Red Dead Redemption 2

FAQ

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT compare to its closest rivals in overall CPU benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800XT has an average benchmark score of 29,879. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H with a score of 29,868 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS and 7840HS both at 29,955 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X at 29,713 (+0.6% delta). The 5800XT sits essentially at par with these processors, with performance differences smaller than 1% in either direction.

Q: What is the GPU's relative standing among all tested graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has a Passmark G3D score of 17,326 and an average benchmark score of 21,035. It ranks in the 66th percentile among all GPUs. Its closest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21,153, -0.6% delta), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21,237, -1% delta), AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20,713, +1.6% delta), and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (21,379, -1.6% delta).

Q: What frame rates can this combo achieve at 1080p with High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with High settings, the measured average FPS is 61. This is the second-lowest 1080p preset measured, with only Ultra being lower at 44 FPS. Medium settings deliver 73 FPS average, while Low settings reach 98 FPS average.

Q: How does the combo rank overall in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: This combination of AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1,760 out of 2,902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the middle of the distribution, indicating it performs better than roughly 39% of tested systems while being outperformed by the majority.

Q: What is the CPU's multithreading capability based on benchmark data?

A: The Ryzen 7 5800XT scores 7,683 in 3DMark with 16 threads and 7,680 with max threads, showing minimal scaling beyond 16 threads. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 23,794 multicore and 3,359 single-core. The Passmark multithread score is 28,053, while single-thread scores 3,535.

Q: What memory specifications does the GPU use and what is its bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5050 features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective transfer rate. This is paired with a base clock of 2317 MHz and boost clock of 2572 MHz.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture (Vermeer codename), manufactured on TSMC's 7 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz. The CPU features a 32 MB shared L3 cache alongside 64 KB L1 and 512 KB L2 per core. This configuration provides strong multithreaded performance, as evidenced by its 3DMark 16-thread score of 7,683, which nearly matches its max-thread score of 7,680.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is substantial but not dominant. The processor's Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23,794 and Passmark multithread score of 28,053 indicate ample compute headroom for game logic and physics. Single-thread performance, measured at 3,359 in Cinebench R23 and 959 in 3DMark single-thread, is competitive but not exceptional compared to the CPU's nearest rivals, which all sit within 0.6% of its average benchmark score.

The 5800XT's 16 threads allow it to handle the game's background tasks, AI, and world simulation without becoming a bottleneck at lower resolutions. However, the data shows that as resolution increases, the frame rate drops consistently across all settings, suggesting the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 98 FPS, which drops to 61 FPS at High settings — a behavior more characteristic of GPU limitations than CPU constraints.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 81 among all CPUs places it well above average, meaning it outperforms 81% of processors in the database. Its nearest rivals — the Ryzen 7 7840H, 8845HS, 7840HS, and Ryzen 5 9600X — all deliver essentially identical average scores, confirming that the 5800XT is a well-balanced mid-range to upper-mid-range processor that should not be the primary constraint in most gaming scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture (GB207 chip) using TSMC's 5 nm process. It contains 2,560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, along with 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2317 MHz and boost clock of 2572 MHz, delivering 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. Memory-wise, it has 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the RTX 5050's performance profile reveals clear GPU-bound behavior. At 1080p, the frame rate drops from 98 FPS at Low settings to 73 FPS at Medium, 61 FPS at High, and 44 FPS at Ultra — a steep decline as visual fidelity increases. This pattern indicates the GPU is the primary constraint, particularly at higher settings where the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus may limit texture streaming and fill rate.

The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 17,326 and average benchmark score of 21,035 place it in the 66th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (1.6% higher average score) and NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile (1.6% lower average score), showing the RTX 5050 sits in a competitive mid-range segment. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,502 provides additional context on its modern API performance.

The GPU's 20 Gbps effective memory speed and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p gaming but become strained at higher resolutions. The measured data shows that at 1440p, the frame rates drop by roughly 25% across all settings compared to 1080p, and at 4K, they drop by another 35-50%. This scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that has limited memory bandwidth relative to the pixel throughput demands of 4K rendering in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest performance. Low settings produce an average of 98 FPS, Medium settings average 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 84, High settings average 61 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 44 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra is 54 FPS, representing a 55% reduction in frame rate as settings increase.

At 2560x1440, performance decreases noticeably. Low settings average 73 FPS, which matches the 1080p Medium result — indicating that resolution scaling at Low settings costs roughly as much as moving from Medium to High at 1080p. Medium settings at 1440p average 55 FPS with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 63. High settings drop to 46 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 33 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher settings. Low settings average 48 FPS, Medium averages 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 41, High drops to 30 FPS, and Ultra falls to 22 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 22 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, while even 4K High at 30 FPS is marginal.

The Medium settings rows are the only ones with min/max data, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range is 62-84 FPS, a 22 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 46-63 FPS (17 FPS spread), and at 4K Medium, it narrows further to 31-41 FPS (10 FPS spread). This tightening suggests that as the GPU becomes more saturated, frame times become more consistent but at the cost of overall throughput.

How This Combo Ranks

This combo ranks 1,760 out of 2,902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 60.7th percentile of all tested systems (meaning 60.7% of combos perform better). This mid-pack ranking reflects the RTX 5050's mid-range position (66th GPU percentile) combined with the 5800XT's strong CPU performance (81st CPU percentile).

The CPU's high percentile ranking relative to the GPU suggests that in this particular pairing, the RTX 5050 is the limiting factor. The CPU could likely support a more powerful GPU without becoming a bottleneck, as evidenced by its benchmark scores matching processors like the Ryzen 7 7840H and 8845HS, which are typically paired with more capable graphics solutions in gaming laptops.

The combo's position near the middle of the distribution means it will handle Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p with playable frame rates on most settings, but it will not excel at higher resolutions or maximum settings. The measured data confirms this: 4K Ultra at 22 FPS and 4K High at 30 FPS are below the 60 FPS target that most gamers consider smooth, while 1440p Ultra at 33 FPS and 1440p High at 46 FPS are playable but not ideal.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 61 FPS average provides the best balance between visual quality and performance. It delivers a playable frame rate while maintaining meaningful graphical fidelity over Medium (73 FPS) and Low (98 FPS). Ultra at 44 FPS is playable but noticeably less smooth, and the visual gain from High to Ultra may not justify the 28% frame rate reduction.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 55 FPS average is the recommended choice. It maintains a frame rate above 50 FPS, which is generally acceptable for this genre, while High at 46 FPS and Ultra at 33 FPS show diminishing returns. The Low preset at 73 FPS is smooth but sacrifices too much visual quality for the resolution. The Medium min FPS of 46 ensures relatively consistent frame delivery.

At 4K, only the Low preset at 48 FPS provides a frame rate that approaches playability. Medium at 36 FPS and High at 30 FPS are below the threshold for comfortable gameplay, and Ultra at 22 FPS is essentially unplayable. Users targeting 4K should accept Low settings or consider reducing resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most consistent frame time behavior, as evidenced by the min/max data. The 1080p Medium range of 62-84 FPS shows variability, but the 4K Medium range of 31-41 FPS demonstrates that at higher resolutions, the GPU delivers more predictable performance. For users prioritizing stability over raw frame rate, Medium is the safest choice.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 98 at 1080p to 73 at 1440p (a 25.5% reduction) and then to 48 at 4K (a 34.2% reduction from 1440p, or 51% from 1080p). At Medium settings, the progression is 73 → 55 → 36 FPS, representing 24.7% and 34.5% drops respectively. High settings show 61 → 46 → 30 FPS (24.6% and 34.8% drops), and Ultra shows 44 → 33 → 22 FPS (25% and 33.3% drops).

The consistent ~25% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~34% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput is the dominant factor. The RTX 5050's 82.30 GPixel/s pixel rate and 320.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are insufficient to maintain frame rates as pixel count increases. The pixel count from 1080p to 1440p increases by 77%, while from 1440p to 4K it increases by 125% — yet the frame rate drops are proportionally smaller, suggesting some CPU involvement at lower resolutions.

At 1080p, the CPU's strong single-thread performance (959 in 3DMark single-thread) may partially compensate for GPU limitations at Low settings where the 98 FPS result approaches what might be expected from the GPU's raw compute. However, the consistent scaling pattern across all settings strongly implies that the RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is also a concern at 4K, where texture-heavy scenes may exceed this limit, causing additional performance degradation beyond what pure pixel throughput would predict.