Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 presents a demanding workload that clearly delineates the strengths and limitations of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination. The measured data shows a system that is highly capable at 1080p and 1440p, but which requires careful settings management to maintain smooth performance at 4K. The RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary constraint in this pairing, with the CPU providing ample headroom across all tested resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent with a GPU-bound workload. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 106 FPS at 1920x1080 to 79 FPS at 2560x1440, then further to 52 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 26% reduction when moving from 1440p to 4K, and a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling pattern indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the limiting component, as the frame rate drops are directly proportional to the pixel count increase.

The Low preset shows a similar trend, with averages of 169 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 83 FPS at 4K. The gap between Low and High settings widens at higher resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is increasingly saturated. At 1080p, the difference between Low and High is 63 FPS, but at 4K that difference shrinks to 31 FPS, confirming that pixel throughput becomes the dominant factor as resolution increases.

The Medium preset, which includes min and max frame data, provides additional insight. At 4K, the Medium preset averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72, showing a relatively tight frame pacing. At 1440p, Medium averages 94 FPS with a range of 80 to 108, while at 1080p it averages 126 FPS with a range of 107 to 145. The variance between minimum and maximum frames grows with resolution, indicating that the GPU is working closer to its limits at 4K.

The Ultra preset reveals the steepest performance cost. At 4K, Ultra drops to an average of 37 FPS, which is below the 52 FPS achieved at High settings. This 15 FPS penalty for the Ultra preset at 4K is substantial and suggests that the most demanding settings are not viable at this resolution. At 1440p, Ultra averages 57 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, while at 1080p it reaches 76 FPS. The data clearly shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K with Ultra settings, making resolution and settings trade-offs necessary.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus. Its memory bandwidth is 504.2 GB/s, which is sufficient for the texture-heavy scenes in Red Dead Redemption 2. The GPU has 7168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units, with a boost clock of 2475 MHz. These specifications position the card at the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223.

The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals is telling. The RTX 4070 SUPER scores 0.2% lower than the Quadro M6000 24 GB, 0.1% lower than the RTX 5050 Mobile, and 1% lower than the RTX 4090 Mobile. This places it in a competitive but not dominant position. The 12 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this game at 1440p and even 4K with High settings, as the measured frame rates suggest no memory-related stuttering. The 21 Gbps effective memory clock contributes to the 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, which helps maintain consistent performance in open-world environments.

The GPU's FP32 compute of 35.48 TFLOPS and its 56 RT cores indicate strong raw performance, but the measured FPS data shows that Red Dead Redemption 2's rasterization demands still tax the card heavily at 4K. The pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s are respectable but not enough to push Ultra settings at 4K beyond 37 FPS. The 220 W TDP is modest for this performance class, but the card's end-of-life production status suggests it will not receive further optimization. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4627 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 205624 provide context for its compute capabilities, but the game-specific measurements are the most reliable indicator of real-world performance.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with High settings achieves 79 FPS average, which is the sweet spot for balancing visual quality and smoothness. At 1920x1080, High settings reach 106 FPS, but 4K at High drops to 52 FPS.

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

A: Yes, but only with settings compromises. At 4K, the Low preset averages 83 FPS, Medium averages 62 FPS, and High averages 52 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 37 FPS, which is not smooth for most players.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 106 FPS at 1080p to 52 FPS at 4K, representing a 51% reduction. This confirms that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the Ultra preset worth using on this system?

A: Only at 1080p, where it achieves 76 FPS average. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 57 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 37 FPS. The High preset offers significantly better frame rates with modest visual sacrifices.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance in this game?

A: No. The Intel Core i7-14700KF has 20 cores and 28 threads with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and its benchmark scores place it at the 94th percentile. The GPU is the limiting factor, as shown by the consistent frame rate drops with increasing resolution.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: At 1080p, the Medium preset averages 126 FPS with a range of 107 to 145. At 1440p, it averages 94 FPS with a range of 80 to 108. At 4K, it averages 62 FPS with a range of 53 to 72, showing tighter frame pacing at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset averages 169 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset averages 126 FPS with a minimum of 107 and maximum of 145, providing a smooth experience with better visual quality. The High preset averages 106 FPS, which is still excellent for most displays. The Ultra preset averages 76 FPS, which is playable but shows the performance cost of maximum settings.

The 2560x1440 resolution shows a noticeable step down. The Low preset averages 126 FPS, maintaining high smoothness. The Medium preset averages 94 FPS with a range of 80 to 108, offering a good balance. The High preset averages 79 FPS, which is on the edge of high-refresh-rate territory. The Ultra preset drops to 57 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action sequences. The data indicates that 1440p High is the recommended configuration for this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4070 SUPER is clearly pushed to its limits. The Low preset averages 83 FPS, which is surprisingly playable. The Medium preset averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 and maximum of 72, providing a consistent experience. The High preset averages 52 FPS, which is borderline for smooth play. The Ultra preset falls to 37 FPS, which is not recommended. The measured data shows that 4K requires the Medium or Low presets for acceptable performance.

The combo's rank in this game is 660 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the top 18% of systems tested. This positioning reflects the strong performance at 1080p and 1440p, while acknowledging the limitations at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark results are impressive: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores 44167, single-core scores 6235, and Geekbench multi-core scores 21462. These numbers place the CPU at the 94th percentile among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 70163.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700KF is 0.2% faster than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% faster than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. It is 1% slower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. This shows that the CPU is highly competitive, with performance margins of less than 1% against its closest competitors. The data does not show any CPU bottleneck in Red Dead Redemption 2, as the frame rates are consistently limited by the GPU at all resolutions.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5, along with its dual-channel memory bus, provides flexibility for system builders. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier allow for overclocking, though the measured data shows that stock performance is already sufficient for this game. The PassMark multi-thread score of 52425 and single-thread score of 4480 further confirm its strong computational power. The 33 MB L3 cache is beneficial for open-world games that require frequent data access, but the GPU remains the primary performance determinant in this title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, the High preset at 106 FPS is the best choice for most users, as it provides a smooth experience with good visual quality. The Medium preset at 126 FPS is preferable for those with 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitors, while the Ultra preset at 76 FPS is only recommended for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 79 FPS offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Medium preset at 94 FPS is the better option for users who want higher frame rates, sacrificing some visual detail. The Ultra preset at 57 FPS is not recommended due to its marginal performance, and the Low preset at 126 FPS is only suitable for competitive play where frame rate is paramount.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset at 62 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a playable experience with a minimum of 53 FPS. The High preset at 52 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth in demanding scenes. The Low preset at 83 FPS is the best option for users who prioritize frame rate at 4K, while the Ultra preset at 37 FPS should be avoided. The data clearly shows that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for 4K gaming on this system, offering 62 FPS with a tight frame pacing range of 53 to 72.