Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a highly resolution-dependent experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary constraint at higher resolutions while revealing a more balanced profile at 1080p. The data shows a system that can handle the game’s demanding open world at lower presets but struggles to maintain smooth frame rates when both resolution and visual fidelity are pushed simultaneously.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, a pattern typical of GPU-bound scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 79 FPS, which drops to 59 FPS at 1440p and further to 39 FPS at 4K. This represents a 25% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the Arc B570’s rendering throughput is the limiting factor as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at higher settings. With High settings, the drop from 1080p (49 FPS) to 1440p (37 FPS) is a 24% decrease, while moving to 4K (24 FPS) represents a 51% decline from the 1080p baseline. This consistent halving of performance at 4K relative to 1080p across both Low and High presets suggests the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading resources are being saturated, rather than any CPU-side bottleneck emerging.

At Medium settings, the data includes minimum and maximum frame times, offering additional insight. The 1080p Medium run shows 59 FPS average with a range of 50 to 68 FPS, while 1440p Medium drops to 44 FPS (38-51 FPS range), and 4K Medium falls to 29 FPS (25-34 FPS range). The frame time variance scales proportionally with the average, suggesting consistent frame pacing rather than sporadic stuttering. The 4K Medium result, with only a 9 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, indicates the system is operating near its sustained ceiling rather than hitting transient spikes or drops.

The Ultra preset tells the most telling story about resolution scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 36 FPS, which falls to 27 FPS at 1440p and 18 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is essentially unplayable for a game of this genre, but the scaling from 1080p to 1440p (25% drop) and 1440p to 4K (33% drop) shows a slightly different curve than the lower presets, suggesting that at Ultra settings, additional GPU resources are being consumed by effects and geometry that scale differently with resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s position in the database is firmly in the lower tier of tested configurations. It ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 20% of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the Arc B570’s mid-range positioning rather than any deficiency in the Ryzen 7 3700X, which holds an 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs in the broader benchmark database.

The GPU’s relative weakness is underscored by its 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs, meaning roughly one-third of tested graphics cards outperform it in synthetic benchmarks. However, the nearest rivals list shows the Arc B570 sits in a tightly contested performance band. The Intel Arc A750 is just 0.1% behind in average benchmark score, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile is 0.1% ahead. This clustering suggests the B570 is competitive with its immediate peers, but the game-specific ranking indicates that Red Dead Redemption 2’s particular rendering demands may not favor this architecture as much as synthetic tests would suggest.

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context for its role in this pairing. The AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and AMD EPYC 4244P are both 0.1% ahead in average score, while the Intel Core i5-13450HX is 0.2% ahead and the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is 0.5% ahead. This tight grouping around the 3700X’s average benchmark score of 34260 confirms that the processor is performing as expected for its class, making the GPU the more significant variable in the game-specific outcome.

FAQ

Q: Can this combination run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves 39 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 29 FPS, and at High it falls to 24 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K produce only 18 FPS, which is below playable thresholds for most users.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data indicates 1080p is the only resolution where all four presets remain above 30 FPS. At 1080p, the Low preset hits 79 FPS, Medium achieves 59 FPS, High reaches 49 FPS, and even Ultra maintains 36 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260, placing it 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 and AMD EPYC 4244P, 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-13450HX, and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset shows a minimum-to-maximum spread of 18 FPS at 1080p (50-68 FPS), 13 FPS at 1440p (38-51 FPS), and 9 FPS at 4K (25-34 FPS). The narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests more consistent frame delivery when the GPU is more heavily loaded.

Q: Is the GPU or CPU more likely to bottleneck this game?

A: The performance scaling across resolutions points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The CPU’s 84th percentile ranking among all processors, combined with the steep FPS drops as resolution increases, indicates the Arc B570’s rendering capacity is the limiting factor.

Q: How does the Arc B570’s benchmark score compare to its nearest competitor?

A: The Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, which is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% ahead of the Intel Arc A750. This places it in a very tight performance band with those two cards.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its most playable results across all presets. The Low preset produces 79 FPS, providing headroom for high refresh rate displays. Medium settings yield 59 FPS with a 50-68 FPS range, which is smooth for this type of game. High settings drop to 49 FPS, still acceptable for most players. Ultra settings bottom out at 36 FPS, which is playable but shows the strain of maximum visual fidelity at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance picture shifts. Low settings maintain 59 FPS, exactly matching the 1080p Medium result. Medium settings produce 44 FPS (38-51 FPS range), which remains playable but begins to show the resolution’s cost. High settings fall to 37 FPS, and Ultra drops to 27 FPS, which is borderline for a game with this level of visual detail and movement.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates except at the lowest preset. Low settings achieve 39 FPS, which is technically playable but with noticeable compromise in visual quality. Medium settings produce 29 FPS (25-34 FPS range), dipping below the 30 FPS threshold. High settings manage only 24 FPS, and Ultra falls to 18 FPS. These results effectively rule out 4K for anything beyond the Low preset.

The progression across all three resolutions shows a consistent pattern: each preset step from Low to Ultra costs roughly 10-20 FPS at 1080p, 10-15 FPS at 1440p, and 5-10 FPS at 4K. This diminishing absolute difference at higher resolutions reflects the GPU approaching its absolute rendering limits rather than scaling gracefully with reduced settings.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 7 3700X provides a solid foundation for this game, with 8 cores and 16 threads operating at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This configuration is well-suited to Red Dead Redemption 2’s open world, which typically benefits from multi-threaded processing for NPC behavior, physics, and world streaming. The CPU’s 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth ensure adequate data throughput for the game’s asset streaming demands.

The CPU’s synthetic benchmark results reinforce its capability. A Cinebench R15 multi-core score of 2092 and single-core score of 204 demonstrate balanced performance across both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. The Geekbench scores of 8899 multi-core and 1593 single-core align with expectations for a Zen 2 architecture processor. Passmark results show strong integer math (66399) and floating-point math (39005) performance, which are relevant to game logic and physics calculations.

The CPU’s percentile ranking of 84 among all CPUs indicates it outperforms the majority of processors in the database. Its average benchmark score of 34260 places it within 0.5% of its nearest rivals, confirming consistent performance relative to contemporary and newer processors. The 65W TDP and 7nm TSMC process node suggest efficient operation without thermal throttling concerns, allowing the CPU to maintain boost clocks during extended gaming sessions.

Given the GPU-bound nature of the performance scaling observed in this game, the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor at any resolution tested. Even at 1080p Low, where the GPU achieves 79 FPS, the CPU’s 8-core/16-thread configuration provides ample processing headroom for the game’s simulation and rendering tasks.

Settings Recommendations

The data supports 1080p as the primary resolution for this combo, with Medium settings offering the best balance of visual quality and performance. The 59 FPS average at 1080p Medium, with a 50-68 FPS range, provides smooth gameplay without requiring the visual compromises of the Low preset. Players seeking higher frame rates can drop to Low for 79 FPS, while those prioritizing visuals can use High at 49 FPS with acceptable smoothness.

For 1440p users, Low settings at 59 FPS represent the only preset that maintains a solid 60 FPS target. Medium settings at 44 FPS remain playable for most users, offering improved visual fidelity with a modest performance cost. High settings at 37 FPS and Ultra at 27 FPS are less recommended due to the latter falling below the 30 FPS threshold.

At 4K, the Low preset at 39 FPS is the only viable option for consistent gameplay. Medium at 29 FPS dips below the 30 FPS threshold, and High at 24 FPS or Ultra at 18 FPS are not recommended for this game’s action-oriented gameplay. The data clearly indicates that 4K should be reserved for the lowest settings with this hardware combination.

The Ultra preset offers no compelling advantage at any resolution given the performance costs. At 1080p Ultra (36 FPS), the visual improvements over High (49 FPS) come at a 27% performance penalty. The same pattern holds at 1440p (37 to 27 FPS) and 4K (24 to 18 FPS), making Ultra the least efficient preset choice across all resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, provides 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, yielding 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a constraint at 4K, where the 24 FPS High result and 18 FPS Ultra result suggest the GPU is running out of both memory bandwidth and raw compute capacity.

The GPU’s clock speeds are fixed at 2500 MHz for both base and boost, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs provide a theoretical FP32 performance of 11.52 TFLOPS. These specifications place the B570 in the mid-range tier, which aligns with its 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

The GPU’s synthetic benchmark results show a mixed profile. The Passmark G3D score of 14195 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 indicate solid DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, which is relevant for Red Dead Redemption 2’s API usage. However, the Passmark DirectX 11 score of 118 and DirectX 12 score of 72 suggest the GPU may not fully optimize for older API paths, potentially impacting games that don’t leverage the latest features.

The nearest rival comparisons show the B570 sits within 0.1% of the RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750 in average benchmark score. This tight grouping indicates that the B570’s performance is well-established and predictable, with the game-specific results in Red Dead Redemption 2 reflecting the title’s particular optimization for this architecture rather than any anomaly in the GPU’s overall capability.

The 150W TDP and dual-slot design indicate this is a power-efficient card for its performance class, with the 450W suggested PSU providing adequate headroom. The PCIe 4.0 x8 interface may slightly limit bandwidth compared to x16 implementations, but given the GPU-bound nature of the game’s performance, this is unlikely to be a meaningful constraint in Red Dead Redemption 2.