Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2 — Intel Core i5-10400F + Intel Arc B580

The measured frame rates for this pairing in Red Dead Redemption 2 show a GPU-bound experience at nearly every setting tier, with the Intel Arc B580 acting as the primary throughput gate. The data indicates a playable 1080p platform at Medium and High presets, but the curve degrades sharply as resolution climbs toward 4K. This combination sits at rank 1323 out of 1687 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database's overall ranking for this title. The following sections break down the behavior across resolutions, the division of labor between the CPU and GPU, and the optimal settings configuration based strictly on measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS values across the three tested resolutions reveal a classic bandwidth-and-fill-rate-limited GPU. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system delivers 54.6 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset drops the average to 43.5 FPS, a reduction of roughly 20% from the 1080p figure. At 3840x2160 High, the average falls further to 27.1 FPS, which is about 50% of the 1080p result. This scaling pattern suggests the Arc B580's 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are increasingly saturated as pixel count multiplies.

Low settings show the steepest absolute numbers: 86.7 FPS at 1080p, 67.6 FPS at 1440p, and 44.2 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K at Low is 23.4 FPS, which is larger than the 19.1 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p. This nonlinear scaling indicates that at 4K, even Low settings strain the GPU's 192-bit memory interface. Medium settings follow a similar trajectory: 68.8 FPS at 1080p, 52.0 FPS at 1440p, and 32.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result is below the generally accepted 60 FPS threshold by a wide margin, confirming that this resolution is not viable for smooth gameplay with this hardware.

Ultra settings are the least forgiving, with 39.7 FPS at 1080p, 32.4 FPS at 1440p, and 18.3 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure is less than half of the 1080p Ultra number, underscoring how the GPU's 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 80 ROPs become the limiting factor. The data implies that the i5-10400F is not the bottleneck in any resolution except possibly at 1080p Low, where the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads may begin to influence frame pacing. However, the absence of min FPS values means the CPU's worst-case behavior cannot be quantified directly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F offers 6 physical cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its L3 cache is 12 MB shared, and it connects to DDR4 memory via a dual-channel bus with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 10297 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 1453 in single-core, placing it at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, scores 14277 on average, just 0.8% higher, while the Intel Core i5-8500 sits 1.1% above with an average score of 14332.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics updates. The 12 threads are sufficient to keep the Arc B580 occupied at 1080p, where the GPU is clearly the limiting component given the 86.7 FPS Low result. The jump from 54.6 FPS at 1080p High to 43.5 FPS at 1440p High (a 20% drop) is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario; if the CPU were limiting, the FPS would remain flat across resolutions. The fact that the 4K High result (27.1 FPS) is less than half of the 1080p High result confirms that the CPU has headroom remaining at lower resolutions.

The Passmark multithread score of 12115 and single-thread score of 2541 indicate a balanced processor. For a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which typically scales across multiple cores, the 6-core/12-thread configuration is adequate. The Cinebench R15 single-core score of 146 suggests that per-thread performance is modest by modern standards, but the game's measured behavior shows no evidence of CPU starvation at the tested settings. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 4748 versus the max-thread score of 4735 shows negligible scaling beyond 16 threads, meaning the CPU is not leaving performance on the table in multithreaded workloads.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage) using a 5 nm process from TSMC, with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It features 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, paired with 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus. The memory runs at 2375 MHz with 19 Gbps effective speed, yielding 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's boost clock is 2670 MHz, and its FP32 throughput is 13.67 TFLOPS.

In this title, the GPU's performance profile is dominated by its ROP count and memory bandwidth. The 80 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s, which is modest for 4K rendering. The measured 4K High FPS of 27.1 and 4K Ultra of 18.3 align with a card that is filling pixels at a rate insufficient for high-resolution gaming. The texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s, driven by 160 TMUs, is more robust, which explains why the difference between Medium (32.6 FPS) and High (27.1 FPS) at 4K is only 5.5 FPS — texture-heavy settings do not penalize the B580 as harshly as pixel-heavy ones.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 23021. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, scores 23181, just 0.7% higher, while the AMD Radeon 760M is 0.1% lower at 22999. The Arc B580's 12 GB VRAM is ample for Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p and 1440p, where the game's texture loads fit comfortably within that capacity. At 4K, the VRAM is not the constraint — the bandwidth (456.0 GB/s) and pixel throughput are. The DirectX 12 benchmark score of 76 and the Vulkan score of 109672 (Geekbench) indicate solid API support, though the Passmark DirectX 12 score is notably low compared to DirectX 11 (128), suggesting driver overhead in certain DX12 paths.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances frame rate against visual fidelity. The best average FPS in the entire dataset is 86.7 at 1080p Low, which provides a smooth, high-refresh experience. However, the jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 17.9 FPS (86.7 to 68.8), while the jump from Medium to High costs 14.2 FPS (68.8 to 54.6). The 54.6 FPS at 1080p High is marginally below the 60 FPS target but remains playable. For users prioritizing visual quality, 1080p High is the recommended preset, as it delivers the best image fidelity while staying within a tolerable frame rate range.

At 1440p, the Medium preset delivers 52.0 FPS, which is the closest to 60 FPS among the non-Low options. The High preset drops to 43.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 32.4 FPS. For 1440p gaming, Medium is the sweet spot — it provides a smoother experience than High with a modest visual compromise. The Low preset at 1440p (67.6 FPS) is viable for competitive play, but the visual downgrade is substantial for a story-driven title like Red Dead Redemption 2.

At 4K, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The best result is Low at 44.2 FPS, followed by Medium at 32.6 FPS, High at 27.1 FPS, and Ultra at 18.3 FPS. Given these numbers, 4K is not recommended for this pairing unless the user accepts Low settings and a sub-45 FPS experience. The data suggests that 1440p Medium or 1080p High are the most balanced choices, offering the highest fidelity per frame rate cost. The Ultra preset is consistently the worst performer, with the 4K Ultra result (18.3 FPS) being nearly unplayable.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The measured data shows 1080p is the most viable, with High settings achieving 54.6 FPS and Medium reaching 68.8 FPS. At 1440p, Medium is the best balance at 52.0 FPS, while 4K results are all below 45 FPS even at Low settings.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest GPU rival in this game's context?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score is 23021, which is 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 (23181) and 0.1% above the AMD Radeon 760M (22999). In practice, the B580's 12 GB VRAM and 456.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands at 1080p and 1440p.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F a bottleneck for the Arc B580 in this title?

A: No. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent GPU-bound pattern. For example, 1080p High is 54.6 FPS while 4K High is 27.1 FPS, a drop proportional to pixel count. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, provide sufficient headroom.

Q: What is the single most important GPU spec for this game's performance?

A: The data points to pixel throughput and memory bandwidth. The Arc B580's 80 ROPs yield 213.6 GPixel/s, and the 192-bit bus delivers 456.0 GB/s. These figures explain the steep FPS declines at 4K, where the pixel rate becomes the limiting factor.

Q: Can this system run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Technically yes, but the measured average FPS is 18.3, which is below playable thresholds. The 4K Ultra result is less than half of the 1080p Ultra figure (39.7 FPS), indicating the GPU cannot sustain the load at that resolution and preset.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect this game?

A: The i5-10400F scores 1453 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 2541 in Passmark single-thread. These values are sufficient for the game's engine, as evidenced by the lack of CPU-induced FPS plateaus across resolutions. The 3DMark single-thread score of 688 confirms adequate per-core performance.