Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 delivers a playable but heavily settings-dependent experience in Red Dead Redemption 2. The data shows this combo ranks 847th out of 1687 tested configurations, placing it in the middle of the pack. While the CPU provides ample headroom, the GPU’s 8 GB VRAM and mid-range compute performance become the primary constraint at higher resolutions and quality presets, making preset selection critical for maintaining smooth frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gameplay?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 118.3 FPS, while Medium drops to 86.8 FPS and High to 71 FPS. Ultra falls to 49.9 FPS. For the smoothest experience, Low is best, but Medium offers a strong balance of visual quality and performance.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 27.9 on Ultra to 60 on Low. High settings produce only 33.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. 4K is only viable on the Low preset.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i5-14400F has an average benchmark score of 32508, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs. It performs nearly identically to the Intel Core i7-12800H, with a 0% delta, and is only 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645.

Q: What is the GPU’s standing among all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 5060 scores an average of 30109 in benchmarks, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival is the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, with a 0% performance delta, and it is 0.2% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 570.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for frame rate drops at higher settings?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. At 1440p, the average FPS drops from 86.4 on Low to 51.9 on High, a 40% reduction driven by increased GPU load. The CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads are sufficient to avoid bottlenecking at these settings.

Q: What is the expected performance at 1440p on High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 51.9 at 2560x1440 with High settings. This is playable but not ideal for competitive or high-refresh-rate displays. Dropping to Medium increases the average to 65.8 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and frame rate for this configuration. For the best overall experience, the Medium preset is the recommended starting point. At 1080p, Medium delivers 86.8 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS target and provides a significant visual upgrade over Low. At 1440p, Medium yields 65.8 FPS, maintaining smooth gameplay. High settings at 1440p drop to 51.9 FPS, which may be acceptable for slower-paced exploration but falls short for action sequences.

For users prioritizing maximum smoothness, the Low preset is the only option that consistently breaks 60 FPS at 4K, achieving exactly 60 FPS. However, this comes at a substantial visual cost. Ultra settings are not recommended at any resolution, as the average FPS falls to 49.9 at 1080p and 27.9 at 4K, making the game feel sluggish. The data suggests that Medium provides the best balance, offering a 45% FPS increase over High at 1440p while retaining most graphical features. At 1080p, users with high-refresh-rate monitors should consider Low to approach the 118.3 FPS mark.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the dominant component in determining frame rates for this game. Its 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a constraint at 4K Ultra where the average FPS drops to 27.9. The GPU’s boost clock of 2497 MHz helps maintain performance, but the 48 ROPs and 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are modest for a modern title like Red Dead Redemption 2.

Benchmark results show the RTX 5060 sits in the 73rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 30109. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, performs identically with a 0% delta, while the Radeon RX 570 is 0.2% slower. The GPU’s 8 GB VRAM is the likely cause of the steep performance drop from Medium to High at 4K, where the average FPS falls from 45 to 33.5. This indicates that texture and geometry data exceed the available memory, forcing the system to swap data and reducing frame rates. For this game, the RTX 5060 is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p with Medium settings, where its memory bandwidth and compute power are sufficient to maintain playable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 1687 tested CPU and GPU combinations in this database, the Core i5-14400F and RTX 5060 pair ranks 847th. This middle-tier placement reflects the balanced but not exceptional performance of both components. The CPU’s 88th percentile standing among all processors is stronger than the GPU’s 73rd percentile, suggesting the graphics card is the weaker link in this pairing.

The combo’s rank is consistent with its measured FPS data. At 1080p, it achieves 118.3 FPS on Low, which is competitive with higher-end systems, but the 49.9 FPS result on Ultra shows its limitations. The rank of 847 out of 1687 places this system in the second quartile, meaning roughly half of tested configurations are faster and half are slower. This is a reasonable expectation for a mid-range setup, and the data shows no unusual bottlenecks or performance anomalies. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as the Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 21914, indicate it is more than capable of feeding the GPU, so the rank is primarily determined by the RTX 5060’s performance ceiling.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F provides robust processing power for Red Dead Redemption 2, with 10 cores and 16 threads running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support ensure smooth data flow to the GPU. The CPU’s benchmark results are strong, including a Geekbench multi-core score of 11209 and a Passmark multithread score of 25783, placing it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs.

The data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor in this game. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 118.3 FPS, which is close to the CPU’s practical limit for frame generation. Even at 4K Low, the average FPS is 60, indicating the CPU can maintain frame pacing at lower resolutions. The CPU’s nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-12800H, performs identically with a 0% delta, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 is 0.2% slower. These results confirm that the i5-14400F has ample headroom for this game, and any performance shortfalls are attributable to the GPU. The CPU’s 65W TDP and efficient Raptor Lake architecture also mean it will not throttle under sustained load, ensuring consistent frame delivery across all tested settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average FPS scales from 118.3 on Low to 86.8 on Medium, 71 on High, and 49.9 on Ultra. The step from Low to Medium is a 26.6% reduction, while the step from High to Ultra is a 29.7% reduction. At 2560x1440, the averages are 86.4 on Low, 65.8 on Medium, 51.9 on High, and 38.8 on Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 23.8%, and from High to Ultra is 25.2%. At 3840x2160, the averages are 60 on Low, 45 on Medium, 33.5 on High, and 27.9 on Ultra. The reduction from Low to Medium is 25%, and from High to Ultra is 16.7%.

These numbers reveal a consistent pattern: the performance cost of each preset step is relatively uniform across resolutions, but the absolute frame rates at 4K are too low for comfortable gameplay except on Low. The 1080p Medium result of 86.8 FPS is the sweet spot, offering high frame rates with moderate visual quality. The 1440p Medium result of 65.8 FPS is also viable, though users with 144Hz displays will need to use Low to approach that refresh rate. The 4K Low result of 60 FPS is technically playable but sacrifices significant visual detail.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and predictable decline as resolution increases, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component. From 1080p to 1440p on High settings, the average FPS drops from 71 to 51.9, a 26.9% reduction. From 1440p to 4K on High, the average drops from 51.9 to 33.5, a 35.5% reduction. This accelerating decline is characteristic of a GPU that is running out of memory bandwidth and pixel fill rate at higher resolutions.

The scaling is less severe on Low settings. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average drops from 118.3 to 86.4, a 27% reduction. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, the average drops from 86.4 to 60, a 30.6% reduction. This indicates that at lower settings, the GPU is still the bottleneck, but the reduced texture and shading demands allow it to maintain a more linear scaling curve. The CPU’s role is minimal, as its performance is sufficient to feed the GPU at all resolutions and settings. The data suggests that users targeting 4K should stick to Low settings, while those at 1440p can use Medium for a balanced experience. The RTX 5060’s 8 GB VRAM is the primary constraint at 4K, as evidenced by the disproportionate FPS drop from Medium to High at that resolution.