Red Dead Redemption 2

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the Intel Arc B580 ranks 2195 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the combination in the 24th percentile of all tested configurations, meaning roughly three-quarters of tested combos deliver higher frame rates in this title. The ranking reflects a pairing that sits below the median of the tested field, which is consistent with the GPU's overall positioning — the Arc B580's percentileVsAllGpus of 68 indicates it outperforms most individual GPUs in synthetic benchmarks, yet the demanding nature of Red Dead Redemption 2 at higher settings pulls this combo down in real-world gaming tests.

The CPU component of this pairing is notably stronger than the GPU relative to their respective pools. The Core Ultra 5 245 holds a percentileVsAllCpus of 90, placing it in the top decile of all processors tested. However, in this game, the combo's rank is dragged by the GPU's inability to maintain high frame rates at demanding resolutions and settings. The delta between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's mid-pack rank illustrates that Red Dead Redemption 2's performance ceiling here is governed by graphics processing rather than compute capability.

When compared to other combos in the database, this pairing's rank suggests it is best suited for 1080p play with moderate settings, where it can deliver playable frame rates. At higher resolutions or with Ultra presets, the combo falls below the 30 FPS threshold that many users consider the minimum for acceptable performance. The data indicates that this is a configuration for users who prioritize resolution and visual fidelity over maximum frame rates, but who are willing to compromise on settings to achieve playability.

# GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 brings 12 GB of GDDR6 memory across a 192-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is substantial for a graphics card in its class, providing ample capacity for Red Dead Redemption 2's large open-world textures and assets. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both fixed at 2670 MHz, with memory running at an effective 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The shading units number 2560, paired with 160 texture mapping units and 80 ROPs, which together deliver a pixel rate of 213.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s.

In terms of raw compute, the Arc B580 offers 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, with FP16 performance reaching 27.34 TFLOPS through a 2:1 ratio. These figures place the GPU in a competitive position for rasterized workloads, though Red Dead Redemption 2's engine emphasizes sustained throughput across large draw distances and complex lighting scenarios. The GPU's 20 ray tracing cores are present but the game's implementation of ray-traced effects is limited, so their impact on measured performance is minimal.

The GPU's synthetic benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 15748 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068. Its closest rivals in synthetic performance include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (avgScore 23061, deltaPct -0.2) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (avgScore 22895, deltaPct 0.6). Interestingly, the RTX 3080 also appears as a rival with an avgScore of 23172 and a deltaPct of -0.7, suggesting that the Arc B580's overall benchmark average sits within a narrow band of these very different GPUs. This highlights that synthetic scores do not always translate linearly to gaming performance, and Red Dead Redemption 2's specific engine characteristics will dictate actual results.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the drops being most pronounced at the High and Ultra settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 90 FPS average, which drops to 67 FPS at 1440p Low (a 25.6% reduction) and further to 44 FPS at 4K Low (a 34.3% reduction from 1440p). This scaling suggests that at Low settings, the CPU and GPU are more balanced, and the performance loss tracks closely with the increase in pixel count.

At Medium settings, the 1080p average of 67 FPS falls to 50 FPS at 1440p (a 25.4% drop) and then to 33 FPS at 4K (a 34% drop from 1440p). The minimum FPS data at Medium shows 57 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 28 FPS at 4K, indicating that frame time consistency also degrades with resolution. The High preset tells a similar story: 56 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p (a 25% drop), and 28 FPS at 4K (a 33.3% drop from 1440p).

Ultra settings show the steepest absolute declines: 40 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p (a 25% drop), and 20 FPS at 4K (a 33.3% drop from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings — roughly 25% from 1080p to 1440p and another 33% from 1440p to 4K — strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at all settings. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller differences between resolutions, particularly at lower settings where the CPU workload remains constant while GPU load increases. The data shows the opposite: performance scales almost linearly with pixel count, confirming that the Arc B580's rendering throughput is the primary constraint.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1080p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this combo. The 67 FPS average with a minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS provides smooth gameplay that remains above the 60 FPS threshold most of the time, with only occasional dips that are unlikely to be disruptive. This represents a significant improvement over the High preset's 56 FPS average, while the visual difference between Medium and High in Red Dead Redemption 2 is typically modest.

For users who prioritize higher visual fidelity, the High preset at 1080p delivers 56 FPS average, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 40 FPS average, which may be acceptable for users who prefer visual quality over frame rate, but the Medium preset provides a more consistent experience. At 1440p, the Medium preset achieves 50 FPS average with a 43 FPS minimum, which is playable for those who can tolerate occasional frame rate drops below 60 FPS. The Low preset at 1440p offers 67 FPS average, providing a smoother experience at the cost of reduced visual fidelity.

At 4K resolution, none of the settings deliver consistently playable frame rates. The Low preset achieves 44 FPS average, which is borderline acceptable for slower-paced sections of the game, but the Medium preset drops to 33 FPS and High falls to 28 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is effectively unplayable at 20 FPS average. Users with 4K displays should either reduce resolution to 1440p or accept significant compromises in settings to achieve playable performance.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The data shows that 1080p Medium is the optimal choice, delivering 67 FPS average with a minimum of 57 FPS. This provides a smooth experience while maintaining reasonable visual quality. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 50 FPS with a 43 FPS minimum, which remains playable but less consistent.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: At 4K, even the Low preset only achieves 44 FPS average, with Medium at 33 FPS and High at 28 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 20 FPS. These results indicate that 4K gaming is not practically viable with this hardware, as frame rates drop below acceptable thresholds for consistent gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 is within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, deltaPct -0.2), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, deltaPct 0.6), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, deltaPct -0.7). These close deltas suggest the Arc B580 offers compute performance in a similar range to these GPUs, though gaming results may vary.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a strong CPU for gaming?

A: The CPU holds a percentileVsAllCpus of 90, meaning it outperforms 90% of all tested processors. Its Cinebench R23 scores are 32924 multi-core and 4648 single-core, with Passmark single-thread score of 4394. This indicates strong gaming compute capability, though in Red Dead Redemption 2 the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with this combo?

A: At 1440p, the measured averages are 67 FPS on Low, 50 FPS on Medium, 42 FPS on High, and 30 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset provides the best balance at 50 FPS average with a 43 FPS minimum, while Low offers smoother performance at the cost of visual quality.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995. Its closest rival is the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G with an avgScore of 49196 (deltaPct -0.4), followed by the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 at 49228 (deltaPct -0.5). The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698 (deltaPct 0.6) and the Core i5-14600K scores 48618 (deltaPct 0.8). These deltas indicate the CPU performs within 1% of its nearest competitors.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 features 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This configuration represents a departure from traditional hyperthreading designs, offering purely physical cores that can sustain high clock speeds under load. 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, providing ample fast memory for game logic and physics calculations.

The processor is built on TSMC's 3 nm process node, with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. This Arrow Lake architecture (codename Arrow Lake-S) represents Intel's Core Ultra Series 2 generation, and its 65 W TDP indicates efficient power characteristics. The CPU supports DDR5 memory across a dual-channel bus, delivering 102.4 GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is sufficient for feeding the Arc B580's 456.0 GB/s GPU memory bandwidth without creating a system-level bottleneck.

In synthetic testing, the Core Ultra 5 245 achieves a Cinebench R23 score of 32924 multi-core and 4648 single-core. Its Passmark scores include 38706 multithread, 4394 single-thread, and 120548 floating point math. These results place the CPU at a 90th percentile ranking among all tested processors. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (avgScore 49196, deltaPct -0.4), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (avgScore 49228, deltaPct -0.5), Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (avgScore 48698, deltaPct 0.6), and Intel Core i5-14600K (avgScore 48618, deltaPct 0.8).

The CPU's strong single-thread performance (4648 in Cinebench R23 single-core, 4394 in Passmark single-thread) is particularly relevant for Red Dead Redemption 2, which relies heavily on a few primary threads for game logic and rendering setup. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this pairing — the consistent 25% performance drops between resolutions across all settings confirm that the GPU's rendering throughput determines the frame rates. This is a positive finding for the CPU, indicating that it has headroom to support future GPU upgrades without becoming a bottleneck.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results across all settings. The Low preset achieves 90 FPS average, providing a highly smooth experience ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. Medium brings the average down to 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and maximum of 77 FPS, offering a solid balance of quality and performance. High reduces the average further to 56 FPS, which remains playable but begins to show the GPU's limits. Ultra drops to 40 FPS average, indicating that the highest visual settings are only suitable for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low maintains 67 FPS average, which is still smooth for most users. Medium delivers 50 FPS average with a 43 FPS minimum and 58 FPS maximum, providing acceptable gameplay for users who can tolerate occasional dips. High falls to 42 FPS average, which is borderline for fast-paced action sequences. Ultra drops to 30 FPS average, falling below the threshold for comfortable play in most scenarios. The 1440p data shows that this resolution is viable for Medium settings, with Low providing a smoother alternative.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low achieves 44 FPS average, which is acceptable for slower exploration but may feel sluggish during intense sequences. Medium drops to 33 FPS average, with a minimum of 28 FPS and maximum of 38 FPS, placing it below the 30 FPS minimum that many users consider playable. High falls to 28 FPS average, and Ultra drops to 20 FPS, making both settings impractical for actual gameplay. The 4K results indicate that this resolution is only viable with Low settings, and even then, performance is marginal.

The data across all resolutions and settings shows a consistent pattern: the Arc B580's performance scales predictably with pixel count, and the CPU's strong compute capabilities do not compensate for the GPU's throughput limits at higher resolutions. For users seeking the best experience, 1080p Medium provides the optimal balance, while 1440p Medium offers a viable alternative for those with higher-resolution displays. 4K gaming is not recommended with this hardware configuration.