Red Dead Redemption 2

The pairing of the Intel Core i9-14900K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 in Red Dead Redemption 2 produces a dataset that clearly illustrates the boundaries of GPU-limited performance. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the processor’s considerable headroom is consistently constrained by the graphics card’s capabilities. This analysis breaks down the measured results to show exactly where the bottleneck lies and what users can expect from this configuration.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a steep performance curve that is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 50.4 FPS at 1080p to 37.9 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 26.1 FPS at 4K. This represents a drop of approximately 24.8% when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 31.1% decline when stepping up to 4K. The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings, but the absolute losses become more pronounced at higher quality presets.

The Low preset tells a similar story but with steeper relative declines. Starting at 85.5 FPS in 1080p, the frame rate drops to 60.4 FPS at 1440p (a 29.4% reduction) and then to 40.1 FPS at 4K (a 33.6% reduction from 1440p). This pattern indicates that even when the graphical load is minimized, the RTX 2060 cannot maintain playable performance at 4K. The Medium preset follows the trend, moving from 63.7 FPS at 1080p to 49.8 FPS at 1440p, and down to 30.8 FPS at 4K.

The data reveals that the limiting component shifts decisively toward the GPU as resolution increases. At 1080p, the 50.4 FPS High result suggests the CPU has room to push higher, but the 4K Ultra score of 17.4 FPS shows the GPU is overwhelmed. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at Ultra (30.3 to 17.4 FPS) is a 42.6% drop, which is the largest single-step decline in the entire dataset. This indicates that memory bandwidth and pixel throughput become critical constraints at higher resolutions, with the RTX 2060’s 336.0 GB/s bandwidth and 48 ROPs struggling to keep pace with the demands of 4K rendering.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i9-14900K brings substantial processing resources to this pairing, with 24 cores and 32 threads operating at a boost clock of 6.00 GHz. The processor’s benchmark scores are exceptional, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 49872 and a single-core score of 7040. The PassMark multi-thread score of 58674 places the CPU in the 97th percentile among all processors tested, indicating that it is not a limiting factor in this game.

The data supports this interpretation because frame rates scale almost entirely with resolution and settings rather than showing CPU-related dips. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 85.5 FPS, which is the highest measured result in the entire dataset. This suggests the CPU can push well beyond what the RTX 2060 can render at higher quality levels. The core architecture, based on Raptor Lake with a 36 MB shared L3 cache, provides ample cache for game logic and draw calls, but Red Dead Redemption 2’s engine does not appear to tax these resources heavily.

The processor’s role becomes evident when comparing the 1080p results across settings. From Low to Medium, the frame rate drops from 85.5 to 63.7 FPS, and from Medium to High it falls to 50.4 FPS. These declines are proportional to the increased GPU workload, not to CPU limitations. The i9-14900K’s 125 W TDP and Gen 5 PCIe interface ensure that data transfer to the GPU is not a bottleneck, but the measured results show that the CPU has significant untapped potential in this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 50.4 FPS, which is smooth for most gameplay scenarios. The Medium preset at 63.7 FPS offers a better balance for users seeking higher frame rates, while Low at 85.5 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where maximum responsiveness is prioritized. Ultra at 40.5 FPS is playable but approaches the lower boundary of acceptable performance for an action-adventure title.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset at 49.8 FPS represents the best compromise between visual quality and playability. High at 37.9 FPS is still functional but begins to show noticeable frame pacing issues during intense scenes. Low at 60.4 FPS is the only setting that consistently holds above 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for users who prioritize smoothness over detail. Ultra at 30.3 FPS is not recommended due to the significant visual-to-performance trade-off.

For 3840x2160, the data strongly suggests that the RTX 2060 is not adequate for this resolution in Red Dead Redemption 2. The Low preset at 40.1 FPS is the only setting that approaches playability, but it requires sacrificing nearly all graphical fidelity. Medium at 30.8 FPS and High at 26.1 FPS are both below the 30 FPS threshold that most users consider the minimum for a playable experience. Ultra at 17.4 FPS is effectively a slideshow and should be avoided entirely.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 1400th out of 1687 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the system in the bottom 17% of all configurations tested, which is a direct reflection of the GPU’s limitations rather than any deficiency in the CPU. The ranking highlights a significant imbalance, as the processor is paired with a graphics card that is several generations behind its capability.

This ranking becomes more meaningful when considering the individual component benchmarks. The CPU’s nearest rivals include the AMD EPYC 7413, which scores 80041 average benchmark points, just 0.3% higher than the i9-14900K’s 79824. The Intel Core i9-14900KF and Core Ultra 7 265KF are within 0.7% of the i9-14900K’s score, indicating that the processor is at the top of its class. In contrast, the RTX 2060’s nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600S (0.5% faster) and Radeon Pro 5600M (1.7% slower), showing that the GPU is firmly in the mid-range tier.

The 1400th rank out of 1687 combos is consistent with what the FPS data shows. Systems with higher rankings almost certainly pair the i9-14900K with a more powerful GPU, as the CPU’s benchmark percentile of 97 suggests it should be paired with hardware that can fully utilize its capabilities. The low combo rank is not a reflection of poor engineering but rather a consequence of the GPU’s 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the definitive bottleneck in this configuration. With 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, the card has a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, which is insufficient for the demanding textures and effects of Red Dead Redemption 2 at higher resolutions. The GPU’s 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs are tasked with rendering the game’s open-world environments, and the measured FPS shows that this hardware struggles to maintain acceptable performance.

The GPU’s benchmark scores reinforce its mid-range positioning. The PassMark G3D score of 14111 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242 are indicative of a card that was designed for 1080p gaming in its era. The Geekbench OpenCL score of 71278 and Vulkan score of 67425 show that the card has computational capabilities, but they are not sufficient for 4K rendering in modern titles.

The clock speeds of 1365 MHz base and 1680 MHz boost, combined with the 12 nm Turing architecture, provide a baseline that is clearly outpaced by the CPU’s demands. The GPU’s 6 GB memory capacity becomes a critical limitation at 4K, where texture data can exceed this capacity, causing frame rate drops that are visible in the Ultra preset’s 17.4 FPS result. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed is respectable for the card’s generation, but it cannot compensate for the limited bus width and memory size.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance. The Low preset achieves 85.5 FPS, which is the only setting to break the 80 FPS barrier. Medium follows at 63.7 FPS, providing a 25.5% increase in quality for a 25.5% decrease in frame rate. High at 50.4 FPS is a further 20.9% reduction, while Ultra at 40.5 FPS is 19.6% lower than High. These results show that the GPU can handle 1080p with headroom, but the 4K results indicate that the card is not designed for modern high-resolution gaming.

The 2560x1440 results show a clear step-down in capability. Low at 60.4 FPS is the only playable option, with Medium at 49.8 FPS representing a 17.5% drop. High at 37.9 FPS is 23.9% lower than Medium, and Ultra at 30.3 FPS is 20.1% below High. The 1440p data suggests that users should stick to Low or Medium settings to maintain a consistent frame rate above 45 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the measured results are uniformly poor. Low at 40.1 FPS is the only setting that approaches playability, but it still falls short of 60 FPS. Medium at 30.8 FPS is 23.2% lower than Low, High at 26.1 FPS is 15.3% below Medium, and Ultra at 17.4 FPS is 33.3% lower than High. The 4K data confirms that this GPU is not suitable for 4K gaming, as even the lowest settings cannot maintain a stable frame rate. The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent pattern of GPU-bound performance, with the RTX 2060 being the clear limiting factor in every scenario.