Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a compelling 4K experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, though the data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across settings and resolutions, interprets the CPU's role, and provides practical guidance for optimizing your gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases, with the RTX 4080 remaining the dominant performance factor throughout. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 158 FPS, which drops to 144 FPS at 1440p and further to 96 FPS at 4K. This represents a 39% performance reduction from 1080p to 4K on Low settings, indicating that even at the lowest graphical preset, the GPU is still the primary bottleneck.

The scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at higher settings. With Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 87 at 1080p to 65 at 1440p, and finally to 43 at 4K — a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K. This steeper decline at Ultra settings confirms that the RTX 4080's rendering workload scales significantly with both resolution and graphical complexity, while the Ryzen 7 3700X maintains sufficient headroom to feed the GPU.

Interestingly, the Medium preset shows the most consistent scaling behavior, with FPS dropping from 142 at 1080p to 108 at 1440p and 72 at 4K. The 4K Medium result includes a measured minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 82 FPS, suggesting some frame-time variance but generally stable performance. This consistency indicates that Medium settings strike a balance where neither the CPU nor GPU becomes a severe limiting factor, though the GPU still carries most of the load.

The High preset follows a similar pattern to Medium, with 121 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. The fact that 4K High achieves exactly 60 FPS average suggests the system is hitting a performance threshold that aligns with standard display refresh rates, making it a viable target for players with 60Hz 4K monitors.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 2 architecture, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 34260. This places it in a tight competitive cluster, sitting within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222, +0.1%), AMD EPYC 4244P (34220, +0.1%), and Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (34083, +0.5%), while trailing the Intel Core i5-13450HX (34333, -0.2%) by a negligible margin.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 158 FPS, which is close to the 144Hz refresh rate common on many gaming monitors. The fact that performance doesn't scale dramatically higher suggests that at this resolution, the Ryzen 7 3700X's single-thread performance becomes more relevant, though it still manages to keep up with the RTX 4080's output.

The CPU's 16 threads and 32 MB of L3 cache provide solid multi-threaded performance for the game's open-world simulation, which benefits from multiple cores handling AI, physics, and world streaming. The measured data shows that even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck at 43 FPS, the CPU doesn't cause any catastrophic frame drops or stuttering, indicating it has enough headroom to feed the GPU consistently.

The processor's performance relative to its nearest rivals suggests that upgrading to a newer CPU would yield minimal gains in this specific game. The delta percentages are all within 0.5%, meaning that even the slightly faster i5-13450HX would not produce a meaningful FPS difference in Red Dead Redemption 2, as the RTX 4080 dominates performance calculations at all tested settings and resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1440p High (90 FPS) or 1440p Medium (108 FPS) provide the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. For 4K, High settings achieve exactly 60 FPS, which is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 3700X bottleneck the RTX 4080 in this game?

A: Based on the measured FPS, the CPU shows no severe bottleneck at any tested setting. The GPU scales performance predictably with resolution, and the CPU maintains average FPS above 140 at 1080p Low, indicating it can handle the game's CPU load without limiting the GPU.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable with this combination?

A: At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target most players prefer. This setting is only recommended for players who prioritize visual fidelity over smoothness and can tolerate lower frame rates.

Q: How much performance does the Ultra preset cost compared to High?

A: At 4K, moving from High (60 FPS) to Ultra (43 FPS) costs 17 FPS, a 28% reduction. At 1440p, the drop is from 90 FPS to 65 FPS, and at 1080p from 121 FPS to 87 FPS. The Ultra preset demands significantly more from the GPU at every resolution.

Q: Which settings preset gives the most stable frame times?

A: The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values. At 4K Medium, it shows a minimum of 61 FPS and maximum of 82 FPS, while at 1440p Medium it ranges from 92 to 125 FPS, and at 1080p Medium from 121 to 164 FPS. This data indicates generally stable performance.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: This specific CPU-GPU pairing ranks 370th out of 3714 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 10% of all configurations. This high ranking reflects the strong performance of both components working together.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 4K gaming, the High preset at 60 FPS average is the clear recommendation. This delivers the best visual quality while maintaining a playable frame rate that matches standard 60Hz 4K displays. The Medium preset at 72 FPS offers additional headroom, but the visual downgrade may not be worth the 12 FPS gain for most players.

At 1440p, the Medium preset (108 FPS) provides the smoothest experience, particularly for players with high refresh rate monitors. The High preset at 90 FPS is also excellent, offering better visual fidelity with only a 18 FPS penalty. The Ultra preset at 65 FPS is acceptable but doesn't leverage the full potential of a high refresh rate display.

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset at 142 FPS is the best choice for competitive play, as it maintains high frame rates while preserving some visual quality. The Low preset at 158 FPS offers minimal visual benefit for only a 16 FPS gain. The High preset at 121 FPS is still excellent and provides the best visual experience for players who don't prioritize maximum frame rates.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution due to the significant performance cost. At 4K, it drops to 43 FPS, which is below the playability threshold for most action games. Even at 1080p, the 87 FPS average is lower than the other presets, making it a poor trade-off for the marginal visual improvements.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 370th out of 3714 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 90th percentile of all configurations. This is an impressive result, given that the CPU is a previous-generation mid-range processor paired with a high-end current-generation GPU.

This ranking indicates that the system performs better than the vast majority of tested combinations, despite the CPU's age. The RTX 4080's strong benchmark scores (86th percentile among all GPUs) and the Ryzen 7 3700X's respectable 84th percentile CPU ranking combine to create a well-balanced system for this game. The GPU's performance is within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209, +0.1%), showing that the standard 4080 delivers nearly identical results to its SUPER variant.

The combo's high ranking suggests that the Ryzen 7 3700X doesn't significantly hold back the RTX 4080 in Red Dead Redemption 2. The CPU's nearest rivals show that it performs within 0.5% of much newer processors, meaning that upgrading the CPU would yield negligible gains in this specific game. The system's performance is limited primarily by the GPU, which is already one of the fastest cards available.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the measured average FPS values are: Low at 96 FPS, Medium at 72 FPS (with a minimum of 61 and maximum of 82), High at 60 FPS, and Ultra at 43 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent decline, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra, representing a 17 FPS reduction.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the averages are: Low at 144 FPS, Medium at 108 FPS (with a minimum of 92 and maximum of 125), High at 90 FPS, and Ultra at 65 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 79 FPS, showing that settings have a significant impact at this resolution, though all presets remain comfortably playable.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the averages are: Low at 158 FPS, Medium at 142 FPS (with a minimum of 121 and maximum of 164), High at 121 FPS, and Ultra at 87 FPS. The performance difference between Low and Ultra is 71 FPS, but even the lowest average (87 FPS on Ultra) meets the standard for smooth gameplay.

The data shows that the Medium preset provides the most consistent frame times, as it's the only setting with recorded minimum and maximum values across all resolutions. The variation between minimum and maximum is 21 FPS at 4K, 33 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 1080p, indicating that frame pacing remains stable even as resolution changes.