Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. In Outriders, this CPU configuration interacts with the game’s engine in a way that ensures the graphics card, rather than the processor, becomes the primary bottleneck at most settings. The processor’s substantial core count and high boost clock are more than sufficient to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the frame rates scaling directly with resolution and graphical fidelity. Benchmark results indicate that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 298 FPS, while at 4K with Ultra settings, it drops to 56 FPS; this pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior, where the CPU’s role is to maintain a high ceiling that the GPU can then exploit. The data suggests that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is never the limiting factor in this pairing, as even the most demanding 4K Ultra scenario still yields playable frame rates. The processor’s performance in synthetic benchmarks, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, further confirming its ability to handle the game’s threading demands without issue. This headroom means that the CPU’s influence on the measured FPS is indirect, primarily enabling the GPU to operate at its full potential rather than directly dictating the final frame count.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus brings 24 cores and 24 threads to the table, a configuration that is exceptionally well-suited for modern game engines like the one powering Outriders. The absence of hyper-threading means each core is a dedicated physical unit, which can be advantageous for games that benefit from predictable, high-throughput scheduling. The boost clock of 5.80 GHz is a key factor here, as Outriders, like many looter shooters, has moments of intense on-screen action where single-threaded performance can matter for physics and AI calculations. However, the measured FPS data reveals that the CPU’s raw power is not the primary driver of performance in this combo. Instead, the processor acts as an enabler, providing a wide and fast platform for the RTX 4080 to render frames. For instance, the jump from 1080p Low (298 FPS) to 1080p Ultra (170 FPS) is a 43% reduction, which is far more attributable to increased GPU workload than to any CPU limitation. The processor’s PassMark single-thread score of 4823 and multi-thread score of 60860 place it in the 96th percentile, meaning that in the vast majority of scenarios, it will outpace the demands of the game. This is corroborated by the fact that the CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, has an average benchmark score that is only 0.2% lower, indicating that this processor is at the very top of the desktop performance stack. In practical terms for Outriders, the CPU’s role is to ensure that frame pacing remains consistent, preventing stutters that could occur if the processor were overwhelmed. The data shows that even at the lowest settings, where the GPU load is minimized, the CPU can still deliver 298 FPS, which confirms its capability to handle the game’s logic without becoming a bottleneck.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its characteristics directly shape the measured FPS values. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit memory bus providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, the GPU has ample resources for Outriders at any resolution, including 4K. The GPU’s boost clock of 2505 MHz and its 9728 shading units allow it to process the game’s visual effects, which include particle-heavy combat and detailed environments, with high efficiency. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy: at 1440p, the average FPS for High settings is 149, but at 4K, the same settings yield just 78 FPS. This 48% drop in performance is directly tied to the GPU’s rendering load, as the number of pixels quadruples from 1440p to 4K. The RTX 4080’s performance is further contextualized by its nearest rivals; the RTX 4080 SUPER has an average score that is only 0.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% lower. This indicates that the RTX 4080 is positioned at a performance tier where small percentage differences translate to a few frames per second. The GPU’s 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are relevant for future titles, but Outriders does not heavily utilize ray tracing, so the traditional rasterization performance, reflected in a PassMark G3D score of 34457, is what drives the results. The GPU’s 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms that it is a high-end part, but the data also shows that it is the component that limits the combo’s performance at higher resolutions. For example, at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 56, which is a clear indication that the GPU is working at its maximum capacity. The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is never a limiting factor in these tests, as even at 4K Ultra, the game does not exceed this amount, allowing the GPU to focus its resources on computation rather than memory management.

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

Analyzing the measured FPS across all presets reveals a clear optimal point for this combo. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 265 FPS with a minimum of 225 FPS, which is only slightly below the High preset’s 236 FPS average. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p is significant (298 to 265 FPS), but the visual quality improvement is substantial, making Medium the best balance. At 1440p, the Medium preset yields 198 FPS with a minimum of 169 FPS, while High drops to 149 FPS; the Medium preset maintains a frame rate well above the 144Hz refresh rate of most high-end monitors, ensuring a smooth experience without sacrificing visual fidelity. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is again the sweet spot, producing 104 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS. This is a critical threshold because it ensures that frame times remain consistent, avoiding the stutter that can occur when FPS dips below 60. The High preset at 4K (78 FPS) is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes, while Ultra (56 FPS) is not recommended for competitive play. The data implies that the Medium preset is the most efficient use of the hardware, as it provides a 33% average FPS increase over High at 4K (104 vs 78 FPS) while still offering a visually rich experience. The Ultra preset, while offering the best image quality, shows a 46% reduction in FPS compared to Medium at 4K (56 vs 104 FPS), which is a steep cost for marginal visual gains. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Medium settings at all resolutions to maximize both frame rate and visual quality, as the performance headroom provided by the CPU and GPU is best utilized at this preset.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo in Outriders?

A: The highest average FPS is 298, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This represents the absolute ceiling of the combo’s performance when the GPU load is minimized.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 56, which is a 62% reduction from the 1440p Ultra score of 108 FPS. This steep drop is characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios, as the CPU’s performance remains constant while the GPU’s workload increases.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, in Outriders?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score that is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER. In practical terms for Outriders, this translates to a negligible difference, likely 1-2 FPS at most, given the measured scores.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 1440p?

A: The minimum FPS recorded for the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is 169 FPS, with a maximum of 228 FPS. This indicates that the frame rate stays consistently high, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Does the CPU’s 24-core configuration provide any benefit in Outriders?

A: The 24-core configuration ensures that the CPU is never a bottleneck, even at low settings where the GPU load is minimal. The 96th percentile ranking of the CPU means it can handle the game’s threading demands with ease, allowing the GPU to perform at its full potential.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM of the RTX 4080 sufficient for 4K gaming in Outriders?

A: Yes, the 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is sufficient. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 56 FPS, and there are no indications of texture pop-in or memory-related stutters, suggesting that the VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor at this resolution.

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

The scaling of FPS across resolutions provides a clear diagnostic of which component is the primary driver of performance. From 1080p to 1440p, the High preset average FPS drops from 236 to 149, a 37% decrease. This reduction is proportional to the increase in pixel count (1.78x), indicating a GPU-bound scenario. The drop from 1440p to 4K is even more pronounced, with High settings falling from 149 to 78 FPS, a 48% decrease. This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU is becoming increasingly saturated, and the memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s is being taxed heavily. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar FPS values across all resolutions, as the CPU’s workload does not change with resolution. Instead, the data shows a consistent decline in FPS as resolution increases, which is the hallmark of a GPU-limited system. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 298 FPS, but at 4K it drops to 143 FPS, a 52% reduction. This indicates that even when the graphical settings are turned down to minimize GPU load, the sheer number of pixels at 4K still overwhelms the GPU, confirming that the RTX 4080 is the constraining factor. The scaling pattern also reveals that the CPU has significant headroom, as it can maintain high frame rates at low resolutions where the GPU is not fully utilized. For instance, the 1080p Low score of 298 FPS is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame generation capability, but it is still far from a bottleneck. The conclusion from this data is that the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is overqualified for Outriders, while the RTX 4080 is well-matched but still the limiting component at higher resolutions.

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

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 298 FPS. Medium settings yield an average of 265 FPS, with a minimum of 225 FPS and a maximum of 304 FPS. High settings average 236 FPS, while Ultra settings average 170 FPS. This shows a 43% reduction from Low to Ultra, which is expected given the increased GPU workload. At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 255 FPS, Medium settings average 198 FPS with a minimum of 169 FPS and a maximum of 228 FPS, High settings average 149 FPS, and Ultra settings average 108 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in a 14% drop for Low (298 to 255 FPS), a 25% drop for Medium (265 to 198 FPS), a 37% drop for High (236 to 149 FPS), and a 36% drop for Ultra (170 to 108 FPS). At 3840x2160, the performance is significantly lower. Low settings average 143 FPS, Medium settings average 104 FPS with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS, High settings average 78 FPS, and Ultra settings average 56 FPS. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 44% for Low (255 to 143 FPS), 47% for Medium (198 to 104 FPS), 48% for High (149 to 78 FPS), and 48% for Ultra (108 to 56 FPS). The consistency of the percentage drop across presets when moving from 1440p to 4K (44-48%) strongly indicates that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, as the relative cost of rendering more pixels is uniform regardless of settings. The Medium preset at 4K stands out as the only 4K setting that maintains an average FPS above 100, with a minimum of 88 FPS, making it the only viable option for smooth 4K gameplay on this combo.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 78th out of 3710 tested combos in Outriders. This places it in the top 2.1% of all configurations, which is a strong performance indicator. The rank of 78 is particularly notable given the sheer number of possible combinations, and it suggests that this specific pairing is well-optimized for the game’s engine. The high rank is likely due to the balanced nature of the components: the CPU’s 96th percentile standing ensures no bottleneck, while the GPU’s 86th percentile provides the raw rendering power. The combo’s position in the rankings can be contextualized by considering that the RTX 4080 is only 0.1% slower than the RTX 4080 SUPER, meaning that a combo with the SUPER variant might rank slightly higher, but the difference would be minimal. Similarly, the CPU’s closest rival, the Core Ultra 9 285K, is only 0.2% slower, so swapping to that processor would likely keep the combo in the same ranking tier. The rank of 78 out of 3710 implies that there are 77 other combos that outperform this one in Outriders, but these are likely to feature more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4090 or newer generation parts. The data shows that this combo is not the absolute top performer, but it is in the upper echelon, and the measured FPS values confirm that it can deliver excellent performance, particularly at 1080p and 1440p. The rank also suggests that the combo is well-balanced, as unbalanced configurations (e.g., a top-tier CPU with a weak GPU) would rank lower due to bottlenecking. Overall, the 78th rank out of 3710 is a strong result, indicating that this is a high-performance pairing that excels in Outriders.