Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2’s benchmark data for the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER combination reveals a system that is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor’s strong multi-threaded performance keeps frame rates competitive at lower settings. The measured results across three resolutions and four quality presets show a clear pattern: the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB frame buffer and Turing architecture are the primary limiters, with the i7-13700K providing ample headroom. This analysis breaks down the resolution scaling, component roles, and practical settings for this specific pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a steep performance drop that points directly to the GPU as the limiting component. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 65 FPS at 1080p to 49.9 FPS at 1440p, and then to 29.5 FPS at 4K. That represents a 24% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 41% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, indicating that the 4K resolution overwhelms the RTX 2070 SUPER’s memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s and its 256-bit bus width.

At Low settings, the pattern is similar but with higher absolute values: 103.7 FPS at 1080p, 75.6 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K here is 35%, slightly less severe than at High settings, suggesting that lower graphical detail reduces the GPU’s workload per pixel. However, even at Low, the 4K result remains below the 60 FPS threshold, confirming that the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU’s role in this scaling is minimal, as its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and 16 cores provide far more processing power than the GPU can feed at any resolution.

The most telling comparison is between the Ultra preset at 1080p (43.3 FPS) and the Low preset at 4K (49 FPS). The latter achieves higher frame rates despite quadruple the pixel count, which proves that the game’s Ultra settings impose a heavier load on the GPU than the resolution increase alone. This indicates that texture quality and shading effects, not just pixel count, are the primary drivers of the performance degradation. The data suggests that users targeting 4K should prioritize lower settings, while those at 1080p have more flexibility to increase visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo to maintain 60 FPS?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves 103.7 FPS and Medium achieves 78.7 FPS, both comfortably above 60 FPS. At High settings, 1080p drops to 65 FPS, which is still playable but near the threshold. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (75.6 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS, while Medium (55.7 FPS) and High (49.9 FPS) fall short.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score is 22206, with a percentile rank of 65 against all GPUs. It is 0.5% behind the NVIDIA RTX A400 (score 22307) and 2.3% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 Mobile (score 22729). It outperforms the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z by 0.9% (score 22006) and the AMD Radeon RX 5700 by 2.5% (score 21670).

Q: Does the i7-13700K bottleneck the RTX 2070 SUPER in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: No, the data indicates the CPU is not a bottleneck. The i7-13700K’s 16 cores and 24 threads, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, deliver a PassMark multithread score of 45887 and a 3DMark max threads score of 12412. The measured FPS drops are consistent with GPU limitations, not CPU stalls.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Ultra and Low at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 33.8 FPS, while the Low preset averages 75.6 FPS. This is a 41.8 FPS difference, or a 55% improvement when switching from Ultra to Low. The Medium preset (55.7 FPS) offers a middle ground.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM sufficient for 4K in this game?

A: The 4K results suggest it is not fully sufficient. At 4K Ultra, the average is 25.1 FPS, and at 4K High, it is 29.5 FPS. Even at 4K Low, the average is 49 FPS, which is below 60 FPS. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory, paired with a 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, appears to be a limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance affect the game?

A: The i7-13700K’s single-thread score of 4333 in PassMark and 1136 in 3DMark single-thread indicates strong per-core performance. This helps maintain frame times in CPU-bound scenes, though the GPU remains the primary limiter in this configuration.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is the decisive component in these results. Its Turing architecture, built on a 12 nm process, features 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivers 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications are reflected in its PassMark G3D score of 18169 and a percentile rank of 65, placing it in the mid-range of modern GPUs.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU’s role is evident in the scaling from Low to Ultra presets. At 1080p, the frame rate drops from 103.7 FPS at Low to 43.3 FPS at Ultra, a 58% reduction. This is a direct consequence of the increased shading and texture work, which taxes the GPU’s 9.062 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The memory subsystem also matters: at 4K, the 256-bit bus and 8 GB capacity struggle with the game’s large textures, leading to sub-30 FPS at Ultra and High.

The nearest rivals provide context. The RTX 2070 SUPER is 2.3% slower than the RTX 4060 Mobile in average benchmark score, but 2.5% faster than the RX 5700. This places it in a competitive bracket, yet the measured FPS in this game shows it cannot sustain 60 FPS at 1440p High. The GPU’s 40 RT cores and 320 tensor cores are present, but the game’s rasterization load is the primary driver of the measured results. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed is adequate for 1080p Medium (78.7 FPS) but insufficient for higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides twelve data points across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the averages are 103.7 FPS (Low), 78.7 FPS (Medium), 65 FPS (High), and 43.3 FPS (Ultra). The jump from Medium to High is 13.7 FPS, while High to Ultra is a larger 21.7 FPS drop, indicating that the Ultra preset includes disproportionately expensive effects.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 75.6 FPS (Low), 55.7 FPS (Medium), 49.9 FPS (High), and 33.8 FPS (Ultra). The scaling from Low to Medium is a 19.9 FPS loss, and Medium to High is a smaller 5.8 FPS loss, suggesting diminishing returns at higher settings. The Ultra preset at 1440p is nearly half the Low preset’s frame rate, highlighting the GPU’s struggle with advanced shading.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 49 FPS (Low), 35.8 FPS (Medium), 29.5 FPS (High), and 25.1 FPS (Ultra). The gap between Low and Medium is 13.2 FPS, while Medium to High is 6.3 FPS, and High to Ultra is 4.4 FPS. The compression of frame rates at 4K indicates that the GPU is saturated, with even Low settings failing to reach 60 FPS. The overall combo rank is 1046 out of 1687 combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a high-end processor that is underutilized in this pairing. Its 16 cores (8 performance and 8 efficiency) and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, provide exceptional multi-threaded capability. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and Geekbench multi-core score of 17731 confirm its strength, as does its 93rd percentile rank against all CPUs.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck. The data shows this is achieved: at 1080p Low, the 103.7 FPS average is likely near the GPU’s peak output, not a CPU limit. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 10717 and 8-thread score of 8193 indicate that the CPU can handle the game’s threading model, which typically uses fewer than 16 threads. The i7-13700K’s nearest rival, the i7-13700KF, has a delta of -0.1%, meaning they perform nearly identically.

The CPU’s L3 cache of 30 MB (shared) and L2 cache of 2 MB per core help with game asset streaming, but the measured FPS differences across settings are primarily GPU-driven. The single-thread score of 5505 in Cinebench R23 ensures that even in CPU-bound moments, the frame times remain stable. For this game, the i7-13700K provides a surplus of performance, meaning users could pair it with a stronger GPU without incurring a CPU penalty.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution and frame rate goal. For users with a 1920x1080 display seeking 60 FPS, the High preset (65 FPS) is the best choice, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium (78.7 FPS) while staying above the threshold. The Ultra preset (43.3 FPS) is not recommended for 60 FPS gaming, as it sacrifices 21.7 FPS for marginal visual gains.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset (55.7 FPS) is the highest setting that approaches playability, but it falls short of 60 FPS. The Low preset (75.6 FPS) is the only option that fully clears the 60 FPS bar, making it the recommended choice for smooth gameplay. The High preset (49.9 FPS) is a compromise for those prioritizing visuals over frame rate, but the drop to 33.8 FPS at Ultra is too severe for most users.

For 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve 60 FPS. The Low preset (49 FPS) is the most playable, offering a 13.2 FPS advantage over Medium (35.8 FPS). The High (29.5 FPS) and Ultra (25.1 FPS) presets are below 30 FPS, which is generally considered unplayable for fast-paced action. Therefore, the recommendation is to use Low at 4K or to reduce the resolution to 1440p with Medium settings. The data clearly indicates that this GPU is best utilized at 1080p High or 1440p Low, where it delivers the best balance of visual quality and performance.