Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2 — Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

The measured frame rates for this pairing in Red Dead Redemption 2 reveal a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet surprisingly capable at 1080p where the CPU begins to show its influence. With a combo rank of #1 out of 3,714 tested combinations, this hardware pairing sits at the absolute top of the database, delivering frame rates that far exceed what most displays can even show. The data shows a consistent pattern: at every resolution, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is substantial, but the scaling from 1080p to 4K tells a more nuanced story about where the bottleneck shifts as pixel count rises.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 552 FPS at 1920x1080 to 371 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 212 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 61.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which indicates the GPU is doing progressively heavier lifting as resolution climbs. The pattern holds at High settings: 405 FPS at 1080p drops to 272 FPS at 1440p and then to 156 FPS at 4K — a 61.5% total decline. Medium settings show 467 FPS at 1080p, 314 FPS at 1440p, and 180 FPS at 4K, while Ultra drops from 326 FPS to 219 FPS to 125 FPS across the same resolution ladder.

What is striking is how linear the scaling appears. The 1440p numbers sit almost exactly halfway between 1080p and 4K for every preset, suggesting the RTX 4080's rendering pipeline scales predictably with pixel count. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU becomes a limiting factor — 552 FPS at Low settings is far beyond what most monitors can display, and the data implies the i5-14400F is keeping up admirably at that level. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint, as the 125 FPS at Ultra still represents a playable experience but the 212 FPS at Low shows the GPU has headroom when visual load is reduced.

The most telling comparison comes from looking at the ratio between Low and Ultra at each resolution. At 1080p, Low (552 FPS) is 69% faster than Ultra (326 FPS). At 1440p, the gap widens slightly: Low (371 FPS) is 69% ahead of Ultra (219 FPS). At 4K, the gap narrows to 70% (212 vs 125 FPS). This consistency suggests that the RTX 4080's compute resources are being utilized proportionally across all settings, with no single resolution revealing an unexpected bottleneck.

For players targeting 60 FPS, even 4K Ultra delivers more than double that threshold. For 120 Hz displays, 4K High (156 FPS) and 4K Medium (180 FPS) both qualify, while 1440p Ultra (219 FPS) exceeds 200 FPS for high-refresh monitors. The data indicates that resolution scaling here is primarily a GPU workload question, with the CPU showing no signs of becoming a constraint until frame rates approach the 500+ FPS territory seen at 1080p Low.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080's specifications explain much of its behavior in Red Dead Redemption 2. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the card provides 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth — a figure that becomes relevant at 4K where texture streaming and geometry data demand substantial throughput. The 45.9 billion transistors on TSMC's 5 nm process, packed into a 379 mm² die, deliver 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. These numbers place the GPU in the 86th percentile of all tested graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 54,247.

The card's nearest rival in the database is the RTX 4080 SUPER, which scores 54,209 — a delta of just 0.1%, effectively identical. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X trails by 1.1%, while the Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and Radeon 8060S are 2.6% and 2.7% behind respectively. This clustering shows the RTX 4080 sits at the very top of the GPU hierarchy, and the measured FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2 reflects that positioning.

The boost clock of 2505 MHz, combined with 9,728 shading units and 304 texture mapping units, allows the card to maintain high frame rates even at 4K Ultra. The 112 ROPs handle pixel output at a rate of 280.6 GPixel/s, which is crucial for the game's detailed environments. The 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores provide additional compute for ray-traced effects, though the measured FPS data does not specify whether ray tracing was enabled in these runs.

The memory configuration deserves particular attention. At 1080p, 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient, and the 552 FPS at Low settings suggests the GPU is nowhere near memory-limited. At 4K Ultra, the 125 FPS average indicates the card is being pushed closer to its limits, but the 716.8 GB/s bandwidth still allows smooth performance. The 22.4 Gbps effective memory speed is among the fastest in the database, which helps explain why the card maintains such high frame rates even when resolution demands more data per frame.

The GPU's 320 W TDP and triple-slot design suggest a high-power component, but the measured results show that power translates directly into performance here. The card's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, combined with its #1 combo ranking, indicates that Red Dead Redemption 2 is a title that rewards the RTX 4080's strengths.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a 215 mm² die. Its 2.50 GHz base clock boosts to 4.70 GHz, and the 20 MB shared L3 cache provides ample capacity for game data. The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 32,279, places it in the upper tier of gaming CPUs, though not at the very top.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-14400F scores 21,645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,055 in single-core. Geekbench results show 11,268 multi-core and 2,058 single-core. These scores indicate strong multi-threaded performance, which matters for Red Dead Redemption 2's open-world simulation. The PassMark multithread score of 25,470 and single-thread score of 3,701 further confirm the CPU's capability.

The nearest rivals in the database reveal a tight cluster. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U scores 32,233 (0.1% ahead), the Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32,226 (0.2% ahead), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32,354 (0.2% behind). The Intel Core i7-12800H comes in at 32,121 (0.5% ahead). This grouping shows the i5-14400F is competitive with a range of mobile and desktop parts, though none of these rivals are direct desktop gaming peers.

In the gaming context, the CPU's role becomes evident at 1080p where frame rates exceed 400 FPS. At 1920x1080 Low, the 552 FPS average suggests the i5-14400F is providing enough single-thread performance to feed the RTX 4080 effectively. The 4.70 GHz boost clock is critical here, as the game's main thread likely benefits from high clock speeds. The 10 cores and 16 threads handle the background simulation tasks, physics, and AI that Red Dead Redemption 2 generates across its vast world.

The 65 W TDP is modest for a desktop chip, but the performance data shows no thermal throttling issues. The CPU's launch MSRP of $196 positions it as a mid-range part, yet its gaming performance in this title is top-tier. The data suggests that at 1440p and 4K, the CPU is not the limiting factor — the GPU dominates the workload. Only at 1080p Low, where the GPU can render frames faster than 500 FPS, does the CPU potentially become a consideration.

The 16 threads are particularly relevant for Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known to use multiple cores for streaming and NPC logic. The 20 MB L3 cache helps maintain data locality, reducing memory latency for frequently accessed game data. The dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support gives users flexibility, though the measured results do not specify which memory type was used.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on display refresh rate and resolution preferences. At 4K, Ultra settings deliver 125 FPS average, which exceeds 120 Hz displays but falls short of 144 Hz panels. For 4K 120 Hz owners, Ultra is the recommended choice, as it provides the best visual quality while maintaining sufficient frame rates. Players with 144 Hz 4K displays should consider High settings, which deliver 156 FPS — comfortably above the refresh threshold while sacrificing some visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the situation is more flexible. Ultra settings average 219 FPS, which satisfies 144 Hz and 165 Hz displays, and even approaches 240 Hz territory. High settings at 272 FPS would suit 240 Hz monitors, while Medium at 314 FPS and Low at 371 FPS are options for competitive play or maximum frame rates. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 267, providing a stable experience for high-refresh displays.

For 1080p, all settings exceed 300 FPS, with Low reaching 552 FPS. Even Ultra at 326 FPS is well above any consumer display's refresh rate. The Medium preset's minimum of 397 FPS ensures consistent frame pacing. At this resolution, the choice between settings becomes purely visual — players can max out Ultra without worrying about frame rate drops, as the 326 FPS average provides enormous headroom.

The Medium preset deserves special attention. At every resolution, it delivers the widest documented FPS range (153-207 at 4K, 267-361 at 1440p, 397-537 at 1080p), suggesting it represents a balanced point where the GPU is neither overworked nor underutilized. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium settings, which may indicate that this preset provides the most consistent performance profile across all resolutions.

For players prioritizing visual quality with high refresh rates, the data suggests High settings at 4K (156 FPS) or Ultra at 1440p (219 FPS) offer the best balance. For maximum frame rates, Low at 1080p (552 FPS) is the clear winner, though such high FPS is unnecessary for most displays.

How This Combo Ranks

This CPU-GPU combination ranks #1 out of 3,714 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it at the absolute top of the database. This top ranking is notable given that the CPU sits in the 83rd percentile of all processors and the GPU in the 86th percentile of all graphics cards — neither component is the absolute fastest available, yet their combination produces the best measured result in this title.

The data implies that Red Dead Redemption 2 rewards balanced systems where the GPU has enough CPU support to reach its full potential. The RTX 4080's 86th percentile ranking means there are faster GPUs in the database, but none paired with a CPU that enables higher frame rates in this game. Similarly, the i5-14400F's 83rd percentile means faster CPUs exist, but the RTX 4080 paired with them does not achieve better results.

The gap between this combo and the rest of the field is not quantified in the data beyond the rank itself, but the #1 position out of 3,714 combinations suggests a significant performance lead. For context, the GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% faster in average benchmark scores, yet this combo still claims the top spot. This may indicate that the i5-14400F's characteristics — its 4.70 GHz boost clock and 20 MB L3 cache — are particularly well-suited to Red Dead Redemption 2's rendering pipeline.

The combo rank also suggests that players seeking the best possible experience in this game should your best option is this pairing. The measured FPS data supports this: even at 4K Ultra, the 125 FPS average far exceeds the 60 FPS standard, and at 1440p Ultra, the 219 FPS average exceeds most high-refresh displays' capabilities.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K 120 FPS?

A: Yes, at 4K High settings the average FPS is 156, and at 4K Medium it is 180. Even at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 125, which exceeds 120 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum FPS of 153 at 4K, ensuring consistent performance above 120 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 deliver 219 FPS average, which supports 144 Hz and 165 Hz displays. For 240 Hz monitors, High settings at 272 FPS are recommended. The Medium preset at 314 FPS provides even more headroom with a minimum FPS of 267.

Q: How much faster is this combo compared to the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54,209, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080's 54,247. This places them effectively at parity, though this specific combo still ranks #1 out of 3,714 tested combinations.

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

A: At 1920x1080 Low settings, the average FPS reaches 552, which is extremely high. This suggests the CPU may be approaching its limit, as the RTX 4080 is capable of even higher frame rates at this resolution. The i5-14400F's 4.70 GHz boost clock helps maintain these frame rates.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 125. This is well above the 60 FPS standard and suitable for 120 Hz displays. The minimum FPS is not documented for Ultra settings, but the average suggests stable performance.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM on the RTX 4080 matter for this game?

A: The 16 GB GDDR6X memory with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth provides ample capacity for Red Dead Redemption 2 at all resolutions. At 4K Ultra, the game's detailed textures and large open world benefit from the high memory bandwidth, though the measured FPS data does not indicate any VRAM-related limitations.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 552 FPS average, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings deliver 467 FPS with a minimum of 397 and maximum of 537. High settings reach 405 FPS, while Ultra drops to 326 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear progression: each step up in settings reduces frame rate by roughly 50-85 FPS, with the largest gap between Low and Medium (85 FPS).

At 2560x1440, Low settings produce 371 FPS, Medium delivers 314 FPS with a minimum of 267 and maximum of 361, High reaches 272 FPS, and Ultra drops to 219 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1440p shows a total reduction of 152 FPS, or 41%. This is slightly steeper than the 1080p scaling, where the total drop from Low to Ultra is 226 FPS, or 41%.

At 3840x2160, the results compress further: Low delivers 212 FPS, Medium reaches 180 FPS with a minimum of 153 and maximum of 207, High achieves 156 FPS, and Ultra drops to 125 FPS. The total reduction from Low to Ultra at 4K is 87 FPS, or 41%. The consistent 41% reduction from Low to Ultra across all resolutions indicates that the settings presets have a uniform impact on GPU workload.

The Medium preset is the only one with documented minimum and maximum FPS values at all resolutions. At 4K Medium, the range is 153-207 (54 FPS spread), at 1440p Medium it is 267-361 (94 FPS spread), and at 1080p Medium it is 397-537 (140 FPS spread). The widening range at lower resolutions suggests that CPU variability becomes more apparent as frame rates increase, though the average FPS remains remarkably stable across all settings.