Red Dead Redemption 2

The Core i5-14600K and RTX 4080 combination delivers a compelling 4K experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, but the scaling curve reveals that the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the CPU's headroom becomes evident at 1080p. The data shows a clear 61% performance drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low, indicating that the RTX 4080's workload becomes increasingly dominant as pixel count rises. At High settings, the transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 results in a 50% reduction in average FPS, dropping from 121 to 60. This scaling pattern is typical for a GPU-bound title at high resolutions, yet the 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS suggests that even this flagship-class card cannot fully tame the game's most demanding preset.

Resolution Scaling

The performance trajectory across resolutions is steep but predictable. From 1920x1080 Low at 194 FPS to 2560x1440 Low at 145 FPS, the drop is 25%. Pushing to 3840x2160 Low yields 96 FPS, a further 34% reduction. This progressive decline highlights how the RTX 4080's 716.8 GB/s memory bandwidth and 16 GB of GDDR6X VRAM are taxed by the increasing pixel workload. At Medium settings, the pattern holds: 145 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result of 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS shows the combo can maintain playable framerates, but the margin above 60 FPS is slim.

The High preset tells a similar story. At 1920x1080 High, the average is 121 FPS, which is 38% higher than the 1440p High result of 90 FPS. The 4K High average of 60 FPS is exactly half the 1080p figure, confirming that resolution scaling follows a near-linear relationship with pixel count when the GPU is the bottleneck. The Ultra preset, however, reveals the steepest decline: 87 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. This represents a 51% drop from 1080p to 4K Ultra, and the 4K Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay.

The limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU. The RTX 4080's raw compute power, rated at 48.74 TFLOPS FP32, is sufficient for 1440p High, but the 4K Ultra preset demands more than the 112 ROPs and 304 TMUs can deliver in this title. The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions, where the 1080p Low result of 194 FPS is only 34% higher than the 1440p Low result, suggesting that the Core i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads are not the limiting factor until framerates approach 200 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

Among the 3,714 tested combinations in this game, this pairing ranks 260th, placing it in the top 7% of all configurations. This percentile position is impressive given the game's age and the wide variety of hardware tested. The rank reflects the balanced nature of the combo: the GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs and the CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs combine to produce a system that excels across the board.

The CPU's nearest rivals provide context for its contribution. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48,698 in average benchmark, which is 0.2% higher than the Core i5-14600K's 48,618. The AMD EPYC 4345P trails by 0.3%, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX is 0.7% behind. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is 0.8% ahead. These deltas are negligible, placing the i5-14600K in a tight cluster of high-performing desktop and workstation processors. For gaming, the i5's 5.30 GHz boost clock and 24 MB of shared L3 cache provide the responsiveness needed to feed the RTX 4080.

The GPU's rival comparisons are equally telling. The RTX 4080's average benchmark score of 54,247 is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER's 54,209, a 0.1% difference. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% ahead, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% faster in synthetic tests. These synthetic scores do not directly translate to game performance, but they confirm that the RTX 4080 sits at the upper echelon of available graphics cards, even as its production status is end-of-life.

GPU Role

The RTX 4080 is built on the AD103 chip using TSMC's 5 nm process, packing 45,900 million transistors into a 379 mm² die. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory runs at 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective speed, delivering 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth across a 256-bit bus. This memory configuration is crucial for Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for its large, detailed open world that demands significant texture memory at high resolutions. The 4K High result of 60 FPS indicates that the memory subsystem is adequate for the game's demands, but the 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS suggests that VRAM capacity alone cannot overcome the compute limitations of the Ultra preset.

The GPU's clock behavior shows a base of 2205 MHz and a boost of 2505 MHz, with the card maintaining high clocks under sustained load. The 9728 shading units and 304 tensor cores provide the raw throughput for the game's lighting and physics calculations. The 76 RT cores are present but irrelevant for this title, as Red Dead Redemption 2 does not utilize ray tracing. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs reflects its position as a high-end part, though the 4K Ultra result of 43 FPS demonstrates that even this hardware cannot max out the game at 4K without compromises.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with settings. From Low to Medium at 4K, the average FPS drops from 96 to 72, a 25% reduction. From Medium to High, the drop is 17%, from 72 to 60. From High to Ultra, the drop is 28%, from 60 to 43. This non-linear relationship between settings and performance suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that disproportionately tax the GPU's resources, likely related to shadow quality, draw distance, and volumetric effects.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. Low settings produce 194 FPS average, which is 34% higher than Medium's 145 FPS. High settings yield 121 FPS, while Ultra drops to 87 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS, indicating consistent frametimes. These numbers confirm that at 1080p, the RTX 4080 is not the bottleneck; the CPU's 5.30 GHz boost clock and 20 threads ensure that the GPU is fed with data efficiently.

The 2560x1440 results show a more balanced picture. Low settings average 145 FPS, Medium 108 FPS, High 90 FPS, and Ultra 65 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 92 FPS and maximum of 125 FPS demonstrate a stable experience. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p is a 28% drop, from 90 to 65 FPS, which is a significant sacrifice for the visual improvements. For players targeting 1440p, the High preset at 90 FPS offers a strong balance of performance and visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limits become apparent. Low settings average 96 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a high-refresh-rate display. Medium settings drop to 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, putting the experience right at the edge of the 60 FPS threshold. High settings produce exactly 60 FPS average, which is technically playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings fall to 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard and may result in noticeable stuttering during intense action sequences.

The data reveals that the Medium preset at 4K is the sweet spot for this combo, offering 72 FPS average with a 61 FPS minimum. This provides a 20% performance buffer over the High preset's 60 FPS average. The 4K Low preset at 96 FPS is also viable for competitive play, though the visual reduction is substantial. The 4K Ultra preset of 43 FPS is best reserved for screenshotting or slow-paced exploration.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel's 10 nm process. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz boosts to 5.30 GHz, and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB L2 per core provide ample fast storage for game data. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24,491 and single-core score of 2,064.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain minimum framerates and feed the GPU. The 1080p Low result of 194 FPS is the highest measured in this dataset, indicating that the CPU can support framerates well above 144 Hz in less demanding scenarios. The 1080p Ultra result of 87 FPS, however, shows that the GPU becomes the limiting factor even at 1080p when settings are maxed out. This suggests that the i5-14600K has sufficient headroom to handle the game's CPU-intensive tasks, such as NPC AI, physics, and world streaming.

The CPU's nearest rivals, including the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H and AMD EPYC 4345P, have average benchmark scores within 1% of the i5-14600K. These processors are workstation-class parts, yet the i5's gaming performance is comparable due to its high single-thread boost clock. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,270 and multi-thread score of 38,682 further reinforce its capability. The CPU's 125 W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 compatibility make it a straightforward choice for gaming builds, though the lack of a stock cooler in many bundles may require a capable air cooler.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this combination. At 4K, the GPU's workload dominates, and the CPU's 20 threads are more than adequate. Even at 1080p, where the CPU's influence is most pronounced, the i5-14600K can push framerates to 194 FPS on Low settings, which is far beyond what most displays can show. The CPU's 24 MB L3 cache helps with the game's open-world streaming, reducing stutter and ensuring smooth traversal across the map.

Settings Recommendations

For a 4K display, the Medium preset is the optimal choice for this combo. The measured 72 FPS average with a 61 FPS minimum provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS standard, ensuring smooth gameplay even during demanding scenes. The High preset at 60 FPS is technically playable but leaves no headroom for frametime spikes, which can be jarring in a game with heavy action sequences. The Ultra preset at 43 FPS is not recommended for regular play, as the visual improvements do not justify the 40% performance loss compared to High.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 90 FPS average, which is an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. Players with 144 Hz monitors can also consider the Medium preset at 108 FPS, which offers a 20% performance boost over High with only a modest visual reduction. The Ultra preset at 65 FPS is viable for those who prioritize image quality over framerate, but the High preset is the better all-around choice.

For 1920x1080, the High preset at 121 FPS is the recommended starting point. This provides a smooth experience on 120 Hz or 144 Hz monitors, and the visual quality is high enough to appreciate the game's detailed environments. Players with 240 Hz displays can drop to Medium at 145 FPS for a competitive edge, while the Ultra preset at 87 FPS is best suited for players who want maximum fidelity and have a 60 Hz or 75 Hz monitor.

The data shows that the combo's performance is consistent and predictable across all resolutions and settings. The 4K Medium result of 72 FPS is the standout figure, proving that this hardware can handle Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K with playable framerates without requiring the lowest settings. The 1440p High result of 90 FPS is the sweet spot for most players, offering a high-quality experience with ample performance headroom. The 1080p results are exceptional across the board, with even the Ultra preset maintaining an 87 FPS average. This combination is well-suited for players who want to experience the game's world at high resolutions without sacrificing smoothness, though the 4K Ultra preset remains out of reach.