Red Dead Redemption 2

The pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Red Dead Redemption 2 presents a study in component balance, where the CPU’s six-core architecture and the GPU’s massive rendering resources interact differently depending on resolution and quality settings. The data indicates that this combo ranks 27th out of 1687 tested combinations, placing it in the top percentile of all paired configurations for this title. This high ranking is driven primarily by the GPU’s raw power, but the CPU’s capabilities set the ceiling for performance at lower resolutions, creating a dynamic relationship that is visible in the measured FPS breakdown.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its benchmark results show a strong single-thread capability, scoring 2249 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which is crucial for games like Red Dead Redemption 2 that rely heavily on single-threaded game logic and draw call submission. The processor’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache provides a responsive pool for frequently accessed game data, while its 65 W TDP indicates it operates within a modest power envelope.

In the context of this game’s measured FPS, the CPU’s role becomes apparent when examining the 1080p results. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 207.3 FPS, while at High settings it drops to 136.6 FPS. The jump from Low to High at this resolution represents a 34% reduction in frame rate, which suggests that the CPU is being pushed closer to its limits as the GPU has more work to process. The i5-12400’s passmark multithread score of 18747 and its 3dmark max threads score of 5890 indicate it can handle the game’s multi-threaded aspects, but the data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor compared to higher resolutions.

When comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-12400’s average benchmark score of 19850 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-9700, which scores 19831 (a delta of 0.1%). It is also within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-8700 (19894) and 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771). This indicates that the i5-12400 performs on par with these older flagship and mid-range parts, meaning the CPU is not a bottleneck that would severely hamper the RTX 5090 in most scenarios. However, the game’s engine is known for its CPU sensitivity, and the data suggests that at 1080p, the 6-core/12-thread configuration is sufficient but does not provide the headroom seen with higher-core-count processors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant component in this pairing, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its boost clock of 2407 MHz and 21760 shading units provide immense computational throughput, reflected in its passmark G3D score of 39650 and its 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The GPU’s 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs underscores its position as one of the fastest consumer graphics cards available.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU’s role is most evident at 4K resolution. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo produces 49.5 FPS, while at High settings it reaches 67.4 FPS. The difference between Ultra and High at 4K is a 26.5% increase in frame rate, indicating that the GPU is heavily taxed by the game’s highest quality presets. The GPU’s 32 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this title, as the game does not appear to have memory constraints at any tested setting, allowing the GPU to focus purely on rendering rather than managing memory swaps.

The RTX 5090’s nearest rival, the RTX 5090 D, has an average score of 84241 (delta 0.1%), showing that the standard RTX 5090 is essentially at the top of its class. The AMD Radeon PRO W6600 scores 83209 (delta 1.3%), while the NVIDIA CMP 40HX scores 85637 (delta -1.6%), placing the RTX 5090 in a tight competitive band. This GPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution tested; instead, its performance scales predictably with settings, and the bottleneck shifts to the CPU as resolution decreases.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of resolution scaling that points to the CPU as the limiting component at lower resolutions. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average FPS drops from 136.6 to 104.6, a 23.4% reduction. From 1440p to 4K at High settings, the FPS drops from 104.6 to 67.4, a 35.6% reduction. This increasing percentage drop as resolution rises is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 5090’s rendering workload becomes the primary constraint.

At Low settings, the scaling is more dramatic. From 1080p Low (207.3 FPS) to 1440p Low (167 FPS), there is a 19.4% drop. From 1440p Low to 4K Low (110.5 FPS), there is a 33.8% drop. The fact that 1080p Low yields over 200 FPS while 4K Low yields just over 110 FPS suggests that the CPU is holding back the GPU at 1080p, preventing it from reaching even higher frame rates. In contrast, at 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the frame rates align more closely with what the GPU’s raw compute can deliver.

The Ultra settings reinforce this interpretation. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 97.8 FPS, at 1440p Ultra it drops to 73.3 FPS (25.1% reduction), and at 4K Ultra it falls to 49.5 FPS (32.5% reduction from 1440p). The diminishing returns as resolution increases indicate that the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s demands at Ultra settings across all resolutions, but the GPU’s workload dominates the frame time at 4K. This data suggests that for this pairing, 1080p is CPU-limited, 4K is GPU-limited, and 1440p represents a transitional zone where both components contribute to the final frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a rank of 27 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the top 1.6% of all pairings, which is a strong result given that the CPU is a mid-range part relative to the GPU’s flagship status. The ranking suggests that the i5-12400 does not significantly impede the RTX 5090’s performance in this game, as the combo outperforms the vast majority of alternatives.

The rank is more impressive when considering the CPU’s percentile ranking of 77 among all CPUs, versus the GPU’s 94th percentile. The gap between these percentiles indicates that the CPU is a weaker link than the GPU, but the game’s optimization and the CPU’s strong single-thread performance mitigate this imbalance. The data shows that the combo’s FPS figures at 4K Ultra (49.5 FPS) are respectable for a demanding title, and at 1080p Low (207.3 FPS) it exceeds typical high-refresh-rate monitor capabilities.

Compared to other tested combos, the 27th rank implies that only 26 pairings produce higher average frame rates across the tested settings. These likely involve higher-end CPUs such as the Core i9 or Ryzen 9 series, which would provide additional headroom at 1080p. However, the i5-12400’s performance is close enough that the difference is minimal at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU is the primary driver. This rank indicates that users with this combo can expect near-top-tier performance, with the CPU being the only potential upgrade path for maximizing 1080p frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 at High settings yields 104.6 FPS, which balances visual quality with smooth gameplay. At 3840x2160, High settings drop to 67.4 FPS, which is still playable but requires compromising on Ultra settings (49.5 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more limiting at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 207.3 FPS, but at High settings it drops to 136.6 FPS. The relatively small drop between settings suggests the CPU is the limiting factor, as the RTX 5090 is capable of higher frame rates at this resolution.

Q: How does the i5-12400 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The i5-12400’s average benchmark score of 19850 is within 0.4% of the Intel Core i5-11600K (19771) and 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-9700 (19831), indicating comparable performance across these processors.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 49.5, which is the lowest of all tested configurations but still provides a console-like experience for this demanding game.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The GPU features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, and the measured FPS data shows no signs of memory-related stuttering or performance degradation across any settings, indicating more than sufficient capacity.

Q: How does this combo’s rank compare to other tested pairings?

A: The combo ranks 27th out of 1687 tested combinations, placing it in the top 1.6% of all pairings tested for this game, which is a strong result given the CPU’s mid-range positioning.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates, starting with 207.3 FPS at Low settings. Medium settings reduce this to 168 FPS, representing a 19% drop. High settings further reduce performance to 136.6 FPS, an 18.7% drop from Medium. Ultra settings produce 97.8 FPS, which is a 28.4% reduction from High. These figures show a consistent scaling pattern where each quality tier costs a significant portion of frame rate, with the CPU limiting the top end at Low settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates decrease across all settings. Low settings yield 167 FPS, which is 19.4% lower than at 1080p. Medium settings produce 122.1 FPS, a 27.3% drop from Low. High settings achieve 104.6 FPS, a 14.3% reduction from Medium. Ultra settings drop to 73.3 FPS, a 29.9% decrease from High. The scaling between settings at 1440p is more pronounced than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming more involved in the frame time.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. Low settings produce 110.5 FPS, which is 33.8% lower than at 1440p. Medium settings yield 80.7 FPS, a 26.9% drop from Low. High settings achieve 67.4 FPS, a 16.5% reduction from Medium. Ultra settings produce 49.5 FPS, a 26.6% decrease from High. The 4K data shows that the RTX 5090’s raw power is the primary driver, with the CPU’s influence diminishing as resolution increases. The overall pattern across all resolutions and settings indicates that this combo provides playable frame rates at every configuration, with the best balance of quality and performance found at 1440p High or 4K High settings.