Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 + Intel Arc B390

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces frame rates that are consistently below playable thresholds across all tested settings in Red Dead Redemption 2. The data shows a maximum average of 51 FPS at 1080p with Low settings, dropping to single digits at 4K Ultra. This combination ranks 2568th out of 2902 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations, which indicates severe performance limitations that are primarily attributable to the GPU's position in the benchmark hierarchy.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate behavior across resolutions reveals a steep and predictable performance curve that is almost entirely GPU-bound. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 51 FPS average; moving to 1440p Low drops that to 38 FPS (a 25.5% reduction), and at 4K Low the average falls to 25 FPS (a 34.2% reduction from 1440p). This progressive decline with each resolution step indicates that the rendering pipeline is saturated by the graphics workload, with the CPU having sufficient headroom to feed the GPU even at lower resolutions.

The scaling pattern becomes more dramatic at higher settings. At High settings, the transition from 1080p (32 FPS) to 1440p (24 FPS) represents a 25% drop, and from 1440p to 4K (16 FPS) another 33.3% drop. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 39 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p (a 25.6% decline), and 19 FPS at 4K (a 34.5% decline from 1440p). These consistent percentage drops across different settings levels suggest that resolution scaling is uniform and not influenced by specific preset characteristics.

Ultra settings exhibit the most severe degradation. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 23 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it drops to 17 FPS (26.1% lower); and at 4K Ultra, the average collapses to 11 FPS (35.3% lower than 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 11 FPS represents only 21.6% of the 1080p Low performance, demonstrating that the combination of high resolution and maximum settings overwhelms the GPU's capabilities entirely.

The fact that even the lowest settings at 4K produce only 25 FPS average indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU. If the Ryzen 5 2600 were the bottleneck, the frame rate would show less variation across resolution changes, as the CPU workload remains relatively constant while pixel count increases. The steep drops observed here are classic signs of a GPU that cannot keep up with pixel throughput demands, regardless of how low the graphical fidelity is set.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390's benchmark profile explains why this combo struggles so significantly. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are all entry-level NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, deltaPct 1.3), GeForce 800M (1460, deltaPct 1.5), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, deltaPct 2.5), and GeForce GT 710 (1443, deltaPct 2.7). The Arc B390 outperforms these by margins of only 1.3% to 2.7%, which positions it firmly in the lowest tier of graphics hardware.

The GPU's memory configuration is system-shared, meaning it relies on the host system's RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which introduces variability in performance based on the platform's memory subsystem. The clock speeds show a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, with the memory clock also listed as "System Shared." These specifications, combined with the shared memory architecture, are consistent with an integrated-class solution despite being listed as a discrete Arc Graphics-M part.

The compute resources are modest: 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. These figures, while not directly comparable to the game's measured FPS, provide context for why the GPU produces such low frame rates. The 12 ray tracing cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4 suggest the architecture is modern, but the raw throughput is insufficient for demanding titles like Red Dead Redemption 2.

The GPU's 80 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate it is designed for low-power or portable applications, not high-performance desktop gaming. The 3 nm process node from Intel is current-generation in terms of manufacturing, but the small die and limited transistor budget (listed as "unknown") cap its potential. The fact that the GPU's nearest rivals are over a decade old in terms of their market positioning underscores the performance gap this combo faces.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2568 out of 2902 tested combinations places it in the bottom 11.5% of all configurations tested for Red Dead Redemption 2. This is a percentile position that indicates the combination is severely underpowered for this title. The rank reflects the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, not just a single point, so it captures the overall experience of playing the game with this hardware.

To contextualize this rank, consider that the CPU alone performs at the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21484. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V (score 21440, deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i9-11900H (21367, deltaPct 0.5), Intel Xeon D-1746TER (21635, deltaPct -0.7), and AMD EPYC 9454 (21223, deltaPct 1.2). The Ryzen 5 2600 is essentially competitive with these parts, none of which are more than 1.2% faster or slower in aggregate benchmarks.

The GPU, however, sits at the 9th percentile, which is an extreme mismatch. The CPU is a mid-range processor from 2018 with 6 cores and 12 threads, while the GPU is a low-end integrated-style part. This imbalance means the combo's rank is dragged down almost entirely by the GPU. The data shows that even a modest GPU upgrade would dramatically improve the rank, as the CPU has demonstrated it can hold its own against much newer and more powerful processors in synthetic benchmarks.

The deltaPct values for the GPU's rivals are all positive, meaning the Arc B390 is slightly faster than each of them, but the margins are so small (1.3% to 2.7%) that they are within run-to-run variance. This clustering at the bottom of the GPU performance spectrum means there are very few worse GPUs to compare against, and the combo's rank reflects that scarcity of lower-performing alternatives.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 51 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No other resolution or settings combination exceeds this figure.

Q: Can this combo run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K?

A: Yes, but with severe limitations. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 25; at 4K Medium, it drops to 19; at 4K High, it is 16; and at 4K Ultra, the average falls to 11 FPS. None of these are playable for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 is in the 75th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21484. It is within 1.2% of its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core Ultra 5 228V and the AMD EPYC 9454.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2568th out of 2902 tested combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 11.5% of all configurations.

Q: How much does the average FPS change from 1080p to 4K at Medium settings?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 39 at 1920x1080 to 29 at 2560x1440 (a 25.6% reduction), and further to 19 at 3840x2160 (a 34.5% reduction from 1440p).

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its best results. Low settings yield an average of 51 FPS, which is the only playable frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings drop to 39 FPS average, with a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 44 FPS, indicating some frame time consistency but still below the 60 FPS target. High settings reduce the average to 32 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 23 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 54.9% reduction in average FPS, which is a substantial penalty for higher visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, all settings produce averages below 40 FPS. Low settings achieve 38 FPS average, which is the best 1440p result. Medium settings average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 33 FPS. High settings drop to 24 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 17 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 55.3%, nearly identical to the 1080p reduction, suggesting the GPU's scaling behavior is consistent across these resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low settings average 25 FPS, which is the only 4K result above 20 FPS. Medium settings average 19 FPS, with a minimum of 16 and a maximum of 22 FPS. High settings average 16 FPS, and Ultra settings average 11 FPS. The total range at 4K, from 25 FPS at Low to 11 FPS at Ultra, represents a 56% reduction, again consistent with the scaling seen at other resolutions.

The Medium preset is the only one that includes minimum and maximum FPS data across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 33 to 44 FPS; at 1440p, it is 24 to 33 FPS; and at 4K, it is 16 to 22 FPS. These ranges show that the frame pacing is relatively stable, with no extreme spikes or drops, but the overall level is too low for a smooth experience in a game like Red Dead Redemption 2.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 provides a solid foundation that is not the primary limitation in this combo. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it offers sufficient parallelism for modern games, and its base clock of 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 3.90 GHz ensures decent single-thread performance. The CPU's 75th percentile ranking, with an average benchmark score of 21484, places it comfortably above the median, and its nearest rivals are all within 1.2% of its score, indicating it is competitive with much newer processors.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 96 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 16 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration is typical for a Zen-based processor, with the shared L3 allowing all cores to access a common pool of fast memory. The 12 nm process node and 4,800 million transistors on a 213 mm² die are modest by today's standards but were competitive at the CPU's 2018 release. The dual-channel DDR4 memory support with a bandwidth of 46.9 GB/s provides adequate memory throughput for gaming workloads.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strengths in multi-threaded tasks: Cinebench R15 multicore score of 1248 and Geekbench multicore score of 5648. Single-thread performance is less impressive, with Cinebench R15 singlecore at 157.3 and Geekbench singlecore at 1154. PassMark tests show a multithread score of 13160 and a single-thread score of 2239, with physics at 673. These figures suggest the CPU can handle game logic and physics without becoming the bottleneck, especially when the GPU is producing such low frame rates.

The evidence that the CPU is not the limiting factor comes from the resolution scaling data. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would be similar across 1080p and 4K, since the CPU workload is largely independent of resolution. Instead, the frame rates drop by roughly 25-35% at each resolution step, which is the expected behavior when the GPU is saturated. The CPU is likely idle waiting for the GPU to complete its rendering work, which is why the combo's rank is so low despite the CPU's respectable performance.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the only viable option for this combo is 1080p with Low settings, which produces an average of 51 FPS. This is the sole configuration that approaches playability, though even this result is below the 60 FPS target that many players prefer. The 51 FPS average suggests that the game is playable but not smooth, with potential for frame drops in demanding scenes.

The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 39 FPS and a range of 33 to 44 FPS, is the next best option. This represents a 23.5% reduction in average FPS compared to Low, but it may offer noticeably better visual quality. Players who prioritize graphical fidelity over frame rate might choose this option, though the 33 FPS minimum indicates that drops below 30 FPS are possible, which can be jarring in action sequences.

At 1440p, the best result is 38 FPS at Low settings, which is only marginally worse than the 1080p Medium result. This could be a viable option for players with 1440p displays who are willing to accept lower visual quality. The 1440p Medium preset at 29 FPS average is borderline playable but will struggle in fast-moving scenes. All 4K settings are effectively unplayable, with the best case being 25 FPS at Low, which is below the threshold for acceptable gameplay in a third-person action adventure.

The data shows a clear trade-off between resolution and settings: dropping from 1080p Low to 1440p Low costs 25.5% of the frame rate, while dropping from 1080p Low to 1080p Medium costs 23.5%. These are similar penalties, so players should choose based on whether they prefer higher resolution or higher visual quality. For the best experience, 1080p Low is the recommended configuration, with 1080p Medium as a secondary option for those who want improved visuals and can tolerate lower frame rates. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it produces average FPS below 25 at all resolutions.