. The 1440p Medium result is particularly smooth, with the minimum staying above 100 FPS, ensuring a consistent experience.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 86 FPS. Medium settings produce 63 FPS, with a minimum of 53 FPS and a maximum of 72 FPS. High settings drop to 47 FPS, and Ultra settings are only playable at 34 FPS. The 4K Medium result is the only 4K setting that maintains a minimum above 50 FPS, making it the only viable option for a locked 60 FPS experience at that resolution.

The data shows a clear pattern: the system excels at 1080p and 1440p, offering playable frame rates at all settings, but at 4K, only Low and Medium settings are truly viable for smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve 144 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system averages 143 FPS, which is effectively 144 FPS. To comfortably exceed 144 FPS, 1080p Medium settings yield 190 FPS, and 1080p Low yields 261 FPS.

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

A: Yes, at 4K Medium settings, the system averages 63 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS, which is a playable experience. At 4K High, the average drops to 47 FPS, which is less smooth. For a locked 60 FPS at 4K, Low settings at 86 FPS or Medium settings are the recommended choices.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions. The steep frame rate drops when moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, combined with the CPU’s ability to push 261 FPS at 1080p Low, clearly indicate that the RTX 5060 is the bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 1452 out of 3710 tested combinations for Outriders, placing it in the top 39%. This is a solid mid-to-high ranking, reflecting the strong CPU and capable GPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings average 90 FPS, while Ultra settings average 65 FPS. This represents a 28% performance drop for the higher preset, which may not be worth it depending on visual preferences.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this system?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 53 FPS, which occurs at 4K Medium settings. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 102 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the minimum is 162 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, the data strongly points to 2560x1440 with Medium settings. This configuration delivers an average of 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS, ensuring a smooth and consistent frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold for comfortable play. The 102 FPS minimum guarantees that even in intense combat scenarios, the frame rate will not dip below playable levels.

At 1920x1080, High settings at 143 FPS is the sweet spot for players with 144 Hz monitors. It provides a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a frame rate that matches the display’s refresh rate. For players with 240 Hz displays, Medium settings at 190 FPS would be a better choice to fully utilize the monitor’s capability.

For 4K gaming, Medium settings at 63 FPS is the only reasonable choice. The minimum of 53 FPS means there will be occasional dips below 60 FPS, but it is the highest quality setting that remains consistently playable. Ultra settings at 34 FPS are not recommended for a smooth experience, and High at 47 FPS is marginal. Low at 86 FPS is the only way to get a very smooth 4K experience, but it comes with a significant visual quality reduction.

The Ultra preset is generally not recommended at any resolution. At 1080p, it drops from 143 to 103 FPS compared to High, a 28% reduction for what is often a minor visual gain. At 1440p, it falls to 65 FPS, and at 4K, it becomes unplayable at 34 FPS. The performance cost of Ultra is disproportionately high across all resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and features 3,840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units. It operates at a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its compute capability is rated at 19.18 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

The GPU’s role in Outriders is absolutely critical, as it dictates performance at all resolutions. The 8 GB frame buffer is a significant factor at 4K Ultra, where the 34 FPS average suggests the memory capacity and bandwidth are being strained. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, but the 128-bit bus width is a limiting factor compared to wider-bus GPUs.

The benchmark results show that the RTX 5060’s performance is consistent with its 72nd percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its PassMark G3D score of 20,891 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 3,628 are indicative of a mid-range GPU that can handle modern titles at 1080p and 1440p very well but struggles at 4K with high settings. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT with a 1.2% deltaPct and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary with a -0.8% deltaPct, show that the RTX 5060 is positioned competitively in its class.

The data indicates that the RTX 5060 is well-matched with the Core Ultra 5 235 for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The CPU provides enough headroom to allow the GPU to reach its full potential, as evidenced by the high frame rates at lower resolutions. However, the GPU’s 8 GB memory and 128-bit bus become apparent bottlenecks at 4K, particularly at Ultra settings, where the performance drops to levels that are not ideal for a smooth gaming experience.