Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process at TSMC. With a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, this CPU provides substantial compute headroom for Outriders, a looter shooter that relies on consistent frame pacing across dense combat encounters. The chip’s 36 MB of shared L3 cache and per-core L2 cache of 3 MB help reduce memory latency, which is relevant for the game’s physics-heavy ability effects and enemy AI calculations. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor scores 44,253 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,439 points in single-core, placing it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs tested. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark score include the Intel Xeon 6520P (deltaPct 0), the AMD EPYC 4564P (deltaPct -1.5), and the AMD EPYC 9175F (deltaPct -1.9), indicating that its overall compute throughput sits in enterprise-class territory.

For Outriders specifically, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic without becoming a bottleneck. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 307 FPS average, which is a strong indicator that the CPU can sustain very high frame rates when the GPU workload is light. The 24 threads are ample for the game’s multi-threaded rendering pipeline, and the 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance for the main game thread. The CPU’s PassMark single-thread score of 5,068 further supports this, as does its PassMark physics score of 4,064, which reflects its ability to handle the game’s real-time physics simulations. The processor’s 125 W TDP and support for DDR5 memory with 115.2 GB/s bandwidth mean that memory-intensive scenes, such as those with many enemies and particle effects, are less likely to stall on data transfer. While the CPU’s percentile rank (96th) is high, its nearest rivals are all server-class EPYC or Xeon parts, which have different power and thermal profiles, but for gaming, the Ultra 7 270K Plus’s high boost clock and modern architecture are the key advantages.

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

The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus brings 24 cores and 24 threads to Outriders, which is a significant amount of parallelism for a looter shooter. The game benefits from multi-threaded performance when processing enemy groups, skill effects, and loot drops, and the CPU’s Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253 reflects strong throughput in these scenarios. However, the more critical metric for frame pacing is single-core performance, and here the chip’s 5.50 GHz boost clock and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,439 ensure that the main rendering thread is not starved. This is evident in the 1080p Low setting result of 307 FPS average, where the CPU is the primary driver of performance. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 264 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 161 FPS, showing that as resolution increases, the workload shifts to the GPU, but the CPU still maintains high headroom.

The CPU’s L3 cache of 36 MB is shared across all cores, which helps with the game’s streaming of textures and level geometry. The 3 MB L2 cache per core provides fast access for frequently used data, and the 192 KB L1 cache per core handles the most immediate operations. These cache sizes are relevant because Outriders has large open environments with destructible elements, and keeping that data close to the cores reduces stutter. The PassMark data compression score of 804,322 and integer math score of 175,986 indicate that the CPU can handle the game’s file I/O and logic computations without issue. In terms of rivals, the nearest CPU in aggregate benchmark score is the Intel Xeon 6520P with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are statistically tied, while the AMD EPYC 4564P trails by -1.5%, and the AMD EPYC 9175F is -1.9% behind. These comparisons show that the Ultra 7 270K Plus is in the top tier of processors, though its gaming performance is further enhanced by its high clock speeds compared to those server parts.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the primary driver of visual fidelity in Outriders, and its specifications are substantial. The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. This massive memory pool is more than sufficient for Outriders at any resolution, ensuring that texture streaming and high-resolution assets do not cause bottlenecks. The GPU’s base clock of 2017 MHz and boost clock of 2407 MHz provide high compute throughput, and the 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance means that the game’s shader-heavy visuals, including particle effects and lighting, are processed quickly. The RTX 5090 has 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs, which directly translate to high pixel and texture fill rates. Its pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are key to maintaining frame rates at high settings.

In the measured results, the GPU shows its strength at 4K resolution. At 4K High, the combo averages 88 FPS, and at 4K Medium it averages 117 FPS with a minimum of 100 FPS and maximum of 135 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 64 FPS, which indicates that the Ultra preset is very demanding, likely due to increased shadow quality, ambient occlusion, and post-processing effects. The RTX 5090’s 32 GB VRAM is never a limiting factor here, as even the most detailed scenes do not come close to exhausting it. The GPU’s benchmark scores are also telling: it scores 18,355 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and 39,650 in PassMark G3D, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmark score are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (deltaPct 0.3), the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (deltaPct 0.6), and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (deltaPct 1.1), though those are not direct gaming equivalents. The RTX 5090’s GDDR7 memory and Blackwell 2.0 architecture provide the raw bandwidth and compute needed to push Outriders to high frame rates, and the data shows that it is the dominant component in this pairing.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling across resolutions, which highlights the balance between CPU and GPU workloads. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 307 FPS average, which is the highest score recorded for this pairing. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 264 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 161 FPS. This scaling shows that even at Low settings, the GPU becomes more involved as resolution increases, but the CPU still has enough headroom to push high frame rates. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is approximately 47.6%, which is significant but expected given the four-fold increase in pixel count.

For Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with a different starting point. At 1080p Medium, the average is 273 FPS, dropping to 225 FPS at 1440p Medium, and then to 117 FPS at 4K Medium. The drop from 1440p to 4K is steeper here (48% decrease) compared to the 1080p to 1440p drop (17.6% decrease), indicating that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at 4K. The High settings show a similar trend: 246 FPS at 1080p, 168 FPS at 1440p, and 88 FPS at 4K. The Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 193 FPS at 1080p, 122 FPS at 1440p, and just 64 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the CPU is still able to keep up with the GPU’s output, but at 4K, the GPU’s rendering workload dominates, and the frame rate is largely determined by the RTX 5090’s fill rate and shader performance.

The data suggests that this combo is CPU-limited at 1080p for Low and Medium settings, where frame rates exceed 270 FPS, but becomes GPU-limited at 4K, particularly at High and Ultra settings where the GPU’s compute resources are fully utilized. The 4K Ultra result of 64 FPS is the only point where the system drops below the 100 FPS threshold, indicating that the Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding configuration. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at each setting shows that the GPU is the component that scales with resolution, while the CPU maintains consistent performance across all settings, as evidenced by the relatively smaller FPS drops between Low and Medium at the same resolution.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 307 FPS, which is excessive for most displays, but the Medium preset at 273 FPS provides a good balance of visual quality and performance. The High preset at 246 FPS is also excellent, and even the Ultra preset at 193 FPS is very playable, making 1080p Ultra a viable option for users with high refresh rate monitors. At 1440p, the Medium preset at 225 FPS is the sweet spot, offering high frame rates with improved visuals over Low. The High preset at 168 FPS is also smooth, and the Ultra preset at 122 FPS remains above 120 FPS, which is ideal for 144Hz displays. The data shows that 1440p Medium or High provides the best experience for most users, as the visual improvement over Low is significant, and the frame rates are still very high.

At 4K, the situation changes. The Low preset at 161 FPS is the only way to achieve very high frame rates, but it sacrifices visual quality. The Medium preset at 117 FPS is the best balance, offering good visuals with a frame rate that is still above 100 FPS. The High preset at 88 FPS is playable but not ideal for competitive play, and the Ultra preset at 64 FPS is the most demanding, suitable for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate. The minimum FPS data for Medium settings shows 100 FPS at 4K, 191 FPS at 1440p, and 232 FPS at 1080p, which indicates that the Medium preset has good frame pacing without major dips. For the best overall experience, the data suggests using Medium settings at 4K, High settings at 1440p, and Ultra settings at 1080p, as these configurations provide the highest frame rates while maintaining acceptable visual quality. The High preset at 1440p is particularly noteworthy because it sits above the 144 FPS threshold, making it ideal for high refresh rate gaming.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The combo achieves an average of 193 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is well above the 144 FPS threshold for high refresh rate monitors.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming at high frame rates?

A: At 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 117, with a minimum of 100 FPS and maximum of 135 FPS. The High preset at 4K drops to 88 FPS, so Medium is the recommended preset for 4K.

Q: How does the RTX 5090’s memory bandwidth affect Outriders?

A: The GPU’s 1.79 TB/s bandwidth from 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets are handled without bottlenecking, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across different settings.

Q: What is the CPU’s single-thread performance relative to its rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 270K Plus scores 2,439 in Cinebench R23 single-core, and its PassMark single-thread score is 5,068. Its nearest CPU rivals in aggregate benchmark score are server-class parts like the Intel Xeon 6520P and AMD EPYC 4564P, which have lower boost clocks and thus less gaming-focused single-thread performance.

Q: Is the system CPU-limited or GPU-limited at 1440p High?

A: At 1440p High, the average FPS is 168, which indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor, as the CPU can sustain high frame rates at lower resolutions where it is not constrained by rendering workload.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The data includes minimum FPS values only for Medium settings: 232 FPS at 1080p, 191 FPS at 1440p, and 100 FPS at 4K. These minimums show good frame pacing without significant dips.

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

The measured FPS data for Outriders with the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is as follows:

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• High: 88 FPS average
• Low: 161 FPS average
• Medium: 117 FPS average (minimum 100, maximum 135)
• Ultra: 64 FPS average

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• High: 168 FPS average
• Low: 264 FPS average
• Medium: 225 FPS average (minimum 191, maximum 258)
• Ultra: 122 FPS average

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• High: 246 FPS average
• Low: 307 FPS average
• Medium: 273 FPS average (minimum 232, maximum 314)
• Ultra: 193 FPS average

These numbers show a consistent pattern where Low settings provide the highest frame rates at each resolution, and Ultra settings provide the lowest. The Medium settings are the only ones with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, which allow for a more detailed analysis of frame pacing. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 114 FPS, while at 1440p it is 142 FPS, and at 4K it is 97 FPS. This indicates that the GPU’s workload increases with resolution, but the relative impact of settings is consistent. The High settings at 1080p (246 FPS) are nearly as fast as the Low settings at 1440p (264 FPS), showing that resolution has a larger impact on performance than a single step down in settings. The 4K Ultra result of 64 FPS is the lowest recorded, and it is the only configuration that falls below 100 FPS, making it the most demanding preset in the data.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 6th out of 2,913 tested combos in Outriders. This is a top-tier ranking, placing the system in the top 0.2% of all configurations tested for this game. The high rank is driven by the combination of a very fast CPU and an extremely powerful GPU, which together deliver exceptional frame rates across all resolutions and settings. The data shows that this combo is not just fast, but also consistent, with the minimum FPS values for Medium settings remaining high even at 4K (100 FPS). The rank of 6 out of 2,913 means there are only five other combos that perform better, which would likely feature even higher-end CPUs or more specialized configurations. In the context of the benchmark database, this ranking indicates that the Ultra 7 270K Plus and RTX 5090 are a well-matched pair for Outriders, with neither component acting as a significant bottleneck. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking both contribute to this high overall position, and the measured FPS data confirms that the system excels at high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, while still delivering playable frame rates at 4K with appropriate settings. This combo is positioned at the top of the performance hierarchy for Outriders, making it suitable for enthusiasts who demand the highest frame rates.