Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B570 pairing in Red Dead Redemption 2 presents a clear case of GPU-bound performance, where the processor’s substantial headroom is left largely untapped. The measured frame rates across the resolution and settings matrix show a system that is consistently limited by the graphics card, with the CPU’s capabilities never becoming the bottleneck. This analysis breaks down the data to explain what these numbers mean for the gaming experience, how the combo ranks among other tested configurations, and which settings offer the most practical path to smoother gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, a classic sign of a GPU-limited scenario. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings drops the average FPS from 49 to 37, a reduction of 12 frames per second. The scaling continues at 3840x2160, where the average falls to just 24 FPS at High settings. This pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B570’s rendering capabilities are the primary constraint; the Intel Core i7-14700K is not the limiting factor at any resolution.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens dramatically at higher resolutions, further confirming the GPU bottleneck. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low (79 FPS) and Ultra (36 FPS) is 43 frames per second. At 2560x1440, that spread grows to 32 FPS (59 vs 27), and at 3840x2160, it narrows slightly to 21 FPS (39 vs 18), because even Low settings at 4K saturate the GPU’s capabilities. The data suggests that the CPU is so far ahead of the GPU in this pairing that it never becomes a constraint, even at 1080p with lower settings where the Frame rate is highest.

The scaling behavior shows that the Arc B570 has a finite performance ceiling that is reached quickly as pixel count increases. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 79 FPS, but this is still not enough to strain the 20-core, 28-thread i7-14700K. The processor’s high single-core performance, evidenced by its Passmark single-thread score of 4472, is irrelevant here because the GPU is saturated well before the CPU needs to work hard. The result is a system where upgrading the CPU would yield no measurable benefit in this game, while upgrading the GPU would provide immediate gains across all resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 79 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the data that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, though it requires dropping the visual quality to the minimum preset.

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

A: At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are 39 FPS on Low, 29 FPS on Medium, 24 FPS on High, and 18 FPS on Ultra. These results indicate that 4K gaming is not a viable option for smooth play, as even the Low preset falls short of 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. It is essentially tied with the AMD EPYC 9115, which is 0.1% faster, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which is 0.2% slower. The AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX is 0.7% faster and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is 0.9% faster.

Q: What is the GPU’s performance percentile compared to other graphics cards?

A: The Intel Arc B570 sits in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its closest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster) and the Intel Arc A750 (0.1% slower), showing it is competitive with those mid-range options.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 44 FPS with a minimum of 38 and maximum of 51. High settings drop the average to 37 FPS without min/max data provided. The 7 FPS difference between these presets is notable, but both remain below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Does the 10 GB VRAM capacity of the Arc B570 impact performance at higher resolutions?

A: The data indicates a severe performance drop at 4K, with averages ranging from 18 to 39 FPS depending on settings. While the 10 GB GDDR6 memory with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for the game’s data at lower resolutions, the frame rates at 3840x2160 suggest the GPU’s raw compute power, not just memory capacity, is the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570’s specifications provide context for its in-game performance. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, along with 18 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a fixed clock speed of 2500 MHz for both base and boost, and it has a 160-bit memory bus connecting to 10 GB of GDDR6 memory. This configuration yields a memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s, which is a critical metric for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 that streams large texture assets.

The measured FPS data shows that the GPU’s 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is insufficient for high-resolution gameplay. At 1920x1080, the card manages 59 FPS on Medium settings, which is playable but not smooth by modern standards. The situation worsens at 2560x1440, where the same Medium preset yields only 44 FPS. The GPU’s 5 nm process node and 19,600 million transistors do not translate into enough raw performance to maintain high frame rates at higher resolutions.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB appears adequate for the game’s demands, as the performance degradation from 1440p to 4K is consistent with a compute-bound workload rather than a memory capacity issue. The 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is a modest figure, but the data does not indicate that memory bandwidth is the primary bottleneck. Instead, the drop from 44 FPS at 1440p Medium to 29 FPS at 4K Medium suggests the shader and texture processing units are overwhelmed by the increased pixel count.

The GPU’s benchmark scores align with its in-game performance. Its Passmark G3D score of 14195 and 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2649 place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, which is consistent with the observed mid-range frame rates. The card’s performance relative to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster) and Intel Arc A750 (0.1% slower) in synthetic tests is mirrored by its gaming results, which show it as a capable 1080p card that struggles beyond that resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Arc B570 delivers its best results. Low settings produce an average of 79 FPS, making it the only preset that exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings drop to 59 FPS, with a minimum of 50 and maximum of 68, indicating occasional dips below the smooth threshold. High settings average 49 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36 FPS. These numbers show that 1080p gaming is viable, but only at Low or Medium settings for a consistently playable experience.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance takes a significant hit across all presets. Low settings average 59 FPS, which is still respectable, but Medium drops to 44 FPS with a range of 38 to 51. High settings average 37 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27 FPS. The 15 FPS difference between Low and Medium at this resolution highlights the impact of increased graphical complexity on the GPU’s limited resources.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overmatched. Low settings average 39 FPS, Medium averages 29 FPS with a min of 25 and max of 34, High averages 24 FPS, and Ultra drops to 18 FPS. None of these configurations provide a playable experience for fast-paced action. The data shows a linear decline from 79 FPS at 1080p Low to 39 FPS at 4K Low, representing a 50% reduction in frame rate when quadrupling the pixel count.

The Medium settings provide the only complete dataset with min and max values. At 1080p, the range is 50 to 68 FPS, at 1440p it is 38 to 51 FPS, and at 4K it is 25 to 34 FPS. These ranges show that the GPU maintains relatively stable frame pacing, but the overall averages are too low for a smooth experience at higher resolutions. The lack of min/max data for other presets suggests the benchmark focused on average performance, which still paints a clear picture of the GPU’s limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the bottom 20% of all configurations, which is a surprisingly low position given the CPU’s high performance. The rank reflects the GPU’s inability to leverage the processor’s capabilities, as the i7-14700K is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs while the Arc B570 is only in the 65th percentile of GPUs.

The disparity between the CPU and GPU performance is the defining characteristic of this pairing. The i7-14700K’s average benchmark score of 69355 is nearly tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, a top-tier processor, yet the combo’s rank is dragged down by the Arc B570’s mid-range performance. This imbalance means the system is severely GPU-bound, and the CPU’s 20 cores and 28 threads are largely idle during gameplay.

In the context of all tested combos, this pairing is closer to the bottom than the top. The 2335th rank out of 2902 indicates that most other configurations, including those with weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, achieve better frame rates in this specific game. The data suggests that Red Dead Redemption 2 is sensitive to GPU performance, and the Arc B570’s 11.52 TFLOPS of compute power is insufficient to compete with higher-ranked graphics cards.

The rank also highlights that the CPU’s synthetic benchmark victories do not translate to gaming performance. The i7-14700K’s nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks, such as the AMD EPYC 9115 and Ryzen 9 7950X, are within 0.2% of its average score, but the combo’s rank is determined by the GPU. For users prioritizing this game, the data implies that a more balanced system with a mid-range CPU and higher-tier GPU would rank significantly better.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, Low settings provide the best experience with an average of 79 FPS, which is the only preset that clears the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings at 59 FPS are also acceptable for most players, offering a balance between visual quality and smoothness, though the minimum of 50 FPS may cause noticeable stutters in busy scenes.

At 2560x1440, the data shows that Low settings at 59 FPS is the only viable option for a near-smooth experience. Medium settings drop to 44 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. The 37 FPS average on High and 27 FPS on Ultra are not recommended, as they will result in a sluggish and visually jarring experience. Users at this resolution should prioritize frame rate over graphical fidelity.

For 3840x2160, none of the settings provide a playable experience, with averages ranging from 18 to 39 FPS. The Low preset at 39 FPS is the least objectionable, but it is still below 40 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for a playable game. The data strongly suggests that 4K is not a practical resolution for this GPU, and users should either lower their resolution or adjust their expectations.

The Medium preset’s complete data (min and max FPS) at all three resolutions provides insight into frame consistency. At 1080p Medium, the range of 50-68 FPS shows good stability. At 1440p Medium, the 38-51 FPS range indicates more variance. At 4K Medium, the 25-34 FPS range is tight but too low to be usable. For the best overall experience, the recommendation is to use 1080p with Low or Medium settings, as this is the only configuration that consistently delivers frame rates near or above 60 FPS.