Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2: Intel Core i7-14700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060

This combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 sits at rank 1386 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the lower third of the database. The pairing pairs a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU, and the measured frame rates confirm that the graphics card is the decisive bottleneck across nearly all settings and resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1386 out of 1687 tested configurations places it roughly in the 18th percentile of all CPU-GPU pairings for Red Dead Redemption 2. This is a low standing, but it is not surprising given the GPU's overall percentile of 58 against all GPUs in the database. The CPU, by contrast, sits in the 96th percentile against all CPUs, meaning the processor is far more capable than the graphics card that accompanies it. The result is a system that leaves significant performance on the table.

To contextualize the CPU's contribution, the Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700K at 70074 (a delta of 0%), the AMD EPYC 9115 at 69887 (0.3% faster), and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 70420 (0.4% slower). These are all within a narrow band of roughly 1% of each other, indicating that the 14700KF is essentially tied with the fastest desktop and server processors available. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 trails by 1.3% at 71056. In gaming, however, the CPU's headroom is irrelevant when the GPU is the constraint.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 16074, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 7600S at 15996 (0.5% faster), the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M at 16351 (1.7% slower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 at 15786 (1.8% faster). These deltas are all within 2%, meaning the RTX 2060 performs on par with a narrow cluster of laptop and workstation GPUs. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the measured FPS aligns with this mid-range standing: the combo achieves playable but not impressive numbers at 1080p, and struggles at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture and the TU106 chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process at TSMC. It has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz, which translates to 14 Gbps effective. These specifications place the card in the lower tier of the 20-series lineup, and its 6 GB VRAM is a limiting factor for modern titles at high settings.

The GPU's base clock is 1365 MHz with a boost clock of 1680 MHz. It has 1920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster operation units. The card also includes 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores, though ray tracing performance is not a focus for this analysis. The pixel rate is 80.64 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 201.6 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute at 6.451 TFLOPS. The card draws 160 W and requires a single 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 450 W.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU's role is dominant. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 84.3 FPS, which is a respectable result. However, as settings increase, the GPU becomes the clear limiter. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 36.3 FPS, a reduction of 57% from Low. The pattern is consistent across all resolutions: Low settings yield the highest FPS, and Ultra yields the lowest. The GPU's 6 GB VRAM likely contributes to the steep drop at Ultra settings, as the game's texture memory requirements exceed the available capacity.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 1440p to 4K. At each settings tier, the FPS drops by roughly 20-40% per resolution step, which is consistent with a GPU-bound workload.

At Low settings, the combo averages 84.3 FPS at 1080p, 65.5 FPS at 1440p, and 39.5 FPS at 4K. This represents a 22% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 40% drop from 1440p to 4K. The 4K result is below the typically targeted 60 FPS, indicating that the GPU cannot sustain smooth gameplay at this resolution even on the lowest settings.

At Medium settings, the averages are 63.7 FPS at 1080p, 50.1 FPS at 1440p, and 30.3 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result is playable, but 4K is not. At High settings, the numbers are 50.5 FPS at 1080p, 39.9 FPS at 1440p, and 26.8 FPS at 4K. None of these reach 60 FPS, and the 4K result is well below acceptable thresholds. At Ultra settings, the averages are 36.3 FPS at 1080p, 29.3 FPS at 1440p, and 20.4 FPS at 4K, all of which are below playable thresholds.

The scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component across all resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between resolutions, particularly at 1080p where the CPU load is highest. Instead, the consistent drops suggest that the RTX 2060 is saturated at every setting level, and the Core i7-14700KF's processing power is not being fully utilized.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates. At Low settings, the average is 84.3 FPS, and at Medium it is 63.7 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings (65.5 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while High settings fall to 39.9 FPS. 4K is not viable, with the highest average being 39.5 FPS at Low.

Q: How does the Core i7-14700KF compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70104. The Intel Core i7-14700K scores 70074 (0% delta), the AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69887 (0.3% faster), the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420 (0.4% slower), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 scores 71056 (1.3% slower). These are all within a 1.3% band, indicating near-identical CPU performance.

Q: Why does the FPS drop so much from Low to Ultra settings?

A: The measured data shows a substantial FPS reduction at every resolution. At 1080p, the average drops from 84.3 FPS at Low to 36.3 FPS at Ultra, a 57% decrease. At 1440p, the drop is from 65.5 FPS to 29.3 FPS, a 55% decrease. At 4K, the drop is from 39.5 FPS to 20.4 FPS, a 48% decrease. This pattern indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as it cannot handle the increased rendering load of higher settings.

Q: Is the RTX 2060's 6 GB VRAM sufficient for this game?

A: The measured results suggest it is insufficient at higher settings. The steep FPS drops at Ultra settings across all resolutions are consistent with VRAM capacity being exceeded. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 36.3 FPS, which is barely playable, and at 1440p Ultra it drops to 29.3 FPS. The 6 GB capacity is a constraint that becomes more pronounced as settings increase.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its rivals?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 16074. The AMD Radeon RX 7600S scores 15996 (0.5% faster), the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M scores 16351 (1.7% slower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 scores 15786 (1.8% faster). These deltas are all within 2%, meaning the RTX 2060 performs in a tight cluster with these other mid-range cards.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 1386 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the lower third of all CPU-GPU pairings, reflecting the GPU's mid-range performance relative to the CPU's top-tier capabilities.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for the best settings experience. At 1080p, the combo achieves 84.3 FPS at Low, 63.7 FPS at Medium, 50.5 FPS at High, and 36.3 FPS at Ultra. For a smooth experience above 60 FPS, Medium settings are the highest that meet this threshold. Low settings provide a large margin of comfort at 84.3 FPS, but Medium offers a better balance of visual quality and performance.

At 1440p, the choices are more constrained. Low settings yield 65.5 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold, while Medium drops to 50.1 FPS and High to 39.9 FPS. For those with a 1440p monitor, Low settings are the only option that maintains smooth frame rates. Pushing to Medium or High will result in noticeable stutter and reduced responsiveness.

At 4K, no settings tier achieves 60 FPS. The highest average is 39.5 FPS at Low, which is below the playable threshold for most users. Even at Low, the experience will be compromised. The data suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2, regardless of settings.

Given these results, the recommended approach is to play at 1080p with Medium settings for a 60 FPS experience, or at 1440p with Low settings if resolution is prioritized. High and Ultra settings should be avoided, as they yield sub-50 FPS averages at 1080p and below 40 FPS at 1440p. The GPU's performance ceiling makes the highest presets impractical.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, manufactured on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and its 125 W TDP reflects the high power draw of the 14th Gen design.

The CPU's benchmark results are exceptional. In Cinebench R23, it scores 44557 in multi-core and 6290 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 19287 in multi-core and 2972 in single-core. PassMark results include a multi-thread score of 52425 and a single-thread score of 4480. The CPU's percentile of 96 against all CPUs places it among the fastest processors available, and its average benchmark score of 70104 confirms this standing.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, however, the CPU's role is secondary. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting component at all settings and resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 84.3 FPS, which is a modest result for a CPU of this caliber. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see higher FPS at lower settings, but the GPU's saturation prevents this. The Core i7-14700KF provides ample headroom, but the RTX 2060 cannot utilize it.

The processor's 28 threads are far more than the game requires, and its 5.60 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded performance is not a constraint. The data indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in any measured configuration. Instead, the GPU's 6 GB VRAM and mid-range compute capabilities dictate the frame rates. For users considering an upgrade, the CPU is not the component holding back performance; the GPU is the clear target for improvement.