Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with both resolution and graphical presets. For the Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, the measured frame rates reveal a configuration that is consistently capable, but the margin between playable and compromised performance narrows considerably at the highest settings. The data indicates a system that excels at delivering high refresh rates at 1080p and solid 60+ FPS experiences at 1440p, while 4K requires careful preset selection to maintain smoothness. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across all tested resolutions and settings, contextualizes the combo's standing among other tested configurations, and examines the specific roles of the CPU and GPU in producing these results.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial and clearly demonstrates where the graphical load becomes most intense. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 121 FPS at 1920x1080 to 90 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 60 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 50% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at High settings, indicating that the resolution increase places a heavy burden on the rendering pipeline. The scaling is not linear, however; the jump from 1440p to 4K incurs a 33% performance loss, while the jump from 1080p to 1440p incurs a 26% loss. This suggests that the transition to 4K is particularly punishing, as the GPU must render over two million more pixels than at 1440p.

Analyzing the Medium preset reveals a similar pattern with a slightly different magnitude. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 145 at 1080p to 108 at 1440p, and then to 72 at 4K. The percentage drops are 26% and 33% for the 1080p-to-1440p and 1440p-to-4K transitions, respectively. This consistency across presets indicates that the limiting factor at higher resolutions is the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth, not the CPU. The fact that the 4K Medium result (72 FPS) is higher than the 4K High result (60 FPS) confirms that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution, as reducing the graphical workload directly translates to higher frame rates.

The Ultra preset shows the most dramatic decline, with average FPS falling from 87 at 1080p to 65 at 1440p, and then to 43 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is barely half of the 1080p Ultra figure, and the 33% drop from 1440p to 4K mirrors the scaling seen at other presets. This pattern strongly suggests that the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM and 716.8 GB/s of memory bandwidth are being saturated at 4K Ultra, as the game's most demanding settings for textures, shadows, and lighting require significant memory resources. The data shows that while 1080p and 1440p are largely CPU-bound or balanced at lower presets, 4K is unambiguously GPU-bound across all settings.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 260 out of 3714 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the configuration in the top 7% of all tested systems, a strong showing that reflects the high-end nature of both components. However, the rank is not at the very top, indicating that there are other combinations with either more powerful CPUs or GPUs that can extract higher frame rates in this specific title. The percentile data for the individual components provides context: the CPU sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 86th percentile among all GPUs. The combo's overall rank of 260 out of 3714 is consistent with these component-level percentiles, showing that the pairing is well-balanced but not the absolute pinnacle of performance.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700KF has an average benchmark score of 70163, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. It is 1% lower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K. These deltas are small, suggesting that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game's performance; the frame rates are more dependent on the GPU. For the GPU, the RTX 4080's average score of 54247 is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER, but 1.1% lower than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, 2.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, and 2.7% lower than the AMD Radeon 8060S. The fact that the RTX 4080 edges out its direct SUPER successor by a hair in average score, but trails several other cards by a few percentage points, indicates that raw compute scores do not perfectly predict in-game frame rates, but the differences are marginal.

The combo rank of 260 out of 3714 suggests that while this system delivers excellent performance, there are roughly 259 other combinations that achieve higher average FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2. Given that the RTX 4080 is an end-of-life product and the i7-14700KF is a high-end desktop part, this rank is expected. The data indicates that for this specific game, the combo is more than adequate for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming and capable of 4K at Medium or High settings, but it does not top the charts for maximum frame rates at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1920x1080, all presets are playable, but the Medium preset offers a strong balance at 145 FPS average, while High delivers 121 FPS. The Ultra preset at 87 FPS is still very smooth, but the jump from Medium to Ultra only provides a visual improvement at the cost of a 40% performance reduction. For competitive or high-refresh-rate displays, the Low preset at 194 FPS is the best choice, but for most users, High is the sweet spot, providing a high frame rate with significantly better visuals than Low.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 108 FPS is the recommended starting point, as it provides a high frame rate with good visual fidelity. High at 90 FPS is also excellent, and the 16% performance drop from Medium to High may be worth it for the improved graphical detail. The Ultra preset at 65 FPS is still playable, but it is on the edge of what many consider smooth, and the data shows that the min FPS for Medium is 92, indicating good frame pacing. For those with 144Hz monitors, the Medium preset is the best option, as it comes closest to saturating that refresh rate without dropping below 100 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the choices are more constrained. The Medium preset at 72 FPS is the best experience, as it provides a frame rate that is comfortably above 60 FPS. The High preset at 60 FPS is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes, and the data shows that the Medium preset has a min FPS of 61, suggesting potential dips. The Low preset at 96 FPS is smooth but sacrifices significant visual quality. The Ultra preset at 43 FPS is not recommended for a consistent experience, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold. For 4K, the data clearly indicates that Medium is the highest preset that maintains a comfortable frame rate, and High is acceptable for those who prioritize visuals over frame rate stability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 194 FPS, which is the highest recorded value. The Medium preset averages 145 FPS with a min of 123 and a max of 167. High averages 121 FPS, and Ultra averages 87 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the CPU is capable of pushing very high frame rates, and the GPU is not the primary constraint until the Ultra preset is enabled.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 145 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p Medium result. The Medium preset averages 108 FPS with a min of 92 and a max of 125. High averages 90 FPS, and Ultra averages 65 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a consistent reduction of roughly 25% across all presets, which is expected given the pixel count increase of 78%. This indicates that the GPU is starting to become more of a factor, but the CPU still has headroom.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 96 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 145 FPS at 1440p. The Medium preset averages 72 FPS with a min of 61 and a max of 82. High averages 60 FPS, and Ultra averages 43 FPS. The 4K data reveals that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck, as the frame rates scale almost linearly with the graphics workload. The Medium preset's min FPS of 61 is particularly telling, as it shows that the system can dip below the 72 average in demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 43 FPS is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for a consistently smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best preset for 4K gaming with this combo?

A: The Medium preset at 3840x2160 provides the best balance, averaging 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS. The High preset averages 60 FPS, which is playable but offers less headroom, while the Ultra preset drops to 43 FPS and is not recommended.

Q: How does the combo perform at 1080p for high-refresh-rate monitors?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 194 FPS, while the Medium and High presets deliver 145 FPS and 121 FPS, respectively. All presets are well above 60 FPS, making this combo excellent for 144Hz or even 240Hz displays at lower settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: At 1080p and 1440p with lower presets, the CPU is more capable of keeping up, but the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution and settings increase. At 4K, the GPU is the definitive limiting factor, as shown by the substantial FPS drops when moving from Low to Ultra settings.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 260th out of 3714 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 7% of all tested configurations.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: In average benchmark scores, the RTX 4080 scores 54247, which is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER's score of 54209. This indicates that the two GPUs are virtually identical in performance for this game.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded for any preset?

A: The lowest average FPS is 43, recorded at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset. The only recorded minimum FPS values are for the Medium preset, with 61 FPS at 4K, 92 FPS at 1440p, and 123 FPS at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its large core count and high boost clock are well-suited for a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which can utilize multiple threads for physics, AI, and world simulation. The CPU's L3 cache is 33 MB shared, which helps reduce memory latency for frequently accessed game data. In the benchmark data, the CPU scores 44167 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 6235 in single-core, with a Passmark multithread score of 52425. These scores indicate a very strong processor for both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.

In this game, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 194 FPS, a figure that is likely CPU-limited rather than GPU-limited, as the RTX 4080 is capable of much higher frame rates in less demanding titles. The fact that the 1080p Medium (145 FPS) and 1440p Low (145 FPS) results are identical suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at these settings, as the GPU has enough headroom to render both configurations at the same speed. However, at 4K Ultra, the CPU's performance becomes less relevant, as the GPU's rendering load dominates. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 70163, which is within 1% of its nearest rivals, confirms that it is not a bottleneck in this system for this game at most settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2505 MHz, and it has 9728 shading units. The GPU's 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247, places it as a high-end part, but not the absolute fastest available. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is a critical factor for Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K, as the game's high-resolution textures can consume significant memory. The data shows that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as increasing the preset from Low to Ultra at this resolution reduces the average FPS from 96 to 43, a 55% drop.

The GPU's performance is also heavily influenced by the preset settings. At 1080p, the GPU easily handles all presets, with the Ultra preset still achieving 87 FPS. At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 65 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 43 FPS. This scaling indicates that the GPU's memory bandwidth and fill rate are the limiting factors at higher resolutions, rather than its raw compute power. The RTX 4080's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score that is 0.1% lower, suggesting that this GPU is right at the edge of its performance class. For this game, the RTX 4080 provides a capable 4K experience at Medium settings, but it cannot maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is a significant consideration for users with 4K displays.