Red Dead Redemption 2

Settings Recommendations

The measured data for Red Dead Redemption 2 with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Arc B370 shows a clear hierarchy across the four preset levels, and the choice of settings dramatically changes the playability outcome. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers an average of 47 FPS, which is the only configuration in the entire measured set that approaches a smooth, playable experience. The Medium preset drops to 35 FPS, High falls to 29 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 21 FPS. The pattern is consistent at every resolution: Low is the only preset that keeps the average above 30 FPS, and even then, it only does so at 1080p.

Given that the Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, the data strongly indicates that this combo should be run at the Low preset for any serious gameplay session. At 1440p, Low produces 35 FPS, which is still marginally playable for slower-paced action, but the jump to Medium at 1440p yields only 26 FPS, and High drops to 22 FPS. At 4K, even Low falls to 23 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play.

The measured rows show that the difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 12 FPS (from 47 to 35), while the difference between High and Ultra is only 8 FPS (from 29 to 21). This suggests that the Low preset is not just the best option — it is the only option that provides a usable frame rate in this title. The Medium preset at 1080p, with a minimum of 30 FPS and maximum of 40 FPS, could be considered for players who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness, but the data shows that the average of 35 FPS leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

For the best experience per the measured rows, the recommendation is unambiguous: run the game at 1080p with the Low preset. This configuration yields 47 FPS average, which is 12 FPS higher than the next best option (1440p Low at 35 FPS) and 26 FPS higher than 4K Low. The Low preset at 1080p is the only combination that breaks the 45 FPS barrier, making it the sole viable choice for responsive gameplay.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration, and the data makes that conclusion unavoidable. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with nearest rivals including the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (score 1192, delta -0.7%). These are legacy or low-end parts from a bygone era, and the Arc B370's performance class is clearly reflected in the Red Dead Redemption 2 frame rates.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared" for size, type, bus width, and bandwidth is "System Dependent." This means the Arc B370 has no dedicated VRAM of its own; it relies on shared system memory, which is a severe disadvantage for a demanding open-world title like Red Dead Redemption 2. The clock speeds are listed as a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2400 MHz, but the memory clock is also "System Shared," further emphasizing the lack of dedicated graphics memory.

The GPU's rendering capabilities are modest: 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, with 10 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 6.144 TFLOPS. These specifications align with the measured results — the GPU simply does not have the throughput to handle high or ultra settings in this game, as evidenced by the 1080p Ultra average of just 21 FPS.

The relationship between GPU specs and game results is direct: at 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 10, which is unplayable by any measure. Even at 1080p Low, the 47 FPS average is achieved only because the Low preset reduces the rendering load significantly. The data shows that the Arc B370's 5th percentile standing is not an anomaly — it is the defining characteristic of this combo's performance in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and consistent across all four presets, revealing that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component at every resolution. At the Low preset, the average FPS falls from 47 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p (a 12 FPS drop) and then to 23 at 4K (another 12 FPS drop). The cumulative drop from 1080p to 4K at Low is 24 FPS, representing a 51% reduction in frame rate.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 35 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. The High preset drops from 29 FPS at 1080p to 22 FPS at 1440p and 14 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the worst, falling from 21 FPS at 1080p to 16 FPS at 1440p and 10 FPS at 4K. The scaling is nearly linear in absolute terms — each resolution step costs roughly 8-12 FPS regardless of preset — but the percentage loss is steeper at higher presets because the starting point is lower.

This scaling behavior indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck at all resolutions. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat as resolution increases, since the CPU workload is largely resolution-independent. Instead, the data shows a consistent and substantial FPS decline with each resolution increase, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The Ryzen 5 5600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, is not the constraint here; the Arc B370's limited fill rate and shared memory bandwidth cannot keep pace with the increasing pixel count.

The measured minimum and maximum values for Medium settings provide additional insight: at 1080p, the range is 30-40 FPS; at 1440p, it is 22-30 FPS; and at 4K, it is 15-20 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently saturated, with less variance because the workload is uniformly heavy. At 1080p, the wider range indicates that the GPU has some headroom in lighter scenes, but at 4K, every frame is a struggle.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2670 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations. This ranking is a direct consequence of the GPU's extremely low performance percentile, as the CPU is a mid-range part that performs competently in isolation.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 20468, which places it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (score 20454, delta 0.1%), AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (score 20425, delta 0.2%), and AMD EPYC 9454P (score 20422, delta 0.2%). These are all newer or more expensive parts, and the Ryzen 5 5600 matches or slightly exceeds them in average score. This indicates that the CPU is not the reason for the low combo rank.

The GPU, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 1184 and sits in the 5th percentile, with rivals that are over a decade old. The combo rank of 2670 out of 2902 is essentially determined by the GPU's performance class. In a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for its demanding rendering requirements, the GPU's limitations are magnified, pulling the entire combo down to the bottom tier.

The data shows that this combo is not suitable for high-refresh-rate or high-resolution gaming in this title. The rank reflects a fundamental mismatch: a reasonably capable CPU paired with a GPU that is designed for low-power or integrated use cases, not for heavy AAA gaming workloads. The measured FPS values confirm this, with no configuration exceeding 47 FPS and most falling well below 30 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 provides a solid foundation for this combo, but its capabilities are largely untapped in Red Dead Redemption 2 due to the GPU bottleneck. The CPU features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It is built on TSMC's 7 nm process with 4,150 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, and it has a TDP of 65 W. The cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 512 KB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache.

The CPU's benchmark results show a balanced profile: a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18309 and a single-core score of 2584, with a Geekbench multicore score of 9158 and single-core score of 1936. The 3DMark results are also telling: 5641 for 16 threads, 4798 for 8 threads, 3313 for 4 threads, and 1737 for 2 threads. The PassMark multithread score is 21541, with a single-thread score of 3256. These numbers indicate that the CPU has ample processing power for Red Dead Redemption 2's workload, which typically utilizes multiple cores but does not require extreme thread counts.

However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU's potential is never realized because the GPU cannot feed frames fast enough. At 1080p Low, the CPU could likely push higher frame rates if paired with a stronger GPU, but the Arc B370 caps performance at 47 FPS. The CPU's 74th percentile ranking among all CPUs, combined with the GPU's 5th percentile ranking, creates a stark contrast that explains the combo's low overall rank.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 with dual-channel configuration and 51.2 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for this game, but the GPU's reliance on "System Shared" memory means that the CPU and GPU compete for the same memory bandwidth. This shared memory architecture likely exacerbates the GPU bottleneck, as the system memory bandwidth is divided between the two components. The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache helps mitigate some of this contention, but it cannot overcome the fundamental limitation of the GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The Low preset at 1080p is the only configuration that delivers a playable average frame rate, with a measured average of 47 FPS. All other presets and resolutions fall below 35 FPS, with Ultra at 4K dropping to just 10 FPS.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so significantly from 1080p to 4K?

A: The average FPS at Low settings falls from 47 at 1080p to 35 at 1440p and 23 at 4K. This consistent drop across resolutions indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component, as the CPU workload does not scale with resolution while the GPU workload does.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark performance?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 has an average benchmark score of 20468, which is 0.1% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V (20454), 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G (20425), and 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 9454P (20422). This places it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark performance?

A: The Intel Arc B370 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184, which is 0.2% lower than the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), 0.5% lower than the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and 1.4% higher than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168). This places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among all tested configurations?

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2670 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations tested.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The GPU is definitively the primary bottleneck. The CPU's 74th percentile ranking and strong multicore scores (Cinebench R23 multicore of 18309) contrast sharply with the GPU's 5th percentile ranking and score of 1184. The FPS scaling pattern across resolutions confirms that the GPU limits performance at every setting.