Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 delivers a dominant 1080p experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with performance scaling predictably as resolution increases. The data shows this combination ranks 220th out of 3714 tested configurations, placing it in the top 6% of all measured setups for this title. The processor, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, provides ample headroom for the game's simulation and AI workloads, while the GPU becomes the definitive bottleneck only at 4K Ultra settings.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a Raptor Lake Refresh part built on Intel's 10 nm process, featuring 10 physical cores and 16 threads. Its base clock of 2.50 GHz boosts up to 4.70 GHz, and the processor carries 20 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 21,645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,055 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 25,470. These figures place the CPU in the 83rd percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 32,279.

The nearest rivals in raw CPU compute are tightly clustered: 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 Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32,121 (0.5% behind). The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS trails at 32,354, which is 0.2% behind the i5-14400F. These margins are negligible in gaming contexts, but the i5-14400F's 4.70 GHz boost clock and 10-core layout are well-suited to Red Dead Redemption 2's engine, which benefits from strong single-thread performance for scene traversal and multi-thread scaling for NPC populations and physics.

At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 201 FPS, which confirms the CPU is not a limiting factor at lower graphical loads. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p drops the average from 201 to 151 FPS (a 25% reduction), while the CPU's role remains secondary to the GPU's rendering workload. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average sits at 90 FPS, indicating that the i5-14400F can feed the RTX 5080 sufficiently at every preset. The processor's PassMark physics score of 1,523 and data compression score of 315,521 suggest it handles the game's background simulation tasks without introducing stutter, which is corroborated by the measured minimum frame rates at Medium settings: 128 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For a 60 FPS target at 4K, the High preset is the only viable option, delivering 62 FPS average. The Ultra preset at 4K falls to 45 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth play, while Medium at 4K provides 74 FPS but with a minimum of 63 FPS, indicating occasional dips that could be noticeable. Low at 4K reaches 99 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial for a game known for its detailed environments.

At 1440p, the High preset offers the best balance: 94 FPS average with no recorded minimum below 60 FPS. Medium at 1440p yields 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh monitors, but High adds visual fidelity at a cost of only 18 FPS. Ultra at 1440p drops to 67 FPS, which is still playable but sacrifices the headroom needed for busy scenes. Low at 1440p hits 150 FPS, but this preset should be reserved for competitive play or extreme refresh-rate displays.

At 1080p, the data shows that High is the sweet spot: 126 FPS average, which exceeds the refresh rate of most standard monitors and leaves room for GPU headroom. Medium at 1080p provides 151 FPS, but the jump to High only costs 25 FPS while adding significant visual improvements. Ultra at 1080p comes in at 90 FPS, which is a 29% drop from High and not worth the graphical gains for most users. Low at 1080p achieves 201 FPS, which is only relevant for 240 Hz displays or esports-style play.

The recommendation across all resolutions is clear: High preset delivers the best experience per measured performance. It maintains 60+ FPS at 4K, 90+ FPS at 1440p, and 120+ FPS at 1080p, all while providing the visual quality that Red Dead Redemption 2's world deserves. Ultra is only suitable for 1080p where the 90 FPS average remains playable, but the diminishing returns are evident.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured data reveals a consistent scaling pattern across all settings when moving from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 201 at 1080p to 150 at 1440p (a 25% reduction) and then to 99 at 4K (a 34% further reduction from 1440p). This steep decline indicates that even at Low, the RTX 5080 is becoming the primary constraint as pixel count increases.

At Medium settings, the trajectory is similar: 151 FPS at 1080p, 112 FPS at 1440p (26% drop), and 74 FPS at 4K (34% drop from 1440p). The minimum frame rates also scale proportionally, from 128 at 1080p to 95 at 1440p and 63 at 4K. This 50% reduction in minimum FPS from 1080p to 4K suggests that the GPU's rendering load is the dominant factor, as the CPU maintains its output across all resolutions.

The High preset shows the most linear scaling: 126 FPS at 1080p, 94 FPS at 1440p (25% drop), and 62 FPS at 4K (34% drop from 1440p). The percentage drops are remarkably consistent, which points to a GPU-bound scenario at every step. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would plateau or show smaller declines at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings exhibit the largest absolute drop: 90 FPS at 1080p, 67 FPS at 1440p (26% drop), and 45 FPS at 4K (33% drop from 1440p). The 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS is the only configuration that falls below 60 FPS, and the 50% reduction from 1080p Ultra confirms that the RTX 5080's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth are being fully utilized. The consistent 25-26% drop from 1080p to 1440p and 33-34% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings is a textbook GPU-bound scaling pattern, indicating the i5-14400F introduces no measurable CPU limitation in this game.

FAQ

Q: Can the Intel Core i5-14400F handle Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K with the RTX 5080?

A: Yes. At 4K High settings, the combo achieves 62 FPS average, and at 4K Medium it reaches 74 FPS. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads provide sufficient processing power, as evidenced by the consistent FPS scaling that shows GPU-bound behavior at all resolutions.

Q: What is the best setting for a 60 FPS target at 1440p?

A: Ultra at 1440p delivers 67 FPS average, which exceeds 60 FPS, but High at 1440p provides 94 FPS with better frame pacing. If you prioritize visual quality, Ultra is playable; for consistent performance, High is the recommended preset.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 perform against its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5080 has an average benchmark score of 56,083, which places it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757) and 0.7% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698), but 2.2% behind the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (57,367).

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable with this combination?

A: At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 45, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 4K provides 62 FPS, making it the highest playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p on High settings?

A: The measured average is 126 FPS at 1080p High. This provides excellent headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors and ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes.

Q: Does the 16 GB VRAM of the RTX 5080 cause any limitations in this game?

A: The data suggests no VRAM-related bottlenecks. The GPU's 16 GB GDDR7 memory with 960.0 GB/s bandwidth supports 4K Medium at 74 FPS and 4K High at 62 FPS, indicating the memory capacity is sufficient for the game's highest settings.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 45,600 million transistors on a 378 mm² die. Its base clock runs at 2295 MHz with a boost clock of 2617 MHz, and the card operates with a 360 W TDP. The GPU's memory subsystem consists of 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, delivering 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. With 10,752 shading units and 112 ROPs, the RTX 5080 is designed for high-throughput rendering, which is reflected in its PassMark G3D score of 36,565.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark performance shows an average score of 56,083, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are closely matched: the AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757 (0.6% behind), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698 (0.7% behind), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828 (2.3% behind). The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE leads by 2.2% with a score of 57,367. These margins indicate that the RTX 5080 is competitively positioned, though not at the absolute top of the GPU hierarchy.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution rises. At 1080p Low, the CPU could theoretically push higher frame rates, but the RTX 5080's rendering capabilities cap the experience at 201 FPS. The GPU's 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and 879.3 GTexel/s texture rate handle the game's detailed environments and character models efficiently. The 4K results — 99 FPS at Low, 74 FPS at Medium, 62 FPS at High, and 45 FPS at Ultra — demonstrate that the card's performance scales predictably with graphical fidelity, with the 16 GB VRAM proving adequate even at 4K Ultra where the game's assets are most demanding.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080:

• Low: 201 FPS average
• Medium: 151 FPS average, 128 FPS minimum, 173 FPS maximum
• High: 126 FPS average
• Ultra: 90 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 150 FPS average
• Medium: 112 FPS average, 95 FPS minimum, 129 FPS maximum
• High: 94 FPS average
• Ultra: 67 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 99 FPS average
• Medium: 74 FPS average, 63 FPS minimum, 85 FPS maximum
• High: 62 FPS average
• Ultra: 45 FPS average

The data shows that the RTX 5080 maintains over 60 FPS at 4K for Low, Medium, and High presets, with only Ultra falling below this threshold. At 1440p, all presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra reaching 67 FPS. At 1080p, even Ultra achieves 90 FPS, making this resolution entirely GPU-bound at all settings. The minimum frame rates recorded at Medium settings — 128 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K — indicate that frame pacing remains consistent even in demanding scenarios, with the 4K minimum being the only value that approaches the 60 FPS threshold. The maximum frame rates at Medium (173 FPS at 1080p, 129 FPS at 1440p, 85 FPS at 4K) show that the combo has headroom to handle less demanding scenes without hitting artificial caps.