Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2: Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

This combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a playable but uneven experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, depending heavily on resolution and settings. The data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom across all tested configurations. The measured frames per second show a clear pattern: at 1080p, the combo can push well beyond 100 FPS on Low settings, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to just 24.5 FPS, illustrating the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus as limiting factors. The combo ranks 971 out of 1687 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier for this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS degradation from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, pointing directly at the GPU as the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 109.4 at 1920x1080 to 79.4 at 2560x1440 (a 27.4% drop), then to 56.5 at 3840x2160 (another 28.8% drop from 1440p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, as the pixel count increases dramatically while the CPU workload remains relatively constant.

At Ultra settings, the collapse is even more pronounced. The combo manages 47.3 FPS at 1080p, drops to 35.1 at 1440p, and bottoms out at 24.5 at 4K. The gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference is 62.1 FPS (109.4 vs 47.3), but at 4K, it narrows to 32.0 FPS (56.5 vs 24.5). This suggests that at 4K, even the lowest settings cannot fully relieve the GPU pressure, whereas at 1080p, the CPU has enough headroom to let the GPU stretch its legs.

The data implies that for this game, the RTX 4060's 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are the primary constraints at higher resolutions. The 128-bit bus width is narrow for 4K workloads, and the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (24.5) is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. Conversely, at 1080p, the combo achieves playable frame rates even at Ultra (47.3), indicating that the CPU is not holding back performance at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 as the most viable resolution, with all settings yielding at least 47.3 FPS (Ultra) and up to 109.4 FPS (Low). At 2560x1440, only Low (79.4) and Medium (61.4) exceed 60 FPS, while 3840x2160 fails to reach 60 FPS at any setting.

Q: How much FPS is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 69.9 at 1920x1080 to 50.7 at 2560x1440, a decrease of 19.2 FPS. This represents a 27.5% reduction in performance for a 78% increase in pixel count.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: The 24.5 FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra strongly indicates GPU limitation. The i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for this game's CPU demands, as evidenced by the fact that lowering settings from Ultra to Low at 4K more than doubles the FPS to 56.5.

Q: Can this combo run the game at 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: Only at Low settings (79.4 FPS) and Medium settings (61.4 FPS). High settings fall to 50.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 35.1 FPS, so achieving 60 FPS at 1440p requires sacrificing visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 4060's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 23181 is 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321) and 0.7% below the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (23338). It sits 0.7% above the Intel Arc B580 (23021) and 0.8% above the AMD Radeon 760M (22999).

Q: What is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low settings produce 109.4 FPS while Ultra produces 47.3 FPS, a difference of 62.1 FPS. This represents a 56.8% performance drop when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads to this pairing, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 provide solid fundamentals for Red Dead Redemption 2's open-world engine. In the CPU benchmark landscape, this processor achieves an 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32508.

The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the measured configurations. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 109.4 FPS, which is well within the range where a modern mid-range CPU can keep up with GPU output. The core count of 10 (likely a mix of performance and efficiency cores, though the pack does not specify the exact split) is more than adequate for a game released in 2018. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly struggling at 24.5 FPS, the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames.

The i5-14400F's nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks include the Intel Core i7-12800H (average score 32513, 0% delta), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (32446, 0.2% delta), AMD Ryzen 7 250 (32584, -0.2% delta), and Intel Core i7-13705H (32586, -0.2% delta). This tight clustering indicates that the 14400F is performance-neutral in this game; the measured FPS differences across settings are driven almost entirely by GPU workload.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-14400F and RTX 4060 ranks 971 out of 1687 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 42nd percentile of all tested systems. This is a middling result, but the context matters: the ranking reflects the GPU's modest position in the overall performance hierarchy (66th percentile among all GPUs) combined with a strong CPU (88th percentile among all CPUs).

The mismatch between CPU and GPU performance levels is notable. The CPU's high percentile (88) versus the GPU's lower percentile (66) suggests that the i5-14400F is capable of driving a more powerful graphics card in this game. The combo's rank of 971 out of 1687 means that 716 tested combinations performed worse, while 970 performed better. This places the system in the lower-middle range, consistent with the RTX 4060's performance tier.

The data implies that users looking to improve this combo's rank in Red Dead Redemption 2 would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU upgrade. The 10-core, 16-thread processor provides a solid foundation, but the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus of the RTX 4060 limit performance at higher resolutions and settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, High settings (69.9 FPS) offer the best balance of visual quality and performance, with Medium (84.6 FPS) as a viable alternative for smoother gameplay. Ultra (47.3 FPS) is playable but dips below 60 FPS, while Low (109.4 FPS) sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a frame rate that exceeds display refresh rates on most monitors.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings (61.4 FPS) are the highest quality preset that maintains 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice. Low (79.4 FPS) provides a comfortable margin for demanding scenes, while High (50.7 FPS) and Ultra (35.1 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS threshold. For 3840x2160, Low settings (56.5 FPS) are the only option that approaches playability, and even then, it falls slightly short of 60 FPS. Medium (43.2 FPS) and High (33.5 FPS) are marginal, while Ultra (24.5 FPS) is not recommended for enjoyable gameplay.

The data suggests that the "High" preset at 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, delivering 69.9 FPS while maintaining significant visual enhancements over Medium. For 1440p users, Medium at 61.4 FPS is the practical ceiling.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers the following average FPS by settings: Low 109.4, Medium 84.6, High 69.9, Ultra 47.3. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steady decline, with the largest single drop occurring between High and Ultra (22.6 FPS). At 2560x1440, the results are: Low 79.4, Medium 61.4, High 50.7, Ultra 35.1. The drop from Low to Medium is 18.0 FPS, and from Medium to High is 10.7 FPS, with High to Ultra costing 15.6 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the numbers compress significantly: Low 56.5, Medium 43.2, High 33.5, Ultra 24.5. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 32.0 FPS, which is notably smaller than the 62.1 FPS gap at 1080p. This compression at higher resolutions reinforces the GPU-bound nature of the workload. Comparing across resolutions at the same settings, the High preset shows the most consistent scaling: 69.9 (1080p) to 50.7 (1440p) to 33.5 (4K), while Low scales from 109.4 to 79.4 to 56.5.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC, containing 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. Its base clock is 1830 MHz with a boost clock of 2460 MHz, and the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, yielding 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. In this game, these specifications translate to a GPU that performs well at 1080p but struggles at higher resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark results show a 66th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average score of 23181. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23321, -0.6% delta), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (23338, -0.7% delta), Intel Arc B580 (23021, 0.7% delta), and AMD Radeon 760M (22999, 0.8% delta). This close grouping suggests that the RTX 4060's performance is well-established, and its 8 GB VRAM capacity is a potential limitation for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for large textures and open-world streaming.

The measured FPS data indicates that the GPU's 128-bit memory bus and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are the primary constraints at 4K. The 24.5 FPS at 4K Ultra is particularly telling: the GPU's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is sufficient for modern rendering, but the memory subsystem cannot feed the necessary data fast enough at that resolution. At 1080p, however, the same GPU delivers 109.4 FPS at Low settings, showing that the architecture is capable when memory pressure is reduced.