Red Dead Redemption 2

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 lands at rank 52 out of 1,687 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the combo in the top 3% of all tested systems, a position that reflects the substantial headroom both components bring to this 2018 title. The ranking suggests that for the vast majority of users, this pairing will deliver a top-tier experience, though the data also reveals where the bottlenecks emerge as settings and resolutions shift.

Benchmark results indicate the CPU holds its own against formidable competition. The i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 54,097 places it within 0.6% of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, and it trails the Ryzen 9 9900X3D by just 1.1%. Meanwhile, it sits 1.2% ahead of the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 and 1.7% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P. This tight clustering at the top of the CPU charts means the processor is rarely the limiting factor in this game's frame delivery.

The GPU, while ranked at the 91st percentile among all graphics cards, shows a more curious pattern in its nearest rivals. The RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 66,473 is within 0.4% of the NVIDIA Tesla T4 and 0.5% of the Tesla P40, despite those being data-center oriented cards. The 4090 also sits 0.9% below the Radeon Pro Vega 56 and 1.3% below the Quadro P6000 in raw average scores. This is a reminder that synthetic averages don't always translate directly to gaming performance, where the 4090's architecture and drivers typically excel.

# GPU Role

The RTX 4090 brings 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units provide the raw throughput needed for 4K gaming. The chip runs at a base clock of 2235 MHz and boosts to 2520 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). These specifications translate into 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the frame rates suggest the CPU is doing more of the heavy lifting, but at 4K, the data clearly shows the GPU taking over as the primary constraint. The measured FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings drops to 47.2, a figure that aligns with the 4090 being pushed to its limits by the game's demanding draw distances and lighting effects. The 24 GB frame buffer is more than sufficient for this title, even at 4K with High and Ultra presets, meaning VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in any measured configuration.

The 4090's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are present but largely underutilized in this game, which predates widespread ray tracing adoption. The data shows that the GPU's raw rasterization power is what drives performance here, with the 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 figure being the more relevant metric for this workload.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and boosts up to 5.40 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and its 65 W TDP is notably modest for a processor with this core count. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all processors underscores its capability in multi-threaded workloads.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's high boost clock and substantial cache hierarchy are critical. The game's open-world simulation, NPC AI, and physics calculations benefit from single-thread performance, where the i7-14700F's 5.40 GHz boost clock shines. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,003 and multi-core score of 35,443 indicate strong performance across both lightly and heavily threaded scenarios. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,261 and multi-thread score of 41,765 further confirm this balance.

At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 212.4 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is keeping pace with the GPU's output. However, the data indicates that as resolution increases, the CPU's influence wanes relative to the GPU. The interesting question is whether the 20-core configuration provides any tangible benefit in this game over a higher-clocked 8-core part, given that Red Dead Redemption 2 typically scales well to around 8 threads but shows diminishing returns beyond that.

# FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 52nd out of 1,687 tested combos, placing it in the top 3% of all systems.

Q: What is the difference in CPU performance between the i7-14700F and its closest rival?

A: The i7-14700F has an average benchmark score of 54,097, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X (54,450) and 1.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (54,681).

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 4090 have and is it sufficient for 4K gaming?

A: The RTX 4090 has 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus. In this game, even at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the measured average FPS is 47.2, indicating no VRAM-related performance ceiling.

Q: What is the boost clock of the i7-14700F and how does it affect gaming?

A: The i7-14700F boosts up to 5.40 GHz from a 2.10 GHz base clock. This high boost clock is reflected in the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,003, which helps maintain high frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios like 1080p Low settings where the combo reaches 212.4 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4090 is at the 91st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 66,473. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla T4, scores 66,733, a delta of -0.4%.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 support DirectX 12 Ultimate?

A: Yes, the RTX 4090 supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), along with OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.4, making it compatible with all modern graphics APIs used in Red Dead Redemption 2.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 132.5 FPS, but this drops to 99.9 FPS at 1440p (a 24.6% reduction) and further to 66.2 FPS at 4K (a 50% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is typical of a system where the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The Low settings preset tells a different story. At 1080p, the system hits 212.4 FPS, which falls to 158.8 FPS at 1440p (25.2% drop) and 104.5 FPS at 4K (50.8% drop). The consistent percentage drops across Low and High presets suggest that the RTX 4090's rendering workload scales proportionally with pixel count, regardless of quality settings.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest absolute decline: 97.3 FPS at 1080p, 73.8 FPS at 1440p, and 47.2 FPS at 4K. This represents a 51.5% reduction from 1080p to 4K, slightly steeper than the other presets. This indicates that at Ultra settings, the GPU is working harder per pixel, and the additional shading and post-processing effects amplify the resolution penalty. The data implies that for 4K Ultra gaming, this combo is just barely adequate, while 1440p Ultra offers a more comfortable margin.

# Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS breakdown across presets and resolutions points to a few optimal configurations, depending on the target display. For 4K displays (3840x2160), the Medium preset at 80.3 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness, as High drops to 66.2 FPS and Ultra falls below 60 FPS at 47.2. The Low preset reaches 104.5 FPS but sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for its atmospheric detail.

At 1440p (2560x1440), the High preset at 99.9 FPS is arguably the sweet spot. It maintains near-100 FPS while preserving the game's visual richness. The Medium preset at 119.1 FPS provides additional headroom for those with 144 Hz displays, while Ultra at 73.8 FPS still clears 60 FPS for a smooth experience. Low at 158.8 FPS is excessive for most displays and unnecessary given the visual cost.

For 1080p (1920x1080), the Ultra preset at 97.3 FPS is viable and recommended for maximum visual quality, since even the heaviest settings remain above 90 FPS. The High preset at 132.5 FPS and Medium at 158.8 FPS are excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, with Low at 212.4 FPS being the only preset that truly tests the CPU's limits. Given the game's release in 2018, the Ultra preset at 1080p likely represents the intended maximum experience, and this combo delivers it comfortably.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete dataset of measured average FPS is as follows:

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 104.5 FPS
• Medium: 80.3 FPS
• High: 66.2 FPS
• Ultra: 47.2 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 158.8 FPS
• Medium: 119.1 FPS
• High: 99.9 FPS
• Ultra: 73.8 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 212.4 FPS
• Medium: 158.8 FPS
• High: 132.5 FPS
• Ultra: 97.3 FPS

Across all resolutions, the scaling from Low to Ultra is consistent: Ultra typically delivers roughly 45-55% of the Low preset's frame rate. At 4K, the Ultra figure of 47.2 FPS is the only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS, making it the sole weak point in an otherwise capable setup. The 1440p Medium score of 119.1 FPS exactly matches the 1080p High score of 132.5 FPS, indicating that resolution scaling and preset scaling interact in predictable ways. The data suggests that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, players should stick to Medium at 4K or High at 1440p, while 1080p users can max out settings without concern.