Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is a classic mid-range build from a few generations back, and Red Dead Redemption 2 is exactly the kind of demanding title that exposes its limits. The benchmark results show a combo that can deliver playable framerates, but only with careful settings management. This analysis breaks down the measured data to show you exactly what to expect at each resolution and preset.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, revealing a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average framerate falls from 53.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 39.1 FPS at 2560x1440, a drop of roughly 27%. Moving up to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 26.7 FPS, which is less than half of the 1080p figure. This pattern strongly indicates that the RTX 2060’s compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors as pixel count increases.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution further confirms this. At 1080p, the gap between Low (82.6 FPS) and Ultra (37.4 FPS) is a massive 45.2 FPS. At 1440p, the spread between Low (62.9 FPS) and Ultra (27.9 FPS) is 35 FPS. By 4K, the difference between Low (41.3 FPS) and Ultra (18.9 FPS) is 22.4 FPS. The absolute drop is smaller at 4K because the GPU is already saturated by the resolution, leaving less headroom for settings to make a large absolute difference.

What this means practically is that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can chase high refresh rates. The 82.6 FPS at Low settings is the only measured result that clears 60 FPS comfortably. At 1440p, you are firmly in 60 FPS territory only on Low, and at 4K, even Low settings cannot maintain a playable 60 FPS, with the average sitting at 41.3 FPS. The data suggests this pairing is best suited for 1080p gaming, with 1440p viable only with significant graphical compromises.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060 is the clear bottleneck in this pairing for Red Dead Redemption 2. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p, but the data shows it struggles to feed the framebuffer at higher resolutions. The GPU’s boost clock of 1680 MHz and its Turing architecture, with 1920 shading units, are simply not enough to handle the game’s heavy load at 4K, as evidenced by the sub-30 FPS averages on High and Ultra presets.

The GPU’s performance percentile of 58 places it in the lower half of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% faster) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (1.7% slower). This context shows that the RTX 2060 sits in a crowded performance tier, and its age is showing in this specific title. The 6 GB VRAM is also a concern; while it doesn't cause a complete failure in the measured data, the significant FPS drops at 4K suggest the card is running out of memory bandwidth to stream textures and geometry.

The 7nm Zen 2 CPU, on the other hand, is not the limiting factor here. The Ryzen 7 3700X with its 8 cores and 16 threads provides ample processing power. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19087, and its percentile ranking of 85, show it is a capable processor. The data implies the CPU is waiting on the GPU at higher resolutions, as the FPS drop is directly proportional to the increase in pixel count, which is a classic GPU-bound scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2, this pairing sits near the bottom. The combo rank is 1414 out of 1687 tested combinations. This places it in the 16th percentile of all tested systems, meaning that 84% of other CPU/GPU pairings in the database deliver higher average framerates in this game. This is a poor result for a system that was considered a solid mid-range build at its launch.

This low ranking is primarily dragged down by the GPU. The RTX 2060’s nearest rivals, like the AMD Radeon Pro 5700, are all within a 1.8% performance delta, showing that the card is competitive with its direct peers, but the entire tier is simply not powerful enough for this game's demanding engine. The CPU’s high percentile rank (85) versus the GPU’s lower rank (58) confirms that the graphics card is the anchor holding this combo back in the rankings.

For a builder, this means that if you are using this CPU, upgrading the GPU would yield a massive improvement in this game. The data shows the CPU has significant headroom, as its performance is well above the 50th percentile, while the GPU is barely above it. The bottleneck is unambiguously the graphics card, and any performance upgrade path should focus on that component first.

Measured FPS Breakdown

Here is the exact measured performance data for Red Dead Redemption 2 with the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060.

1920x1080:

• Low: 82.6 FPS average. This is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience, far above the 60 FPS threshold.
• Medium: 62.0 FPS average. This is right at the 60 FPS target, but may dip in busy scenes.
• High: 53.7 FPS average. Playable, but you will notice the frame rate is not locked to a high refresh rate.
• Ultra: 37.4 FPS average. This is a slideshow compared to the other presets and not recommended for action sequences.

2560x1440:

• Low: 62.9 FPS average. The only setting that hits the 60 FPS target at this resolution.
• Medium: 46.6 FPS average. Playable, but noticeably less smooth than 60 FPS.
• High: 39.1 FPS average. A significant compromise in visual quality for a playable frame rate.
• Ultra: 27.9 FPS average. This is not a playable experience.

3840x2160:

• Low: 41.3 FPS average. The only setting that approaches playability at 4K.
• Medium: 28.5 FPS average. Not smooth enough for a game that requires precise aiming.
• High: 26.7 FPS average. Very choppy and not recommended.
• Ultra: 18.9 FPS average. This is effectively a static image and not a playable framerate.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080 on Low settings, where it achieves 82.6 FPS, or at 2560x1440 on Low, where it hits 62.9 FPS. At 1920x1080 on Medium, it falls just short at 62.0 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The benchmark data indicates a GPU bottleneck. The FPS scales almost linearly with resolution, and the GPU's performance percentile (58) is significantly lower than the CPU's (85), showing the graphics card is the limiting component.

Q: How does this combo compare to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1414 out of 1687 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 16% of all systems tested for this game. The GPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 7600S, are within a 0.5% performance delta, placing this entire tier at the lower end of the spectrum.

Q: What is the best resolution to play this game with this hardware?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the best resolution. It is the only resolution where the system can achieve framerates above 60 FPS (on Low) and maintain playable performance on Medium. Higher resolutions require too many compromises.

Q: What should I upgrade to improve performance in this game?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU. The RTX 2060 has a low performance percentile (58), while the Ryzen 7 3700X has a high percentile (85). Replacing the graphics card would directly address the bottleneck and yield a substantial FPS increase.

Q: Is the 6GB of VRAM on the RTX 2060 a problem?

A: While not causing a hard crash in the measured data, the significant FPS drops at 4K (e.g., 26.7 FPS on High) suggest the 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6 GB capacity are insufficient for the game's higher resolution textures and geometry, making it a contributing factor to the poor high-resolution performance.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the data points to a clear strategy. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset (62.0 FPS) is the sweet spot, offering a smooth, near-60 FPS experience without the harsh visual penalties of the Low preset. If you have a high refresh rate monitor, dropping to Low (82.6 FPS) is the only way to take full advantage of it.

At 2560x1440, you are forced to make a choice. The Low preset (62.9 FPS) is the only way to hit 60 FPS, but it will look noticeably worse. The Medium preset (46.6 FPS) is a more visually appealing compromise, but you will have to accept a framerate that is below 60 FPS. The High preset (39.1 FPS) is not recommended, as the visual gains over Medium are not worth the significant performance hit.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests this hardware is not suited for 4K gaming. The Low preset (41.3 FPS) is the only playable option, and it still falls short of a smooth 60 FPS. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets all produce framerates below 30 FPS, which is not a playable experience for a game like this. The practical advice is to avoid 4K entirely with this combo and stick to 1080p or 1440p for a better experience.