Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a playable but heavily resolution-dependent experience in Red Dead Redemption 2. At 1080p, the combination is strong, but the data shows a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, with 4K Ultra falling below playable thresholds. The system's overall rank of 2013 out of 3714 tested combinations places it in the 54th percentile, indicating a mid-pack performer that excels at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain frame rates at higher fidelity settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and dramatic scaling curve across the three tested resolutions. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces 69 FPS, which drops to 51 FPS at 1440p and further to 34 FPS at 4K. This represents a 26% performance loss from 1080p to 1440p, and an additional 33% loss from 1440p to 4K. The trend is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that resolution is the dominant factor in this game's performance profile.

The scaling behavior points directly to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The RTX 4060's 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become increasingly strained as pixel count rises. At 1080p Low, the system achieves a comfortable 110 FPS, but this drops to 54 FPS at 4K Low—a 51% reduction. This proportionally larger drop at lower settings suggests that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth limitations, rather than CPU constraints, are the limiting factor when resolution increases.

Interestingly, the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (110 FPS) and Ultra (49 FPS) is 61 FPS. At 4K, that gap narrows to 30 FPS (54 FPS Low vs 24 FPS Ultra), but the absolute numbers become critically low. This compression of the settings range at 4K indicates that the GPU is saturated regardless of visual complexity, and the frame rate is primarily dictated by raw resolution rather than scene complexity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is the decisive component in this pairing, and its specifications explain the observed behavior. With a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, the card has sufficient raw speed for 1080p gaming, but its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The card's 3072 shading units and 48 ROPs are adequate for medium settings, but the memory subsystem is the clear constraint.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its performance tier. With a Passmark G3D score of 19545 and a percentile ranking of 61 against all GPUs, the RTX 4060 sits in the upper-mid range. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon 780M (deltaPct 0.3), and AMD Radeon Pro 560 (deltaPct 0.5), showing that the 4060 is statistically similar to these older or integrated solutions in synthetic tests. However, the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2302 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 48643 indicate modern API efficiency that older cards lack.

The 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores suggest ray tracing capability, but in Red Dead Redemption 2, the data shows that even without ray tracing enabled, the GPU struggles at 4K. The measured FPS at 4K Medium (41 FPS) and 4K High (34 FPS) demonstrates that the card's 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is insufficient for high-resolution gaming in this title. The 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate and 236.2 GTexel/s texture rate are respectable on paper, but the 8 GB VRAM capacity likely causes texture swapping at Ultra settings, contributing to the 24 FPS result at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K provides ample processing headroom, and the data confirms that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. With 14 cores (6 performance and 8 efficiency) and 20 threads, the processor has the parallel capability to feed the GPU at all tested settings. The base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensure strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for game logic and draw call submission.

The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate its capability. A Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and single-core score of 2064 place it in the 90th percentile against all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (deltaPct -0.2), AMD EPYC 4345P (deltaPct 0.3), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (deltaPct 0.7), showing that it trades blows with server and newer mobile parts. The Passmark multithread score of 38682 and single-thread score of 4270 further confirm balanced performance.

The evidence that the CPU is not limiting comes from the resolution scaling pattern. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 110 FPS, but this does not scale linearly with CPU performance. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect similar FPS across all resolutions at the same settings. Instead, the data shows a consistent drop with each resolution increase, which is the signature of GPU limitation. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support provide sufficient bandwidth for the GPU's demands.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 60 FPS gameplay, the system can achieve this at 1080p with Medium settings (82 FPS) or High settings (69 FPS). At 1440p, only Low settings (82 FPS) reach the 60 FPS threshold, while Medium (61 FPS) just barely meets it. At 4K, no settings preset achieves 60 FPS, and even Low (54 FPS) falls short.

For 30 FPS gameplay, which is often acceptable for story-driven titles, the system has more flexibility. At 4K, Medium settings (41 FPS) and High settings (34 FPS) both exceed 30 FPS, while Ultra (24 FPS) falls below. At 1440p, all settings except Ultra (37 FPS) exceed 30 FPS comfortably. The 1080p results show that even Ultra (49 FPS) maintains above 30 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for maximum visual fidelity.

The Medium preset deserves special attention as it is the only settings level that provides min FPS data across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the system delivers 82 FPS average with a 70 FPS minimum and 95 FPS maximum, showing consistent frame pacing. At 1440p Medium, the 61 FPS average with a 52 FPS minimum indicates occasional dips but generally smooth gameplay. At 4K Medium, the 41 FPS average with a 35 FPS minimum and 47 FPS maximum shows playable performance with noticeable fluctuations.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Red Dead Redemption 2 at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p. The data shows 69 FPS at High settings and 82 FPS at Medium settings at 1920x1080. At 1440p, only Low settings (82 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium (61 FPS) barely meets it. At 4K, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution offers the most balanced experience. All settings presets at 1080p exceed 49 FPS, with Low (110 FPS), Medium (82 FPS), and High (69 FPS) all providing smooth gameplay. Higher resolutions require significant settings compromises, with 4K capped at 54 FPS even on Low.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting component. The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases across all settings presets, which is the classic signature of GPU saturation. The i5-14600K's strong benchmark scores, including a 90th percentile CPU ranking, indicate it has ample headroom.

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

A: The RTX 4060's Passmark G3D score of 19545 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon 780M (deltaPct 0.3), and AMD Radeon Pro 560 (deltaPct 0.5). This places it in a tight performance band where small differences determine ranking.

Q: What settings should I use for 1440p gaming?

A: Medium settings (61 FPS) provide the best balance of visual quality and performance at 1440p. Low settings (82 FPS) offer smoother gameplay but reduced visual fidelity. High (51 FPS) and Ultra (37 FPS) both fall below 60 FPS, making them less ideal for competitive or fast-paced play.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this system?

A: 4K gaming is only viable at Low (54 FPS) or Medium (41 FPS) settings. High (34 FPS) and Ultra (24 FPS) fall below the 30 FPS threshold that most players consider acceptable. The 4K Medium preset with a 35 FPS minimum shows that frame drops can be significant.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern across all settings and resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 110 FPS on Low, 82 FPS on Medium (with 70 FPS minimum and 95 FPS maximum), 69 FPS on High, and 49 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p results show 82 FPS on Low, 61 FPS on Medium (with 52 FPS minimum and 71 FPS maximum), 51 FPS on High, and 37 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the numbers drop to 54 FPS on Low, 41 FPS on Medium (with 35 FPS minimum and 47 FPS maximum), 34 FPS on High, and 24 FPS on Ultra.

The Medium preset is notable for being the only settings level with complete min/max data across all resolutions. This suggests it is the most commonly tested configuration and provides the most representative performance picture. At 1080p Medium, the 70 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay without major hitches. At 1440p Medium, the 52 FPS minimum indicates occasional drops below 60 FPS but generally consistent performance. At 4K Medium, the 35 FPS minimum and 47 FPS maximum show a 12 FPS variance, which could be noticeable during intense scenes.

The performance delta between Low and Ultra settings varies by resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 61 FPS (110 vs 49), representing a 55% performance cost for maximum visual quality. At 1440p, the delta narrows to 45 FPS (82 vs 37), a 55% cost. At 4K, the delta shrinks to 30 FPS (54 vs 24), also a 55% cost. This consistent 55% penalty for Ultra settings across all resolutions indicates that the RTX 4060 scales predictably with visual complexity, regardless of resolution.

The data also reveals diminishing returns at higher settings. Moving from Low to Medium costs 28 FPS at 1080p (110 to 82), but only 21 FPS at 1440p (82 to 61) and 13 FPS at 4K (54 to 41). Similarly, Medium to High costs 13 FPS at 1080p (82 to 69), 10 FPS at 1440p (61 to 51), and 7 FPS at 4K (41 to 34). The smallest differences occur between High and Ultra, with 20 FPS at 1080p (69 to 49), 14 FPS at 1440p (51 to 37), and 10 FPS at 4K (34 to 24). This pattern suggests that the GPU's limitations become more pronounced as resolution increases, with each settings tier having a smaller absolute impact on frame rate.