Red Dead Redemption 2

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Red Dead Redemption 2 with the AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 shows a clear pattern of resolution-dependent scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 150 FPS average. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops that to 111.3 FPS, a reduction of roughly 26%. At 4K Low, the average falls further to 74.4 FPS, which represents a 50% drop from the 1080p Low figure. This scaling curve is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 4070's rendering throughput becomes the limiting factor rather than the CPU's processing capacity.

The High preset tells a similar story. At 1080p, the average is 97.2 FPS; at 1440p it drops to 70.5 FPS; at 4K it settles at 46.2 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs about 27.5% of performance, while the step from 1440p to 4K costs about 34.5%. These are substantial reductions, indicating that each resolution increase places significantly more strain on the GPU's pixel and texture processing capabilities. The RTX 4070, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus delivering 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, handles the load predictably across these tiers.

Ultra settings amplify the resolution sensitivity further. The 1080p Ultra average is 69.4 FPS, which drops to 51.9 FPS at 1440p and 32.8 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure is less than half of the 1080p Ultra result, demonstrating that the combination of maximum graphical fidelity and high pixel count pushes the RTX 4070 to its limits. The data suggests that at 4K Ultra, the system is clearly GPU-limited, as even a 12-core processor with a boost clock of 4.80 GHz cannot compensate for the sheer rendering workload imposed on the graphics card.

The pattern across all four settings presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — shows consistent scaling behavior. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is consistently smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K for every preset except Low. This non-linear scaling is typical for modern game engines, where 4K resolution approximately doubles the pixel count compared to 1440p, placing exponential pressure on the GPU's fill rate and memory subsystem.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of which settings preset offers the most favorable balance of visual quality and frame rate for this hardware combination. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers 114.5 FPS, which is more than sufficient for smooth gameplay on high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at the same resolution drops to 97.2 FPS, still comfortably playable. Ultra at 1080p yields 69.4 FPS, which is acceptable but represents a significant sacrifice in frame rate for the incremental visual improvements over High.

At 1440p, the Medium preset produces 84.1 FPS, which is a strong result for this resolution. High at 1440p drops to 70.5 FPS, still above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth motion. Ultra at 1440p falls to 51.9 FPS, which may feel less fluid in fast-paced scenes. For 4K users, the situation is more constrained: Medium yields 58.4 FPS, High drops to 46.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32.8 FPS. The Low preset at 4K achieves 74.4 FPS, but the visual compromises of Low settings are substantial.

The data indicates that Medium is the recommended preset for this combo at 1440p and 4K, as it provides frame rates above 58 FPS at both resolutions while retaining a reasonable level of graphical detail. At 1080p, High is the better choice, as the 97.2 FPS average keeps the experience fluid without the performance hit of Ultra. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, and even then, the 69.4 FPS average leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Low preset, while delivering high frame rates at all resolutions, is generally not recommended because the visual quality loss outweighs the performance gain for most users.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 5900X provides the computational foundation for this combo. With 12 cores and 24 threads based on the Zen 3 architecture, this processor offers substantial multi-threaded throughput. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 4.80 GHz ensure strong single-thread performance for game logic and physics calculations. The 64 MB of L3 cache helps reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for open-world games like Red Dead Redemption 2 that stream large amounts of world data.

Benchmark results for the CPU show strong multi-core capability: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 33150, while single-core scores 4680. The PassMark multithread score is 39002, and the 3DMark max-threads score is 10075. These figures place the processor in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, indicating it ranks higher than 90% of tested processors. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core i7-13700 at 39857 (0.9% deltaPct) and the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8845HS at 39747 (-0.7% deltaPct), showing that the 5900X sits in a competitive performance tier.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role becomes more evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 150 FPS average suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately to reach high frame rates. However, the fact that performance scales down significantly as resolution increases — from 150 FPS at 1080p Low to 74.4 FPS at 4K Low — indicates that the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher pixel counts. The CPU's 12 cores and 24 threads are more than sufficient for this game's threading model, which typically scales well up to 8 threads. The 3DMark 8-thread score of 6601 and 16-thread score of 9075 confirm that the processor handles moderate thread counts efficiently.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of AMD Ryzen 9 5900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a rank of 437 out of 1687 combos for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the upper quartile of all tested systems, with roughly 74% of tested combos performing worse and 26% performing better. The rank reflects the combined capability of the CPU and GPU working together in this particular game title.

The GPU's benchmark standing provides context for this ranking. The RTX 4070 sits in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 with a score of 37507 (-0.6% deltaPct) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A at 38008 (-1.9% deltaPct). The CPU's 90th percentile standing is notably higher than the GPU's 81st percentile, suggesting that the graphics card is the more limiting component in this pairing. This aligns with the resolution scaling data, where GPU-bound behavior dominates at higher settings.

The combined rank of 437 out of 1687 indicates that while neither component is at the very top of its class, the pairing works well together for this game. The 12-core processor provides ample headroom for background tasks and future gaming workloads, while the RTX 4070 delivers solid 1440p performance and acceptable 4K performance at moderate settings. For users targeting 1080p high-refresh-rate gaming, this combo is well-suited, as the data shows 150 FPS at Low and 114.5 FPS at Medium.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average frame rate achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest measured average at 1920x1080 is 150 FPS, achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 32.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the recommended settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 84.1 FPS, which provides a good balance between visual quality and frame rate for this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to limit performance in this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as frame rates drop substantially from 1080p to 4K across all settings presets, while the CPU maintains strong multi-threaded scores.

Q: How does the Ryzen 9 5900X compare to its nearest rival in benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 9 5900X has an average benchmark score of 39453, while the Intel Core i7-13700 scores 39857, placing the 5900X 0.9% behind that rival.

Q: Where does this combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 437 out of 1687 tested combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the upper quartile of all tested systems.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS values for each resolution and settings preset combination:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 46.2 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 74.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 58.4 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 32.8 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 70.5 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 111.3 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 84.1 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 51.9 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 97.2 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 150 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 114.5 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 69.4 |

The data shows a consistent ordering of performance by preset at each resolution: Low delivers the highest frame rates, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra producing the lowest averages. At 1080p, the spread from Low to Ultra is 80.6 FPS, indicating a wide performance range based on graphical settings. At 1440p, the spread narrows to 59.4 FPS, and at 4K it narrows further to 41.6 FPS. This compression of the performance range at higher resolutions reinforces the conclusion that the GPU becomes increasingly saturated as pixel count rises, reducing the relative impact of settings changes on overall frame rate.

For users seeking specific performance targets, the data provides clear guidance. A 60 FPS target is achievable at 1080p with any preset, at 1440p with Medium or High, and at 4K only with Low or Medium. A 144 FPS target is only reachable at 1080p with the Low preset, which achieves 150 FPS. The RTX 4070's 12 GB memory capacity and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the texture and geometry demands of this game at all tested resolutions, but the GPU's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power caps the overall rendering throughput at higher settings and resolutions.