Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination delivers a playable but not spectacular experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with the data clearly showing that the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The pairing ranks in the 54th percentile of all tested combos, and while it can hit smooth frame rates at 1080p, it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 1440p and falls well short at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This processor sits in the 86th percentile of all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 37943, placing it just 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E and 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, while also leading the Intel Core 5 211E by 0.3% and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 by 0.4%.

In synthetic tests, the 9700X demonstrates strong single-threaded performance with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280 and a Geekbench single-core score of 3023. Its multi-threaded capabilities are equally solid, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 17906. The processor's 16 threads are more than sufficient for Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known to scale reasonably well with multiple cores, but the game's engine does not typically become CPU-bound at the settings and resolutions measured here.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 110 FPS, which suggests there is ample headroom in the processor to feed frames to the GPU. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9824 and the max-thread score of 9771 show that the processor can handle heavy workloads without significant performance degradation. When comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the 9700X holds a marginal edge, but these differences are within noise levels and would not meaningfully affect game performance.

Given that the processor has a TDP of 65 W and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, it provides a solid foundation for gaming. The measured frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2 do not show any signs of CPU throttling or bottlenecking, as the FPS scales consistently with resolution changes, which is a hallmark of GPU-limited scenarios. The CPU's 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures that even the most demanding single-threaded tasks within the game's engine are handled with ease.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with memory running at 2125 MHz or 17 Gbps effective. It contains 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, 48 ROPs, 24 RT cores, and 96 tensor cores, delivering 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The RTX 4060 sits in the 61st percentile of all GPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 17639.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are unexpectedly older or integrated parts: the AMD Radeon HD 7790 is 0.2% ahead, while the AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% behind, the AMD Radeon Pro 560 is 0.5% behind, and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 is 0.7% behind. These comparisons highlight that the RTX 4060 occupies a mid-range position in the overall GPU landscape, though its real-world gaming performance in this title is more telling than synthetic scores.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a critical factor at higher resolutions. The 4K results show a dramatic drop in performance, with the High preset averaging only 34 FPS and Ultra falling to 24 FPS. This is a clear indication that the GPU is overwhelmed at 4K, likely due to both compute limitations and VRAM capacity constraints. The memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the data transfer requirements exceed what this GPU can efficiently deliver.

The GPU's boost clock of 2460 MHz helps maintain performance in less demanding scenes, but the overall architecture is not designed for 4K gaming. The 128-bit memory bus is a notable limitation, as it restricts the amount of data that can be transferred between the GPU and VRAM. This is evidenced by the significant frame rate drops when moving from 1440p to 4K, where the High preset falls from 51 FPS to 34 FPS, a 33% reduction. The RTX 4060 is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can maintain respectable frame rates across most presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1080p also performs well at 69 FPS average, but the Medium preset provides a more consistent experience with a higher minimum frame rate.

For users with 1440p displays, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, delivering 61 FPS average with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 82 FPS, but the visual quality trade-off is significant, and the Medium preset offers a better gaming experience. The High preset at 1440p drops to 51 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target, making it less desirable for competitive or fast-paced gameplay.

At 4K, no preset achieves a truly playable experience. The Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is playable but visually compromised, while Medium drops to 41 FPS and High falls to 34 FPS. The Ultra preset is essentially unplayable at 24 FPS. Given these results, users with 4K displays should strongly consider lowering their resolution to 1440p or accepting the Low preset if they must play at 4K.

The data shows a clear trend: the Medium preset provides the most consistent performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers 82 FPS, at 1440p it delivers 61 FPS, and at 4K it delivers 41 FPS. This consistency suggests that the Medium preset is well-matched to the RTX 4060's capabilities, avoiding the VRAM and compute bottlenecks that plague the High and Ultra presets at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 2013 out of 3714 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 54th percentile of all configurations tested. This mid-pack ranking reflects the balanced but not exceptional nature of this pairing. The CPU is a high-end component, but the GPU is mid-range, and the overall performance is constrained by the GPU's limitations.

The ranking indicates that there are many other combinations that perform better in this game, likely those pairing higher-end GPUs with similar or lesser CPUs. The 9700X's strong synthetic scores do not translate into top-tier gaming performance when paired with a mid-range GPU, as the game is clearly GPU-bound in most scenarios. The combo's position in the middle of the pack is consistent with the measured frame rates, which show playable but not outstanding performance at common resolutions.

Comparatively, the CPU's nearest rivals show similar performance characteristics, with the Intel Core i9-14901E and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 being virtually identical in average score. However, the GPU's ranking against its rivals is more concerning, as it sits close to much older or integrated graphics solutions. This suggests that the RTX 4060 is not a standout performer in synthetic benchmarks, and its real-world gaming performance in Red Dead Redemption 2 is similarly middling.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p High, the system achieves 69 FPS, which drops to 51 FPS at 1440p (a 26% reduction) and then to 34 FPS at 4K (a further 33% reduction). This pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as frame rates scale inversely with the number of pixels rendered.

At Low settings, the scaling is more dramatic: 110 FPS at 1080p drops to 82 FPS at 1440p (a 25% reduction) and then to 54 FPS at 4K (a 34% reduction). The consistent reductions across settings confirm that the GPU is the bottleneck, as the CPU would show less severe scaling if it were the limiting factor. The 4K results are particularly telling, as even the Low preset cannot maintain 60 FPS, indicating that the RTX 4060 simply does not have the raw compute power or memory bandwidth for 4K gaming.

The resolution scaling also highlights the impact of the 8 GB VRAM. At 4K, the High and Ultra presets likely exceed the VRAM capacity, causing additional performance penalties beyond just the increased pixel count. The 4K High preset's 34 FPS and Ultra's 24 FPS are both well below what would be expected from the GPU's compute capabilities alone, suggesting that memory bandwidth or capacity is a secondary bottleneck at this resolution.

The data clearly shows that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates across all presets. At 1440p, it can still deliver playable frame rates with Medium settings, but 4K is not a viable option for this configuration. Users looking for 4K performance would need to consider a more powerful GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. The Low preset averages 110 FPS, providing an extremely smooth experience. The Medium preset averages 82 FPS with a minimum of 70 FPS and a maximum of 95 FPS, offering a good balance of quality and speed. The High preset averages 69 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS target. The Ultra preset drops to 49 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action.

At 2560x1440, performance decreases notably. The Low preset averages 82 FPS, still maintaining smooth gameplay. The Medium preset averages 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 71 FPS, providing a playable experience with some dips below 60 FPS. The High preset averages 51 FPS, which is borderline playable but may feel less smooth. The Ultra preset drops to 37 FPS, which is not recommended for a good experience.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles significantly. The Low preset averages 54 FPS, which is the only playable option at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 41 FPS with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS, showing significant frame time inconsistency. The High preset averages 34 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages only 24 FPS, both of which are too low for acceptable gameplay.

The frame rate data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the sweet spot, 1440p is acceptable with Medium settings, and 4K is only viable with Low settings. The Medium preset consistently provides the best balance of performance and visual quality across all resolutions, making it the recommended choice for most users. The data also shows that the Ultra preset offers minimal visual benefits over High while costing significant performance, making it the least efficient choice in this configuration.