Red Dead Redemption 2

The Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Arc B570 pairing in Red Dead Redemption 2 delivers a playable but demanding experience, with the data showing a clear hierarchy across resolutions and presets. At 1080p, the combination manages 79 FPS on Low settings, but that figure drops to 49 FPS on High and 36 FPS on Ultra, illustrating how quickly the GPU becomes the bottleneck as visual fidelity increases. The measured results place this combo at rank 2335 out of 2902 tested configurations, indicating that while it is not a top-tier pairing for this title, it remains functional for moderate settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear picture of which preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality for this specific CPU-GPU combo. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 79 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all resolutions and settings. However, this comes at the cost of visual fidelity, and the jump to Medium produces 59 FPS, a 25% reduction from Low but still within a range that many users would consider acceptable for smooth gameplay. High at 1080p drops further to 49 FPS, while Ultra falls to 36 FPS, making the latter two presets less attractive for consistent frame times.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 59 FPS, which matches the 1080p Medium result, suggesting that resolution scaling has a significant impact. Medium at 1440p produces 44 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS, indicating some frame time variance. High at 1440p averages 37 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth play in most scenarios. At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained: Low averages 39 FPS, Medium 29 FPS (min 25, max 34), High 24 FPS, and Ultra 18 FPS. None of the 4K presets reach 60 FPS, and even the Low preset struggles to maintain a consistent 40 FPS.

The optimal preset depends on the target resolution. At 1080p, Medium is the recommended choice because it delivers 59 FPS average, which is only slightly below the Low preset’s 79 FPS but offers substantially better visual quality. The minimum FPS for Medium at 1080p is 50, with a maximum of 68, showing that the frame rate is relatively stable. At 1440p, Low is the sensible pick, as its 59 FPS average matches the 1080p Medium result, while Medium at 1440p falls to 44 FPS with a minimum of 38, which may cause noticeable stutter in action-heavy scenes. For 4K, no preset provides a consistently smooth experience, but Low at 39 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, though users should expect frame rates to dip below 30 FPS in demanding moments.

The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p Medium or 1440p Low, as these presets maintain average FPS above 55 while keeping the minimums within acceptable bounds. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it produces 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K, all of which fall below the 30 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a playable experience. The Medium preset at 1440p, with its 38 FPS minimum, is borderline, but the 44 FPS average makes it a viable option for users who prioritize visual detail over frame rate consistency.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. Its base clock is 3.90 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, which provides strong single-thread performance for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 that relies on a mix of CPU and GPU work. The CPU’s benchmark scores indicate robust capabilities: the 3DMark single-thread score is 1253, while the 3DMark 16-thread score is 7585, showing a scaling efficiency that benefits multi-threaded workloads. In Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 17528.5 and the single-core score is 2183.5, confirming that the processor excels in both lightly threaded and heavily threaded scenarios.

The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration helps reduce memory latency, which is critical for open-world games that frequently stream assets. The memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel bus, offering a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s, which is sufficient to feed the CPU’s cores without causing data starvation. The processor also supports ECC memory, though this is unlikely to affect gaming performance directly.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw call submission. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 6726, compared to the 16-thread score of 7585, suggests that the processor’s performance scales well up to 8 threads, which is typical for games that use a limited number of cores. The PassMark multithread score of 30027 and single-thread score of 4570 further emphasize the CPU’s capability to handle both single-threaded bottlenecks and multi-threaded background tasks. The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 81, placing it in the top quartile of processors, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755GE (deltaPct 0.2), AMD Ryzen 7 7840H (deltaPct -0.5), AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT (deltaPct -0.6), and AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (deltaPct -0.8). These small deltas indicate that the 9600X performs within a narrow band of comparable CPUs.

For this game, the CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads are sufficient to avoid being the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 79 FPS average suggests that the CPU can drive the game engine at high frame rates, but the drop to 49 FPS at 1080p High implies that the GPU begins to limit performance as the rendering load increases. The 3DMark max-threads score of 7590, which is nearly identical to the 16-thread score, indicates that the processor does not gain much from additional threads beyond 12, which is expected given its core count. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz provides the single-thread performance needed for the game’s main thread, which is often the limiting factor in open-world titles.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture, codenamed Battlemage, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation units, along with 18 ray tracing cores. The GPU’s base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, which is a fixed clock speed that helps maintain consistent performance. The memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 10 GB capacity may become a constraint at 4K with high-resolution textures.

The GPU’s compute performance is rated at 11.52 TFLOPS for FP32, with a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s and a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s. These numbers indicate that the card is positioned in the mid-range segment, and its benchmark scores reflect this. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the GPU scores 2649, while Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores are 83514 and 96844, respectively. The PassMark G3D score is 14195, and the GPU compute score is 7281. The GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 65, placing it in the upper half of tested graphics cards. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1), Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1), NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (deltaPct 0.4), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (deltaPct -0.5). These small deltas show that the Arc B570 performs comparably to these cards in synthetic benchmarks.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU’s role is dominant, as evidenced by the FPS scaling across resolutions. At 1080p, the GPU can render the game at 79 FPS on Low, but this drops to 59 FPS on Medium and 49 FPS on High, indicating that the card’s shader and texture throughput become limiting as the preset increases. The 36 FPS at Ultra further confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint at this resolution. At 1440p, the GPU’s workload increases, reducing the Low preset to 59 FPS and Medium to 44 FPS. The 4K results show a more severe drop, with Low at 39 FPS and Medium at 29 FPS, which is consistent with the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute capacity being insufficient for the higher pixel count.

The GPU’s 10 GB VRAM is a potential concern at 4K, where texture-heavy scenes may exceed this capacity, leading to stuttering or texture pop-in. The measured FPS at 4K High (24 FPS) and Ultra (18 FPS) suggest that the GPU is heavily taxed, and the VRAM capacity likely contributes to the poor performance. The GPU’s 160-bit memory bus, while providing 380 GB/s bandwidth, is narrower than higher-tier cards, which limits its ability to handle large textures at high resolutions. The fixed 2500 MHz clock ensures that the GPU does not boost inconsistently, but it also means that there is no headroom for dynamic overclocking in demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X and Intel Arc B570 is ranked 2335 out of 2902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the lower half of all tested configurations, specifically in the 20th percentile (2335 / 2902 = 0.804, or about 80% of combos perform better). The ranking indicates that this pairing is not optimized for this game, likely due to the GPU’s mid-range performance relative to the CPU’s strong capabilities. The CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 81, meaning it outperforms 81% of processors, while the GPU’s percentile versus all GPUs is 65. This disparity suggests that the GPU is the weaker link in this combination, and the overall combo rank reflects that bottleneck.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing falls behind configurations that use higher-tier GPUs with similar CPUs. The combo rank of 2335 out of 2902 means that 567 combinations perform worse, but the vast majority of tested setups deliver higher frame rates. The data shows that the GPU’s performance in synthetic benchmarks is close to the RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1) and Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1), which are both mid-range cards. However, in Red Dead Redemption 2, the Arc B570’s performance is not sufficient to push the combo above the median, likely due to the game’s heavy reliance on GPU fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The CPU’s benchmarks, such as the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17528.5, indicate that it can support a more powerful GPU without becoming a bottleneck. The fact that this combo ranks low suggests that the GPU is holding back the CPU’s potential, and users would see significant improvements by pairing the 9600X with a stronger graphics card. Conversely, the GPU’s performance is consistent with its benchmark scores, and the low combo rank is a direct result of the Arc B570’s mid-range positioning.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 79 FPS, which drops to 59 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 25% reduction) and 39 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 51% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is consistent with the GPU being the limiting factor, as the CPU has sufficient headroom to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions. The Medium preset shows similar scaling: 59 FPS at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p (a 25% drop), and 29 FPS at 4K (a 51% drop). The High preset follows the same trend: 49 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p (a 24% drop), and 24 FPS at 4K (a 51% drop).

The consistent percentage drops from 1080p to 4K across all presets indicate that the GPU’s rendering workload scales linearly with pixel count, which is typical for a card that is not memory-bandwidth constrained at lower resolutions. The 4K results, where even Low settings only achieve 39 FPS, suggest that the GPU’s 380 GB/s bandwidth and 10 GB VRAM are inadequate for the higher pixel density. The CPU’s performance does not degrade significantly with resolution, as evidenced by the fact that the FPS drop between 1080p and 1440p is roughly the same as the drop between 1440p and 4K, regardless of preset.

This resolution scaling data indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at all resolutions above 1080p Low. At 1080p Low, the CPU may be more involved, but the 79 FPS result is still well below what the CPU’s benchmarks would suggest as a limit. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1253 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2183.5 indicate that the CPU can handle frame rates well above 100 FPS in less demanding scenarios, so the 79 FPS at 1080p Low is likely GPU-limited. As resolution increases, the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth become the dominant factors, and the CPU’s role diminishes further.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 FPS and a maximum of 68 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual quality and frame rate, as the Low preset achieves 79 FPS but sacrifices detail, while High drops to 49 FPS and Ultra to 36 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle 1440p gaming?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 59 FPS, which is playable, while Medium drops to 44 FPS (min 38, max 51). High and Ultra produce 37 FPS and 27 FPS respectively, which may not be smooth enough for fast-paced action. Users should stick to Low or Medium for 1440p.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 39 FPS, Medium 29 FPS (min 25, max 34), High 24 FPS, and Ultra 18 FPS. None of these results reach 60 FPS, and even Low struggles to maintain a stable 40 FPS, making 4K gaming impractical with this pairing.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 17528.5, show strong performance, but the GPU’s 11.52 TFLOPS and 380 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher presets. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: The combo is ranked 2335 out of 2902 tested combinations, placing it in the lower 20% of all results. This indicates that most other CPU-GPU pairings deliver better frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2, likely because the Arc B570 is a mid-range GPU relative to the CPU’s high-end positioning.

Q: What are the nearest GPU rivals to the Arc B570 in this game?

A: The GPU’s nearest rivals by average benchmark score are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1), Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1), NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (deltaPct 0.4), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (deltaPct -0.5). These small deltas suggest the Arc B570 performs similarly to these cards in synthetic tests, but in-game performance may vary.