Red Dead Redemption 2

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its closest rival in synthetic CPU benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 scores 20,875 on average, which places it 0.1% behind the Intel Core i5-12500 and 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-12600T. It also trails the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE by 0.1%, while edging out the AMD EPYC 7J13 by 0.1%.

Q: What is the GPU's average benchmark score and how does it rank against other graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 has an average benchmark score of 35,787, putting it in the 80th percentile among all GPUs. It sits close to the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (35,860, 0.2% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (36,101, 0.9% higher), while being 0.4% faster than the AMD Radeon 880M and 1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile.

Q: Which resolution yields the highest average frame rate for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 147 FPS, which is the highest measured average across all tested configurations. The next best is 110.3 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, followed by 106.8 FPS at 2560x1440 with Low settings.

Q: How much performance drops when moving from 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS falls from 68.2 at 2560x1440 to 43.1 at 3840x2160, representing a decrease of 25.1 FPS. This is a substantial 36.8% reduction in frame rate, indicating the GPU is heavily taxed at 4K resolution.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 scores 16,429 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,319 in single-core. Its 3DMark results show 5,386 for 16 threads, 4,593 for 8 threads, and 5411 for max threads, confirming strong scaling across thread counts.

Q: Is the GPU's memory bandwidth sufficient for high-resolution gaming?

A: With 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, the RTX 3080 delivers 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This is paired with a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz, which together support the frame rates observed at 2560x1440 and 1920x1080.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the primary driver of frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance. The GPU features 8,704 shading units, 272 texture mapping units, and 96 render output units, with a boost clock of 1710 MHz and a base clock of 1440 MHz. These figures, combined with 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 760.3 GB/s memory bandwidth, dictate how the game renders at each resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes a limiting factor. The average FPS drops from 68.5 at Low settings to 31.8 at Ultra settings, showing a 36.7 FPS spread. This indicates that at 4K, the RTX 3080's 10 GB framebuffer and bandwidth are strained by higher quality presets, which likely increase texture and shadow complexity. The 320-bit memory interface and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 2560x1440, where even Ultra settings maintain a playable 48.9 FPS, but the 4K Ultra result of 31.8 FPS shows the ceiling.

The GPU's compute capabilities also play a role. With 29.77 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 68 RT cores, the card handles the game's geometry and lighting effects efficiently. However, the data reveals that at 4K, the gap between Low (68.5 FPS) and High (43.1 FPS) is 25.4 FPS, whereas at 1920x1080, the same settings gap is only 54.6 FPS (from 147 to 92.4). This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU's pixel throughput, rated at 164.2 GPixel/s, becomes more critical at higher resolutions.

The GPU's 80th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average score of 35,787, places it in a competitive tier. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE, scores 36,101, just 0.9% higher, yet the measured FPS in this game show the RTX 3080 delivering strong results at 1440p and 1080p. The memory clock of 1188 MHz (19 Gbps effective) ensures that data transfer keeps pace with the shading units, particularly in open-world scenes with heavy draw distances.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired smoothness. At 3840x2160, High settings yield 43.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, while Low settings achieve 68.5 FPS. Medium settings fall in between at 54.6 FPS. For a balanced experience at 4K, Low settings provide the best frame rate, but Medium offers a compromise at 54.6 FPS, still above 30 FPS. Ultra at 31.8 FPS is only suitable for cinematic play.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings deliver 79.6 FPS, which is smooth and visually improved over Low's 106.8 FPS. High settings at 68.2 FPS remain playable, while Ultra drops to 48.9 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration. The data suggests Medium is the sweet spot at this resolution, offering a 31 FPS improvement over Ultra while retaining visual quality.

At 1920x1080, the story changes. Low settings hit 147 FPS, likely exceeding most displays' refresh rates. Medium at 110.3 FPS and High at 92.4 FPS both provide excellent smoothness. Ultra at 64.8 FPS is still above 60 FPS, making it a viable choice for those prioritizing visuals. Given the 82.2 FPS spread between Low and Ultra, High settings at 1080p offer the best balance of fidelity and performance, with 92.4 FPS ensuring a responsive experience.

The measured rows show a consistent pattern: reducing settings from Ultra to Low yields diminishing returns at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 36.7 FPS, but from High to Ultra only 27.6 FPS. This suggests that Medium or High presets are the most efficient per FPS cost, while Ultra provides a premium experience only at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the average FPS scales from 68.5 at Low to 54.6 at Medium, then 43.1 at High, and finally 31.8 at Ultra. This represents a 36.7 FPS total drop across presets, with each step costing roughly 11-14 FPS. The 4K results are the lowest across all resolutions, indicating the GPU is maxed out.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 106.8 FPS, Medium 79.6 FPS, High 68.2 FPS, and Ultra 48.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 57.9 FPS. Notably, Medium to High costs 11.4 FPS, while High to Ultra costs 19.3 FPS, showing that Ultra has a disproportionate penalty.

At 1920x1080, Low reaches 147 FPS, Medium 110.3 FPS, High 92.4 FPS, and Ultra 64.8 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 82.2 FPS. The step from Medium to High is 17.9 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 27.6 FPS, meaning each higher preset increases the performance hit.

Comparing resolutions at the same settings, High at 1080p (92.4 FPS) is 35.4% faster than High at 1440p (68.2 FPS), and 114.4% faster than High at 4K (43.1 FPS). Low at 1080p (147 FPS) is 37.6% faster than Low at 1440p (106.8 FPS), and 114.6% faster than Low at 4K (68.5 FPS). These ratios show consistent scaling, with resolution having a larger impact than settings at higher pixel counts.

How This Combo Ranks

In Red Dead Redemption 2, this combination of AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 530th out of 1,687 tested combos. This places it in the top 31.4% of all configurations, indicating a solid mid-to-high-tier pairing. The rank reflects the CPU's 79th percentile (average score 20,875) and the GPU's 80th percentile (average score 35,787), both of which are above average but not top-tier.

The CPU's nearest rivals show minimal performance differences: the Intel Core i5-12500 is 0.1% faster, the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE is 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i5-12600T is 0.2% faster, while the AMD EPYC 7J13 is 0.1% slower. These sub-1% deltas mean the CPU is essentially tied with its competitors, so the rank is likely influenced more by the GPU's standing.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro Duo (0.2% faster), AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE (0.9% faster), and AMD Radeon 880M (0.4% slower), with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile 1% slower. Given these close margins, the combo's rank of 530 is consistent with a GPU that performs slightly below the top 20% of cards. The measured FPS at 1080p and 1440p are strong, but the 4K results (43.1 FPS at High) suggest that this combo is better suited for lower resolutions, which may limit its overall ranking in a game that scales heavily with resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. It has 16 MB of L3 cache and is built on a 7 nm process, with a 65 W TDP. Its multi-threaded performance is highlighted by a Cinebench R23 score of 16,429 and a PassMark multithread score of 19,330, while single-thread performance is 2,319 in Cinebench R23 and 3,058 in PassMark.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations. The game is known for being GPU-intensive, but the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads provide sufficient headroom at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080, where the GPU is less taxed, the CPU's single-thread performance becomes more relevant, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and a 2-thread score of 1,645. These results support the 147 FPS at Low settings, indicating the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p.

At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's impact diminishes. The CPU's 3DMark scores show scaling from 1,645 (2 threads) to 5,386 (16 threads), with a max-thread score of 5,411. This indicates the processor can handle multi-threaded workloads, but the game's engine likely uses fewer threads, so the single-thread performance (836) is more critical for maintaining consistent frame times.

The CPU's 79th percentile ranking, with an average benchmark score of 20,875, places it slightly below the Intel Core i5-12500 (20,897) and i5-12600T (20,917). These differences are negligible in gaming, as the measured FPS data shows no CPU-induced stutters or frame drops. The 16 MB of L3 cache is adequate for the game's asset streaming, and the dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s is sufficient for the GPU's needs. Overall, the Ryzen 5 5500 provides stable performance that complements the RTX 3080, enabling the high frame rates observed at 1080p and 1440p.