Red Dead Redemption 2

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700K compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-12700K posts an average benchmark score of 35,684, placing it essentially at parity with the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5845 (35,802, -0.3% delta) and the Intel Core i5-14500HX (35,940, -0.7% delta). It sits marginally ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700T (35,468, +0.6%) and Intel Core i7-13800H (35,416, +0.8%).

Q: What is the GPU's performance standing relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score is 30,109, which is statistically tied with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30,097, 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon RX 570 (30,158, -0.2%). It also edges out the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29,969, +0.5%) and RTX 5070 Mobile (29,928, +0.6%).

Q: What is the best 1080p result for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 118.9 FPS average. Medium settings yield 85.3 FPS, High produces 74.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 51.6 FPS. Low is the only preset that clears 100 FPS at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank overall among tested configurations for this game?

A: The i7-12700K + RTX 5060 combination ranks 829th out of 1,687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. That places it in the middle of the pack, which aligns with the GPU's 73rd percentile standing among all GPUs.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and how does it affect performance?

A: The RTX 5060 has 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Memory clocks run at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. This configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the data shows 4K Ultra performance suffers significantly.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU and GPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700K has a launch MSRP of $409, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 has a launch MSRP of 299 USD.

GPU Role

The RTX 5060 is built on NVIDIA's Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 21,900 million transistors on a 181 mm² die. Its base clock is 2280 MHz with a boost clock of 2497 MHz. The GPU packs 3,840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation units, along with 30 RT cores and 120 tensor cores. These specs translate to a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance of 19.18 TFLOPS.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's VRAM and memory bandwidth play a decisive role. The 8 GB GDDR7 pool with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results reveal a clear bottleneck. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops to 37.5 on High and 26.8 on Ultra. The 128-bit bus width limits how much data can move at high resolutions, which explains the steep falloff. The GPU's 73rd percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it is a mid-range part, and the measured frame rates align with that positioning.

The GPU's clock speeds are modest, but the architecture compensates with efficiency. The 145 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate a power-sipping design. The PCIe 5.0 x8 interface provides ample bandwidth for the 8 GB frame buffer. The data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is the clear limiting factor at Low settings (118.9 FPS) but becomes less of a constraint as settings rise, suggesting the CPU can keep pace.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a consistent pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 118.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 84.6 FPS, a 29% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 57.2 FPS, another 32% drop from 1440p. This scaling suggests the GPU is the primary constraint, as the CPU's 12 cores and 20 threads have ample headroom at lower resolutions.

The gap between 1080p and 1440p narrows at higher settings. At High, 1080p yields 74.8 FPS while 1440p produces 57 FPS, a 24% decrease. At Ultra, the difference is 51.6 FPS versus 37.4 FPS, a 27% drop. This compression indicates that as the GPU becomes more heavily loaded, resolution scaling becomes less linear. The 4K results tell a similar story: High settings drop from 74.8 FPS at 1080p to 37.5 FPS at 4K, a 50% reduction that highlights the memory bandwidth limits.

The data points to the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus as the limiting factors at 4K. The 26.8 FPS at 4K Ultra is barely playable, and even 4K Low at 57.2 FPS struggles to maintain smooth motion. For this game, the sweet spot is clearly 1080p or 1440p, where the GPU can leverage its 448.0 GB/s bandwidth more effectively. The scaling behavior also suggests that the i7-12700K is not holding back the GPU at any resolution, as the CPU's benchmark scores (35,684 average) are competitive with its rivals.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce 118.9 FPS average, which is the only preset to exceed 100 FPS. Medium settings yield 85.3 FPS, High drops to 74.8 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 51.6 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 67.3 FPS, indicating that the GPU can handle high frame rates when settings are reduced but struggles with Ultra presets.

At 2560x1440, performance remains playable but drops noticeably. Low settings average 84.6 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. Medium produces 62.5 FPS, High falls to 57 FPS, and Ultra reaches 37.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 47.2 FPS, a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but a larger percentage drop. The 1440p results suggest that High settings are the practical ceiling for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles. Low settings average 57.2 FPS, which is borderline playable. Medium drops to 44.3 FPS, High falls to 37.5 FPS, and Ultra bottom out at 26.8 FPS. None of the 4K presets achieve 60 FPS, and Ultra is below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for playability. The 4K data reinforces the GPU's mid-range positioning, as the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus cannot sustain high frame rates at this resolution.

The progression across resolutions shows that Medium at 1080p (85.3 FPS) outperforms Low at 1440p (84.6 FPS) by a narrow margin. Similarly, High at 1440p (57 FPS) matches Low at 4K (57.2 FPS) almost exactly. These cross-resolution comparisons indicate that the GPU's performance is more sensitive to resolution than to settings within a moderate range.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 829th out of 1,687 tested configurations for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 49th percentile of all tested combos. This mid-pack ranking is consistent with the RTX 5060's 73rd percentile standing among all GPUs and the i7-12700K's 89th percentile among all CPUs. The CPU is a stronger component relative to its peers, but the GPU holds the combo back from higher rankings.

The GPU's nearest rivals help contextualize this ranking. The RTX 5060's average benchmark score (30,109) is essentially identical to the RX 7700 XT (30,097) and RX 570 (30,158). However, the measured FPS in this game may differ from synthetic scores, as the 8 GB VRAM capacity can become a limiting factor at 4K. The combo's 829th rank suggests that many other configurations with more powerful GPUs achieve better results in this specific title.

The CPU's nearest rivals also provide context. The i7-12700K's average score of 35,684 places it within 1% of the Ryzen 7 PRO 5845, Core i7-13700T, Core i5-14500HX, and Core i7-13800H. This tight grouping means the CPU is unlikely to be the differentiating factor in gaming performance. The ranking gap between this combo and higher-ranked ones is more likely attributable to GPU differences than CPU differences.

The data indicates that this combo is a balanced mid-range pairing. The CPU is above-average among its peers, while the GPU sits near the median. The 829th rank out of 1,687 reflects this balance. For gamers targeting 1080p or 1440p, this combo delivers solid performance. For 4K enthusiasts, the ranking suggests they would need a more powerful GPU to achieve better results.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, Medium settings at 85.3 FPS offer the best balance of visual quality and performance. High settings at 74.8 FPS are also viable if you prefer better visuals and can tolerate slightly lower frame rates. Ultra at 51.6 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth on high refresh rate displays. Low at 118.9 FPS is ideal for competitive play or if you prioritize maximum frame rates.

For 1440p, the data suggests High settings at 57 FPS are the practical choice for a near-60 FPS experience. Medium at 62.5 FPS provides a small performance buffer and is a safer option for maintaining smooth gameplay. Low at 84.6 FPS is excellent if you want high frame rates, while Ultra at 37.4 FPS is not recommended due to the significant drop below 60 FPS.

For 4K, the measured results indicate that only Low settings at 57.2 FPS approach playability. Medium at 44.3 FPS and High at 37.5 FPS are below the 60 FPS threshold, and Ultra at 26.8 FPS is not recommended. If 4K is a priority, you should accept Low settings or consider a more powerful GPU.

The best overall experience is at 1080p Medium or 1440p High, depending on your display. Both options deliver frame rates in the 57-85 FPS range, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios. The data shows that the RTX 5060's 8 GB VRAM and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are best utilized at these resolutions, where the GPU can maintain higher frame rates without hitting memory limitations. The i7-12700K's 12 cores and 20 threads provide sufficient headroom for the CPU to keep up with the GPU at these settings.