Red Dead Redemption 2

The benchmark data for Red Dead Redemption 2 with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shows a top-tier pairing, ranked first out of 2,902 tested combos. This system delivers exceptional performance across all resolution and settings combinations, with the data clearly indicating a GPU-bound experience at higher resolutions and a CPU that scales effortlessly to maintain high frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 contribute to its strong overall compute capabilities. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 33,440.5 and a single-core score of 2,160, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role is best understood by observing the frame rate ceiling at lower resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 234 FPS, which is the highest average recorded in this dataset. This figure demonstrates that the i7-14700K is not a limiting factor even when the GPU is under minimal load. The processor’s high boost clock of 5.60 GHz is critical for the game’s single-threaded simulation and AI tasks, allowing the system to push well beyond typical refresh rates.

The CPU’s nearest rivals in overall average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, which is 0.2% behind, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, which is 0.7% behind. The i7-14700K is also 0.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115. These tight deltas indicate that while the processor is not uniquely dominant in raw compute, its combination of high single-core performance and substantial multi-core throughput (Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 18,544) ensures it can feed the RTX 5090 D without introducing bottlenecks.

At 1440p and 4K, the frame rates scale down with resolution, but the CPU’s margin remains clear. The drop from 1080p Low (234 FPS) to 1440p Low (175 FPS) is a 25.2% reduction, which is a typical indicator of increasing GPU load rather than CPU exhaustion. The i7-14700K’s PassMark multi-thread score of 52,392 and Geekbench multi-core score of 20,767 further confirm its ability to handle the game’s background tasks, streaming, and physics calculations while leaving headroom for the GPU to operate at full capacity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a massive 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its 21,760 shading units and 680 tensor cores deliver a raw FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS. The GPU’s boost clock is 2,407 MHz, with a base clock of 2,017 MHz. It holds a 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712.

The GPU’s role in Red Dead Redemption 2 becomes evident when comparing settings at the same resolution. At 4K, the average frame rate ranges from 115 FPS at Low settings to 52 FPS at Ultra settings. This 63 FPS spread (a 54.8% drop from Low to Ultra) is entirely attributable to the GPU’s workload, as the CPU remains constant. The RTX 5090 D’s performance at 4K High (72 FPS) and 4K Medium (86 FPS) shows it is capable of handling the game’s demanding draw distances and texture detail, though Ultra settings push it to its limits.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in average benchmark score are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT (1.1% ahead), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (1.6% behind), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (2.1% behind). While these deltas are small, the RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provide a clear advantage in a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which is known for high-resolution texture streaming. The measured frame rates confirm that the GPU is the primary driver of performance scaling across settings.

At 1080p, the GPU still shows significant headroom, with a 234 FPS average at Low settings and 146 FPS at High settings. The jump from High to Ultra at 1080p (105 FPS) represents a 28.1% drop, indicating that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU’s shading units and ROPs. The RTX 5090 D’s Geekbench Vulkan score of 376,915 and OpenCL score of 310,674 corroborate its strong compute capability, which is essential for the game’s volumetric lighting and particle effects.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At High settings, the average frame rates are 146 FPS at 1080p, 109 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K. This represents a 25.3% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 50.7% drop from 1080p to 4K. The halving of frame rates from 1080p to 4K is consistent with a quadrupaling of pixel count, suggesting the RTX 5090 D is nearly perfectly scaling with pixel throughput.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more pronounced: 234 FPS at 1080p drops to 175 FPS at 1440p (25.2% drop) and 115 FPS at 4K (50.9% drop). This indicates that even with reduced graphical load, the GPU remains the limiting component, as the CPU’s frame rate ceiling is not reached until well above 234 FPS. The i7-14700K’s high single-thread performance (Cinebench R15 single-core score of 313.5) ensures it can keep up with the GPU’s demands at these low settings.

The Medium settings data includes min and max FPS values, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the average is 175 FPS with a min of 149 FPS and max of 202 FPS, showing a 53 FPS variance. At 1440p Medium, the average is 131 FPS with a min of 111 and max of 150, a 39 FPS variance. At 4K Medium, the average is 86 FPS with a min of 74 and max of 99, a 25 FPS variance. This narrowing variance at higher resolutions further confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck, as frame times become more consistent when the GPU is fully saturated.

The Ultra preset shows the steepest resolution scaling: 105 FPS at 1080p, 79 FPS at 1440p, and 52 FPS at 4K. The 50.5% drop from 1080p to 4K is nearly identical to other settings, reinforcing that the RTX 5090 D’s performance is directly tied to pixel count. The 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS measurement in the dataset, indicating that this is the most demanding configuration for this combo.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience for this hardware combination. At 4K Medium, the combo achieves 86 FPS average with a minimum of 74 FPS, which sits comfortably above 60 FPS for smooth gameplay. The 1440p Medium result of 131 FPS with a min of 111 FPS is also excellent, providing headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. The 1080p Medium average of 175 FPS with a min of 149 FPS is exceptional, ensuring no perceptible stutter.

High settings provide a marginal visual upgrade over Medium, but the frame rate cost is noticeable. At 4K High, the average drops to 72 FPS, which is 16.3% lower than Medium. At 1440p High, the average is 109 FPS, a 16.8% reduction. While these are still playable, the Medium preset’s lower variance (min FPS of 74 at 4K vs. no min FPS recorded for High) suggests better frame pacing. The data shows that High does not provide a proportional visual benefit for the performance hit.

Ultra settings are only recommended for 1080p or 1440p displays where the user prioritizes image quality over maximum frame rate. At 1080p Ultra, the combo achieves 105 FPS, which is more than sufficient for most displays. At 1440p Ultra, the 79 FPS average is still playable but approaches the threshold where frame drops become noticeable. The 4K Ultra result of 52 FPS is below the 60 FPS target and may result in an inconsistent experience, making Medium the safer choice for 4K users.

Low settings are unnecessary for this hardware, as the RTX 5090 D’s power is wasted on minimal graphical fidelity. The 115 FPS at 4K Low versus 86 FPS at 4K Medium shows a 33.7% performance gain, but this is at the cost of significantly reduced visual quality. For users seeking maximum frame rates on 540Hz monitors, 1080p Low at 234 FPS is the only setting that approaches the GPU’s theoretical ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination is ranked first out of 2,902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This top ranking is supported by the measured frame rate data, which shows no other configuration in the database has achieved higher averages at these resolution and settings combinations. The combo’s rank reflects not just raw performance, but also the balance between CPU and GPU capabilities.

The CPU’s 94th percentile ranking and the GPU’s 92nd percentile ranking contribute to this #1 position. While individual component benchmarks show rivals with comparable average scores (the CPU is within 0.9% of its nearest rivals, and the GPU within 2.4%), the combination’s synergy in Red Dead Redemption 2 is unmatched. The i7-14700K’s 20 cores and 28 threads provide sufficient parallelism for the game’s engine, while the RTX 5090 D’s 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth handle the game’s large open world without memory constraints.

The rank of 1 out of 2,902 is a strong statement about the combo’s dominance, but it is importantly the margin over lower-ranked combos is not explicitly quantified in the dataset. The combo’s performance at 4K Ultra (52 FPS) is the only sub-60 FPS result, indicating that even the top-ranked system has limits under maximum load. This suggests that the ranking is based on aggregate performance across all settings and resolutions, where the combo excels in lower and medium presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The highest average FPS is 234, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the peak frame rate in the measured dataset.

Q: Is the system capable of 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 52 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS target. For a 60+ FPS experience at 4K, Medium settings (86 FPS) are recommended.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in overall benchmark score?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69,355. It is 0.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 9115, 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, 0.7% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F.

Q: What is the frame rate variance at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo records an average of 131 FPS, with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 150 FPS. This represents a 39 FPS variance between min and max.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K?

A: Yes. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is more than sufficient for the game’s requirements. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s also ensures high-resolution textures are streamed efficiently.

Q: How does the combo’s ranking in this game compare to its component percentiles?

A: The combo is ranked 1st out of 2,902 in Red Dead Redemption 2. The CPU is in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. The top ranking suggests the combination performs better than the individual percentiles might predict.