Red Dead Redemption 2

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a highly capable experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with frame rates that scale predictably across resolutions and settings. This analysis breaks down the measured performance data, focusing on where the bottleneck lies and how this pairing compares to other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the increasing load on the GPU as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 121 FPS at 1920x1080 to 90 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 31 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 60 FPS, which is exactly half the 1080p figure. This pattern—a 25.6% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 33.3% drop from 1440p to 4K—indicates that the RTX 4080 is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the CPU has ample headroom.

The scaling at Low settings is even more pronounced. The average FPS at 1080p is 194, which falls to 145 at 1440p (a 25.3% decrease) and then to 96 at 4K (a 33.8% decrease from 1440p). This steeper decline at lower settings suggests that the GPU is still the dominant constraint, but the absolute frame rates are high enough that the CPU’s role becomes more visible at 1080p. The gap between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution is also telling: at 1080p, the spread is 107 FPS (194 vs 87), while at 4K it narrows to 53 FPS (96 vs 43). This compression at 4K confirms that the GPU is saturated, and increasing settings has a smaller relative impact on performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2, this pairing of the Ryzen 9 9900X3D and RTX 4080 ranks 260th out of 3714 combos. This places it in the top 7% of all tested systems, a strong showing that underscores the hardware’s capability. The rank reflects the overall measured FPS across the tested settings and resolutions, and the data indicates that this combo outperforms the vast majority of alternatives.

The percentile positioning for the individual components supports this. The CPU sits in the 91st percentile against all tested CPUs, while the GPU is in the 86th percentile against all tested GPUs. The combo’s rank of 260 suggests that the pairing is well-balanced, with neither component dragging down the overall result. The nearest rival comparisons for the CPU show a tight grouping: the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF is 0.6% behind in average benchmark score, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K is 1.3% ahead. For the GPU, the RTX 4080 SUPER is a near-exact match at 0.1% ahead, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 1.1%. These small deltas indicate that the performance envelope is well-defined, and the in-game rank reflects a system that is competitive with the best available.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a substantial contributor to the measured frame rates. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for Red Dead Redemption 2’s large open-world textures. The GPU’s boost clock of 2505 MHz, running on the Ada Lovelace architecture, delivers strong raw compute performance. The measured FPS data shows that the card handles 4K High settings at exactly 60 FPS average, which is a common target for smooth gameplay.

The GPU’s memory size is a critical factor at 4K. With 16 GB of VRAM, the card does not appear to be constrained by memory capacity in this game, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes. The bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s ensures that texture streaming and rendering are not bottlenecked by memory speed. The RTX 4080’s benchmark scores are also relevant: it achieves a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a Geekbench Vulkan score of 263779, both of which are strong indicators of its ability to handle demanding titles. The GPU’s 9728 shading units and 304 TMUs provide the pixel and texture throughput needed for the game’s detailed environments.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across four settings presets and three resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 194 at Low to 87 at Ultra. The Medium preset delivers 145 FPS average, with a minimum of 123 and a maximum of 167. High settings produce a 121 FPS average. This shows that at 1080p, even Ultra settings remain playable, but the jump from Medium to High is 24 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 34 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 145 (Low), 108 (Medium), 90 (High), and 65 (Ultra). The Medium preset again shows a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing. The gap between Low and Ultra is 80 FPS, which is slightly smaller than the 107 FPS gap at 1080p. This trend continues at 3840x2160, where the averages are 96 (Low), 72 (Medium), 60 (High), and 43 (Ultra). The Medium preset at 4K has a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. The data shows that High settings at 4K hit the 60 FPS target exactly, while Ultra falls below it, and Medium exceeds it by 12 FPS.

The scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution is consistent: the FPS drops by approximately 55% at 1080p, 55% at 1440p, and 55% at 4K. This uniformity suggests that the settings presets have a similar relative impact on GPU load across resolutions. The minimum FPS data, available only for the Medium preset, shows that frame dips are controlled, with the 4K minimum at 61 FPS being close to the 60 FPS average.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 121 at 1920x1080 with High settings.

Q: How does the combo rank in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: This CPU and GPU combination ranks 260th out of 3714 tested combos in the game.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS is 92 at 2560x1440 with Medium settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K?

A: The measured data shows consistent FPS at 4K, with no evidence of memory-related stutters, indicating 16 GB is adequate for this game.

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

A: The average FPS drops from 96 at Low to 43 at Ultra, a difference of 53 FPS.

Q: Which resolution and settings combo hits exactly 60 FPS average?

A: The 3840x2160 resolution with High settings achieves a 60 FPS average.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a high-end desktop processor with 12 cores and 24 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture. Its base clock of 4.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for games like Red Dead Redemption 2 that rely on a few primary threads. The 128 MB of L3 cache is a notable feature, as it can improve game performance by reducing memory latency. In this pairing, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with enough data to keep it busy, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

The benchmark results for the CPU show a strong multi-threaded capability: it scores 47737 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 22884 in Geekbench multi-core. Single-threaded scores are also high, with 6739 in Cinebench R23 and 3041 in Geekbench. The CPU’s percentile rank of 91 against all tested CPUs indicates it is in the top tier for gaming workloads. However, the measured FPS data in Red Dead Redemption 2 suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor in most scenarios. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 194, which is far above the 60 FPS target, and the drop to 1440p and 4K is primarily due to GPU load. The CPU’s 24 threads ensure that background tasks and game logic do not interfere with frame delivery, allowing the GPU to operate at its full potential.

The CPU’s 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth and DDR5 support also contribute to overall system responsiveness. The 4 nm process node and 16,630 million transistors indicate a modern, power-efficient design, though the TDP of 120 W is modest for a 12-core part. The data shows that the CPU’s performance is more than adequate for this game, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck at higher resolutions. This is a well-balanced pairing where the CPU provides enough headroom to avoid limiting the GPU, even at 1080p where CPU load is typically highest.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K gaming, High settings provide exactly 60 FPS average, which is the standard for smooth gameplay. This is the recommended preset for 3840x2160, as it balances visual quality with a playable frame rate. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 43 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable stutter. Medium at 4K offers 72 FPS average, which is smoother but at a lower visual quality than High.

For 1440p, the High preset delivers 90 FPS average, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 108 FPS average is also a viable option for those prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 65 FPS average is playable but close to the 60 FPS line, so High is the safer choice for consistent performance. At 1080p, all settings are playable, with the Low preset hitting 194 FPS average for esports-level responsiveness. The High preset at 121 FPS is a good balance, while Ultra at 87 FPS still provides a smooth experience.

The data suggests that the High preset is the sweet spot for this game with this hardware. It offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining frame rates that are above 60 FPS at all resolutions except the exact 60 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset provides higher FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS at 4K, which is also a solid choice. For users with high-refresh-rate 1080p or 1440p monitors, the Low or Medium presets can unlock higher frame rates, but the visual compromise is substantial. The recommendation is to use High settings for the best balance of image quality and performance across all resolutions.