Red Dead Redemption 2

The pairing of an Intel Core i5-12400F with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 in Red Dead Redemption 2 is a study in extremes. The data shows a processor that sits in the 77th percentile against all CPUs, capable of holding its own, matched with a GPU that dominates the 91st percentile of all graphics cards. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings reveal exactly where this combination excels and where it runs into a hard ceiling.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, which indicates a GPU-bound workload at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 209.9 at 1920x1080 to 158.3 at 2560x1440, a 24.6% reduction, and then to 108.2 at 3840x2160, a further 31.7% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern shows that the RTX 4090 is doing the heavy lifting, and its performance is being taxed progressively as pixel count increases.

However, the story changes when you look at the Ultra preset. The average FPS at 1080p Ultra is 97, which drops to 73.8 at 1440p and then to 46.4 at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 112.9 FPS, but at 4K, that difference shrinks to 61.8 FPS. This compression suggests that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even the massive power of the RTX 4090 cannot maintain high frame rates, and the absolute performance floor becomes the defining factor.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the i5-12400F is likely the limiting component in some scenarios. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p only costs 112.9 FPS, and the CPU’s 12 threads and 6 cores are being pushed to their limits. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the frame rates align more closely with what the GPU can render rather than what the CPU can feed it.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to run this game with this hardware?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 offers a strong balance. At High settings, the average FPS is 98.5, which is smooth, while 4K High drops to 63.8 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh displays.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 perform against its nearest rivals in this context?

A: The RTX 4090’s average benchmark score is 66473, which is 0.4% lower than the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P40. It is 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 and 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro P6000.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4090?

A: At 1080p, the CPU shows signs of limiting performance, as the frame rate differences between settings are smaller than at higher resolutions. At 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, and the CPU’s performance is less relevant.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The measured data shows an average of 209.9 FPS at Low settings and 97 FPS at Ultra settings, a difference of 112.9 FPS. This shows the significant impact of graphical fidelity on performance.

Q: Can this hardware achieve 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, at Low settings the average FPS is 108.2, and at Medium it is 79.5. High settings achieve 63.8 FPS, but Ultra settings fall below 60 FPS, averaging 46.4 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The i5-12400F scores 2332 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 16518 in multi-core. This indicates a strong single-thread capability that helps with game logic, while the 12 threads provide ample multi-tasking headroom.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant force in this pairing, and its specifications explain the measured results. It is built on the 5 nm process with 76,300 million transistors and a die size of 609 mm². The GPU has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. This massive memory pool and bandwidth are critical for handling the high-resolution textures and open-world streaming of Red Dead Redemption 2.

The clock speeds are also significant. The base clock is 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and the memory runs at 1313 MHz, translating to 21 Gbps effective. The GPU’s shading units number 16384, with 512 TMUs and 176 ROPs. This configuration delivers a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS shows the raw compute power available.

In the measured data, the GPU’s role is evident in the scaling between settings. At 4K, the average FPS for Low is 108.2, which is more than double the Ultra score of 46.4. This wide gap shows that the GPU’s architecture is sensitive to the increased shader and texture complexity of the Ultra preset. The GPU is also the reason why 1440p High can achieve 98.5 FPS, a figure that is likely limited by the CPU’s ability to process draw calls rather than the GPU’s render speed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the average FPS ranges from 209.9 at Low to 97 at Ultra. Medium settings yield 163.7 FPS, and High settings produce 134.1 FPS. The spread of 112.9 FPS between Low and Ultra is the largest of any resolution, indicating that the CPU can keep up with the GPU at lower graphical loads.

At 2560x1440, the numbers shift. Low settings average 158.3 FPS, Medium averages 119.1 FPS, High averages 98.5 FPS, and Ultra averages 73.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 84.5 FPS, showing that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor. The frame rates here are still high, making 1440p a sweet spot for this hardware.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops significantly. Low settings average 108.2 FPS, Medium averages 79.5 FPS, High averages 63.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 46.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 61.8 FPS, the smallest gap of all resolutions. This shows that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and even the RTX 4090 struggles with the Ultra preset. The data indicates that 4K High is the highest playable setting for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 134.1 FPS is the best balance of visual quality and performance. Ultra at 97 FPS is still very playable, but the 37.1 FPS drop from High may not justify the visual gains. Low settings at 209.9 FPS are only for competitive play if maximum frame rate is needed.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 98.5 FPS is the recommended choice. It provides a smooth experience that is close to 100 FPS, which is ideal for most displays. Medium at 119.1 FPS is also viable if you prefer higher frame rates over visual fidelity. Ultra at 73.8 FPS is playable but may cause noticeable dips in demanding scenes.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that High settings at 63.8 FPS are the practical limit for a stable 60 FPS experience. Medium at 79.5 FPS offers a nice buffer above 60 FPS and is a strong alternative. Low at 108.2 FPS is smooth, but the visual compromise is significant. Ultra at 46.4 FPS should be avoided unless you are willing to accept sub-60 FPS performance. The recommendation is to use High settings at 4K for the best balance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It is built on the 10 nm process with an 18 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU’s performance is measured by its benchmark scores, which show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16518 and a single-core score of 2332. The Geekbench scores are 9138 for multi-core and 2221 for single-core.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role is to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls. The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU can become a limiting factor. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 112.9 FPS, but the absolute FPS at Ultra is 97, which is still high. This suggests that the CPU’s 12 threads are sufficient to feed the RTX 4090 at this resolution.

At higher resolutions, the CPU’s load remains relatively constant, but the GPU’s workload increases. The measured data shows that at 4K, the frame rates are lower, but this is almost entirely due to GPU limitations. The CPU’s performance, as indicated by its 77th percentile ranking, is more than adequate for this game. It is not a bottleneck at 1440p or 4K, where the GPU dominates the performance equation. The i5-12400F’s single-thread performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 score of 2332, ensures that game logic is processed efficiently, allowing the RTX 4090 to do what it does best.