Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a demanding title, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination reveals a system that is heavily constrained by graphics processing at higher resolutions. The dataset shows a clear and consistent pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates fall steeply, indicating that the RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck in this pairing for this specific game. The CPU, while not the limiting factor at 4K, still plays a crucial role in maintaining playable performance at lower resolutions where the GPU has more headroom.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression across resolutions is the most telling metric in this dataset. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 98 FPS, which is a very playable and fluid experience. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings drops the average to 73 FPS, a reduction of 25 FPS or roughly 25.5%. The transition to 2160p (4K) at Low settings brings the average down further to 48 FPS, which is a significant 34.2% drop from the 1440p figure and a 51% reduction from the 1080p baseline.

This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The workload on the graphics card increases exponentially with the number of pixels rendered. The RTX 5050's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s, are challenged by the data throughput required at 4K resolution. The fact that even the Low preset at 4K cannot maintain 60 FPS is a strong indicator that the GPU's raw compute and memory subsystem are saturated.

Examining the High preset tells a similar story. At 1080p, the average is 61 FPS, which is borderline for a smooth experience on a standard 60 Hz display. At 1440p, this drops to 46 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to a stutter-prone 30 FPS. The gap between Low and High settings at a given resolution also widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 37 FPS. At 4K, that difference narrows to just 18 FPS (from 48 to 30), showing that the GPU is so overwhelmed at 4K that even reducing settings yields diminishing returns. The limiting component is unequivocally the GPU; the CPU has enough headroom to feed the graphics card at these settings, but the RTX 5050 cannot keep up with the pixel-pushing demands of 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo can achieve in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The highest average FPS recorded in the measured data is 98 FPS, which is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the RTX 5050 capable of 4K gaming in this title?

A: The data indicates that 4K (3840x2160) gaming is not a viable option for this game. The highest average FPS at this resolution is 48 FPS on the Low preset, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K yields only an average of 22 FPS.

Q: How does the 1440p Medium experience compare to 1080p High?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 55, with a minimum of 46 and a maximum of 63. In comparison, 1920x1080 with High settings averages 61 FPS. The 1080p High preset provides a higher average frame rate, while the 1440p Medium preset offers a higher resolution with slightly lower and less consistent performance.

Q: What is the FPS drop when moving from 1080p Medium to 1440p Medium?

A: The average frame rate decreases from 73 FPS at 1920x1080 to 55 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 18 FPS. This represents a 24.7% performance loss when increasing resolution.

Q: Is there a significant performance gap between the Medium and Ultra presets?

A: Yes, the gap is substantial. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 44 FPS compared to the Medium preset's 73 FPS, a 29 FPS difference. This gap widens to 33 FPS at 2560x1440 (55 FPS vs 33 FPS) and to 14 FPS at 4K (36 FPS vs 22 FPS).

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS at 1080p?

A: Yes. While the Low preset achieves 98 FPS and Medium achieves 73 FPS, the High preset averages 61 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 44 FPS. The minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium is 62 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold, but the High preset's average suggests it will frequently dip below 60 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the defining component for this game's performance envelope. The measured data shows its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming but are stretched thin at 4K. The GPU's boost clock of 2572 MHz and base clock of 2317 MHz provide the compute throughput, yet the 4K results (30 FPS on High, 22 FPS on Ultra) indicate that the memory bus width of 128 bit and the overall pixel throughput are the limiting factors.

The RTX 5050's benchmark scores place it in a specific performance tier. Its Passmark G3D score is 17326, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 2502. These synthetic benchmarks suggest a GPU that is competitive with the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which has an average score of 20713 and a deltaPct of 1.6% relative to the RTX 5050's average benchmark score of 21035. However, the in-game results show that Red Dead Redemption 2 is a heavy workload that pushes the card to its limits, particularly at higher resolutions and quality presets.

The data shows that the GPU's role shifts from being a capable performer at 1080p to a severe bottleneck at 4K. At 1080p Low, the GPU can render frames quickly, achieving 98 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate collapses to 22 FPS, showing that the card's 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is overwhelmed by the sheer number of pixels and the complexity of the Ultra preset. The 32 ROPs are likely a limiting factor for pixel fill rate at high resolutions, contributing to the steep performance decline.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance is achieved with the Medium preset at 1920x1080. This configuration delivers a solid average of 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS, ensuring a smooth and consistent experience that stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at the same resolution averages 61 FPS, but the lack of a recorded minimum suggests that frame times may be less consistent, potentially leading to noticeable stutters.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Medium preset is also the recommended starting point. The average of 55 FPS is playable, though the minimum of 46 FPS indicates that there will be moments of visible slowdown. This is a more demanding configuration, but it offers a significant resolution upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a reasonable frame rate. The Low preset at 1440p, averaging 73 FPS, is the only way to get a truly smooth 60+ FPS experience at this resolution.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this game with this hardware. At all resolutions, the average frame rates (44 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p, 22 FPS at 4K) fall below the threshold for a comfortable gaming experience. The visual gains from Ultra do not justify the substantial performance penalty. Similarly, 4K resolution should be avoided entirely, as even the Low preset averages only 48 FPS. The best experience per the measured rows is unequivocally the Medium preset at 1080p, offering a high frame rate with a more demanding visual profile than Low.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 holds a rank of 1760 out of 2902 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the system in the lower half of all tested configurations, ranking in the 39th percentile (calculated as 1760/2902). This ranking reflects the system's performance as a whole, which is constrained by both the mid-range CPU and GPU.

The ranking confirms the balance of the components. The CPU, which sits at the 68th percentile vs all CPUs, is a competent performer, but the GPU, at the 66th percentile vs all GPUs, is not a high-end part. Their combined performance in this game results in a system that can handle the game at lower-to-mid settings but falls behind higher-tier combinations. The rank of 1760 indicates that a significant number of other tested systems deliver better frame rates, likely due to more powerful GPUs that can handle the game's demanding graphics at higher resolutions and settings.

This specific pairing is not a top-tier performer for this title. The data shows that while it can achieve playable frame rates at 1080p, it struggles to maintain high performance at higher resolutions. The combo rank of 1760 out of 2902 puts it in a position where users should have realistic expectations about its capabilities in Red Dead Redemption 2, primarily targeting 1080p or 1440p with medium settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination:

• 3840x2160 (4K):
• High: 30 FPS
• Low: 48 FPS
• Medium: 36 FPS (min 31, max 41)
• Ultra: 22 FPS

• 2560x1440 (1440p):
• High: 46 FPS
• Low: 73 FPS
• Medium: 55 FPS (min 46, max 63)
• Ultra: 33 FPS

• 1920x1080 (1080p):
• High: 61 FPS
• Low: 98 FPS
• Medium: 73 FPS (min 62, max 84)
• Ultra: 44 FPS

The data shows a consistent hierarchy: lower resolutions and lower settings yield higher frame rates. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, providing a complete picture of performance variability. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate ranges from 62 to 84 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it ranges from 46 to 63 FPS. At 4K Medium, it ranges from 31 to 41 FPS. This variability is important for understanding the consistency of the experience; the 4K Medium preset, while averaging 36 FPS, can dip to 31 FPS, making it feel quite sluggish.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F provides the processing foundation for this system. With 6 cores and 12 threads, it offers a balanced level of parallelism for modern games. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz, combined with a 12 MB shared L3 cache, provide sufficient single-thread performance for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451, indicate a capable mid-range processor.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The measured data suggests that the i5-10400F is not the primary bottleneck. Evidence for this is the significant frame rate scaling with resolution. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, as the CPU workload would remain relatively constant. Instead, we see frame rates that drop dramatically as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals is informative. Its average benchmark score of 14185 is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6756E (deltaPct 0.2%) and the AMD EPYC 7552 (deltaPct 0.5%). It is slightly slower than the Intel Core 7 160UL (deltaPct -0.3%) and AMD Ryzen 3 7320C (deltaPct -0.6%). This places the i5-10400F in a specific performance tier, but its 6-core/12-thread configuration is more than adequate for this title. The data from the measured FPS, particularly the ability to hit 98 FPS at 1080p Low, demonstrates that the CPU can handle high frame rate scenarios without becoming the limiting factor. The CPU's role is to provide a stable platform, and it does so effectively, allowing the GPU's performance ceiling to be the deciding factor in this game.