Red Dead Redemption 2

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread Alder Lake-S desktop processor with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. This chip’s hybrid architecture, combining performance and efficiency cores, provides a strong foundation for Red Dead Redemption 2’s demanding open-world simulation. The game’s CPU load spans physics, AI, and world streaming; the i7-12700KF’s 20 threads ensure that even heavy background tasks do not starve the main game threads.

Benchmark data places this CPU in the 89th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 35355. In Cinebench R23, the chip scores 28979 multicore and 4091 single-core, while Geekbench reports 13596 multicore and 2526 single-core. These figures indicate that the processor has both high multi-threaded throughput for complex scenes and strong single-core performance, which is critical for Red Dead Redemption 2’s game logic and draw-call processing.

The i7-12700KF’s proximity to its nearest rivals in aggregate scores is remarkably tight. It sits just 0.1% above the Intel Core i5-14400 (score 35336), 0.2% above the Intel Core i9-12900HX (score 35289), and 0.3% above the Intel Core i5-13600T (score 35256). It trails the Intel Core i7-13800H by just 0.2% (score 35416). This clustering suggests that, from a pure CPU compute perspective, the i7-12700KF is not a bottleneck in this game; its headroom is more than sufficient to keep a modern GPU fed at most settings.

The processor’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core help reduce memory latency, which is beneficial for a game that streams large texture and geometry data. With support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, the system can leverage higher bandwidth memory if configured accordingly, though the measured FPS data in this report does not isolate memory type. Overall, the CPU’s role here is to provide consistent frame pacing and avoid dips in CPU-bound scenarios, such as crowded towns or complex scripted sequences.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 453rd out of 1687 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2. That places it in the top 27% of all tested combos, which is a strong showing for a mid-to-high-end desktop setup. The rank reflects the combined capability of both components in this specific title, which is known for being GPU-heavy at higher resolutions but still sensitive to CPU performance at lower settings.

The combo’s rank suggests that while it is not among the absolute elite configurations (which would likely pair top-tier CPUs with flagship GPUs), it outperforms the majority of systems. The i7-12700KF’s 89th percentile CPU standing and the RTX 4070’s 81st percentile GPU standing combine to yield a balanced system. Notably, the GPU’s nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (0.6% higher score), NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (1.9% higher), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile (2.2% higher), but the RTX 4070 holds a 2.5% lead over the AMD Radeon RX 5300M. These rival deltas are small, indicating that the GPU is competitively positioned.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the combo rank of 453 out of 1687 means that a large portion of tested systems—roughly 1234 combos—score worse. This is partly due to the game’s heavy reliance on GPU rasterization and VRAM capacity, where the RTX 4070’s 12 GB of GDDR6X and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth provide ample headroom. The rank also benefits from the CPU’s ability to maintain high minimum frame rates, preventing stutter that would drag the average down. For users with similar hardware, this rank indicates a well-matched pair that avoids obvious bottlenecks at typical gaming resolutions.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p High settings, the combo averages 96.3 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 70 FPS, a 27.3% reduction. At 4K High, the average falls to 50.1 FPS, which is a further 28.4% drop from 1440p. This steep decline with resolution is a hallmark of GPU-limited performance—the CPU is not the constraining factor here, since the i7-12700KF has ample headroom.

For Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. At 1080p Low, the system hits 151.4 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 112.9 FPS (a 25.4% reduction), and at 4K Low, it falls to 74.5 FPS (a 34% drop from 1440p). The fact that 1080p Low nearly reaches 151 FPS—approaching the refresh-rate ceiling of many monitors—shows that the CPU can push very high frame rates when the GPU is not stressed. The larger percentage drops at Low settings when moving to 4K indicate that the GPU becomes the primary limiter, as lower settings reduce CPU workload but leave the GPU to handle the raw pixel count.

Medium settings show a similar trend: 115.7 FPS at 1080p, 82.4 FPS at 1440p (28.8% drop), and 55.8 FPS at 4K (32.3% drop from 1440p). Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 69.3 FPS at 1080p, 49.1 FPS at 1440p, and just 30.9 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result, below 31 FPS, suggests that the RTX 4070 is heavily taxed by the game’s highest fidelity options, which include volumetric lighting, shadow quality, and reflection effects. The data strongly indicates that for this game and this combo, the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions above 1080p Low, and even at 1080p High the CPU has significant headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the i7-12700KF and RTX 4070 deliver a wide spread of performance depending on settings. Low settings produce an average of 151.4 FPS, making the game feel exceptionally smooth. Medium settings drop to 115.7 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 96.3 FPS, offering a good balance of visual quality and fluidity. Ultra settings bring the average down to 69.3 FPS, which remains playable but shows the cost of maxing out every option.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings average 112.9 FPS, which is still very high for a 1440p resolution. Medium settings drop to 82.4 FPS, maintaining a smooth experience. High settings average 70 FPS, a solid result for a demanding title. Ultra settings fall to 49.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still acceptable for slower-paced gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4070’s limits become apparent. Low settings average 74.5 FPS, which is playable but noticeably lower than at lower resolutions. Medium settings drop to 55.8 FPS, and High settings average 50.1 FPS. Ultra settings produce just 30.9 FPS, making the game feel stuttery and less responsive. This resolution is best suited for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, but the data shows that even High settings at 4K require some compromise.

The full dataset shows a consistent pattern: each settings tier reduces performance by roughly 15-25% when moving from Low to Medium, another 15-20% from Medium to High, and a further 25-30% from High to Ultra, depending on resolution. The gap between 1080p and 4K is largest at Ultra settings, where the frame rate drops by over 55% from 69.3 to 30.9 FPS.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node and the AD104 chip. It features 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs, along with 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores. The GPU’s base clock is 1920 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and its memory runs at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). This hardware configuration delivers 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

The RTX 4070’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus provides 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. For Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for its large texture pools and detailed environments, this VRAM capacity is adequate for High settings at 4K but may be strained by Ultra settings, which often demand more than 12 GB. The 4K Ultra result of 30.9 FPS likely reflects both raw compute limits and potential memory pressure, though the data does not isolate VRAM usage.

The GPU’s transistor count of 35,800 million on a 294 mm² die gives it a density of 121.8M transistors per mm². This high density enables the RTX 4070 to maintain efficiency while delivering strong rasterization performance. The pixel rate of 158.4 GPixel/s and texture rate of 455.4 GTexel/s are key for a game that uses heavy post-processing and high-resolution textures.

Benchmark results show the RTX 4070 in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 37283. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, scores 37507, just 0.6% higher. The NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A scores 38008 (1.9% higher), and the RTX 4080 Mobile scores 38135 (2.2% higher). The AMD Radeon RX 5300M scores 36371, which is 2.5% lower. These small deltas indicate that the RTX 4070 is well-positioned among its peers, but the measured FPS data in this game shows that it cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K High, suggesting that the title’s specific workloads are more demanding than aggregate benchmarks imply.

The GPU’s 200 W TDP and dual-slot design make it a manageable component for most systems, and its 1x 16-pin power connector requires a 550 W PSU. The 12 GB VRAM is a key differentiator for this game, as it allows for High settings at 1440p without exceeding memory limits, but Ultra settings at 4K push the GPU to its limits. Overall, the RTX 4070 acts as the primary performance determinant in this combo, with the i7-12700KF providing sufficient CPU support to avoid limiting frame rates.