Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 delivers a highly playable Red Dead Redemption 2 experience at 1080p and 1440p, but the data shows a sharp collapse at 4K Ultra that clearly identifies the GPU as the primary bottleneck. This combination ranks in the 57th percentile of all tested combos for this game, landing at position 1597 out of 3714.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a classic GPU-bound scaling curve. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 125 FPS average, which drops to 93 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 61 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 51% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The scaling pattern is consistent with the RTX 3070's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth being taxed by the increasing pixel count.

At High settings, the curve steepens: 78 FPS at 1080p falls to 58 FPS at 1440p (a 26% drop), then plummets to 38 FPS at 4K (a 51% drop from 1080p). The 4K High result of 38 FPS sits below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that the GPU is running out of headroom. The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic scaling: 56 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and just 28 FPS at 4K — the latter being a 50% reduction from 1080p Ultra.

The limiting component is clearly the GPU. Evidence for this comes from the 4K Medium result of 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS. The spread between minimum and maximum at 4K Medium is only 14 FPS, while at 1080p Medium the spread is 28 FPS (79 to 107). This tighter variance at 4K suggests the RTX 3070 is consistently saturated, leaving little room for frame time fluctuation. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are not the constraint here; the data indicates that resolution scaling follows GPU capability almost perfectly.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F brings 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 51.2 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for Red Dead Redemption 2's demands. The CPU's benchmark scores show strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 14340, and 3DMark max threads scores 5652. Single-thread performance is equally solid with a 3DMark single-thread score of 868 and PassMark single-thread score of 2981.

The CPU's percentile rank of 71 against all CPUs indicates it outperforms most processors in general workloads. Notably, its nearest rival in average benchmark score is the AMD EPYC 7H12, which scores 17120 versus the i5-11400F's 17177 — a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core i5-12450H is 0.4% behind at 17239, and the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G trails by 0.6% at 17278. These rival comparisons confirm the i5-11400F sits in a competitive mid-range position.

For this game, the CPU's role is supportive rather than dominant. At 1080p Low, the 125 FPS average shows the CPU can feed frames well above typical display refresh rates. The fact that 1080p Ultra (56 FPS) is 45% lower than 1080p Low (125 FPS) demonstrates that the GPU, not the CPU, is the performance arbiter. The i5-11400F's 14 nm process node and 65 W TDP are modest specifications, but they do not appear to hamper gameplay based on the measured frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 1597 out of 3714 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the 57th percentile, meaning it outperforms 57% of all tested configurations but trails the top 43%. The rank reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is drastically mismatched for this title.

The RTX 3070 itself holds a 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, scores 17083 — a 0.7% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 is 1% behind at 17037, and the AMD Radeon HD 7970M is 1.1% behind at 17019. The NVIDIA Tesla K40c actually scores higher at 17468, putting it 1.5% ahead of the RTX 3070 in average benchmarks.

The CPU's 71st percentile ranking is higher than the GPU's 61st percentile, suggesting the processor has more relative headroom than the graphics card. However, the combo's overall rank of 1597 indicates that in actual game performance, the GPU's limitations become the binding constraint. The data shows this pairing is more CPU-capable than GPU-capable for this specific workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo across all resolutions and settings is as follows:

1080p (1920x1080):

• Low: 125 FPS average
• Medium: 93 FPS average (79 minimum, 107 maximum)
• High: 78 FPS average
• Ultra: 56 FPS average

1440p (2560x1440):

• Low: 93 FPS average
• Medium: 70 FPS average (59 minimum, 80 maximum)
• High: 58 FPS average
• Ultra: 42 FPS average

4K (3840x2160):

• Low: 61 FPS average
• Medium: 46 FPS average (39 minimum, 53 maximum)
• High: 38 FPS average
• Ultra: 28 FPS average

The 1080p Medium setting shows a minimum of 79 FPS and maximum of 107 FPS, giving a 28 FPS variance that indicates smoother frame delivery. At 1440p Medium, the variance narrows to 21 FPS (59 to 80), and at 4K Medium it narrows further to 14 FPS (39 to 53). This tightening variance at higher resolutions reinforces the GPU-bound conclusion — as resolution increases, the GPU consistently operates near its ceiling, reducing frame time spikes.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution: at 1080p, the difference is 69 FPS (125 to 56); at 1440p, it is 51 FPS (93 to 42); at 4K, it is 33 FPS (61 to 28). While the absolute gap shrinks at higher resolutions due to GPU saturation, the percentage difference remains substantial — Ultra is always roughly 55% slower than Low regardless of resolution.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p High at 58 FPS average provides a good balance, while 1080p High at 78 FPS is smoother. At 4K, only Low settings (61 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, making 4K viable only with reduced quality.

Q: Is this combo CPU-bound or GPU-bound?

A: The benchmark results indicate the GPU is the limiting component. At 4K Medium, the frame rate variance is only 14 FPS (39 to 53), while at 1080p Medium it is 28 FPS (79 to 107), showing the GPU saturates at higher resolutions while the CPU maintains consistent frame delivery.

Q: How does the i5-11400F compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-11400F's average benchmark score is 17177, which is 0.3% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7H12 (17120), 0.4% behind the Intel Core i5-12450H (17239), and 0.6% behind the AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G (17278).

Q: How does the RTX 3070 rank among all GPUs?

A: The RTX 3070 holds a 61st percentile ranking with an average benchmark score of 17208. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT at 17083, a 0.7% difference, while the NVIDIA Tesla K40c is 1.5% ahead at 17468.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 61 FPS average. At Medium settings it drops to 46 FPS, at High to 38 FPS, and at Ultra to 28 FPS — all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the frame rate variance at different resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the variance is 28 FPS (79 to 107). At 1440p Medium, it narrows to 21 FPS (59 to 80). At 4K Medium, it narrows further to 14 FPS (39 to 53), showing more consistent frame delivery as the GPU becomes fully utilized.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 1440p High as the optimal experience for this combo. At 58 FPS average, it sits just below the 60 FPS target but offers a substantial visual upgrade over 1080p with only a 20 FPS penalty compared to 1080p High (78 FPS). The 1440p Medium setting at 70 FPS provides a safer margin above 60 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS ensuring near-consistent frame delivery.

For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, 1080p Low at 125 FPS is the clear choice, though it sacrifices significant visual quality. The 1080p Medium setting at 93 FPS offers a better balance for high-refresh-rate displays, maintaining a minimum of 79 FPS that keeps frame pacing smooth. The 1080p High setting at 78 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays and provides improved visuals.

At 4K, the data suggests only Low settings (61 FPS) are truly playable. The 4K Medium result of 46 FPS with a 39 FPS minimum risks noticeable stutter during demanding scenes. The 4K High (38 FPS) and 4K Ultra (28 FPS) results fall well below playable thresholds and should be avoided.

The Ultra preset is consistently the worst value across all resolutions: 56 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K. The gap between High and Ultra at 1080p is 22 FPS (78 to 56), representing a 28% performance loss for the highest quality tier. Given that 1440p High achieves 58 FPS — nearly identical to 1080p Ultra's 56 FPS — the recommendation is to prioritize resolution over the Ultra preset. The data supports 1440p Medium as the most reliable choice for maintaining 60+ FPS, with 1440p High as the best trade-off for visual fidelity without dropping below 55 FPS averages.