Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a very specific performance profile in Red Dead Redemption 2, characterized by a strong CPU foundation and a GPU that significantly limits frame rates across all tested configurations. This combination ranks near the bottom of the database, at position 2568 out of 2902 tested combos, placing it in the 12th percentile of all system pairings for this title. The data indicates this is a severely GPU-bound configuration, where the Arc B390 consistently caps output at levels that make most settings presets impractical for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2568 out of 2902 represents a position in the lower 11.5% of all tested combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2. The benchmark results show a clear pattern: this system is not designed for high-fidelity experiences in this title. The Intel Arc B390’s individual GPU percentile is 9, meaning it outperforms only 9% of all GPUs in the database, which effectively anchors the entire combo’s ranking. The CPU, by contrast, sits at the 84th percentile, but its strength cannot compensate for the graphics bottleneck.

The performance delta between this combo and the next-tier alternatives is stark. The GPU’s nearest rivals — the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 — are separated by margins of only 1.3% to 2.7% in their average benchmark scores. This clustering suggests the Arc B390 is operating in a performance tier typically associated with entry-level or legacy hardware. The Ryzen 7 3700X, on the other hand, sits in a different competitive bracket entirely, with its nearest rivals being the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (0.1% ahead), AMD EPYC 4244P (0.1% ahead), Intel Core i5-13450HX (0.2% behind), and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (0.5% ahead). These tight margins indicate the CPU is well within its expected performance envelope.

The practical implication of this ranking is that the measured FPS values align with what one would expect from a GPU in the 9th percentile. The combo’s 2568th position is not a reflection of the Ryzen 7 3700X’s capabilities, but rather a direct consequence of the Arc B390’s limited throughput. When analyzing the data, it becomes evident that any attempt to improve this combo’s standing would require addressing the GPU bottleneck first, as the CPU has ample headroom to handle higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 51 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that approaches playable frame rates, as all other settings and resolutions fall below 40 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X’s average benchmark score of 34260 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and AMD EPYC 4244P both scoring 0.1% higher, and the Intel Core i5-13450HX scoring 0.2% lower. This indicates the CPU is performing exactly as expected for its tier.

Q: Is this combo more limited by the CPU or the GPU?

A: The data clearly shows the GPU is the limiting factor. The Arc B390 has a percentile rank of 9, while the Ryzen 7 3700X has a percentile rank of 84. The measured FPS values are consistent with the GPU’s low standing, not the CPU’s high standing.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for any configuration?

A: The only configuration with a reported minimum FPS is 3840x2160 at Medium settings, which shows a minimum of 16 FPS and a maximum of 22 FPS. Other configurations do not have min/max data in the measured results.

Q: How does the GPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Arc B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX’s 1463, and 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M’s 1460. This places it in the same performance class as those older discrete GPUs.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 3700X’s launch MSRP reflect its current performance tier?

A: The CPU had a launch MSRP of $329. Its current benchmark performance, with an average score of 34260 and an 84th percentile ranking, suggests it remains a competitive processor, though the measured FPS results in this game are constrained by the GPU.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive component in this combo’s performance. Its specifications indicate a design aimed at integrated graphics solutions, with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The memory configuration is System Shared, meaning it relies on the host system’s RAM rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as System Dependent. This architecture inherently limits performance in memory-intensive titles like Red Dead Redemption 2, which demands substantial texture and geometry bandwidth.

The GPU’s compute resources are modest: 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 render output units. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, both of which are low figures for a modern game at high resolutions. The FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1). The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it at the 9th percentile, and the nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from a much older generation, confirming its entry-level positioning.

The 80 W TDP and IGP slot width reinforce that this is not a discrete gaming card. The 3 nm process node and Xe3-LPG architecture are modern, but the implementation is clearly optimized for power efficiency rather than raw performance. In Red Dead Redemption 2, this results in average FPS values that never exceed 51 even at 1080p Low. The GPU’s 12 RT cores are present, but the overall throughput is insufficient to drive the game’s advanced rendering features at acceptable frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent and predictable scaling pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves 51 FPS on Low, 39 FPS on Medium (with a min of 33 and max of 44), 32 FPS on High, and 23 FPS on Ultra. This shows a clear progression where each settings tier reduces performance by roughly 20-25%, with the jump from Low to Medium costing 12 FPS, Medium to High costing 7 FPS, and High to Ultra costing 9 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers drop significantly. Low settings produce 38 FPS, Medium yields 29 FPS (min 24, max 33), High drops to 24 FPS, and Ultra falls to 17 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings shows reductions of approximately 25-30%: Low goes from 51 to 38 (down 13 FPS), Medium from 39 to 29 (down 10 FPS), High from 32 to 24 (down 8 FPS), and Ultra from 23 to 17 (down 6 FPS).

At 3840x2160, the results become largely unusable. Low settings yield 25 FPS, Medium drops to 19 FPS (min 16, max 22), High falls to 16 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 11 FPS. The 4K scaling penalty is severe: from 1080p to 4K, Low loses 26 FPS (51 to 25), Medium loses 20 FPS (39 to 19), High loses 16 FPS (32 to 16), and Ultra loses 12 FPS (23 to 11). The min/max data for Medium settings shows that even within a single run, the frame time variance is substantial, with a 6 FPS spread between minimum and maximum.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior is the clearest indicator of the GPU bottleneck. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by approximately 25-30% across all settings. From 1440p to 4K, the drop is even more pronounced, ranging from 33% (Ultra: 17 to 11) to 40% (Medium: 29 to 19). This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU that is already operating near its memory and compute limits at 1080p, and cannot efficiently handle the increased pixel count at higher resolutions.

The absolute FPS losses tell a more detailed story. At Low settings, the 13 FPS loss from 1080p to 1440p is followed by another 13 FPS loss from 1440p to 4K, showing a linear decline. At Medium settings, the losses are 10 FPS and 10 FPS respectively, again linear. High settings show 8 FPS and 8 FPS losses, while Ultra shows 6 FPS and 6 FPS losses. This consistent pattern indicates that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the constraining factor, with each resolution step imposing a similar absolute cost regardless of settings.

The data suggests that the CPU is not contributing to the resolution scaling. The Ryzen 7 3700X’s 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, are more than capable of feeding frames at these low FPS levels. The bottleneck is entirely on the GPU side, as evidenced by the fact that even at 1080p Low, the combo only achieves 51 FPS — a figure that many CPUs could drive to much higher values if paired with a stronger GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the only viable configuration for a playable experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which yields an average of 51 FPS. This is the sole instance where the combo breaks the 50 FPS threshold, and it represents the maximum performance ceiling for this pairing. Any other settings or resolution combination results in average FPS below 40, which most users would find too laggy for an action-adventure title requiring precise aiming and movement.

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 38 FPS, which is borderline for some players but represents a significant drop from 1080p. The data shows no scenario where Medium or higher settings at any resolution achieves even 40 FPS, making those presets unsuitable for gameplay. The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable across all resolutions, with a maximum average of 23 FPS at 1080p and dropping to 11 FPS at 4K.

The recommendation is therefore to prioritize resolution over visual quality. If the user has a 1080p display, Low settings are the only option that delivers acceptable frame rates. For 1440p or 4K displays, the combo cannot provide a smooth experience at any settings preset — the highest average at 1440p is 38 FPS on Low, and at 4K it is 25 FPS on Low. The measured data does not include any settings above Ultra, but given the steep performance drops between presets, it is clear that this system is not intended for high-fidelity rendering in Red Dead Redemption 2.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X provides a robust foundation that is entirely underutilized in this configuration. With 8 cores and 16 threads, a base clock of 3.60 GHz, and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz, the CPU has the computational headroom to handle the game’s simulation and AI workloads without becoming a limiting factor. The 32 MB of L3 cache and 64 KB L1 cache per core further support efficient data access patterns for open-world games, which often rely on large streaming datasets.

The CPU’s benchmark results confirm its strong standing. Its PassMark multithread score of 22458, Geekbench multicore score of 8899, and Cinebench R15 multicore score of 2092 all place it well above average. The single-thread performance is also respectable, with PassMark single-thread at 2656, Geekbench single-core at 1593, and Cinebench R15 single-core at 204. The 84th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates that the Ryzen 7 3700X is a capable processor for gaming, even by modern standards.

However, in this specific combo, the CPU’s role is diminished by the GPU’s limitations. The measured FPS values — ranging from 11 to 51 — are all well below the threshold where the Ryzen 7 3700X would begin to show any strain. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and Intel Core i5-13450HX, have nearly identical average scores, suggesting that swapping in any of these CPUs would not meaningfully change the game’s performance given the same GPU. The data indicates that users should view the CPU as a stable, high-quality component that is waiting for a GPU upgrade to fully express its potential in this title.