Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, using a 3 nm process from TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. For Outriders, a looter shooter that typically relies on sustained multi-threaded performance for handling numerous enemies and physics calculations, this CPU’s configuration provides ample headroom. The processor’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s of dual-channel DDR5 memory bandwidth help ensure that scene data and game assets are fed to the GPU without introducing stutter-inducing bottlenecks. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 42,216 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,960 in single-core, placing it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs tested. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 265 is essentially tied with the AMD EPYC 4464P at -0.3% and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F at +0.3%, showing that its raw compute capacity is consistent with other high-end desktop parts.

The CPU’s role in this specific game setup becomes clearer when examining its benchmark deltas against other processors. The data shows that the Core Ultra 7 265 performs within one percentage point of several EPYC server chips, such as the AMD EPYC 7343 (+0.7%) and the AMD EPYC 9124 (-0.7%). This indicates that for Outriders, the processor is not a limiting factor at most settings, since its compute throughput is comparable to workstation-class silicon. The 20 threads are fully utilized in modern games that can scale across cores, and the high boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures that single-threaded game logic—like physics ticks and AI pathfinding—runs responsively. At 1080p with Low settings, the measured average FPS reaches 200, which suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far beyond typical display refresh rates. However, as resolution increases and the GPU load grows, the CPU’s influence diminishes, and the frame rate becomes more dependent on the graphics card.

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

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) using a 5 nm TSMC process, featuring 2,560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. It comes with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, with a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. This memory configuration is particularly relevant for Outriders at high resolutions, where texture data and geometry can consume significant video memory. The GPU’s 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute provides the raw throughput needed for the game’s particle effects and lighting. In the Passmark G3D benchmark, the Arc B580 scores 15,748, placing it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (-0.2%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (+0.6%), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (-0.7%), showing that while the Arc B580 is competitive in average scores, it does not dominate any single category.

In Outriders, the GPU’s performance scaling with settings reveals its strengths and limitations. At 1080p, the Arc B580 delivers 200 FPS on Low, 145 FPS on Medium, 109 FPS on High, and 79 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1080p is a 60% reduction, which is a typical pattern for a mid-range GPU where higher settings introduce more shading and post-processing work. At 1440p, the same settings yield 126, 92, 69, and 50 FPS respectively, with the Ultra preset falling below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K results are more telling: 66 FPS on Low, 48 FPS on Medium, 36 FPS on High, and 26 FPS on Ultra. The fact that 4K Low achieves 66 FPS while 4K Ultra drops to 26 FPS indicates that the GPU’s 12 GB VRAM and 456 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game’s assets, but the compute units become saturated with the increased resolution and effects. The Arc B580’s 20 ray tracing cores are present, but Outriders does not heavily utilize RT, so the performance headroom is mostly spent on rasterization and shader work.

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

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of which settings preset offers the most balanced experience for this combination. At 1080p, the Medium preset averages 145 FPS with a minimum of 124 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and provides smooth gameplay even during intense firefights. The High preset at 1080p still delivers 109 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High costs 36 FPS, which is a 25% reduction for a visual improvement that may not be necessary for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 79 FPS, which is playable but begins to show the GPU’s limits when all effects are maxed. For a looter shooter where reaction time matters, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate, as the minimum FPS of 124 ensures no drops below the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS, which is still comfortably above 60 FPS and provides a good experience for users with 1440p displays. The High preset at 1440p drops to 69 FPS, which is playable but closer to the edge, and the Ultra preset falls to 50 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold for fast-paced action. For 4K, the Low preset averages 66 FPS, making it the only 4K setting that stays above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 48 FPS with a minimum of 41 FPS, which is not smooth enough for consistent gameplay. The data suggests that users should prioritize resolution over settings: if a 4K display is used, the Low preset is the only viable option, whereas 1440p users can comfortably use Medium, and 1080p users can choose between Medium and High depending on their preference for visual quality over extra frame rate headroom.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming on this combo?

A: The Medium preset delivers 145 FPS average with a 124 FPS minimum, making it the most consistent option for smooth gameplay, while the High preset at 109 FPS is also viable if visual fidelity is prioritized.

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

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset, which averages 66 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 48 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 26 FPS, so higher settings are not recommended for 4K play.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to the RTX 3080 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580 scores 15,748 in Passmark G3D, while the RTX 3080 has a delta of -0.7%, meaning the Arc B580 is roughly 0.7% faster in that benchmark, though real-world game performance may vary.

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-core performance relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 scores 42,216 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, and it is virtually tied with the AMD EPYC 4464P (-0.3%) and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F (+0.3%), indicating near-identical compute capacity.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for high-resolution textures?

A: The Arc B580 has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is sufficient for Outriders at 4K, as evidenced by the 66 FPS at Low settings; the limitation at higher settings is compute performance, not VRAM capacity.

Q: What is the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: The average FPS drops from 145 at 1080p to 48 at 4K, a 67% reduction, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern for this combination. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 145 at 1080p, to 92 at 1440p, and 48 at 4K. This represents a 37% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 48% drop from 1440p to 4K. The total decline from 1080p to 4K is 67%, which is consistent with a GPU that is processing more pixels and shading work as resolution increases. The fact that the frame rate does not drop proportionally with the pixel count (which would be 4x from 1080p to 4K) suggests that other factors, such as memory bandwidth and cache efficiency, are also at play, but the GPU remains the dominant limiter.

Looking at the Low preset, the scaling is 200 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 66 FPS at 4K. This is a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K, which is nearly identical to the Medium preset’s drop. The consistency of this 67% reduction across different settings indicates that the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems are scaled to handle the resolution increase in a predictable manner. At High settings, the drops are 109 FPS at 1080p, 69 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K, which is a 67% drop as well. The Ultra preset shows a slightly larger drop: 79 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K, a 67% drop from 1080p to 4K. This uniform percentage decline across all settings strongly suggests that the Intel Arc B580 is the limiting component at every resolution, as the CPU is capable of maintaining high frame rates at lower resolutions but cannot overcome the GPU’s throughput ceiling.

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

The measured FPS data for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and Intel Arc B580 combination in Outriders is as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 200 FPS, Medium averages 145 FPS with a minimum of 124 and maximum of 167, High averages 109 FPS, and Ultra averages 79 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy where each step up in settings reduces the average frame rate by roughly 30-40 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium (55 FPS). The minimum FPS data for Medium at 1080p (124 FPS) indicates that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate stays well above the 60 FPS target, making this the most stable preset at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 126 FPS, Medium averages 92 FPS with a minimum of 78 and maximum of 105, High averages 69 FPS, and Ultra averages 50 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 76 FPS, which is a 60% reduction, similar to the 1080p pattern but with lower absolute values. The minimum FPS of 78 for Medium at 1440p is still above 60, but the Ultra preset’s 50 FPS average falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 66 FPS, Medium averages 48 FPS with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 55, High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 26 FPS. The 4K results show that only the Low preset maintains an average above 60 FPS, while the Medium preset’s minimum of 41 FPS would cause noticeable stuttering in action-heavy sequences. The measured data for High and Ultra at 4K does not include minimum FPS values, but the averages of 36 and 26 FPS respectively indicate that these settings are not suitable for playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and Intel Arc B580 ranks 2733 out of 3710 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the 26th percentile of all configurations tested. This rank reflects the overall performance of the pairing, and the data shows that while the CPU is in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, the GPU is only in the 68th percentile among all GPUs. The discrepancy between these two percentiles indicates that the Arc B580 is the bottleneck in this system, dragging the overall combo rank below what the CPU alone would suggest. The rank of 2733 out of 3710 means that roughly 74% of tested combos achieve higher average FPS in Outriders, which is expected given that many other configurations pair high-end CPUs with more powerful GPUs.

The combo’s rank is influenced by the fact that at 1080p, where the CPU has more influence, the system performs well, but at 4K, the GPU’s limitations become apparent. For context, the GPU’s nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, but those cards are often paired with different CPUs in the database, which can shift the overall combo ranking. The data shows that this pairing is best suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming at medium to high settings, as the 4K performance is too low for a positive ranking. The rank of 2733 out of 3710 is not a reflection of poor individual components, but rather a statement about the balance of this pairing: the CPU has more headroom than the GPU can utilize, particularly at higher resolutions, leading to a lower overall rank than the CPU’s individual percentile would suggest.