Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination delivers a mid-pack experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, ranking 853rd out of 1,687 tested combos. This pairing is heavily influenced by the GPU's 8 GB GDDR7 memory and the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance, which together produce playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p but struggle at 4K. The data shows a clear scaling pattern: lowering settings from Ultra to Low yields dramatic FPS gains across all resolutions, with the most significant jump occurring at 1440p where average FPS rises from 36.3 to 89.6.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The 1920x1080 resolution provides the highest frame rates, with Low settings hitting 114.7 FPS and High settings at 71.6 FPS. At 2560x1440, the combo still delivers solid performance, with Medium averaging 65.5 FPS, while 3840x2160 struggles to maintain 60 FPS even on Low.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 30,109 places it essentially level with the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30,097, deltaPct 0) and slightly ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29,969, deltaPct 0.5). It trails the AMD Radeon RX 570 (30,158) by a negligible 0.2 percent.

Q: What is the CPU's performance standing relative to other processors?

A: The Core i7-12700KF achieves an average benchmark score of 35,355, which is 0.1 percent ahead of the Intel Core i5-14400 (35,336) and 0.2 percent behind the Intel Core i7-13800H (35,416). It ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: No. At 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, the combo averages only 36.3 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB memory appear to bottleneck the GPU at this configuration.

Q: How much performance is gained by dropping from Ultra to Low at 1080p?

A: The average FPS more than doubles, jumping from 51.3 FPS on Ultra to 114.7 FPS on Low at 1920x1080. This represents a 63.4 FPS improvement, making Low the best choice for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top half of all tested configurations?

A: Yes, the 853rd rank out of 1,687 combos places it in the upper half of all tested systems, though not near the top. The data indicates that this pairing is a competent mid-range option for this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the primary driver of frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2, with its 8 GB GDDR7 memory and 128-bit bus providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2280 MHz and boosts to 2497 MHz, which are relatively high frequencies that help sustain performance under load. The 19.18 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 299.6 GTexel/s texture rate are substantial, yet the measured results show that the GPU's memory capacity becomes a limiting factor at higher settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become apparent. High settings yield 35.8 FPS, Medium drops to 41.5 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27.7 FPS, all below playable thresholds. The 8 GB VRAM is insufficient for 4K Ultra textures, causing the GPU to swap data and reduce throughput. The 21,900 million transistors and 181 mm² die size on a 5 nm process do not compensate for the memory constraint at this resolution.

The GPU's performance relative to its rivals is notable. With an average benchmark score of 30,109, it matches the AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT (30,097) almost exactly, differing by 0 percent. It also outperforms the NVIDIA Tesla M60 (29,969) by 0.5 percent but falls 0.2 percent short of the AMD Radeon RX 570 (30,158). The RTX 5060's 73rd percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it sits comfortably in the mid-range tier, which aligns with its measured FPS results in this game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 853 out of 1,687 tested configurations places it in the 50.6th percentile, meaning it outperforms just over half of all tested systems. This positioning is consistent with the CPU and GPU's individual standings: the Core i7-12700KF ranks in the 89th percentile of CPUs, while the RTX 5060 sits in the 73rd percentile of GPUs. The combined rank is lower than either component's individual percentile, suggesting that the GPU is the bottleneck in this pairing.

The CPU's strong multi-threaded performance—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28,979 and a Passmark multithread score of 34,092—ensures that it does not hold back the GPU in most scenarios. However, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface limit the combo's ceiling, particularly at higher resolutions. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9,282 further confirms the CPU's capability to feed the GPU with data.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing is neither exceptional nor deficient. The 853rd rank suggests that users can expect solid 1080p performance and acceptable 1440p gameplay, but not flagship-level results. The data indicates that the combo is well-balanced for its price point, though it requires setting adjustments to achieve optimal frame rates at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which settings to use for each resolution. At 1920x1080, Medium settings offer the best balance, delivering 86.4 FPS while maintaining visual quality. High settings are also viable at 71.6 FPS, but Ultra drops to 51.3 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players but is below the 60 FPS target. Low settings at 114.7 FPS are ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings are the recommended choice, averaging 65.5 FPS. High settings fall to 54.4 FPS, which is playable but not optimal, while Low settings at 89.6 FPS sacrifice too much visual fidelity. Ultra settings at 36.3 FPS are not recommended due to the significant FPS penalty. The data shows that Medium provides the best compromise between visual quality and smoothness at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the combo cannot achieve 60 FPS on any setting. Low settings at 59.5 FPS are the only near-playable option, but even this is marginal. Medium (41.5 FPS), High (35.8 FPS), and Ultra (27.7 FPS) are all too slow for a smooth experience. Players prioritizing 4K should consider lowering the resolution or accepting reduced frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance across all settings. Low settings produce 114.7 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. Medium settings achieve 86.4 FPS, High settings reach 71.6 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 51.3 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 63.4 FPS, representing a 55 percent reduction in performance when maxing out settings.

At 2560x1440, the scaling pattern remains consistent but with lower absolute values. Low settings average 89.6 FPS, Medium hits 65.5 FPS, High reaches 54.4 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36.3 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 53.3 FPS, showing that the GPU handles the increased pixel count reasonably well but still struggles with Ultra presets.

At 3840x2160, the combo's limitations are fully exposed. Low settings average 59.5 FPS, which barely misses the 60 FPS target. Medium settings drop to 41.5 FPS, High to 35.8 FPS, and Ultra to 27.7 FPS. The 31.8 FPS difference between Low and Ultra highlights the GPU's inability to sustain high-quality rendering at 4K, likely due to the 8 GB VRAM being exceeded by Ultra textures. This data confirms that the RTX 5060 is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2.