Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 presents a demanding workload that quickly exposes the limits of the Intel Arc B390, especially when paired with a high-end CPU like the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X. The benchmark data shows a system where the graphics processor is the overwhelming constraint, with the CPU's substantial multi-threading capabilities providing little benefit at higher resolutions. The measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions are low, indicating that this combination is not suitable for a smooth experience in this title.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results suggest that the Ultra preset is essentially unplayable, while even High settings struggle to maintain acceptable fluidity. The data shows the only settings that approach a playable threshold are at the Low preset, and even then, only at 1080p. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average frame rate is 51 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this combo. This is the only configuration that breaks past the 50 FPS mark, making it the clear choice for the best experience among the measured rows.

While the Medium preset offers a better visual quality, the performance cost is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops to 39 FPS with Medium settings, a 12 FPS decrease from Low. This suggests a significant GPU workload increase that the Arc B390 cannot handle smoothly. The High preset at 1080p yields an average of 32 FPS, which is below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, producing an average of only 23 FPS at 1080p, which is not a viable option for gameplay.

Therefore, the data indicates that users should select the Low preset at 1920x1080 to achieve the highest measurable frame rate. This setup prioritizes performance over visual fidelity, acknowledging the GPU's limitations. For users who prefer a balance, the Medium preset at 1080p is the next best option, but they must be prepared for a frame rate that dips below 40 FPS. All other settings and resolution combinations result in average frame rates below 33 FPS, which will likely lead to a stuttery and less responsive experience in a game of this pace.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration for Red Dead Redemption 2. The GPU's performance is far below what is needed to drive this game at high settings or resolutions. Its average benchmark score is 1482, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This low standing is reflected in the game's measured performance, where even the lowest settings at 1080p only achieve 51 FPS. The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and the GeForce 800M, which are older, entry-level parts, underscoring its limited processing power.

The GPU's memory configuration is "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than dedicated VRAM. Its memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," which is a critical factor in a game as demanding as Red Dead Redemption 2, which requires large amounts of fast memory for textures and geometry. This shared memory setup likely contributes to the severe frame rate drops seen when increasing settings, as the GPU struggles to access data quickly enough. The core clock is listed at 300 MHz base and 2500 MHz boost, but even with a high boost clock, the 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs are insufficient for the load.

The data shows a stark performance cliff when moving from Low to Medium settings. At 1080p, the average frame rate drops from 51 FPS to 39 FPS. This 12 FPS drop indicates that the GPU's fill rate and texture processing capabilities are easily overwhelmed. The Arc B390's compute power is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS for FP32, but this is not enough to handle the complex shaders and effects in Red Dead Redemption 2. The benchmarks confirm that this is a GPU that is only suitable for very light workloads or esports titles, not for a demanding AAA game like this one.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 51 FPS, which was measured at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. This is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463, and 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, which scores 1460.

Q: Is the Ultra preset playable at 1080p?

A: No. The data shows that the Ultra preset at 1920x1080 produces an average frame rate of only 23 FPS, which is well below the threshold for smooth, playable performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 38 FPS, while the Medium preset drops to 29 FPS. This is a 9 FPS decrease for moving from Low to Medium settings.

Q: Does the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance help in this game?

A: Despite the CPU's high single-thread and multi-thread benchmark scores, the measured frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2 are very low across all settings. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, and the CPU's power cannot be fully utilized.

Q: What is the average frame rate for the High preset at 4K?

A: The High preset at 3840x2160 yields an average frame rate of 16 FPS, which is not a playable experience.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3306 out of 3714 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems, indicating that it is a very low-performing configuration for this game. The rank is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations, as the CPU is a high-end part that would normally contribute to a much higher ranking.

The data suggests that the pairing is severely unbalanced for this title. The Ryzen 7 9700X is a powerful processor, but the Arc B390 cannot provide the necessary graphics horsepower to create a smooth gameplay experience. The combo's ranking is dragged down by the GPU's low frame rates at all tested settings. The fact that the combo sits so far down the list is a strong indicator that the GPU is the sole reason for the poor performance, as many other combos with weaker CPUs but more capable GPUs would rank significantly higher. The benchmark results show that this is a configuration to avoid for this game, as nearly every other tested combination delivers better performance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data shows a clear and expected decline as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, but the pattern reveals the depth of the GPU bottleneck. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 51 FPS at 1080p to 38 FPS at 1440p, a 25% decrease. Moving to 4K, the average further drops to 25 FPS, which is a 34% decrease from the 1440p figure. This scaling is not linear and shows that the GPU's rendering capabilities are being heavily taxed at each step up.

The performance drop is even more pronounced at higher quality settings. For example, at High settings, the average frame rate falls from 32 FPS at 1080p to 24 FPS at 1440p, and then down to 16 FPS at 4K. This steep decline indicates that the GPU's pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the increased resolution demands. The fact that the frame rates are so low at 1080p suggests that the issue is not just resolution scaling, but the GPU's fundamental inability to process the game's graphical load efficiently.

This pattern strongly indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see the frame rates at 1080p to be much higher and to plateau or drop less significantly as resolution increases. Instead, the frame rates are low even at 1080p and continue to fall, which is the classic sign of a GPU that is at its absolute limit. The CPU's performance is not a factor in these results, as it is waiting on the GPU to provide frames.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured average frame rates is as follows. At 1920x1080, the performance ranges from 51 FPS on Low to 23 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset averages 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. The High preset averages 32 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease, with the Low preset averaging 38 FPS, Medium averaging 29 FPS (minimum 24, maximum 33), High averaging 24 FPS, and Ultra averaging 17 FPS. At 3840x2160, the performance is very low across the board. The Low preset averages 25 FPS, Medium averages 19 FPS (minimum 16, maximum 22), High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS.

These numbers paint a clear picture of a system that is struggling to run the game. Even the best-case scenario, 1080p Low, only achieves a 51 FPS average, which is not high enough for a consistently fluid experience on a high refresh rate monitor. The frame time data for Medium settings shows significant variance, with the minimum FPS being considerably lower than the average, indicating potential stutters. For instance, at 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 33, which is 15% lower than the average of 39 FPS. This variance suggests that the gameplay experience can be inconsistent, with noticeable hitches during intense scenes.

The data shows that no tested configuration reaches a 60 FPS average. This is a critical finding, as it means that this hardware combination is not capable of delivering a smooth, high-performance experience in Red Dead Redemption 2. Users would have to accept a frame rate that is at best around 50 FPS on the lowest settings, and much lower if they want any visual improvements. The minimum FPS values for the Medium settings also highlight the lack of headroom, as the system can dip to 16 FPS at 4K, which is effectively a slideshow.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a high-performance processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and a single-core score of 2211. This places it in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, and it is closely matched with rivals like the Intel Core i9-14901E and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, which have average scores within 0.1% of the 9700X. In a CPU-bound scenario, this processor would provide excellent performance.

However, in Red Dead Redemption 2, the data shows that the CPU's power is largely irrelevant. The measured frame rates are almost entirely dictated by the GPU's limitations. The CPU is likely not being fully utilized because it is constantly waiting for the GPU to complete its rendering tasks. The game's performance is so low that the CPU's high boost clock of 5.50 GHz and its 32 MB of shared L3 cache cannot compensate for the graphics bottleneck.

The CPU's role in this combo is to feed the GPU with data, but the GPU is unable to process it fast enough. The high multi-threaded performance of the 9700X, as evidenced by its 3DMark max threads score of 9771, is not a factor here. The game's frame rate is limited by the GPU's fill rate and shader processing. The conclusion is that while the Ryzen 7 9700X is a top-tier CPU, its pairing with the Arc B390 is a mismatch for a demanding game like this, as the CPU's capabilities are completely overshadowed by the GPU's lack of performance.