Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a robust Red Dead Redemption 2 experience, with the data indicating that the GPU is the primary driver of performance across most settings. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate, while the Ultra preset demands a significant performance cost. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand the role of each component and how this specific combo ranks against other tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data for this CPU-GPU combo in Red Dead Redemption 2 reveals a distinct performance curve across the four tested presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 183 FPS, but this is a visually stripped-down experience. The Medium preset delivers 151 FPS, which is only 17% lower than Low while offering substantially better visual quality. The High preset further drops to 126 FPS, and Ultra falls to 90 FPS. The pattern is consistent across all resolutions, with Medium representing the most efficient step up from Low.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset holds at 112 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 94 FPS remains playable, but the Ultra preset at 67 FPS begins to approach the lower bounds of comfort. The 3840x2160 resolution tells a more demanding story. Medium produces 74 FPS, which is acceptable, while High drops to 62 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45 FPS, which is below the ideal range for a fast-paced action title.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the optimal choice for this combination. It maintains a 151 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. These figures represent a substantial improvement over Low while avoiding the steep performance penalty of High and Ultra. The High preset is viable for users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, but it costs roughly 16-19% of the FPS compared to Medium. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p where 90 FPS remains playable, but its 45 FPS average at 4K makes it unsuitable for that resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the performance scaling observed in the data. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This large memory pool and high bandwidth are critical for Red Dead Redemption 2, a game known for its detailed textures and expansive open world that can consume significant video memory. The 16 GB capacity ensures that the game's assets are stored locally without causing a bottleneck, allowing the GPU's processing units to work at full capacity.

Clock speeds play a direct role in the frame rates achieved. The RTX 5080 has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz. Higher clocks translate to faster processing of pixel and texture data, which directly impacts the FPS figures. The GPU's 10752 shading units and 112 ROPs are responsible for rendering the final image, and the data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings, as the FPS drops significantly when moving from Medium to Ultra.

The GPU's 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power and its 84 RT cores are more than sufficient for this game, which was released in 2018 and does not heavily utilize ray tracing. The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is not being fully utilized at lower settings, as evidenced by the large FPS jumps from Low to Medium. However, at Ultra settings, the GPU's workload increases substantially, and the measured FPS drops to 45 at 4K, indicating that the GPU is reaching its performance limits with this CPU. The GPU's percentile ranking of 87 compared to all GPUs confirms its high-end positioning.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 provides the processing foundation for this combo, and its six cores and twelve threads are adequate for Red Dead Redemption 2, but the data shows that it is not the primary performance driver. The CPU operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz, with a 16 MB L3 cache. In a game that is heavily GPU-bound, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic, and the benchmarks suggest it does this effectively without becoming a major bottleneck.

The Ryzen 5 5500's benchmark scores provide context for its capability. In Cinebench R23, it scores 16429 in multi-core and 2319 in single-core. These are moderate scores, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. However, the game's performance scaling tells a different story. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 183 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. This suggests that the CPU is capable of driving the GPU to high output levels, but the frame rate does not increase proportionally when lowering resolution, which would indicate a CPU limit.

Comparing the FPS at different resolutions with the same settings reveals the CPU's influence. At Medium settings, the FPS goes from 151 at 1080p, to 112 at 1440p, to 74 at 4K. This scaling is typical of a GPU-limited scenario, where the CPU's workload remains constant but the GPU must render more pixels. The CPU's performance is sufficient to keep up with the GPU's output, as there is no sudden FPS plateau at lower resolutions. The Ryzen 5 5500's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i5-12500 with a deltaPct of -0.4, perform within a narrow range, indicating that this CPU is well-matched with the RTX 5080 for this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 in Red Dead Redemption 2 places this configuration at rank 245 out of 3714 tested combos. This puts it in the top 6.6% of all combinations, which is a strong result for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The high rank is primarily attributable to the RTX 5080's raw power, as the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game.

The rank reflects the combo's ability to deliver high frame rates across all resolutions, as evidenced by the measured data. For context, the RTX 5080 alone ranks in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, and the Ryzen 5 5500 ranks in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. The combination of a high-performing GPU with a capable CPU yields a system that outperforms the vast majority of other configurations tested.

However, the rank also indicates that there is room for improvement if a faster CPU were used. The data shows that the combo is not CPU-bound, meaning a more powerful processor like a higher-core-count Ryzen 5000 series chip could potentially push the FPS even higher in CPU-limited scenarios. But for this game, the current combo is more than sufficient, and its rank of 245 out of 3714 demonstrates that it is a well-balanced and powerful pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across the three tested resolutions provides insight into the limiting component of this system. When moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 151 to 112, a decrease of 26%. Moving from 1440p to 3840x2160, the FPS drops from 112 to 74, another 34% decrease. This consistent scaling pattern is indicative of a GPU-bound workload, where the CPU's performance remains constant but the GPU must process an increasing number of pixels.

The scaling is more pronounced at higher settings. At Ultra settings, the FPS drops from 90 at 1080p, to 67 at 1440p, to 45 at 4K. This represents a 50% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K, which is a larger relative drop than the 51% reduction seen at Medium settings (151 to 74). This suggests that as the settings increase, the GPU becomes even more of a bottleneck, as the additional visual effects and texture detail require more processing power per pixel.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would be similar across all resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the FPS scales proportionally with the pixel count, confirming that the RTX 5080's GPU is the primary determinant of performance. This is favorable for this combo, as it means the CPU is not holding back the system, and users can expect consistent performance improvements by lowering resolution or settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 183 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded. The Medium preset at 151 FPS shows a 17% reduction, but with a minimum FPS of 128 and maximum of 173, indicating a stable experience. The High preset at 126 FPS and Ultra at 90 FPS complete the lineup, with Ultra still being highly playable.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 150 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1080p Medium result. The Medium preset at 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 and maximum of 129, provides a smooth experience for most displays. The High preset at 94 FPS remains above 60 FPS, while the Ultra preset at 67 FPS is just above the threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset achieves 99 FPS, which is impressive for 4K. The Medium preset at 74 FPS, with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 85, is the best balance. The High preset at 62 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 45 FPS is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS. This breakdown shows that the RTX 5080 can handle 4K at Medium settings comfortably, but the Ultra preset is too demanding for this game.

FAQ

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

A: The Medium preset is the most consistent choice, delivering 151 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p, and 74 FPS at 4K. The High preset also achieves above 60 FPS at all resolutions, with 62 FPS at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main limiting factor in this game with this hardware?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. FPS scales proportionally with resolution, dropping from 151 FPS at 1080p to 74 FPS at 4K at Medium settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound workload.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: This combination ranks 245 out of 3714 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.6% of all configurations for this game.

Q: Can this system achieve 4K gaming at playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at 4K the Medium preset achieves 74 FPS, and the High preset achieves 62 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it only reaches 45 FPS.

Q: How many cores and threads does the CPU have, and does this matter for this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 has 6 cores and 12 threads. The game is not CPU-bound with this setup, so the core count is sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 90, which provides a smooth experience for high-refresh-rate monitors, though it is lower than the Medium preset's 151 FPS.