Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2 with Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

Red Dead Redemption 2 remains a demanding title, and this pairing of a quad-core Intel Core i3-12100F with the flagship-class NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 produces a fascinating split personality. At lower resolutions, the CPU becomes the bottleneck; at 4K, the GPU takes over. The measured frames per second (FPS) data reveals a combo that can deliver smooth gameplay across most settings, but with clear trade-offs depending on where you sit on the resolution spectrum.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1080p to 4K tells a story of a system that is heavily CPU-bound at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 194 FPS, which is an extraordinarily high frame rate for this game. Dropping to 1440p at the same Low settings yields 145 FPS, a reduction of 49 FPS or roughly 25%. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Low settings brings the average down to 96 FPS, another 49 FPS drop. That near-linear step-down pattern—194→145→96—indicates that the GPU is taking on progressively more work, but the CPU is still keeping pace at 1440p. The 4K Low result of 96 FPS suggests the RTX 4080 is finally being taxed, though the i3-12100F is still managing to feed it adequately.

At High settings, the scaling is steeper. The 1080p High result is 121 FPS, which drops to 90 FPS at 1440p (a 31 FPS decrease) and then to 60 FPS at 4K (a 30 FPS decrease). This consistent ~30 FPS drop per resolution tier is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4080 is the limiting factor here, as the CPU has enough headroom to keep up with the increased pixel count. The 4K High result of exactly 60 FPS is a critical benchmark for console-equivalent performance, and it hits that target precisely.

The Ultra settings tell the most dramatic scaling story. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 87 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, that falls to 65 FPS—a 22 FPS drop. At 4K Ultra, the average plummets to 43 FPS, a 22 FPS drop again. This consistent 22 FPS reduction per resolution step suggests a purely GPU-limited workload. The RTX 4080 is being pushed to its absolute limits at 4K Ultra, and the i3-12100F is not the constraint. The fact that the FPS delta between resolutions is nearly identical (22 FPS) indicates the CPU is not introducing variable overhead; it is simply feeding the GPU as fast as it can.

What does this say about the limiting component? At 1080p and 1440p with Low and Medium settings, the CPU is almost certainly the bottleneck. The 194 FPS at 1080p Low is far beyond what the RTX 4080 would typically deliver in this game if the CPU were not holding it back. The i3-12100F's four cores and eight threads are being maxed out at these high frame rates. However, at 4K and at Ultra settings across all resolutions, the GPU is the clear limiting factor. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and its 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated, and the CPU has enough headroom to avoid becoming the primary constraint.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 260th out of 3,714 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. That places it in the top 7% of all configurations tested, which is a strong showing given the modest CPU. The comboRankInGame of 260 out of 3,714 means there are 259 other CPU-GPU pairings that deliver higher average FPS in this game. Given that the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU, the ranking is pulled down by the i3-12100F's limited core count.

To put this in perspective, the CPU's percentileVsAllCpus is 68, meaning it performs better than 68% of all CPUs in the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score is 13,494, and it sits within 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-9500 and within 0% of the Intel Core 3 N355. The i3-12100F is a solid mid-range performer, but it is not in the same league as the high-core-count CPUs that typically pair with an RTX 4080. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 86, meaning it outperforms 86% of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247.

The gap between the CPU's 68th percentile and the GPU's 86th percentile highlights the imbalance in this combo. In a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for its CPU-intensive open-world simulation, this imbalance is more pronounced than in lighter titles. The 260th rank out of 3,714 combos suggests that while this pairing is capable, there are many more balanced configurations that achieve higher frame rates. The data indicates that pairing the RTX 4080 with a higher-end CPU would likely push this combo significantly higher in the rankings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications explain why it handles the heavy lifting at higher resolutions. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory capacity is crucial for Red Dead Redemption 2, which is a texture-heavy title that can consume significant VRAM at Ultra settings. The 16 GB allocation ensures that texture streaming does not become a bottleneck, even at 4K resolution.

The GPU's clock speeds are equally impressive. The base clock is 2,205 MHz, with a boost clock of 2,505 MHz. These high clocks, combined with the 9,728 shading units and 304 texture mapping units, allow the RTX 4080 to process the game's complex lighting and shadow calculations efficiently. The 112 raster output units (ROPs) are particularly relevant for this game, as Red Dead Redemption 2 uses heavy post-processing effects that rely on pixel throughput.

The measured FPS data shows the RTX 4080's strength at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 121 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target. At 1440p High, the 90 FPS result is still excellent. The GPU only begins to show strain at 4K Ultra, where the average drops to 43 FPS. This is a demanding workload, and the 43 FPS result reflects the GPU's limitations under maximum settings at 4K. The RTX 4080's performance in this game is consistent with its average benchmark score of 54,247, which places it 0.1% ahead of the RTX 4080 SUPER and 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X.

The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it is a high-end part, but the measured results show that even this powerful GPU cannot brute-force Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K Ultra. The 43 FPS average at that setting is a clear indicator that the game's engine is extremely demanding, and the RTX 4080 is being pushed to its thermal and power limits. The GPU's 320 W TDP and the suggested 700 W PSU are consistent with the heavy load observed at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of how this combo performs across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the results are uniformly high. Low settings produce 194 FPS, Medium settings produce 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS, High settings produce 121 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 87 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of delivering well above the 60 FPS threshold even at the highest settings. The 87 FPS Ultra result is particularly notable, as it shows the combo can handle maximum settings at 1080p with headroom to spare.

At 2560x1440, the results scale predictably. Low settings yield 145 FPS, Medium settings average 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS, High settings produce 90 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 65 FPS. The Medium settings result is worth examining closely: the minimum FPS of 92 is well above the 60 FPS target, suggesting a smooth experience. The High settings result of 90 FPS is also excellent. The Ultra settings result of 65 FPS is still playable but shows the first signs of the GPU being challenged.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings produce 96 FPS, which is still excellent for 4K. Medium settings average 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. High settings produce exactly 60 FPS, which is the minimum target for most gamers. Ultra settings drop to 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may be noticeable to players. The Medium settings result at 4K is particularly interesting: the minimum FPS of 61 is just above the 60 FPS target, indicating that this is the sweet spot for 4K gaming.

The data also reveals a pattern in the Medium settings results across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS is 123 and the maximum is 167, giving a range of 44 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 33 FPS (92 to 125). At 4K Medium, the range is 21 FPS (61 to 82). This tightening range as resolution increases suggests that frame time variance is reduced at higher resolutions, which is a sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU is producing more consistent frame pacing at 4K because it has more time to prepare each frame.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a quad-core processor with eight threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. The CPU features 12 MB of shared L3 cache, with 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This is a modest configuration compared to the high-core-count CPUs typically paired with an RTX 4080, and the measured FPS data reflects this limitation.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's four cores and eight threads are put under significant stress. The game's open-world engine needs to simulate NPCs, physics, and AI, which is a heavily multi-threaded workload. The i3-12100F's benchmark scores show it is capable: its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 11,860, and its single-core score is 1,674. Its Geekbench multicore score is 7,252, and single-core is 1,932. These scores indicate a processor that is strong for its class, but it is still a quad-core part in a game that can utilize more cores.

The impact of the CPU is most evident at low resolutions and low settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 194 FPS, which is likely CPU-limited. The RTX 4080 could theoretically push higher frame rates, but the i3-12100F cannot keep up. The 194 FPS result confirms the CPU's strong single-thread performance, which is critical for this game's engine. The boost clock of 4.30 GHz helps in this regard, and the 3DMark single-thread score of 893 confirms the CPU's ability to handle lightly-threaded tasks.

However, at 4K Ultra, the CPU's limitations are less pronounced. The 43 FPS result at that setting is primarily GPU-bound, as the RTX 4080 is the limiting factor. The CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at this lower frame rate. The data suggests that the i3-12100F is a capable partner for the RTX 4080 at 4K and at high settings, but it holds the GPU back at lower resolutions where frame rates exceed 100 FPS.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its performance. The Intel Core 3 N355 has an average score of 13,492, which is a 0% delta from the i3-12100F. The Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3% behind, and the Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7% ahead. These close scores indicate that the i3-12100F is a competitive mid-range CPU, but it is not in the same tier as the high-end processors that would allow the RTX 4080 to reach its full potential in this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience for this combo. The goal is to maintain a minimum FPS of at least 60, with an average comfortably above that threshold. Looking at the data, the Medium settings preset emerges as the sweet spot across all resolutions.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 145 FPS average with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS. This is an exceptional experience, with no risk of dropping below the 60 FPS target. The High preset at 1080p delivers 121 FPS, which is also excellent, but the Medium preset offers a 24 FPS advantage while likely providing visually similar quality given the game's art style. The Ultra preset at 87 FPS is still smooth, but the Medium preset provides a significant margin of safety.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the best choice. It delivers 108 FPS average with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 125 FPS. The High preset at 90 FPS is also good, and the Ultra preset at 65 FPS is playable but with less headroom. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 92 is well above the 60 FPS target, ensuring a smooth experience even in the most demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the only setting that consistently stays above 60 FPS. It delivers 72 FPS average with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. The minimum FPS of 61 is just above the 60 FPS threshold, which is tight but acceptable. The High preset at 4K delivers exactly 60 FPS average, but without a minimum FPS data point, it is risky to recommend. The Low preset at 96 FPS is also viable, but the Medium preset offers a better visual quality-to-performance ratio. The Ultra preset at 43 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it falls well below the 60 FPS target.

For players with a 60 Hz display, the 4K Medium preset is the clear recommendation. The 72 FPS average with a 61 FPS minimum means the game will never drop below the refresh rate, providing a effortless experience. For players with a 144 Hz display at 1080p or 1440p, the Medium preset at those resolutions (145 FPS and 108 FPS respectively) will make full use of the high refresh rate. The data consistently shows that Medium settings provide the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for this CPU-GPU combo, with the i3-12100F able to feed the RTX 4080 effectively at this preset level.