Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 pairs a 10-core Intel Core i5-14400F with the 32 GB NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, producing a combination that ranks 2nd out of 1,687 tested combos in this game. The measured data spans three resolutions and four quality presets, and the pattern across those twelve data points reveals a system that behaves differently at 1080p than it does at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, but the magnitude of that drop tells a clear story about where the bottleneck sits. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 221 FPS at 1920x1080 to 169 FPS at 2560x1440, a decline of 52 FPS, and then to 107.9 FPS at 3840x2160, another 61 FPS drop. That is a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low, which is a large scaling penalty that points directly at the GPU being pushed harder as pixel count rises.

At High settings, the scaling is similar in percentage terms: 140 FPS at 1080p, 102.1 FPS at 1440p, and 69.6 FPS at 4K. The 4K figure is exactly half of the 1080p figure, reinforcing the idea that resolution is the dominant variable. Medium settings show the same shape: 167.4 FPS at 1080p, 124.1 FPS at 1440p, and 84.3 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings, the most demanding preset, drop from 102.6 FPS at 1080p to 74.7 FPS at 1440p and then to 48.5 FPS at 4K, a 53% loss from the lowest resolution tested.

The data implies that at 1080p, the RTX 5090 is not the limiting component — the i5-14400F's single-thread performance, which scores 3,093 in Cinebench R23, likely caps the frame rate before the GPU can fully stretch. At 4K, the GPU's 1.79 TB/s bandwidth and 32 GB of GDDR7 memory become the determining factors, and the frame rates settle into a range that tracks closely with the preset's workload. The fact that 4K Ultra produces just 48.5 FPS while 1080p Low produces 221 FPS shows a 4.6x delta, which is far more than the 4x pixel count difference, indicating that the Ultra preset also adds shading and memory pressure beyond mere resolution scaling.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 is the star here, and its specifications align with the measured results. With 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth gives the card headroom to handle Red Dead Redemption 2's large textures without stutter. The boost clock of 2407 MHz, up from a base of 2017 MHz, provides the raw throughput needed to push those 21,760 shading units, and the measured FPS numbers reflect that: even at 4K High, the card sustains 69.6 FPS, which is a playable average for a visually dense title.

The 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the kind of number that suggests the GPU is not the bottleneck at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 221 FPS average is likely constrained by the CPU's 2.50 GHz base clock and 4.70 GHz boost, not by the GPU's silicon. The GPU's 94th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,306, places it just 0.1% ahead of the RTX 5090 D and 1.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO W6600, but those rival comparisons are synthetic — in this game, the 5090's 176 ROPs and 680 TMUs handle the geometry and texture work without breaking a sweat.

The memory clock of 1750 MHz, translating to 28 Gbps effective, is the kind of specification that matters more at 4K, where the pixel fill rate of 423.6 GPixel/s gets exercised. The data shows that going from Medium to Ultra at 4K costs 35.8 FPS (84.3 down to 48.5), which is a 42% penalty — that is the GPU's shading units and ROPs working overtime, not a memory bandwidth limitation, since the 1.79 TB/s is more than sufficient for this game's demands.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2nd out of 1,687 tested combinations is an exceptional result, and it places this pairing just one step below the absolute best hardware config for Red Dead Redemption 2. The data indicates that the i5-14400F's 10 cores and 16 threads, running at a boost of up to 4.70 GHz, are enough to feed the RTX 5090 without creating a noticeable CPU-bound ceiling at 4K, where the GPU's workload dominates.

The CPU's own benchmark scores support this: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,914 and a single-core score of 3,093 put it in the 88th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 32,508. Its nearest rivals — the Intel Core i7-12800H, AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, AMD Ryzen 7 250, and Intel Core i7-13705H — all sit within 0.2% of its average score, which means the CPU is not a weak link. The 2nd place ranking out of 1,687 combos suggests that the 5090's raw power is being fully utilized, and the 4K High result of 69.6 FPS is a strong indicator that this combo can handle the game's most demanding visual settings without dipping below 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

For a 4K display, High settings at 69.6 FPS is the sweet spot. Ultra drops to 48.5 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players target, and the 21.1 FPS gain from Medium to High (84.3 to 69.6 is actually a loss, so the correct comparison is High vs Medium: 69.6 vs 84.3, meaning Medium is 14.7 FPS faster) — the data shows Medium at 84.3 FPS is the smoother option if frame rate matters more than visual fidelity.

At 1440p, High settings deliver 102.1 FPS, which is well above 60 FPS and close to the 144 Hz refresh rate many monitors use. Ultra at 1440p still hits 74.7 FPS, so that preset is viable for players who prioritize image quality. At 1080p, the choice is between Low at 221 FPS for competitive play or High at 140 FPS for a balance of visuals and speed; Ultra at 102.6 FPS is also playable, but the 38 FPS gap between High and Ultra (140 vs 102.6) is a steep price for marginal visual gains.

The overall recommendation is to use High settings at any resolution, as it provides the most consistent experience across the board: 140 FPS at 1080p, 102.1 FPS at 1440p, and 69.6 FPS at 4K.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p High as the best balance, hitting 102.1 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and close to 144 Hz. 4K High at 69.6 FPS is also viable, but 1080p High at 140 FPS leaves headroom on the table.

Q: Can this combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K with any settings?

A: Yes, the measured rows show 4K High at 69.6 FPS and 4K Medium at 84.3 FPS both exceed 60 FPS. 4K Ultra at 48.5 FPS does not, so High is the highest preset that stays above the threshold.

Q: How does the i5-14400F compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score of 32,508 is within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-12800H, AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645, AMD Ryzen 7 250, and Intel Core i7-13705H, meaning it performs essentially identically to those chips in synthetic tests.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: No, the data implies the CPU is the limiter at 1080p Low, where 221 FPS is achieved. The GPU's 94th percentile ranking and 104.8 TFLOPS compute suggest it has more headroom, but the CPU's single-core score of 3,093 in Cinebench R23 likely caps frame rates.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: The measured FPS goes from 169 FPS at Low to 74.7 FPS at Ultra, a difference of 94.3 FPS. This is a 56% reduction, showing a significant performance cost for the Ultra preset.

Q: How does the combo rank overall in this game?

A: It ranks 2nd out of 1,687 tested combos, placing it in the top 0.1% of all hardware pairings tested for Red Dead Redemption 2.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F brings 10 cores and 16 threads to the table, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are substantial, and the benchmark data shows a multi-core score of 21,914 in Cinebench R23, which is strong for a 65 W TDP part. The 88th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average score of 32,508, places it just 0.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 and 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 250, making it a mid-to-high tier processor in synthetic workloads.

In gaming, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU, and the measured FPS at 1080p Low (221 FPS) suggests the i5-14400F's single-thread performance — 3,093 in Cinebench R23 — is sufficient to drive the RTX 5090 to high frame rates. The 14th Gen architecture, based on Raptor Lake on a 10 nm process, provides a solid foundation, and the 16 threads handle background tasks without stealing cycles from the game's main thread. The data shows that at 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes, as the GPU becomes the bottleneck, but the fact that 4K High still hits 69.6 FPS indicates the CPU is not dragging down the system even at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured averages are: Low at 221 FPS, Medium at 167.4 FPS, High at 140 FPS, and Ultra at 102.6 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 118.4 FPS, which is a 54% reduction, showing that the Ultra preset's extra effects cost a significant amount of performance even at the lowest resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 169 FPS, Medium at 124.1 FPS, High at 102.1 FPS, and Ultra at 74.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows slightly to 94.3 FPS, and the High to Ultra drop of 27.4 FPS is the smallest of any resolution, suggesting the GPU handles the extra load more efficiently at this pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low at 107.9 FPS, Medium at 84.3 FPS, High at 69.6 FPS, and Ultra at 48.5 FPS. This is the only resolution where Ultra drops below 60 FPS, and the Low to Ultra spread of 59.4 FPS is the largest percentage drop at 55%. The progression from 1080p Low to 4K Ultra — 221 FPS down to 48.5 FPS — represents a 78% performance loss across the full range of settings and resolutions, which quantifies the combined cost of resolution and visual fidelity.