Outriders

# Outriders with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 produces a formidable Outriders machine, ranking 237th out of 2,913 tested combos. The data reveals a system that excels at high-refresh 1440p gaming while remaining surprisingly capable at 4K, though the Ultra preset demands careful consideration. This analysis breaks down exactly what the measured FPS numbers mean for each resolution and settings tier.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Outriders?

A: The data strongly favors 2560x1440, where the combo delivers 124 FPS on High and 166 FPS on Medium settings. At 1080p, the system pushes 197 FPS on High and 263 FPS on Medium, making it ideal for high-refresh monitors, while 4K sees 65 FPS on High.

Q: How does the RTX 5070's 12 GB VRAM affect Outriders performance?

A: The 12 GB GDDR7 memory with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for all tested settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo still produces 47 FPS, suggesting VRAM capacity is not a bottleneck even at the most demanding configuration tested.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus holding back the RTX 5070?

A: Benchmark data shows the CPU ranks in the 96th percentile among all processors, with a PassMark multithread score of 60,860. Given the CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 51,731 and the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K, the CPU appears well-matched to the GPU's capabilities.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces 228 FPS, while Ultra drops to 90 FPS. This represents a significant 138 FPS difference, indicating that Ultra settings impose a heavy graphical load that reduces frame rates by more than half.

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 237th out of 2,913 tested combos, placing it in the top 8% of all configurations tested for Outriders. This ranking reflects the strong synergy between the 24-core CPU and the Blackwell-architecture GPU.

Q: Does the RTX 5070's 82nd GPU percentile align with its in-game performance?

A: The GPU's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs aligns well with the measured FPS, which shows strong performance at 1440p (124 FPS on High) and respectable 4K capability (65 FPS on High), though the 4K Ultra preset pushes the GPU to its limits.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 brings substantial graphical horsepower to Outriders, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with 6,144 shading units and 192 tensor cores. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz, driving 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which the measured results suggest is adequate even for the most demanding 4K Ultra settings.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 29,137 places it in the 82nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40,377. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, scores 40,318, a mere 0.1% difference, while the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 sits 1.2% higher at 40,870. This tight clustering suggests the RTX 5070 delivers consistent, predictable performance relative to its peers in synthetic benchmarks.

In Outriders specifically, the GPU's role becomes evident when examining the FPS scaling across settings. At 1080p, the transition from Low (298 FPS) to Ultra (142 FPS) shows a 52% performance drop, indicating the GPU is heavily utilized even at lower resolutions. The 4K results reinforce this: High settings yield 65 FPS, but Ultra drops to 47 FPS, a 28% reduction that highlights how the Ultra preset's additional effects tax the GPU's 80 ROPs and 192 TMUs.

The VRAM configuration deserves scrutiny. With 12 GB of GDDR7 memory, the RTX 5070 handles Outriders' texture requirements without issue across all tested presets. The memory clock of 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) contributes to the 672.0 GB/s bandwidth, which appears sufficient since even the 4K Ultra preset maintains playable frame rates. However, the significant gap between Medium (87 FPS) and Ultra (47 FPS) at 4K suggests that the Ultra preset's graphical features—likely including advanced lighting and shadow effects—consume GPU compute resources more than memory bandwidth.

The GPU's 250 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a power-hungry but manageable card, with the 1x 16-pin power connector requiring a 600 W suggested PSU. The PCIe 5.0 x16 interface ensures the CPU can feed data to the GPU without bottleneck, a critical factor given the high frame rates observed at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus serves as the computational backbone for this Outriders configuration, offering 24 cores and 24 threads based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. With a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, this processor provides substantial single-thread and multi-thread performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 scores of 7,303 single-core and 51,731 multi-core.

The CPU's PassMark results paint a picture of a well-rounded performer. Its multithread score of 60,860 and single-thread score of 4,823 place it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs. The nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83,807 on average, a mere 0.2% difference, while the AMD EPYC 4584PX sits 1.1% higher at 83,090. This tight competition suggests the 290K Plus delivers expected flagship-level performance.

In Outriders, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining FPS at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 298 FPS, a frame rate that demands exceptional per-core performance. The 5.80 GHz boost clock enables this, as Outriders' engine likely benefits from high single-thread performance for game logic and physics calculations. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data storage for fast access, reducing latency in CPU-bound scenarios.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 115.2 GB/s bandwidth ensures the GPU receives data quickly. While the CPU's integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU is present, the discrete RTX 5070 handles all rendering duties. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier indicate overclocking potential, though the measured FPS already shows strong performance.

At 1440p, the CPU continues to demonstrate its capability. The jump from 1080p High (197 FPS) to 1440p High (124 FPS) represents a 37% reduction, which is less than the 56% reduction from 1080p to 4K High (65 FPS). This scaling pattern suggests the CPU maintains sufficient headroom at 1440p, with the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. The 4K results, where High settings drop to 65 FPS, indicate the CPU is no longer the limiting factor—the GPU's rendering load dominates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 298 FPS, Medium achieves 263 FPS (with a range of 223-302 FPS), High reaches 197 FPS, and Ultra drops to 142 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system operates far above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors, even at Ultra settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance remains strong but shows expected scaling. Low settings hit 228 FPS, Medium delivers 166 FPS (ranging from 141-191 FPS), High achieves 124 FPS, and Ultra settles at 90 FPS. The 1440p results demonstrate that the combo can drive high-refresh 1440p monitors at Medium or High settings, with Ultra still providing smooth gameplay above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system faces its greatest challenge. Low settings produce 119 FPS, Medium delivers 87 FPS (with a range of 74-100 FPS), High achieves 65 FPS, and Ultra drops to 47 FPS. The 4K results reveal a clear hierarchy: Medium and below provide excellent playability, High is playable, and Ultra approaches the edge of acceptable performance for competitive play.

The FPS deltas between settings at each resolution follow a consistent pattern. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 156 FPS (298 to 142), while at 1440p it narrows to 138 FPS (228 to 90), and at 4K it shrinks to 72 FPS (119 to 47). This diminishing delta at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as pixel count rises, with the CPU's influence waning.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 237th out of 2,913 tested configurations, placing it in the top 8.1% of all combos tested for Outriders. This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and RTX 5070 pairing, which delivers strong performance without the extreme cost of top-tier GPU configurations.

The CPU's 96th percentile ranking among all processors and the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs provide context for this overall position. The CPU is clearly a high-end component, while the GPU, though capable, sits slightly lower in the performance hierarchy. This asymmetry suggests the system is somewhat CPU-overmatched relative to GPU, yet the measured FPS shows no obvious CPU bottleneck even at 1080p.

Compared to GPU rivals, the RTX 5070's closest competitor, the AMD Radeon Pro 580, scores 40,318 in average benchmarks, a 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 sits 0.8% lower at 40,063, while the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile trails by 2% at 39,568. These narrow deltas indicate the RTX 5070 performs predictably within its class, though Outriders-specific results may vary based on the game's engine optimizations.

The combo's rank of 237 suggests that numerous configurations with more powerful GPUs (likely higher-tier RTX 50-series or AMD equivalents) outperform it, while the strong CPU ensures it outranks systems with weaker processors. The data implies that pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU would yield higher ranks, while the current GPU choice represents a balanced mid-high-end configuration.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K displays, the Medium preset at 3840x2160 delivers 87 FPS with a minimum of 74 FPS, providing the best balance of visual quality and smooth gameplay. The High preset's 65 FPS remains playable, but the 47 FPS Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider essential. Low settings at 119 FPS sacrifice visual fidelity unnecessarily when Medium offers nearly 73% more frames than Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 124 FPS offers an excellent experience, combining strong visual quality with frame rates that exceed 120 Hz. Players prioritizing maximum smoothness can select Medium for 166 FPS, while those with 144 Hz monitors will find High ideal. The Ultra preset's 90 FPS is playable but represents a significant visual-to-performance tradeoff compared to High.

For 1080p users, the High preset at 197 FPS provides the best overall experience, delivering near-maximum visual fidelity while maintaining frame rates above 144 Hz. The Medium preset's 263 FPS will appeal to competitive players with 240 Hz monitors, though the visual downgrade from High is noticeable. Ultra at 142 FPS remains viable for 144 Hz displays, but the 55 FPS reduction from High makes it difficult to recommend unless absolute visual quality is paramount.

Across all resolutions, the data suggests High settings offer the most balanced experience. At 4K, High's 65 FPS is slightly below the 72 FPS average of Medium, but the visual improvements justify the tradeoff for many players. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 74 at 4K provides a safety margin against frame drops, making it the safest choice for consistent performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about system bottlenecks. At High settings, performance drops from 197 FPS at 1080p to 124 FPS at 1440p (a 37% reduction) and further to 65 FPS at 4K (a 67% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern indicates the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises, with the CPU maintaining sufficient headroom even at 4K.

The Medium settings show similar trends: 263 FPS at 1080p, 166 FPS at 1440p (37% lower), and 87 FPS at 4K (67% lower). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests the system's scaling behavior is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven, reinforcing the GPU-bound nature at higher resolutions.

Low settings exhibit the most dramatic scaling, with 298 FPS at 1080p dropping to 228 FPS at 1440p (23% lower) and 119 FPS at 4K (60% lower). The smaller 1080p-to-1440p drop at Low settings hints at potential CPU involvement at lower resolutions, where the 5.80 GHz boost clock helps maintain extremely high frame rates. However, the 4K drop remains substantial, confirming the GPU's dominance at that resolution.

Ultra settings show the steepest absolute declines: 142 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p (37% lower), and 47 FPS at 4K (67% lower). This consistent 37% and 67% scaling across all settings strongly indicates that the RTX 5070's rendering capabilities, rather than CPU or memory constraints, determine performance at each resolution. The Core Ultra 9 290K Plus provides ample computational headroom, with its 24 cores and high boost clock ensuring the GPU receives data without interruption.

The data implies that players seeking maximum frame rates should prioritize 1080p or 1440p, where the system can leverage its CPU strength. At 4K, the GPU becomes the sole determinant of performance, and the measured FPS suggests the RTX 5070 is best suited for 1440p gaming with High settings, offering a compelling balance of visual fidelity and smooth gameplay.