Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 combination lands at rank 563 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it comfortably in the top 20% of all configurations. That percentile standing reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is dramatically holding the other back, though the data reveals distinct behavioral shifts depending on resolution and settings. The Ryzen 7 9700F's benchmark profile shows a 94th percentile rank among all CPUs, with an average score of 69996 that sits within 0.9% of its nearest rivals including the Intel Core i7-14700K, while the RTX 5070's 82nd percentile GPU ranking and average score of 40377 align it closely with workstation-class AMD Radeon Pro cards. This combo is not a top-tier extreme performer, but it delivers consistently playable frame rates across most tested configurations, with the notable exception of 4K Ultra where the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank of 563 out of 2902 tested combos positions this pairing in the upper quintile of all configurations tested for Red Dead Redemption 2. That is a strong showing, but the data indicates it is not near the top because the RTX 5070's raw performance, while respectable, does not push into the highest echelon when paired with a mid-range 8-core CPU. The CPU's nearest rival data shows the Ryzen 7 9700F trading blows with the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% difference) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% difference), meaning the processing side is solidly mid-pack among high-end chips. The GPU's nearest rivals are all AMD Radeon Pro professional cards, with the RTX 5070 falling 1.2% behind the Radeon Pro 5300 and 2% ahead of the RTX A500 Mobile, which suggests that in this game, the GPU's performance profile is comparable to those workstation parts rather than competing with top-tier gaming cards. The combination of an 8-core, 16-thread CPU with a 12GB VRAM GPU produces a system that ranks well because it avoids severe imbalance; the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at most settings, and the GPU can push high frame rates when not constrained by resolution or ultra settings. However, the 563rd rank implies that many combos with either stronger CPUs or more powerful GPUs will outpace this setup, particularly at 4K where the GPU's limitations become pronounced. For a builder targeting high-refresh 1080p or solid 1440p gaming, this rank is reassuring, but for 4K enthusiasts, the data suggests looking at configurations with more GPU headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 brings 12GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a card in this class. Its boost clock of 2512 MHz and base clock of 2325 MHz are modest, but the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with 6144 shading units and 48 RT cores handles the game's demands efficiently. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution and settings rise. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 162 FPS, which is well above the refresh rate of most monitors and indicates the GPU has ample headroom. Moving to 1440p Low, the frame rate drops to 121 FPS, still very high but showing the beginning of GPU-bound behavior. The 12GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this game at all tested settings, as none of the measured rows show signs of VRAM exhaustion—the frame rates scale predictably with resolution rather than collapsing due to memory limits. The GPU's 82nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 40377, places it in the upper tier but not the top, which aligns with the measured results: strong at 1080p and 1440p, but struggling to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra where it only achieves 36 FPS. The texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s and pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s are sufficient for this game's detailed environments at lower resolutions, but at 4K the sheer pixel count overwhelms the card's compute resources. The data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, as the CPU alone would be capable of higher frame rates based on its benchmark scores.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across the three tested resolutions reveal a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling, with the CPU becoming less relevant as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 101 FPS, and dropping to 1440p High reduces this to 75 FPS—a 26% decrease. The step from 1440p High to 4K High is even steeper, falling from 75 FPS to 50 FPS, a 33% reduction. This non-linear drop indicates that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, as the CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are capable of maintaining frame pacing even when the GPU is under heavy load. The Low settings tell a similar story: 1080p Low produces 162 FPS, which drops to 121 FPS at 1440p (25% lower) and then to 80 FPS at 4K (34% lower). The consistent ~25-34% reduction per resolution step across settings suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are the limiting factors, not the CPU. At 1080p, the combo shows it can exceed 160 FPS on Low settings, which is excellent for competitive play, but the frame rate is more modest at 101 FPS on High, indicating that the GPU's shading units are the bottleneck rather than the CPU. The Ultra settings further confirm this: 1080p Ultra hits 73 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 54 FPS, and 4K Ultra falls to 36 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p Ultra is a 26% drop, and from 1440p to 4K Ultra is a 33% drop, mirroring the High settings pattern. This consistent scaling behavior indicates that the CPU is not causing any stuttering or frame drops; the system is purely GPU-limited at 4K. For a 1440p monitor, the combo provides a strong experience on High settings (75 FPS) and even Medium settings (90 FPS), but for 4K, only Low (80 FPS) or Medium (60 FPS) are viable, with High and Ultra falling below the 60 FPS threshold.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings balance depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 121 FPS with a minimum of 103 FPS and maximum of 139 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh displays (120Hz+). High settings at 1080p yield 101 FPS, still excellent for 100Hz monitors, while Ultra drops to 73 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for competitive play. For 1440p, Medium provides 90 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS, making it the best choice for a 90Hz or 100Hz monitor, while High at 75 FPS is suitable for 75Hz displays. Ultra at 1440p (54 FPS) is borderline, and Low (121 FPS) is only recommended for esports-style play where frame rate trumps visuals. At 4K, the situation changes dramatically: Medium is the only preset that maintains a 60 FPS average (60 FPS with a min of 51 and max of 69), making it the recommended choice for 4K60 gaming. Low at 4K hits 80 FPS, which is smoother but sacrifices visual fidelity, while High (50 FPS) and Ultra (36 FPS) are not recommended for a consistent experience. The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo across all resolutions, as it provides the best balance of frame rate and visual quality: 121 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p, and 60 FPS at 4K. For users with high-refresh 1080p monitors, Low settings at 162 FPS might be tempting, but Medium's 121 FPS is likely sufficient for most displays and offers significantly better image quality. The min FPS values for Medium (103 at 1080p, 77 at 1440p, 51 at 4K) show that the combo maintains stable frame pacing without severe dips, which is crucial for a smooth experience in this open-world game.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K smoothly?

A: At Medium settings, the combo achieves a 60 FPS average (min 51, max 69), which is playable on a 60Hz 4K monitor. High settings drop to 50 FPS and Ultra to 36 FPS, so Medium is the recommended preset for 4K.

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh gaming with this setup?

A: At 1080p, the combo delivers 121 FPS on Medium and 162 FPS on Low, making it suitable for 120Hz or 144Hz monitors. At 1440p, Medium yields 90 FPS, which is good for 90Hz displays.

Q: How does the RTX 5070 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 40377 places it 1.2% behind the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 and 2% ahead of the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile. Its performance is within 0.8% of the Radeon Pro WX 7100, indicating it is comparable to professional workstation GPUs in raw compute.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700F a bottleneck for the RTX 5070?

A: Benchmark data shows the CPU ranks in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, with an average score of 69996, which is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-14700KF and 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX. The CPU is not a bottleneck at 4K, where the GPU limits frame rates, and only becomes a factor at very high frame rates (162 FPS on 1080p Low).

Q: What settings should I use for a 1440p monitor with this combo?

A: Medium settings provide 90 FPS (min 77, max 104), which is the best balance for smooth gameplay. High settings at 75 FPS are also viable if you prefer better visuals, while Ultra at 54 FPS is not recommended.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 5070 have, and is it enough for this game?

A: The GPU has 12GB of GDDR7 memory with 672.0 GB/s bandwidth. The measured frame rates show no signs of VRAM limitations, as performance scales consistently with resolution and settings, indicating 12GB is sufficient for Red Dead Redemption 2 at all tested configurations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), built on a 4nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 65W TDP that makes it power-efficient for a desktop chip. The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 32MB of shared L3 cache, 1MB of L2 per core, and 80KB of L1 per core, which provides ample fast memory for the game's physics and AI computations. In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is to maintain a consistent frame rate by handling game logic, NPC behavior, and draw call submission, which it does effectively given its benchmark scores. The Ryzen 7 9700F's PassMark multithread score of 36470 and single-thread score of 4691 show strong performance, placing it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700KF (0.2% faster), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.2% slower), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.7% slower), indicating it is competitive with high-end desktop and mobile processors. The data from the measured FPS rows shows that the CPU is never the limiting factor in this game: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 162 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU might start to matter, but even at that frame rate, the GPU's shading units are still the bottleneck. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are well-suited for this game's multi-threaded nature, as Red Dead Redemption 2 can utilize multiple cores for streaming and physics. The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensures that data can be fed to the GPU without stalling. The 32MB L3 cache is particularly beneficial for this game's large open-world environments, as it reduces the need to access system memory for frequently used assets. Overall, the Ryzen 7 9700F provides a solid foundation for the RTX 5070, ensuring that the GPU can perform to its potential without being starved of data, though it does not offer the headroom of higher-end CPUs for future GPU upgrades. The CPU's 5.50 GHz boost clock is high enough to handle the game's single-threaded tasks, such as rendering the main character and camera logic, without becoming a bottleneck. In summary, the CPU is a capable partner that does not hold back the GPU in this game, as evidenced by the consistent frame rate scaling across resolutions and settings. The combo's rank of 563 out of 2902 reflects the balance between these two components, with the CPU providing sufficient compute power and the GPU delivering strong rasterization performance for most gaming scenarios.