Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces benchmark results in Red Dead Redemption 2 that are decisively constrained by the graphics subsystem. The data indicates a configuration where the CPU’s substantial processing headroom is largely irrelevant, as the Arc B390’s performance ceiling dictates the playable experience across all tested resolutions and settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) reveal a pattern of steep scaling penalties as resolution increases, coupled with a narrow range of viable settings at lower resolutions. This analysis breaks down the measured data to characterize the bottleneck, the GPU's role, optimal settings, and the combo's standing among tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a severe and predictable drop as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, confirming that the Intel Arc B390 is the primary limiting component. At the "Low" settings preset, the average frame rate falls from 51 FPS at 1920x1080 to 38 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 25 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 26% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 34% decrease from 1440p to 4K, resulting in a total reduction of 51% across the full resolution range. The scaling is less linear at higher presets; for "High" settings, the average drops from 32 FPS at 1080p to 24 FPS at 1440p (a 25% reduction), and then to 16 FPS at 4K (a 33% reduction from 1440p).

The pattern indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput and shading resources are exhausted quickly. The transition from 1440p to 4K nearly halves the frame rate at every settings level, a hallmark of a GPU operating well beyond its designed fillrate capacity. The "Ultra" preset demonstrates this most starkly, with average FPS falling from 23 at 1080p to 17 at 1440p and just 11 at 4K. The data suggests that the Arc B390 is not a viable candidate for 4K gaming in this title, regardless of the quality preset. At 1440p, the results are marginal, with only the "Low" preset achieving a playable average above 30 FPS. The 1080p resolution is the only tier where the combination approaches acceptable performance, but even here, the scaling between presets shows that the GPU is the hard ceiling, not the CPU. The Core i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is not the constraining factor; the benchmarks show a clear GPU-bound scenario at all measured points.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390’s specifications and benchmark scores align with the measured FPS results, painting a picture of a low-power integrated-class GPU struggling with a demanding title. The GPU has a boost clock of 2500 MHz and a base clock of 300 MHz, but its memory configuration is "System Shared" with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent," which is a critical limitation for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 that relies heavily on texture streaming and memory bandwidth. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, which is a strong indicator of its low-end positioning.

The nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark data—the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, delta 1.3%), GeForce 800M (score 1460, delta 1.5%), GT 625 OEM (score 1446, delta 2.5%), and GT 710 (score 1443, delta 2.7%)—are all legacy or entry-level parts. The Arc B390’s score is only 1.3% to 2.7% higher than these, showing that it operates in the same performance stratum. This explains the FPS results: the GPU has only 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, which are insufficient for the geometry and pixel load of Red Dead Redemption 2 at higher resolutions. The 12 RT cores and support for DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2) are irrelevant when raw rasterization throughput is this limited.

The GPU's 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are theoretical figures that the measured data shows cannot be sustained in real-world gaming. The fact that the "Medium" preset at 1080p yields an average of 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS, while "Low" yields 51 FPS, indicates that the GPU is sensitive to shader complexity. The "System Shared" memory type means the GPU is competing with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which likely exacerbates the performance collapse at 4K, where memory pressure is highest. The data suggests that the Arc B390 is a component designed for basic tasks, not for a AAA action-adventure title, and its role in this combo is to bottleneck the system.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo prioritize maintaining a playable frame rate over visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset delivers the best measured experience, with an average of 51 FPS. This is the only settings level at this resolution that exceeds the 30 FPS threshold, and it provides a 30% performance increase over "Medium" (39 FPS) and a 59% increase over "High" (32 FPS). The "Ultra" preset at 1080p is not recommended, as it drops to 23 FPS, which is below playable standards.

At 2560x1440, the data shows that only the "Low" preset is viable, with an average of 38 FPS. The "Medium" preset averages 29 FPS, which is borderline, while "High" (24 FPS) and "Ultra" (17 FPS) are not acceptable for smooth gameplay. For 3840x2160, no preset yields a playable frame rate; the highest average is 25 FPS on "Low," which is still below 30 FPS, and "Ultra" drops to 11 FPS. Therefore, the recommendation is to run the game at 1920x1080 with the "Low" preset for the best measured performance. If a user insists on higher visual quality, the "Medium" preset at 1080p (39 FPS) is the only other option that stays above 30 FPS, but it introduces a minimum FPS of 33, which may lead to occasional stutters. The data clearly indicates that sacrificing settings is necessary to achieve a smooth experience with this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all resolution and settings combinations. At 1920x1080, the "Low" preset achieves an average of 51 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The "Medium" preset averages 39 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. "High" averages 32 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 23 FPS. This shows a consistent decline of approximately 20-25% for each step up in settings quality.

At 2560x1440, the "Low" preset averages 38 FPS, a 25% drop from the 1080p "Low" result. The "Medium" preset averages 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS. "High" averages 24 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 17 FPS. The performance gap between "Low" and "Ultra" at 1440p is 21 FPS, which is a 55% reduction in performance when maxing out settings.

At 3840x2160, the "Low" preset averages 25 FPS, the "Medium" preset averages 19 FPS (with a minimum of 16 and maximum of 22), "High" averages 16 FPS, and "Ultra" averages 11 FPS. The data shows that the 4K resolution is simply too demanding for the Arc B390, as even the lowest settings fail to maintain a consistent 30 FPS. The minimum FPS values recorded at "Medium" settings (16 FPS at 4K, 24 FPS at 1440p, 33 FPS at 1080p) indicate that frame pacing will be inconsistent, with noticeable hitches during intense scenes. The averages themselves are below the threshold for a smooth experience in most cases, reinforcing the conclusion that this combo is only suitable for 1080p gaming at low-to-medium presets.

How This Combo Ranks

In the global database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-13400F and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2568 out of 2902 combos for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the bottom 11.5% of all tested systems, indicating a performance level that is far below the median. The low ranking is entirely attributable to the GPU, as the CPU is a mid-range part with strong benchmark scores. The Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (score 25284, delta 0%), Intel Core 5 120 (score 25362, delta -0.3%), AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (score 25365, delta -0.3%), and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (score 25201, delta 0.4%)—are all comparable in processing power.

The stark contrast between the CPU's high percentile ranking and the combo's low overall ranking highlights the severity of the GPU bottleneck. The Arc B390’s 9th percentile GPU ranking and its nearest rivals being the GT 520MX and GT 710 confirm that this is a graphics-limited configuration. In the context of the 2902 tested combos, this system sits near the bottom, meaning that the vast majority of other CPU-GPU pairings deliver better frame rates in this game. The data suggests that the CPU is capable of supporting a far more powerful GPU, and the current pairing wastes the i5-13400F’s potential. For a user looking at this ranking, the implication is clear: this combo is not competitive for Red Dead Redemption 2.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves playable frame rates. At 1080p, the "Low" preset averages 51 FPS, while 2560x1440 and 3840x2160 yield averages at or below 38 FPS even on "Low" settings.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: No. The benchmark results show that at 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 25 on the "Low" preset, and the "Ultra" preset drops to 11 FPS. All 4K results are below the 30 FPS playability threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in GPU benchmarks?

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad score is 1482, which is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710 (1443), indicating it performs in the same low-end class.

Q: What is the CPU's performance percentile compared to other processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F is in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25292. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, scores 25284, showing a negligible performance difference.

Q: Which settings preset provides the highest frame rate at 1080p?

A: The "Low" preset at 1920x1080 provides the highest measured average FPS at 51. The "Medium" preset is the next best at 39 FPS, but the "Low" preset is the only one that provides a comfortable margin above 30 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile of GPUs, while the Core i5-13400F ranks in the 77th percentile of CPUs. The FPS data shows a consistent GPU-bound pattern, where performance drops significantly with increased resolution and settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It has a 20 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 22604 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3191 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 25032. These figures place it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, indicating a robust processing capability that is more than sufficient for gaming workloads.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and manage game logic. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the frame rates are consistently low across all settings, even at 1080p where CPU load is typically highest. The i5-13400F's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (score 25365, delta -0.3%) and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (score 25201, delta 0.4%), all have similar average scores, confirming that the CPU is performing at its expected level. The 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample parallelism for the game's engine, and the 4.60 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-thread performance for the main game thread. However, the Arc B390’s limited throughput means that the CPU's potential is never fully utilized; the GPU becomes the ceiling at every resolution. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a higher-tier GPU would yield significantly better results, but as measured, the CPU's role is to wait for the GPU, which is unable to deliver the frame rates the processor could support.