Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. In this Outriders combo, its role is to feed the RTX 4060 enough data to keep frame rates high. The CPU sits in the 84th percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 34083. That places it within a hair of its nearest rivals: it is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, and 0.4% behind the AMD EPYC 4244P and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350. The data shows that this processor is not the bottleneck at most settings, as the frame rates scale heavily with resolution and graphics preset, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. However, the CPU’s 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory bus (89.6 GB/s) are sufficient to prevent stutter in a looter shooter that spawns many enemies and particles. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 215 FPS, which is high enough that even a strong CPU would struggle to push much further, but at 4K Ultra, the frame rate collapses to 28 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the primary constraint there. For a game like Outriders, which relies on fast-paced combat and ability spam, the CPU’s 16 cores and 22 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and game logic, but the single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1759) is modest, which matters less here because the GPU is doing the heavy lifting at higher resolutions.

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

The Core Ultra 7 165H’s 16 cores and 22 threads are more than enough for Outriders, a title that typically scales well with multi-core processors but rarely needs more than 8 threads for gaming. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.00 GHz is the key figure for gaming, as it allows the processor to react quickly to single-threaded game logic. In the measured data, the transition from 1080p Low (215 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (86 FPS) shows a 60% drop, which is a much larger drop than what a CPU bottleneck would produce. If the CPU were the limiter, the frame rate would stay relatively flat across settings. Instead, the frame rate drops steadily as the GPU workload increases, confirming that the CPU is not the primary constraint at 1080p. The CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14551 and single-core score of 1759 are respectable for a mobile chip, but they are not exceptional. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 165H is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (0.5% slower in average benchmark score), which is a desktop processor from a previous generation. This suggests that for Outriders, the 165H provides enough computational power to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4060 at most settings, but at 1080p Low, the 215 FPS figure is likely approaching the CPU’s practical limit. The processor’s 28 W TDP and mobile BGA 2049 socket are worth noting, as they indicate this is a laptop part, and thermal constraints could affect sustained performance, but the measured FPS data shows consistent results across multiple resolutions. The L3 cache of 24 MB is shared, which helps with game asset streaming, but Outriders is not a cache-sensitive title like some simulation games, so the impact is minimal. In summary, the CPU’s role is to stay out of the way, and the data shows it does so effectively for all but the lowest settings at 1080p, where the frame rate exceeds 200 FPS and becomes more dependent on CPU throughput.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how this combo handles Outriders across four presets and three resolutions. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 159 FPS average, with a minimum of 135 FPS and a maximum of 183 FPS. This is the sweet spot for high refresh rate monitors, as it maintains a frame rate well above 144 Hz while leaving headroom for dips. The High preset at 1080p drops to 119 FPS, which is still smooth but sacrifices 40 FPS for marginally better visuals. Ultra at 1080p yields 86 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. The Low preset at 1080p hits 215 FPS, which is excellent for esports-style responsiveness, but the visual quality is likely too poor for a game that relies on environmental detail. At 1440p, the Medium preset provides 100 FPS (min 85, max 115), which is the best balance for a 1440p 144 Hz monitor, as it stays above 85 FPS even in the worst case. The High preset at 1440p drops to 75 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra at 1440p falls to 54 FPS, which is borderline for a looter shooter that requires precise aiming. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 52 FPS (min 45, max 60), which is just barely playable, but the Low preset at 72 FPS is the only 4K option that provides a comfortable experience. The High preset at 4K drops to 39 FPS, and Ultra is a slideshow at 28 FPS. Based on these numbers, the recommended preset is Medium for both 1080p and 1440p, as it provides the best combination of frame rate stability and visual fidelity. For 4K, Low is the only reasonable choice, as it keeps the frame rate above 70 FPS, while Medium dips below 60 FPS. The data shows that this combo is not suited for 4K Ultra, and users with 4K displays should stick to Low or consider lowering the resolution.

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

The scaling from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and tells a clear story about where the bottleneck lies. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 159 FPS at 1080p to 100 FPS at 1440p, a 37% reduction, and then to 52 FPS at 4K, a 67% reduction from 1080p. This is a classic GPU-limited scaling pattern, as the resolution increase directly impacts the pixel fill rate and shading workload. The RTX 4060’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K, and the 128-bit memory bus is a limiting factor for high-resolution textures. At High settings, the drop is even steeper: 119 FPS at 1080p, 75 FPS at 1440p, and 39 FPS at 4K. This represents a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is consistent with a GPU that is running out of computational headroom. The Low preset shows a similar trend: 215 FPS at 1080p, 138 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is 66%, which is nearly identical to the High preset’s drop, indicating that the GPU is the limiting component across all settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the frame rate to remain relatively constant as resolution increases, but that is not the case here. The CPU’s performance is consistent, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rate scales almost linearly with the number of pixels. At 1080p Low, the 215 FPS figure is likely near the CPU’s limit, but at 4K Low, the 72 FPS figure is purely GPU-bound. This analysis suggests that the RTX 4060 is the primary constraint for 4K gaming, and users should not expect to run Outriders at high settings above 1440p with this combo. The 4K Ultra result of 28 FPS is a clear indication that this combo is not designed for 4K gaming, and the 1440p Medium result of 100 FPS is the practical ceiling for a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 1749 out of 2913 tested combos in Outriders. That places it in the 40th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning roughly 60% of the combos tested in this database perform better. This ranking is somewhat surprising given the individual components’ percentiles: the CPU is in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 61st percentile of all GPUs. The combo rank is lower than either individual component rank, which suggests that the pairing is not optimized for this game. This could be due to the RTX 4060’s 8 GB VRAM being insufficient for Outriders at higher settings, or the mobile CPU’s thermal constraints. The data shows that this combo is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, as the 4K results are poor. In the context of all tested combos, a rank of 1749 means there are many faster pairings, but it also means there are 1164 combos that are slower. For a mobile platform, this is a reasonable result, but it is not a top-tier combination. The nearest GPU rivals (based on average benchmark score) are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (0.2% faster), the AMD Radeon 780M (0.3% slower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (0.5% slower), but these are older or integrated parts, so the RTX 4060’s real-world performance in Outriders is likely better than those scores suggest. The combo rank of 1749 indicates that while this setup can play Outriders, it is not a high-end configuration, and users should temper their expectations for max settings at high resolutions.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a mobile GPU based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, with a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. It has 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, along with 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a common limitation for modern games at 4K. In Outriders, the GPU’s role is dominant, as the frame rate scales heavily with resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 28 FPS is a clear sign that the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and high settings. The 4K Medium result of 52 FPS (min 45, max 60) shows that the GPU can handle 4K at medium settings, but it is right at the edge of playability. The 8 GB VRAM is likely a contributing factor, as Outriders can use more than 8 GB at 4K with high-resolution textures, leading to potential stuttering or texture pop-in, although the measured FPS data does not show min FPS for most settings. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 15.11 TFLOPS, which is modest for a modern GPU, and the 61st percentile ranking reflects this. The RTX 4060’s nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are all older or integrated parts, which suggests that it is a mid-range GPU. In Outriders, the GPU is the clear bottleneck at resolutions above 1440p, and the data shows that users should stick to 1080p or 1440p for a smooth experience. The 1440p Medium result of 100 FPS (min 85, max 115) is the best balance of performance and visual quality, and it demonstrates that the GPU is capable of handling the game at mainstream resolutions. The 1080p High result of 119 FPS is also solid, but the Medium preset offers 40 more FPS for a minimal visual difference. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, it is likely the reason why the High preset drops to 39 FPS, as the memory bandwidth and capacity are insufficient for the higher resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Outriders with this combo?

A: The measured data shows that 1440p Medium provides 100 FPS average (min 85, max 115), which is the best experience. 1080p Medium gives 159 FPS (min 135, max 183), but 1440p is a better balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: Can this combo run Outriders at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which averages 72 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 52 FPS (min 45, max 60), which is borderline playable, while High (39 FPS) and Ultra (28 FPS) are not recommended.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Outriders?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the frame rate dropping from 215 FPS at 1080p Low to 72 FPS at 4K Low, a 66% reduction that scales with resolution. The CPU’s performance is consistent across resolutions.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: In terms of average benchmark score, the RTX 4060 is 0.2% slower than the AMD Radeon HD 7790, 0.3% faster than the AMD Radeon 780M, and 0.5% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro 560. These are not direct gaming comparisons, but they show the GPU’s relative standing.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 86 FPS. This is playable, but the Medium preset at 159 FPS offers a significantly smoother experience.

Q: How does the Core Ultra 7 165H compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU’s average benchmark score is 34083, which is 0.3% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H and 0.4% lower than the AMD EPYC 4244P and AMD Ryzen AI 7 350. This indicates it is a mid-to-high-range mobile processor.