Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination delivers a highly playable Outriders experience at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K. Benchmark data shows the pairing is well-balanced for high-refresh-rate gaming at lower resolutions, with the GPU becoming the dominant limiting factor as resolution increases. The system ranks in the 53rd percentile for this game, sitting at rank 1566 out of 2913 tested combinations, indicating a mid-pack performance tier that excels in specific scenarios.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, which provides substantial single-thread headroom for game logic and physics calculations. The processor features a 30 MB shared L3 cache alongside per-core L2 and L1 caches (3 MB and 192 KB per core respectively), which helps reduce memory latency in demanding scenarios.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates strong multi-threaded capabilities with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 42,216 and a single-core score of 5,960. Its Passmark multithread score of 49,682 and single-thread score of 4,689 place it in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, indicating it outperforms the vast majority of processors available. The average benchmark score of 64,640 places it within 0.7% of its nearest rivals, including the AMD EPYC 7343 and Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, showing consistent performance across workloads.

For Outriders specifically, the CPU's high boost clock and substantial core count ensure that the game's AI, enemy spawning, and loot calculations do not bottleneck the frame rate. The measured FPS data confirms this, as the system achieves 228 FPS at 1080p Low settings, which is far beyond what the GPU can sustain at higher settings. The data suggests the CPU is never the limiting factor in any of the tested configurations, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings changes, which are GPU-bound variables.

The processor's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR5 interface provides ample data throughput for the game's streaming requirements. The 20-thread configuration handles Outriders' multi-threaded rendering and physics tasks without issue, as evidenced by the high frame rates at lower resolutions where CPU overhead is more pronounced. The Passmark physics score of 2,923 further indicates robust computational performance for game-related physics simulation.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a TU104 chip manufactured on a 12 nm process. It features 2,560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, with 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores for hardware-accelerated ray tracing and AI features. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1,605 MHz with a boost clock of 1,770 MHz, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth.

This GPU configuration is the primary determinant of Outriders' performance at higher resolutions and settings. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for the game's texture and geometry demands at 1080p and 1440p, but the memory bandwidth becomes a constraint at 4K Ultra settings. The GPU's FP32 performance of 9.062 TFLOPS and texture rate of 283.2 GTexel/s provide solid rasterization throughput for the game's particle effects and environment detail.

In standard benchmarks, the RTX 2070 SUPER achieves a Passmark G3D score of 18,169 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,651, placing it in the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc B570 (1.3% higher score) and Intel Arc A750 (1.5% higher score), demonstrating that the GPU sits at a competitive performance tier for its generation. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 90,637 indicates strong API efficiency, which benefits DirectX 12-based games like Outriders.

The measured FPS data reveals the GPU's limitations clearly. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 228 FPS, but this drops to 124 FPS at High settings and 90 FPS at Ultra, showing that the GPU's rendering pipeline becomes saturated as graphical load increases. The 8 GB VRAM appears adequate for 1440p, where High settings yield 78 FPS, but the 4K Ultra result of 30 FPS suggests the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of resolution and settings complexity.

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

The measured data shows a steep performance decline as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p Low, the system produces 228 FPS, which represents the absolute ceiling of what this combination can achieve. Moving to 1440p Low drops the frame rate to 144 FPS, a 37% reduction, while 4K Low yields 75 FPS, a 67% reduction from 1080p. This scaling pattern confirms that the CPU has ample headroom, as the frame rate drops are disproportionate to the pixel count increase.

The High settings curve demonstrates similar behavior: 124 FPS at 1080p, 78 FPS at 1440p (37% drop), and 41 FPS at 4K (67% drop from 1080p). This consistent percentage reduction across different settings levels indicates that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints. The RTX 2070 SUPER's 448.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a bottleneck at 4K, where the game requires significantly more data per frame.

The settings scaling within each resolution further confirms the GPU-bound nature. At 1080p, the difference between Low (228 FPS) and Ultra (90 FPS) is 138 FPS, while at 4K, the same settings range produces only 45 FPS difference (75 FPS to 30 FPS). This compression of the performance envelope at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is nearing its absolute limits, with less headroom for additional graphical fidelity at 4K.

The Ultra settings at 4K produce a barely playable 30 FPS, which suggests that the GPU's 9.062 TFLOPS compute capability is insufficient for the game's full visual feature set at this resolution. The 1440p Medium setting at 105 FPS represents the sweet spot for this combination, balancing visual quality with responsive gameplay. The data clearly shows that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the limiting component, with the CPU contributing minimal bottleneck at any resolution.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + RTX 2070 SUPER in Outriders?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p Medium provides the best balance with 105 FPS average and a minimum of 89 FPS. This delivers smooth gameplay while maintaining good visual quality, outperforming the 4K results significantly.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. The system achieves 75 FPS at 4K Low and 41 FPS at 4K High, but drops to 30 FPS at 4K Ultra. For playable 4K, Low settings are recommended, while High and Ultra settings will result in stuttery and potentially unplayable performance.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU scores 18,169 on Passmark G3D, which is 1.5% lower than the Intel Arc A750 and 1.3% lower than the Intel Arc B570. It sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a mid-to-upper tier card that performs competitively with newer budget options.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for Outriders performance?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile and provides more than enough processing power, as evidenced by the 228 FPS at 1080p Low. The frame rate drops of 67% from 1080p to 4K directly correlate with the GPU's rendering load.

Q: What is the maximum FPS this system can achieve in Outriders?

A: The highest measured average is 228 FPS at 1080p Low settings. This represents the peak performance of the combination, with the RTX 2070 SUPER's rendering capabilities being the sole constraint.

Q: How does this system rank among all tested Outriders configurations?

A: The combination ranks 1566 out of 2913 total tested configurations, placing it in the 53rd percentile. This indicates it performs slightly above average for the game, with the specific strengths being 1080p and 1440p high-refresh-rate scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the system demonstrates excellent performance across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 228 FPS, which drops to 166 FPS at Medium (with a range of 141-191 FPS). High settings yield 124 FPS, while Ultra settings deliver 90 FPS. These results show that the RTX 2070 SUPER has significant headroom at this resolution, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors up to 240Hz at Low settings or 144Hz at Medium settings.

Moving to 1440p, the performance remains strong but shows expected decreases. Low settings average 144 FPS, Medium settings produce 105 FPS (with a range of 89-120 FPS), and High settings deliver 78 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 57 FPS, which is still playable but approaches the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable. The Medium setting at 1440p represents the best combination of visual fidelity and smoothness, with the minimum of 89 FPS keeping gameplay responsive.

At 4K, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings produce 75 FPS, which is playable, but Medium drops to 55 FPS (with a range of 46-63 FPS). High settings yield 41 FPS, which is borderline playable, and Ultra settings fall to 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for playable frame rates but will feel choppy in fast-paced combat. The data shows that 4K gaming requires significant settings compromises with this GPU.

The performance scaling between settings is consistent across resolutions. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 138 FPS, at 1440p is 87 FPS, and at 4K is 45 FPS. This diminishing scaling at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU's resources are being consumed by pixel throughput rather than settings complexity at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and RTX 2070 SUPER, the 1440p Medium preset is the optimal choice. This configuration delivers 105 FPS average with a minimum of 89 FPS, providing smooth gameplay that stays well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium settings preserve the game's visual identity while ensuring responsive controls, making it ideal for the fast-paced combat and cover mechanics that define Outriders.

For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, the 1080p Low preset at 228 FPS offers the most responsive experience, ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. This setting sacrifices visual detail but ensures the GPU is never the bottleneck, allowing the CPU's strong single-thread performance to shine. The 1080p Medium preset at 166 FPS provides a good middle ground for users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset at 57 FPS is just below the ideal smoothness threshold but remains playable for less demanding content. Users who prefer visual quality over frame rate may find this acceptable, though the Medium preset's 105 FPS offers a significantly better gameplay experience. The High preset at 78 FPS is a reasonable alternative for those who want better visuals than Medium without the frame rate cost of Ultra.

For 4K displays, the Low preset at 75 FPS is the only fully playable option. The Medium preset at 55 FPS will experience noticeable stuttering during intense scenes, while High and Ultra (41 FPS and 30 FPS respectively) are not recommended for action sequences. Users with 4K monitors should either accept significant visual compromises or consider playing at 1440p with higher settings for a better overall experience.