Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, but the data reveals that the graphics card becomes the dominant constraint as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the combination pushes well past 120 FPS on High settings, but by 4K, even Medium settings struggle to hold 60 FPS. This pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior, and the benchmark results quantify exactly how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU across the three tested resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance curve as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo averages 121 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 High drops that to 90 FPS, a 25.6% reduction. Pushing further to 3840x2160 High yields just 59 FPS, which is a 51.2% drop from 1080p and a 34.4% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER's rendering throughput is the limiting factor at higher resolutions; the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU at 1080p but cannot compensate for the increased pixel workload at 4K.

The Low settings row reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 193 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. At 1440p Low, it still achieves 144 FPS, and at 4K Low, it drops to 95 FPS. The gap between Low and High settings at each resolution is substantial: 72 FPS at 1080p, 54 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. This spread suggests that the game's graphical effects, rather than raw geometry, are heavily taxing the GPU, and the RTX 4080 SUPER's compute resources are the primary bottleneck.

A closer look at the Medium settings rows shows the only min/max FPS data available in the pack. At 1080p Medium, the average is 144 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 166 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. These ranges indicate that frame pacing remains consistent even under load, with the minimum never falling below 60 FPS at any resolution when using Medium settings. The 4K Medium minimum of 61 FPS is particularly notable, as it shows the combo can hold a playable frame rate at the highest resolution if settings are moderated.

The Ultra settings row tells a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 87 FPS; at 1440p Ultra, it falls to 65 FPS; and at 4K Ultra, it drops to 43 FPS. The jump from High to Ultra at 4K costs 16 FPS, which is a 27.1% performance hit. This suggests that Ultra presets introduce effects that are disproportionately expensive at high pixel counts, and the RTX 4080 SUPER is not sufficient to maintain 60 FPS at 4K with this preset. The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra (a 25.3% drop) mirrors the High preset's scaling, but the 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many users consider the baseline for smooth gameplay.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores show strong single-threaded performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2157. Multi-threaded results are equally robust, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a Passmark multithread score of 27575. These figures place the CPU in the 79th percentile against all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 27799.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and physics data. The nearestRivals data shows the i5-12600KF is closely matched with the Intel Core i9-10900K, which has an average score of 27872 (a delta of -0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which scores 27896 (a delta of -0.3%). This means the i5-12600KF is effectively on par with these older flagship parts in general compute, but the game's engine appears to benefit more from the GPU's raw throughput than from additional CPU cores.

The measured FPS data supports this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 193 FPS, which is far beyond what a CPU-limited scenario would produce, indicating that the i5-12600KF is not the bottleneck even at lower resolutions. The single-threaded 3DMark score of 1016 and the 2-thread score of 1995 suggest that the CPU can handle the game's main thread with headroom. However, at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 43, which is clearly a GPU limitation, as the CPU would be idle waiting for the RTX 4080 SUPER to finish rendering frames. The 16 threads help with background tasks and streaming, but the data shows that the i5-12600KF is never the primary constraint in this game.

The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7956 and the max-thread score of 7952 indicate that the CPU's multi-threaded performance scales well, but Red Dead Redemption 2 does not appear to leverage all available threads aggressively. The Passmark physics score of 1539 is modest compared to the integer math score of 87830, suggesting that the game's physics workload is not a major factor. Overall, the i5-12600KF provides ample computational headroom, and users should focus tuning on the GPU settings rather than CPU settings for this title.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K with 60 FPS?

A: Only with Medium settings, which average 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS. High settings average 59 FPS, just below the 60 FPS mark, and Ultra settings drop to 43 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming?

A: At 1080p, High settings deliver 121 FPS, and Low settings reach 193 FPS. At 1440p, Low settings hit 144 FPS, but High settings drop to 90 FPS. For 144 Hz displays, 1080p is the safer choice.

Q: How much performance is lost between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: Medium averages 108 FPS, while Ultra averages 65 FPS, a difference of 43 FPS or a 39.8% reduction. The min FPS at Medium is 92, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p. Low settings produce 193 FPS, while High settings produce 121 FPS, a 72 FPS gap that is due to GPU workload. The i5-12600KF's benchmark scores indicate it has sufficient headroom.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at 4K Medium?

A: The measured minimum is 61 FPS and the maximum is 82 FPS, with an average of 71 FPS. This indicates a relatively tight spread of roughly 21 FPS, which should provide smooth gameplay.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 4080 (non-SUPER) in GPU benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209, while the RTX 4080 scores 54247, a delta of -0.1%. This is a negligible difference, suggesting near-identical performance in most workloads.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 320th out of 3714 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 8.6% of all tested systems. This is a strong showing, but the rank reflects the balance of both components. The CPU holds the 79th percentile against all CPUs, and the GPU holds the 86th percentile against all GPUs, so the combo is well-matched in terms of overall capability. However, the rank of 320 suggests that many other combinations, likely with higher-end CPUs or more powerful GPUs, achieve better results in this specific game.

The nearestRivals data for the CPU shows it is nearly identical to the Core i9-10900K and Ryzen 7 5800X3D, both of which are older but capable parts. The GPU's nearestRivals include the RTX 4080 (delta -0.1%) and the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (delta -2.7%), which means the 4080 SUPER is slightly faster than the 4080 but slower than the 6750 GRE in synthetic benchmarks. In actual game tests, the 4080 SUPER's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 736.3 GB/s bandwidth likely help at 4K, but the measured FPS data shows that it still struggles with Ultra presets at that resolution.

Given the rank of 320, users should expect this combo to handle most settings well below 4K, but it is not a top-tier 4K Ultra machine for this title. The rank is a useful reference point, but the measured FPS data provides more actionable guidance for specific resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that Medium settings offer the best balance of visual quality and performance across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo averages 144 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. At 1440p Medium, the average is 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS, which is smooth for most displays. At 4K Medium, the average is 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, which is the only preset that maintains a 60 FPS floor at that resolution.

High settings are viable at 1080p and 1440p, with 121 FPS and 90 FPS averages respectively, but at 4K High the average falls to 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings are only recommended for 1080p, where 87 FPS is playable, but at 1440p Ultra (65 FPS) and 4K Ultra (43 FPS), the performance is too low for a smooth experience. Low settings are useful for maximizing frame rate, especially at 1080p (193 FPS) and 1440p (144 FPS), but the visual sacrifice is significant.

For most users, Medium settings at 1440p provide a strong balance, offering 108 FPS average with a minimum of 92 FPS. At 4K, Medium is the only viable option for a consistent 60 FPS experience. Those with 144 Hz monitors should stick to 1080p Medium or High, as the 144 FPS average at Medium matches the refresh rate, and High's 121 FPS is still above 120 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings average 193 FPS, Medium settings average 144 FPS with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 166 FPS, High settings average 121 FPS, and Ultra settings average 87 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 106 FPS, showing the wide range of performance depending on preset.

At 2560x1440, the results scale down proportionally. Low settings average 144 FPS, Medium settings average 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS, High settings average 90 FPS, and Ultra settings average 65 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 79 FPS, and the Medium preset maintains a minimum above 90 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 95 FPS, Medium settings average 71 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS, High settings average 59 FPS, and Ultra settings average 43 FPS. Only Medium settings maintain a minimum above 60 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below the 60 FPS average threshold. The 4K Medium minimum of 61 FPS is the only 4K result that exceeds the 60 FPS floor, making it the recommended setting for 4K displays.