Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a strong performance profile in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing the combination in the 260th position out of 3714 tested combos. This ranking places it comfortably within the top 7% of all configurations, indicating a high level of capability for this specific title. The data suggests a balanced pairing where both components contribute meaningfully to the overall experience, though the performance scaling across resolutions reveals where each part's influence is most pronounced.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame value of 260 out of 3714 tested configurations places this pairing in a very competitive tier. This ranking reflects the combined capabilities of the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and the RTX 4080, and the data shows that this system is positioned to handle Red Dead Redemption 2 with high fidelity settings across most resolutions. The ranking is a holistic measure, accounting for all tested settings and resolutions, and it demonstrates that this pairing is significantly above the median configuration.

Interpreting the rank, this system outperforms approximately 93% of all tested combos, which is consistent with the individual component standings. The CPU holds an 85th percentile ranking among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 86th percentile among all graphics cards. The alignment of these two high-percentile parts results in a system that is well above average for this game, though the specific bottleneck dynamics shift depending on the resolution and quality preset selected.

The data indicates that the gap between this combo and the very top performers is not vast, but it exists. The rank of 260 suggests that while this system is excellent, there are configurations that deliver higher frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU performance becomes more critical. At 1080p, the CPU's 10 cores and 10 threads, with a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, are sufficient to drive high frame rates, but they do not reach the extremes of the highest-ranked combos. The system's position in the rankings confirms its overall balance, but it is not an absolute top-tier performer in every scenario.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve a 60 FPS average?

A: At 3840x2160 (4K) with High settings, the combo achieves an average of 60 FPS. At 1440p, High settings average 90 FPS, and at 1080p, High settings average 121 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM influence performance at 4K?

A: The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus with 716.8 GB/s bandwidth provides ample capacity for 4K textures. The data shows that at 4K Medium settings, the average FPS is 72, with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 82, indicating that memory bandwidth is sufficient to maintain playable frame rates.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 a limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 25891 and a single-core score of 3655, suggest it is capable. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 194 FPS, which indicates that the CPU can push high frame rates, but the GPU is still the primary driver of performance.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: The average FPS drops from 145 at Low settings to 65 at Ultra settings at 2560x1440. This represents a 55% reduction, showing that the Ultra preset places a significant load on the GPU.

Q: Does the combo support ray tracing or other advanced features?

A: The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, which are the APIs required for modern features. However, the measured FPS data provided does not specify whether ray tracing is enabled in the tested configurations.

Q: How does the CPU's 20 MB of L3 cache affect performance in this game?

A: The 20 MB of shared L3 cache helps with data retrieval for the 10 cores. The CPU's PassMark multi-thread score of 30459 and single-thread score of 4412 indicate strong processing power that supports the GPU across all tested resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured FPS results. The GPU features 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs, which are substantial numbers for rasterization-heavy titles like Red Dead Redemption 2. The chip, AD103, is built on a 5 nm process and contains 45,900 million transistors. The boost clock of 2505 MHz, combined with the base clock of 2205 MHz, allows for high throughput in compute tasks.

The memory subsystem is a critical factor for this game. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the RTX 4080 provides a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This is essential for high-resolution textures and large draw distances. The data shows that at 4K, the GPU is the clear bottleneck, as moving from Low to Medium settings results in a 25% decrease in average FPS (from 96 to 72). Further increasing to High settings yields 60 FPS, and Ultra drops to 43 FPS. This scaling is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where the rendering load increases with each quality tier.

The GPU's compute capabilities, measured at 48.74 TFLOPS for FP32, support the game's complex shaders and lighting effects. The PassMark G3D score of 34457 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 reflect the card's overall graphics performance. The GPU's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score of 54209, which is 0.1% higher, indicating that the 4080 is just slightly behind its SUPER counterpart. This small deltaPct shows that the 4080's performance is near the top of its class, which is why the combo ranks so well in this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves an average of 194 FPS on Low settings, which decreases to 145 FPS on Medium, 121 FPS on High, and 87 FPS on Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum FPS of 123 and a maximum of 167, showing a stable frame time. The jump from Low to Ultra represents a 55% reduction in average FPS, highlighting the significant impact of the Ultra preset's graphical demands.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales downward as expected. Low settings produce an average of 145 FPS, Medium drops to 108 FPS (with a min of 92 and max of 125), High yields 90 FPS, and Ultra falls to 65 FPS. The 1440p results show a similar pattern to 1080p, but with a lower ceiling. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 55%, consistent with the 1080p scaling, indicating that the relative cost of each settings tier is consistent across these resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is heavily taxed. Low settings average 96 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS (min 61, max 82), High averages 60 FPS, and Ultra drops to 43 FPS. The 4K results show that even the RTX 4080 struggles to maintain high frame rates on the Ultra preset. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 55%, mirroring the other resolutions. This consistency suggests that the Ultra preset is uniformly demanding across all tested resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this pairing. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 194 at 1080p to 145 at 1440p and 96 at 4K. This represents a 25% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a 51% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which is typical for a GPU-intensive workload where the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K.

For Medium settings, the average FPS is 145 at 1080p, 108 at 1440p, and 72 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K is 50%, showing that the GPU is the limiting factor. High settings follow a similar trend: 121 FPS at 1080p, 90 at 1440p, and 60 at 4K, which is a 50% reduction. Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling, with 87 FPS at 1080p, 65 at 1440p, and 43 at 4K, a 51% reduction.

The consistency of the performance drop across all settings suggests that the RTX 4080's rendering pipeline is the primary constraint when moving to higher resolutions. The CPU's role becomes less significant as resolution increases, since the GPU has more pixels to process. The data indicates that this combo is well-suited for 1440p and 4K gaming, with the 4K High setting achieving exactly 60 FPS average, which is a common target for smooth gameplay. The 4K Ultra setting falls below this threshold, making it less ideal for a locked 60 FPS experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 4K, the High preset provides an average of 60 FPS, which is the minimum for a smooth experience. The Medium preset offers a higher average of 72 FPS with a minimum of 61, providing a safety margin for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset falls below 60 FPS at an average of 43, which may result in noticeable stuttering in fast-paced action. Therefore, for 4K, the Medium or High presets are recommended, with High being the best balance of visual quality and performance.

At 1440p, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 65 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold but not by a large margin. The High preset at 90 FPS provides a more comfortable buffer, ensuring smooth gameplay even in graphically intense moments. For users with high refresh rate monitors (144Hz or above), the Medium preset at 108 FPS is a strong choice, as it maintains a high frame rate while still offering decent visual fidelity. The Low preset at 145 FPS is viable for competitive play, but it sacrifices significant visual quality.

For 1080p, the Ultra preset achieves 87 FPS, which is excellent for most monitors. The Medium preset at 145 FPS is ideal for high refresh rate displays, and the Low preset at 194 FPS is suitable for maximum responsiveness. The data shows that the combo can handle 1080p Ultra without dipping below 60 FPS, making it a versatile option. The recommendation is to prioritize the High or Ultra presets at 1080p and 1440p, while at 4K, Medium or High are the most practical choices to maintain a stable frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 plays a supporting but essential role in this combo. With 10 cores and 10 threads, the CPU provides enough parallelism for modern game engines. The base clock of 3.30 GHz and boost clock of 4.90 GHz allow for strong single-threaded performance, which is critical for game logic and physics calculations. The CPU's Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and multi-core score of 25891 indicate a capable processor that can keep up with the RTX 4080's demands.

The CPU's cache hierarchy, with 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache, helps reduce memory latency. The 20 MB L3 cache is particularly important for game data that is frequently accessed. The CPU's PassMark single-thread score of 4412 and multi-thread score of 30459 further confirm its processing power. The nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, has an average score of 36945, which is a 0% deltaPct, indicating that the Core Ultra 5 225 is essentially matched in overall CPU benchmarks.

The CPU's influence on gaming performance is most apparent at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 194 FPS, which suggests that the CPU can feed the GPU enough data to reach high frame rates. However, as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU's role diminishes. The data shows that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this pairing for Red Dead Redemption 2, as the frame rates scale consistently with GPU load. The 65W TDP of the CPU also indicates an efficient design that does not require excessive cooling, allowing the system to maintain stable performance over long sessions.