Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2: Intel Core i7-12700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Red Dead Redemption 2 demonstrates a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the GPU becoming the dominant constraint at 4K while the CPU maintains sufficient headroom at lower resolutions. The measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy from 1080p to 4K, with average FPS ranging from 220 at 1080p Low down to 49 at 4K Ultra, indicating a system that can handle the game comfortably across most settings but requires careful preset selection at higher resolutions to maintain smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets, revealing the expected shift toward GPU-bound performance at higher pixel counts. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 220 FPS at 1920x1080 to 164 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 108 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K, a substantial decline that underscores the rendering load imposed by the 4K resolution on the RTX 5090.

With Medium settings, the scaling follows a similar trajectory: 164 FPS at 1080p drops to 123 FPS at 1440p (a 25% decrease), and then to 81 FPS at 4K (a 34% further decrease from 1440p). The High preset shows 137 FPS at 1080p, 102 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K — the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K here is 50%, nearly identical to the Low preset's scaling. Ultra settings produce the lowest absolute numbers: 99 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K, with the 1080p-to-4K reduction being 50.5%.

The consistency of the scaling pattern — roughly a 50% reduction from 1080p to 4K regardless of preset — indicates that the limiting component at 4K is the GPU's rendering throughput rather than any CPU-side bottleneck. The RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands, yet the pixel workload at 3840x2160 still halves the frame rate compared to 1080p. At 1080p and 1440p, the smaller pixel counts allow the CPU to feed frames more effectively, but the data shows the GPU remains the primary constraint even at these lower resolutions, as the FPS gains from Low to Ultra are proportionally similar across all three resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node, carries 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and the memory operates at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. These specifications position the GPU as a top-tier part, reflected in its 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 79842.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's role becomes most apparent at 4K, where the average FPS at High settings is 68, at Medium 81, and at Low 108. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K (108 vs 49 FPS) demonstrates the substantial impact of quality settings on the GPU's workload. At 1440p, the same preset range yields 164 FPS at Low and 74 FPS at Ultra, while at 1080p the range is 220 to 99 FPS. The RTX 5090's 21760 shading units and 176 ROPs provide the raw compute needed for these frame rates, though the 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is clearly more than sufficient for this 2018-era title.

The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (deltaPct +0.3), Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (deltaPct +0.6), AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (deltaPct +1.1), and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (deltaPct -1.4). These comparisons indicate the RTX 5090 sits within a tight performance band relative to these parts, though none of these rivals are gaming-focused GPUs, and their relevance to Red Dead Redemption 2's specific rendering paths is limited. The measured FPS data suggests the GPU's VRAM capacity — 32 GB — is never a limiting factor, as even at 4K Ultra the game runs at 49 FPS average, implying the memory subsystem handles the texture and geometry loads without stutter-inducing swap-outs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake-S architecture, fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and features a 25 MB shared L3 cache along with 1.25 MB L2 per core. Its multi-threaded capabilities are evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071, with a Passmark multi-thread score of 34092.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's influence is most visible at 1080p where frame rates exceed 200 FPS at Low settings. At 1920x1080 Low, the average is 220 FPS, and the fact that this number is not higher — despite the GPU being capable of far more at this resolution — suggests the CPU is providing frames as fast as the game's engine allows. The 3dmark scores for the i7-12700KF, including 9983 at max threads and 1043 at single thread, indicate strong per-core performance that scales well with the game's threading model. The 20 threads handle the title's background simulation and AI workloads without introducing noticeable frame pacing issues, as the minimum FPS values at Medium settings (140 at 1080p, 104 at 1440p, 69 at 4K) show only moderate dips from averages.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 85 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365, places it just below the Intel Core i7-13700T (deltaPct -0.1) and above the Intel Core i5-13600T (deltaPct 0.2). The near-identical scores with these rivals — all within 0.2% — indicate that the i7-12700KF's gaming performance in this title is representative of its class, with no significant CPU-side bottleneck limiting the RTX 5090's output at 1440p or 4K. At 1080p, the CPU's 3dmark 16-thread score of 9282 and max-thread score of 9983 suggest it can sustain high frame delivery, though the measured FPS at 1080p Low (220) is already near the practical ceiling for this game's engine.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average frame rates span from 220 FPS at Low settings to 99 FPS at Ultra. Medium settings produce 164 FPS average with a minimum of 140 FPS and maximum of 189 FPS, while High settings yield 137 FPS average. The gap between Low and Medium is 56 FPS, while Medium to High drops by 27 FPS, and High to Ultra by 38 FPS — showing a diminishing return as settings increase, though each step still costs a meaningful amount of performance.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 164 FPS (Low), 123 FPS (Medium), 102 FPS (High), and 74 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset's minimum FPS is 104, with a maximum of 141, indicating a tighter variance than at 1080p where the minimum was 140. The transition from Low to Medium costs 41 FPS, Medium to High 21 FPS, and High to Ultra 28 FPS. This scaling pattern shows that the GPU's load at 1440p is more pronounced than at 1080p, but the system still delivers playable frame rates across all presets.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 108 FPS (Low), 81 FPS (Medium), 68 FPS (High), and 49 FPS (Ultra). The Medium preset shows a minimum of 69 FPS and maximum of 93 FPS, which is a 24 FPS spread — proportionally similar to the 37 FPS spread at 1440p Medium. The step from Low to Medium at 4K costs 27 FPS, Medium to High 13 FPS, and High to Ultra 19 FPS. Notably, the 4K Ultra result of 49 FPS is the only measured configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that Ultra settings at 4K are only viable for players who accept sub-60 frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 220, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration that exceeds 200 FPS in the measured data.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with any settings preset?

A: Yes, at 4K with Low settings the average FPS is 108, with Medium it is 81, and with High it is 68 — all above 60 FPS. However, at Ultra settings the average drops to 49 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 137 at 1920x1080 to 68 at 3840x2160, representing a 50% reduction. The 1440p High result of 102 FPS sits exactly between these two values.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset at each resolution?

A: The measured minimum FPS values for Medium settings are 140 at 1920x1080, 104 at 2560x1440, and 69 at 3840x2160. These minima are all above 60 FPS, indicating no severe frame drops at this preset.

Q: How does the RTX 5090's benchmark performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842, which is 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (score 79605) and 0.6% higher than the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (score 79396). It is 1.1% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (score 78940) and 1.4% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X (score 80959).

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance in Cinebench R23?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 28838 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4071 in single-core, showing strong scaling across its 12 cores and 20 threads.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 60 FPS as a baseline, the data shows that 4K Ultra is the only configuration that fails to meet this target, with an average of 49 FPS. At 4K High, the average of 68 FPS provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, and the minimum FPS at Medium (69) suggests that High settings would still offer acceptable frame pacing. Given that the 4K Medium average is 81 FPS, choosing Medium over High yields a 13 FPS improvement (from 68 to 81) while sacrificing some visual quality — this trade-off is reasonable for players who prioritize smoother motion.

At 1440p, all presets exceed 60 FPS, with Ultra averaging 74 FPS. The step from High (102 FPS) to Ultra (74 FPS) costs 28 FPS, which is a significant reduction, but the Ultra result remains well above the 60 FPS threshold. For 1440p displays, Ultra settings deliver the best visual experience without compromising playability, as even the Ultra minimum FPS (not measured, but the Medium minimum is 104) would likely stay above 60 FPS.

At 1080p, the system is never constrained — even Ultra averages 99 FPS. The High preset at 137 FPS and Medium at 164 FPS both provide excellent headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. For 1080p users, Ultra settings are recommended since the 99 FPS average still exceeds 90 FPS, and the visual fidelity gains from Ultra are substantial relative to the performance cost. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 140 at 1080p indicates that this setting is also viable for 144 Hz displays, but Ultra is the better choice for image quality given the ample performance margin.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 88th out of 3714 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 2.4% of all configurations in the database. This high ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates across all measured resolutions and settings, with only the 4K Ultra preset falling below 60 FPS.

The rank is driven primarily by the RTX 5090's raw performance — its 92nd percentile standing among all GPUs and average benchmark score of 79842 provide the foundation for the strong 4K results. The i7-12700KF, ranked at the 85th percentile among CPUs with an average score of 35365, supports the GPU without bottlenecking at resolutions above 1080p. The CPU's nearest rivals — the i7-13700T (deltaPct -0.1) and i5-13600T (deltaPct 0.2) — show that the 12700KF's compute performance is typical for its class, and the gaming results in Red Dead Redemption 2 align with this.

The combo's position at rank 88 out of 3714 indicates that while there are 87 other configurations that perform better in this specific title, the vast majority of tested systems fall below this pairing. The measured FPS data confirms that this combo is capable of exceeding 100 FPS at 1440p High and 68 FPS at 4K High, making it a high-end choice for this game. The combination's strength lies in its balance — the CPU's 20 threads handle the game's simulation demands, while the GPU's 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth ensure that even the heaviest texture loads at 4K Ultra do not cause the frame rate to collapse entirely, as evidenced by the 49 FPS average at that extreme setting.