Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7600 delivers a playable but demanding experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with performance that hinges heavily on both resolution and preset selection. The measured data reveals a system where the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the six-core CPU keeps pace adequately at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all twelve tested configurations, examines the hardware roles, and contextualizes the combo’s standing among 1,687 tested combinations.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, clearly identifying the Radeon RX 7600 as the limiting component as pixel count rises. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 57.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 41.6 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 31.7 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 28% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 24% drop from 1440p to 4K, with the 4K result landing just below the 30 FPS threshold. Low settings show a similar pattern but with higher absolute numbers: 93.4 FPS at 1080p, 68.3 FPS at 1440p, and 43.9 FPS at 4K—the latter being a 53% decline from 1080p, indicating that even at minimal graphical load, the GPU cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K.

The scaling behavior is most revealing at Medium and Ultra presets. Medium settings yield 72.1 FPS at 1080p, 54.4 FPS at 1440p, and 33.5 FPS at 4K, showing a 54% total drop from the lowest to highest resolution. Ultra settings are the most punishing, starting at 44.3 FPS at 1080p, falling to 28.7 FPS at 1440p, and bottoming out at 22.9 FPS at 4K—the only configuration where even 1440p fails to reach 30 FPS. The consistent ~20-25% per-step decline across all presets suggests the RX 7600’s 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface become saturated quickly as resolution increases, with the CPU (6 cores, 6 threads, 2.90 GHz base, 4.10 GHz boost) not being the primary constraint at any resolution above 1080p.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7600, built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture with a 6 nm process, provides 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1720 MHz, with a boost clock of 2655 MHz and a game clock of 2250 MHz. The GPU’s 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs contribute to a pixel rate of 169.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 339.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 21.75 TFLOPS. These specifications position it in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs, though the measured results in this game show it struggling at 4K.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a critical factor in Red Dead Redemption 2’s open-world rendering. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 44.3, but at 4K Ultra it collapses to 22.9—a 48% reduction that points to memory bandwidth and capacity limits. The GPU’s nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.6% higher avg score) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (1.3% lower), suggest it sits in a competitive mid-range tier, but the 128-bit bus is clearly a hindrance at higher resolutions. The 288.0 GB/s bandwidth is insufficient for 4K Ultra workloads, which explains why the High preset at 4K (31.7 FPS) barely exceeds the 30 FPS playability floor while Medium (33.5 FPS) and Low (43.9 FPS) offer only modest improvements.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a Coffee Lake Refresh part with 6 cores and 6 threads, running at a 2.90 GHz base clock and 4.10 GHz boost clock. Its 9 MB shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (42.7 GB/s bandwidth) are modest by modern standards, yet the benchmark data shows it does not bottleneck the GPU at most tested settings. The CPU sits in the 50th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 2305, and its nearest rivals—the Intel Core i3-10305 (0.2% higher), Intel Core i3-1125G4 (0.2% higher), and Intel Xeon E-2134 (0.4% higher)—are all within a 0.6% margin, indicating this is a mid-tier performer.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role becomes evident at 1080p, where frame rates are highest. At Low settings, the 93.4 FPS average at 1920x1080 suggests the CPU can feed the GPU adequately, but the drop to 57.8 FPS at High settings indicates that the GPU is still the primary limiter even at lower resolutions. The 6-thread configuration is sufficient for this game’s multi-threaded workloads, but the 4.10 GHz boost clock is not exceptional, and the lack of hyper-threading means it cannot match more modern parts. The CPU’s 65 W TDP and PCIe Gen 3.0 interface (16 lanes) are consistent with its 2018 release date, and the data shows no evidence of CPU-induced frame pacing issues at 1440p or 4K, where the GPU’s load dominates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the range spans from 93.4 FPS (Low) to 44.3 FPS (Ultra), with Medium at 72.1 FPS and High at 57.8 FPS. This makes 1080p the only resolution where all presets exceed 40 FPS, and Low settings approach the 100 FPS mark, suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. The 1080p Ultra result of 44.3 FPS is notable because it is only slightly higher than the 4K Low result of 43.9 FPS, illustrating that graphical preset has a larger impact than resolution at the low end.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are 68.3 (Low), 54.4 (Medium), 41.6 (High), and 28.7 (Ultra). The 1440p Ultra configuration is the first to drop below 30 FPS, making it borderline unplayable for smooth gameplay. The step from Medium to High at this resolution costs 12.8 FPS (a 24% drop), while the step from High to Ultra costs 12.9 FPS (a 31% drop), showing diminishing returns as settings increase. At 3840x2160, the results are 43.9 (Low), 33.5 (Medium), 31.7 (High), and 22.9 (Ultra). Only the Low preset exceeds 40 FPS at 4K, and Ultra falls well below 25 FPS, indicating that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant setting compromises. The High preset at 4K (31.7 FPS) is technically above 30 FPS but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7600 ranks 1189 out of 1,687 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 30% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the CPU’s age and the GPU’s mid-range positioning, as both components are not top-tier performers in their respective categories. The CPU’s 50th percentile standing and the GPU’s 63rd percentile standing combine to produce a system that is capable at 1080p but struggles at higher resolutions. The ranking suggests that most other tested combos, likely featuring newer CPUs and higher-end GPUs, achieve better frame rates in this game.

The rank of 1189 indicates that approximately 498 combos perform worse, but the vast majority of tested systems outperform this pairing. This is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows that 4K Ultra (22.9 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (28.7 FPS) are below playable thresholds, and even 1080p Ultra (44.3 FPS) is not particularly smooth. The combo’s position relative to its components’ individual percentiles—CPU at 50th and GPU at 63rd—suggests the pairing is balanced, but both parts are near the middle of the performance distribution, resulting in a below-average gaming experience for this demanding title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 with Low settings achieves 93.4 FPS, which is the highest measured average. For a balance of quality and performance, 1080p Medium (72.1 FPS) or 1080p High (57.8 FPS) are viable options, while 1440p Low (68.3 FPS) is also playable.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: Yes, but with significant compromises. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset (43.9 FPS) and Medium preset (33.5 FPS) exceed 30 FPS. High settings at 4K (31.7 FPS) are marginal, and Ultra (22.9 FPS) is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the RX 7600 perform relative to its closest rivals in this game?

A: The RX 7600’s average benchmark score of 20258 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.6% higher) and AMD Radeon RX 460 (0.8% higher). It trails the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile by 1.3% and the Intel Arc B570 by 1.5%, indicating it sits in a tight competitive cluster.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RX 7600?

A: The CPU’s 6 cores and 6 threads appear sufficient, as the FPS drops from 1080p to 4K are consistent with GPU limitations. At 1080p Low (93.4 FPS), the CPU keeps pace, but the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 93.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next highest is 72.1 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 68.3 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: This pairing ranks 1189 out of 1,687 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the distribution. This rank reflects the mid-tier positioning of both the CPU and GPU.