Red Dead Redemption 2

This pairing of an Intel Core i7-14700F with an AMD Radeon RX 580 is a study in extremes. The CPU is a modern, high-end 20-core processor that sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs tested, while the GPU is a legacy Polaris card from 2017 that ranks in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. In Red Dead Redemption 2, this mismatch produces a clear bottleneck, but the data shows exactly where the limits lie and what settings offer the most playable experience.

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

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a Raptor Lake Refresh part with 20 cores and 28 threads. It runs at a 2.10 GHz base clock and boosts up to 5.40 GHz, which gives it substantial headroom for both single-threaded and multi-threaded workloads. Its benchmark scores confirm this: it hits 35,443 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5,003 in single-core, with a PassMark multithread score of 41,765 and a single-thread score of 4,261. The processor also has 33 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps with large data sets.

In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, this CPU is overkill. The game’s measured FPS at every resolution and setting combination is far below what the i7-14700F is capable of feeding. The processor’s nearest rivals—the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, Ryzen 9 9900X3D, Intel Xeon Phi 7290, and AMD EPYC 7313P—all sit within a 1.7% to -1.1% deltaPct of its average benchmark score, meaning the CPU is competitive with top-tier desktop and server parts. That raw power, however, is not the limiting factor here. The data shows that the GPU is the clear bottleneck: the RX 580’s 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 256.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth simply cannot keep pace with the CPU’s ability to issue draw calls and physics calculations.

The CPU’s 65W TDP and support for DDR4/DDR5 memory mean it is an efficient and flexible platform, but none of that matters for this game’s frame rates when paired with this GPU. The benchmark results indicate that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU load is lightest, the average FPS is only 49.2, which is well below what the i7-14700F could theoretically support with a stronger graphics card. In short, the CPU is doing its job; the GPU is not capable of translating that into high frame rates.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1080p is the only resolution that approaches playable frame rates. At 1080p Low, the average is 49.2 FPS, while 1080p Medium drops to 38.5 FPS. At 1440p, even Low settings only reach 37.5 FPS, and at 4K, every preset falls below 25 FPS.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The gap is substantial across all resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (49.2 FPS) and Ultra (21.4 FPS) is 27.8 FPS, meaning Ultra delivers less than half the frame rate. At 1440p, the spread is from 37.5 FPS (Low) down to 15.9 FPS (Ultra), and at 4K, it ranges from 24.5 FPS (Low) to just 11.8 FPS (Ultra).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. The Core i7-14700F ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs and scores 41,765 in PassMark multithread, while the RX 580 ranks in the 53rd percentile of GPUs and has an average benchmark score of 13,559. The GPU’s nearest rivals include the GTX 570 and GTX 950, which are both older parts, confirming its performance class is far below the CPU.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: Not practically. The best 4K result is 24.5 FPS at Low settings, which is below the 30 FPS threshold for acceptable playability. At High settings, it drops to 15 FPS, and at Ultra, it falls to 11.8 FPS. None of these are suitable for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 38.5, while at 1440p Medium, it drops to 25.4. That is a 13.1 FPS reduction, or roughly 34% lower performance, when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 1,555th out of 1,687 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all configurations tested. This is primarily due to the RX 580’s age and performance level, which drags down what would otherwise be a top-tier CPU.

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

The resolution scaling data clearly shows the GPU as the primary constraint. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings, the average FPS drops from 49.2 to 37.5, a reduction of 11.7 FPS. From 1440p to 4K at Low, it falls further from 37.5 to 24.5, another 13 FPS loss. This steady decline with increasing pixel count is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario.

At Medium settings, the pattern holds. 1080p delivers 38.5 FPS, 1440p drops to 25.4 FPS, and 4K falls to 20.9 FPS. The percentage losses are consistent: about 34% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 18% from 1440p to 4K. This linear degradation indicates that the RX 580’s 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 6.175 TFLOPS compute are being saturated at every step.

High settings tell a similar story. From 32.6 FPS at 1080p, the frame rate drops to 24.9 FPS at 1440p and then to 15 FPS at 4K. The jump from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, with a 9.9 FPS loss, because the higher pixel count demands more fill rate from the GPU’s 32 ROPs and 144 TMUs. The CPU, with its 5.40 GHz boost clock and 33 MB L3 cache, has no trouble keeping up, but the GPU’s pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s is simply too low for 4K.

Ultra settings are the worst case. The frame rate goes from 21.4 FPS at 1080p to 15.9 FPS at 1440p and finally to 11.8 FPS at 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all presets, confirming that the bottleneck is the GPU’s raw throughput, not any CPU limitation. If the CPU were the constraint, we would see frame rates plateau or even increase at lower resolutions when the GPU load decreases, but here the FPS scales almost linearly with pixel count.

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

Starting at 1080p, the most playable resolution for this combo, the data shows a clear hierarchy. Low settings produce an average of 49.2 FPS, which is the highest result across any configuration. Medium settings drop to 38.5 FPS, High settings yield 32.6 FPS, and Ultra falls to 21.4 FPS. This spread of 27.8 FPS between Low and Ultra means that players can nearly double their frame rate by sacrificing visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the numbers are more constrained. Low settings deliver 37.5 FPS, which is borderline playable, but Medium drops to 25.4 FPS, High to 24.9 FPS, and Ultra to 15.9 FPS. The similarity between Medium and High (25.4 vs. 24.9 FPS) is notable, indicating that the GPU is hitting a memory bandwidth wall where additional settings changes have minimal impact. This suggests that at 1440p, even modest quality settings push the RX 580 to its limits.

At 4K, all results are below playability thresholds. Low settings average 24.5 FPS, Medium drops to 20.9 FPS, High falls to 15 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 11.8 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium is only 3.6 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 3.2 FPS, showing that the GPU is so far beyond its comfort zone that setting changes yield diminishing returns. The 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus width are insufficient for 4K textures and pixel loads in this game.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings provide the best frame rates, and the drop from Low to Medium is always the largest single step. At 1080p, that step is 10.7 FPS; at 1440p, it is 12.1 FPS; and at 4K, it is 3.6 FPS. This indicates that Medium settings introduce effects that heavily tax the GPU, while High and Ultra add progressively less overhead.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This particular configuration ranks 1,555th out of 1,687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested. That ranking is almost entirely attributable to the RX 580, which sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs and has an average benchmark score of 13,559. Its nearest rivals—the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570, GTX 950, AMD Radeon Pro 455, and NVIDIA P106-090—are all older or lower-tier parts, confirming that the GPU is not competitive in modern titles.

The CPU, by contrast, is a top-tier part. The Core i7-14700F ranks in the 94th percentile of all CPUs and has an average benchmark score of 54,097. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, which is only 0.6% faster, and the Ryzen 9 9900X3D, which is 1.1% faster. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 is 1.2% slower, and the AMD EPYC 7313P is 1.7% slower. This means the CPU is performing at the level of flagship desktop and server processors.

The discrepancy between the CPU’s high ranking and the combo’s low ranking highlights the GPU bottleneck. If the RX 580 were replaced with a modern mid-range card, this combo would likely jump hundreds of positions in the rankings. As measured, however, the 1,555th place finish reflects the reality that a 2017-era GPU cannot handle a 2018 action-adventure title at high settings, even with a top-tier 2024 CPU feeding it data.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

For this combo, the only playable preset is 1080p Low, which delivers an average of 49.2 FPS. This is the only configuration that exceeds the 30 FPS threshold for acceptable gameplay, and it comes close to the 60 FPS target many PC gamers prefer. If you can tolerate some visual compromises, this is the recommended setup.

At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 38.5 FPS, which is still playable but noticeably less smooth. The 10.7 FPS penalty for Medium settings is significant, so only use this if you prioritize visual quality over frame rate stability. At 1080p High, the frame rate falls to 32.6 FPS, which is borderline and may cause noticeable stutter during action sequences. Ultra at 1080p is not recommended, as 21.4 FPS is below playable thresholds.

For 1440p, the only acceptable preset is Low, which averages 37.5 FPS. This is playable but not ideal, and it requires accepting the lowest visual quality. Medium at 1440p drops to 25.4 FPS, which is too low for smooth gameplay, and High and Ultra are even worse at 24.9 and 15.9 FPS respectively. Given the minor difference between Medium and High at 1440p, there is no reason to use High if Medium is already too slow.

At 4K, no preset is playable. The best result is 24.5 FPS at Low, which is below the 30 FPS minimum for comfortable gaming. If you must play at 4K, you will need to lower the resolution or accept a slideshow-like experience. The data strongly suggests that 1080p Low is the only viable configuration for this CPU-GPU pairing in Red Dead Redemption 2.