Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination delivers a solid, if not spectacular, performance profile in Outriders. Benchmark data places this pairing at rank 920 out of 2,913 tested combos, positioning it comfortably in the upper third of all systems evaluated for this looter shooter. The measured frame rates reveal a configuration that excels at high-refresh 1080p gaming, remains very capable at 1440p, but begins to show its limitations at 4K, particularly when visual fidelity settings are pushed to their maximum. This analysis breaks down the measured data to explain exactly where this combo stands and what the numbers indicate about the balance between the CPU and GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame of 920 out of 2,913 tested combos places this system in the 68th percentile of all tested configurations for Outriders. This means it outperforms the majority of systems, but there is still a substantial number of higher-performing combos ahead of it. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is an extreme outlier, but the overall system is not at the current-generation for this title.

Examining the individual components helps contextualize this rank. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 holds a percentileVsAllCpus of 90, indicating it outperforms 90% of all tested CPUs in general benchmarks. Its average benchmark score of 48,995 places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (scoring 49,196, a 0.4% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (scoring 49,228, a 0.5% difference). It also leads the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H by 0.6% and the Intel Core i5-14600K by 0.8%. This is a high-performing processor that is not a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, on the other hand, holds a percentileVsAllGpus of 61, which is notably lower than the CPU's percentile. Its average benchmark score of 17,208 is closely matched with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (scoring 17,083, a 0.7% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (scoring 17,037, a 1% difference). This suggests the GPU is a more average performer compared to its CPU counterpart. In the context of Outriders, the overall rank of 920 suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier part, the GPU’s relative standing holds the combo back from reaching the higher echelons of the ranking table. The system is likely more constrained by the graphics card in demanding scenarios, a hypothesis supported by the resolution scaling data.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve high frame rates in Outriders?

A: At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 152 FPS on High settings and 202 FPS on Medium, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The 2560x1440 resolution also provides very good performance, with 96 FPS on High and 128 FPS on Medium.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, performance becomes more demanding. The High preset delivers an average of 50 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 36 FPS. Lowering the settings to Medium yields 67 FPS, and Low provides 92 FPS, showing that playable 4K is achievable but requires a significant reduction in graphical fidelity.

Q: Which component is more likely to be the performance bottleneck in this system?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU holds a 90th percentile ranking, while the GPU is in the 61st percentile. As resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops by roughly half or more on the same settings, indicating increased graphical load that stresses the GPU more than the CPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The difference is substantial. At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields an average of 175 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields 69 FPS. This represents a performance cost of over 100 FPS for the maximum visual quality settings.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 5 245 a high-performing CPU compared to its direct rivals?

A: Yes. Its average benchmark score of 48,995 is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and AMD Ryzen 9 7900, with a delta of -0.4% and -0.5% respectively. It also edges out the Intel Core i5-14600K by a 0.8% margin, placing it at the top of its immediate performance class.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: The measured data for the 1920x1080 Medium preset shows an average FPS of 202, with a minimum of 172 FPS and a maximum of 232 FPS. This indicates a consistent frame pacing experience.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data across the three resolutions provides a clear picture of where the performance limits lie. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 152 FPS to 96 FPS, a decrease of 56 FPS or roughly 37%. This is a significant hit that is primarily attributable to the increased pixel count, which places more demand on the GPU's fill rate and shading units.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more dramatic. At 3840x2160 on the High preset, the average FPS falls to 50, a further drop of 46 FPS from the 1440p result. This represents a 48% reduction in performance. The RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM and 256-bit memory bus are being pushed hard at this resolution. The jump in pixel count from 3.7 million (1440p) to 8.3 million (4K) more than doubles the rendering workload. The fact that the High preset cannot maintain a 60 FPS average at 4K is a strong indicator that the GPU is the limiting component at this resolution.

Comparing the scaling on the Low preset reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the system produces 278 FPS. This high frame rate suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data, as the low graphical load allows the GPU to work at its maximum potential. At 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 175 FPS, and at 4K Low, it drops to 92 FPS. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior; as the resolution increases, the GPU's rendering time per frame increases, and the overall FPS drops accordingly, regardless of the low settings. The CPU is not the bottleneck here, as the frame rates scale almost perfectly with the pixel count.

Settings Recommendations

The sweet spot for this combo is the High preset at 2560x1440 resolution. With an average of 96 FPS, it provides a smooth and responsive experience that takes advantage of high refresh rate monitors while maintaining excellent visual quality. This configuration gets solid performance without pushing the system to its limits, leaving headroom for demanding combat scenarios with many enemies and particle effects.

For gamers prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the best choice. The 202 FPS average, with a minimum of 172 FPS, ensures an extremely fluid experience on 144Hz or even 240Hz displays. The visual difference between Medium and High is often subtle in a fast-paced game like Outriders, but the performance jump is significant, making this an excellent trade-off for competitive or high-refresh play.

At 4K, the Ultra preset is not a viable option, as the 36 FPS average is below the threshold for comfortable play. The High preset at 4K is marginally playable but does not consistently hit 60 FPS. The recommended 4K setting is Medium, which delivers a 67 FPS average. This is a more acceptable frame rate, though it requires a compromise on visual fidelity to achieve. The Low preset at 4K (92 FPS) is another option for those who prioritize frame rate over all else, but the Medium preset offers a better balance of visual quality and performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates its strength. The Low preset delivers an outstanding average of 278 FPS. The Medium preset provides a very strong 202 FPS average, with a minimum of 172 and a maximum of 232 FPS. The High preset is still excellent, with an average of 152 FPS. Even the Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, achieves a playable 109 FPS average. This resolution is clearly where the system is most comfortable, with all presets delivering more than enough performance for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains high but shows the expected decrease. The Low preset averages 175 FPS, which is still excellent. The Medium preset averages 128 FPS, with a minimum of 108 and a maximum of 147 FPS. The High preset yields a solid 96 FPS, which is great for high-refresh 1440p monitors. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 69 FPS, which is still playable but represents a significant cost for the highest fidelity settings.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become clear. The Low preset is the only one that achieves a high frame rate, with an average of 92 FPS. The Medium preset manages a respectable 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 and a maximum of 77 FPS. The High preset falls to an average of 50 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for many gamers. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, resulting in an average of only 36 FPS, which is difficult to play smoothly. The data shows a clear progression: the system is a high-performance 1080p machine, a very capable 1440p machine, and a moderate 4K machine that requires settings adjustments to be playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. The CPU's high performance is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,924 and a single-core score of 4,648. These scores place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, indicating strong performance across both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.

In Outriders, a game that relies on a mix of game logic, AI, and physics, the CPU's strong single-thread performance is crucial. The high boost clock of 5.10 GHz ensures that the main game thread can be processed quickly, avoiding bottlenecks. The multi-core performance, demonstrated by the Cinebench R23 multi-core score, is also valuable for handling background tasks and other game systems. The data from the resolution scaling test suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the frame rates scale primarily with resolution. At 1080p Low, the system can achieve 278 FPS, which is a very high number that indicates the CPU can maintain a high instruction throughput. The CPU's cache configuration includes 24 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps with quickly accessing frequently used data.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is extremely tight. Its average benchmark score is within 0.8% of the Intel Core i5-14600K and within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900. This means that for Outriders, the choice between these CPUs would likely result in near-identical frame rates, with the GPU becoming the differentiating factor in most scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is built on the Ampere architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is 1725 MHz. The GPU has 5,888 shading units and 46 RT cores. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 22,214, place it in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. This is a mid-to-high-range performer, but it is not a top-tier part.

The GPU's performance in Outriders is the primary driver of the frame rate at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU has enough power to push very high frame rates, especially on lower presets. However, as the resolution increases, the GPU's workload increases significantly. The 8 GB of VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the higher memory requirements for textures can become a factor, potentially causing performance dips. The 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth is decent for the GPU's class, but it is a limiting factor at 4K where the demand for texture data is much higher.

The GPU's performance is closely matched with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, which has a benchmark score just 0.7% higher. This indicates that the RTX 3070 is a solid, but not exceptional, performer for this game. The fact that the combo's overall rank (920) is lower than what the CPU's percentile alone would suggest indicates that the GPU is the component that holds the system back. The measured FPS data confirms this: the system cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K on High settings, a task that would require a more powerful GPU. The GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K, and it also defines the performance ceiling at 1440p when using the Ultra preset.