Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2: AMD Ryzen 5 7500F + Intel Arc B390

This combination places the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, a 6-core/12-thread Zen 4 desktop processor, alongside the Intel Arc B390, an integrated-class GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture. The measured frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2 reveal a profound performance imbalance: the CPU has ample compute headroom while the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured data, contextualizes the combo's ranking among 2,902 tested configurations, and explores what the FPS curves imply about the system's limiting factors.

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

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F brings a 6-core, 12-thread configuration running on the Zen 4 (Raphael) architecture, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock sits at 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it carries a 32 MB shared L3 cache alongside 1 MB of L2 per core. This is a modern desktop CPU with a 65 W TDP, designed for the AM5 socket, and its benchmark scores reflect strong single-thread and multi-thread capabilities. In Cinebench R23, the processor scores 22,799 in multi-core and 3,218 in single-core, while Geekbench reports 12,362 multi-core and 2,374 single-core. The 3DMark 16-thread test yields 6,376, and the single-thread score is 974.

Given these numbers, the CPU should not struggle with a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for its broad thread utilization but is not extremely demanding on any single core. The Ryzen 5 7500F's 12 threads provide ample parallelism for the game's simulation and AI workloads. The measured FPS data, however, shows the system averaging only 51 FPS at 1080p Low — a figure that a CPU of this caliber could likely exceed if the GPU were not the limiting factor. The CPU's percentile rank of 77 among all tested CPUs further confirms it sits comfortably above the median, with nearest rivals like the Intel Core i7-13620H (avg score 24,911, delta 0.2%) and AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (avg score 25,005, delta -0.2%) performing almost identically in synthetic benchmarks.

The data implies that the CPU is effectively waiting for the GPU at every measured setting. The 6-core/12-thread layout, combined with the high boost clock, ensures that frame pacing is not CPU-bound in this scenario. The L3 cache size of 32 MB helps with game data locality, potentially reducing memory latency in open-world scenes. However, the actual bottleneck is evident from the FPS scaling: moving from 1080p Low (51 FPS) to 4K Low (25 FPS) shows a frame rate cut roughly in half, which is a classic sign of GPU saturation rather than CPU limitations. The CPU's role here is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data, and it does so without creating a visible performance ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo holds the 2,568th rank out of 2,902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 12% of all configurations. This ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's limited capabilities rather than the CPU's performance. The Intel Arc B390's average benchmark score is just 1,482 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, and it sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all older, entry-level NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (avg score 1,463, delta 1.3%), GeForce 800M (avg score 1,460, delta 1.5%), GeForce GT 625 OEM (avg score 1,446, delta 2.5%), and GeForce GT 710 (avg score 1,443, delta 2.7%). The B390 is only 1.3% faster than the GT 520MX, which is a decade-old mobile GPU.

This ranking context is critical. The 2,568th position means that 334 combinations tested worse, but the vast majority of systems — over 88% — outperform this pairing. The CPU alone would likely rank much higher if paired with a discrete GPU, given its 77th percentile standing. The data suggests that this combo is severely GPU-limited, and the ranking reflects the integrated graphics' inability to push Red Dead Redemption 2 at playable frame rates beyond the lowest settings. The gap between the CPU's synthetic scores and the combo's in-game ranking highlights how a strong processor cannot compensate for a weak graphics solution in a graphically intensive title like this one.

The deltaPct values among the GPU's nearest rivals are all under 3%, indicating that the B390 is statistically clustered with these very old parts. This means the combo's rank is essentially determined by the GPU's tier, and any CPU swap within a similar performance envelope would not meaningfully change the outcome. The data implies that for this specific game, the combo's ranking is a GPU story, not a CPU story.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a textbook GPU-bound scaling pattern. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 51 FPS at 1080p to 38 FPS at 1440p (a 25.5% decrease) and then to 25 FPS at 4K (a 34.2% decrease from 1440p). This near-linear degradation in performance as pixel count increases is a clear indicator that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect frame rates to remain relatively flat across resolutions, since the CPU workload does not change significantly with resolution.

The High settings tell a similar story: 32 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 25% and 33.3%, respectively, mirroring the Low setting pattern almost exactly. Medium settings show 39 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K, with drops of 25.6% and 34.5%. Ultra settings drop from 23 FPS at 1080p to 17 FPS at 1440p and 11 FPS at 4K, representing 26.1% and 35.3% reductions. The consistency of these scaling ratios across all settings is a strong signal that the GPU's pixel throughput is the sole constraint.

The data also shows that the frame rate drop from 1080p to 1440p is consistently around 25%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is around 34%. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU that is already near its limit at 1080p; the additional pixel load at higher resolutions disproportionately impacts performance. The Intel Arc B390's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are modest figures, and they align with the observed behavior. At 4K Ultra, the combo manages just 11 FPS, which is essentially unplayable. The implication is that any resolution above 1080p is impractical for this GPU in this game, and even 1080p requires low settings to approach playability.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS spans from 51 at Low settings to 23 at Ultra. The Low setting achieves 51 FPS, which is the highest figure in the entire dataset, but it drops to 39 FPS at Medium (with a minimum of 33 and maximum of 44), then to 32 FPS at High, and finally 23 FPS at Ultra. The step from Low to Medium costs 12 FPS (a 23.5% reduction), while the step from High to Ultra costs 9 FPS (a 28.1% reduction). This suggests that each preset tier imposes a significant load on the GPU, with diminishing returns in visual quality versus frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 38 FPS at Low, 29 FPS at Medium (min 24, max 33), 24 FPS at High, and 17 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 21 FPS, representing a 55.3% reduction. The minimum FPS at Medium (24) indicates that even at this middle setting, frame times can spike, which would cause noticeable stuttering in gameplay. The maximum FPS at Medium (33) shows that the GPU occasionally has headroom, but the average is far from smooth.

At 3840x2160, the results are 25 FPS at Low, 19 FPS at Medium (min 16, max 22), 16 FPS at High, and 11 FPS at Ultra. The 4K Medium minimum of 16 FPS is particularly poor, suggesting that the experience is consistently below 20 FPS even in less demanding scenes. The Ultra setting at 4K produces an average of 11 FPS, which is a slideshow by any standard. Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings are the only viable option for any semblance of playability, and even then, only at 1080p does the average exceed 30 FPS.

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

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It has 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The base clock is 300 MHz, boosting to 2500 MHz, with a TDP of 80 W. Critically, its memory is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's DDR5 RAM for both capacity and bandwidth, with the memory bus and bandwidth listed as "System Dependent." This is a fundamental limitation for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which has large textures and streaming environments.

The GPU's FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s. These figures place it in the same performance tier as the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and GT 710, as shown in the nearestRivals data. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,482 and the 9th percentile ranking confirm that this is an entry-level graphics solution. The shared memory architecture is particularly problematic because the GPU must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth, and in a game with heavy texture streaming, this can cause hitches and reduced frame rates.

The measured FPS data directly reflects these hardware characteristics. At 1080p Low, the 51 FPS average is achieved with minimal texture and shading demands, but the GPU's 24 ROPs are still taxed. At higher settings, the increased pixel and texture loads overwhelm the 48 TMUs and 24 ROPs, causing the frame rate to plummet. The lack of dedicated VRAM means that at Ultra settings, the system likely relies on slower system memory for texture data, exacerbating the performance drop. The GPU's 12 RT cores are largely irrelevant here, as Red Dead Redemption 2 does not heavily utilize ray tracing, and the standard rasterization workload is already too much for this hardware.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the average FPS exceeds 30 (51 FPS at Low). At 2560x1440, the maximum average is 38 FPS at Low, but this drops below playable levels at higher settings. At 3840x2160, the highest average is 25 FPS at Low, which is not smooth.

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

A: The B390 has an average 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1,482. It is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463), 1.5% faster than the GeForce 800M (1,460), 2.5% faster than the GT 625 OEM (1,446), and 2.7% faster than the GT 710 (1,443). These are all extremely close scores, indicating similar performance tiers.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU's benchmarks are strong (Cinebench R23 multi-core 22,799, single-core 3,218; Geekbench multi-core 12,362, single-core 2,374), and the FPS drops across resolutions follow a GPU-bound pattern. The CPU ranks in the 77th percentile, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 51 at Low and 23 at Ultra, a difference of 28 FPS (54.9% reduction). The Medium setting averages 39 FPS, and High averages 32 FPS.

Q: Does the combo rank well among tested systems?

A: No. It ranks 2,568 out of 2,902 combos, placing it in the bottom 12% of all tested configurations. The GPU's low percentile (9th) is the primary driver of this ranking.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The data says no. At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 25 at Low to 11 at Ultra. Even at Low settings, 25 FPS is below the standard playability threshold, and the Medium setting has a minimum FPS of 16.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable configuration for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2 is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which produces an average of 51 FPS. This is the only combination of resolution and settings in the dataset that exceeds 30 FPS on average. The Medium setting at 1080p yields 39 FPS, which may be playable for some users, but the minimum FPS of 33 suggests occasional dips that could be noticeable. At 1080p High, the average drops to 32 FPS, which is borderline, and Ultra at 23 FPS is not recommended for any gameplay experience.

At higher resolutions, the data strongly advises against anything above 1080p. Even at 1440p Low, the average is 38 FPS, but the frame rate drops to 29 FPS at Medium, which is below the playability threshold. At 4K, no setting produces an average above 25 FPS, making it unsuitable for action sequences. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally 1080p Low, which offers the highest average FPS and the most consistent performance. If a user prioritizes visual quality over frame rate, 1080p Medium (39 FPS) is the next best option, but the data indicates that Low settings provide the most headroom for maintaining stable frame times during intense scenes. Given the GPU's 9th percentile ranking and its similarity to decade-old parts like the GT 710, expecting anything beyond 1080p Low is unrealistic for this title.