Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a fundamentally GPU-limited experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with benchmark results showing that the discrete-class CPU is entirely overshadowed by an integrated graphics solution that struggles to maintain playable frame rates even at 1080p. The data indicates this combination ranks in the bottom tier of tested configurations, placing 2568th out of 2902 combos, which positions it firmly in the lower 12% of all systems evaluated for this title.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Zen 3 architecture, codenamed Vermeer, using TSMC's 7 nm process node. It operates with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The processor features a 32 MB shared L3 cache, 512 KB L2 cache per core, and 64 KB L1 cache per core. Memory support includes dual-channel DDR4 with a theoretical bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Ryzen 5 5600 demonstrates solid multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 18309 and single-core score of 2584 indicate strong computational capability. The Geekbench multicore score of 9158 and single-core score of 1936 further corroborate this. PassMark results show a multithread score of 21541 and a single-thread score of 3256, with the processor achieving an average benchmark score of 20468, placing it in the 74th percentile of all CPUs.

The processor's nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V with an average score of 20454 (0.1% slower), the AMD Ryzen 5 8500G at 20425 (0.2% slower), the AMD EPYC 9454P at 20422 (0.2% slower), and the AMD EPYC 7713 at 20363 (0.5% slower). These margins are negligible, indicating that the Ryzen 5 5600 sits in a tightly competitive band of processors around the 20,400-20,500 score range.

Despite this robust CPU performance, the measured FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2 tells a different story. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 51 FPS average, while at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 23 FPS. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than adequate for this game's threading requirements, but the data shows the bottleneck lies elsewhere. The 3DMark scores for the CPU — 5641 at 16 threads, 5659 at max threads, and 882 at single thread — confirm that the processor has ample headroom for gaming workloads, yet the frame rates remain low.

The launch MSRP for this CPU is $199, and it uses the AMD Socket AM4 platform with PCIe Gen 4 support providing 20 lanes. The processor is unlocked for overclocking and supports ECC memory, making it a versatile desktop part. However, in this specific combination, the CPU's capabilities are never fully utilized because the graphics solution cannot keep pace, even at the lowest settings and resolutions tested.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process node with the Panther Lake chip. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, and it delivers 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 15.36 TFLOPS of FP16 compute.

Critically, the memory configuration is "System Shared" — meaning the GPU uses a portion of the system's DDR4 RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bus width is also "System Shared," with bandwidth described as "System Dependent." This architecture fundamentally limits performance in a demanding open-world title like Red Dead Redemption 2, as the shared memory subsystem creates a bottleneck for texture streaming and frame buffer operations.

The GPU's benchmark performance is strikingly low. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). These are all legacy entry-level parts from over a decade ago, which contextualizes the Arc B390's performance tier.

The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, so API compatibility is not the issue. The TDP is 80 W, and it has no external power connectors, consistent with its IGP classification. The display outputs are described as "Portable Device Dependent," indicating this is designed for mobile or compact systems. The 2500 MHz boost clock is respectable on paper, but the shared memory architecture and integrated nature of the GPU severely constrain its real-world gaming performance.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's limitations are immediately apparent. At 1080p Low, it manages 51 FPS, which is borderline playable, but every increase in settings or resolution causes significant frame rate collapse. The 12 ray tracing cores are present but irrelevant here, as the game's rasterization demands alone overwhelm the GPU's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling data clearly demonstrates that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component in this pairing. Moving from 1080p to 4K at Low settings shows a drop from 51 FPS to 25 FPS, a reduction of 51%. At High settings, the drop is from 32 FPS at 1080p to 16 FPS at 4K, a 50% decrease. This linear relationship between resolution and frame rate is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

The Medium settings data provides additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the system averages 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 and maximum of 44. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 29 FPS (24 min, 33 max), and at 4K Medium, it falls to 19 FPS (16 min, 22 max). This consistent halving of performance as resolution quadruples (from 1080p to 4K) indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the primary constraint, not the CPU.

At Ultra settings, the pattern holds but with absolute numbers that are effectively unplayable. The 1080p Ultra average is 23 FPS, 1440p Ultra is 17 FPS, and 4K Ultra is 11 FPS. The CPU's capability to feed frames is irrelevant when the GPU cannot render them fast enough. The Ryzen 5 5600's Cinebench R20 multicore score of 7689 and 3DMark max threads score of 5659 suggest it could easily handle the game's simulation and AI workloads, but the rendering pipeline is choked at the GPU stage.

The scaling behavior also reveals that the shared memory architecture creates additional penalties at higher resolutions. As resolution increases, the memory bandwidth requirement grows, but the "System Dependent" bandwidth cannot scale accordingly, exacerbating the frame rate drops. This is why the percentage decrease from 1080p to 4K is roughly consistent across all settings — the GPU is always operating at its memory bandwidth limit.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This combination of AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2568th out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the bottom 11.5% of all systems evaluated for this game, which is a remarkably poor showing given the CPU's capabilities. The ranking reflects the fact that the GPU's 9th percentile performance drags down the entire system, despite the CPU's 74th percentile standing.

The disparity between the components is stark. The CPU outperforms 74% of all processors in the database, while the GPU outperforms only 9% of all graphics cards. This 65-percentage-point gap between component percentiles is among the most extreme imbalances one could encounter in a benchmark database. The combo ranking of 2568th indicates that virtually any system with a discrete GPU from the past decade would outperform this configuration in Red Dead Redemption 2.

The GPU's nearest rivals — the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 — are all integrated or entry-level discrete parts from the early 2010s. The fact that the Arc B390's 3DMark score of 1482 is only 2.7% higher than the GT 710's 1443 highlights the performance tier this GPU occupies. In a game as demanding as Red Dead Redemption 2, this level of GPU performance is simply insufficient for a smooth experience at any resolution above 720p.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance envelope across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the system achieves its best results: 51 FPS at Low, 39 FPS at Medium (33 min, 44 max), 32 FPS at High, and 23 FPS at Ultra. The Medium setting is the only configuration in the entire dataset that provides a minimum frame rate above 30 FPS, suggesting that 1080p Medium is the practical ceiling for this system if one prioritizes consistency.

At 1440p, performance degrades noticeably. Low settings produce 38 FPS, Medium drops to 29 FPS (24 min, 33 max), High falls to 24 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 17 FPS. The gap between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is 13 FPS, while at High settings it is 8 FPS. This non-uniform scaling suggests that at lower settings, the GPU is partially memory-bound, while at higher settings, it becomes more compute-bound.

At 4K, the system is essentially unplayable across all settings. Low achieves 25 FPS, Medium 19 FPS (16 min, 22 max), High 16 FPS, and Ultra 11 FPS. The minimum frame rate of 16 FPS at 4K Medium indicates significant frame pacing issues, as the GPU struggles to maintain even its already low average. The 11 FPS at 4K Ultra represents a slideshow experience that no gamer would consider viable.

The data shows that the system's best-case scenario — 1080p Low at 51 FPS — is only marginally acceptable for a single-player action-adventure game. Every other configuration falls below 40 FPS, with most falling below 30 FPS. The lack of min FPS data for most settings (only Medium settings have min/max values) suggests that the benchmark methodology may have excluded outliers, but the available data points indicate significant frame time variance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves 51 FPS average. At Medium settings, it drops to 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS, and at High settings, it falls to 32 FPS. Ultra settings are not recommended as they produce only 23 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings configuration for this combination?

A: The data shows that 1080p Medium is the optimal balance, providing 39 FPS average with a minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 44 FPS. This is the only setting where the minimum frame rate stays above 30 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1443).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 5600 ranks in the 74th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 20468, while the Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of all GPUs with a score of 1482. The resolution scaling data confirms GPU-bound behavior.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, the system drops from 51 FPS at 1080p to 25 FPS at 4K, a 51% reduction. At High settings, it drops from 32 FPS to 16 FPS, also a 50% reduction. This consistent halving indicates the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: How does this system rank among all tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 2568th out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 11.5% of all systems. The CPU's strong performance cannot compensate for the GPU's low position in the graphics card hierarchy.