Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 pairing delivers a highly capable 1440p experience in Outriders, with the data indicating that most players will find the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate at the High preset. The measured results show that this combination can push well beyond 60 FPS at 4K, but the most consistent and fluid experience is found at 2560x1440, where High settings produce an average of 116 FPS. For those with high-refresh-rate 1080p monitors, the combo is more than sufficient to keep up, but the step from Medium to High at this resolution costs far less performance than the jump from High to Ultra, making High the recommended target.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this specific CPU and GPU combination reveals a clear pattern across all three resolutions: the Ultra preset is disproportionately demanding relative to its visual gains. At 1920x1080, Ultra delivers 133 FPS on average, which is a 51 FPS drop from the High preset's 184 FPS. Similarly, at 2560x1440, Ultra still manages a respectable 84 FPS, but that is 32 FPS lower than High's 116 FPS. The most efficient choice is the High preset, as it provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium while retaining a significant performance headroom over Ultra.

At 4K, the situation becomes more nuanced. The High preset yields a 61 FPS average, which is perfectly playable, but the Medium preset offers a more comfortable 81 FPS average with a recorded minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. This suggests that for 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, as it maintains a frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold while providing more consistent performance than High. The Low preset is available for those seeking maximum frame rates, producing 112 FPS at 4K, but this comes at a significant visual cost.

For the best overall experience, the data supports using High settings at 2560x1440. This configuration achieves a 116 FPS average, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors, and the performance headroom means that demanding scenes are less likely to cause noticeable dips. At 1080p, High settings are also the optimal choice, delivering 184 FPS, which is more than enough for even the fastest gaming displays. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions unless the user prioritizes maximum graphical fidelity over frame rate stability, as the performance penalty is steep and the visual difference is often subtle in fast-paced action.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary driver of Outriders' performance, and its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus with 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth proves sufficient for this title at the tested settings. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 5888 shading units, provides the raw compute power needed to handle the game's effects. The data shows that the RTX 4070 scales predictably with resolution and settings, with the most significant performance drops occurring when moving from High to Ultra, rather than from Medium to High.

The GPU's memory capacity is not a limiting factor in the measured results. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 44, which is a performance bottleneck rather than a memory capacity issue. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 184 TMUs handle the pixel and texture throughput effectively, as evidenced by the smooth scaling from 1080p to 1440p. The RTX 4070's 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate and 455.4 GTexel/s texture rate are well-matched to the demands of Outriders, which is a visually rich looter shooter with numerous particle effects and dynamic lighting.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4070's benchmark scores indicate it sits in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 37648 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Tesla P4 (deltaPct of 0.1%) and the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (deltaPct of 0.4%), while being about 1.3% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile. This positioning explains the measured performance: the RTX 4070 is a solid mid-range performer that can handle 1440p gaming with ease but begins to struggle at 4K with maximum settings. The data suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the 44 FPS average is too low for a smooth experience, whereas the CPU has more headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 361st out of 2913 tested combos in Outriders, placing it in the top 12.4% of all configurations. This is a strong showing, indicating that this pairing is well-suited for the game. The ranking reflects the balance between the CPU's substantial multi-threading capabilities and the GPU's solid 1440p performance. While the combo is not in the top tier for 4K ultra gaming, its overall ranking is bolstered by the strong performance at lower resolutions and settings.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 93 among all processors is notably higher than the GPU's 81st percentile. This suggests that the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is less of a bottleneck than the RTX 4070 in this particular game. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, posts a nearly identical average benchmark score with a deltaPct of -0.3%, while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F is 0.3% behind. This indicates that the CPU is well within the expected performance envelope for its class. The GPU, meanwhile, is closely matched with the Tesla P4 and RX Vega 56, but its performance in Outriders is adequate for the 1440p target.

The combo rank of 361 suggests that there are many other configurations that deliver higher frame rates, but this is largely due to the inclusion of more powerful GPUs in the database. For the price point and power envelope of this pairing, the performance is competitive. The data indicates that the combo performs best at 1440p High, where it achieves 116 FPS, and this is likely where the rank is most favorable. At 4K Ultra, the rank would be significantly worse due to the 44 FPS average, but this is an expected outcome for a mid-range GPU in a demanding title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates are exceptionally high, making this resolution ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. The Low preset produces an average of 290 FPS, while Medium delivers 246 FPS with a minimum of 209 FPS and a maximum of 283 FPS. High settings yield 184 FPS, which is still far above the 144 Hz threshold, and Ultra drops to 133 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 54% performance reduction, but even at Ultra, the frame rate is playable on standard 60 Hz monitors.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains very strong. The Low preset averages 213 FPS, Medium averages 155 FPS with a minimum of 132 FPS and a maximum of 178 FPS, and High averages 116 FPS. Ultra settings bring the average down to 84 FPS. The gap between High and Ultra is 32 FPS, which is the largest jump between successive presets, indicating that Ultra introduces significant rendering overhead. The Medium preset's minimum of 132 FPS suggests that it provides a consistently smooth experience, even in demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4070 begins to show its limitations. Low settings average 112 FPS, which is still quite playable, but Medium drops to 81 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 93 FPS. High settings average 61 FPS, which is right at the edge of playability for many users, and Ultra falls to 44 FPS, which is not recommended for a smooth experience. The data shows a clear trend: the RTX 4070 is a 1440p-focused card, and 4K gaming requires a significant reduction in settings to maintain playable frame rates.

The measured data includes minimum and maximum FPS values only for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 209 FPS and the maximum is 283 FPS, indicating a stable frame time. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 132 FPS and the maximum is 178 FPS, showing a wider variance but still a smooth experience. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 69 FPS and the maximum is 93 FPS, which suggests that occasional dips below 70 FPS may occur, but the overall experience is acceptable.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU/GPU pairing in Outriders?

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 with High settings provides the best balance, achieving a 116 FPS average. This configuration offers high visual quality while maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS, making it suitable for most gaming monitors.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 81 FPS, which is playable, while High drops to 61 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it only manages a 44 FPS average.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from High to Ultra settings?

A: The performance penalty is significant. At 1080p, Ultra is 51 FPS slower than High (133 vs 184 FPS). At 1440p, the drop is 32 FPS (84 vs 116 FPS). At 4K, the drop is 17 FPS (44 vs 61 FPS).

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 or the RTX 4070 the bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 81st percentile. At 4K Ultra, the 44 FPS average is likely due to GPU limitations rather than CPU performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Medium presets?

A: The jump from Low to Medium is substantial. At 1080p, Medium is 44 FPS slower than Low (246 vs 290 FPS). At 1440p, the difference is 58 FPS (155 vs 213 FPS). At 4K, the difference is 31 FPS (81 vs 112 FPS).

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems in Outriders?

A: This combination ranks 361st out of 2913 tested combos, placing it in the top 12.4% of all configurations. This is a strong result, reflecting the balanced performance of the CPU and GPU for this title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 provides a robust foundation for Outriders, with its 20 cores and 20 threads ensuring that the game's background tasks and physics calculations are handled without creating a bottleneck. The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz is more than sufficient for the game's single-threaded performance demands, and its 30 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain smooth frame pacing. In the benchmark data, the CPU's single-thread performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5960, which is indicative of excellent per-core performance.

The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42216. This is relevant for Outriders, which can utilize multiple cores for streaming and AI calculations. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 49682 and its 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs demonstrate that it is a high-performing processor. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, has a nearly identical average score with a deltaPct of -0.3%, confirming that the Ultra 7 265 is at the top of its performance tier.

However, the measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this configuration. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 290 FPS, which is a frame rate that would likely be constrained by the GPU even at these low settings. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at higher resolutions where the GPU is more stressed, but even at 4K Ultra, the 44 FPS average is more likely due to the GPU's rendering capabilities than the CPU's processing power. The CPU's 20 threads and high clock speeds ensure that it can feed the RTX 4070 with enough data to keep it busy, particularly at 1440p where the combo achieves its best balance of GPU and CPU utilization.