Red Dead Redemption 2

The Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 4060 pairing delivers a playable but uneven experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, heavily dependent on the settings preset and target resolution. The data shows this is a GPU-limited combination in most scenarios, where the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface of the RTX 4060 become the primary constraints. The CPU’s strong multi-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 46438, ensures it is rarely the bottleneck, but the GPU’s mid-range positioning caps overall frame rates. This analysis breaks down the measured results to identify the best settings for smooth gameplay and where the hardware’s limits are most apparent.

Settings Recommendations

For this specific CPU-GPU combination, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, delivering an average of 64 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play, and the jump from Low to Medium is substantial, with only a 19.4% performance cost (79.4 FPS down to 64 FPS). The data indicates that while Low settings push frame rates to 79.4 FPS at 1440p, the visual compromise is not worth the extra 24% headroom for most users, as Medium retains a more detailed image while still maintaining a fluid experience.

At 1080p, the High preset is the clear recommendation, producing an average of 69.7 FPS. This is a better choice than Medium (84 FPS) because the 20% performance gain from High to Medium does not justify the significant reduction in texture quality and draw distance that the High preset provides. While Ultra at 1080p is playable at 49.2 FPS, it dips below the 60 FPS ideal and the data shows it is not a stable experience. For 4K, no preset provides a consistently smooth experience; the best option is Low at 55.7 FPS, but even this is borderline, and users should consider lowering the resolution or accepting stutter in demanding scenes.

The pattern across all resolutions is clear: the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor, and the performance drop from Medium to Ultra is steep. At 1440p, the jump from Medium (64 FPS) to High (49 FPS) is a 23.4% reduction, while the jump to Ultra (39.2 FPS) is a 38.8% reduction from Medium. This suggests that the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is being saturated at higher settings, causing a disproportionate frame rate penalty. The 1080p data supports this, as the gap between Medium (84 FPS) and High (69.7 FPS) is 17%, but the gap between High and Ultra (49.2 FPS) is 29.4%, indicating a non-linear scaling that points to memory bandwidth constraints.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Ryzen 9 9900X and RTX 4060 ranks 963rd out of 1687 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower half of the database. This ranking is surprising given the CPU’s high performance, but it underscores the GPU-bound nature of Red Dead Redemption 2. The RTX 4060’s average benchmark score of 23181 places it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, which is respectable, but the game’s heavy reliance on VRAM and memory bandwidth exposes the card’s weaknesses.

The CPU’s benchmark data shows it is a powerhouse, with an average score of 54450, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, scores 54681, a negligible 0.4% difference, and the Intel Core i7-14700F trails by 0.7% with a score of 54097. This indicates that the 9900X is not the limiting factor in this pairing. However, the combo’s low rank suggests that a weaker CPU paired with a stronger GPU would likely achieve a higher ranking in this specific game. The data implies that the RTX 4060 is holding back the system’s potential, and the combo rank reflects the GPU’s mid-range standing rather than the CPU’s high-end capabilities.

GPU Role

The RTX 4060 is the decisive component in this configuration, and its specifications explain the measured FPS results. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. This is a modest amount of memory bandwidth for a modern title like Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for its detailed textures and open-world streaming. The benchmark data suggests that at higher settings, the GPU’s memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck, causing frame rates to plummet as the card struggles to feed the render pipeline.

The GPU’s clock speeds are respectable, with a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz. These clocks allow the AD107 chip to deliver 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming. However, the FPS data shows that the card’s raw compute power is not the issue; rather, it is the memory configuration. At 1440p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 39.2, a 50.6% reduction from the Medium preset, which is a clear sign that the 8 GB VRAM is being exhausted, forcing the card to use slower system memory or drop textures.

The GPU’s percentile rank of 66% among all GPUs confirms its mid-range positioning. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc B580, scores 23021, a 0.7% difference, and the AMD Radeon 760M scores 22999, a 0.8% difference. This tight grouping indicates that the RTX 4060 is at the edge of its performance class, and the game’s results reflect that. For this title, the GPU’s role is to provide a stable 60 FPS experience at Medium-to-High settings at 1440p, and the data shows it can do that, but only with careful settings management.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 4060 delivers its best performance. The Low preset averages 108.4 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. Medium drops to 84 FPS, a 22.5% reduction, and High averages 69.7 FPS, a further 17% drop. Ultra is the outlier, averaging 49.2 FPS, which is a 29.4% reduction from High. This scaling shows that 1080p is the most forgiving resolution for this GPU, and the data suggests that High is the sweet spot for visual quality without sacrificing playability.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are more pronounced. Low averages 79.4 FPS, which is still smooth, but Medium falls to 64 FPS, a 19.4% reduction. High averages 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and Ultra plummets to 39.2 FPS, a 38.8% reduction from Medium. The 1440p data clearly shows the GPU’s VRAM limitations, as the step from Medium to High causes a 23.4% drop, which is steeper than the corresponding step at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060 is overwhelmed. Low averages 55.7 FPS, which is borderline playable, but Medium drops to 42.7 FPS, and High falls to 31.3 FPS. Ultra is not viable, averaging just 24.7 FPS. The 4K data shows a linear degradation, but the absolute numbers are too low for a comfortable experience. The data indicates that 4K is only feasible at Low settings, and even then, it is not ideal. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is 23.3%, which is similar to the 1440p gap, but the starting point is much lower, making any reduction in settings critical.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, and it reveals the limiting component. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 69.7 FPS at 1080p to 49 FPS at 1440p, a 29.7% reduction, and then to 31.3 FPS at 4K, a 55.1% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is not linear, and the steep drop at 4K is a classic sign of memory bandwidth saturation. The RTX 4060’s 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is simply insufficient for the pixel count at 4K, forcing the GPU to process larger textures and more geometry with the same memory throughput.

At Low settings, the scaling is more even: 108.4 FPS at 1080p, 79.4 FPS at 1440p (a 26.8% drop), and 55.7 FPS at 4K (a 29.8% drop from 1440p). This more gradual decline indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is less constrained by memory bandwidth and more by raw compute power. The data suggests that the RTX 4060 can handle 4K at Low settings, but the experience is marginal, and the framerate is close to the 60 FPS threshold only in less demanding scenes.

The resolution scaling analysis points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, has more than enough processing power to handle the game’s physics and AI at any resolution. The CPU’s 3DMark max-thread score of 13929 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 46438 indicate it can feed frames to the GPU without issue. The data shows that the FPS drops are entirely attributable to the GPU’s inability to keep up with increasing resolution, confirming that users should prioritize GPU upgrades or lower resolutions for better performance.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p at High settings provides an average of 69.7 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and smoothness. At 1440p, Medium settings average 64 FPS, which is also playable, but 1080p High is more consistent.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which averages 55.7 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 42.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for a smooth experience. Ultra settings are not viable, averaging just 24.7 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The RTX 4060’s 8 GB VRAM and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints, as shown by the steep FPS drops between settings. The Ryzen 9 9900X is in the 94th percentile of CPUs, indicating it is not the bottleneck.

Q: How does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 963rd out of 1687 tested combos in this game. This places it in the lower half, reflecting the GPU’s mid-range performance rather than the CPU’s high-end capabilities.

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 108.4 FPS, while Ultra averages 49.2 FPS. This is a 54.6% reduction in performance, showing the significant cost of using the highest settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4060’s performance comparable to its rivals?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, placing it in the 66th percentile. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc B580, scores 23021, a 0.7% difference, and the AMD Radeon 760M scores 22999, a 0.8% difference, indicating they are all in the same performance tier.