Outriders

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination produces a high-performance profile in Outriders, placing the system in the 65th position out of 2,913 tested combos. This top 2.2% placement indicates that the pairing is well above the median for the game, but the benchmark data also reveals distinct scaling behaviors that define its strengths and limitations. The measured results show a system capable of very high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K remains a more demanding scenario that requires settings adjustments to maintain fluid gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 65 out of 2,913 tested combinations places this hardware pairing in the top percentile of systems tested for Outriders. This rank reflects the combined capabilities of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, which together deliver frame rates that are competitive with the best configurations available. The ranking data shows that this system outperforms the vast majority of tested combos, indicating a well-balanced pairing for this title.

The CPU’s average benchmark score of 84,003 places it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, demonstrating that the processor side of this combo is near the top of the performance spectrum. In comparison to its nearest rivals, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83,807. It also holds a 1.1% lead over the AMD EPYC 4584PX and a 1.2% advantage over the AMD EPYC 9135. The only rival that surpasses it is the AMD EPYC 7F72, which is 1.3% faster with a score of 85,072. These margins are small, showing that the CPU is at the very top of its performance class.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54,209, placing it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, scores 54,247, which is a 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% faster, and both the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S are 2.7% and 2.8% faster respectively. These deltas are modest, indicating that the GPU is solidly placed in the upper echelon of graphics cards, though not at the absolute top.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features the AD103 chip. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, providing the computational foundation for the frame rates measured in this game. Memory performance is a notable strength, with 16 GB of GDDR6X running at an effective speed of 23 Gbps across a 256-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This substantial memory bandwidth is well-suited for Outriders, which can be demanding on texture and asset streaming.

Benchmark results for the GPU show a strong compute performance profile. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test yields a score of 6,600, while Geekbench scores reach 219,065 in OpenCL and 260,075 in Vulkan. The Passmark G3D score of 34,245 and GPU compute score of 19,822 further confirm the card’s capabilities. These figures correlate with the measured in-game performance, where the GPU is able to push high average frame rates across multiple resolutions.

In Outriders, the RTX 4080 SUPER shows clear signs of being the primary driver of performance, particularly at higher resolutions. At 4K with Medium settings, the system achieves an average of 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS. The GPU’s high fill rate (285.6 GPixel/s) and texture rate (816.0 GTexel/s) contribute to its ability to maintain these frame rates under load. The card’s 10,240 shading units and 320 tensor cores also play a role in handling the game’s visual effects and any DLSS-related workloads, although the measured data does not include upscaling tests. The power delivery is handled by a 320 W TDP and a single 16-pin connector, with a suggested PSU of 700 W.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the system scales across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions, revealing a clear shift in the bottleneck from the CPU at lower resolutions to the GPU at higher ones. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 298 FPS. This high frame rate suggests that the processor, with its 24 cores and 24 threads running at a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to maintain very high output. Moving to 1440p with Low settings, the average FPS drops to 255, a decrease of 43 FPS or about 14.4% from the 1080p result. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls to 142 FPS, which is a significant 44.3% drop from the 1440p figure.

This pattern indicates that as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. At 1080p, the CPU’s high single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303, ensures that the graphics card is not starved of data. The transition to 4K places a much heavier load on the GPU’s pixel processing capabilities. The RTX 4080 SUPER’s pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s is leveraged more heavily, but the sheer number of pixels at 3840x2160 still results in a notable performance penalty.

The scaling from Medium settings further illustrates this trend. At 1080p Medium, the average is 265 FPS, while at 1440p Medium it is 197 FPS, a drop of 25.7%. The 4K Medium result of 103 FPS represents a 47.7% reduction from the 1440p score. This larger percentage drop at higher resolutions and settings suggests that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute resources are being taxed more severely. The 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth is substantial, but Outriders at 4K with higher fidelity settings demands more from the memory subsystem, leading to diminishing returns as resolution scales.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a comprehensive view of the system’s performance across all tested configurations. At 1080p, the system demonstrates its highest level of performance. With Low settings, the average FPS is 298. Medium settings yield an average of 265 FPS, with a minimum of 225 and a maximum of 304 FPS. High settings produce an average of 235 FPS, while Ultra settings bring the average down to 169 FPS. These numbers show that even at the most demanding preset, the system maintains a frame rate well above 144 Hz, making it suitable for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU’s workload. Low settings achieve an average of 255 FPS. Medium settings deliver 197 FPS on average, with a minimum of 168 FPS and a maximum of 227 FPS. High settings average 148 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 107 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that the system can comfortably handle high-refresh-rate gaming at this resolution, with High settings still providing an average above the 144 FPS threshold.

The 4K resolution presents the most demanding scenario. Low settings yield an average of 142 FPS, which is still playable on high-refresh-rate 4K displays. Medium settings average 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS and a maximum of 119 FPS. High settings bring the average down to 77 FPS, and Ultra settings result in an average of 56 FPS. The data shows a clear progression of performance degradation as visual fidelity increases, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings at 4K being 86 FPS. This wide spread indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, and settings adjustments have a substantial impact on playability.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo vary by resolution, but the Medium preset emerges as the most balanced choice for most users. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers an average of 265 FPS, which is only 33 FPS lower than Low but provides a significant visual upgrade. The minimum of 225 FPS ensures that even in demanding scenes, the frame rate remains well above the refresh rate of most monitors. High settings at 1080p still produce an excellent 235 FPS average, making it a viable alternative for those prioritizing visual quality over maximum frame rates.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended setting. It achieves an average of 197 FPS with a minimum of 168 FPS, which is consistently above the 144 Hz mark. This provides a smooth experience while offering a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. High settings at 1440p drop to an average of 148 FPS, which is still playable but offers less headroom for frame rate dips. Ultra settings at 1440p yield 107 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay but may not be ideal for competitive play.

For 4K, the Medium preset is the highest quality setting that maintains a comfortable frame rate. The 103 FPS average with an 88 FPS minimum is suitable for immersive gameplay on 4K displays, though it does not fully utilize high-refresh-rate panels. High settings at 4K drop to 77 FPS, which is playable but shows more noticeable frame pacing issues. Ultra settings at 4K produce 56 FPS, which is borderline for a game that benefits from responsive controls. Therefore, the data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, providing the best combination of visual quality and performance across all resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, which is crucial for single-threaded performance in games. The CPU’s high boost clock is reflected in its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303, indicating excellent responsiveness in tasks that rely on a few cores. The processor also has a large L3 cache of 36 MB, which helps reduce memory latency and improve data access speeds.

In Outriders, the CPU’s role becomes more evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 298 FPS, which is a result of the CPU’s ability to process game logic and feed frames to the GPU quickly. The multi-threaded performance of the CPU, shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731, ensures that background tasks and the game’s various threads are handled without bottlenecking the GPU. The Passmark multi-thread score of 60,860 further confirms the CPU’s strong parallel processing capabilities.

The CPU’s nearest rivals show that it is at the peak of consumer performance. The Intel Core Ultra 9 285K is the closest competitor with a 0.2% lower average benchmark score. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 are 1.1% and 1.2% behind, respectively. These comparisons show that the 290K Plus provides a marginal but measurable advantage in compute tasks. In Outriders, this translates to consistently high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU’s single-core and multi-core strengths are fully utilized. The data indicates that this processor provides ample headroom for the GPU to perform at its maximum potential in this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Outriders?

A: The highest average frame rate is 298 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among other tested systems for Outriders?

A: The combo ranks 65th out of 2,913 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2.2% of all tested systems.

Q: What is the performance difference between the CPU and its closest rival?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is 0.2% faster than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which is its closest rival with an average score of 83,807.

Q: At 4K resolution, which settings preset provides the highest playable frame rate?

A: At 4K, the Medium preset provides the highest playable average frame rate at 103 FPS, with a minimum of 88 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU have enough memory bandwidth for 4K gaming?

A: The GPU has a memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s, which is substantial for 4K gaming, as demonstrated by the 142 FPS average at 4K with Low settings.

Q: How much does the average FPS drop between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 235 at 1080p to 77 at 4K, representing a decrease of 158 FPS.