Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination produces a highly variable experience in Outriders, heavily dependent on the selected resolution and quality preset. The measured data indicates this is a pairing where the GPU dictates performance ceilings at higher resolutions, while the CPU’s substantial throughput becomes more relevant at 1080p. This analysis examines the measured FPS data to provide clear guidance on settings, component roles, and overall ranking.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal settings preset for this hardware combination in Outriders is Medium at 2560x1440. This preset delivers an average of 95 FPS, which is a smooth and responsive frame rate for a looter shooter. While the Low preset at this resolution averages 131 FPS, the Medium preset likely provides a better visual experience with only a 36 FPS average cost. The High preset at 1440p drops to an average of 71 FPS, which is still playable but begins to sacrifice the fluidity that benefits the genre.

For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, the High preset at 1920x1080 is a viable alternative, yielding an average of 113 FPS. This offers a strong balance of visual quality and performance, though it is 37 FPS average below the Medium preset at the same resolution. The Ultra preset is not recommended for serious play, as it produces an average of 81 FPS at 1080p and drops to a sub-60 FPS average of 51 at 1440p. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, providing a significant frame rate headroom over High while maintaining a more detailed image than Low.

At 4K, the situation changes drastically. No preset achieves a consistently playable experience. The Low preset averages 68 FPS, which is borderline, but the Medium preset drops to 50 FPS. The High and Ultra presets are effectively unplayable, with averages of 37 and 27 FPS, respectively. Therefore, 4K gaming is only recommended if the user is willing to accept Low settings, which may still result in frame drops during intense combat scenes. The most balanced overall experience, considering both frame rate and visual quality, is clearly the Medium preset at 1440p, which is the only configuration that offers a robust average FPS without requiring the lowest visual settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary performance limiter in this configuration, especially as resolution increases. The GPU’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at Medium and High settings, but the data shows a sharp decline in performance at 4K. The transition from 1440p Medium (95 FPS) to 4K Medium (50 FPS) represents a 47% reduction in average frame rate, indicating that the GPU’s rendering capabilities are being saturated.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1650 MHz and its 2176 shading units are tasked with handling the graphical load. The measured results show that the GPU can handle High settings at 1080p (113 FPS) and 1440p (71 FPS), but the jump to 4K High is too demanding, cratering to 37 FPS. This pattern is consistent with a graphics card that is well-suited for mainstream resolutions but lacks the raw compute power for 4K gaming in a demanding title like Outriders. The GPU’s performance percentile of 62 places it in the mid-range tier, and its benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 16462, confirm its capacity for 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The data indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the bottleneck at higher resolutions because the FPS scales inversely with the number of pixels rendered. At 4K, even the Low preset, which reduces the shading load, only achieves an average of 68 FPS. This suggests that while the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data, the GPU simply cannot process the frames fast enough at this resolution. The 8 GB VRAM is not the primary constraint here, as the performance drop is consistent across presets, pointing to a limitation in the GPU's overall processing power rather than a memory capacity issue.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1080p, the combination is capable of producing high frame rates, with the Low preset hitting a 207 FPS average. This suggests a CPU-bound scenario where the Intel Core Ultra 7 265's 20 cores and 5.30 GHz boost clock are able to push the frame rate well beyond the GPU’s limits. As the resolution increases, the load shifts to the GPU, and the average FPS drops significantly.

Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings results in a decrease from 150 FPS to 95 FPS, a 37% drop. The same progression for High settings shows a decline from 113 FPS to 71 FPS, a 37% reduction. This consistent percentage drop indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor, as the rendering resolution increases. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more dramatic. For Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 95 to 50, a 47% drop. For High settings, it falls from 71 to 37, a 48% drop.

This scaling behavior is critical for understanding the system’s bottlenecks. At 1080p, the CPU has headroom, as evidenced by the 207 FPS low preset score. The GPU, however, struggles to maintain that pace. At 4K, the GPU is fully saturated, and the CPU’s role diminishes. The data shows that the system is balanced for 1440p, where the scaling between CPU and GPU loads is more even. The severe FPS drops at 4K, regardless of settings, confirm that this resolution is beyond the intended scope of this hardware pairing. The performance per pixel decreases rapidly, indicating that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary constraint for high-resolution gaming.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Outriders?*

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. The Medium preset at this resolution yields an average of 95 FPS, providing a smooth experience. 1920x1080 produces higher frame rates, but 4K is not viable for comfortable play, as even the Low preset only averages 68 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance?

A: The Ultra preset is very demanding. At 1920x1080, it averages 81 FPS, which is a 46% decrease from the Medium preset's 150 FPS. At 2560x1440, it falls to an average of 51 FPS, and at 4K, it drops to a nearly unplayable 27 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck?

A: The bottleneck shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the CPU's capability is evident, with Low settings hitting 207 FPS. However, the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as seen by the significant FPS drops when moving to 1440p and 4K.

*Q: Can this system run Outriders at 4K?*

A: Technically yes, but only at low settings and with compromises. The Low preset at 4K averages 68 FPS, but the Medium preset drops to 50 FPS. For a stable experience, users should stick to 1440p or 1080p.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combination ranks 1971 out of 2913 tested combos for Outriders. This places it in the lower-middle tier of systems, consistent with a mid-range GPU paired with a high-end CPU.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and High settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Low preset averages 207 FPS, while the High preset averages 113 FPS. This is a 94 FPS difference, showing that High settings significantly increase the graphical load on the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1971 out of 2913 tested combinations for Outriders. This places the system in the 32nd percentile, indicating that it performs worse than the majority of tested hardware pairings. This ranking is primarily dragged down by the GPU, which sits at the 62nd percentile when compared to all GPUs. The CPU, in contrast, is a high-end part, ranking in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs.

This disparity explains the in-game performance. The system has a strong CPU foundation, but the GPU prevents it from achieving high frame rates at demanding settings. The ranking suggests that while the CPU is capable of supporting a much more powerful graphics card, the RTX 2060 SUPER holds the system back in a GPU-intensive title like Outriders. The system finds itself in the lower half of the rankings, and the measured FPS data confirms that it is not a top-tier performer for this specific game. The high CPU rank does little to compensate for the GPU's mid-range standing in this gaming context.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 plays a supporting, yet crucial, role in this configuration. With 20 cores and 20 threads, it provides ample processing power for the game’s logic and physics. Its benchmark results are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216 and a single-core score of 5960. This high single-core performance is particularly relevant for gaming, as many game engines rely heavily on a few powerful threads.

The CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p, where the frame rates are exceptionally high. The 207 FPS average at Low settings strongly suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution. The GPU is the one that prevents even higher frame rates. This indicates that the CPU has significant headroom, and its performance is not a bottleneck for the RTX 2060 SUPER. The CPU’s 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth ensure that data can be fed to the GPU efficiently.

However, the CPU’s influence wanes as the resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, and the CPU’s high core count and clock speeds do not translate into higher FPS. The data shows that the CPU is a strong performer that does not hold the system back, but it is also not the component that determines the gaming experience at higher resolutions. The system’s overall performance is dictated by the GPU, while the CPU provides a stable and fast foundation that allows the GPU to operate at its full potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

3840x2160 (4K)

• High: The average FPS is 37. This is a stuttery, unplayable experience for a fast-paced game.
• Low: The average FPS is 68. This is the only 4K preset that approaches a playable frame rate, but it may still have dips.
• Medium: The average FPS is 50, with a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 57. This shows inconsistent performance, with noticeable frame dips.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 27. This is a slideshow and is not recommended.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• High: The average FPS is 71. This is a playable frame rate, though not ideal for competitive play.
• Low: The average FPS is 131. This is a very smooth experience, indicating the GPU can easily handle this load.
• Medium: The average FPS is 95, with a minimum of 81 and a maximum of 109. This is the recommended setting, offering good performance and visual quality.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 51. This dips below the 60 FPS threshold and is best avoided.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• High: The average FPS is 113. This is a great experience for high-refresh-rate monitors.
• Low: The average FPS is 207. This is an extremely high frame rate, showing the CPU's strength.
• Medium: The average FPS is 150, with a minimum of 128 and a maximum of 173. This is an excellent, fluid experience.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 81. This is still playable, but the performance cost is high.