Outriders

The RTX 5080 paired with the Core Ultra 5 235 delivers a wide performance envelope in Outriders, ranging from a highly playable 58 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 278 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows a system where the GPU is the primary scaling factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s 14 cores and 5.00 GHz boost clock are sufficient to keep frame rates high at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a predictable yet steep decline in performance as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces 223 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 154 FPS, a reduction of 69 FPS (approximately 31%). Stepping up to 4K High yields 81 FPS, which is a further drop of 73 FPS from the 1440p result (approximately 47%). This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 5080's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are being increasingly taxed as pixel count rises.

The trend is consistent across all settings presets. For instance, at Medium settings, the frame rate falls from 248 FPS at 1080p to 206 FPS at 1440p, and then to 108 FPS at 4K. The most dramatic scaling occurs between 1440p and 4K, where the performance penalty is consistently larger than the step from 1080p to 1440p. This suggests that at 4K, the GPU’s 10752 shading units and 112 ROPs are hitting a more substantial bottleneck, as the sheer number of pixels to fill nearly doubles.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings also widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low (278 FPS) and Ultra (177 FPS) is 101 FPS. At 4K, this gap shrinks to 90 FPS (148 FPS on Low versus 58 FPS on Ultra). This compression of the settings range at higher resolutions is a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario. The CPU is able to feed frames quickly at low resolution, but the GPU’s rendering workload becomes the limiting factor as resolution climbs, making the choice of preset less impactful on the absolute frame rate.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achievable with this combo?

A: The highest recorded average is 278 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

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

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K with High settings, the average FPS is 81, which is smooth. However, at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 58 FPS, which is just at the threshold of playability for many.

Q: How much performance is gained by lowering settings from Ultra to Low?

A: The gain is significant at all resolutions. At 1440p, the jump from Ultra (111 FPS) to Low (239 FPS) represents a 128 FPS increase, more than doubling the frame rate.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 5 235 a bottleneck for the RTX 5080 at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 278 FPS, indicating the processor's 5.00 GHz boost clock and 14 threads are capable of keeping up with the GPU’s output.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Medium and High settings?

A: At 1440p, High settings yield 154 FPS, while Medium settings yield 206 FPS. This is a 52 FPS difference, showing that High is more demanding but still well within high-refresh-rate territory.

Q: How does the combo rank relative to other tested configurations?

A: This specific combo ranks 72nd out of 2913 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.5% of all tested systems for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 2913 tested combos for Outriders, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 secures the 72nd position. This is a strong result, placing the system in the upper echelon of tested hardware. The rank reflects a balance of high CPU and GPU capabilities that translate into top-tier frame rates across most settings and resolutions.

The CPU itself sits in the 89th percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 and Intel Core i9-13900HX, with score deltas of just 0.1% and -0.1%, respectively. This indicates that the Core Ultra 5 235 is a very competitive mid-to-high-end processor, and its performance is essentially on par with these other top-tier chips.

Similarly, the RTX 5080 is in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56083. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, is 2.2% faster, while the AMD Radeon 8060S is 0.6% slower. This data points to a GPU that is exceptionally powerful, and its high position in the GPU percentile is a primary driver for the combo's excellent overall rank in Outriders.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the combo excels in all scenarios. With Low settings, the average FPS is 278. Moving to Medium reduces this to 248 FPS, with a minimum of 210 FPS and a maximum of 285 FPS. High settings produce an average of 223 FPS. The most demanding preset, Ultra, still yields a very high average of 177 FPS. All 1080p results are far above the 144 FPS threshold for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, performance remains exceptionally strong. Low settings achieve an average of 239 FPS. Medium settings provide 206 FPS on average, with a frame time range from 175 FPS to 237 FPS. High settings average 154 FPS, which is still excellent for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings drop to an average of 111 FPS, which remains well within the range of high-refresh-rate displays and is perfectly playable.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload becomes evident. Low settings still manage a high average of 148 FPS, making 4K gaming very accessible. Medium settings average 108 FPS, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS. High settings yield an average of 81 FPS, which is solid for a cinematic experience on a 60Hz display. Ultra settings push the average down to 58 FPS, which is the only configuration that approaches the lower limits of smooth gameplay, though it remains technically playable.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this system for Outriders. Its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which is crucial for feeding the high-resolution textures and effects in the game. The data shows that the 4K results are heavily influenced by this memory subsystem and the GPU's raw compute power.

The GPU's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, includes 10752 shading units and 112 ROPs. The pixel rate of 293.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 879.3 GTexel/s are the metrics that directly correlate with the frame rates seen at higher resolutions. The 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores are present but are not the primary factor in these non-ray-traced benchmark results. The boost clock of 2617 MHz ensures that the card operates at high frequencies under load.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. The 37% drop in FPS at High settings (154 to 81) reflects the doubling of pixel count, which strains the ROPs and memory bandwidth. The GPU is clearly the limiting component at 4K, as evidenced by the fact that even lowering settings from High to Low only recovers 67 FPS (81 to 148), which is less than the performance headroom available at lower resolutions. The GPU's 87th percentile ranking and its average benchmark score of 56083 confirm its high-end status, making it the engine that drives the high frame rates in this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 serves as a capable foundation for the RTX 5080. With 14 cores and 14 threads, it offers substantial multi-threading capability, which is beneficial for the background tasks and game logic of Outriders. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz provide strong single-threaded performance, which is often more critical for game engines.

The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck in this configuration. The highest frame rate recorded is 278 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a scenario where CPU overhead is most likely to be exposed. The fact that the system can achieve this frame rate shows that the processor's single-thread performance is more than adequate. The L3 cache of 24 MB (shared) helps with data locality, and the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s ensures the CPU can quickly feed data to the GPU.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile, with its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4364P, being only 0.2% faster. This parity with other high-end chips, including the Intel Core i9-13900HX, suggests that its 14 cores are well-utilized and provide consistent performance. In Outriders, the CPU's role is to maintain a high frame ceiling, and the data shows it does so effectively, allowing the RTX 5080 to operate at its full potential at all tested resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For users with a 1080p or 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor, the High preset offers an excellent balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 1440p, High settings produce 154 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a 144Hz display. The jump to Ultra only provides diminishing returns in visual quality while costing a significant 43 FPS at this resolution (111 FPS vs 154 FPS).

For 4K gaming, the High preset is the recommended choice. The 81 FPS average is smooth and offers a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (108 FPS) without the steep performance penalty of Ultra (58 FPS). The Ultra preset at 4K should only be considered if a 60Hz display is in use and the visual detail is a priority, as the 58 FPS average is just at the edge of playable.

The Low preset is not necessary for this hardware combination. Even at 4K, it provides 148 FPS, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most 4K monitors. Utilizing the lowest settings would sacrifice visual quality for performance that cannot be fully appreciated on standard displays. The Medium preset serves as a solid fallback for 4K users who want to ensure frame rates never dip below 90 FPS, as the minimum recorded was 91 FPS. Ultimately, the data suggests that High is the sweet spot for this combo, providing an immersive experience without leaving performance on the table.