Red Dead Redemption 2

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B580 lands at rank 1324 out of 1687 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the pairing in the lower third of all systems in the database, which is striking given the CPU's pedigree. The i9-14900K itself sits in the 97th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79824. Its nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7413 (0.3% behind), the Intel Core i9-14900KF (0.7% ahead), and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF (0.7% ahead) — all effectively within a statistical tie.

The GPU side tells a different story. The Arc B580 ranks in the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 23021. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon 760M (0.1% ahead), the NVIDIA P106-100 (0.3% behind), and notably the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, which sits just 0.7% higher in average score. The delta between the i9-14900K's elite CPU standing and the Arc B580's mid-pack GPU position suggests the combo's low rank stems primarily from the graphics card bottlenecking the processor's potential in this particular title.

The measured FPS data reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 92 FPS, but at 4K Ultra it drops to 22.1 FPS. The CPU is clearly capable of far more, as its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and single-core score of 7040 demonstrate. The rank of 1324 out of 1687 indicates that most other tested combinations — likely those with higher-end GPUs — outperform this pairing in Red Dead Redemption 2's demanding open world.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K brings 24 cores and 32 threads to the table, with a base clock of 3.20 GHz and a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. This Raptor Lake-R architecture chip, built on Intel's 10 nm process, features a substantial cache hierarchy: 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3. The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and its 125 W TDP reflects the power envelope of a high-end desktop part.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics calculations, and AI updates. The i9-14900K's multi-core muscle is evident in synthetic benchmarks: it scores 20946 in Cinebench R20 multi-core and 58674 in Passmark multithread. Single-thread performance is equally strong, with a Geekbench single-core score of 3064 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4697. These numbers indicate the CPU can handle even the most CPU-intensive scenes without breaking a sweat.

However, the measured FPS data shows the combo's performance is not CPU-limited. At 1080p Low, the system produces 92 FPS — a solid number, but not exceptional for a CPU of this caliber. The fact that dropping resolution from 1440p to 1080p at Low settings only increases FPS from 67.7 to 92 suggests the GPU is already near its ceiling. The i9-14900K's boost clock of 6.00 GHz and 24 cores are more than sufficient for Red Dead Redemption 2's engine, which was released in 2018 and designed around 8-core consoles. The CPU's 97th percentile ranking versus all CPUs indicates it is not the limiting factor here.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested systems in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The combo ranks 1324 out of 1687 tested combinations, placing it in the lower third of all systems in the database.

Q: What is the best FPS this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 92 FPS, which is the highest measured average across all tested configurations.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to the RTX 4060?

A: The Arc B580's average benchmark score of 23021 is 0.7% lower than the RTX 4060's score of 23181, making them near-identical in overall GPU performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this pairing?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The i9-14900K ranks in the 97th percentile among CPUs, while the Arc B580 ranks in the 66th percentile among GPUs. The FPS scaling across resolutions shows GPU-bound behavior.

Q: What memory bandwidth does the Arc B580 provide?

A: The GPU has 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, delivering 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth at 2375 MHz memory clock (19 Gbps effective).

Q: What is the CPU's launch MSRP?

A: The Intel Core i9-14900K has a launch MSRP of $589.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest showing. Low settings produce 92 FPS, Medium drops to 65.9 FPS, High yields 58.7 FPS, and Ultra falls to 40.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 51.3 FPS, representing a significant performance cost for higher visual fidelity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the numbers compress downward. Low settings achieve 67.7 FPS, Medium produces 47.5 FPS, High drops to 40.2 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 31.1 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 36.6 FPS, a narrower spread than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is becoming increasingly stressed.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes marginal. Low settings yield 42.7 FPS, Medium drops to 30.6 FPS, High produces 27.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 22.1 FPS. Even at Low settings, 4K fails to reach 60 FPS, indicating this combo is not suited for 4K gaming in this title. The progression from 1080p Low at 92 FPS to 4K Low at 42.7 FPS shows the resolution's heavy toll on the Arc B580.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the bottleneck. At Low settings, the combo goes from 92 FPS at 1080p to 67.7 FPS at 1440p to 42.7 FPS at 4K — a 53.6% reduction from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the progression is 58.7 FPS → 40.2 FPS → 27.9 FPS, a 52.5% decline. Ultra settings show the steepest relative fall: 40.7 FPS → 31.1 FPS → 22.1 FPS, a 45.7% drop.

These scaling patterns are characteristic of a GPU-bound system. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, as the processor's workload doesn't scale with pixel count. Instead, the consistent 45-53% performance penalty from 1080p to 4K indicates the Arc B580's rendering pipeline is saturated. The GPU's 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are simply insufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K in Red Dead Redemption 2's dense environments.

The 1080p to 1440p transition shows a 26.4% FPS drop at Low, while the 1440p to 4K transition shows a 36.9% drop at Low. This increasing rate of decline as resolution rises further confirms the GPU-bound nature of the system at higher pixel counts.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience balances visual quality with playable frame rates. At 1080p, Medium settings at 65.9 FPS offer the best compromise, providing a meaningful improvement over Low's 92 FPS while maintaining smooth gameplay. High at 58.7 FPS is also viable, but Ultra at 40.7 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many players prefer.

At 1440p, the situation changes. Medium at 47.5 FPS is the highest setting that stays above 45 FPS, while High at 40.2 FPS and Ultra at 31.1 FPS introduce noticeable stutter in fast-moving scenes. Low at 67.7 FPS is the only preset that clears 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for competitive or fast-paced play. For 4K, no setting achieves 60 FPS — even Low at 42.7 FPS is marginal, and Ultra at 22.1 FPS is nearly unplayable.

The data suggests that players targeting 60 FPS should stick to 1080p Medium or 1440p Low. Those willing to accept 40-50 FPS can explore 1440p High or 4K Low, but the visual gains diminish rapidly as settings increase. The Arc B580's 12 GB VRAM is ample for these presets, as Red Dead Redemption 2's high-resolution textures fit comfortably within that capacity.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, built on TSMC's 5 nm process with the Xe2-HPG architecture, is the primary determinant of this combo's gaming performance. Its 2670 MHz base and boost clocks drive 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, producing a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s. The 20 RT cores support ray tracing, though this game's traditional rasterization workload is the main concern here.

The GPU's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus delivers 456.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but insufficient for 4K in this demanding title. The 19.6 billion transistors spread across a 272 mm² die give the Arc B580 a transistor density of 72.1M per mm². With a 190 W TDP and a suggested 450 W PSU, the card is power-hungry for its performance class, but the dual-slot design with a single 8-pin connector keeps installation straightforward.

The Arc B580's benchmark results reveal its mid-range positioning. Its Passmark G3D score of 15748 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 place it near the RTX 4060, which is only 0.7% higher in average score. In Red Dead Redemption 2 specifically, the GPU's performance is the clear constraint — the i9-14900K could easily drive a more powerful graphics card, as evidenced by its 97th percentile CPU ranking versus the GPU's 66th percentile standing. The measured FPS at all resolutions and settings falls below what the CPU alone would suggest, confirming the Arc B580 as the bottleneck in this pairing.