Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Arc B390 combination delivers a fundamentally GPU-bound experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with the measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions indicating that the integrated graphics solution is the primary constraint. The data shows a clear ceiling on performance, where even the most favorable settings at 1080p yield an average of only 51 FPS, and the experience degrades sharply as resolution increases, making this pairing suitable only for the most modest expectations in this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent decline in performance as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, a pattern that strongly indicates the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component in this configuration. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 51 FPS at 1080p to 38 FPS at 1440p and further to 25 FPS at 4K, representing a drop of approximately 51% from the lowest to highest resolution tested. This scaling behavior is typical of a GPU that is overwhelmed by pixel throughput, as the CPU-side workload of the Ryzen 5 3600 does not exhibit the same sensitivity to resolution changes in this benchmark set.

The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory, with averages of 39 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K here is 20 FPS, or just over half the 1080p value, which again points to the graphics processor rather than the six-core CPU as the bottleneck. Even at High settings, where the demands on the renderer are heavier, the pattern holds: 32 FPS at 1080p gives way to 24 FPS at 1440p and 16 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with only 23 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K, illustrating that the Arc B390’s compute resources—7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 performance—are simply insufficient for high-fidelity rendering at higher resolutions.

What the resolution scaling reveals is that there is no point in this dataset where the Ryzen 5 3600 becomes the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045 and a single-core score of 2124, figures that place it in the 71st percentile among all CPUs. In contrast, the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. The disparity in relative performance is stark. The frame rate deltas between 1080p and 4K are so large that they can only be attributed to the GPU’s rendering limits. For instance, the jump from 51 FPS at 1080p Low to 25 FPS at 4K Low is a 26 FPS loss, a halving of performance that would not occur if the CPU were the primary driver.

The data also shows that the scaling penalty is not linear across settings. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 28 FPS (from 51 to 23), while at 4K the same settings change costs only 14 FPS (from 25 to 11). This compression of the performance range at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is saturated; the additional workload from higher settings has less impact when the pixel count is already overwhelming the renderer. For users targeting this combination, the practical takeaway from the resolution scaling is that 1080p is the only viable resolution for anything approaching playable frame rates, and even then, only with reduced settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combination can achieve in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 51, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the dataset that breaks the 50 FPS threshold, indicating that the Intel Arc B390 is not capable of higher output in this title.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of GPU benchmark scores?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which places it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460). It is 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM (1446) and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710 (1443), showing that it occupies a very low tier of graphics performance.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 a bottleneck for the Arc B390 in this game?

A: The benchmark results indicate that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The Ryzen 5 3600 sits in the 71st percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 9th percentile. The frame rates scale heavily with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario, not a CPU-limited one.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded for the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the data shows a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS, with an average of 39. At 2560x1440 Medium, the minimum is 24 FPS and the maximum is 33 FPS, averaging 29. At 3840x2160 Medium, the minimum drops to 16 FPS and the maximum is 22 FPS, with an average of 19.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 3600’s multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 3600 has an average benchmark score of 17035. It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1260P (17007) and the AMD EPYC 7742 (16998), and it is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-11400 (17067) and the AMD EPYC 7573X (17070). These are essentially negligible differences.

Q: What does the combo’s rank of 2568 out of 2902 indicate?

A: The combo ranks in the bottom 11.5% of all tested combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 2568th position out of 2902. This low rank aligns with the GPU’s 9th percentile standing and the observed sub-60 FPS results across all tested configurations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 plays a supporting role in this combination, providing ample processing headroom that the Intel Arc B390 cannot exploit. The CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, based on the Zen 2 architecture built on a 7 nm process. Its benchmark results show a capable multi-threaded processor: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15045 and a single-core score of 2124, alongside a Geekbench multi-core score of 7372 and a single-core score of 1536. These figures place the chip in the 71st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17035.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the data suggests it does so without becoming a constraint. The 3DMark results for the CPU show scaling from 1361 in the 2-thread test to 4605 in the 16-thread test, indicating that the processor can leverage its 12 threads effectively. However, the game’s frame rates are so low—capped at 51 FPS even at the lightest settings—that the CPU is never under duress. The PassMark multi-thread score of 17700 and the single-thread score of 2562 reinforce that the Ryzen 5 3600 is a mid-range part, but one that far exceeds the demands of this game at the frame rates the GPU can deliver.

The nearest rivals to the Ryzen 5 3600 in the benchmark database are the Intel Core i7-1260P, Intel Core i5-11400, AMD EPYC 7573X, and AMD EPYC 7742, all of which score within 0.2% of the AMD chip. This tight clustering shows that the CPU is not an outlier in its performance class. For this game, the CPU’s 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are more than sufficient. The data does not show any scenario where increasing the CPU’s clock speed or core count would yield higher frame rates, because the GPU’s 9th percentile ranking and 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are the definitive barriers. The CPU’s role is therefore one of stability and consistency, ensuring that the GPU is the sole determinant of the measured FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear hierarchy of settings for this combination, and the recommendations hinge on the user’s tolerance for frame rate versus visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 51 FPS, which is the only configuration that approaches a smooth experience. The Medium preset drops to 39 FPS, a 12 FPS reduction that is substantial, while High falls to 32 FPS and Ultra to 23 FPS. Given that the minimum FPS is only recorded for the Medium preset (33 FPS at 1080p), the Low settings are the safest choice for maintaining a playable frame rate without risking dips below 30 FPS.

For users who prioritize visual quality over smoothness, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a compromise, but the 39 FPS average comes with a recorded minimum of 33 FPS, which may still cause perceptible stutter in a game as demanding as Red Dead Redemption 2. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended at 1080p, as the 32 FPS and 23 FPS averages, respectively, fall below the threshold for comfortable play. At higher resolutions, the situation worsens. At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 38 FPS, which is marginal, but Medium drops to 29 FPS and High to 24 FPS. At 3840x2160, even Low settings only produce 25 FPS, making 4K effectively unplayable.

The data suggests that the optimal experience is 1080p with Low settings, as it is the only configuration that maintains an average above 50 FPS. The alternative is to accept lower frame rates for better visuals, but the differences are stark. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 12 FPS (a 23% reduction), while the jump from Medium to High costs another 7 FPS (an 18% reduction). The Ultra preset is a 44% reduction from High, highlighting that the Arc B390’s 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs are insufficient for the game’s higher-fidelity effects. Therefore, the recommendation is unambiguous: use Low settings at 1080p for the best playable experience, or Medium if the user can tolerate frame rates in the mid-30s.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2568th out of 2902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 11.5% of the database. This ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU’s performance, as the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 1482. The CPU, by contrast, is in the 71st percentile, meaning the pairing is heavily unbalanced; the processor is a mid-range part from 2019 while the graphics solution is a low-power integrated unit from a much later generation.

The combo rank aligns with the measured frame rates, which never exceed 51 FPS at any resolution or setting. To contextualize this rank, the Arc B390’s nearest GPU rivals are all NVIDIA parts from the early 2010s, such as the GT 520MX and GT 710, which have average scores within 2.7% of the Intel GPU. This places the Arc B390 in a performance class that is generally considered unsuitable for modern gaming, and Red Dead Redemption 2’s demanding open-world rendering only exacerbates the limitation. The Ryzen 5 3600’s nearest rivals—the Core i7-1260P and Core i5-11400—are all within 0.2% of its average score, confirming that the CPU is not the reason for the low ranking.

The data indicates that this combo is not competitive for this game. The 2568th rank out of 2902 means that 88.5% of tested combinations perform better, and the only configurations that would rank lower would have even weaker GPUs. For the Ryzen 5 3600, the pairing with the Arc B390 squanders the CPU’s potential, as the chip is capable of driving much higher frame rates in less graphics-intensive titles. The benchmark results show that the CPU’s 3DMark 16-thread score of 4605 and PassMark multithread score of 17700 are robust, but none of that headroom translates into playable performance in this game due to the GPU bottleneck.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS dataset for Red Dead Redemption 2 with the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and Intel Arc B390 is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low settings produce an average of 51 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Medium settings yield an average of 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. High settings average 32 FPS, and Ultra settings average 23 FPS, with no min/max data for the latter two presets. This resolution is the only one where any preset achieves an average above 40 FPS, and it is the only one where Low settings break the 50 FPS barrier.

At 2560x1440, the Low settings average 38 FPS, which is a 13 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS. High settings average 24 FPS, and Ultra settings average 17 FPS. The 1440p results show a consistent pattern: each preset loses roughly 25-30% of its 1080p average, with the exception of Ultra, which loses 26% (from 23 to 17 FPS).

At 3840x2160, the Low settings average 25 FPS, a 26 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 19 FPS, with a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS. High settings average 16 FPS, and Ultra settings average 11 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly below 30 FPS, making this resolution impractical for any setting. The data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max FPS data at all three resolutions, providing a consistent reference point: 39/33/44 at 1080p, 29/24/33 at 1440p, and 19/16/22 at 4K. This breakdown confirms that the GPU’s performance ceiling is around 51 FPS, and that users must accept significant compromises in either resolution or settings to achieve even that modest result.