Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B580 produces a combination that ranks in the 2195th position out of 2902 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the lower half of the database. This ranking reflects a pairing that can deliver playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles significantly at 4K, particularly with higher graphical presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2195 out of 2902 places it near the 75th percentile of tested systems, meaning roughly a quarter of all combinations outperform it in this specific title. This is a modest standing, and the data suggests the pairing is better suited for 1080p gaming than for higher resolutions. The benchmark results show a clear hierarchy: at 1080p, the combination achieves an average of 90 FPS on Low settings, which is a strong result, but this drops to 40 FPS on Ultra, indicating that the system’s headroom is limited.

When compared to other components, the CPU’s average benchmark score of 46062 puts it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, which is a high standing. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which scores 46030 (a 0.1% difference), and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which scores 46098 (a -0.1% difference). This indicates the Ultra 5 235 is essentially on par with these high-end processors in general compute tasks. For the GPU, the Arc B580’s average benchmark score of 23021 places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP, which scores 23061 (a -0.2% difference), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080, which scores 22895 (a 0.6% difference). This suggests the GPU is positioned in the mid-range tier, performing similarly to older high-end cards.

The combination of a top-tier CPU with a mid-range GPU creates a bottleneck situation. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the frame rates are largely dictated by the GPU’s capabilities, as evidenced by the significant performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K. The CPU’s high percentile ranking does not translate into high frame rates at 4K, where the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The measured data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 20 FPS, which is unplayable, while at 1080p Low, it reaches 90 FPS, which is very smooth. This spread of 70 FPS across the resolution and settings spectrum highlights the GPU’s dominance in determining the final output.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, codenamed Battlemage, and manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The GPU’s base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, and its memory runs at 2375 MHz, which is 19 Gbps effective. These specifications place it in a position where it can handle 1080p gaming with ease, but its performance at higher resolutions is constrained.

The GPU’s memory capacity of 12 GB is a notable asset for Red Dead Redemption 2, a game known for its detailed open world and high-resolution textures. However, the data shows that even with this capacity, the GPU struggles at 4K. At 4K High, the average FPS is 28, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. At 4K Medium, the average FPS improves to 33, with a minimum of 28 and a maximum of 38, but this is still not ideal. The GPU’s raw compute power, measured at 13.67 TFLOPS for FP32, is not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at 4K with this game’s demanding rendering.

The GPU’s benchmark scores provide further context. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 3068, and its Geekbench Vulkan score is 109672. In PassMark, it scores 15748 in G3D and 7729 in GPU Compute. These scores, combined with its 68th percentile ranking, indicate that the Arc B580 is a capable mid-range card. However, in Red Dead Redemption 2, the GPU is the primary bottleneck at resolutions above 1080p. The frame rate drop from 90 FPS at 1080p Low to 44 FPS at 4K Low (a 46 FPS decrease) demonstrates that the GPU’s pixel throughput is a limiting factor as resolution increases. The GPU’s pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s are adequate for 1080p, but they fall short at 4K, where the number of pixels to render quadruples.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, based on the Arrow Lake-S architecture and manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU’s cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration provides strong single-thread and multi-thread performance, as evidenced by its benchmark scores.

In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 14769 in multi-core and 2085 in single-core. Its PassMark multi-thread score is 37816, and its single-thread score is 4516. These results place the CPU in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, making it a high-end processor for gaming and productivity tasks. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. The data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 90 FPS, which is a high frame rate that requires a capable CPU to sustain. If the CPU were weak, this number would be lower.

The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for this game, which is known to scale well with multi-core processors. The high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures that single-threaded tasks, which are common in game logic, are handled efficiently. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR5 interface also contributes to its ability to keep the GPU fed with data. However, the benchmark results indicate that the CPU’s performance is not the reason for the low frame rates at 4K. The GPU’s limitations are the primary cause, as the CPU’s high percentile ranking suggests it could support higher frame rates if the GPU were more powerful.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The data shows that 1080p provides the best balance of performance and visual quality. At 1080p High, the combo achieves an average of 56 FPS, while at 1440p High, it drops to 42 FPS. For a smoother experience, 1080p Low reaches 90 FPS, but 1080p High is recommended for better visuals.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: Performance at 4K is poor. The average FPS values are 44 on Low, 33 on Medium, 28 on High, and 20 on Ultra. These numbers are below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, making 4K unsuitable for this pairing.

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

A: The GPU is the bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 46062 places it in the 89th percentile, while the GPU’s score of 23021 places it in the 68th percentile. The frame rate drops from 90 FPS at 1080p Low to 44 FPS at 4K Low indicate that the GPU struggles with the increased pixel load.

Q: What is the average FPS on Medium settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p Medium, the combo achieves an average of 50 FPS, with a minimum of 43 FPS and a maximum of 58 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for most gamers, though not ideal for competitive play.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 2080?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, while the RTX 2080 scores 22895, a difference of 0.6%. This indicates that the two GPUs are nearly identical in overall performance, though their specific strengths may vary by game.

Q: Does the CPU’s 14-core configuration help in this game?

A: Yes, the 14-core configuration is beneficial for Red Dead Redemption 2, which can utilize multiple cores. The CPU’s multi-thread score of 37816 in PassMark indicates strong parallel processing capability, which helps maintain consistent frame rates in CPU-intensive scenes.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 90 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 67 FPS, a 23 FPS decrease. At 4K Low, the average falls to 44 FPS, another 23 FPS decrease. This linear scaling suggests that the GPU’s rendering capacity is the primary constraint, as the CPU’s performance is sufficient to keep up with the increased pixel count.

For High settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p High, the average is 56 FPS. At 1440p High, it drops to 42 FPS, and at 4K High, it reaches 28 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 14 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is another 14 FPS. This consistent scaling indicates that the GPU is operating at its limits, and the CPU is not able to compensate for the increased workload.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (90 FPS) and Ultra (40 FPS) is 50 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 37 FPS (67 FPS on Low vs 30 FPS on Ultra). At 4K, the difference is 24 FPS (44 FPS on Low vs 20 FPS on Ultra). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is becoming the sole bottleneck, and the settings have less impact on performance when the GPU is already saturated. The limiting component in this system is clearly the GPU, as evidenced by the CPU’s high percentile ranking and the significant frame rate drops that correlate with increased resolution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user’s priority for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For the smoothest experience, 1080p Low provides an average of 90 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced action. This setting is recommended for players who prioritize performance above all else. For a balance of performance and visuals, 1080p High is a strong choice, with an average of 56 FPS. This is above the 50 FPS threshold that most consider playable, and it offers significantly better graphics than Low.

At 1440p, the data suggests that Medium settings are the best option. The average FPS at 1440p Medium is 50, with a minimum of 43 and a maximum of 58. This provides a playable experience with decent visual quality. 1440p High drops to 42 FPS, which is still playable but may feel less smooth in demanding scenes. For users with 1440p monitors, Medium is the recommended preset.

At 4K, the data indicates that the combo is not suitable for high settings. The only playable option is 4K Low, which averages 44 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS target but may be acceptable for slower-paced gameplay. 4K Medium averages 33 FPS, which is borderline playable, but 4K High (28 FPS) and 4K Ultra (20 FPS) are not recommended due to the significant frame rate drops. For 4K users, Low settings are the only viable option, and even then, the experience may not be ideal. The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p users who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, as it averages 40 FPS, which is at the lower end of playability.