Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2: Intel Core i5-14600K + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070

This pairing of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 lands at rank 414 out of 1,687 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top quarter of all configurations. The data shows a system that delivers smooth 60+ FPS at 1080p and 1440p across most settings, but struggles to maintain playable framerates at 4K Ultra. The combination of a 14-core CPU with a 12 GB GPU creates an interesting balance—the processor is rarely the bottleneck, while the graphics card dictates the upper limits of visual fidelity.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 414 out of 1,687 tested configurations places this system in the 75th percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings tested for Red Dead Redemption 2. This is not a top-tier enthusiast setup, but it sits comfortably above the median, indicating a well-matched pairing for high-refresh-rate gaming at mainstream resolutions. The RTX 4070 itself holds the 81st percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-14600K ranks in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs—the processor is clearly the stronger component relative to its peers.

Looking at the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 4070's average benchmark score of 37,283 is within 0.6% of the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507), and 1.9% below the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38,008). The RTX 4080 Mobile sits 2.2% higher at 38,135, while the AMD Radeon RX 5300M trails by 2.5% at 36,371. These tight margins suggest the RTX 4070 is positioned in a crowded performance band, yet the measured FPS in this game shows it pulling well ahead of what those rival scores might imply—the game clearly favors this GPU's architecture.

For the CPU, the i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 49,166 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49,062, +0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49,367, -0.4% delta). This places the processor in a performance tier where small percentage differences separate competitors, meaning the gaming experience is unlikely to vary meaningfully based on CPU choice alone.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K brings 14 cores and 20 threads to the table, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosting up to 5.30 GHz. This Raptor Lake-R architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a 24 MB shared L3 cache and per-core L2 caches of 2 MB. For Red Dead Redemption 2, a game that scales well with multi-threaded performance, the 20 threads provide ample headroom for background tasks and game logic without creating a bottleneck.

The CPU's benchmark results reinforce its capability: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,881 and single-core score of 4,642, with Geekbench multi-core at 15,846 and single-core at 2,803. The PassMark multithread score of 38,682 and single-thread score of 4,270 indicate strong performance across both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. In Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for its CPU-intensive open-world simulation, these scores suggest the i5-14600K can feed the RTX 4070 with sufficient data to avoid frame drops in crowded scenes.

The processor's 125 W TDP and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory give it flexibility, but the measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 149.7 FPS—suggesting the CPU can push well beyond 150 FPS when the GPU is not the limiting factor. The 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms this is a high-end part, though not the absolute fastest available.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm TSMC process, provides 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1920 MHz and boosts to 2475 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The 5,888 shading units and 64 ROPs handle rasterization, while 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores provide ray tracing and AI acceleration capabilities.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the 12 GB VRAM is a critical asset—the game's high-resolution textures and open-world streaming can easily consume 8 GB or more at higher settings. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 26,927 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3,854 indicate solid DirectX 12 performance, which aligns with the game's requirements. The 81st percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the upper echelon, though not at the very top.

The measured FPS data reveals the GPU's performance ceiling: at 1080p Low, the combo hits 149.7 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 31.2 FPS. This dramatic scaling shows that the RTX 4070 is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but 4K Ultra exceeds its comfortable envelope. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s and FP32 performance of 29.15 TFLOPS are substantial, yet the game's demanding Ultra preset at 4K pushes the GPU to its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data across three resolutions and four settings presets paints a clear picture of this combo's capabilities. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 149.7 FPS on Low, 115.0 FPS on Medium, 94.0 FPS on High, and 69.6 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show that 1080p is comfortably handled at all settings, with even Ultra maintaining near-70 FPS for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales predictably: Low delivers 113.5 FPS, Medium 84.6 FPS, High 73.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 53.2 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that High settings are the sweet spot for maintaining 60+ FPS, while Ultra falls just below that threshold. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is relatively gentle, suggesting the GPU has enough headroom at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings yield 74.3 FPS, Medium 56.3 FPS, High 49.4 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 31.2 FPS. The 4K results show that only Low settings maintain a solid 60+ FPS experience, while Medium and High hover near playable territory, and Ultra is effectively unplayable for smooth gaming. The scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a 79% drop in FPS at Ultra settings, indicating that the GPU, not the CPU, is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings including Ultra (69.6 FPS) exceed 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, only Low (113.5 FPS), Medium (84.6 FPS), and High (73.4 FPS) meet the 60 FPS threshold, while Ultra (53.2 FPS) falls short. At 3840x2160, only Low (74.3 FPS) maintains 60+ FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The i5-14600K's average benchmark score of 49,166 is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (49,062) and 0.4% lower than the Intel Core i5-14600KF (49,367). The differences are negligible for gaming purposes.

Q: What is the GPU's VRAM capacity and how does it affect this game?

A: The RTX 4070 has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus. This capacity is sufficient for Red Dead Redemption 2 at 1080p and 1440p across all settings, but at 4K Ultra the game's memory demands likely contribute to the low 31.2 FPS result.

Q: Which settings preset provides the smoothest 4K experience?

A: At 3840x2160, Low settings deliver 74.3 FPS, which is the only preset above 60 FPS. Medium (56.3 FPS) and High (49.4 FPS) are playable but not consistently smooth, while Ultra (31.2 FPS) is not recommended.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its rivals?

A: The RTX 4070's average score of 37,283 is 0.6% below the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37,507), 1.9% below the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38,008), 2.2% below the RTX 4080 Mobile (38,135), and 2.5% above the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36,371).

Q: Is this combo more CPU-limited or GPU-limited?

A: The data indicates GPU limitation at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 149.7 FPS, showing CPU headroom. At 4K Ultra, FPS drops to 31.2, a 79% reduction, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and smooth performance, High settings at 2560x1440 (73.4 FPS) provide the optimal experience. This preset delivers near-Ultra visuals while maintaining a comfortable framerate above 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra settings (69.6 FPS) are viable for players who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over higher refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the choice is more constrained. Low settings (74.3 FPS) offer a smooth experience but sacrifice significant visual quality. Medium (56.3 FPS) and High (49.4 FPS) are playable for gamers who tolerate sub-60 FPS, but these are not ideal for competitive play. Ultra (31.2 FPS) is only suitable for screenshots or non-interactive viewing.

The data suggests that 1440p High is the "best experience" in terms of the ratio of visual fidelity to playability. It avoids the 1080p Ultra trade-off of lower resolution and the 4K compromises of reduced settings. For gamers with 120 Hz or higher refresh monitors, 1080p High (94 FPS) or Medium (115 FPS) would be better choices to leverage the display's capabilities.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across settings. At Low settings, performance falls from 149.7 FPS at 1080p to 113.5 FPS at 1440p (a 24% drop) and then to 74.3 FPS at 4K (a 50% drop from 1440p). At High settings, the progression is 94.0 → 73.4 → 49.4 FPS, representing a 47% total reduction from 1080p to 4K. The most dramatic scaling occurs at Ultra, where FPS drops from 69.6 at 1080p to 53.2 at 1440p to 31.2 at 4K—a total reduction of 55%.

This scaling pattern indicates the GPU is the primary limiting factor. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would show less variation across resolutions, as the same CPU workload would be present regardless of pixel count. The consistent degradation with increasing resolution points squarely at the RTX 4070's fill rate and memory bandwidth being insufficient for 4K Ultra demands.

The 1080p to 1440p transition is relatively mild, suggesting the GPU still has spare capacity at these resolutions. However, the 1440p to 4K jump is severe, especially at Ultra settings. This indicates that the 12 GB VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for 1440p but become strained at 4K with maximum settings. Players targeting 4K should accept Low settings or consider a higher-tier GPU, while 1440p users can enjoy High settings without compromise.