Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 2600 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 produces a clear split in Red Dead Redemption 2: the combination is capable of smooth 1080p play, but struggles to maintain playable framerates as resolution climbs. The data indicates this pairing sits at rank 932 out of 1687 tested combos for this game, placing it near the middle of the pack. The measured frames per second reveal a system where the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM and the CPU's six cores determine performance ceilings differently depending on the resolution and preset selected.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the average framerate falls from 110.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 84.8 FPS at 2560x1440, then down to 55.7 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 49.7% reduction in average framerate from 1080p to 4K, which points to the RTX 4060 becoming the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely strained by the higher resolution demands.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more punishing. The average framerate drops from 48.4 FPS at 1080p to 36.7 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 26.6 FPS at 4K. This 45.1% drop from 1080p to 4K under Ultra shows that the most demanding preset overwhelms the graphics card quickly. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 29.1 FPS, while at 1080p the same gap is 62.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU has more headroom at lower resolutions but runs out of steam entirely at 4K.

The data suggests 1440p is the practical ceiling for this combo. At Medium settings, 1440p delivers 60.9 FPS, which is playable, while High settings at 1440p yields 52.6 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K at Medium settings costs 17.1 FPS, a 28.1% reduction, which is a larger proportional loss than the 1080p to 1440p transition. This pattern confirms that the RTX 4060's rendering pipeline becomes the bottleneck at 4K, regardless of preset.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is a defining characteristic for this game. The data shows 4K Ultra produces just 26.6 FPS, which is below playable thresholds, and even 4K High only reaches 37.1 FPS. The GPU's 1830 MHz base clock and 2460 MHz boost clock provide the raw compute, but the 128-bit bus width limits how much data can flow to the framebuffer at high resolutions. The 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is the same figure that appears across all measured rows, highlighting that memory throughput is a fixed constraint.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23181. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the RTX 4060 is essentially matched by that mobile chip. The Intel Arc B580 trails by 0.7%, while the AMD Radeon 760M is 0.8% behind. These close margins suggest the RTX 4060 is a mid-pack performer, and Red Dead Redemption 2's results reflect that positioning.

The 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs are the pixel-pushing hardware, and the measured FPS shows they are sufficient for 1080p but insufficient for 4K. At 1080p High, the card produces 66.5 FPS, which is smooth, but at 4K High that number nearly halves to 37.1 FPS. The 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 compute rate is competitive for the class, but the game's demand for memory bandwidth at higher resolutions negates that advantage. The GPU's 115 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a modest power envelope, yet the performance ceiling is clear from the data.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 5 2600 provides six cores and twelve threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 3.90 GHz. Its 16 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 46.9 GB/s bandwidth are the memory-side specs that matter for game logic and asset streaming. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186 and single-core score of 1579 place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19616.

The CPU's nearest rivals show it is competitive with newer mobile chips. The Intel Core i5-1345U scores 19691, a delta of -0.4%, while the AMD Ryzen 5 7530U scores 19508, a delta of 0.6%. The Ryzen 5 2600 sits within 1% of these processors, which is notable given its older Zen architecture. The data shows the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this game at 1080p, as the FPS scales significantly with GPU load.

At 1080p Low, the system achieves 110.7 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower settings. However, the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 62.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor when settings increase. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 13160 and single-thread score of 2239 confirm it can handle modern game workloads, but its 12 nm process node and 65 W TDP mean it is not a high-frequency part. For this game, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame delivery, which it does up to the point where the GPU becomes saturated.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests Medium settings at 1440p or High settings at 1080p provide the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 82.6 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, while High settings at 1080p yield 66.5 FPS. The jump from Medium to Ultra at 1080p costs 34.2 FPS, a 41.4% reduction, which is not worth the visual gain for most players.

For 1440p users, Medium settings at 60.9 FPS is the only preset that stays above 60 FPS. High at 1440p drops to 52.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36.7 FPS. The data indicates that Low settings at 1440p produce 84.8 FPS, but the visual compromise is significant. The recommendation is to prioritize Medium or High at 1080p for a consistent experience, or accept Medium at 1440p for higher resolution.

At 4K, the data shows no preset achieves a playable framerate. The best result is Low at 55.7 FPS, which is borderline, while Medium drops to 43.8 FPS and High to 37.1 FPS. Ultra at 4K is a non-starter at 26.6 FPS. Players targeting 4K should consider this hardware insufficient for Red Dead Redemption 2, as even the lowest settings barely reach 60 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: No. The data shows the best 4K result is Low settings at 55.7 FPS, with Medium at 43.8 FPS and High at 37.1 FPS. Ultra produces only 26.6 FPS, which is unplayable.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p?

A: Medium settings at 82.6 FPS or High settings at 66.5 FPS are the best options. Ultra drops to 48.4 FPS, which is a 41.4% reduction from Medium and not worth the visual gain.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1440p?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 1440p, Medium settings deliver 60.9 FPS, but High drops to 52.6 FPS. The CPU's benchmark scores place it in the 77th percentile, so it is not the primary constraint.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, placing it in the 66th percentile. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scores 23321, a delta of -0.6%, meaning the RTX 4060 is essentially tied with that GPU.

Q: What is the playable framerate threshold for this combo?

A: The data shows playable results above 60 FPS are achievable at 1080p Medium and Low, and at 1440p Low. At 1440p Medium, the system hits 60.9 FPS, which is just above the threshold.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 2600 hold back the RTX 4060?

A: The CPU does not appear to be the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 110.7 FPS, and the CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11186 is competitive with newer chips. The GPU becomes the limiting factor as settings increase.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its best results. Low settings average 110.7 FPS, Medium averages 82.6 FPS, High averages 66.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 48.4 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 62.3 FPS, showing that settings have a massive impact at this resolution. All presets except Ultra stay above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low averages 84.8 FPS, Medium averages 60.9 FPS, High averages 52.6 FPS, and Ultra averages 36.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 48.1 FPS, but the overall reduction from 1080p is significant. Only Low and Medium remain above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low averages 55.7 FPS, Medium averages 43.8 FPS, High averages 37.1 FPS, and Ultra averages 26.6 FPS. No preset reaches 60 FPS, and the gap between Low and Ultra is 29.1 FPS. The data confirms that 4K is beyond this combo's capabilities for this game.