Red Dead Redemption 2

The benchmark data for Red Dead Redemption 2 on the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination reveals a system that is heavily skewed toward GPU dominance, with the 5080 providing massive headroom at lower resolutions. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the board indicate that this pairing is capable of delivering a smooth experience at 1440p and 1080p, while 4K Ultra presents a significant challenge. The data suggests that users should prioritize the High preset for the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as it offers a substantial improvement over Ultra settings without the visual compromises of Medium or Low.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured FPS rows, the High preset emerges as the optimal choice for this hardware combination across all tested resolutions. At 4K, High delivers an average of 64.2 FPS, which is a 36% improvement over the 47.1 FPS seen at Ultra. This jump is critical because it moves the experience from a stutter-prone zone into the range of playable frame rates for most users. The data indicates that the Ultra preset is overly demanding for this game on this GPU at 4K, as the 5080 cannot consistently maintain a high frame rate.

At 1440p, the High preset achieves an average of 98.1 FPS, which is a 47% increase over Ultra’s 66.6 FPS. This resolution and preset combination provides a near-ideal experience, offering high visual quality while keeping frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 1440p, while faster at 115.4 FPS, represents a diminishing return in visual quality for only a 17% performance gain over High. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot, as the visual leap from Medium to High is typically more noticeable than the frame rate difference.

At 1080p, the story is similar, with High delivering 130.3 FPS. While Medium offers 153.6 FPS and Low reaches 176.8 FPS, these higher numbers come with significant reductions in graphical fidelity that are not justified when the High preset already provides a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors. The Ultra preset drops to 91.6 FPS, which is still playable, but the performance penalty compared to High is substantial. The data strongly suggests that High is the recommended preset for this combo, as it offers the best visual experience per the measured frames, with 4K High being the only resolution where users might need to consider dropping to Medium (78.7 FPS) if they prioritize smoothness over absolute quality.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029, indicate a capable mid-range processor. However, the measured FPS data in Red Dead Redemption 2 shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K is almost entirely dependent on the GPU, as the CPU’s workload does not change significantly with resolution.

The data implies that the i5-11400F is sufficient to feed the RTX 5080 at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p. At 1080p Low, the system hits 176.8 FPS, which confirms the CPU’s ability to keep up with the GPU’s output. However, the processor’s 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (51.2 GB/s bandwidth) are modest compared to modern high-end chips. The benchmark results show that the i5-11400F sits at the 75th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17181, placing it near rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189) and the Intel Core i7-1260P (17212).

In this game, the CPU’s role appears to be more about maintaining a minimum frame rate rather than pushing maximum FPS. The gap between the 1080p Low (176.8 FPS) and 4K Low (101 FPS) is 75.8 FPS, which is a direct result of GPU load increasing with resolution. The CPU does not show signs of being overwhelmed, as the frame rates at 1080p High (130.3 FPS) are still very high. This suggests that while the i5-11400F is not a top-tier performer, it is more than adequate for this pairing, and the data indicates that the GPU will hit its limits long before the CPU does in most scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset to use for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: The data shows that the High preset at 3840x2160 provides an average of 64.2 FPS, which is the most balanced option. Ultra drops to 47.1 FPS, making it less suitable for smooth gameplay, while Medium (78.7 FPS) and Low (101 FPS) offer higher frame rates but with reduced visual quality.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its direct rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17189) and the Intel Core i7-1260P (17212). It is slightly ahead of the Intel Core i5-1240U (17141) by 0.2%.

Q: Is the RTX 5080’s 16 GB of VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The GPU’s memory configuration includes 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth. The measured FPS data does not indicate any performance cliffs that would suggest VRAM limitations at the tested settings, indicating that 16 GB is adequate for the High and Ultra presets in this title.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so significantly when moving from High to Ultra?

A: At 1440p, the average FPS falls from 98.1 on High to 66.6 on Ultra, a 32% decrease. This large drop suggests that the Ultra preset introduces settings that are disproportionately taxing on the GPU’s shading units (10752) and texture mapping units (336), pushing the rendering workload beyond an efficient level.

Q: Can this system achieve 144 FPS at 1440p?

A: No, the highest average FPS at 1440p is 154 on the Low preset. The High preset, which is recommended, only reaches 98.1 FPS. Therefore, 144 FPS is not achievable at High or Ultra settings with this combination.

Q: How well does the GPU perform relative to other cards in its class?

A: The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 59188 and sits at the 89th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A580 (57756) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (57661), with the 5080 being 2.5% and 2.6% faster respectively.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks at position 99 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the top 6% of all configurations, indicating a very strong performance level. The rank suggests that this pairing is well above average for this specific game, which is expected given the high-end GPU. However, the rank also reflects the CPU’s limitations, as it is not a top-tier processor.

The data implies that the combo’s ranking is primarily driven by the GPU’s raw power. The RTX 5080’s 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 879.3 GTexel/s texture rate are substantial, and they are the main reason why this combo can achieve high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p. The CPU’s contribution is less critical, as its benchmark scores (e.g., 3dmark_max_threads of 5652) are moderate. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see lower frame rates at 1080p, but the data shows 176.8 FPS on Low, indicating that the CPU is not holding the GPU back significantly.

The rank of 99 out of 1687 also highlights the versatility of this setup. It is not the absolute fastest combo, but it is in the top tier. Users with this pairing should expect a high-quality experience in this game, particularly if they follow the recommendation to use the High preset. The ranking suggests that there are 98 other combinations that perform better, likely featuring more powerful CPUs, but the i5-11400F does not detract from the overall experience in a meaningful way.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this configuration, and the measured FPS data underscores its importance. With a boost clock of 2617 MHz and 16 GB of GDDR7 memory, the GPU is responsible for the vast majority of the rendering workload. Its performance is evident in the Passmark G3D score of 36565, which places it at the 89th percentile of all GPUs. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc A580 (57756) and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X (57661), are slightly behind, with the 5080 being 2.5% and 2.6% faster respectively.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU’s role is to handle the complex shading, lighting, and texture work required by the game’s open-world environments. The data shows that the 5080 is well-equipped for this task, as it can maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 1080p. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is particularly important for streaming textures in a large world, and the 16 GB capacity ensures there is no stuttering due to VRAM constraints at the tested settings.

The GPU’s performance scaling with settings is consistent with its architecture. At 1080p, the difference between Low (176.8 FPS) and Ultra (91.6 FPS) is 85.2 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset stresses the GPU’s 10752 shading units significantly. The 5080’s 112 ROPs and 336 TMUs are also put to work, but the data indicates that the GPU has enough headroom to handle most presets except for 4K Ultra. The GPU’s 56.28 TFLOPS compute capability is a clear indicator of its ability to handle the game’s demands, and the measured results confirm that it is the primary driver of performance in this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how this combo performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 176.8 FPS on Low, 153.6 FPS on Medium, 130.3 FPS on High, and 91.6 FPS on Ultra. This shows a clear trend where each step up in settings reduces the frame rate by roughly 15-20%, with the largest drop occurring between High and Ultra (38.7 FPS).

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are 154 FPS on Low, 115.4 FPS on Medium, 98.1 FPS on High, and 66.6 FPS on Ultra. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is noticeable, with the High preset losing 32.2 FPS (from 130.3 to 98.1). This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the resolution increase directly impacts the rendering load. The Ultra preset at 1440p (66.6 FPS) is barely above the 4K High result (64.2 FPS), highlighting the steep cost of Ultra settings.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 101 FPS on Low, 78.7 FPS on Medium, 64.2 FPS on High, and 47.1 FPS on Ultra. The data shows that 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings for smooth gameplay, as High dips to 64.2 FPS and Ultra falls below 50 FPS. The gap between 4K Low and 4K High is 36.8 FPS, which is a significant reduction in quality for a relatively modest gain in smoothness. The data clearly shows that the RTX 5080 is powerful, but 4K Ultra is beyond its capabilities in this game.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals important insights about where the bottleneck lies. At the High preset, the system achieves 130.3 FPS at 1080p, 98.1 FPS at 1440p, and 64.2 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 24.7%, and from 1440p to 4K is 34.5%. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU’s performance remains constant while the GPU’s workload increases with resolution.

At the Low preset, the numbers are 176.8 FPS at 1080p, 154 FPS at 1440p, and 101 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is only 12.9%, which is smaller than the High preset’s drop. This suggests that at Low settings, the CPU begins to play a more significant role at 1080p, as the GPU is not fully taxed. However, the drop from 1440p to 4K is 34.4%, indicating that the GPU becomes the bottleneck again at higher resolutions.

The data implies that the i5-11400F is capable of pushing high frame rates at 1080p, but the RTX 5080 is the primary limiter as resolution increases. The 4K Low result of 101 FPS is particularly telling, as it shows that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU’s work at 3840x2160 is substantial. The scaling from 1080p High (130.3 FPS) to 4K High (64.2 FPS) is a 50.7% reduction, which aligns with the GPU’s raw pixel throughput capabilities. This confirms that users should target 1440p High for the best balance, as the 4K experience is compromised by the GPU’s inability to maintain high frame rates at higher settings.