Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a playable but constrained experience in Red Dead Redemption 2. This combination ranks 2290 out of 2902 tested combos, placing it in the lower half of the database. The data shows a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance ensures the frame rate is rarely limited by the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, confirming that the RTX 2060 is the limiting component in this pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 85 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low reduces that to 63 FPS, a 26% decrease. Moving to 4K Low yields 42 FPS, which is a 51% drop from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario — the Ryzen 7 9700F has ample headroom, but the RTX 2060's 6 GB of VRAM and 192-bit memory bus struggle as pixel count increases.

The gap between settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 47 FPS (85 vs 38). At 1440p, that spread narrows to 35 FPS (63 vs 28). At 4K, the spread compresses further to 23 FPS (42 vs 19). This suggests that at 4K, even Low settings push the GPU to its limits, leaving little room for visual quality adjustments. The Ultra preset at 4K produces an unplayable 19 FPS average, while High at 4K only manages 26 FPS.

The CPU's capability is evident when examining the 1080p Low result of 85 FPS. This is the highest frame rate in the entire dataset, and it indicates that the Ryzen 7 9700F is not holding back the GPU at lower resolutions. The 8-core, 16-thread processor with a 5.50 GHz boost clock can feed the RTX 2060 efficiently. However, the GPU's 6.451 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 336.0 GB/s memory bandwidth become the hard ceiling as resolution climbs.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where all settings presets exceed 30 FPS on average. At 1440p, Low and Medium are playable (63 and 47 FPS), but High drops to 39 FPS. 4K is only viable at Low settings with 42 FPS.

Q: How much performance does the Low preset gain over Ultra?

A: At 1080p, Low delivers 85 FPS versus 38 FPS for Ultra, a 47 FPS difference. At 1440p, the gap is 35 FPS (63 vs 28). At 4K, Low achieves 42 FPS while Ultra only reaches 19 FPS, a 23 FPS difference.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700F or RTX 2060 the bottleneck?

A: The scaling pattern indicates the RTX 2060 is the limiting factor. The CPU's PassMark multithread score of 36470 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 14111 sits in the 58th percentile. The frame rate drops proportionally with resolution, which is characteristic of GPU limitation.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in this title?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 42 FPS. Medium drops to 31 FPS, High to 26 FPS, and Ultra to 19 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K, the data does not support this combo — the RTX 2060 lacks the necessary memory bandwidth and shading power.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 15290 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 at 15283 (0% delta) and the AMD Radeon 680M at 15270 (0.1% delta). It is 0.6% ahead of the RTX 3050 OEM and 0.8% ahead of the RX 7600. These are marginal differences, indicating the RTX 2060 performs similarly to these cards in general compute.

Q: What is the expected FPS range at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the measured range is 54 to 73 FPS with a 63 FPS average. At 1440p Medium, the range is 40 to 54 FPS with a 47 FPS average. At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 27 to 36 FPS with a 31 FPS average.

GPU Role

The RTX 2060's specifications directly explain its performance in Red Dead Redemption 2. The GPU has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is a modest amount by modern standards, and it becomes a significant constraint at 4K where texture data demands exceed what the memory subsystem can efficiently deliver. The 4K Medium result of 31 FPS with a minimum of 27 FPS suggests the GPU is thrashing the memory pool.

Clock speeds are equally important. The base clock of 1365 MHz boosts to 1680 MHz, which is a relatively conservative boost for a Turing architecture card. The 1920 shading units and 120 texture mapping units provide the raw compute, but the 48 ROPs limit fill-rate-heavy scenes. The pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s are the theoretical ceilings, and the measured results show that Red Dead Redemption 2's open world pushes the GPU close to these limits at higher settings.

The GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its mid-range position. It is just 0.1% behind the AMD Radeon 680M and 0.8% behind the RX 7600 in average benchmark score, yet those rivals are integrated or newer discrete solutions. The RTX 2060's end-of-life production status and 12 nm process node (TSMC) mean it cannot match the efficiency of newer cards, but its Turing architecture supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which are relevant for this 2018 title.

At 1080p, the GPU can deliver 85 FPS on Low settings, which shows it is not a weak part. However, the jump to 1440p High (39 FPS) and 4K High (26 FPS) reveals a sharp decline. The 6 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but 4K textures can exceed that capacity, forcing the driver to use system memory over PCIe 3.0 x16, which is slower than the dedicated VRAM.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2290 out of 2902 tested combinations places it in the 21st percentile of all tested pairings for this game. This is a low position, but it is driven primarily by the GPU's age and tier. The Ryzen 7 9700F itself ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with a PassMark multithread score of 36470. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% higher), Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% higher), and Intel Core i7-14700K (0.9% higher). These are all high-end processors from the same era or newer, and the 9700F holds its own within 1% of each.

The GPU's rank is less impressive. The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 15290 places it near the GTX 580 (15283), which is a GPU from 2010. The 0.1% lead over the Radeon 680M and 0.6% lead over the RTX 3050 OEM show that the RTX 2060 is functionally equivalent to those parts in compute tasks, despite being older. The 0.8% gap to the RX 7600 is small enough to be within run-to-run variance.

In the context of this game, the combo's rank means that the majority of tested systems outperform it. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Ultra, the average of 38 FPS is below the 60 FPS target that most players would consider smooth. This rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and limited bandwidth, not the CPU. A faster GPU would immediately boost this combo's position, as the CPU has demonstrated it can push frame rates higher when the GPU allows.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data makes the optimal settings clear. For a target of 60 FPS or higher, 1080p Low is the only preset that consistently exceeds this threshold, averaging 85 FPS. 1080p Medium averages 63 FPS, which is also playable but with a minimum of 54 FPS that may cause occasional stutter in dense scenes. 1440p is viable only at Low settings, with 63 FPS average, but Medium drops to 47 FPS and High to 39 FPS.

For players prioritizing visual quality over frame rate, 1080p High offers a 53 FPS average, which is borderline acceptable but not smooth. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 38 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable action gameplay. At 1440p, the Ultra preset averages 28 FPS, and at 4K it drops to 19 FPS — neither are recommended for anything beyond screenshots.

The best balance of visual fidelity and performance is 1080p Medium. It provides a 63 FPS average with a 54 FPS minimum, which is within the range of smooth gameplay for most users. The 73 FPS maximum shows there is headroom in less demanding areas. If the player has a 1440p monitor, Low settings at 1440p (63 FPS) is the pragmatic choice, as the visual upgrade from 1080p Low is significant while the frame rate remains identical.

The 4K resolution should be avoided unless the player accepts Low settings at 42 FPS. The 27 FPS minimum at 4K Medium indicates severe frame time spikes that will cause noticeable hitches. The 19 FPS at 4K Ultra is unplayable. The data strongly suggests that this combo is a 1080p machine for Red Dead Redemption 2, with 1440p as a secondary option only at the lowest preset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 85 FPS, which is the highest score in the dataset. Medium settings average 63 FPS with a measured range of 54 to 73 FPS. High settings average 53 FPS. Ultra settings average 38 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 47 FPS drop, indicating that each preset tier costs roughly 15-20% performance.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 63 FPS, identical to 1080p Medium. Medium settings average 47 FPS with a range of 40 to 54 FPS. High settings average 39 FPS. Ultra settings average 28 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 35 FPS, and the 1440p results are consistently about 26-30% lower than their 1080p counterparts at the same preset.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. Low settings average 42 FPS. Medium settings average 31 FPS with a range of 27 to 36 FPS. High settings average 26 FPS. Ultra settings average 19 FPS. The 4K Low result is the only playable option, and it is still below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K Medium minimum of 27 FPS is concerning, as it indicates the GPU cannot maintain a stable frame rate under load.

The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum values across all three resolutions. At 1080p, the 54 to 73 FPS range shows a 19 FPS variance, which is manageable. At 1440p, the 40 to 54 FPS range has a 14 FPS variance. At 4K, the 27 to 36 FPS range has a 9 FPS variance, but the absolute values are too low for smooth gameplay. This data suggests that the Medium preset's frame pacing degrades as resolution increases, with the GPU struggling to maintain consistent output at 4K.