Red Dead Redemption 2

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core i5-12600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The combo ranks 1760 out of 2902 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the tested field for this game.

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves at 1920x1080?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo delivers 98 FPS average, which is the highest measured result across all tested resolutions and settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D?

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is 0.3% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D's score of 27896.

Q: What is the GPU's average benchmark score and how does it compare to the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, which is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT's score of 20713.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the minimum FPS recorded is 46, with a maximum of 63 and an average of 55.

Q: Does the combo achieve playable frame rates at 3840x2160?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 22 on Ultra to 48 on Low. Only the Low preset reaches near-playable territory, while High and Medium sit at 30 and 36 FPS respectively.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Core 12th Gen series, built on Intel's Alder Lake architecture using a 10 nm process. Its base clock runs at 3.70 GHz with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, and it carries 20 MB of shared L3 cache alongside 1.25 MB L2 and 80 KB L1 per core. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and it connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 CPU lanes. This CPU was released on 2021-11-03 with a launch MSRP of $264.

Benchmark results indicate the CPU's multithreaded capability is substantial. In Cinebench R23, it scores 23391 in multicore and 3302 in single-core tests. Its 3DMark scores scale from 1995 with 2 threads to 7956 with 16 threads, showing strong scaling as thread count increases. PassMark multithread score is 27575, while single-thread score is 3925. The CPU's average benchmark score is 27799, placing it in the 79th percentile among all CPUs tested.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is to maintain frame pacing and handle the game's simulation logic, which includes AI, physics, and world streaming. The 10-core configuration with 16 threads provides headroom for these tasks, especially at lower resolutions where the GPU is less of a bottleneck. The data shows that at 1920x1080, the combo achieves 98 FPS on Low settings, indicating the CPU can feed frames quickly when the GPU load is light. However, at higher resolutions like 3840x2160, the CPU's influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

The nearest rival comparison shows the i5-12600KF is 0.3% behind the Intel Core i9-10900K and 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D in average score, while being 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE. This places the CPU in a tight competitive band where small performance differences separate it from both older flagship and newer mid-range parts. For a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for its open-world CPU demands, the 10-core design proves adequate, but the measured FPS at 1080p Ultra (44 FPS) suggests the GPU is the primary constraint rather than the processor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring the GB207 chip with 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die. It comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2317 MHz with a boost clock of 2572 MHz, and memory runs at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). It has 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, 32 ROPs, 20 RT cores, and 80 tensor cores, delivering 13.17 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. The card is rated for 130 W TDP with a 300 W suggested PSU, using a single 8-pin power connector and PCIe 5.0 x8 interface. It was released on 2025-06-30 with a launch MSRP of 249 USD.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 21035, placing it in the 66th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival comparison shows it is 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, but 0.6% slower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and 1.6% slower than the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile. In DirectX benchmarks, the GPU scores 150 in DirectX 11, 66 in DirectX 12, and 186 in DirectX 9 tests. The PassMark G3D score is 17326, with a GPU compute score of 9184.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor. At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles to maintain playable frame rates, with the best result being 48 FPS on Low settings. The 128-bit memory bus and 320 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the 4K resolution demands more memory bandwidth than this card can provide. The measured results show a clear pattern: at 1920x1080, the GPU delivers 98 FPS on Low and 61 FPS on High, but at 2560x1440, those numbers drop to 73 and 46 respectively. At 3840x2160, even Medium settings only achieve 36 FPS average with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 41.

The GPU's 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores enable ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured FPS data does not include ray tracing results. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support means it can handle the game's modern rendering features, but the raw compute throughput of 13.17 TFLOPS limits its ability to push high frame rates at demanding resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p textures, but at 4K, the game's large open world may exceed this capacity, contributing to the lower performance seen at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1760 out of 2902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the 60.7th percentile of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms roughly 60% of the systems tested but falls behind the top performers. The rank reflects the GPU's mid-range positioning (66th percentile among GPUs) combined with the CPU's stronger showing (79th percentile among CPUs), resulting in a system that is balanced but not exceptional for this game.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals does not translate directly to gaming advantage. While the i5-12600KF is only 0.3% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D in average benchmark score, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is often favored in gaming due to its 3D V-Cache. However, the measured FPS data shows that this combo's gaming performance is more constrained by the GPU. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (98 FPS) and Ultra (44 FPS) is 54 FPS, demonstrating that settings have a larger impact than CPU headroom.

The combo's rank of 1760 suggests that it is a mid-pack performer. For comparison, the GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, which is 1.6% slower in average score, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile, which is 1.6% faster. These small percentage differences in GPU benchmark scores likely translate to similar frame rate differences in-game, meaning the combo sits in a competitive but not dominant position.

The 8 GB VRAM is a limiting factor for this combo at higher resolutions. At 3840x2160, the best average FPS is 48 on Low, while at 2560x1440, the best is 73 on Low. This indicates that the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth are insufficient for 4K gaming in this title, and even 1440p requires reduced settings to achieve smooth frame rates. The CPU, meanwhile, has enough headroom to support the GPU at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 98 FPS result at 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 84, which offers a good balance between visual quality and smoothness. The High preset drops to 61 FPS average, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes. Low settings at 1080p achieve 98 FPS, which is useful for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, but the visual compromise may not be worth it for a story-driven game like Red Dead Redemption 2.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings provide 55 FPS average with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 63. This is the recommended preset for 1440p gaming, as it maintains frame rates above 45 FPS in the worst cases while offering better visual fidelity than Low. The High preset at 46 FPS average is borderline, and Ultra at 33 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. Low settings at 73 FPS are viable if frame rate is prioritized over visuals.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve consistently smooth frame rates. Low settings deliver 48 FPS average, which is the only option that approaches playability. Medium drops to 36 FPS, High to 30 FPS, and Ultra to 22 FPS. For 4K gaming, the data suggests that Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, the experience will be suboptimal. Players with 4K displays should consider using a lower resolution or accepting reduced visual quality.

The best overall experience is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, which balances the 73 FPS average with the visual quality that Red Dead Redemption 2's open world deserves. The minimum of 62 FPS ensures that even demanding scenes with multiple NPCs and complex lighting remain fluid. For players who prioritize visual fidelity, High at 61 FPS is acceptable, but the tighter frame pacing of Medium makes it the safer choice.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo's performance ranges from 44 FPS on Ultra to 98 FPS on Low. The Medium preset delivers 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 84, while High achieves 61 FPS average. This resolution shows the GPU's sweet spot, where the 8 GB VRAM and 320 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's textures and effects.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings deliver 73 FPS average, Medium provides 55 FPS with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 63, High reaches 46 FPS, and Ultra falls to 33 FPS. The step from 1080p to 1440p represents a 25% reduction in frame rate at Low settings, indicating that the GPU's pixel throughput is a limiting factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the performance is marginal. Low settings achieve 48 FPS average, Medium provides 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 41, High reaches 30 FPS, and Ultra drops to 22 FPS. The 4K results show that the RTX 5050 is not designed for this resolution in Red Dead Redemption 2, with even Low settings failing to reach 60 FPS.

The scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent across resolutions. At 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 54 FPS (98 to 44), at 1440p it is 40 FPS (73 to 33), and at 4K it is 26 FPS (48 to 22). This pattern indicates that the GPU's compute resources are the bottleneck at higher settings, while memory bandwidth becomes more critical at higher resolutions. The Medium preset at 1080p, with its 62 FPS minimum, provides the most consistent experience, while the 1440p Medium result of 46 FPS minimum is the lowest acceptable threshold for smooth gameplay.