Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 presents a classic high-refresh-rate 1080p and capable 1440p configuration for Red Dead Redemption 2. Benchmark data shows this combination ranks 783rd out of 1687 tested combos in this specific game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems measured. This pairing leverages a six-core, twelve-thread Zen architecture processor from 2018 alongside an Ampere-generation GPU that sits at the 72nd percentile of all graphics cards, creating a system where the GPU is clearly the dominant factor at higher resolutions, while the aging CPU begins to show its limits at lower settings and resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 on Low settings delivers an average of 93.7 FPS, while High settings at the same resolution drop to 55.4 FPS. At 1920x1080, High settings produce an average of 79.8 FPS. For a stable 60 FPS target, 1440p Low or 1080p High are the most reliable options.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 2600 compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 has an average benchmark score of 19616, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. It trades blows with the Intel Core i7-10700F, which scores 19485 (0.7% slower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U at 19508 (0.6% slower). It is slightly behind the Intel Core i5-1345U, which is 0.4% faster.

Q: What is the impact of the RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM on this game?

A: The RTX 3070 comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K Ultra settings, the average frame rate collapses to 26 FPS, indicating that the combination of VRAM capacity and raw compute power is insufficient for the highest fidelity at that resolution.

Q: Is the RTX 3070 a strong performer relative to its peers?

A: The RTX 3070 ranks in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 28238. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, which scores 27985 (0.9% slower), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti is 1% slower. It also slightly outperforms the AMD FirePro S7150, which is 0.6% slower.

Q: Which settings preset should be avoided at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, both High and Ultra settings produce average frame rates below 60 FPS, with Ultra hitting a low of 26 FPS and High at 35.4 FPS. Medium settings fare better at 49 FPS, but even Low at 61.9 FPS is the only preset that breaks the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect the game?

A: The Ryzen 5 2600 has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1579 and a Passmark single-thread score of 2239. These figures indicate moderate single-thread capability, which becomes relevant at 1080p Low settings where the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling pattern.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the primary driver of frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2 for this system. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial but not unlimited. The GPU's base clock of 1500 MHz and boost clock of 1725 MHz, combined with 5888 shading units and 96 ROPs, provide the computational throughput needed for this game's detailed environments and lighting effects. The card also supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), which is relevant for modern rendering features.

The measured results show a clear pattern: at 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 124.7 FPS, demonstrating the GPU's raw capability. However, as settings increase to Medium, High, and Ultra, frame rates drop to 94.2, 79.8, and 55.5 FPS respectively. This scaling indicates that the RTX 3070 is being pushed harder by the game's visual effects at higher presets. At 2560x1440, the same progression yields 93.7, 71.8, 55.4, and 39.7 FPS, showing a predictable decline as pixel count and graphical load increase. The GPU's compute performance, measured at 20.31 TFLOPS for FP32 operations, is clearly sufficient for 1440p gaming but struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K with higher presets.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience with this hardware. At 1920x1080, the High preset offers the best balance, delivering 79.8 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS target and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 55.5 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices the smoothness that the High preset provides. For competitive or fast-paced play, the Low preset at 1080p yields 124.7 FPS, offering maximum responsiveness.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset gives 71.8 FPS, which is the best choice for a smooth experience, while High drops to 55.4 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p produces 93.7 FPS, which is ideal for players prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset at 61.9 FPS is the only option that meets the 60 FPS threshold, while Medium at 49 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced play. High and Ultra at 35.4 and 26 FPS respectively are not recommended for a smooth experience. For most users, the optimal configuration is 1080p High or 1440p Medium, depending on the monitor's native resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 124.7 FPS on Low, 94.2 FPS on Medium, 79.8 FPS on High, and 55.5 FPS on Ultra. This shows a 69.2 FPS difference between the lowest and highest presets, indicating that the GPU is the main bottleneck as settings increase. The step from High to Ultra is particularly steep, a 24.3 FPS drop, suggesting that the Ultra preset includes features that heavily tax the GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers shift to 93.7 FPS on Low, 71.8 FPS on Medium, 55.4 FPS on High, and 39.7 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 54 FPS, and the percentage drop from Low to High is roughly 41%. At 3840x2160, performance drops significantly: 61.9 FPS on Low, 49 FPS on Medium, 35.4 FPS on High, and 26 FPS on Ultra. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a 50.3% reduction in frame rate, while the Ultra preset at 4K is only 46.8% of the 1080p Ultra score. These numbers illustrate how the RTX 3070's capabilities are progressively overwhelmed by pixel count and graphical complexity.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate decline from 1080p to 4K reveals important details about the system's bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 124.7 at 1920x1080 to 93.7 at 2560x1440 and 61.9 at 3840x2160. This represents a 24.9% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 33.9% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The total drop from 1080p to 4K is 50.3%, which is less than the pixel count increase of 400%, indicating that the CPU is partially limiting performance at lower resolutions.

At Ultra settings, the FPS goes from 55.5 at 1080p to 39.7 at 1440p and 26 at 4K, a total drop of 53.2%. The similarity in percentage drops between Low and Ultra settings suggests that the GPU is the primary constraint across the board, but the absolute numbers at 1080p point to the CPU's limitations. The Ryzen 5 2600's six cores at a 3.90 GHz boost clock can only feed the GPU so many frames, and at 1080p Low, the 124.7 FPS ceiling reflects this. The scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 3070 is strong enough to handle 1440p well, but the 4K Ultra demands are beyond its 8 GB VRAM and compute capacity.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 provides the foundation for this system's performance in Red Dead Redemption 2. With six cores and twelve threads running at a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 3.90 GHz, this processor offers solid multi-threaded capabilities for a 2018 release. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186 and single-core score of 1579, along with a Passmark multithread score of 13160, place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. The 16 MB of shared L3 cache helps with game data access, though the DDR4 dual-channel memory bus at 46.9 GB/s is modest by modern standards.

The CPU's influence is most evident at 1080p with lower settings. At 1920x1080 Low, the system hits 124.7 FPS, which is the highest measured result. The fact that this is not higher suggests the Ryzen 5 2600 is reaching its frame-pacing limits, as the RTX 3070 is capable of far more in other scenarios. Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 2600 is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-10700F (0.7% faster) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U (0.6% slower), showing that it remains competitive in this game despite its age. The CPU's single-thread performance, measured at 2239 in Passmark, is adequate for Red Dead Redemption 2's engine, but users should expect the GPU to be the dominant factor at higher resolutions and settings.