Red Dead Redemption 2

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate for this combo at 1920x1080 with Low settings?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 achieves an average of 46.1 FPS at 1920x1080 on Low settings, which is the highest measured frame rate across all tested resolutions and presets for this combination.

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

A: The Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, placing it 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX (score 13534) and 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-1250U (score 13462). It also leads the Intel Core i3-10105 by 0.6% and the Intel Core i7-7700K by 1.8%.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and bandwidth?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. Its memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 7 Gbps effective.

Q: Which resolution yields the highest average FPS for this combo?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the best performance across all settings. At Low settings it reaches 46.1 FPS, at Medium 33.5 FPS, at High 29.1 FPS, and at Ultra 20.1 FPS. No other resolution comes close to these figures.

Q: How does the GPU's average benchmark score compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060?

A: The RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 30158, which is 0.2% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060's score of 30109. The RX 570 also edges out the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT by 0.2% and the NVIDIA Tesla M60 by 0.6%.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations for this game?

A: This combination ranks 1645 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom percentile of configurations for this title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is the dominant performance bottleneck in this combination, as evidenced by the measurable frame rates across all tested configurations. The GPU operates with a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz, built on the Polaris 20 chip using the GCN 4.0 architecture on a 14 nm process. It contains 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units, producing a pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s.

The 4 GB GDDR5 memory pool, while modest by modern standards, is paired with a 256-bit bus to achieve 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This configuration is the reason the GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 74th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30158. Notably, the data shows the RX 570's average score sits 0.2% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 (score 30109), 0.2% above the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (score 30097), 0.6% above the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (score 29969), and 0.8% above the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Mobile (score 29928). These deltas are tiny, indicating that this older Polaris card still holds its own in synthetic benchmarks against much newer hardware.

In actual game performance, the GPU's limitations become clear. At 3840x2160, the RX 570 produces an average of 13.4 FPS on High, 13.7 FPS on Medium, and 19.6 FPS on Low. Even at 2560x1440, the card only manages 19.4 FPS on High and 32.9 FPS on Low. The 1080p results are more playable but still constrained: 29.1 FPS on High, 33.5 FPS on Medium, and 46.1 FPS on Low. The pattern across resolutions shows that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the demands of Red Dead Redemption 2 at higher resolutions, with the 4K Ultra preset collapsing to just 9 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F provides the processing foundation for this combo, bringing 4 cores and 8 threads from the Alder Lake-S architecture. It runs at a base clock of 3.30 GHz with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, and its 12 MB of shared L3 cache helps feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The CPU's benchmark results show a strong single-threaded presence, with a 3dmark single-thread score of 893 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681, while multi-threaded performance reaches 11912 in Cinebench R23 and 4051 in 3dmark with 16 threads.

The CPU sits at the 72nd percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 13516. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, scores 13534, placing the i3-12100F just 0.1% behind. The Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13462 (0.4% behind), the Intel Core i3-10105 scores 13430 (0.6% behind), and the Intel Core i7-7700K scores 13280 (1.8% behind). These comparisons demonstrate that the i3-12100F's aggregate performance is competitive with much more expensive and higher-core-count processors, at least in average benchmark terms.

However, the CPU's 4-core/8-thread configuration means it relies heavily on its strong single-thread performance to maintain frame pacing. In Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known to scale across multiple threads, the i3-12100F's 8 threads are sufficient to avoid being the primary bottleneck at most settings. The data supports this: at 1920x1080, the frame rate drops from 46.1 FPS on Low to 33.5 FPS on Medium and 29.1 FPS on High, indicating that the GPU is handling the increased graphical load. The CPU's passmark physics score of 985 and floating point math score of 31977 show it can process the game's simulation and physics systems without dragging down the average FPS further.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of playable configurations for this combo. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 46.1 FPS, which is the only setting combination that approaches smooth, consistent gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 33.5 FPS, while High yields 29.1 FPS and Ultra falls to 20.1 FPS. Based on these numbers, the Low preset at 1080p is the recommended starting point for achieving the best balance of visual fidelity and performance.

For users willing to accept lower frame rates, the 2560x1440 Low preset provides an average of 32.9 FPS, which is nearly identical to the 1080p Medium result. This suggests that resolution scaling has less impact than preset changes for this GPU. The 2560x1440 Medium setting produces 25.6 FPS, while High drops to 19.4 FPS and Ultra to 13.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, all settings produce sub-20 FPS averages: Low at 19.6 FPS, Medium at 13.7 FPS, High at 13.4 FPS, and Ultra at 9 FPS.

The data indicates that the RX 570's 4 GB VRAM and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors when moving from Low to Medium presets. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 12.6 FPS (from 46.1 to 33.5), while the jump from Medium to High costs only 4.4 FPS (from 33.5 to 29.1). This non-linear scaling suggests that Medium introduces significant texture and geometry demands that the GPU struggles to meet, while High adds relatively less overhead. For the most consistent experience, the Low preset at 1920x1080 is the only configuration that maintains an average above 40 FPS, making it the clear recommendation for this hardware pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 1645 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 2.5% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the GPU's age and limited VRAM capacity rather than any deficiency in the CPU, as the i3-12100F's benchmark scores demonstrate competitive performance against much newer processors.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 72% of all CPUs suggests that the processor is not the limiting factor in this combo. In contrast, the GPU's 74th percentile ranking among all GPUs masks its poor suitability for this specific game at higher settings. The measured frame rates show that the RX 570 cannot maintain playable performance at 3840x2160 or 2560x1440 with High or Ultra presets, and even at 1080p, only the Low preset exceeds 40 FPS.

The combo's low ranking is driven entirely by the GPU's inability to handle the game's graphical demands. The CPU's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681) and respectable multi-thread performance (Cinebench R23 multicore score of 11912) ensure that it does not bottleneck the GPU at any tested setting. This is evidenced by the fact that frame rates scale consistently with resolution and preset changes, following the GPU's expected performance envelope rather than being capped by CPU limitations.

Given that this ranking places the combo at 1645 out of 1687, it is clear that most other tested configurations deliver higher average frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2. The data suggests that users with this hardware should expect a sub-optimal experience, with the best case scenario being 46.1 FPS at 1080p Low. This places the combo firmly in the category of legacy hardware struggling with a demanding modern title, and the ranking accurately reflects that reality.