Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a broad spectrum of performance in Red Dead Redemption 2, scaling from highly playable 4K Ultra to extremely high refresh-rate 1080p Low. The data indicates this combination is capable of prioritizing visual fidelity, but its strength varies significantly depending on the resolution and settings preset you choose. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to help you select the optimal configuration.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K with the highest settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the combo achieves an average of 48.8 FPS. While this is technically playable, it falls short of the 60 FPS target that many consider ideal for a smooth experience. To hit 60 FPS at 4K, you would need to step down to the High preset, which yields an average of 67.9 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximizing frame rates with this setup?

A: The data shows that at 1920x1080 with the Low preset, the combo reaches an average of 204.4 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested configurations, making it ideal for esports-style play or use with very high refresh rate monitors.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to the High preset at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 74.5 FPS, which is a solid playable frame rate. The High preset, however, provides a significant boost to 101 FPS, a 26.5 FPS increase. The data suggests High is the better choice for a balance of visual quality and performance at this resolution.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in this game?

A: The CPU has 6 cores and 12 threads with a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 15,935 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,249 in single-core. The measured FPS results show the GPU is capable of producing over 200 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating the CPU can feed the GPU adequately even at high frame rates.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Medium presets at 4K?

A: The jump from Low to Medium at 3840x2160 results in a frame rate drop from 105.5 FPS to 77.1 FPS. This is a substantial 28.4 FPS reduction. In contrast, moving from Medium to High only costs an additional 9.2 FPS, dropping to 67.9 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 44th out of 1687 tested combos for this game. This places it in the top percentile of all systems, confirming that it is a very high-end configuration for playing Red Dead Redemption 2.

Settings Recommendations

The best preset is highly dependent on your target resolution and refresh rate, but the data points to a clear sweet spot. For a 60 FPS experience at 4K, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 67.9 FPS. This provides a substantial visual upgrade over Medium (77.1 FPS) for only a ~13% performance cost. While the Ultra preset is the most visually demanding, its 48.8 FPS average at 4K introduces noticeable stutter and is not ideal for consistent play.

At 2560x1440, the High preset again emerges as the optimal choice. It delivers an average of 101 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and a massive improvement over the Ultra preset's 74.5 FPS. This configuration allows you to enjoy high refresh rate gaming without compromising too much on visual fidelity. For 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers an excellent balance, achieving 162.7 FPS. This is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor, and it provides a significant visual improvement over the Low preset's 204.4 FPS. The data consistently shows that High at 1440p and 4K, and Medium at 1080p, offer the best balance of frame rate and visual quality.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its immense specifications directly influence the game's performance. With 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, it offers a massive 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. This is more than sufficient for the high-resolution textures in Red Dead Redemption 2, ensuring that the GPU can feed data to its 16,384 shading units without becoming a bottleneck. The core clock runs at a base of 2235 MHz and boosts up to 2520 MHz, allowing for the high frame rates observed at lower resolutions.

The GPU's processing power is evident in the benchmark results. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 38,194 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223. This raw compute capability is what allows the combo to push over 200 FPS at 1080p Low settings, where the GPU is fully utilized. However, the data also shows the GPU's limits when paired with the most demanding presets. The 48.8 FPS result at 4K Ultra is not a sign of a weak GPU, but rather an indication of the extreme computational load of the Ultra preset. Even with 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores, the sheer volume of pixel work at 3840x2160 brings the card to its knees in this specific game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings.

At 3840x2160, the performance scales as follows:

• Low: 105.5 FPS average
• Medium: 77.1 FPS average
• High: 67.9 FPS average
• Ultra: 48.8 FPS average

At 2560x1440, the frame rates increase significantly:

• Low: 160 FPS average
• Medium: 122.8 FPS average
• High: 101 FPS average
• Ultra: 74.5 FPS average

At 1920x1080, the CPU begins to play a larger role as the GPU is less stressed:

• Low: 204.4 FPS average
• Medium: 162.7 FPS average
• High: 131.6 FPS average
• Ultra: 100.1 FPS average

The data shows that moving from High to Ultra results in a significant performance hit at every resolution. At 1440p, this is a 26.5 FPS drop, and at 4K, it is a 19.1 FPS drop. Conversely, the jump from Low to Medium is also costly, but the transition from Medium to High is the most efficient in terms of performance per frame lost, particularly at 4K where the cost is only 9.2 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 holds the 44th rank out of 1,687 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the top 2.6% of all systems tested, a signal of its overall strength. The ranking shows that while the CPU is a mid-range part, its pairing with a top-tier GPU results in a system that outperforms the vast majority of other configurations.

The data from the individual components supports this high ranking. The RTX 4090 sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, while the i5-12400 is in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. This combination of a high-percentile GPU with a solidly above-average CPU puts the system in a position to deliver top-tier performance in this game. The rank is a holistic measure of the system's capability, confirming that this is a high-end gaming setup.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 serves as the supporting cast for the powerful RTX 4090 in this configuration. While it is not the primary driver of frame rates, its capabilities determine the upper ceiling of performance, especially at lower resolutions. The processor features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep data close for the cores to access quickly.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU demonstrates its capability. It scores 15,935 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,249 in single-core, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 18,747. These scores indicate it can handle the game's simulation and AI tasks without being a major bottleneck. This is confirmed by the FPS data. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces 204.4 FPS. If the CPU were severely limited, this frame rate would be much lower. The fact that it can sustain over 200 FPS shows that the i5-12400 is more than capable of keeping up with the RTX 4090 in this title, ensuring the GPU is not waiting on the CPU to deliver frames. The processor's performance is closely matched by its nearest rivals, with a delta of only 0.1% compared to the Intel Core i7-9700 and 0.4% compared to the Intel Core i5-11600K, showing it holds its own in this metric.