Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 presents a specific performance profile in Red Dead Redemption 2, one that shifts dramatically depending on resolution and graphical preset. The measured data shows a clear hierarchy of frame rates, with the combination of the 6-core CPU and 8 GB GPU producing results that range from highly playable to borderline depending on the target display. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS rows to understand the bottlenecks and optimal configurations for this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance penalty as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1920x1080 with the High preset, the combo delivers 68.6 FPS, but this drops by a significant margin at 2560x1440 to 54 FPS, a reduction of 14.6 FPS. Scaling further to 3840x2160 at High yields only 31.7 FPS, which is less than half the 1080p figure. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4060 becomes the limiting component as pixel count rises, with its 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus struggling to maintain throughput at higher resolutions.

The scaling is even more pronounced when examining the Low preset. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 113 FPS, which is a strong result for high-refresh monitors. At 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 82.4 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 56.8 FPS. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K at Low settings is 56.2 FPS, which represents a 49.7% reduction. This suggests that even at minimal settings, the GPU's memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s is insufficient to keep pace with the demands of 4K rendering in this open-world title.

The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 1440p is moderate, while the jump to 4K introduces a severe penalty. For instance, at Medium settings, the 1080p result of 79.6 FPS drops to 58.9 FPS at 1440p, a 20.7 FPS decline, but then plummets to 40.2 FPS at 4K, another 18.7 FPS drop. This non-linear scaling points to the GPU's 8 GB VRAM capacity being exceeded at 4K, forcing the system to rely on slower memory operations. The Ultra preset confirms this, with 47.2 FPS at 1080p, 36.1 FPS at 1440p, and just 25.5 FPS at 4K, the latter being effectively unplayable for smooth action.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 operates with a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 3072 shading units. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is a critical constraint in Red Dead Redemption 2's detailed environments. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p, the GPU has enough headroom to handle High settings at 68.6 FPS, but the Ultra preset at 47.2 FPS indicates the game's high-resolution textures and effects are taxing the memory subsystem.

The GPU's 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs contribute to a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s, which are adequate for 1080p but become strained at higher resolutions. The FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS suggests the compute capability is not the primary bottleneck; rather, the memory bandwidth and capacity are the limiting factors. This is evident in the 4K results, where even the Low preset (56.8 FPS) cannot reach the 60 FPS threshold, while the High preset drops to 31.7 FPS.

The data shows that the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM is the decisive factor in this game. At 1080p, the frame rates across presets (47.2 to 113 FPS) indicate that the GPU can manage the data set, but at 4K, the memory buffer is likely exceeded. The 4K Ultra result of 25.5 FPS suggests severe memory pressure, as the game attempts to load higher-resolution assets. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 19545 and its 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs place it as a mid-range part, which aligns with its performance profile in this benchmark.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 5 9600X and RTX 4060 achieves a combo rank of 976 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the lower-middle tier of all system pairings, indicating that while the hardware is capable, it does not excel in this specific title. The CPU's percentile rank of 85 versus all CPUs is strong, but the GPU's 66th percentile ranking pulls the overall combo down, as the game is clearly GPU-bound at most resolutions.

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Ryzen 5 9600X's average benchmark score of 28246 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i5-13490F (28173, deltaPct 0.3) and the AMD Ryzen 5 230 (28164, deltaPct 0.3). It is slightly behind the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS (28369, deltaPct -0.4) and Intel Core i5-14500T (28377, deltaPct -0.5). These small deltas confirm that the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo's ranking; the GPU's limitations dominate the overall position.

For the GPU, the RTX 4060's average benchmark score of 23181 is closely matched by the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321, deltaPct -0.6), the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (23338, deltaPct -0.7), and the Intel Arc B580 (23021, deltaPct 0.7). The AMD Radeon 760M (22999, deltaPct 0.8) is slightly behind. This clustering shows that the RTX 4060's performance in this game is typical for its class, and the combo rank of 976 reflects that the measured FPS values are in line with expectations for this hardware tier.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal preset depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 68.6 FPS, which is a smooth experience for most players, while the Medium preset at 79.6 FPS offers a slight improvement with presumably lower visual fidelity. The Low preset at 113 FPS is the best for high-refresh displays, but the drop in quality is significant. The Ultra preset at 47.2 FPS is below the 60 FPS target and should be avoided unless visual fidelity is prioritized over smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the High preset yields 54 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset at 58.9 FPS is nearly identical, suggesting that the GPU is the bottleneck and lowering settings yields diminishing returns. The Low preset at 82.4 FPS provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 1440p gaming. The Ultra preset at 36.1 FPS is not recommended, as the frame rate drops below playable thresholds.

For 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve 60 FPS. The Low preset at 56.8 FPS is the closest, but it still falls short, and the visual compromise is severe. The Medium preset at 40.2 FPS and High at 31.7 FPS are playable only in slower scenes, while the Ultra preset at 25.5 FPS is effectively a slideshow. The data strongly suggests that 4K gaming should be avoided with this combo, as even the lowest settings cannot maintain a consistent 60 FPS.

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 all presets achieve playable frame rates, with the High preset at 68.6 FPS and Medium at 79.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (82.4 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS, while 4K results are all below 57 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM affect 4K performance?

A: The measured 4K results show a steep drop from 1080p, with the High preset falling from 68.6 FPS to 31.7 FPS. This suggests the 8 GB memory buffer is insufficient for 4K textures, as even the Low preset at 56.8 FPS cannot reach 60 FPS.

Q: Which preset provides the best balance of quality and performance at 1080p?

A: The High preset at 68.6 FPS is the best balance, as it offers higher visual quality than Medium (79.6 FPS) while staying above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 47.2 FPS is too demanding for the frame rate target.

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

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The Ryzen 5 9600X has a strong 85th percentile rank, while the RTX 4060's 66th percentile rank and the FPS scaling patterns point to the GPU's memory bandwidth as the bottleneck.

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

A: The combo ranks 976 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the lower-middle tier. The CPU's performance is on par with its nearest rivals, but the GPU's limitations cap the overall result.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings in this game?

A: Only at 1080p, where the Ultra preset achieves 47.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 36.1 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 25.5 FPS, making it unplayable at those resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 9600X is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge, with a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth provide ample compute power for gaming, as evidenced by its 85th percentile rank and a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 25525. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics calculations, and the data shows it does so effectively without becoming the primary constraint.

The measured FPS at 1080p Low (113 FPS) is a strong indicator of the CPU's capability, as this setting minimizes GPU load and allows the processor to reach its full potential. The fact that the frame rate scales down dramatically with higher resolutions and settings confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The Ryzen 5 9600X's single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 3363 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1253, is sufficient for this game's engine, which relies on a few heavily-threaded tasks.

The CPU's nearest rivals show negligible performance differences, with the Intel Core i5-13490F just 0.3% ahead and the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS 0.4% behind in average benchmark scores. This means that swapping the CPU for an alternative would not materially change the combo's ranking in this game. The bottleneck is squarely on the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus, which cannot keep up with the game's demands at higher resolutions. For 1080p gaming, the Ryzen 5 9600X provides a stable foundation, but users targeting higher resolutions should expect the GPU to be the limiting component in this pairing.