Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2, released on 2018-10-25, is a demanding Action Adventure title. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination provides a clear picture of its capabilities across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions. The CPU is a 6-core, 12-thread Zen 3 part, while the GPU is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture card with 12 GB of GDDR7 memory. The CPU has a launch MSRP of $159, and the GPU has a launch MSRP of 549 USD. This analysis interprets the measured FPS and benchmark scores to guide settings and expectations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 102.2 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 78.8 FPS, and 4K High falls to 49.5 FPS. The FPS loss from 1440p to 4K is larger than the loss from 1080p to 1440p, indicating the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises. This is typical for a high-end GPU paired with a mid-range CPU; the RTX 5070's 83rd percentile rank is still insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with quality settings.

At Low settings, the scaling is different. 1080p Low hits 167 FPS, 1440p Low reaches 123.9 FPS, and 4K Low manages 82 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is similar in magnitude to the drop from 1440p to 4K, suggesting a more balanced load between CPU and GPU at Low settings. The 167 FPS result at 1080p Low shows that the Ryzen 5 5500 is not a hard bottleneck at lower resolutions, as the CPU's 79th percentile rank allows it to feed the GPU adequately.

Ultra settings show the most severe scaling. 1080p Ultra yields 73.1 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 53.7 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 36.1 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is below 40 FPS, confirming that the RTX 5070 is heavily stressed by the game's highest preset at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is much narrower than at 1080p, which further confirms that the GPU is the limiting component at 4K; the settings have less impact on absolute FPS when the GPU is already saturated.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 316th out of 1687 tested combinations, placing it in the top quintile of the database. This rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875, putting it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Core i5-12500 scores 20897 (delta -0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE scores 20900 (delta -0.1%), the AMD EPYC 7J13 scores 20845 (delta 0.1%), and the Intel Core i5-12600T scores 20917 (delta -0.2%). The CPU is effectively tied with these processors, with deltas under 0.2%, meaning the 5500 offers no meaningful advantage or disadvantage over these alternatives in synthetic benchmarks.

The RTX 5070 has an average benchmark score of 41687, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (41610, delta 0.2%), the NVIDIA Tesla M40 (41897, delta -0.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (41441, delta 0.6%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X (41991, delta -0.7%). The 5070 is 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3090, a notable result for a current-generation card against a previous flagship. The combo's 316th rank out of 1687 is a strong showing, driven primarily by the GPU's high percentile, while the CPU's mid-range standing prevents the pairing from climbing higher.

Settings Recommendations

For 4K, the data points to Medium as the best experience. Medium delivers 61 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold, while High falls to 49.5 FPS and Ultra drops to 36.1 FPS. Low is the only other preset above 60 FPS at 82 FPS, but it sacrifices visual quality. Medium is the sweet spot for 4K, offering a playable frame rate without dropping to the lowest preset.

At 1440p, High provides 78.8 FPS, which is smooth for most players. Medium offers 92.6 FPS, and Low reaches 123.9 FPS. Ultra drops to 53.7 FPS, which is below 60 FPS, so it is not recommended. High is the best balance of quality and performance at 1440p, as it stays above 60 FPS while retaining most visual features. For players with high-refresh 1440p monitors, Medium is a viable alternative that pushes frame rates closer to 100 FPS.

At 1080p, High hits 102.2 FPS, and Ultra still manages 73.1 FPS. Medium reaches 122.9 FPS, and Low tops out at 167 FPS. For a high-refresh monitor, Medium or Low are viable, but High is the recommended preset for a quality experience without dropping below 100 FPS. Ultra is playable at 1080p, but the 73.1 FPS result is lower than High's 102.2 FPS, making High the better choice for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 49.5 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 82 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 61 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 36.1 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 78.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 123.9 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 92.6 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 53.7 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 102.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 167 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 122.9 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 73.1 |

The table shows the full measured dataset. The spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial, while at 4K the spread is narrower, confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 36.1 FPS is the lowest measured value, while the 1080p Low result of 167 FPS is the highest. The data shows a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the impact of settings on FPS diminishes, and the GPU becomes the dominant constraint.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: At 4K, Medium is the only preset above 60 FPS (61 FPS). At 1440p, High gives 78.8 FPS. At 1080p, High gives 102.2 FPS.

Q: How does the Ryzen 5 5500 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500 has an average benchmark score of 20875, which is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i5-12500 (20897) and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 4655GE (20900). It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7J13 (20845).

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to the RTX 3090?

A: The RTX 5070 has an average score of 41687, which is 0.6% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 (41441).

Q: What is the combo's rank in the database?

A: The combo ranks 316th out of 1687 tested combos.

Q: What are the CPU's core and clock specifications?

A: The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on Zen 3 architecture, built on a 7nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a TDP of 65W. The L3 cache is 16 MB, and memory bandwidth is 51.2 GB/s over dual-channel DDR4. Benchmark results show a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and a single-core score of 2319. The Passmark multithread score is 19330, and the single-thread score is 3058. The 3DMark max-thread score is 5411, while the single-thread score is 836. These figures place the CPU in the 79th percentile of all CPUs.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is evident in the 1080p Low result of 167 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 36.1, which is a GPU limitation. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient for the game's threading, and the 16 MB L3 cache helps with data locality. The PCIe Gen 3 interface on the CPU is a potential limitation for the PCIe 5.0 GPU, but the measured data shows the combo still performs well, ranking 316th out of 1687. The CPU's single-thread performance, as shown by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319, is adequate for the game's main thread, while the multicore score of 16429 ensures that background tasks and physics do not cause stutters. The 65W TDP also means the CPU runs cool, leaving thermal headroom for the GPU in a typical build.