Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a combination that is clearly constrained by its graphics card in Red Dead Redemption 2. The data places this pairing at rank 1403 out of 1687 tested combos for this game, placing it in the lower third of all configurations. The 12-core, 24-thread processor is a top-tier part, but the 6 GB VRAM and mid-range GPU architecture limit what this system can deliver, especially at higher resolutions and quality presets.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank for Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: This configuration ranks 1403rd out of 1687 tested combos for this specific game, placing it in the lower portion of the benchmark database for this title.

Q: What is the processor's benchmark standing compared to its closest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 50556, placing it 0.1% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 (50598), 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 5900XT (50738), and 0.5% behind the Intel Core i7-13850HX (50827).

Q: What is the GPU's relative performance against its nearest competitors?

A: The RTX 2060 scores 16074 on average, which is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996) and 1.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15786), but 1.7% behind both the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M and AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (each at 16351).

Q: What is the best frame rate achieved in this game?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 83.1 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The lowest is 18.3 at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: How does the GPU's memory configuration affect performance?

A: The RTX 2060 features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth. This relatively small VRAM capacity becomes a significant limitation at 4K resolution, where even Medium settings only reach 33.2 FPS.

Q: Does the processor have integrated graphics?

A: Yes, the Ryzen 9 7900X includes Radeon Graphics, but this iGPU is not relevant for gaming performance when a discrete RTX 2060 is installed.

How This Combo Ranks

The rank of 1403 out of 1687 tested combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2 tells a clear story about this pairing. This is not a top-tier gaming configuration for this title, despite the processor's impressive compute capabilities. The Ryzen 9 7900X sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, demonstrating that the CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios. However, the RTX 2060 only reaches the 58th percentile of all GPUs, and that disparity creates a system where the graphics card holds back the overall experience.

Benchmark results indicate that the processor's raw multi-threaded performance is substantial. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 43695 in multi-core and 6168 in single-core tests. The 3DMark results show a scalable architecture, with 10972 in the 16-thread test and 12536 at maximum threads. These numbers position the CPU well above the average, but they do not translate into high frame rates in this game because the GPU is the limiting component. The combination's rank reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning rather than any deficiency in the processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the decisive factor in this configuration's gaming performance. Based on the Turing architecture and built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, this GPU operates with a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective, delivering 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth across a 192-bit bus. This memory configuration, combined with only 6 GB of GDDR6 VRAM, creates a hard ceiling for high-resolution gaming.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the VRAM capacity is particularly critical. At 4K resolution, the game demands more memory than the GPU can comfortably provide, which explains the steep performance drop. The GPU's 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines are adequate for 1080p gaming but struggle to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions. The 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores are present but do not significantly aid performance in this non-ray-traced title. The GPU's passmark G3D score of 14111 and its percentile rank of 58 against all GPUs confirm that this is a mid-tier part, not designed for 4K gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data, all collected from actual benchmarks, shows a consistent pattern across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the configuration delivers 83.1 FPS on Low, 65.3 FPS on Medium, 54.3 FPS on High, and 36.4 FPS on Ultra. These numbers indicate that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with Low and Medium settings providing smooth gameplay and even High being playable.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. Low settings produce 63.7 FPS, Medium yields 46.6 FPS, High drops to 42.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25.7 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 20-30 FPS across all settings, showing how the GPU's bandwidth and VRAM limitations become more pronounced at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the results are largely unplayable for competitive gaming. Low settings achieve 39.3 FPS, Medium reaches 33.2 FPS, High manages only 24.4 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 18.3 FPS.

The data reveals that this combination is best suited for 1080p gaming with medium to high settings. At 1440p, only Low settings maintain a comfortable frame rate, while 4K is not a viable option except for the lowest quality preset.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K illustrates where the bottleneck lies in this system. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 54.3 at 1080p to 42.2 at 1440p, and then to 24.4 at 4K. This represents a 22% decrease from 1080p to 1440p and a 55% decrease from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the drop is from 83.1 to 63.7 to 39.3, showing a similar proportional decline.

These scaling patterns point directly to the GPU as the limiting component. The Ryzen 9 7900X has ample computational headroom, with 12 cores and 24 threads that are not fully utilized by this game. The processor's passmark single-thread score of 4238 and its 3DMark single-thread score of 1093 indicate that CPU performance is not the constraint. Instead, the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth cannot feed the render pipeline fast enough at higher resolutions.

The resolution scaling data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (83.1 FPS) and Ultra (36.4 FPS) is 46.7 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 38.0 FPS, and at 4K, the difference narrows to 21.0 FPS. This compression at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is saturated regardless of quality settings, and the VRAM capacity becomes the primary constraint. For users of this configuration, the data suggests that 1080p is the intended operating range, and any attempt to push higher resolutions will result in a significant loss of visual fidelity or frame rate.