Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D occupies the 20th position out of 2,913 tested combinations in Outriders. This places the combo in the top 1% of all configurations, a ranking driven almost entirely by the sheer graphics horsepower of the RTX 5090 D. The data shows a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU only becoming a meaningful factor at the lower end of the settings spectrum.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 20 out of 2,913 is an exceptional placement, indicating that this pairing is among the fastest configurations tested for Outriders. To contextualize this, the CPU itself sits in the 89th percentile against all processors in the database, and the GPU sits in the 92nd percentile. However, the benchmark results suggest that the GPU’s contribution to this in-game rank is far more dominant than the CPU’s.

The RTX 5090 D’s average benchmark score of 77,712 places it in rarefied air. Its nearest rivals in the synthetic benchmark suite are the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (score 78,940, delta -1.6%) and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (score 79,605, delta -2.4%). While these deltas are small in percentage terms, the RTX 5090 D’s real-world performance in Outriders, as shown in the measured FPS, demonstrates a level of capability that these mobile or datacenter-oriented rivals cannot match in a gaming workload.

The CPU’s position is more modest. With an average benchmark score of 46,062, the Core Ultra 5 235 is effectively neck-and-neck with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (score 46,030, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (score 46,098, delta -0.1%). These rivals are within a fraction of a percent in raw compute throughput. The fact that the in-game combo rank is so high despite the CPU being merely average in its class reinforces that Outriders at these settings and resolutions is a graphics-bound title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This is a desktop chip with a 65 W TDP, designed for mainstream platforms. In the context of Outriders, a Looter Shooter that relies on fast reaction times and consistent frame delivery, the CPU’s single-thread performance is critical for maintaining high frame rates.

The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,085 and multi-core score of 14,769 indicate a balanced performer. The single-core score is particularly relevant for gaming, as it reflects the processor’s ability to handle the primary game thread. The boost clock of 5.00 GHz is the key figure here; it allows the CPU to respond quickly to the demands of the game’s simulation logic. However, the data from the measured FPS suggests that even this capability is largely unnecessary at higher resolutions.

At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 278 FPS. This is the only scenario where the CPU is likely to be a significant contributor to the final frame rate. The Passmark single-thread score of 4,516 and the Passmark physics score of 2,570 are respectable, but they do not put the CPU in a class that would bottleneck the RTX 5090 D in most scenarios. Instead, the CPU provides a solid foundation that allows the GPU to stretch its legs, particularly at 1440p and 4K where the frame rates remain extremely high.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is the clear star of this configuration. It is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This massive memory allocation and bandwidth are overkill for a title like Outriders, but they ensure that the GPU never runs out of resources, even at 4K with the highest settings.

The GPU’s clock speeds are a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz. It has 21,760 shading units and 170 RT cores, making it one of the most powerful consumer graphics cards available. Its FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS is a staggering figure, and the data shows that this raw compute translates directly into gameplay performance. The Passmark G3D score of 44,065 is a top-tier result, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs.

In Outriders, the GPU’s role is to render the game’s environments and effects at high resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 5090 D is capable of pushing 4K Ultra at 68 FPS, which is a demanding workload in any title. The GPU’s ability to scale from 1080p to 4K is nearly linear in terms of the performance drop, indicating that it is the primary driver of frame rate in almost all tested scenarios. The 32 GB VRAM buffer ensures that there is no texture or geometry data that could cause a stutter or a drop in performance, even with the highest quality assets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of the combo’s capabilities across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the combo is exceptionally fast. On Low settings, it achieves an average of 278 FPS. Moving to Medium yields 248 FPS, with a minimum of 210 FPS and a maximum of 285 FPS. High settings produce 223 FPS, and Ultra settings still deliver a strong 197 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the combo is never challenged, and even the highest settings are easily playable on high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, the performance remains extremely high. Low settings yield 239 FPS, Medium produces 212 FPS (with a min of 180 and max of 244), High delivers 180 FPS, and Ultra drops to 130 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction in frame rate, but the absolute numbers are still well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 130 FPS at 1440p Ultra is particularly notable, as it demonstrates that the combo can handle high-resolution gaming with maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing fluidity.

At 4K (3840x2160), the data shows a more significant impact from the increased pixel count. Low settings produce 172 FPS, Medium yields 125 FPS (with a min of 106 and max of 144), High delivers 94 FPS, and Ultra drops to 68 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only one that dips below the 100 FPS mark, but it is still a playable frame rate. The 4K Medium result of 125 FPS is a strong indicator that the combo can handle high-refresh-rate 4K gaming, provided the settings are moderated.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is a critical indicator of the bottleneck in this system. From 1080p Low (278 FPS) to 4K Low (172 FPS), there is a 38% drop in frame rate. From 1080p Medium (248 FPS) to 4K Medium (125 FPS), the drop is 50%. From 1080p High (223 FPS) to 4K High (94 FPS), the drop is 58%. From 1080p Ultra (197 FPS) to 4K Ultra (68 FPS), the drop is 65%.

This scaling pattern reveals that the GPU is the limiting component. As the resolution increases, the frame rate drops proportionally, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rate would remain relatively constant as resolution increases, because the CPU would be unable to feed the GPU faster regardless of the pixel count. The fact that the frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 4K confirms that the RTX 5090 D is working progressively harder to render each frame.

The data also shows that the gap between settings narrows at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 81 FPS (278 vs 197). At 4K, the difference between Low and Ultra is 104 FPS (172 vs 68). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that the settings have a more pronounced impact on the final frame rate, further reinforcing the GPU-bound nature of the workload.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Outriders at 4K with High settings?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 94 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1440p high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: The data shows that 1440p Ultra yields an average of 130 FPS, which is suitable for a 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitor. If a higher refresh rate is preferred, 1440p High delivers 180 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 2.4% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB.

Q: Does the Core Ultra 5 235 bottleneck the RTX 5090 D in this game?

A: The data suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The frame rates scale significantly with resolution, indicating that the CPU is not limiting performance except potentially at 1080p Low settings, where the frame rate reaches 278 FPS.

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

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 106 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. Other tested configurations did not report a minimum FPS value.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for Outriders?

A: It ranks 20th out of 2,913 tested combos, placing it in the top 1% of all configurations for this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience in Outriders. The primary goal is to balance visual quality with a high and stable frame rate. For users with a 4K display, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 125 FPS with a minimum of 106 FPS, ensuring a consistent and fluid experience without the performance penalty of the Ultra preset, which drops to 68 FPS. The High preset at 4K is also viable at 94 FPS, but Medium offers a significant margin of safety for demanding scenes.

For 1440p users, the Ultra preset is the recommended choice. It produces 130 FPS average, which is high enough for most high-refresh-rate displays, and it provides the best visual fidelity. If a user prioritizes frame rate above all else, the High preset at 180 FPS is an excellent alternative, but the visual upgrade to Ultra is substantial enough to justify the 50 FPS trade-off for most.

At 1080p, the choice depends entirely on the monitor’s refresh rate. For a 240 Hz monitor, the Medium preset at 248 FPS is the best option, as it stays above the refresh rate ceiling. For a 144 Hz monitor, the Ultra preset at 197 FPS is ideal, as it provides maximum visual quality while still delivering a frame rate well above the display’s capabilities. The Low preset at 278 FPS is only necessary for competitive play where every millisecond counts, but it sacrifices significant visual quality for a marginal increase in frame rate. Overall, the data supports a recommendation to prioritize Medium at 4K, Ultra at 1440p, and either Medium or Ultra at 1080p, depending on the display’s refresh rate.