Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 pairing delivers exceptional performance in Red Dead Redemption 2, ranking 61st out of 1,687 tested combinations. This places the combo in the top 3.6% of all systems tested, with the data showing a clear pattern: the RTX 4090's massive 24 GB VRAM buffer and high boost clocks allow the system to maintain playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, while the 16-core Ryzen 9 5950X ensures the CPU never becomes a bottleneck in this open-world title.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1920x1080 delivers the highest frame rates, with the Low preset hitting 207.5 FPS average. However, 2560x1440 High provides an excellent balance at 102.4 FPS average, making it the sweet spot for high-refresh monitors.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's VRAM affect performance in this game?

A: The 24 GB GDDR6X memory with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures that even at 3840x2160 Ultra, the game never runs out of video memory. This is evident in the 4K results where the GPU maintains playable frame rates across all settings.

Q: What is the difference between Low and Ultra settings at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, switching from Low to Ultra drops the average frame rate from 103.5 FPS to 46.3 FPS, a reduction of 57.2 FPS. The Medium preset at 77.4 FPS offers a more balanced trade-off between visual quality and performance.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 5950X a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: Benchmark data indicates the CPU's 16 cores and 32 threads provide ample headroom. The CPU scores 38,607 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and ranks in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, suggesting it keeps pace with the GPU's output in this title.

Q: How does this combo compare to other top systems?

A: The combo ranks 61st out of 1,687 tested combinations, placing it in the top 3.6% of all systems. This indicates it outperforms the vast majority of configurations tested for this game.

Q: What settings should I use for competitive play?

A: For maximum frame rates, the Low preset at 1920x1080 delivers 207.5 FPS average. If you need higher visual fidelity while maintaining triple-digit performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 with 102.4 FPS average is the recommended choice.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 61 out of 1,687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 3.6% of all configurations. This strong showing is supported by the individual component rankings: the CPU sits in the 93rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 91st percentile among all graphics cards.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 49,062 places it in close competition with the Intel Core i5-14600K, which scores 49,166 (a 0.2% difference). The Ryzen 9 5950X also trades blows with the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49,367, 0.6% faster) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (49,595, 1.1% faster), while outpacing the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48,698, 0.7% slower). These narrow margins suggest the CPU is well-matched against modern mid-range and workstation processors.

On the GPU side, the RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 66,473 places it near the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (66,733, 0.4% slower) and Tesla P40 (66,127, 0.5% faster). The GPU also compares closely to the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67,097, 0.9% faster) and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 (67,320, 1.3% faster). These workstation-class rivals highlight the RTX 4090's raw compute capabilities, which translate directly into strong gaming performance in this title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 plays the dominant role in this combo's Red Dead Redemption 2 performance, with its 24 GB GDDR6X memory and 384-bit bus providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock of 2,235 MHz and boost clock of 2,520 MHz ensure high sustained throughput, while the memory clock of 1,313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) keeps texture streaming fast in the game's large open world.

The memory configuration proves critical at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the GPU's VRAM capacity prevents any texture swapping or stuttering, allowing the game to maintain consistent frame rates. The 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 compute performance and 1,290.2 GTexel/s texture rate handle the game's complex lighting and shadow effects without issue. The 128 RT cores provide additional headroom for any ray-traced effects, though Red Dead Redemption 2 primarily relies on traditional rasterization.

The GPU's 91st percentile ranking among all graphics cards underscores its capabilities. Its average benchmark score of 66,473 places it in the upper echelon of available GPUs, with only a handful of workstation cards like the Quadro P6000 (67,320) and Radeon Pro Vega 56 (67,097) scoring higher. The RTX 4090's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility ensure full API feature support for this title.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data reveals a clear hierarchy of settings presets for this combo. For the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, the High preset at 2560x1440 delivers 102.4 FPS average, providing smooth gameplay while maintaining detailed textures and effects. This preset offers nearly double the frame rate of Ultra at the same resolution (69.4 FPS) while still looking significantly better than Medium (122.6 FPS).

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 77.4 FPS average is the recommended choice for 4K displays, as it maintains a playable frame rate while keeping visual quality respectable. The High preset at 67.2 FPS is also acceptable for slower-paced exploration, but the Ultra preset at 46.3 FPS drops too low for comfortable gameplay.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, the Low preset at 1920x1080 (207.5 FPS average) or 2560x1440 (158 FPS average) provides maximum responsiveness. The data suggests that the High preset at 1920x1080 (135.6 FPS) offers a superior visual experience while still maintaining frame rates above 120 FPS, making it the best choice for 1080p users who want both quality and speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate at 207.5 FPS. Medium follows at 160.1 FPS, High at 135.6 FPS, and Ultra at 94.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 47.4 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 41.2 FPS, showing diminishing returns at the highest settings.

2560x1440: Low produces 158 FPS average, Medium achieves 122.6 FPS, High reaches 102.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 69.4 FPS. The step from Low to Medium costs 35.4 FPS, while Medium to High costs 20.2 FPS, and High to Ultra costs 33 FPS. The High preset remains comfortably above 100 FPS, making it the most versatile option at this resolution.

3840x2160: Low sustains 103.5 FPS average, Medium delivers 77.4 FPS, High manages 67.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 46.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is 26.1 FPS, Medium to High is 10.2 FPS, and High to Ultra is 20.9 FPS. The Ultra preset at 46.3 FPS is the only configuration tested that falls below 60 FPS, indicating the game's most demanding settings push even this flagship GPU to its limits at 4K.