Red Dead Redemption 2

This combo pairing targets one of the most demanding open-world titles in the benchmark database. The data places the Intel Core i7-12700K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 at rank 220 out of 3714 tested combinations, which places it in the top 6% of all tested systems for Red Dead Redemption 2. That ranking reflects a pairing that is firmly in the high-performance tier, though the specific frame rates reveal that the game's engine still imposes hard limits at certain settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's position at 220 out of 3714 tested combos is notable because it sits within the top 6% of all recorded configurations. This is not a marginal result; the data shows a system that is substantially ahead of the average tested setup for this title. The ranking is driven by the combination of the RTX 5080’s high average benchmark score of 56083 against the i7-12700K’s 35287 average in general compute tests.

In the context of this specific game, the rank indicates that the pairing is well-balanced for pushing high refresh rates at 1440p, while still being capable of 4K at playable frame rates. The deltaPct values from the nearest rivals are telling: the i7-12700K sits within 0.4% of the Intel Core i7-13700T and Intel Core 5 213PE in average CPU score, meaning the processor is not a bottleneck in a way that separates it from newer mid-range parts. On the GPU side, the RTX 5080 is within 2.2% of the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE, which is its closest competitor in the dataset. This means the combo's overall rank is heavily influenced by the GPU's strong showing rather than the CPU pushing any boundaries.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 brings 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, producing a bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1875 MHz with 30 Gbps effective speed. The GPU core operates between a 2295 MHz base and 2617 MHz boost clock. These specifications directly influence the measured frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2, particularly at higher resolutions where memory bandwidth and capacity become critical.

The data shows that the GPU's 16 GB frame buffer is sufficient for this game's highest settings at 4K, but the frame rates drop significantly. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS falls to 45, which is a playable but not smooth experience for a game that benefits from higher frame rates. The 960.0 GB/s bandwidth is the primary enabler for the 62 FPS average at 4K High settings, as the game's open world streams large texture sets. The GPU's compute power, measured at 56.28 TFLOPS FP32, is what allows the 126 FPS average at 1080p High, showing that the card has ample headroom at lower resolutions. The RTX 5080's position in the GPU percentile ranking at 87th percentile versus all GPUs confirms that this is a top-tier part, and the data reflects that in the measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the expected GPU-bound behavior, but with some notable nuances. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 126 at 1920x1080 to 94 at 2560x1440, a 25% reduction, and then to 62 at 3840x2160, a further 34% reduction from the 1440p figure. This pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops proportionally with the increase in pixel count.

At Low settings, the scaling is steeper: 201 FPS at 1080p, 150 FPS at 1440p (a 25% drop), and 99 FPS at 4K (a 34% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings suggest that the engine's rendering overhead scales predictably with resolution. However, the gap between Low and High settings narrows at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 75 FPS (201 vs 126). At 4K, the difference narrows to 37 FPS (99 vs 62). This indicates that while the GPU is the primary limiter at 4K, the CPU still contributes to the frame rate ceiling at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 201 FPS shows that the i7-12700K can feed the GPU enough data to exceed 200 FPS in this title, but the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p (111 FPS) versus the gap at 4K (54 FPS) confirms that the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture across three resolutions and four settings tiers. At 1920x1080, the results are: Low averages 201 FPS, Medium averages 151 FPS with a minimum of 128 and maximum of 173, High averages 126 FPS, and Ultra averages 90 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 111 FPS, which is substantial. The Medium setting's minimum of 128 FPS is higher than the High setting's average of 126 FPS, which suggests that the step from Medium to High introduces a significant increase in graphical load that is not reflected in the average alone.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are: Low at 150 FPS, Medium at 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 and maximum of 129, High at 94 FPS, and Ultra at 67 FPS. The Medium settings at 1440p show a 17 FPS range between minimum and maximum, which is the tightest variance in the entire dataset. This indicates stable performance with minimal frame pacing issues. The drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution is 83 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p but still represents a 55% reduction in average FPS.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 99 FPS, Medium at 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 and maximum of 85, High at 62 FPS, and Ultra at 45 FPS. The 4K Medium setting shows a 22 FPS variance, which is the widest range in the dataset, indicating that the GPU is under significant load. The step from Medium to High at 4K is only a 12 FPS drop, while the step from High to Ultra is a 17 FPS drop. This non-linear scaling suggests that Ultra settings at 4K impose a disproportionate cost on the GPU's shading units and ROPs, which are rated at 112 units.

Settings Recommendations

The data suggests that the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 126 FPS average is the best balance, as it provides a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold while still maintaining visual quality. The Ultra preset at 90 FPS is also viable, but the 36 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not justify the visual gains, especially since the Medium preset's minimum of 128 FPS exceeds the High average.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 112 FPS average with a 95 FPS minimum is the recommended choice. This setting offers a stable experience that stays above 90 FPS at all times, which is important for a game with fast camera movements. The High preset at 94 FPS average is acceptable, but the minimum FPS data is not provided, making the Medium preset the safer choice given the measured 95 FPS floor. The Ultra preset at 67 FPS is playable but does not provide the headroom needed for consistent 60+ FPS in demanding scenes.

For 3840x2160, the Low preset at 99 FPS average is the only setting that provides a consistently high frame rate. The Medium preset at 74 FPS average with a 63 FPS minimum is the best choice for visual quality while maintaining playability, as it stays above 60 FPS in the measured data. The High preset at 62 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 45 FPS is not recommended for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that at 4K, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering a 74 FPS average that is 19 FPS higher than High and 29 FPS higher than Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K features 12 cores and 20 threads with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The processor has 25 MB of shared L3 cache and individual L1 and L2 caches per core. The CPU's benchmark scores are relevant to the game's performance: the Cinebench R23 multicore score is 19784, and the single-core score is 1850.5. The 3DMark 16-thread score is 9276, and the max-thread score is 9979.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is evident in the 1080p Low result of 201 FPS. This high frame rate indicates that the CPU can handle the game's simulation and draw call overhead when the GPU is not under heavy load. The processor's 20 threads are utilized by the game's multithreaded rendering engine, as evidenced by the 3DMark 16-thread score of 9276 being close to the max-thread score of 9979, suggesting that the game benefits from the additional threads. However, the CPU does not appear to be a bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K follows the GPU's expected performance curve.

The i7-12700K's position at the 84th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35287, places it within 0.4% of its nearest rivals. The deltaPct values show that the i7-12700K is essentially tied with the Intel Core i7-12700KF (-0.2%) and the Intel Core i7-13700T (-0.3%). This means that for this game, the CPU is not the differentiator in the measured frame rates. The data indicates that the CPU provides sufficient performance to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 5080 at 4K, where the GPU is the clear limiting factor, and only becomes relevant at 1080p Low where the 201 FPS result demonstrates the CPU's ability to push high frame rates. The processor's 5.00 GHz boost clock is the key specification for single-thread performance, which is reflected in the 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and the Geekbench single-core score of 2308, ensuring that the game's main thread is well-served.