Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a desktop processor with 14 cores and 20 threads, built on Intel’s Raptor Lake architecture using a 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.30 GHz. The CPU has a 24 MB shared L3 cache, with per-core L1 and L2 caches at 80 KB and 2 MB, respectively. In synthetic benchmarks, the chip scores 32,889 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,643 in single-core, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, scores 49,166 on average, a mere 0.4% difference, indicating that the KF variant is effectively identical in compute capability for gaming workloads.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics calculations, and NPC logic. The game’s open world is dense, but the data shows that this processor is rarely the bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 166.5 FPS, which is far beyond what most displays can show. Even at 1440p Low, the system produces 126.1 FPS. These numbers suggest that the CPU has ample headroom; the limiting factor shifts to the GPU as resolution and settings increase. The processor’s high single-thread performance, evidenced by its 4,643 Cinebench R23 score, helps maintain consistent frame pacing in a game that relies heavily on a few main threads for world simulation. Compared to the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, which sits only 0.6% away in average benchmark score, the i5-14600KF offers competitive performance without needing the extra cores, as Red Dead Redemption 2 does not scale perfectly across 20 threads.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the graphics engine here, featuring 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s boost clock is 2475 MHz, and it houses 7,168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation units. With 56 ray tracing cores and 224 tensor cores, it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 4,627, and its Passmark G3D score is 29,995, placing it in the 84th percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, has a deltaPct of -0.2%, meaning the 4070 SUPER is essentially on par with that workstation card in average benchmark scores.

In this game, the GPU’s memory capacity and bandwidth are critical. At 4K Ultra settings, the average frame rate dips to 35.6 FPS, indicating that the 12 GB frame buffer and the card’s raw compute are being pushed to their limits. The GPU’s 35.48 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is substantial, but Red Dead Redemption 2's Ultra preset includes heavy ambient occlusion, volumetric lighting, and long draw distances that stress the ROPs and memory subsystem. The card’s 80 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s, which becomes a constraint at 4K resolution. When settings are lowered to High at 4K, the frame rate jumps to 53.2 FPS, showing that the GPU has headroom if the most demanding effects are scaled back. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s performance relative to the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, which is 0.3% slower in average benchmarks, suggests that this card is well-positioned for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming but requires careful settings management for 4K.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600KF compare to its nearest CPU rival in this system?

A: The i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49,367, while its closest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600K, scores 49,166. The deltaPct is 0.4%, meaning the KF variant is slightly faster, though the difference is negligible for gaming.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory configuration and why does it matter for 4K gaming?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 35.6, suggesting that the memory capacity and bandwidth are insufficient to maintain smooth frame rates at the highest preset.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p resolution?

A: At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 166.5 FPS, which is very high. The CPU’s strong single-thread performance, evidenced by its 4,643 Cinebench R23 score, allows the GPU to run at near-maximum utilization, so the GPU becomes the primary limiter even at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the processor’s average benchmark score and how does it rank?

A: The i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49,367 and sits in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. This places it well above the median, indicating strong overall compute capability for both single and multi-threaded tasks.

Q: How does the GPU’s performance compare to the NVIDIA RTX A6000?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 42,576, while the RTX A6000 scores 42,653. The deltaPct is -0.2%, meaning the 4070 SUPER is marginally slower, but the difference is within noise for gaming workloads.

Q: What resolution and settings combination yields the highest frame rate?

A: The highest average frame rate in the measured data is 166.5 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At 2560x1440 Low, the average drops to 126.1 FPS, showing that resolution scaling has a significant impact even on lower presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a clear picture of how the i5-14600KF and RTX 4070 SUPER handle Red Dead Redemption 2 across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 166.5 FPS, which is the highest value in the dataset. Medium settings at the same resolution yield 123.6 FPS, while High drops to 104 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 78.9 FPS, which is still playable but shows a 52.6% reduction from Low to Ultra. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary driver of performance at 1080p, as the CPU has enough headroom to handle the increased draw calls without bottlenecking.

Moving to 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 126.1 FPS, a 24.3% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings at 1440p produce 97 FPS, while High yields 80.4 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 58.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider smooth. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with roughly a 20-30% reduction in frame rate, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units are being taxed more heavily. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 82.6 FPS, which is still quite high for 4K. Medium settings drop to 63.3 FPS, and High falls to 53.2 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K averages only 35.6 FPS, making it the most demanding combination in the measured data. This 4K Ultra result is 78.6% lower than the 1080p Low result, highlighting the GPU’s limitations at the highest settings.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a clear relationship between resolution and frame rate, with the GPU becoming the dominant bottleneck as pixel count increases. From 1080p Low to 4K Low, the average FPS drops from 166.5 to 82.6, a reduction of 50.4%. This halving of performance is expected, as 4K has four times the pixels of 1080p, but the drop is not linear, indicating that other factors such as memory bandwidth and cache efficiency play a role. At Medium settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is from 123.6 to 63.3 FPS, a 48.8% reduction. High settings show a similar trend, falling from 104 to 53.2 FPS, a 48.8% drop. The Ultra preset exhibits the steepest decline, from 78.9 at 1080p to 35.6 at 4K, a 54.9% reduction.

These percentages suggest that the RTX 4070 SUPER’s 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth is insufficient to maintain frame rates at 4K, especially with higher quality textures and effects. The 12 GB VRAM also becomes a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, as the game likely requires more memory for its highest-detail assets. The scaling pattern indicates that the CPU is not the limiting component at any resolution; even at 1080p Low, the frame rate is bounded by the GPU’s ability to render frames. The fact that the 4K Low preset still achieves 82.6 FPS shows that the GPU has enough compute power to handle 4K if settings are tuned down, but the memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck when texture quality and shadow resolution are increased. This behavior is typical for a mid-to-high-end GPU in a demanding open-world title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings depend on the user’s target resolution and refresh rate. For 1920x1080 displays, the High preset at 104 FPS offers a solid balance of visual quality and performance, easily supporting 100 Hz monitors. The Ultra preset at 78.9 FPS is also viable for 60 Hz displays, but the 25% performance hit over High may not justify the marginal visual improvements. For 1440p, the High preset at 80.4 FPS is the best choice for 60-75 Hz panels, providing a smooth experience without compromising too much on details. The Medium preset at 97 FPS is preferable for 100 Hz displays, as it stays above 90 FPS while still looking respectable. The Ultra preset at 58.2 FPS is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action, so it is recommended only for players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 82.6 FPS is the only option that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming. The Medium preset at 63.3 FPS is acceptable for 60 Hz displays, but it leaves little headroom for drops in demanding scenes. The High preset at 53.2 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 35.6 FPS is not recommended for regular play. For most users, the data suggests that 1440p with High settings provides the best overall experience, balancing visual quality with a frame rate that exceeds 80 FPS. The RTX 4070 SUPER is capable of excellent performance in Red Dead Redemption 2, but the game’s Ultra preset is too demanding for 4K on this hardware, so scaling down to High or Medium is advised.