Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable but constrained experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with performance scaling that clearly identifies the graphics card as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The data shows a system that is capable of smooth 1080p gameplay on lower presets but struggles to maintain fluid frame rates as resolution and graphical fidelity increase.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance drop as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 79 FPS at 1080p to 59 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 20 FPS, and then further to 39 FPS at 4K, representing a cumulative 50.6% decline from the 1080p baseline. This pattern indicates that the Intel Arc B570's rendering throughput is the limiting factor, as the CPU's workload does not increase proportionally with pixel count.

The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory: 59 FPS at 1080p drops to 44 FPS at 1440p (a 25.4% decrease) and then to 29 FPS at 4K (a 50.8% total drop). The High preset follows with 49 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K, while the Ultra preset falls from 36 FPS at 1080p to 27 FPS at 1440p and finally to 18 FPS at 4K. Across all settings, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p typically costs between 12 and 20 FPS, while the jump to 4K costs an additional 9 to 13 FPS.

This scaling behavior suggests that the Core Ultra 5 245 has ample headroom to feed the Arc B570 at 1080p, as the frame rate differences between presets are substantial (e.g., 79 FPS Low vs. 36 FPS Ultra). However, the diminishing returns at 4K, where even the Low preset only achieves 39 FPS, confirm that the GPU's 10 GB frame buffer and 160-bit memory interface are overwhelmed by the pixel workload. The game becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads providing consistent frame delivery without evidence of stutter-induced minimum FPS drops in the measured rows.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the Intel Arc B570 in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates above 60 FPS, and only at the Low preset (79 FPS). At 1440p, the Low preset delivers 59 FPS, which is marginal for smooth gameplay, while 4K remains below 40 FPS across all settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 averages 59 FPS, dropping to 44 FPS at 2560x1440 and 29 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 50.8% reduction in average frame rate from 1080p to 4K, with the largest single-step decline occurring between 1440p and 4K.

Q: Does the Ultra preset provide any benefit over High at 1440p?

A: The Ultra preset at 2560x1440 averages 27 FPS, which is 10 FPS lower than the High preset's 37 FPS at the same resolution. The data indicates that Ultra settings impose a significant performance penalty without a corresponding playability advantage, as both fall below the 30 FPS threshold.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570 the bottleneck in this configuration?

A: Yes, the benchmark results indicate a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 1080p Low, the CPU can push 79 FPS, but increasing resolution to 4K Low drops the frame rate to 39 FPS, a 50.6% reduction that cannot be attributed to CPU limitations given the Core Ultra 5 245's single-thread performance.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset across resolutions?

A: The measured minimum FPS for Medium is 50 at 1920x1080, 38 at 2560x1440, and 25 at 3840x2160. These minimums indicate that frame pacing remains stable even when average FPS falls below 30, suggesting consistent GPU workload distribution.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the bottom 19.5% of all tested systems. This low ranking is consistent with the GPU's 65th percentile score among all GPUs, which drags down the overall gaming performance despite a strong CPU showing.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570's specifications directly explain the measured frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2. The GPU features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where the High preset's 24 FPS average suggests the frame buffer is saturated. The GPU's 2304 shading units and 80 ROPs deliver a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s, which are modest figures for a modern title with heavy draw distances and detailed textures.

Clock speeds are locked at 2500 MHz for both base and boost, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). This fixed clock profile means the GPU cannot dynamically overclock to compensate for increased load, contributing to the steep performance cliff at 4K. The 150 W TDP and PCIe 4.0 x8 interface further limit the card's ability to stream assets quickly, though the 10 GB frame buffer helps mitigate this at lower resolutions.

The GPU's benchmark scores corroborate the gaming results. Its PassMark G3D score of 14195 places it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. The nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% faster), Intel Arc A750 (0.1% faster), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (0.5% slower). This mid-pack positioning means the Arc B570 competes with mobile-class GPUs and previous-generation desktop parts, explaining why it cannot maintain 60 FPS at 1440p High in a demanding title like Red Dead Redemption 2.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 indicate solid DirectX 12 and Vulkan performance, which is relevant given the game's API usage. However, the DirectX 11 PassMark score of 118 suggests weaker legacy API performance, though this does not appear to affect the measured results. The 5 nm process node and 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die provide efficient compute, but the 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is insufficient for 4K Ultra settings, which only achieve 18 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2335 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 19.5th percentile of all configurations. This rank is disproportionately influenced by the GPU, as the CPU alone performs at the 90th percentile among all processors with an average benchmark score of 48995. The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (0.4% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (0.5% slower), and Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (0.6% faster), indicating the Core Ultra 5 245 is a top-tier processor.

The disconnect between CPU and GPU performance tiers is stark. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and single-core score of 4648 demonstrate exceptional processing power, while the GPU's PassMark G3D score of 14195 is only at the 65th percentile. This imbalance means the combo's gaming rank is dragged down by the Arc B570's mid-range capabilities, despite the CPU being able to drive frame rates well above what the GPU can render.

In context, the combo's rank of 2335 out of 2902 suggests that most tested systems either feature a more powerful GPU paired with a weaker CPU or a balanced mid-range setup. The data indicates that the Core Ultra 5 245 is capable of supporting significantly higher frame rates in Red Dead Redemption 2 if paired with a faster graphics card, as evidenced by the 79 FPS achieved at 1080p Low. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, which limits the combo to the bottom fifth of all tested configurations despite the CPU's top-10% standing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 79 FPS, which is the only configuration that achieves a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 59 FPS, which is playable but close to the 60 FPS threshold, with a minimum of 50 FPS ensuring no severe drops. The High preset at 1080p averages 49 FPS, which is acceptable for slower-paced exploration but may feel less smooth during action sequences.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only viable option for near-60 FPS gameplay, averaging 59 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 44 FPS, which is still playable but requires compromising on visual fidelity. At 1440p High, the 37 FPS average is borderline, and Ultra at 27 FPS is not recommended for consistent gameplay.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets achieve a playable frame rate. The Low preset's 39 FPS is the best option but remains below 40 FPS, while Medium (29 FPS), High (24 FPS), and Ultra (18 FPS) all fall below the 30 FPS playability floor. For 4K gaming, users should either lower the resolution or accept a slideshow-like experience.

The best overall experience per the measured data is 1920x1080 at Medium settings, which balances the 59 FPS average with a 50 FPS minimum, providing a stable and responsive experience without the visual degradation of Low settings. For users prioritizing frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low at 79 FPS offers the smoothest gameplay, while those with 1440p monitors should stick to Low for acceptable performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 79 FPS average. This is the highest frame rate recorded for the combo, indicating the GPU is not fully utilized at this resolution and preset.
• Medium: 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 50 FPS and maximum of 68 FPS. This provides a stable experience with adequate headroom above the 30 FPS floor.
• High: 49 FPS average. The drop from Medium to High costs 10 FPS, showing the GPU's sensitivity to increased texture and shadow quality.
• Ultra: 36 FPS average. This preset delivers a 26.9% reduction from High, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

2560x1440:

• Low: 59 FPS average. This matches the 1080p Medium performance, demonstrating that the GPU can handle the resolution increase when settings are reduced.
• Medium: 44 FPS average, with a minimum of 38 FPS and maximum of 51 FPS. This is the best balance at 1440p, though it falls below the 60 FPS target.
• High: 37 FPS average. The 7 FPS drop from Medium to High is notable, reflecting the increased load on the 10 GB frame buffer.
• Ultra: 27 FPS average. This is below the 30 FPS playability threshold and should be avoided.

3840x2160:

• Low: 39 FPS average. This is the only 4K preset that approaches playability, though it remains below 40 FPS.
• Medium: 29 FPS average, with a minimum of 25 FPS and maximum of 34 FPS. The minimum FPS indicates occasional stutter-like drops.
• High: 24 FPS average. This preset is not playable for any gameplay type.
• Ultra: 18 FPS average. This is the lowest measured frame rate, rendering the game effectively unplayable.

The data shows a clear linear relationship between settings and FPS at each resolution, with Ultra consistently costing roughly 50% of the Low preset's frame rate. The minimum FPS values at Medium settings (50 at 1080p, 38 at 1440p, 25 at 4K) suggest that the GPU maintains consistent frame delivery without sudden spikes in render time, but the overall averages confirm that the Arc B570 is best suited for 1080p gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2.