Red Dead Redemption 2

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

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor built on the Raptor Lake-R architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This configuration provides substantial multi-threaded headroom, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33440.5 and a single-core score of 2160. In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, the game's open-world simulation and AI routines benefit from strong single-thread performance, which the 14700K delivers via its high boost clock. The processor's 33 MB of shared L3 cache helps keep frequently accessed game data close to the cores, reducing latency in scene transitions and character interactions.

Benchmark data places this CPU in the 94th percentile of all processors, with an average benchmark score of 69355. Compared to its nearest rivals, the 14700K sits within a tight performance band: it trails the AMD EPYC 9115 by 0.1% (score 69288), while leading the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X by 0.2% (score 69515) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX by 0.7% (score 69875). The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is 0.9% faster (score 69996), but these sub-1% deltas are noise-level differences in synthetic workloads. For Red Dead Redemption 2, the actual game performance depends more on how the CPU's single-core boost interacts with the engine's frame pacing, and the data shows that at 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo achieves 87 FPS average, suggesting the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower resolutions where GPU load is lighter.

The processor's 125 W TDP and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 or DDR5) provide flexibility, but the game's measured results are what matter here. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes, as the GPU becomes the primary limiter, but at 1080p, the 14700K's single-core strength helps push frame rates to 194 FPS on Low settings, indicating that even in less demanding scenes, the processor has enough headroom to keep up with the RTX 4080's output.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz and base clock of 2205 MHz drive its 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 render output units. With 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores, the card is well-equipped for the advanced lighting and shadow effects in Red Dead Redemption 2's engine. The memory clock runs at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective), which is sufficient to handle the game's high-resolution textures and draw distances without stutter.

The RTX 4080 holds the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is 0.1% faster (score 54209), while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind (score 54828). The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB and AMD Radeon 8060S are 2.6% and 2.7% slower, respectively (scores 55698 and 55757). These deltas are minimal in synthetic tests, but in-game, the RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM becomes a critical asset at 4K resolution, where Ultra settings demand large texture pools. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 43 FPS average, which is playable but not smooth, indicating that the GPU's raw compute is being pushed to its limits.

The card's 320 W TDP and suggested 700 W PSU are operational considerations, but the data shows that the RTX 4080 scales well across resolutions. At 1440p, the GPU maintains 90 FPS on High settings and 65 FPS on Ultra, demonstrating that the 16 GB frame buffer and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are adequate for most settings, but the 4K Ultra result reveals a hard ceiling where the GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS FP32 compute cannot sustain high frame rates.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 145 FPS average with a minimum of 123 FPS and a maximum of 167 FPS, which is 19% higher than High's 121 FPS and 67% higher than Ultra's 87 FPS. The Medium preset's min FPS of 123 ensures that even in dense scenes, the frame rate stays above 120 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, Medium produces 108 FPS average (min 92, max 125), which is 20% faster than High's 90 FPS and 66% faster than Ultra's 65 FPS. The 92 FPS minimum still provides a smooth experience on most 144Hz displays.

At 4K, Medium is the only preset that maintains a playable frame rate with a consistent minimum. It averages 72 FPS with a min of 61 FPS and a max of 82 FPS, whereas High drops to 60 FPS average (no min data), and Ultra falls to 43 FPS. The Low preset at 4K achieves 96 FPS, but this sacrifices visual fidelity to a degree that undermines the game's atmosphere. For players prioritizing visual quality over raw frame rate, High at 1440p (90 FPS) or 1080p (121 FPS) is acceptable, but the Medium preset provides the best compromise: it retains enough graphical detail to be visually rich while keeping frame rates well above the 60 FPS threshold at 4K and above 100 FPS at lower resolutions.

The data suggests that Ultra is only viable at 1080p (87 FPS), and even then, the difference from Medium is 58 FPS, which is a significant loss for marginal visual gains. The Medium preset is the recommended choice for this combo, as it delivers the highest minimum frame rates across all resolutions, ensuring stable performance in the game's most demanding moments.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 260th out of 3714 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 7% of all systems evaluated. This ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU and GPU, where the 14700K's strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2160) complements the RTX 4080's high-end rasterization capabilities. The rank of 260 means that 3454 other combos perform worse, while 259 combos outperform this system, likely featuring more recent or higher-tier components.

The combo's position is notable given that the RTX 4080 is end-of-life and the CPU is from the 14th generation, yet it still outperforms the vast majority of tested systems. The nearest GPU rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% faster in synthetic benchmarks, suggesting that this combo is nearly equivalent to systems using the newer SUPER variant. The CPU's rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, is 0.2% slower, meaning that combos pairing that CPU with the RTX 4080 would likely rank similarly, but the 14700K's 20 cores and 28 threads provide a slight edge in multi-threaded workloads that can affect game performance.

The rank of 260 out of 3714 indicates that this combo is well-balanced, neither CPU-bound nor GPU-bound in most scenarios. The data shows that at 1080p, the combo achieves 194 FPS on Low settings, which is near the upper limit of what most displays can show, confirming that the system is not held back by either component. At 4K, the 43 FPS on Ultra is a limitation of the GPU, but the overall rank suggests that this is a competitive high-end setup for Red Dead Redemption 2.

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

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 145 FPS average; at 1440p Medium, it drops to 108 FPS (a 25.5% decrease); and at 4K Medium, it falls to 72 FPS (a 33.3% decrease from 1440p). This linear degradation is characteristic of a system where the GPU is the primary limiter, as the CPU's performance headroom (evidenced by 194 FPS at 1080p Low) is sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 at all resolutions.

The same pattern holds for High and Ultra settings. High settings drop from 121 FPS at 1080p to 90 FPS at 1440p (25.6% decrease) and then to 60 FPS at 4K (33.3% decrease). Ultra settings drop from 87 FPS at 1080p to 65 FPS at 1440p (25.3% decrease) and then to 43 FPS at 4K (33.8% decrease). The consistent ~25% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~33% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings indicates that the RTX 4080's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, not the CPU.

Low settings show a slightly different pattern: 194 FPS at 1080p drops to 145 FPS at 1440p (25.3% decrease) and then to 96 FPS at 4K (33.8% decrease). This uniformity confirms that the CPU is not a bottleneck, as even at the lowest settings, the frame rate scales predictably with pixel count. The RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth becomes a constraint, particularly on Ultra settings where the 43 FPS average indicates the GPU is working at its maximum output.

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

1920x1080:

• Low: 194 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Medium: 145 FPS average, 123 FPS minimum, 167 FPS maximum
• High: 121 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Ultra: 87 FPS average (no min/max data)

At 1080p, the combo delivers exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset's 194 FPS average indicates that the CPU and GPU have substantial headroom, while the Medium preset's 123 FPS minimum ensures stability even in heavy action sequences. The Ultra preset's 87 FPS is still smooth, but the 58 FPS gap between Medium and Ultra suggests diminishing returns from the highest settings.

2560x1440:

• Low: 145 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Medium: 108 FPS average, 92 FPS minimum, 125 FPS maximum
• High: 90 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Ultra: 65 FPS average (no min/max data)

At 1440p, the Medium preset remains the sweet spot, with a 92 FPS minimum that keeps gameplay fluid. The High preset's 90 FPS average is close to Medium's 108 FPS, but the lack of min/max data for High makes it less predictable. The Ultra preset's 65 FPS average is playable but approaches the threshold where frame pacing can become noticeable.

3840x2160:

• Low: 96 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Medium: 72 FPS average, 61 FPS minimum, 82 FPS maximum
• High: 60 FPS average (no min/max data)
• Ultra: 43 FPS average (no min/max data)

At 4K, the Medium preset is the only option that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS (61 FPS). The High preset's 60 FPS average is borderline, while the Ultra preset's 43 FPS average is too low for a smooth experience. The Low preset's 96 FPS shows the GPU's potential when visual load is reduced, but the visual quality loss is significant.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700K enough for Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K?

A: Yes, the CPU is sufficient. The data shows that at 4K Medium, the combo achieves 72 FPS average, and at 4K High, it reaches 60 FPS. The CPU's single-core score of 2160 in Cinebench R23 and 20-core configuration provide ample headroom, as the frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU limitation, not CPU bottleneck.

Q: Can the RTX 4080 handle Ultra settings in this game?

A: At 1080p, Ultra settings yield 87 FPS average, which is playable. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 65 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 43 FPS. The data suggests Ultra is only viable at 1080p; for higher resolutions, Medium or High presets are recommended.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a 144Hz monitor at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice, delivering 108 FPS average with a 92 FPS minimum. This stays above the 60 FPS threshold and approaches the 144Hz refresh rate, though the maximum of 125 FPS means you won't consistently hit the monitor's full refresh rate.

Q: How does this combo compare to other systems in the benchmark database?

A: This combo ranks 260th out of 3714 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 7% of all systems. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% faster, so this system is nearly equivalent to newer setups.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor, even at 1080p. The Low preset achieves 194 FPS, and the Medium preset's 145 FPS average with a 123 FPS minimum indicates the CPU is not holding back the system. The RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM and compute resources are the primary constraint.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate at 4K Medium?

A: The 4K Medium preset has a minimum FPS of 61, with an average of 72 FPS and a maximum of 82 FPS. This is the only 4K preset that maintains a minimum above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for 4K gaming.