Red Dead Redemption 2

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor built on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It sits in the 77th percentile of all CPUs by average benchmark score, placing it as a mid-range performer that remains competitive in modern titles. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core i7-9700 (0.1% ahead), Intel Core i7-8700 (0.2% behind), and Intel Core i5-11600K (0.4% ahead), showing that this chip trades blows with older mainstream parts within a tight performance band.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are more than sufficient to feed the GPU at lower resolutions. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 109.1 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across all configurations. This suggests that the processor is not a bottleneck when the graphics load is lightened, as the frame rate scales substantially with reduced settings. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 80.2 FPS, and at High it falls to 69.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU begins to take over the workload as settings increase.

The CPU's single-thread performance, measured at 910 in 3DMark single-thread and 2249 in Cinebench R23 single-core, is adequate for the game's AI and physics simulation. Multi-threaded scores, such as 15935 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 18747 in PassMark multithread, confirm that the 12 threads provide headroom for background tasks and streaming, but the game's engine does not appear to be heavily threaded based on the scaling pattern. The 18 MB shared L3 cache helps maintain consistent frame delivery, though the data does not show frame time variance to confirm this directly.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2460 MHz and base clock of 1830 MHz drive 3072 shading units, which produce 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The card sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (0.6% ahead), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (0.7% ahead), Intel Arc B580 (0.7% behind), and AMD Radeon 760M (0.8% behind). This places the RTX 4060 in a crowded mid-range segment where small deltas separate competitors.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor at higher resolutions and settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 24.0, which is below playable thresholds, and at 1440p Ultra it reaches only 35.7 FPS. The 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth struggle to feed the large textures and high-resolution buffers required by the game's open-world rendering. The card's 48 ROPs and 96 TMUs also limit pixel and texture throughput, which explains why Ultra settings at any resolution produce the lowest frame rates.

The RTX 4060's ray tracing cores (24) and tensor cores (96) are present but not directly leveraged in these measurements, as the data reflects standard rasterization performance. The card's 115 W TDP and dual-slot design suggest it runs cool under load, but the benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, where even Low settings only reach 52.3 FPS.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 109.1 at 1080p to 80.5 at 1440p (a 26.2% reduction) and then to 52.3 at 4K (a 35.0% reduction from 1440p). This consistent decline indicates that the RTX 4060 is the limiting component, as the CPU workload remains relatively constant across resolutions while the GPU must process more pixels.

At High settings, the scaling is steeper: 69.1 FPS at 1080p, 52.4 FPS at 1440p (a 24.2% drop), and 36.9 FPS at 4K (a 29.6% drop from 1440p). The percentage drops are slightly larger than at Low settings, which suggests that the GPU is also handling more complex shading and texture work at High. Medium settings show a similar trend: 80.2 FPS at 1080p, 58.8 FPS at 1440p (26.7% drop), and 40.5 FPS at 4K (31.1% drop).

Ultra settings exhibit the most dramatic scaling, with 47.6 FPS at 1080p, 35.7 FPS at 1440p (a 25.0% drop), and 24.0 FPS at 4K (a 32.8% drop). The fact that 1080p Ultra only reaches 47.6 FPS, while 1080p Low hits 109.1 FPS, confirms that the GPU's compute and memory resources are saturated by the game's highest quality presets. The CPU's performance headroom is evident from the 109.1 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low, which is well above the 60 FPS target and indicates the processor is not holding back the system at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The complete set of measured average FPS values for this CPU-GPU combo is as follows:

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 109.1 FPS
• Medium: 80.2 FPS
• High: 69.1 FPS
• Ultra: 47.6 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 80.5 FPS
• Medium: 58.8 FPS
• High: 52.4 FPS
• Ultra: 35.7 FPS

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 52.3 FPS
• Medium: 40.5 FPS
• High: 36.9 FPS
• Ultra: 24.0 FPS

At 1080p, the gap between Low and Medium is 28.9 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 11.1 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 21.5 FPS. This non-linear scaling suggests that the Medium to High transition offers diminishing returns in frame rate, while High to Ultra imposes a significant penalty. At 1440p, the corresponding gaps are 21.7 FPS (Low to Medium), 6.4 FPS (Medium to High), and 16.7 FPS (High to Ultra), with the Medium to High gap narrowing further. At 4K, the gaps are 11.8 FPS (Low to Medium), 3.6 FPS (Medium to High), and 12.9 FPS (High to Ultra), showing that the GPU is so constrained that settings changes have less impact.

The combo ranks 987th out of 1687 total combinations in the database for this game, placing it in the lower-middle range of tested systems. This ranking reflects the RTX 4060's position as a mid-range card, as the CPU's performance is comparatively stronger relative to the overall CPU pool.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60 FPS?

A: At 1080p, Low settings achieve 109.1 FPS and Medium reaches 80.2 FPS, but High drops to 69.1 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS with 80.5 FPS, while Medium falls to 58.8 FPS. At 4K, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS, with the highest being Low at 52.3 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in overall GPU performance?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, placing it 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti. It is 0.7% ahead of the Intel Arc B580 and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon 760M.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck in this game?

A: The data suggests it is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 109.1 FPS, which is the highest measured value, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS is 69.1 at 1080p and 36.9 at 4K, representing a 46.6% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings at any resolution?

A: Ultra settings produce the lowest frame rates at all resolutions: 47.6 FPS at 1080p, 35.7 FPS at 1440p, and 24.0 FPS at 4K. None of these reach 60 FPS, and only 1080p Ultra approaches playable territory.

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

A: The i5-12400 scores 19850 on average, which is 0.1% above the Intel Core i7-9700, 0.2% below the Intel Core i7-8700, and 0.4% above the Intel Core i5-11600K. The differences are minimal, indicating similar overall CPU capability.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p displays with a 60 Hz refresh rate, High settings at 69.1 FPS provide the best balance of visual quality and smoothness, as it exceeds the 60 FPS threshold while offering improved fidelity over Medium (80.2 FPS) at a modest cost. Ultra settings at 47.6 FPS are not recommended for 60 Hz displays, as the frame rate falls below the refresh rate and may introduce noticeable stutter. Players with 144 Hz monitors should consider Medium at 80.2 FPS, which remains above 60 FPS and provides a smoother experience than High.

For 1440p resolution, Low settings at 80.5 FPS are the only preset that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium at 58.8 FPS is close to 60 FPS but may dip below in demanding scenes, while High at 52.4 FPS and Ultra at 35.7 FPS are better suited for players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate. A 1440p monitor with adaptive sync could make Medium playable, but the data indicates that Low is the safest choice for consistent performance.

At 4K resolution, none of the presets achieve 60 FPS. Low at 52.3 FPS is the most playable option, though it will still exhibit frame pacing issues on standard 60 Hz displays. Medium at 40.5 FPS and High at 36.9 FPS offer diminishing returns in visual quality for significant frame rate losses, while Ultra at 24.0 FPS is effectively unplayable. For 4K, the data suggests that users should lower resolution or accept the Low preset, as the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for higher quality settings at this resolution. Overall, the best experience across all resolutions is 1080p High, which delivers 69.1 FPS with strong visual fidelity and remains above the 60 FPS playability threshold.