Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a stark study in bottlenecking within Red Dead Redemption 2. The benchmark data shows a 16-core processor with a 5.40 GHz boost clock consistently held back by an integrated GPU that ranks in the 9th percentile among all tested graphics cards. The measured frames per second (FPS) across all resolutions and settings indicate that this combination is unsuitable for smooth gameplay, with the Arc B390 acting as the definitive performance ceiling.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average FPS is 51, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the data that breaks the 50 FPS threshold, indicating that playable frame rates are only possible at the lowest graphical fidelity and resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B390's average 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482. This is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443). These are extremely small deltas, placing the B390 in the same performance tier as these older, low-end parts.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS drops from 51 on Low settings to 23 on Ultra settings. This represents a 28 FPS decrease, or roughly a 55% reduction in frame rate, when moving from the lowest to the highest quality preset.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K has an average benchmark score of 46881. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971) is 0.2% slower, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022) is 0.3% slower, while the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654) and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653) are both 0.5% faster. The differences are negligible, indicating near-identical synthetic CPU performance.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B390 have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the fact pack indicates the memory size, type, and bus width are all "System Shared". The memory bandwidth is "System Dependent", meaning it relies on the system's main memory rather than a dedicated VRAM pool, which is a significant factor in its low performance.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2568 out of 2902 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems, confirming that it is a very low-performing configuration for Red Dead Redemption 2.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary determiner of performance in this game, and its specifications paint a clear picture of why. As an integrated part of the Panther Lake platform (Arc Graphics-M), it has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The architecture is Xe3-LPG on a 3 nm process, with 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. The memory configuration is entirely "System Shared", with no dedicated VRAM. The data shows that this shared memory setup and the GPU's raw compute power severely limit the gaming experience.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark score is 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710, with performance deltas of just 1.3% to 2.7%. This contextualizes the Arc B390 as a GPU with performance comparable to entry-level parts from over a decade ago. In Red Dead Redemption 2, a demanding open-world title, this results in the measured FPS data showing a hard ceiling. The GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates is evident across all tested settings, with even the best-case scenario (Low, 1080p) only reaching 51 FPS. The boost clock of 2500 MHz is irrelevant when the fundamental processing power and memory bandwidth are insufficient for the game's engine.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only viable path to a playable experience is to prioritize frame rate above all visual fidelity. The data shows that at 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average FPS of 51. This is the only setting and resolution combination that approaches a standard 60 FPS target. The Medium preset at 1080p drops to 39 FPS, and the High preset falls to 32 FPS. While 51 FPS is still below the ideal 60 FPS target, it is the only configuration that provides a reasonably smooth experience.

At higher resolutions, the frame rates become unplayable. At 2560x1440, even the Low preset only averages 38 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages just 25 FPS. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it results in average FPS between 11 and 23, which is a slideshow. The recommendation is clear: if using this combination, set the resolution to 1920x1080 and the quality preset to Low. The data does not support any other choice for a functional gaming session. The difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 12 FPS, a significant margin that is likely worth the visual compromise.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2568 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the 11th percentile, meaning 88% of all tested system configurations deliver better performance. This low ranking is a direct result of the GPU's limitations. The CPU, by contrast, is a high-end part. Its average benchmark score is 46881, placing it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, is virtually identical in performance, with a delta of only -0.2%.

This juxtaposition highlights a severe imbalance. The data implies that the i7-13700K is more than capable of feeding frames to a much faster GPU, but the Arc B390 cannot utilize the CPU's potential. The ranking is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but proof of the GPU's status as a massive bottleneck. In a system with a more powerful discrete graphics card, this CPU would likely rank much higher. As it stands, the combo's position in the bottom 11% is almost entirely attributable to the Intel Arc B390's performance class.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, confirming the GPU as the limiting factor. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 51 at 1920x1080, to 38 at 2560x1440, and finally to 25 at 3840x2160. This represents a 26 FPS (51%) reduction from 1080p to 4K. The trend is similar for other settings. For High settings, the average FPS is 32 at 1080p, 24 at 1440p, and 16 at 4K. For Medium settings, it drops from 39 at 1080p to 29 at 1440p and 19 at 4K.

The magnitude of these drops indicates that the system is heavily GPU-bound. When resolution increases, the pixel count and shading load on the GPU increase substantially, and the Arc B390's limited compute and memory bandwidth are quickly overwhelmed. The CPU, with its 5.40 GHz boost clock and 16 cores, is unlikely to be the cause of these drops. The scaling pattern is consistent with a GPU that is running out of processing power, not a CPU that is unable to keep up with the game's logic. The data suggests that even at 1080p, the GPU is working at its limit, and any increase in resolution pushes it further into performance degradation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS for the Intel Core i7-13700K + Intel Arc B390 combination in Red Dead Redemption 2.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: 11 FPS
• High: 16 FPS
• Medium: 19 FPS (min 16, max 22)
• Low: 25 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: 17 FPS
• High: 24 FPS
• Medium: 29 FPS (min 24, max 33)
• Low: 38 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: 23 FPS
• High: 32 FPS
• Medium: 39 FPS (min 33, max 44)
• Low: 51 FPS

The data shows a clear ceiling. The only configuration to exceed 50 FPS is 1080p Low, and no configuration at 1440p or 4K can reach even 40 FPS. The variance between minimum and maximum FPS on Medium settings (e.g., 33 to 44 at 1080p) shows a lack of frame time consistency, which can make the experience feel stuttery even within the already-low average. The gap between Low and Ultra at every resolution is substantial (28 FPS at 1080p, 21 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K), indicating that the graphical presets have a massive impact on this GPU's performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K provides an immense amount of processing headroom that is entirely unused in this configuration. It features 16 cores and 24 threads based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its 30 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a formidable processor for multi-threaded workloads, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 30745. The CPU's percentile rank of 89 against all CPUs confirms its high-end status.

However, the game's performance is not limited by this processor. The measured FPS data shows that the frame rate is consistently low across all settings, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see frame rates that are high at low resolutions and settings but drop significantly as the load on the CPU increases. Instead, we see a plateau in performance that is dictated by the Arc B390's capabilities. The CPU's 3dmark_max_threads score of 12412 and its passmark_multithread score of 45887 are irrelevant to the gaming experience here because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize the CPU's processing power. The data suggests that this CPU is overqualified for the task and its full potential is being held back by the integrated graphics solution.