Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 and Intel Arc B570 pairing delivers playable performance in Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p, but the data shows a sharp decline as resolution increases, revealing the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 79 FPS, but this drops to 49 FPS at High and 36 FPS at Ultra, indicating that graphical settings have a more significant impact than resolution scaling at this tier. The 4K results confirm the GPU's limits: even at Low settings, the average FPS falls to 39, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and at Ultra it collapses to 18 FPS. This combo ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier for this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern: scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K produces predictable but steep performance penalties across all settings. At 1080p Low, the average is 79 FPS; moving to 1440p Low drops this to 59 FPS, a reduction of 20 FPS. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 39 FPS. This represents a 50.6% performance loss from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is substantial but not catastrophic for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2. However, the picture worsens with higher graphical presets. At High settings, the combo delivers 49 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p, and just 24 FPS at 4K — a 51% drop from 1080p to 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K, which is exactly half the 1080p figure.

These numbers indicate that the Intel Arc B570, with its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth, becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 5 5600, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has sufficient processing power to keep up at 1080p, as evidenced by the 79 FPS result at Low settings. But as resolution increases, the GPU's pixel throughput — rated at 200.0 GPixel/s — cannot maintain frame rates, and the CPU's role diminishes. The data suggests that the sweet spot for this combo is 1080p, where the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. At 1440p, performance becomes marginal for competitive play, with only the Low preset exceeding 60 FPS. At 4K, no preset reaches 60 FPS, and even the Medium preset's 29 FPS average (with a minimum of 25 FPS) falls short of a playable experience for most users.

The measured FPS breakdown also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (79 FPS) and Ultra (36 FPS) is 43 FPS. At 1440p, this gap narrows to 32 FPS (59 vs. 27). At 4K, the gap shrinks further to 21 FPS (39 vs. 18). This convergence at higher resolutions is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where the render resolution dominates the cost regardless of graphical complexity. For users targeting 4K, the data strongly suggests that even the Low preset is insufficient, as 39 FPS is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth action sequences.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo consistently delivers playable frame rates. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 36 (Ultra) to 79 (Low), with Medium and High presets hitting 59 and 49 FPS respectively. At 1440p, only the Low preset exceeds 60 FPS, and at 4K, no preset reaches even 40 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: The Ultra preset imposes a significant performance penalty across all resolutions. At 1080p, Ultra delivers 36 FPS compared to High's 49 FPS, a 26.5% reduction. At 1440p, the gap is 10 FPS (27 vs. 37), and at 4K, Ultra drops to 18 FPS versus High's 24 FPS. The data suggests that the visual gains from Ultra do not justify the frame rate cost for this hardware combination.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K?

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the bottleneck at 4K. The Ryzen 5 5600 has a passmark multithread score of 21541 and a single-thread score of 3256, which are adequate for this game. However, the Intel Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, and its performance at 4K — ranging from 18 to 39 FPS depending on settings — shows the GPU cannot handle the pixel workload.

Q: What is the difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 44 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS. The High preset averages 37 FPS. This 7 FPS difference is relatively small, but the Medium preset's minimum of 38 FPS provides more consistent frame pacing, which may be preferable for gameplay smoothness.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested configurations in this game?

A: This combination ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combos, placing it in the 19.5th percentile of all configurations for Red Dead Redemption 2. This suggests that while the combo is functional, it is not well-suited for high-fidelity settings or high resolutions in this specific title.

Q: Can the combo maintain 60 FPS at any resolution?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low settings, where the average FPS is 79. At 1080p Medium, the average is 59 FPS, which is just below 60. At 1440p Low, the average is 59 FPS as well, but this is the exception rather than the rule. No 4K preset achieves 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores indicate strong single-threaded performance: a 3dmark single-thread score of 882 and a passmark single-thread score of 3256. These figures are relevant for Red Dead Redemption 2, which relies on a few heavily-threaded tasks for game logic and physics. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are also solid, with a cinebench R23 multicore score of 18309 and a passmark multithread score of 21541, but the game's performance data suggests that these are not the limiting factors in most scenarios.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 7 nm process node contribute to its efficiency, but the measured FPS results show that the processor is rarely the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 79 FPS, which indicates the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower graphical loads. However, as settings increase to High and Ultra, the FPS drops to 49 and 36 respectively, even though the CPU workload remains relatively constant. This pattern confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint, not the CPU. The Ryzen 5 5600's percentile ranking of 74 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20468, places it in a competitive position, but its nearest rivals — including the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and AMD Ryzen 5 8500G — show similar average scores, suggesting that CPU choice has minimal impact on this game's performance at this tier.

The CPU's 4,150 million transistors and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for this title, but the data shows that the game's performance is more sensitive to GPU settings than CPU clock speed or core count. At 4K, where the GPU is heavily loaded, the CPU's role becomes even less significant — the FPS differences between Low (39) and Ultra (18) are entirely attributable to GPU workload. For users considering this CPU for Red Dead Redemption 2, the benchmark results indicate that the Ryzen 5 5600 provides sufficient headroom for the GPU to operate at its full potential, but the overall combo performance is capped by the Arc B570's capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance between visual quality and frame rate, delivering an average of 59 FPS with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. This is just below the 60 FPS target, but the minimum frame rate of 50 FPS ensures acceptable smoothness during intense scenes. The High preset at 1080p averages 49 FPS, which is playable but may exhibit more noticeable frame drops. The Low preset achieves 79 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is substantial, making Medium the recommended choice for most users.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only option that approaches 60 FPS, averaging 59 FPS. However, this comes with significant visual compromises. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 44 FPS with a minimum of 38 FPS, which is playable for slower-paced exploration but may struggle during action sequences. The High preset at 1440p drops to 37 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for smooth gameplay. For users who prioritize frame rate over visuals, Low at 1440p is the only viable choice; for those who can tolerate lower FPS, Medium is the highest playable setting.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset provides a truly playable experience. The Low preset averages 39 FPS, which is marginal but may be acceptable for users who prefer resolution over smoothness. The Medium preset averages 29 FPS with a minimum of 25 FPS, which is likely to feel choppy. The High and Ultra presets at 4K average 24 and 18 FPS respectively, making them unsuitable for gameplay. Given these results, the recommendation is to avoid 4K with this combo entirely, or to use the Low preset only if the user has no other option. The Medium preset at 1080p is the overall best experience, as it provides near-60 FPS performance with moderate visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

This AMD Ryzen 5 5600 + Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 19.5th percentile of all configurations. This is a below-average ranking, indicating that the combo is not well-optimized for this specific title. The ranking suggests that many other CPU-GPU pairings deliver better performance, likely due to the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and settings. The Intel Arc B570's percentile ranking of 65 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556, is its primary weakness — this score is nearly identical to the CPU's average benchmark score of 20468, highlighting that both components are mid-tier performers.

The combo's rank in the lower quintile means that users seeking high-performance gameplay in Red Dead Redemption 2 would likely need to upgrade either the GPU or the CPU. However, the data shows that the GPU is the more significant bottleneck, as the CPU's performance is sufficient for the game's requirements. The nearest rivals to the GPU — the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and Intel Arc A750 — have average scores within 0.1% of the Arc B570, suggesting that this GPU's performance is comparable to other mid-range options. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V and AMD Ryzen 5 8500G, also have scores within 0.2%, indicating that the CPU is not an outlier in either direction.

For context, the combo's rank of 2335 out of 2902 means that roughly 80% of tested configurations perform better in this game. This is a significant finding for potential buyers, as it indicates that the combo is not a strong choice for Red Dead Redemption 2 specifically, despite being adequate for other titles. The measured FPS data confirms this: even at the most favorable settings (1080p Low), the combo only achieves 79 FPS, which is below what many higher-ranked combos would deliver. Users who prioritize this game should consider alternative GPU options with higher benchmark scores, while those who already own this combo should focus on 1080p Medium settings to maximize the playable experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings average 79 FPS, Medium averages 59 FPS (with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68), High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 36 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 50 FPS is notable because it indicates that frame rates remain above the 30 FPS playability threshold even during demanding scenes, whereas the High preset's average of 49 FPS suggests that some scenes may dip below 40 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 59 FPS, Medium averages 44 FPS (with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 51), High averages 37 FPS, and Ultra averages 27 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 38 FPS is still playable, but the margin for error is thin. The High preset's 37 FPS average is borderline, and Ultra's 27 FPS is below the acceptable threshold for most users. The 1440p results show that the combo is only suitable for Low settings if the user demands 60 FPS, but Medium is a reasonable compromise for those who accept 40-50 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the data reveals severe limitations. Low settings average 39 FPS, Medium averages 29 FPS (with a minimum of 25 and maximum of 34), High averages 24 FPS, and Ultra averages 18 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 25 FPS is particularly concerning, as it indicates significant frame drops during intensive scenes. The High preset's 24 FPS average is unplayable for action-oriented gameplay, and Ultra's 18 FPS is effectively a slideshow. These 4K results confirm that the combo is not designed for high-resolution gaming, and users should avoid 4K unless they are willing to accept sub-30 FPS performance.

The data also shows that the Medium preset consistently provides the most stable frame times, as evidenced by the minimum and maximum values at 1080p (50-68 FPS) and 1440p (38-51 FPS). This stability is likely due to the preset's balanced load on the GPU, which avoids the extreme demands of Ultra while providing more visual detail than Low. For users who value consistent frame pacing over peak FPS, the Medium preset at 1080p is the clear recommendation, offering a 59 FPS average with a minimum of 50 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p, while achieving 79 FPS, likely exhibits more variance due to the reduced GPU load, though the data does not include minimum values for this preset.