Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2: Intel Core i5-12400F + AMD Radeon RX 7600

The measured FPS data for this combination reveals a system that is clearly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet shows surprising CPU headroom at 1080p. Across the twelve tested configurations, the average frame rates range from a playable 94.4 FPS at 1080p Low to a slideshow-like 18.5 FPS at 4K Ultra. The pattern is consistent: as resolution climbs, the performance cliff becomes steeper, indicating that the Radeon RX 7600's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are the primary constraints in this pairing. The Intel Core i5-12400F, with its six cores and twelve threads, appears less stressed, particularly when examining the scaling between Low and Ultra settings at each resolution.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and non-linear, which points directly at the GPU as the limiting component. At High settings, the system produces 59 FPS at 1080p, drops to 45.8 FPS at 1440p (a 22.4% reduction), and then falls to 31.6 FPS at 4K (a 31% further reduction). This steepening decline suggests that the RX 7600's memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s is insufficient to feed the pixel throughput demanded by 4K, especially given the 64 ROPs and 128 TMUs available.

The Low settings curve tells a similar story but with more absolute headroom. At 1080p Low, the system hits 94.4 FPS, which drops to 71.7 FPS at 1440p and 48.1 FPS at 4K. The fact that 4K Low still outperforms 4K High by 52.2% (48.1 vs 31.6 FPS) indicates that the GPU's shading units (2048) and texture units are being overwhelmed by higher-quality assets, not that the CPU is stalling the pipeline. The 4K Ultra result of 18.5 FPS is particularly telling — it is less than half of the 4K Medium score of 37.2 FPS, suggesting that Ultra settings introduce rendering features that this GPU simply cannot process in real time at that resolution.

Comparing resolution scaling across settings, the data shows that the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference is 51.7 FPS (94.4 vs 42.7); at 1440p it is 40.1 FPS (71.7 vs 31.6); at 4K it is 29.6 FPS (48.1 vs 18.5). This narrowing absolute gap is expected — at higher resolutions, the pixel fill rate becomes the bottleneck regardless of settings, so even reducing quality cannot fully compensate for the lack of raw throughput.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides a solid foundation for this game, though benchmark results indicate it is rarely the limiting factor in this pairing. With a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz across six physical cores and twelve threads, the processor delivers single-thread performance that is adequate for Red Dead Redemption 2's engine. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2332 and multi-core score of 16518 suggest that the CPU can handle both the game's main thread and background simulation tasks without saturating.

The L3 cache of 18 MB (shared) and per-core L2 of 1.25 MB provide sufficient data locality for the game's open-world streaming. The 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and 16-thread score of 5895 indicate balanced scaling, meaning the game's multi-threaded aspects (likely physics, AI, and draw call submission) are well served. However, the measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 94.4 FPS — a figure that is likely approaching the CPU's practical limit for this title, but still far from a hard bottleneck.

The CPU's nearest rival data reinforces its adequacy: the i5-12400F scores within 0.1% of the Intel Core i7-8700K (19221 vs 19210 avg benchmark score) and 0.3% of the Intel Core i5-1335U. This places it in a performance tier where it should not constrain the RX 7600 at most settings. The percentile rank of 77 vs all CPUs confirms that this is a strong mid-range processor, but the game's results suggest that even at 1080p Ultra (42.7 FPS), the GPU is the primary limit — the CPU has headroom to push higher frame rates if the graphics card could deliver them.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600 is the dominant factor in this system's Red Dead Redemption 2 performance, and the data shows a GPU that is well-suited to 1080p but struggles at higher resolutions. With 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus providing 288.0 GB/s bandwidth, the card has enough capacity for 1080p Ultra (which uses more than 8 GB in some scenes) but hits a wall at 1440p and 4K. The boost clock of 2655 MHz and game clock of 2250 MHz are high, but the 169.9 GPixel/s pixel rate and 339.8 GTexel/s texture rate are modest for 4K workloads.

The FPS data confirms this: at 1080p, the GPU delivers 42.7 FPS on Ultra, which is playable but not smooth by modern standards. Dropping to Medium yields 68.1 FPS, a 59.5% improvement, while Low produces 94.4 FPS. At 1440p, even Medium (51 FPS) requires compromises, and High (45.8 FPS) dips below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K results are uniformly poor — even Low (48.1 FPS) is marginal, and Ultra (18.5 FPS) is unplayable.

The GPU's nearest rivals show that the RX 7600 sits in a crowded field: it is just 0.6% behind the RX 7600 XT (20258 vs 20146 avg score) and 0.8% behind the RX 460, while trailing the RTX 3070 Mobile by 1.3%. The percentile rank of 63 vs all GPUs indicates mid-pack positioning, which aligns with the measured results — this is a 1080p-focused card that can handle 1440p with reduced settings, but 4K is beyond its practical capabilities for this demanding title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination ranks 1140 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 32nd percentile of all system pairings. This rank is notable given that both components are relatively modern — the CPU from early 2022 and the GPU from mid-2023 — but it reflects the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions. The rank suggests that many older or lower-end GPUs paired with stronger CPUs achieve better results, likely because this game is extremely GPU-intensive at high settings.

The ranking implies that the i5-12400F is not the weak link; rather, the RX 7600's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus hold the system back in a title that scales heavily with memory bandwidth and capacity. The CPU's percentile of 77 vs the GPU's 63 confirms this asymmetry — the processor is stronger relative to its peers than the graphics card is. For users with this combo, the data suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield far more performance than upgrading the CPU, particularly for 1440p or 4K play.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p with Low settings (94.4 FPS) or Medium settings (68.1 FPS). At 1440p, even Low settings (71.7 FPS) can exceed 60 FPS, but Medium (51 FPS) and High (45.8 FPS) fall short. At 4K, no setting achieves 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data shows 1080p is the sweet spot. High settings deliver 59 FPS, which is near the 60 FPS target, while Medium (68.1 FPS) and Low (94.4 FPS) provide comfortable margins. 1440p is playable only on Low (71.7 FPS), while 4K is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RX 7600 XT?

A: The RX 7600 has an average benchmark score of 20258, which is 0.6% higher than the RX 7600 XT's 20146. This difference is negligible in practice, so performance in this game should be nearly identical between the two cards.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU's percentile rank (77) is higher than the GPU's (63), and the FPS scaling with resolution changes (e.g., 59 FPS at 1080p High vs 31.6 FPS at 4K High) indicates that the graphics card is limiting performance, not the processor.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K Ultra?

A: The measured average is 18.5 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth play. This setting combination is not viable for this game with this hardware.

Q: Does the CPU have headroom for a future GPU upgrade?

A: Yes, the CPU's 3DMark 16-thread score of 5895 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 indicate strong multi-threaded performance. The i5-12400F should not bottleneck a more powerful GPU in this title, based on the current data.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the data suggests prioritizing 1080p with Medium settings, which delivers 68.1 FPS — comfortably above the 60 FPS target while maintaining visual quality. If higher fidelity is desired, 1080p High (59 FPS) is nearly smooth and represents the best visual-to-performance trade-off. At 1440p, Low settings (71.7 FPS) are the only configuration that provides a smooth frame rate, but the visual compromise may not be worth it; Medium (51 FPS) is playable but not ideal. 4K is not recommended — even Low (48.1 FPS) is borderline, and any higher setting results in sub-40 FPS performance. For users with high-refresh-rate monitors, 1080p Low (94.4 FPS) is the only setting that approaches 100 FPS, but the visual quality reduction is substantial.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the settings ladder shows a clear progression: Low produces 94.4 FPS, Medium 68.1 FPS, High 59 FPS, and Ultra 42.7 FPS. The step from Medium to High is modest (9.1 FPS), but the drop from High to Ultra is significant (16.3 FPS), indicating that Ultra settings introduce costly effects. At 1440p, Low delivers 71.7 FPS, Medium 51 FPS, High 45.8 FPS, and Ultra 31.6 FPS. The relative gaps are similar, but the absolute values are lower across the board. At 4K, Low manages 48.1 FPS, Medium 37.2 FPS, High 31.6 FPS, and Ultra 18.5 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the worst in the dataset, and even 4K Low is only marginally playable. Across all resolutions, the data shows that the RX 7600 is a 1080p-class card for this game, with 1440p requiring settings compromises and 4K being largely out of reach except for Low presets.