Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2 with AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060

The benchmark data for Red Dead Redemption 2 with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet shows surprising headroom at 1080p. The measured frame rates across four settings presets and three resolutions provide a clear picture of where this combination excels and where it struggles. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is a top-tier CPU, ranking in the 92nd percentile against all processors, while the RTX 5060 sits in the 72nd percentile among GPUs. This disparity in relative performance is the central theme of the analysis that follows.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly demonstrates that the RTX 5060 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination produces 117 FPS, but this drops to 87 FPS at 1440p and further to 58 FPS at 4K. This represents a 50% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which is a substantial scaling penalty that points directly at GPU limits rather than CPU constraints.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at higher quality presets. With High settings, the system delivers 73 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K alone is 34.5%, indicating that the GPU is struggling to fill the additional pixels at higher resolutions. At Ultra settings, the situation is more severe: 53 FPS at 1080p falls to 39 FPS at 1440p and bottoms out at 26 FPS in 4K. The 4K Ultra result is below playable thresholds for most users, confirming that this resolution and settings combination is not viable for smooth gameplay.

The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory, with 88 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern across all four presets is that the frame rate scales nearly linearly with pixel count, which is the hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see smaller differences between 1080p and 1440p results, as the CPU workload would remain relatively constant while the GPU workload increases. Instead, the data shows that every resolution increase produces a predictable frame rate penalty, reinforcing the conclusion that the RTX 5060's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are the constraining factors.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (117 FPS) and Ultra (53 FPS) is 64 FPS. At 4K, this gap narrows to 32 FPS (58 FPS vs 26 FPS). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so overwhelmed that even reducing settings provides diminishing returns, as the raw pixel throughput becomes the dominant hurdle rather than the specific graphical features controlled by each preset.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, codenamed Granite Ridge. It operates with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, which are strong frequencies for a desktop processor. The CPU's benchmark scores reflect its high-end positioning: it achieves 32,172 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,253 points in single-core, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 54,643 and a single-thread score of 4,672. These numbers place it in the 92nd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 57,498.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role appears to be largely secondary given the GPU-bound nature of the frame rates. However, the 12-core configuration ensures that even if the game were to spawn numerous background threads, the system would have ample resources. The nearest rivals in CPU benchmark scores include the AMD EPYC 9015 (with a deltaPct of -0.1%), the AMD EPYC 7313 (+0.2%), the Intel Core i9-14900 (-1.1%), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (-1.4%). These deltas are all within 1.5% of the Ryzen 9 9900X's average score, indicating that this CPU performs essentially on par with other high-end server and desktop parts in synthetic workloads.

For this specific game, the CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by the 2,253-point Cinebench R23 single-core result and the 1,286-point 3DMark single-thread score, is more relevant than its multi-core muscle. Red Dead Redemption 2 is known to have a significant single-thread dependency in its game logic, and the Ryzen 9 9900X's 5.60 GHz boost clock should handle these tasks without issue. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 117 FPS, which is well above what most displays can show, suggesting the CPU is not preventing the GPU from reaching high frame rates at lower resolutions.

The CPU's 64 MB of L3 cache and 89.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth provide a solid foundation for feeding the GPU with data. The DDR5 memory support and dual-channel configuration are modern standards, and the 4 nm process node from TSMC ensures efficient power delivery, though the 120 W TDP is notable for a desktop part. None of these specifications appear to bottleneck the measured frame rates, as the scaling behavior across resolutions is consistent with a purely GPU-limited scenario.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using the GB206 chip on a 5 nm process. It features 3,840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, along with 30 ray tracing cores and 120 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2280 MHz and a boost clock of 2497 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective) across an 8 GB GDDR7 frame buffer on a 128-bit bus. This configuration yields a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s, which is a key specification for understanding the GPU's performance profile.

The RTX 5060's benchmark results show a PassMark G3D score of 20,891 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,628. Its average benchmark score is 26,331, placing it in the 72nd percentile against all GPUs. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 860M (deltaPct -0.3%), the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (-0.3%), the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary (-0.8%), and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (+1.2%). These deltas indicate that the RTX 5060 performs within a narrow band of these competing GPUs, none of which are particularly high-end in the current landscape.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's 8 GB of VRAM is likely the primary constraint at higher settings and resolutions. The game is known for its detailed textures and large open world, which can consume significant video memory. The 128-bit memory bus, while paired with fast GDDR7 memory, limits the total bandwidth available, which could explain why the frame rates drop so steeply at 4K. At 4K Ultra, the system only manages 26 FPS, which is below playable standards, and even 4K High yields just 36 FPS. These results suggest that the RTX 5060 is not designed for 4K gaming in demanding titles, and the data confirms this expectation.

The GPU's FP32 compute performance of 19.18 TFLOPS is respectable for its class, but it does not translate into high frame rates at 4K in this game. The pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s are moderate figures that align with a mid-range GPU positioning. The 145 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate an efficient design, but efficiency does not overcome the fundamental limits of the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus when rendering at high resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combination can achieve in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 117 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best result is 88 FPS at 1080p with Medium settings.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is marginal. At 4K Low, the system averages 58 FPS, which is playable, but at 4K High the average drops to 36 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 26 FPS. The 4K Medium result of 43 FPS is the only mid-range preset that approaches playability.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57,498. It is 0.1% behind the AMD EPYC 9015, 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313, 1.1% behind the Intel Core i9-14900, and 1.4% behind the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M. These differences are all within 1.5%, indicating near-parity performance.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at High settings?

A: At High settings, the system delivers 73 FPS at 1080p and 55 FPS at 1440p, a difference of 18 FPS or 24.7% lower performance at the higher resolution.

Q: Does the RTX 5060 perform similarly to any other GPU in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26,331. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which is 1.2% faster, while the AMD Radeon 860M and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 are both 0.3% slower.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 26 FPS, recorded at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. This is the only preset and resolution combination that drops below 30 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination ranks 1,673 out of 3,714 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the system in the 55th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly 45% of combinations perform better in this game. Given that the CPU ranks in the 92nd percentile and the GPU in the 72nd percentile, the combo's overall ranking is dragged down by the GPU's relative weakness.

The ranking suggests that while the CPU is a top-tier component, the RTX 5060 holds back the system in this particular game. The 55th percentile ranking places this combo in the middle of the pack, which aligns with the GPU's mid-range positioning. The data indicates that pairing the Ryzen 9 9900X with a stronger GPU would likely yield a much higher ranking, as the CPU has demonstrated it can support higher frame rates in other workloads. However, for this specific combination, the measured frame rates reflect a system that is balanced toward 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K.

The combo rank of 1,673 out of 3,714 means that 2,041 other combinations achieve better performance in Red Dead Redemption 2. This is a significant number, but it is important to note that many of those combinations likely feature more powerful GPUs at a higher cost. The RTX 5060's 72nd percentile GPU ranking means that 28% of GPUs are slower, and the system's overall ranking reflects the importance of GPU selection for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system achieves the following average frame rates: 117 FPS at Low settings, 88 FPS at Medium settings, 73 FPS at High settings, and 53 FPS at Ultra settings. The Medium preset also reports a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, indicating some variability but generally smooth performance.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop to 87 FPS at Low, 65 FPS at Medium, 55 FPS at High, and 39 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution shows a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 75 FPS, which represents a 19 FPS spread between the lowest and highest recorded frames. This variability suggests that certain scenes or actions in the game impose higher loads on the GPU, but the overall experience remains playable at Medium settings.

At 3840x2160, the system averages 58 FPS at Low, 43 FPS at Medium, 36 FPS at High, and 26 FPS at Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K reports a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS, which is a 13 FPS range. The 4K results show a clear pattern of diminishing returns as settings increase, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 32 FPS. This is the smallest absolute difference across all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is saturated at 4K regardless of the preset chosen.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 73 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, as it likely provides significant graphical improvements over the Medium preset at 88 FPS while maintaining a frame rate well above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 53 FPS may be acceptable for players who prioritize image quality over smoothness, but it falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider ideal.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 65 FPS is the recommended choice, as it is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The High preset at 55 FPS is still playable but may show occasional dips below 60 FPS, while the Low preset at 87 FPS sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a marginal performance gain over Medium. The Ultra preset at 39 FPS is not recommended for this resolution, as the frame rate drops to a level that may feel sluggish in action sequences.

For 4K gaming, the data suggests that only the Low preset at 58 FPS is worth considering, and even this result is close to the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 43 FPS and High preset at 36 FPS are both below ideal playability thresholds, and the Ultra preset at 26 FPS is not viable for most players. Those who wish to play at 4K should either accept Low settings or consider a more powerful GPU, as the RTX 5060's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit bus limit its ability to handle this game at higher quality levels in 4K. The measured data does not include any upscaling technologies, so enabling such features could improve 4K performance, but that is outside the scope of these results.