Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a strictly entry-level experience in Outriders, with the GPU acting as the definitive bottleneck across all tested configurations. The data shows a clear hierarchy where only the lowest settings at 1080p achieve a playable frame rate, while higher resolutions and quality presets quickly become untenable. The combo ranks in the 11th percentile (2582 out of 2913 combos), confirming that this pairing is suited for low-fidelity gaming rather than high-refresh or high-resolution scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for Outriders reveals a stark performance ceiling imposed by the Intel Arc B390. The optimal experience is unequivocally the Low preset at 1920x1080, which delivers an average of 115 FPS. This is the only configuration that breaks the 100 FPS barrier and provides a smooth, responsive frame rate suitable for the fast-paced combat of a looter shooter. While the Medium preset at 1080p offers a 28% reduction in average FPS (83 FPS), the jump to High at 63 FPS represents a 45% performance loss compared to Low. Given the GPU's limitations, the visual fidelity gains from Medium or High do not justify the significant frame rate sacrifice.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option, yielding an average of 72 FPS. This is acceptable for gameplay, but the drop from 115 FPS at 1080p is substantial. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 53 FPS, which is on the edge of playability, but the data shows a minimum of 45 FPS, indicating potential stutters in heavy combat. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution produce 40 FPS and 29 FPS respectively, which are below the threshold for a smooth experience. For 4K gaming, the data indicates that Outriders is not a realistic prospect with this hardware; the Low preset manages only 38 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 28 FPS with a minimum of 23 FPS, making it a slideshow.

The verdict is clear: to get the best playable experience from this combo, users must prioritize frame rate over graphical fidelity. The Low preset at 1080p is the recommended configuration, offering a frame rate high enough to enjoy the game's core mechanics. If a higher resolution is desired, 1440p Low is the only acceptable setting. Any attempt to increase visual quality will result in a poor experience, as the GPU's performance ceiling is simply too low for higher presets. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 1080p, with its 83 FPS average and 71 FPS minimum, is the absolute maximum quality setting that maintains a stable frame rate, but the 115 FPS of Low is the sweet spot for this hardware.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary performance limiter in this configuration. Its integrated nature, with memory and bandwidth listed as "System Shared" and "System Dependent," directly impacts its ability to handle the demands of Outriders. The GPU's boost clock is rated at 2500 MHz, but the benchmark results indicate that this clock speed cannot overcome the fundamental constraints of the shared memory architecture. The data shows a clear scaling pattern: as resolution and settings increase, the average FPS plummets dramatically, illustrating the GPU's limited fillrate and memory bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark profile is weak, with a percentileVsAllGpus of just 9. Its average benchmark score of 1482 places it in league with much older, low-end discrete GPUs like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and the GeForce GT 710 (1443). In Outriders, this translates to a hard ceiling. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 15 FPS, which is unplayable. Even at 1080p High, the average FPS is just 63, highlighting that the GPU struggles with the game's texture and shader workloads at standard settings. The 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs are insufficient for high-fidelity rendering at modern resolutions.

The performance delta between settings is telling. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces the average FPS from 115 to 83, a 28% drop. Moving from Medium to High reduces it further to 63 FPS, a 24% drop. This steep degradation suggests that the GPU is bottlenecked by its raw processing power and memory bandwidth, not by any single feature like ray tracing or tessellation. The B390's 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is simply not enough to drive Outriders at high quality settings. The GPU's role here is to provide a baseline, low-detail gaming experience, and the data confirms that any attempt to push it beyond that will be met with severe frame rate penalties.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for a playable frame rate?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 with Low settings provides the best experience, achieving an average of 115 FPS. For a higher resolution, 2560x1440 at Low is also viable, with an average of 72 FPS.

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

A: No. The benchmark results show that even at Low settings, the average FPS at 3840x2160 is only 38. At Medium settings, it drops to 28 FPS with a minimum of 23 FPS, making the game effectively unplayable at this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's benchmark score of 1482 is within 2.7% of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443) and 1.3% of the GeForce GT 520MX (1463). This indicates it performs in the same tier as these legacy entry-level GPUs.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck for this game?

A: The GPU is the definitive bottleneck. The CPU, Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, has a high percentileVsAllCpus of 96 and is designed for high-performance workloads, while the GPU has a percentileVsAllGpus of 9, indicating it is a low-end component that limits the system.

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

A: The data shows a massive difference. Low settings produce an average of 115 FPS, while Ultra settings produce an average of 45 FPS. This represents a 70 FPS drop, or a 61% reduction in performance, when moving to the highest quality preset.

Q: Does the Medium preset provide a stable frame rate?

A: At 1080p, the Medium preset averages 83 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS, which is stable. At 1440p, the Medium preset averages 53 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS, which is less stable and may be noticeable during intense action sequences.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at this combo's performance across a matrix of resolutions and settings. The results are consistently GPU-limited, with a clear pattern of degradation as resolution and quality increase.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the combo is not viable for serious gameplay. The Low preset delivers an average of 38 FPS, which is below the standard for a smooth action game. Medium drops to 28 FPS, with a minimum of 23 FPS and a maximum of 32 FPS, indicating significant frame pacing issues. High settings yield only 21 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 15 FPS. The data shows that the GPU cannot provide the necessary fillrate for this resolution, regardless of the quality setting.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves slightly but remains challenging. The Low preset is the standout, achieving an average of 72 FPS, which is the only playable option here. Medium settings drop to 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS, which could be tolerable for some, but the margin for error is slim. High settings yield 40 FPS, and Ultra falls to 29 FPS, both of which are too low for a responsive experience. The scaling from Low to High shows a 44% performance loss, highlighting the GPU's struggle with increased pixel count and shader complexity.

At 1920x1080, the combo finds its comfort zone. The Low preset is the clear winner, hitting an average of 115 FPS, which is excellent for this hardware. Medium settings are also very playable, with an average of 83 FPS and a minimum of 71 FPS, ensuring a stable experience. High settings drop to 63 FPS, which is acceptable but noticeably less smooth. Ultra settings average 45 FPS, which is below the ideal threshold but might be playable for those who prioritize visuals. The data shows a 61% drop in FPS from Low to Ultra, underscoring the GPU's limitations at higher quality presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Outriders, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and Intel Arc B390 sits near the bottom. The comboRankInGame is 2582 out of 2913 total combos, placing it in the 11th percentile. This means that 88.7% of all tested combinations deliver better performance in this specific game. This poor ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, which is a severe bottleneck for the high-end CPU.

The CPU itself, the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus, is a high performer, with an average benchmark score of 93785, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6520P (93786, 0% delta) and the AMD EPYC 4564P (95183, -1.5% delta), indicating it is a top-tier processor. However, its performance is wasted in this configuration. The GPU, with an average benchmark score of just 1482, is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This massive disparity in component performance means the system's overall gaming capability is defined by its weakest link, which is the integrated graphics.

The ranking data suggests that this combo is fundamentally imbalanced. For a game like Outriders, which is not particularly CPU-intensive, the high core count and clock speeds of the Ultra 7 270K are irrelevant. The low FPS numbers are a direct result of the GPU's inability to process the game's graphics workload. This combo is not recommended for this game if a playable experience is the goal. Users would be better served by a system with a more balanced pairing of CPU and GPU, as the current configuration severely underutilizes the CPU's potential while being completely overwhelmed by the game's graphical demands.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a powerful processor that plays a minimal role in determining Outriders' frame rates in this test. The CPU features 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its benchmark scores are exceptional, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44253 and a single-core score of 2439. These numbers place the CPU in the 96th percentile of all processors, indicating it has ample processing power for any gaming scenario.

However, the game's performance metrics show no evidence of CPU limitation. The average FPS scales directly with GPU load, decreasing as resolution and settings increase. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS regardless of the GPU settings. Instead, the FPS drops from 115 at 1080p Low to 15 at 4K Ultra, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The CPU's high core count and memory bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s are more than sufficient to feed the Arc B390, but the GPU simply cannot process the data fast enough.

The CPU's role here is to provide a stable foundation, which it does flawlessly. The data shows no signs of stuttering or frame drops that would indicate a CPU issue. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings (71 FPS at 1080p, 45 FPS at 1440p) are consistent with the averages, suggesting the CPU is maintaining a steady stream of draw calls and game logic. In a game like Outriders, which involves many enemies and physics calculations, this CPU's 24 threads ensure that there is no bottleneck on the game's simulation side. The conclusion is that while the CPU is a top-tier component, its capabilities are entirely untapped due to the GPU's low performance ceiling, making it a poor pairing for this specific game.