Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 presents a demanding workload that stresses both the Intel Core i5-14400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 in distinct ways. The measured frame rates across three resolutions and four quality presets reveal a system that is consistently bound by the graphics card, yet the CPU's strong single-thread performance ensures that the game never becomes unplayable due to processor stalls. The data indicates a pairing that requires careful settings management to achieve a smooth experience, particularly at higher resolutions where the RTX 2060's capabilities are pushed to their limits.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 is steep and unambiguous, pointing directly at the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 55.0 at 1080p to 37.5 at 1440p, a reduction of 31.8%, and then plummets to 27.6 at 4K, which is exactly half the 1080p figure. This pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior; the rendering load scales with pixel count, and the RTX 2060, with its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, cannot keep pace with the increasing demand. The data suggests that the i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is not the limiting factor here, as the FPS drops are nearly proportional to the resolution increase.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly telling. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 45.8 to 29.0, a 36.7% decrease, while at Low settings, the drop is from 61.4 to 44.9, a 26.9% decrease. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is below 45 FPS confirms that the GPU is saturated regardless of the quality preset. This implies that users targeting 4K will find the RTX 2060 insufficient, as even the lowest settings cannot push the average above 45 FPS. The limiting component is unambiguously the graphics card, as the CPU's performance headroom is not being taxed by the resolution changes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-14400F and RTX 2060 ranks 1399th out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 17% of all pairings. This low percentile ranking reflects the GPU's age and tier rather than any deficiency in the processor. The CPU itself sits in the 88th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core i7-12800H (32513, 0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446, 0.2% delta). This indicates the processor is a strong performer, but the GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs drags the overall combo down.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 16074 places it in close competition with the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996, 0.5% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (16351, -1.7% delta). This suggests that the RTX 2060 is performing as expected for its class, but that class is simply not high enough to deliver top-tier results in a demanding title like Red Dead Redemption 2. The combo rank is a function of the GPU's limitations; the data shows that even a top-quartile CPU cannot compensate for a GPU that falls behind the curve in this specific game.

FAQ

Q: Why does the frame rate at 4K Ultra drop to 18.8 FPS?

A: The 4K Ultra preset represents the maximum load for the RTX 2060. The combination of 3840x2160 resolution and Ultra settings overwhelms the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, resulting in an average frame rate that is below playable thresholds.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck at 1080p Low?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 83.5 FPS, which is the highest measured result. Given the CPU's strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3093) and its 88th percentile ranking, the processor has ample headroom at this resolution.

Q: How does this combo compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 2060's average benchmark score of 16074 is within 1.8% of the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15786) and 0.5% of the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (15996), indicating that the combo's performance is representative of this GPU tier.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The measured data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the average FPS exceeds 60 on any preset (83.5 FPS at Low, 64.1 FPS at Medium). At 2560x1440, the highest average is 61.4 FPS at Low settings, which is marginal.

Q: Does the CPU's 10-core, 16-thread configuration help in this game?

A: The i5-14400F's multi-threaded performance is strong (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914), but Red Dead Redemption 2's frame rates are primarily limited by the GPU. The CPU's role is to avoid becoming a bottleneck, which the data indicates it does, as FPS scales predictably with resolution.

Q: Why is there a larger FPS gap between 1080p and 1440p than between 1440p and 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the FPS drops from 55.0 at 1080p to 37.5 at 1440p (a 31.8% decrease), but only from 37.5 to 27.6 at 4K (a 26.4% decrease). This suggests that the GPU is already partially limited at 1440p, so the additional pixel load at 4K has a less dramatic relative impact.

Settings Recommendations

For a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers the best combination of visual fidelity and performance, with a measured average of 64.1 FPS. This is the highest frame rate achievable while maintaining a moderate level of graphical detail. The Low preset at 1080p yields 83.5 FPS, which is ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, but it sacrifices visual quality. The High preset at 1080p, at 55.0 FPS, is playable but not smooth, while Ultra at 1080p drops to 37.7 FPS, which is below the threshold for a fluid experience.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option for near-60 FPS gameplay, hitting 61.4 FPS. Medium at 1440p drops to 45.8 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration but is not ideal for action sequences. High at 1440p (37.5 FPS) and Ultra at 1440p (28.0 FPS) are not recommended, as they fall below the 30 FPS playability floor. For 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset achieves a consistent 30 FPS, with Low at 44.9 FPS being the only option above that threshold, though it still suffers from occasional dips. The analysis suggests that users should prioritize 1080p Medium for the best overall experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average frame rates are as follows: Low settings deliver 83.5 FPS, Medium delivers 64.1 FPS, High delivers 55.0 FPS, and Ultra delivers 37.7 FPS. This shows a clear linear progression, where each step up in quality costs roughly 15-20 FPS. The jump from Medium to High is a 14.2% decrease, while the jump from High to Ultra is a 31.5% decrease, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a disproportionately heavy load on the GPU.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop significantly: Low yields 61.4 FPS, Medium yields 45.8 FPS, High yields 37.5 FPS, and Ultra yields 28.0 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 25.4%, which is larger than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth becomes more strained at this resolution. At 3840x2160, the averages are 44.9 FPS for Low, 29.0 FPS for Medium, 27.6 FPS for High, and 18.8 FPS for Ultra. The Low-to-Medium gap at 4K is 35.4%, and the High-to-Ultra gap is 31.9%, demonstrating that the GPU is severely bandwidth-limited at this resolution, with even the lowest settings struggling to maintain playable frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, provides a robust foundation for Red Dead Redemption 2. The processor's base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz, combined with a 20 MB shared L3 cache, ensure that the game's simulation and AI workloads are handled without stuttering. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and single-core score of 3093 indicate strong performance, which is corroborated by its 88th percentile ranking against all CPUs.

However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing. The frame rates scale inversely with resolution, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound scenarios. The CPU's passmark physics score of 1594 and passmark single-thread score of 3723 suggest that it can handle the game's physics calculations and main thread logic without becoming a bottleneck. The 65 W TDP and Raptor Lake architecture provide efficient processing, but the data does not show any scenario where the CPU's performance caps the frame rate, as even at 1080p Low, the GPU is still the primary constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the definitive limiting component in this configuration. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is insufficient for the high-resolution textures and effects in Red Dead Redemption 2 at higher settings. The GPU's base clock of 1365 MHz and boost clock of 1680 MHz, along with 1920 shading units, deliver a measured average benchmark score of 16074, placing it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's performance characteristics are evident in the FPS data. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 37.7 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 18.8 FPS, indicating that the 6 GB VRAM is being saturated, causing texture streaming and memory swap penalties. The passmark G3D score of 14111 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 reflect the GPU's mid-range capabilities. The 160 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, but the data shows that the RTX 2060 is simply outclassed by the demands of the game at higher resolutions, making it the primary target for any upgrades to improve performance in this title.