Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 remains a demanding title for modern hardware, and the combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 demonstrates a wide performance envelope depending on how you configure the game. The benchmark data shows this pairing is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, but 4K gaming requires careful settings management to maintain smooth gameplay. The measured results place this specific CPU and GPU combination at rank 69 out of 1687 tested combos, indicating it sits firmly in the upper tier of systems for this title.

FAQ

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

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 207.6, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates the CPU and GPU have significant headroom at lower graphical loads.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at specific settings. The data shows 64.1 FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings and 79 FPS at Medium settings. However, at Ultra settings, the average drops to 46.8 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the i7-14700KF compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i7-14700KF scores 70104 in the average benchmark, which is roughly even with the Intel Core i7-14700K at 70074 (0% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X at 70420 (-0.4% delta). It sits at the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all other graphics cards?

A: The RTX 5080 achieves a percentile rank of 89, meaning it outperforms the vast majority of GPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score is 59188.

Q: How does the RTX 5080's average score compare to its closest competitor?

A: The RTX 5080 scores 59188, which places it 1.6% ahead of the Intel Arc A570M (58239) and 2.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A580 (57756). It trails the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326) by 1.9%.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 1440p, Low settings produce 155.6 FPS, while Ultra settings drop to 67.2 FPS. This represents a substantial 88.4 FPS decrease, highlighting the significant cost of enabling the highest graphical features.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF provides the computational backbone for this system, featuring 20 cores and 28 threads. This configuration is substantial for a modern action-adventure title, allowing the game to offload background simulation, AI, and physics work without bottlenecking the GPU. The processor's base clock of 3.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.60 GHz are key factors in maintaining high minimum frame rates, particularly in densely populated areas of Red Dead Redemption 2's open world.

In synthetic testing, the i7-14700KF demonstrates strong single-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6290, which is critical for the game's primary game logic thread. The multi-core score of 44557 in the same test indicates that the 20-core design is fully capable of handling any parallel workloads the game can throw at it. The CPU sits at the 96th percentile of all processors, and its average benchmark score of 70104 is virtually identical to its nearest rival, the Core i7-14700K (70074, 0% delta), confirming that the KF variant's lack of integrated graphics does not negatively impact compute performance.

The L3 cache of 33 MB shared across the cores is another asset for gaming. Red Dead Redemption 2 can exhibit stutter if the CPU is forced to constantly fetch data from system memory; the generous cache helps mitigate this. The CPU's performance in the measured FPS data is most evident at 1080p Low settings, where the 207.6 FPS average suggests that the processor is able to feed the RTX 5080 efficiently, allowing it to reach its maximum output. At higher resolutions and settings, the CPU's role becomes less prominent as the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the driving force behind the visual fidelity in this setup. It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This high bandwidth is crucial for streaming high-resolution textures in a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which has large, detailed environments. The GPU's boost clock of 2617 MHz and its 10752 shading units are responsible for the raw pixel-pushing power seen in the benchmark results.

The RTX 5080's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC, with 45,600 million transistors. The GPU achieves a Passmark G3D score of 36565 and an average benchmark score of 59188, placing it at the 89th percentile of all GPUs. In terms of its nearest rivals, the data shows it is 1.6% ahead of the Intel Arc A570M and 2.5% ahead of the Intel Arc A580, but 1.9% behind the Intel Arc Pro A60. This indicates that while the RTX 5080 is a high-end part, its performance class is clearly defined by these benchmarks.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is a significant asset at 4K resolution. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160 with High settings, the system achieves 64.1 FPS, while dropping to Medium settings only improves this to 79 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is managing the memory load effectively, but the frame rate scaling indicates that raw compute power is the primary constraint at this resolution. The RTX 5080's 84 RT cores and 336 Tensor Cores are present but do not directly factor into the measured FPS data, which is based on standard rasterization performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance scaling across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 126.5 FPS on High, 152.3 FPS on Medium, 207.6 FPS on Low, and 94.4 FPS on Ultra. These figures show that the CPU and GPU combination is well-balanced for high refresh rates at this resolution, with only the Ultra preset dipping below the 100 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the scores are 97.6 FPS on High, 116.6 FPS on Medium, 155.6 FPS on Low, and 67.2 FPS on Ultra. This demonstrates that 1440p is the sweet spot for this system, as even High settings deliver close to 100 FPS, which is ideal for a smooth experience on a high refresh rate monitor. The drop from Medium to High is 19 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 30.4 FPS, showing a non-linear cost for the highest preset.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit. The system manages 64.1 FPS on High, 79 FPS on Medium, 100.1 FPS on Low, and 46.8 FPS on Ultra. These numbers reveal that 4K gaming is possible but requires a compromise. The difference between Low and High at 4K is 36 FPS, while the difference between High and Ultra is 17.3 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset is very demanding and pushes the GPU to its limits, making High settings the highest playable option for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear trend of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 207.6 at 1920x1080 to 155.6 at 2560x1440, a 25% reduction, and then to 100.1 at 3840x2160, a 36% reduction from 1440p. This indicates that the GPU is still the primary performance driver at Low settings, as the CPU has ample headroom.

For High settings, the progression is 126.5 FPS at 1080p, 97.6 FPS at 1440p, and 64.1 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is 34%, which is nearly identical to the Low setting drop, suggesting a consistent GPU bottleneck at these higher resolutions. The data points to the RTX 5080 being the limiting component as resolution increases, while the i7-14700KF's performance becomes less critical.

Looking at the Ultra preset, the frame rates are 94.4 FPS at 1080p, 67.2 FPS at 1440p, and 46.8 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 28.8% decrease, and from 1440p to 4K is a 30.4% decrease. This consistent percentage drop across all resolution steps strongly suggests that the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, as the CPU is not causing any disproportionate bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. For players with a 1080p monitor, High settings at 126.5 FPS provide an excellent balance of visual quality and smoothness, easily exceeding 60 FPS and approaching 120 FPS. The Ultra preset at 94.4 FPS is also viable if visual fidelity is the priority and the player can tolerate slightly lower frame rates.

At 1440p, High settings at 97.6 FPS are the clear recommendation for most users. This delivers a highly responsive experience on a 100 Hz or 144 Hz monitor. Medium settings at 116.6 FPS are also a strong option for those who prioritize frame rate above all else. The Ultra preset at 67.2 FPS is playable but may feel less smooth on high refresh rate displays, making it a less desirable choice.

For 4K, the recommendation is more nuanced. High settings at 64.1 FPS provide the best playable experience, staying just above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings at 79 FPS offer a more comfortable margin, but the visual difference between Medium and High in a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 is noticeable. The Ultra preset at 46.8 FPS is not recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience, as it falls below the standard target. The data suggests that High settings at 4K is the maximum playable preset for this CPU and GPU combination, with Medium being the safer choice for maintaining a stutter-free experience.