Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 delivers a playable, though not flawless, 1080p experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with performance degrading sharply as resolution climbs. The data reveals a configuration that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, yet shows signs of CPU influence at the lowest settings, making the choice of graphical preset a critical determinant of playability. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates to understand the scaling behavior, ranking, and optimal settings for this specific hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance drop as resolution increases, indicating that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 83.5 FPS. Moving to 1440p reduces that figure to 66.1 FPS, a decrease of 20.8%. At 4K, the average falls to 45.2 FPS, which is 45.9% lower than the 1080p Low result. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets, confirming that the GPU’s rendering load scales almost linearly with pixel count.

The scaling behavior becomes more telling when examining the High preset. At 1080p High, the system produces 52.6 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 39.1 FPS (a 25.7% reduction), and at 4K High, it plummets to 27.1 FPS (a 48.5% reduction from 1080p). The diminishing returns at higher resolutions suggest that the RTX 2060’s 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are saturated, particularly at 4K where the average FPS falls below the 30 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay on all presets except Low.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Medium settings narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low (83.5 FPS) and Medium (64.1 FPS) is 19.4 FPS. At 4K, that gap shrinks to 16.9 FPS (45.2 vs. 28.3). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so overburdened that the additional shading and texture work of Medium settings has a proportionally smaller impact than at 1080p, where the CPU and GPU have more headroom to process additional effects.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the benchmark database of tested combinations, this specific hardware pairing ranks 1359 out of 1687 combos for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the lower 20th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is not an entry-level configuration, it significantly trails higher-end pairings. The rank reflects the combined capabilities of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the RTX 2060, with the GPU’s mid-range standing (58th percentile vs. all GPUs) being the limiting factor.

The CPU component of this combo performs relatively better in isolation. The Intel Core i5-10400F scores in the 73rd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14168. This places it just ahead of the AMD EPYC 7552 (deltaPct of 0.4%) and slightly behind the Intel Core i5-8500 (deltaPct of -1.1%). The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads provide a solid foundation, but the overall combo rank reveals that the RTX 2060 (58th percentile GPU, average score of 16074) cannot fully leverage the CPU’s potential in this demanding title.

The ranking data also shows that the GPU’s nearest rivals are all AMD Radeon products, with the RTX 2060’s average score of 16074 sitting between the Radeon RX 7600S (15996, deltaPct 0.5%) and the Radeon Pro 5600M (16351, deltaPct -1.7%). This suggests that the RTX 2060 is a well-positioned mid-range card, but the combination’s overall rank of 1359/1687 indicates that for a game as demanding as Red Dead Redemption 2, users should expect to make significant compromises in visual fidelity to achieve acceptable frame rates.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance for this combo is the Medium preset at 1080p. This configuration delivers an average of 64.1 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The step up to High at 1080p yields only 52.6 FPS, a drop of 17.9% that may be noticeable in fast-paced action sequences. Conversely, dropping to Low at 1080p provides 83.5 FPS, but the reduction in draw distance and texture quality likely undermines the game’s atmospheric presentation.

For users with a 1440p display, the Low preset is the only viable option for maintaining frame rates near 60 FPS, offering 66.1 FPS on average. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 49.8 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a game that benefits from smooth camera movement. At 4K, the situation is more constrained: the Low preset delivers 45.2 FPS, while Medium drops to 28.3 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it only achieves 39.6 FPS at 1080p and falls to 18.7 FPS at 4K, rendering the game effectively unplayable.

The data suggests that the High preset at 1080p (52.6 FPS) is a reasonable middle ground for users who prioritize visual fidelity over raw frame rate, but it carries a 11.5 FPS penalty compared to Medium. The measured values indicate that the Medium preset is the "sweet spot" for this hardware, as it provides a significant improvement over Low in visual terms without the steep performance cost of High or Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the average FPS for each resolution and settings combination, as measured with the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 45.2 FPS
• Medium: 28.3 FPS
• High: 27.1 FPS
• Ultra: 18.7 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 66.1 FPS
• Medium: 49.8 FPS
• High: 39.1 FPS
• Ultra: 29.2 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 83.5 FPS
• Medium: 64.1 FPS
• High: 52.6 FPS
• Ultra: 39.6 FPS

At 1080p, the spread between Low and Ultra is 43.9 FPS, demonstrating the wide performance range available from the settings menu. The jump from Ultra to High at 1080p yields a 13.0 FPS improvement, while the jump from High to Medium adds another 11.5 FPS, and from Medium to Low adds 19.4 FPS. This indicates that the performance gains are not linear across presets, with the largest single-step improvement occurring when moving from Medium to Low.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds but with compressed values. The difference between Low and Ultra is 36.9 FPS, and the Medium to Low step provides 16.3 FPS of additional performance. The 4K resolution shows the most dramatic compression, with only a 26.5 FPS difference between Low and Ultra, underscoring the GPU’s inability to maintain high frame rates at this pixel density regardless of settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Only at Low settings, which produces an average of 45.2 FPS. Medium settings at 4K drop to 28.3 FPS, which is below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered minimally playable, while High and Ultra fall to 27.1 FPS and 18.7 FPS, respectively.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 1080p display?

A: The Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 64.1 FPS on average. High settings at 1080p yield 52.6 FPS, and while Low provides 83.5 FPS, the visual trade-off is significant for only a 19.4 FPS gain over Medium.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 1359 out of 1687 total combinations for this game, placing it in the lower 20% of all tested hardware pairings. The GPU’s 58th percentile standing among all GPUs is the primary constraint.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The RTX 2060’s average benchmark score of 16074 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, while the i5-10400F sits in the 73rd percentile of CPUs with an average score of 14168. The sharp FPS drops with increasing resolution confirm the GPU’s limitation.

Q: What is the difference in performance between 1080p and 4K at the same settings?

A: At Low settings, performance drops from 83.5 FPS at 1080p to 45.2 FPS at 4K, a 45.9% reduction. At High settings, the drop is from 52.6 FPS to 27.1 FPS, a 48.5% reduction, showing that higher settings exacerbate the resolution penalty.

Q: Is the Ultra preset usable at any resolution?

A: The Ultra preset is only marginally playable at 1080p with 39.6 FPS. At 1440p it drops to 29.2 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 18.7 FPS, making it unsuitable for consistent gameplay at resolutions above 1080p.