Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 60th out of 1,687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 3.6% of all configurations. This is a decisive result: the combination is exceptionally fast, but the ranking reveals a significant bottleneck. The RTX 5090 is a top-tier card, sitting in the 94th percentile of all GPUs, while the i5-11400F, with a 75th percentile ranking, is comparatively modest. The data shows this pairing delivers high frame rates, but the CPU prevents the GPU from reaching its full potential, a pattern that becomes clearer when analyzing resolution scaling.

How This Combo Ranks

The 60th position out of 1,687 combos is a strong result, placing this system in the top percentile of all tested hardware pairings for Red Dead Redemption 2. However, the gap between the GPU's and CPU's individual standings is telling. The RTX 5090's 94th percentile ranking suggests it is among the most powerful graphics cards available, while the i5-11400F's 75th percentile is respectable but not elite. In practice, this means the combo is faster than 96.4% of all tested systems, yet it is not the absolute fastest because the processor holds back the graphics card in certain scenarios. The benchmark results indicate that the combo's overall rank is a product of the GPU's immense power compensating for the CPU's relative weakness, rather than a balanced partnership. At 1080p, where the CPU load is highest, the frame rates are high but the scaling pattern suggests the processor is the limiting factor. Moving to 4K, the GPU takes over as the primary driver, and the combo's rank improves relative to its 1080p performance.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data points to the High preset as the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance. At 4K, High yields an average of 67.2 FPS, which is playable, but the Ultra preset drops to 46.6 FPS, a significant 30.7% reduction that may be too demanding for smooth gameplay. At 1440p, High delivers 103.6 FPS, which is excellent, while Ultra falls to 76.3 FPS, still playable but with a noticeable performance cost. The Low preset at 4K offers 106.5 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial. The data suggests the High preset is the sweet spot because it provides a high frame rate at all resolutions without the steep performance penalty of Ultra. At 1080p, High achieves 137.9 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS target and leaves headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset is a solid alternative for 4K, offering 83.1 FPS, but High provides a better balance of image quality and speed. The Ultra preset is only advisable for 1080p, where it still produces 100.1 FPS, but the visual gains over High are marginal relative to the frame rate drop.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the shift in bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 137.9 FPS at 1080p to 103.6 FPS at 1440p, a 24.9% decrease, and then to 67.2 FPS at 4K, a further 35.1% drop. This pattern is typical of a system where the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions. However, the scaling is not perfectly linear, which indicates the CPU still plays a role. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is from 179.1 FPS to 161.1 FPS, a mere 10.1% decrease, suggesting the CPU is the primary constraint at lower resolutions and settings. The gap between 1440p and 4K at Low is more pronounced, falling to 106.5 FPS, a 33.9% drop, as the GPU's workload increases. The data shows that at 1080p, the i5-11400F's six cores and 12 threads are often the limiting factor, preventing the RTX 5090 from achieving even higher frame rates. At 4K, the GPU's raw power is the dominant variable, and the CPU's influence diminishes, as evidenced by the smaller performance gap between High and Low settings at 4K compared to 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 179.1 FPS on Low, 160.8 FPS on Medium, 137.9 FPS on High, and 100.1 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra is 79.0 FPS, a 44.1% reduction, showing that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution. At 2560x1440, the scores are 161.1 FPS on Low, 122.2 FPS on Medium, 103.6 FPS on High, and 76.3 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 84.8 FPS, a 52.6% reduction, indicating the GPU is working harder. At 3840x2160, the results are 106.5 FPS on Low, 83.1 FPS on Medium, 67.2 FPS on High, and 46.6 FPS on Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra is 59.9 FPS, a 56.2% reduction, which confirms the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The data shows that the combo is capable of 60 FPS at 4K on High settings, but for a locked 60 FPS experience, Medium is the safer choice. At 1440p, all settings except Ultra achieve over 100 FPS, making this the ideal resolution for high refresh rate displays. At 1080p, the combo easily exceeds 100 FPS on all presets, with Low pushing towards 180 FPS.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, with a 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 512-bit bus provide a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for the high-resolution textures and detailed environments of Red Dead Redemption 2. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz and 21,760 shading units deliver immense compute power, evidenced by its 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The benchmark results show that the GPU's performance scales predictably with resolution, with the 4K Ultra setting being the only test that drops below 60 FPS. The data indicates that the RTX 5090 is capable of handling the game's demands at 4K, but its power is somewhat wasted at 1080p, where the CPU limits its output. The GPU's high memory capacity and bandwidth are not fully utilized at lower resolutions, as the frame rate is often capped by the processor. The card's 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores are also relevant, as they support the game's advanced rendering features, but the measured FPS data does not specifically isolate their impact.

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 12 MB of shared L3 cache is modest by modern standards, and its 14 nm process node is older than the GPU's 5 nm node. The CPU's benchmarks show a single-thread score of 868 in 3DMark and a multi-thread score of 5,652, placing it in the 75th percentile of all CPUs. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are high but the scaling between settings is not as steep as at 4K. For example, at 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 41.2 FPS, while at 4K it is 39.3 FPS. This suggests the CPU is reaching its limits at lower resolutions, preventing the GPU from fully flexing its muscles. The CPU's 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support are adequate, but the data indicates that a more powerful processor would yield higher frame rates at 1080p. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5,619 is close to the max-thread score of 5,652, indicating that the CPU's performance is well-balanced across its cores, but it still trails the GPU's capabilities.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-11400F a bottleneck for the RTX 5090 in this game?

A: Yes, the data indicates this at 1080p and Low settings. The frame rates are high, but the scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p (from 179.1 to 100.1 FPS) is less than at 4K (from 106.5 to 46.6 FPS), suggesting the CPU is limiting the GPU's output at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the best resolution to play at with this combo?

A: The data shows 2560x1440 offers the best balance, with High settings achieving 103.6 FPS and Ultra still hitting 76.3 FPS. This resolution allows the GPU to stretch its legs without the CPU becoming a major constraint.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High, the average FPS is 67.2, which is playable. The Ultra preset drops to 46.6 FPS, which may be too low for smooth gameplay. Medium is a safer choice for a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17,181, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U (17,189) and the Intel Core i7-1260P (17,212). It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 164U and 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-1240U.

Q: Is the RTX 5090's 32 GB of memory necessary for this game?

A: The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory is far more than needed for Red Dead Redemption 2, as the game is from 2018. The data does not indicate any memory-related performance issues, so the capacity is not a limiting factor, but it does provide headroom for other demanding titles.

Q: What is the expected performance at 1080p Ultra?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 100.1. This is a high frame rate, but it is the lowest of the 1080p presets, and the data suggests the CPU is preventing the GPU from achieving even higher numbers at this resolution.