Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a consistently high-refresh experience in Outriders, but the data shows a clear shift in bottlenecks depending on resolution and settings. This pairing of a 16-core, 22-thread Meteor Lake mobile CPU with a high-end Ada Lovelace GPU produces results that range from playable 4K to esports-level 1080p. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is heavily GPU-limited at lower settings, yet the CPU keeps pace admirably at higher resolutions where the load shifts. The following analysis breaks down exactly how each component contributes to the final frame counts, how the combo ranks against other tested pairings, and what you can expect at each resolution and quality preset.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a Meteor Lake mobile processor with 16 cores and 22 threads, running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support (89.6 GB/s bandwidth) provide a solid foundation for feeding a high-end GPU. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU scores 14,551 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,759 in single-core, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (0.3% faster average score) and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (0.5% slower), which indicates it sits in a competitive mid-high tier for mobile processors.

In Outriders, the CPU’s role becomes evident when comparing frame rates across resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo hits 215 FPS average, which is the highest result in the entire measured dataset. This suggests that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is capable of driving the GPU to its limits without becoming a constraint. The single-core performance (1,759 in Cinebench R23) is particularly relevant here, as Outriders is a looter shooter that relies on consistent frame pacing for combat responsiveness. The 5.00 GHz boost clock helps maintain high minimums in crowded firefights, though the data only shows average FPS for most settings.

When moving to 4K, the CPU’s influence diminishes. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 40, which is a 70% reduction from 1080p Ultra (122 FPS). This massive drop indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, not the CPU. The Core Ultra 7 165H’s multi-threaded capabilities (22 threads) are more than sufficient for Outriders’ engine, which typically scales well with a handful of cores. The PassMark multithread score of 25,933 and data compression score of 291,161 suggest that background tasks and asset streaming won’t cause stutters, even when the GPU is maxed out. The 28W TDP is a mobile-class figure, but the benchmark results show it does not bottleneck the RTX 4080 in this game, as evidenced by the 4K Medium average of 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS — a playable range that requires steady CPU frame delivery.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the clear performance driver in this combo. Built on the Ada Lovelace architecture (AD103 chip, 5 nm process), it packs 9,728 shading units, 76 RT cores, and 304 tensor cores. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for Outriders’ texture-heavy environments. The GPU clocks at 2,205 MHz base and 2,505 MHz boost, with memory running at 22.4 Gbps effective. In the PassMark G3D benchmark, it scores 34,457, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% faster), while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB trails by 2.6%.

The GPU’s dominance is most visible in the resolution scaling data. At 1080p Low, the RTX 4080 pushes 215 FPS, but this is likely CPU-bound territory. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 122 FPS — a 43% decrease from Low, which demonstrates how much the GPU work scales with settings. The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is never a concern in this game, as even at 4K Ultra the GPU is likely constrained by raw compute rather than memory capacity. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are more than enough for Outriders’ stylized visuals.

The RTX 4080’s performance at 4K is the most telling. At 4K High, it averages 56 FPS, which is playable but not smooth for a competitive looter shooter. Dropping to 4K Medium yields 74 FPS, a 32% improvement, while 4K Low hits 102 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 40 FPS shows that the highest quality preset is too demanding for a locked 60 FPS experience on this GPU. The GPU’s 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 compute is substantial, but the data indicates that Outriders’ Ultra preset includes effects that heavily tax the shader units. The RTX 4080’s 112 ROPs handle pixel output well, but the 4K Ultra frame time is likely dominated by pixel shading and memory bandwidth saturation, despite the 716.8 GB/s available.

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

The measured FPS data across three resolutions paints a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. Starting at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 215 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, it drops to 184 FPS — a 14% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 102 FPS, a 53% drop from 1080p Low. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-limited scenario at lower settings, where the CPU can feed frames fast enough but the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the constraint as resolution increases.

At High settings, the scaling is more dramatic. 1080p High runs at 169 FPS, 1440p High at 107 FPS (37% drop), and 4K High at 56 FPS (67% drop from 1080p). The larger percentage drops at High settings compared to Low indicate that the GPU is working harder per pixel, making resolution scaling more punishing. This is expected since High settings add more shading work and texture filtering, which increases GPU load per pixel.

Medium settings show a similar trend but with less severe drops. 1080p Medium averages 191 FPS with a minimum of 162 FPS and maximum of 220 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 142 FPS (26% drop), and at 4K Medium, it reaches 74 FPS (61% drop from 1080p). The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (63 FPS) is still above 60, making this the recommended preset for 4K gaming if you want to avoid frame drops below the refresh threshold.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest decline. 1080p Ultra runs at 122 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 77 FPS (37% drop), and 4K Ultra at 40 FPS (67% drop from 1080p). The gap between 1440p Ultra and 4K Ultra is 37 FPS, which is significant. This data confirms that the RTX 4080 is the limiting component at 4K, while the CPU’s 3.80 GHz base clock and 5.00 GHz boost are sufficient to avoid being the primary bottleneck at any resolution. The overall scaling from 1080p to 4K across all settings averages around a 60-70% FPS reduction, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload where pixel count doubles and the GPU cannot compensate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the database of tested CPU-GPU combinations for Outriders, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 844th out of 2,913 combos. This places it in the top 29% of all tested systems, which is respectable but not elite. The rank is influenced by the fact that the RTX 4080 is a desktop-class GPU, but here it’s paired with a mobile CPU, which may limit its performance in CPU-sensitive scenarios. However, the data shows that in Outriders, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck, so the rank likely reflects the GPU’s raw capability rather than any CPU deficiency.

Within the context of the GPU’s own performance, the RTX 4080 sits at the 86th percentile of all GPUs, while the CPU is at the 84th percentile. The combo rank of 844/2913 (71st percentile of combos) is slightly lower than the GPU percentile, suggesting that the mobile CPU does drag down overall system performance in some other games, but in Outriders specifically, the measured FPS are strong. The nearest rival combos would include those pairing the RTX 4080 with faster desktop CPUs, which likely rank higher. However, the measured FPS data for this specific combo shows that it outperforms many lower-ranked pairings by a wide margin at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU can keep up. At 4K, the combo’s rank would likely improve relative to others, as the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor and the CPU’s mobile nature matters less.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Outriders at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 74 with a minimum of 63 FPS, which is playable. At 4K High, it drops to 56 FPS average, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 40 FPS, which is below the typical 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: At 1440p Ultra, the combo averages 77 FPS, which is smooth. If you prefer higher refresh rates, 1440p High runs at 107 FPS, and 1440p Low hits 184 FPS. Medium at 1440p offers 142 FPS with a minimum of 121 FPS, making it a safe choice for consistent performance.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 215 FPS, which is the highest result in the dataset. This indicates the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower settings. Even at 1080p Ultra, it reaches 122 FPS, showing that the Core Ultra 7 165H can keep the GPU well-fed at this resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM enough for Outriders at 4K?

A: Yes, the 16 GB GDDR6X memory is sufficient. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 40 FPS, which is limited by compute performance rather than VRAM capacity. The 716.8 GB/s bandwidth helps maintain texture streaming without stutters.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p High, the average FPS is 169, while at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 122 FPS — a 47 FPS difference (28% reduction). Ultra settings add significant GPU load, but the result is still well above 60 FPS.

Q: Does this combo rank highly compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 844th out of 2,913 combos, placing it in the top 29% of all tested pairings. The GPU alone is in the 86th percentile, and the CPU in the 84th percentile, so the combo is well-rounded, though not top-tier overall due to the mobile CPU.

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

The complete measured FPS data for Outriders with the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 215 FPS average
• Medium: 191 FPS average, 162 FPS minimum, 220 FPS maximum
• High: 169 FPS average
• Ultra: 122 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 184 FPS average
• Medium: 142 FPS average, 121 FPS minimum, 164 FPS maximum
• High: 107 FPS average
• Ultra: 77 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 102 FPS average
• Medium: 74 FPS average, 63 FPS minimum, 86 FPS maximum
• High: 56 FPS average
• Ultra: 40 FPS average

The data shows that the combo excels at 1080p and 1440p, with all presets except 4K Ultra maintaining at least 56 FPS. The only setting that falls below 60 FPS is 4K High (56 FPS) and 4K Ultra (40 FPS). For competitive play, 1080p Low at 215 FPS or 1440p Low at 184 FPS are the optimal choices. For visual quality, 1440p Ultra at 77 FPS offers a balance of fidelity and smoothness. At 4K, Medium is the sweet spot at 74 FPS, while High and Ultra require a tolerance for sub-60 FPS performance. The minimum FPS values provided only for Medium settings at each resolution indicate that this preset offers the most stable frame pacing, with 1080p Medium’s 162 FPS minimum being particularly strong.