Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It features a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. This configuration is notable for having an equal number of cores and threads, meaning it lacks Hyper-Threading, which is a departure from some previous Intel designs. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support position it as a modern mid-range to upper-mid-range CPU. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its average benchmark score of 48995 puts it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, which scores 49196, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which scores 49228, with the Ultra 5 245 trailing both by less than half a percent.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The data suggests that the Core Ultra 5 245 is a formidable processor for Outriders, but its performance headroom varies significantly depending on the graphics settings and resolution. At 1080p with Low settings, the processor is likely the primary driver of performance, as the frame rate reaches 283 FPS. This high figure indicates that the CPU's single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648, is more than sufficient to feed the GPU in less demanding scenarios. The 5.10 GHz boost clock is crucial here, allowing the CPU to quickly process game logic and draw calls, ensuring that the RTX 4080 SUPER is not starved of data.

However, the processor's role shifts as the graphical load increases. The benchmark results display a clear pattern: at Ultra settings across all resolutions, the frame rates drop dramatically compared to Low settings, but the CPU still has to keep up with the increased number of draw calls and physics calculations. The multi-core performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924, is strong enough to handle the game's threaded workloads. The PassMark multi-thread score of 38706 further supports this. Yet, the fact that the CPU is not a bottleneck is evident when comparing the 1080p Low result of 283 FPS to the 4K Low result of 142 FPS; the massive drop is almost entirely due to the GPU's workload at higher resolutions, not a CPU limitation. The data implies that the Ultra 5 245 provides a robust foundation, allowing the GPU to be the main performance limiter in most Outriders configurations, except possibly at the lowest settings and resolution where the CPU's 14 threads are still able to produce extremely high frame rates.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the undisputed performance driver in this pairing, and its specifications explain the frame rate scaling observed in the data. The GPU is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This generous VRAM allocation is critical for Outriders at high resolutions and settings, ensuring that texture data does not spill over into slower system memory. The GPU's core clocks are also a factor: a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz allow for substantial compute throughput. With 10240 shading units and 80 RT cores, the card is designed to handle both traditional rasterization and ray-traced effects, though the data here does not specify if ray tracing was enabled in these tests.

The GPU's performance is clearly the limiting factor at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate falls to 56 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 169 FPS seen at 1080p Ultra. This scaling indicates that the GPU's raw compute power is being saturated by the higher pixel count and more demanding effects. The card's PassMark G3D score of 34245 and its 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirm its high-end status, but Outriders at 4K Ultra pushes it to its limits. The GPU's performance is also showcased by its ability to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions; at 1080p Low, it achieves 283 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine or CPU limit. The data suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is an excellent match for the CPU at 1440p and 1080p, but at 4K, users will need to make significant compromises in settings to achieve higher frame rates.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates across resolutions provide a clear picture of which component is the primary bottleneck in different scenarios. From 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops by a factor that varies with settings, revealing the scaling behavior of the system. At Low settings, the frame rate falls from 283 FPS at 1080p to 142 FPS at 4K, a 50% reduction. This halving of performance suggests that the CPU is still able to keep up at 1080p, but the GPU is being pushed much harder as the resolution increases. The fact that the 4K Low result is only half of the 1080p Low result indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions, even at the lowest graphical presets.

The scaling is more dramatic at higher settings. At Ultra settings, the frame rate drops from 169 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction. This steeper decline shows that the GPU's workload increases disproportionately with resolution when using more demanding settings, as the combination of higher pixel count and advanced visual effects (like shadows and post-processing) taxes the GPU's compute units and memory bandwidth. In contrast, at Medium settings, the 1080p frame rate is 251 FPS, dropping to 103 FPS at 4K, a 59% reduction. These numbers imply that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this system for Outriders, except perhaps at the very lowest settings and resolutions. The data suggests that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary bottleneck at 4K across all settings, while at 1080p and 1440p, the system is more balanced, allowing the CPU's high clock speeds to push frame rates to very high levels.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 91st out of 2913 tested combinations in Outriders. This ranking places it in the top 3.1% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a very high-performing pairing. The data suggests that while the GPU is a top-tier part, the CPU is not the absolute fastest available, which may explain why it does not rank even higher. The CPU's average benchmark score of 48995 is very close to its nearest rivals, with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scoring 0.4% higher and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scoring 0.5% higher. Similarly, the GPU's average score of 54209 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080, which scores 0.1% higher.

The rank of 91 implies that there are 90 other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in Outriders. These likely include combinations with faster CPUs, such as the Core i9 series or AMD Ryzen 9 X3D parts, paired with the same or faster GPUs. The data shows that the Ultra 5 245 is a capable CPU, but its performance is not at the very top of the charts, as its percentile rank of 90 means 10% of CPUs outperform it. However, the system is well-balanced, as the GPU's 86th percentile rank is slightly lower, meaning the GPU is relatively more likely to be the bottleneck than the CPU. This ranking suggests that users with this combination can expect excellent performance in Outriders, but for those seeking the absolute highest frame rates, a more powerful CPU would be needed.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across the board. With Low settings, the average FPS is 283. Medium settings yield an average of 251 FPS, with a minimum of 214 and a maximum of 289 FPS, showing some variance. High settings produce an average of 226 FPS, while Ultra settings bring the average down to 169 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is mostly GPU-bound at higher settings, but the CPU is still capable of maintaining very high frame rates.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down as expected. Low settings produce an average of 243 FPS, which is still very high. Medium settings average 197 FPS, with a minimum of 168 and a maximum of 227 FPS. High settings drop to an average of 148 FPS, and Ultra settings average 107 FPS. These results show that at 1440p, the system remains highly playable, even at Ultra settings, though the frame rate is nearly halved compared to 1080p Ultra. At 3840x2160, the performance becomes more challenging. Low settings average 142 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. Medium settings average 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 and a maximum of 119 FPS. High settings average 77 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 56 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only one that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that users targeting 4K will need to reduce settings to maintain a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system to achieve over 100 FPS consistently?

A: The data shows that at 2560x1440 with High settings, the system averages 148 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, it averages 103 FPS. Both of these options provide over 100 FPS, with the 1440p High setting offering a higher frame rate.

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

A: Yes, the system can handle 4K, but with compromises. At 4K High settings, it averages 77 FPS, which is playable. At 4K Ultra, it averages 56 FPS, which may be below the target for some users on high refresh rate monitors.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its direct rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, scores 49196, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228, which is 0.5% higher. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, which is 0.6% lower.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its direct rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, scores 54247, which is 0.1% higher. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, which is 1.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, which is 2.7% higher.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the main bottleneck. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 56, which is the lowest result in the dataset. Since the CPU's performance is strong at lower resolutions (e.g., 283 FPS at 1080p Low), the significant drop at 4K Ultra points to the GPU being saturated by the high resolution and demanding settings.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this system?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 283 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the data that exceeds 280 FPS, and it highlights the CPU's ability to push very high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily loaded.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the user's display and performance targets. For users with a 1080p display, the High preset offers an excellent balance, delivering 226 FPS average, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors. The Ultra preset at 1080p still provides 169 FPS, but the visual improvement over High may not be worth the 25% performance hit for all users. For 1440p displays, the High preset is again recommended, as it yields 148 FPS, which is smooth for high refresh rate gaming. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 107 FPS, which is still playable, but High provides a more comfortable margin. For 4K displays, the Medium preset is the best choice, as it delivers an average of 103 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS target for most 4K TVs. The High preset at 4K averages 77 FPS, which is acceptable, but the Ultra preset at 56 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 4K is the sweet spot, offering a playable frame rate while still providing a significant visual upgrade over Low settings.