Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 delivers a playable but inconsistent experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with the data showing that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. This combination ranks in the 54th percentile (1320 out of 2902 tested combos), placing it in the upper half of systems but far from elite. The most striking pattern is the scaling curve: moving from 1080p to 1440p to 4K produces predictable but steep performance drops across all settings, confirming that the RX 7700's 16 GB frame buffer and 256-bit memory interface are working hard to feed a large open world. The i5-10400F, with its six cores and twelve threads, appears sufficient to keep up at lower resolutions but may struggle to maintain minimum frame rates in CPU-heavy scenes when the GPU is less stressed.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent story about resolution scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 117 FPS, which drops to 87 FPS at 1440p and further to 57 FPS at 4K. This represents a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed even at the lowest visual quality. The pattern becomes more pronounced at higher settings. With High settings, the system produces 73 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K—a 51% drop from 1080p to 4K, mirroring the Low setting trend.

The Medium setting data provides the most complete picture, as it includes minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p Medium, the average is 87 FPS with a range of 74 to 100 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium, the average falls to 65 FPS with a range of 55 to 75 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 43 FPS with a range of 37 to 49 FPS. The consistency of the drops—roughly 25% from 1080p to 1440p and another 34% from 1440p to 4K—suggests that the RX 7700 is the bottleneck throughout, as the percentage decreases align closely with the pixel count increases.

At Ultra settings, the system struggles significantly. The 1080p Ultra average is 52 FPS, which is already below the 60 FPS threshold many players prefer. This falls to 39 FPS at 1440p and 26 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 26 FPS is barely playable and indicates that this combo cannot handle maximum settings at high resolutions. The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra shows a 50% reduction, consistent with the other settings, but the absolute values are too low for a smooth experience.

The data also reveals that the relationship between settings and resolution is additive rather than multiplicative. Going from Low to Ultra at the same resolution costs roughly 55% of the frame rate at 1080p (117 to 52), 55% at 1440p (87 to 39), and 54% at 4K (57 to 26). This consistency suggests that the GPU's rendering pipeline is being uniformly stressed across all quality levels, with no single setting causing an outsized impact. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory appears sufficient even at 4K Ultra, as the frame rate drops are proportional and not catastrophic, which would indicate memory capacity issues.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides six cores and twelve threads with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This is a Comet Lake architecture chip built on Intel's 14 nm process, and while it is not a advanced processor, the benchmark data suggests it is adequate for this game. The 3DMark scores show a single-thread score of 688 and a max-thread score of 4735, indicating that the processor scales well with additional threads. The Cinebench R23 results of 10283 multi-core and 1451 single-core further confirm that this is a balanced mid-range CPU.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role appears to shift depending on resolution. At 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 117 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU's six cores might be the limiting factor in certain scenes. The fact that the i5-10400F has a 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is above average but not exceptional. The PassMark multithread score of 12115 and single-thread score of 2541 indicate that the processor can handle modern game workloads, but the 12 MB of shared L3 cache might be a constraint in a game with large streaming assets.

The data shows that the CPU is likely not the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. When comparing the 1080p Low result of 117 FPS to the 4K Low result of 57 FPS, the GPU is clearly working harder as resolution increases. However, the CPU must still feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The i5-10400F's 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth suggest that memory bandwidth is not a limiting factor, but the 14 nm process node and Comet Lake architecture are older compared to the GPU's RDNA 3.0 design on 5 nm.

The nearest CPU rivals provide context. The Intel Xeon 6756E scores 0.2% higher, the Intel Core 7 160UL scores 0.3% lower, the AMD EPYC 7552 scores 0.5% higher, and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C scores 0.6% lower. These deltas are all within 1%, meaning the i5-10400F is squarely in a competitive cluster. The fact that a Ryzen 3 with fewer cores scores nearly identically suggests that single-thread performance is more important than core count in this game's engine. The i5-10400F's boost clock of 4.30 GHz gives it decent single-core performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1451.

The GPU's nearest rivals also inform the analysis. The RX 7700 is 1.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, 1% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 9060, and 1.1% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5500. These small margins mean that the RX 7700 is competitively positioned, and any CPU limitations would be amplified by a slower GPU. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2865 and PassMark G3D score of 20974 indicate that the GPU is capable, but the 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs shows it is not a top-tier part.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: Yes. The measured average is 73 FPS at 1080p High, which provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 87 FPS, and at Low it rises to 117 FPS, so there is headroom for most settings at this resolution.

Q: What is the best resolution for 4K gaming with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 4K is only playable at Low settings, where the average is 57 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 43 FPS, and at High it falls to 36 FPS. Ultra is not recommended, as the 26 FPS average is below playable thresholds. For a smoother experience, 1440p is the practical ceiling.

Q: Is the i5-10400F holding back the RX 7700?

A: The benchmark results suggest the CPU is adequate but not a perfect match. At 1080p Low, the 117 FPS result indicates the CPU can handle high frame rates, but the 68th percentile CPU ranking and the proximity of rivals like the Ryzen 3 7320C suggest that a faster CPU could improve minimum frame rates in CPU-intensive scenes.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to the RTX 3060 Ti in this game?

A: The RX 7700 is 1.7% slower than the RTX 3060 Ti based on average benchmark scores. In practice, this means the two cards will produce nearly identical frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2, with the RX 7700's 16 GB VRAM providing an advantage in texture-heavy scenarios.

Q: What settings provide the most consistent frame times?

A: The Medium settings at 1440p show a range of 55 to 75 FPS, which is a 20 FPS spread. At 1080p Medium, the range is 74 to 100 FPS, a 26 FPS spread. The Low settings do not have min/max data, but the higher averages suggest more consistent performance. For stability, Medium at 1080p or Low at 1440p are the best options.

Q: Is this combo better for 1080p or 1440p gaming?

A: The data strongly favors 1440p as the sweet spot. At 1440p High, the average is 54 FPS, which is close to 60. At 1440p Medium, the 65 FPS average with a 55 FPS minimum provides a good balance. While 1080p offers higher frame rates, the visual quality improvement at 1440p justifies the performance trade-off.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks 1320 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the 54th percentile, meaning it outperforms a slight majority of systems but falls short of the top tier. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, where neither component is a standout performer. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking and the GPU's 58th percentile ranking combine to produce a mid-pack result.

The ranking suggests that this combo is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming rather than 4K. The 4K results, which range from 26 FPS at Ultra to 57 FPS at Low, are below the standards of higher-ranked combos that can maintain 60 FPS at 4K. The 1320 rank out of 2902 indicates that users with this hardware should expect a competent but not exceptional experience, particularly when compared to systems with newer CPUs or higher-tier GPUs.

The delta percentages from the nearest rivals provide additional context. The RX 7700 is 1.7% slower than the RTX 3060 Ti, which is a negligible difference in real-world gaming. The i5-10400F is within 0.6% of its nearest rivals, meaning that swapping to a similar-priced CPU would not meaningfully change the ranking. The combo's position in the 54th percentile is a direct result of both components being mid-range, and the overall experience will be defined by the settings and resolution chosen rather than any single performance bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and the player's preference for frame rate versus visual quality. For 1080p, the High preset is the best choice, delivering 73 FPS average. This provides a smooth experience that exceeds the 60 FPS target while maintaining higher visual fidelity than Medium's 87 FPS. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is playable but sacrifices 29% of the frame rate for visual improvements that may be less noticeable in motion.

For 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. The 65 FPS average with a 55 FPS minimum provides a solid experience, and the 75 FPS maximum shows there is headroom in less demanding scenes. The High preset at 54 FPS is acceptable for those who prioritize visuals, but the 39 FPS Ultra result is too low for consistent playability. Players who prefer higher frame rates should use Low at 1440p, which yields 87 FPS.

At 4K, the options are severely constrained. The Low preset at 57 FPS is the only setting that approaches 60 FPS, and even this may experience dips in busy scenes. The Medium preset at 43 FPS is playable for slower-paced exploration but will struggle in combat sequences. The High preset at 36 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS are not recommended for any gameplay scenario. Players with 4K displays should either accept Low settings or consider using a lower resolution.

The Medium preset at 1440p offers the best overall balance between performance and quality. The 65 FPS average and 55 FPS minimum ensure that the game remains responsive, while the Medium settings provide a reasonable level of detail. For players with 1080p monitors, the High preset is the clear winner, as it combines a 73 FPS average with improved textures and effects compared to Medium.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2 is as follows:

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 57 FPS average
• Medium: 43 FPS average, 37 FPS minimum, 49 FPS maximum
• High: 36 FPS average
• Ultra: 26 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 87 FPS average
• Medium: 65 FPS average, 55 FPS minimum, 75 FPS maximum
• High: 54 FPS average
• Ultra: 39 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 117 FPS average
• Medium: 87 FPS average, 74 FPS minimum, 100 FPS maximum
• High: 73 FPS average
• Ultra: 52 FPS average

The data reveals that the step from Low to Medium costs approximately 26% of the frame rate at every resolution. From Medium to High, the cost is approximately 16%, and from High to Ultra, the cost is approximately 29%. This nonlinear scaling means that the Medium preset offers the best efficiency, as it provides a significant visual upgrade over Low for a moderate performance hit, while Ultra demands an outsized penalty for marginal gains.

The minimum and maximum frame rates for Medium settings show the variance players can expect. At 1080p Medium, the 74 to 100 FPS range indicates that the system maintains a high floor even in demanding scenes. At 1440p Medium, the 55 to 75 FPS range shows a tighter spread, suggesting that the GPU is more consistently loaded. The 4K Medium range of 37 to 49 FPS is the most constrained, with the 12 FPS spread indicating that the GPU is near its limits.

The absence of min/max data for Low, High, and Ultra settings means that the averages may not tell the full story. However, the consistent pattern across resolutions and settings—where each step up in quality or resolution produces a predictable percentage drop—suggests that the RX 7700 is the primary determinant of performance. The i5-10400F appears to provide sufficient throughput to avoid being a bottleneck, as the frame rates scale smoothly with GPU load rather than showing sudden drops that would indicate CPU stalls.