Outriders

# Outriders Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + Intel Arc B580

This combination of Intel's flagship Arrow Lake Refresh CPU and Intel's Battlemage GPU delivers a playable but constrained experience in Outriders, with the data showing a clear GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions while the CPU demonstrates substantial headroom at 1080p. The measured frame rates across twelve configurations reveal a system that excels at lower settings and resolutions but struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K with higher quality presets.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior in Outriders follows a predictable pattern, but the magnitude of the frame rate drops between 1080p and 4K reveals significant information about where the bottleneck lies. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 109 at 1920x1080 to 69 at 2560x1440, and finally to 36 at 3840x2160. This represents a 67% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings, indicating that the Intel Arc B580 is the limiting component at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced when examining the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the system delivers 79 FPS average, which falls to 50 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 26 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result represents a 67% drop from the 1080p Ultra figure, confirming that the GPU's rendering capabilities are being saturated as pixel count increases. The 26 FPS average at 4K Ultra is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay, making this configuration impractical for competitive or action-oriented play.

Interestingly, the Low preset shows a different scaling characteristic. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 200 FPS average, dropping to 126 FPS at 1440p and 66 FPS at 4K. The 1440p Low result of 126 FPS suggests that the CPU is still providing sufficient throughput at this resolution, but the 4K Low figure of 66 FPS indicates that even at minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K resolution. This pattern suggests that the Arc B580's rendering pipeline, including its 192-bit memory bus and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth, becomes the primary constraint as resolution increases.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data set with minimum and maximum frame rates recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 145 FPS with a minimum of 124 and maximum of 167. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 92 FPS with a range of 78 to 105. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 48 FPS with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 55. The consistent minimum frame rates across these resolutions suggest that frame pacing remains stable, but the overall performance ceiling is clearly dictated by the GPU's capabilities at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, plays the decisive role in determining Outriders performance at resolutions above 1080p. The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a mid-range card but becomes a limiting factor when pushing 4K resolutions with high-detail textures. The memory configuration is sufficient for the game's requirements at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results indicate that bandwidth constraints are affecting performance.

The GPU's clock behavior shows a base clock of 2670 MHz and a boost clock of 2670 MHz, indicating that the card operates at a fixed frequency under load. This consistent clock speed means that performance scaling is determined primarily by the rendering workload rather than dynamic clock adjustments. The 2560 shading units and 160 texture mapping units provide the computational throughput necessary for the game's effects, but the 80 raster operation units appear to be the constraining factor at 4K resolution.

The Arc B580's benchmark scores place it in a competitive position relative to its nearest rivals. The GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 puts it 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 and the Geekbench Vulkan score of 109672 indicate solid DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, which is relevant for Outriders' rendering requirements.

The GPU's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs suggests that while it is not a top-tier performer, it delivers respectable results for its class. The PassMark G3D score of 15748 and the DirectX 11 score of 128 indicate that the card handles legacy APIs adequately, though the DirectX 12 score of 76 shows room for improvement in modern API workloads. The GPU's 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 27.34 TFLOPS of FP16 performance provide the computational headroom needed for the game's particle effects and lighting calculations.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for playing Outriders with this CPU and GPU combination?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings delivers 69 FPS average, while 1920x1080 with High settings achieves 109 FPS average. For a balance of visual quality and smoothness, 1440p High is the highest quality setting that maintains playable frame rates, while 1080p Ultra at 79 FPS offers the best visual fidelity at full HD.

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

A: At 4K resolution, the system achieves 66 FPS at Low settings, 48 FPS at Medium, 36 FPS at High, and 26 FPS at Ultra. Only the Low preset provides consistently playable performance above 60 FPS at 4K, while Medium settings dip to 41 FPS minimum, making 4K gaming viable only at reduced graphical quality.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23021 places it 0.6% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080. It also scores within 0.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA P106-100.

Q: What is the CPU's performance ranking relative to other processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84003. This places it 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX, though it trails the AMD EPYC 7F72 by 1.3%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: At 1080p resolution, the CPU provides ample headroom, as evidenced by the 200 FPS average at Low settings. However, at 4K resolution, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, with frame rates dropping by 67% from 1080p to 4K at High settings. The CPU's performance is sufficient to avoid becoming the limiting component in all tested configurations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its highest performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves 200 FPS average, representing the peak performance of this configuration. Medium settings deliver 145 FPS average with a minimum of 124 and maximum of 167, showing excellent frame consistency. High settings reach 109 FPS average, maintaining smooth gameplay for most scenarios. Ultra settings produce 79 FPS average, which remains playable but shows the performance cost of maximum graphical quality.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings achieve 126 FPS average, maintaining high refresh rate capability. Medium settings deliver 92 FPS average with a minimum of 78 and maximum of 105, providing a good balance of quality and performance. High settings reach 69 FPS average, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings drop to 50 FPS average, making this configuration less suitable for fast-paced action.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations become apparent. Low settings achieve 66 FPS average, which is playable but requires significant visual compromises. Medium settings deliver 48 FPS average with a minimum of 41 and maximum of 55, showing that frame rates can dip below smooth gameplay thresholds. High settings reach 36 FPS average, which is marginal for a looter shooter. Ultra settings produce only 26 FPS average, making this configuration impractical for most players.

The Medium preset provides the most comprehensive data across all resolutions, with recorded minimum and maximum frame rates. This data reveals that the frame range narrows as resolution increases, from a 43 FPS spread at 1080p to a 14 FPS spread at 4K. This narrowing suggests that the GPU's rendering pipeline becomes more consistently utilized at higher resolutions, with less variability in frame delivery.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus provides substantial processing power that is not fully utilized in Outriders at higher resolutions. The CPU's 24 cores and 24 threads, combined with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz, deliver exceptional multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and single-core score of 7303 demonstrate the CPU's capability to handle both heavily threaded workloads and single-thread-dependent tasks.

The CPU's cache hierarchy, consisting of 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache, provides ample capacity for game data and instructions. The 3 nm process node from TSMC and 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die contribute to the CPU's efficiency and performance characteristics. The PassMark multi-thread score of 60860 and single-thread score of 4823 further confirm the CPU's strong performance across various workload types.

In Outriders specifically, the CPU's role becomes more significant at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 200 FPS, which suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with sufficient frame data to reach this performance level. The CPU's 115.2 GB/s memory bandwidth and dual-channel DDR5 support ensure that memory latency and bandwidth are not constraining factors.

The CPU's nearest rival comparison shows the Ultra 9 290K Plus performing 0.2% ahead of the Core Ultra 9 285K in average benchmark score. The 1.1% advantage over the AMD EPYC 4584PX and 1.2% advantage over the AMD EPYC 9135 indicate that this CPU sits at the top of the performance hierarchy, though the 1.3% deficit relative to the AMD EPYC 7F72 shows that it is not the absolute fastest processor in all scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings configuration depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the High preset at 109 FPS average offers an excellent balance of visual quality and performance, providing a significant improvement over the 145 FPS Medium preset while maintaining smooth gameplay. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 200 FPS enables high refresh rate displays, though this requires substantial visual compromises.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 69 FPS average represents the best experience for most players, as it maintains playable frame rates while delivering good visual quality. The Medium preset at 92 FPS provides a smoother experience with slightly reduced visual fidelity, making it suitable for players who prioritize frame rate over graphical detail. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS average is not recommended for this resolution, as the frame rate falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset at 66 FPS average is the only configuration that provides consistently playable performance. The Medium preset at 48 FPS average may be acceptable for players who prioritize visual quality, but the 41 FPS minimum frame rate indicates that performance can drop noticeably during demanding scenes. The High and Ultra presets at 36 FPS and 26 FPS respectively are not recommended, as they provide a suboptimal gaming experience.

The Medium preset offers the most consistent frame delivery across all resolutions, with the minimum and maximum frame rates showing tight ranges. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset provides a stable gameplay experience, though the average frame rates at 4K remain below the ideal threshold. For the best overall experience, the data recommends 1080p High for balanced quality and performance, or 1440p Medium for higher resolution with acceptable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2733 out of 3710 tested combinations in Outriders, placing it in the 26th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking reflects the GPU's performance limitations relative to other combinations, as the CPU's high performance cannot compensate for the GPU's constraints at higher resolutions.

The ranking position suggests that while this system is capable of running Outriders, it is not optimized for maximum performance in this specific game. The combination's performance is characterized by strong CPU capabilities that enable high frame rates at 1080p and moderate performance at 1440p, but the GPU's limitations become apparent at 4K resolution.

The 3710 total combinations tested indicate that this system faces significant competition from other hardware configurations. The 2733 rank places this combination in the lower portion of tested systems, suggesting that many other CPU and GPU combinations deliver better performance in Outriders. However, the system's performance at 1080p High settings, achieving 109 FPS average, demonstrates that it can provide a satisfactory gaming experience for players using full HD displays.