Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a robust performance profile in Red Dead Redemption 2, with the data indicating a system that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the board show a clear hierarchy, where the transition from Low to Ultra settings imposes a significant load on the GPU. At 1080p, the combination is exceptionally capable, but the demands of 4K Ultra push the hardware to its limits, revealing where the bottleneck lies.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, highlighting the GPU as the primary scaling factor. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 153.7 FPS at 1920x1080 to 110.9 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 73.1 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 52.4% reduction in performance from the lowest to the highest resolution tested. The pattern is similar for High settings, where the 96.3 FPS at 1080p drops to 68.8 FPS at 1440p and then to 47.4 FPS at 4K. This scaling behavior is typical for a title where the pixel count and shading complexity directly tax the renderer.

The data suggests that the limiting component at higher resolutions is the GPU. The RTX 4070's memory bandwidth and compute throughput are being saturated as the resolution increases. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at 4K, with a 42.7 FPS difference, compared to an 87.8 FPS difference at 1080p. This indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU has more headroom to feed frames, but at 4K, the GPU's rendering workload becomes the sole constraint, compressing the performance envelope. For players targeting 4K, the choice of settings becomes critical, as the average frame rate at Ultra falls to 30.4 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 1440p results offer a more balanced picture, with High settings providing a playable 68.8 FPS, while Ultra remains demanding at 50.1 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the engine driving these results, and its specifications align with the observed performance. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for the textures and geometry in Red Dead Redemption 2 at most settings, but the data shows that the Ultra preset at 4K is likely exceeding the comfortable capacity or bandwidth limits, resulting in the 30.4 FPS average. The card's boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1920 MHz are part of the Ada Lovelace architecture, which includes 5888 shading units. The pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s are the physical limits that govern how quickly the scene can be filled and textured.

In this game, the GPU's role is dominant. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (153.7 FPS) suggests the GPU is not the bottleneck at that point, but as resolution increases, the raw fill rate and shader work become the deciding factors. The benchmark results for the RTX 4070 show a Passmark G3D score of 26927 and a Geekbench OpenCL score of 168006, which place it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (with a deltaPct of -0.6) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (deltaPct of -1.9), indicating that the RTX 4070 is positioned slightly below these peers in average benchmark scores, though the in-game performance here is strong. The data implies that the GPU's 12 GB frame buffer is a critical asset, as the 4K Ultra preset, which often demands more memory, shows a severe FPS drop, pointing to memory pressure or bandwidth saturation as a key limiter.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700X provides a solid foundation for this gaming workload, though its influence on the measured FPS is secondary to the GPU. This processor features 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 32 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are adequate for feeding the RTX 4070 in most scenarios. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22620 and a Passmark multithread score of 26612, place it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, showing it is a capable mid-range part.

The data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 153.7 FPS, which is a high frame rate that still does not show a hard CPU limit. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS across resolutions at the same settings, but instead, we see a consistent drop as resolution increases. The CPU's performance is more relevant at lower resolutions and lower settings, where the GPU can render frames faster than the CPU can process game logic and draw calls. Even so, the Ryzen 7 5700X appears to keep pace adequately. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-11900KF (deltaPct of 0.1) and the AMD Ryzen 5 7600X (deltaPct of -0.2), confirming that its processing power is competitive. The 16 threads are likely beneficial for Red Dead Redemption 2's background simulation tasks, ensuring that frame pacing remains stable even when the GPU is under heavy load.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing holds a notable position. The combo ranks 469th out of 1687 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the top 27.8% of all systems. This is a strong result, indicating that the balance between the Ryzen 7 5700X and the RTX 4070 is well-suited for Red Dead Redemption 2. The rank reflects the overall capability of the system to handle the game's demands across various settings and resolutions. While it does not reach the top tier, it sits comfortably above the median, showing that it can deliver high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, with playable performance at 4K on lower presets.

The ranking is likely driven by the GPU's strong performance at lower resolutions, where the CPU can keep up, and the GPU's ability to maintain decent frame rates at 1440p. The data shows that at 1440p High, the system achieves 68.8 FPS, which is a smooth experience for most players. The 469th rank out of 1687 combos suggests that there are many other systems with more powerful GPUs or CPUs, but this particular pairing offers a balanced approach. The percentile rankings of the individual components (83rd for CPU, 81st for GPU) align with this overall combo rank, suggesting that the system is not held back by a mismatched component. The 4K Ultra result of 30.4 FPS is the weakest point, but it is an outlier that does not define the system's overall standing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset is the best choice, delivering 96.3 FPS. This provides a high refresh rate experience without the steep performance cost of Ultra, which drops to 65.9 FPS. The Low preset at 153.7 FPS is unnecessary for most displays, and the Medium preset at 115.8 FPS is also viable, but High offers the best balance of visual fidelity and speed. For 2560x1440, the High preset again provides the most balanced experience at 68.8 FPS. The Medium preset at 86.4 FPS is also smooth, but High offers better visuals at a still-playable frame rate. The Ultra preset at 50.1 FPS is borderline, and players seeking a consistent 60 FPS might prefer High or Medium.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The High preset at 47.4 FPS is marginally playable, but the Medium preset at 56.6 FPS provides a better frame rate for a modest visual sacrifice. The Low preset at 73.1 FPS is the only option that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, but it does so at a significant visual cost. The Ultra preset at 30.4 FPS is not recommended for serious play, as the frame rate is too low for a responsive experience. The data suggests that for 4K, players should choose between Medium and Low, depending on their tolerance for visual quality versus smoothness. The Medium preset at 56.6 FPS is the recommended compromise, as it stays within a playable range while retaining more detail than Low. For those with high refresh rate monitors at 1080p or 1440p, the High preset is the clear winner, as it provides a substantial FPS advantage over Ultra without a major visual downgrade.