Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D achieves a combo rank of 55 out of 2902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the pairing in the top 2% of all tested systems, a position that reflects the GPU's dominant role in this title. The RTX 5090 D sits in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, while the Ryzen 5 5500 ranks in the 73rd percentile among CPUs. The gap between these two percentile positions is the first clue that this combo is heavily skewed toward graphics throughput. The data suggests that in most scenarios, the GPU is doing the heavy lifting, with the CPU providing sufficient support to avoid becoming a severe bottleneck. The rank of 55 is impressive, but it also raises a question: is this a balanced pairing, or is the processor holding back a much stronger graphics card?

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 55 out of 2902 tested configurations places it in the 98th percentile of all systems tested. This is a strong result, but the composition of the score reveals an interesting dynamic. The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. Meanwhile, the Ryzen 5 5500's average score of 19593 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: it is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-12500, 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i7-10700F, and 0.7% lower than the Intel Core i5-11600KF.

These deltas are small, indicating that the CPU is a mid-pack performer in synthetic benchmarks. Yet the combo still achieves a top-55 finish. This suggests that Red Dead Redemption 2 is not particularly sensitive to CPU performance at higher resolutions, allowing the GPU to dominate the final frame rates. The rank reflects the RTX 5090 D's raw power, but it also implies that the Ryzen 5 5500 is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. If the CPU were a stronger model, the rank might improve slightly, but the data shows the GPU is the primary driver of this result. The question is whether the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are enough to keep up when settings are lowered and frame rates climb.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a monster of a graphics card. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, a figure that dwarfs what most games require. The GPU's base clock is 2017 MHz, with a boost clock of 2407 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 28 Gbps effective. These specifications are far beyond what Red Dead Redemption 2, a game released in 2018, can fully utilize. The game's engine is not designed to take advantage of such extreme bandwidth or the 21760 shading units available.

In the measured results, the GPU's dominance is clear. At 4K with High settings, the combo averages 72 FPS. At Low settings, that jumps to 115 FPS. The difference between these two settings is 43 FPS, a 60% improvement. This scaling shows that the GPU has headroom to spare when graphical demands are reduced. The RTX 5090 D is so powerful that even at 4K Ultra, it manages 52 FPS, which is playable but not smooth. The GPU's percentile rank of 92 among all GPUs confirms its position near the top of the performance hierarchy. The nearest rivals in the database are mobile GPUs like the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, which are 1.1% slower and 1.6% faster, respectively. This comparison is curious because it suggests the desktop RTX 5090 D is being benchmarked against laptop parts, indicating its performance level is so high that few desktop equivalents exist in the dataset.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data across resolutions tells a story of GPU scaling. At 1080p, the combo achieves 183 FPS on Low, 164 FPS on Medium, 146 FPS on High, and 105 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, these numbers drop to 166, 131, 109, and 79 FPS, respectively. At 4K, the numbers fall further to 115, 86, 72, and 52 FPS. The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial: Low settings drop by 37%, Medium by 48%, High by 51%, and Ultra by 50%. These figures indicate that the GPU is the primary scaling factor. The RTX 5090 D is so fast at 1080p that it hits 183 FPS on Low, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame delivery capability.

The interesting pattern is the gap between resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 183 FPS, but at 1440p Low, it delivers 166 FPS, a drop of only 9%. However, at 4K Low, it drops to 115 FPS, a 31% reduction from 1440p. This non-linear scaling suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is starting to become a factor, capping the frame rate. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, and the scaling becomes more predictable. The data implies that for the Ryzen 5 5500, the sweet spot is 1440p or 4K, where the GPU's workload is high enough to hide the CPU's limitations. At 1080p, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads may be preventing the RTX 5090 D from reaching its full potential, as evidenced by the relatively small FPS gain from 1440p to 1080p.

FAQ

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D overkill for Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo averages 52 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The GPU is powerful enough to handle the game, but the CPU may be holding it back at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 183 FPS, which suggests the GPU has plenty of headroom, but the CPU is capping the frame rate.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 5500 bottleneck the RTX 5090 D?

A: The benchmark results indicate that at 1080p, the FPS gains from lowering settings are smaller than at higher resolutions. For example, at 1080p, going from Ultra to Low yields a 74% increase (105 to 183 FPS), while at 4K, the same settings change yields a 121% increase (52 to 115 FPS). This suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is limiting performance, while at 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck.

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1440p offers a good balance. At High settings, the combo averages 109 FPS, and at Ultra, it averages 79 FPS. This is higher than the 4K results and more demanding than 1080p, where the CPU may be limiting. The 1440p results show less CPU influence and more consistent GPU scaling.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 77712, which is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and 1.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT. This indicates that the RTX 5090 D is competitive with these high-end mobile parts, despite being a desktop card.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 a good match for this GPU?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 19593 is within 0.7% of its nearest rivals, placing it in the 73rd percentile. The combo rank of 55 out of 2902 suggests that the pairing works well, but the CPU's performance is not exceptional. The data indicates that the GPU is the dominant component in this setup.

Q: What settings should I use for 4K gaming?

A: At 4K, the combo averages 72 FPS on High and 52 FPS on Ultra. The High preset provides a smoother experience, while the Ultra preset is more visually demanding but drops below 60 FPS. The data shows that Medium delivers 86 FPS, which may be the best balance for 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 183 FPS on Low, 164 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 140 and maximum of 189), 146 FPS on High, and 105 FPS on Ultra. At 2560x1440, the numbers are 166 FPS on Low, 131 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 111 and maximum of 150), 109 FPS on High, and 79 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the results are 115 FPS on Low, 86 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 74 and maximum of 99), 72 FPS on High, and 52 FPS on Ultra.

The Medium preset is the only one with min and max FPS data, providing insight into frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range spans from 140 to 189 FPS, a 49 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range is 111 to 150 FPS, a 39 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 74 to 99 FPS, a 25 FPS spread. This narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's workload becomes more consistent when it is the primary bottleneck. At 1080p, the CPU's variability can cause larger frame time spikes, resulting in a wider FPS range. This data supports the theory that the Ryzen 5 5500 is more of a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Cezanne. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. The CPU has a 16 MB L3 cache and uses DDR4 memory with dual-channel support, providing 51.2 GB/s of bandwidth. It is built on a 7 nm process with 10,700 million transistors on a 180 mm² die. The CPU's benchmark scores show a single-thread score of 836 in 3dmark and 2319 in Cinebench R23 single-core. Its multi-thread score is 5411 in 3dmark max threads and 16429 in Cinebench R23 multi-core.

These numbers place the CPU in the 73rd percentile, which is respectable but not outstanding. The nearest rival data shows that the Ryzen 5 5500 is nearly identical in performance to the Core i5-12500, with a delta of -0.4%. This means the CPU is a solid mid-range part, but it is paired with one of the fastest GPUs available. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role appears to be supporting the GPU. The 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to feed the RTX 5090 D at higher resolutions, but at 1080p, the CPU's limitations become apparent. The data shows that the FPS at 1080p Low is only 10% higher than at 1440p Low (183 vs 166 FPS), which is a smaller gain than the 44% increase from 1440p to 4K Low (166 vs 115 FPS). This suggests that the CPU is capping the frame rate at 1080p, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to the Medium preset as the best balance of performance and visual quality. At 4K, Medium delivers 86 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. In contrast, High delivers 72 FPS and Ultra drops to 52 FPS, which may feel stuttery in action scenes. At 1440p, Medium delivers 131 FPS, while High delivers 109 FPS and Ultra delivers 79 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p offers a 20% FPS advantage over High, making it the best choice for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 164 FPS, which is close to the Low preset's 183 FPS. The difference between Medium and Low is only 10%, while the jump from Medium to High is 11% (164 to 146 FPS). This suggests that Medium is the sweet spot at 1080p, as it provides better visuals than Low with a minimal FPS cost. The data also shows that the Ultra preset is not worth the performance hit. At all resolutions, Ultra delivers the lowest FPS, and the visual improvement over High is not reflected in the benchmark data. For this combo, the recommendation is to use Medium settings across all resolutions. This preset provides the highest FPS while maintaining a minimum of 74 FPS at 4K, which is acceptable for most players. The High preset is a viable alternative for those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, but the data shows that Medium is the most efficient choice.