Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2 — Intel Core i5-11400F + Intel Arc B570

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 produces a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Red Dead Redemption 2. Across the three tested resolutions, the combo delivers average frame rates ranging from 18 FPS at 4K Ultra to 79 FPS at 1080p Low. The data shows a clear pattern: this system is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU has enough headroom at 1080p to let the graphics card stretch its legs. The combination ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower third of the database, but the measured results still reveal specific settings and resolution pairings that yield smooth performance.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, indicating that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary limiting component as pixel count increases. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 79 at 1920x1080 to 59 at 2560x1440, then further to 39 at 3840x2160. That represents a 26% reduction moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is nearly linear with pixel count, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where the rasterization workload grows proportionally with resolution.

At Medium settings, the same pattern holds: 59 FPS at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 34%, while the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 25%. At High settings, the averages are 49 FPS, 37 FPS, and 24 FPS respectively. The 4K High result of 24 FPS is barely interactive, while the 1080p High result of 49 FPS is borderline playable but not smooth. Ultra settings push the GPU even harder: 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K.

The fact that CPU-heavy settings like Low still show such a large FPS penalty at higher resolutions confirms that the Arc B570's 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus are not sufficient to maintain throughput as pixel counts increase. The GPU's 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 performance become the bottleneck well before the CPU's 12 threads are fully utilized. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 79 FPS, which suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at that resolution; the rapid decline at 1440p and 4K is almost entirely a GPU limitation.

The min and max FPS data available for Medium settings further illustrate the scaling. At 1080p Medium, the range is 50 to 68 FPS, a 36% spread. At 1440p Medium, the range narrows to 38 to 51 FPS, and at 4K Medium it tightens to 25 to 34 FPS. As resolution increases, the frame time variance compresses because the GPU is consistently saturated; at lower resolutions, there is more fluctuation as the CPU and GPU take turns being the bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the best experience for smooth gameplay is 1080p Low, which delivers an average of 79 FPS. This setting combination provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS and would be suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. However, the jump to 1080p Medium yields 59 FPS, which is still playable but sits right at the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows that 1080p Medium offers a 20% performance reduction compared to Low, but the visual quality improvement is likely worthwhile for many players who can tolerate occasional dips below 60 FPS.

For 1440p users, the only setting that achieves near-60 FPS is Low at 59 FPS average. This is a marginal result that will feel inconsistent due to frame pacing. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 44 FPS, which is playable for slower-paced exploration but will struggle in action sequences. The High preset at 37 FPS and Ultra at 27 FPS are not recommended for 1440p gaming on this combo, as both fall below the threshold for comfortable third-person action gameplay.

At 4K, none of the settings deliver acceptable performance. Even the Low preset averages only 39 FPS, and the Medium preset at 29 FPS is the best balance between visuals and playability, though it remains below 30 FPS. The min FPS of 25 at 4K Medium indicates that there will be noticeable stuttering during intense scenes. The Ultra preset at 18 FPS is effectively unplayable. The data strongly suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combination in Red Dead Redemption 2, and users should either lower resolution or accept significant compromises in visual fidelity.

The Medium preset at 1080p appears to be the sweet spot for this combo. The 59 FPS average with a 50 FPS minimum means that the experience stays above 50 FPS in the worst case, which is generally acceptable for a game of this genre. For players who prioritize smoothness over visuals, 1080p Low at 79 FPS is the clear choice. The High preset at 1080p offers 49 FPS, which is a 17% drop from Medium and may not justify the visual upgrade given the diminishing returns.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the 19th percentile of all tested combos, meaning approximately 80% of tested systems deliver higher average frame rates in this game. The rank reflects the Arc B570's mid-tier positioning; the GPU's percentile vs all GPUs is 65, and the CPU's percentile vs all CPUs is 71, but the combination falls below what those individual percentiles might suggest because the game's demands at higher resolutions overwhelm the GPU.

The Intel Arc B570's nearest rivals in the GPU database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile with an average score of 20534 (0.1% lower), the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (0.1% higher), the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M at 20480 (0.4% lower), and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X at 20662 (0.5% higher). These deltas are tiny, within 0.5% of the Arc B570's average score of 20556. This means the Arc B570 performs nearly identically to a mobile RTX 3070 and the previous-generation Arc A750 in synthetic benchmarks, but the actual in-game results for Red Dead Redemption 2 will depend on driver optimization and specific workload characteristics.

The Core i5-11400F's nearest CPU rivals show similar tight clustering: the AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17120 (0.3% higher), the Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239 (0.4% lower), the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278 (0.6% lower), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074 (0.6% higher). The CPU's average benchmark score of 17177 places it in a dense pack of mid-range processors, all within 1% of each other. This suggests that CPU choice among these alternatives would have minimal impact on Red Dead Redemption 2 frame rates, as the GPU is the dominant factor.

The combination rank of 2335 out of 2902 indicates that this system is best suited for 1080p gaming with medium-to-high settings. The data from the measured FPS rows shows that the combo outperforms its rank in the lowest resolution tier but falls behind at higher resolutions. Users with 1440p or 4K displays will experience below-average performance compared to other tested combos, while 1080p users will find the system competitive for its class.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 18 FPS with no min or max data recorded. The High preset increases to 24 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 29 FPS with a range of 25 to 34 FPS. The Low preset at 4K achieves 39 FPS. The progression from Ultra to Low represents a 117% improvement in average frame rate, but even the best 4K result remains below 40 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 27 FPS, the High preset reaches 37 FPS, and the Medium preset delivers 44 FPS with a range of 38 to 51 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p hits 59 FPS, which is the only 1440p result that approaches playable smoothness. The spread from Ultra to Low is 32 FPS, or a 119% improvement.

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS, the High preset reaches 49 FPS, and the Medium preset delivers 59 FPS with a range of 50 to 68 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 79 FPS, which is the highest measured average across all resolution and settings combinations. The improvement from Ultra to Low at 1080p is 43 FPS, or a 119% gain.

The data shows that the relative performance gap between Low and Ultra settings is nearly identical across all three resolutions, at approximately 117-119%. This consistency suggests that the settings scaling is well-behaved and that the GPU is not hitting any unusual bottlenecks at specific resolutions. The absolute frame rates, however, scale inversely with resolution, confirming that the Arc B570's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves playable frame rates across multiple settings. The Low preset at 1080p averages 79 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 59 FPS. At 1440p, only the Low preset reaches 59 FPS, while 4K results all fall below 40 FPS.

Q: Can this combo handle Ultra settings in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The Ultra preset produces average frame rates of 36 FPS at 1080p, 27 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K. None of these results are smooth enough for comfortable gameplay. The data indicates that Ultra settings are not viable for this combination at any tested resolution.

Q: How does the Arc B570 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B570's average benchmark score is 20556. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, scores 20534, which is 0.1% lower. The Intel Arc A750 scores 20582, 0.1% higher. The NVIDIA Quadro M4000M scores 20480 (0.4% lower) and the AMD Radeon R9 M390X scores 20662 (0.5% higher). All rivals are within 0.5% of the Arc B570's score.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 79 FPS, which indicates the GPU is still the primary limiter at that resolution. The Core i5-11400F has sufficient single-thread and multi-thread performance to feed the GPU, as evidenced by the large FPS drop when moving to higher resolutions where GPU load increases.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the measured range is 50 to 68 FPS, a spread of 18 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the range is 38 to 51 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 25 to 34 FPS. The variance decreases as resolution increases because the GPU becomes consistently saturated.

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

A: The combo ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the lower 20% of all tested combos, indicating that most systems in the database deliver higher average frame rates in this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The processor is built on Intel's 14 nm Rocket Lake architecture and has a 12 MB shared L3 cache. Its synthetic benchmarks show strong multi-threaded capabilities: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 14340, and 3DMark max threads scores 5652. The single-thread performance is also respectable, with Cinebench R23 singlecore at 2024 and 3DMark single thread at 868.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that the frame rate drops dramatically when moving from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic GPU-bound signature. The CPU's 12 threads are sufficient to maintain a steady stream of draw calls and game logic at 1080p, as evidenced by the 79 FPS result at Low settings. However, the CPU's 65 W TDP and DDR4 memory support with 51.2 GB/s bandwidth may limit performance in CPU-heavy scenes, though the data does not show this as a significant factor.

The CPU's average benchmark score of 17177 places it at the 71st percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, including the AMD EPYC 7H12 and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, all score within 0.6% of the 11400F. This clustering suggests that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game; the GPU choice has a much larger impact on the measured frame rates. The 6-core, 12-thread configuration is adequate for Red Dead Redemption 2's engine, which typically scales well up to 8 threads.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on TSMC's 5 nm process with the Xe2-HPG architecture, featuring 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, delivering 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base and boost clocks are both 2500 MHz, and it achieves 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The 18 ray tracing cores are present but are not a focus for this game's rasterization-heavy workload.

The GPU's performance in Red Dead Redemption 2 is the dominant factor in the measured frame rates. The 10 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at most settings, but the 160-bit memory bus and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth become a constraint at 4K. The data shows that the GPU's fill rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K, where the pixel workload quadruples compared to 1080p.

The Arc B570's average benchmark score of 20556 places it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.5% of its score, indicating that it sits in a very competitive tier. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's 11.52 TFLOPS and 19 Gbps effective memory speed produce the observed results: 79 FPS at 1080p Low, 59 FPS at 1440p Low, and 39 FPS at 4K Low. The 150 W TDP and 1x 8-pin power connector suggest that the card is power-efficient for its performance class, though the measured data does not include power consumption figures.