Red Dead Redemption 2

# FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: This combo ranks 1206 out of 2902 tested combinations in the database, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems for this game.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48995, which is 0.4% lower than the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, and 0.8% higher than the Intel Core i5-14600K.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 sits at the 61st percentile versus all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17208. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT, scores 0.7% higher.

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded at 1920x1080 is 125 FPS on Low settings. Medium settings deliver 93 FPS, High delivers 78 FPS, and Ultra drops to 56 FPS.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 3070 have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. This is a key factor in how the card handles higher resolutions and texture-heavy scenes.

Q: Does the CPU support ECC memory?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 supports ECC memory and uses dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the primary driver of frame rate in Red Dead Redemption 2, particularly as resolution increases. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory operates at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective) across a 256-bit bus, yielding 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory subsystem is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming but becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where the data shows average FPS dropping to 38 on High settings.

The GPU's Ampere architecture, built on Samsung's 8 nm process, contains 5888 shading units, 184 texture mapping units, and 96 ROPs. Its 46 RT cores and 184 tensor cores provide hardware acceleration for ray tracing and DLSS features, though the measured data in this database reflects rasterized performance only. The boost clock of 1725 MHz (up from a 1500 MHz base) allows the card to sustain high throughput in demanding scenes.

At 1080p, the GPU is clearly the dominant component. The jump from Low (125 FPS) to Medium (93 FPS) represents a 25.6% drop, while High (78 FPS) is another 16.1% lower, and Ultra (56 FPS) falls another 28.2%. This steep scaling with settings indicates that the RTX 3070's compute throughput — rated at 20.31 TFLOPS FP32 — is being fully utilized as graphical complexity increases.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low delivers 93 FPS, Medium 70 FPS, High 58 FPS, and Ultra 42 FPS. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM buffer starts to show strain at this resolution, particularly with Ultra settings where texture memory demands exceed what the card can comfortably provide. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth becomes a bottleneck for streaming high-resolution assets.

At 4K, the GPU is severely challenged. Ultra settings produce only 28 FPS average, which is below playable thresholds for most users. Medium achieves 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53, while High reaches 38 FPS. Only Low settings (61 FPS) approach smooth gameplay at this resolution. The GPU's 96 ROPs and 165.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for 4K at high quality levels in this game.

The RTX 3070's position at the 61st percentile of all GPUs reflects its mid-range standing in 2025. Its nearest rivals — the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (0.7% higher score), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (1% higher), and AMD Radeon HD 7970M (1.1% higher) — bracket it closely in synthetic compute, but real-world gaming performance in Red Dead Redemption 2 is more nuanced, as the measured FPS data shows.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear resolution scaling pattern that shifts the bottleneck between CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 125 FPS, which drops to 93 FPS at 1440p (a 25.6% reduction) and 61 FPS at 4K (a 51.2% reduction from 1080p). This scaling is roughly linear with pixel count, indicating GPU-bound behavior.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with lower starting points: 93 FPS at 1080p, 70 FPS at 1440p (24.7% drop), and 46 FPS at 4K (50.5% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom even at 1080p.

High settings show a steeper decline: 78 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p (25.6% drop), and 38 FPS at 4K (51.3% drop). Ultra settings follow with 56 FPS at 1080p, 42 FPS at 1440p (25% drop), and 28 FPS at 4K (50% drop). The near-uniform percentage drops across all settings confirm that resolution scaling is purely GPU-limited — the CPU's performance does not become a factor even at 1080p Low where frame rates are highest.

The 4K to 1080p ratio at Low settings is 0.488 (61/125), meaning 4K delivers roughly half the frame rate of 1080p. This is close to the theoretical 0.25 pixel-count ratio (4K has 4x the pixels), but the actual performance is better than that worst-case scenario because memory bandwidth and cache help mitigate the pixel count increase. At Ultra settings, the ratio is 0.5 (28/56), showing similar scaling behavior.

The 1440p to 1080p ratio across settings is consistently around 0.74-0.75 (93/125, 70/93, 58/78, 42/56). Since 1440p has 1.78x the pixels of 1080p, the observed 25-26% FPS drop is significantly less than the theoretical 44% drop if performance scaled purely with pixel count. This indicates that the RTX 3070's memory bandwidth and cache hierarchy are partially compensating for the increased resolution workload.

The data suggests that 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with 1440p being playable at all but Ultra settings, and 4K requiring Low settings for smooth gameplay. The GPU's 8 GB VRAM likely contributes to the steep drop at 4K Ultra, where texture memory demands exceed available capacity.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and RTX 3070 combination delivers its strongest performance. Low settings produce an average of 125 FPS, which is the highest measured value across all resolutions and settings. Medium settings average 93 FPS with a minimum of 79 and maximum of 107 FPS, providing a stable experience for high-refresh-rate monitors. High settings average 78 FPS, while Ultra drops to 56 FPS — still playable but notably lower. The 69 FPS spread between Low and Ultra (125 vs 56) demonstrates the GPU's sensitivity to graphical quality settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down predictably. Low settings average 93 FPS, which remains smooth for most displays. Medium settings average 70 FPS with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 80 FPS, offering a good balance of visual quality and responsiveness. High settings average 58 FPS, approaching the threshold where some users might notice reduced fluidity. Ultra settings average 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for competitive play but acceptable for slower-paced exploration in Red Dead Redemption 2.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings average 61 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings average 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53 FPS — the only settings tier at any resolution that reports complete min/max data. High settings average 38 FPS, and Ultra settings average 28 FPS, which is marginal for gameplay. The 33 FPS spread between Low and Ultra (61 vs 28) at 4K is proportionally similar to the 1080p spread, confirming consistent GPU scaling behavior.

Comparing settings tiers within each resolution: at 1080p, Medium is 25.6% slower than Low, High is 16.1% slower than Medium, and Ultra is 28.2% slower than High. At 1440p, the drops are 24.7%, 17.1%, and 27.6% respectively. At 4K, the drops are 24.6%, 17.4%, and 26.3%. The consistency of these percentage drops across resolutions indicates that each settings tier imposes roughly the same relative GPU workload increase regardless of resolution.

The minimum frame rates, where available, show that Medium settings at 1080p (79 FPS) and 1440p (59 FPS) maintain comfortable margins above 30 FPS. At 4K Medium, the minimum of 39 FPS suggests occasional stutters but remains playable. The absence of min/max data for most other settings tiers in the measured dataset limits deeper analysis of frame time consistency.

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination ranks 1206 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 58.5th percentile of all tested systems (computed as 1 - 1206/2902). This means roughly 41.5% of tested combos perform worse, and 58.5% perform better in this specific game.

This ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is dramatically over- or under-powered relative to the other. The CPU's 90th percentile standing among all CPUs (avg score 48995) is significantly higher than the GPU's 61st percentile (avg score 17208), suggesting the processor has more headroom than the graphics card for this workload. The combo rank of 1206/2902 aligns more closely with the GPU's percentile than the CPU's, confirming that Red Dead Redemption 2 is GPU-bound with this pairing.

The nearest CPU rivals provide context for the processor's capability. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 49196 (0.4% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 scores 49228 (0.5% higher), the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698 (0.6% lower), and the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 48618 (0.8% lower). These differences are minor, meaning the CPU choice among these options would have negligible impact on gaming performance.

On the GPU side, the RTX 3070's nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon RX 7600 XT (17083, 0.7% higher), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 690 (17037, 1% higher), AMD Radeon HD 7970M (17019, 1.1% higher), and NVIDIA Tesla K40c (17468, 1.5% lower). The tight clustering of these scores indicates that the RTX 3070 sits in a competitive performance band where small differences in synthetic benchmarks translate to minimal real-world gaming differences.

The gap between the CPU's 90th percentile and the GPU's 61st percentile suggests that users could achieve higher combo rankings by pairing this CPU with a more powerful GPU, but the current pairing remains coherent for 1080p and 1440p gaming as the measured FPS data demonstrates. The rank of 1206 out of 2902 places this combo in the upper-middle tier — not a top-tier performer, but solidly above average for this demanding title.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 features 14 cores and 14 threads, running at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz. Built on TSMC's 3 nm process with Arrow Lake architecture, this processor includes 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 cache per core. Its 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provide ample memory throughput for gaming workloads.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU across all measured settings and resolutions. The frame rate scaling with resolution — nearly uniform percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p to 4K — indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor even at 1080p Low where frame rates reach 125 FPS. The 14 cores and 14 threads (no hyperthreading) are sufficient to feed the GPU without bottlenecking.

The CPU's synthetic benchmarks show strong multi-threaded performance: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and single-core score of 4648. Passmark multi-thread score is 38706, with single-thread at 4394. These scores place the Ultra 5 245 at the 90th percentile of all CPUs, confirming its capability to handle game logic, physics, and AI workloads in Red Dead Redemption 2 without becoming a constraint.

The absence of hyperthreading (14 cores, 14 threads) is notable but does not appear to harm gaming performance in this title, as the measured FPS data shows no CPU-related anomalies such as frame rate plateaus or inconsistent scaling. The 5.10 GHz boost clock provides strong single-thread performance, which is often more important for game engines than raw multi-thread throughput.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks — AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, AMD Ryzen 9 7900, Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, and Intel Core i5-14600K — all score within 0.8% of the Ultra 5 245. This tight clustering means that swapping among these CPUs would produce virtually identical gaming performance, further confirming that the GPU is the performance limiter in this combo.

The 3 nm process node (TSMC) and 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die contribute to the CPU's efficiency, allowing it to maintain high clock speeds within its 65W TDP. This efficiency is beneficial for sustained gaming sessions where thermal throttling could otherwise reduce performance. The integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU is present but irrelevant for gaming when the RTX 3070 is installed.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings tier depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, Medium settings (93 FPS average, 79 FPS minimum) offer the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. High settings (78 FPS) are also viable for users who prioritize image quality over frame rate, while Low (125 FPS) serves competitive players or those with high-refresh-rate displays. Ultra settings (56 FPS) are playable but provide diminishing visual returns relative to the 37 FPS drop from Medium.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings (70 FPS average, 59 FPS minimum) are the recommended choice, delivering a smooth experience that stays above 60 FPS in most scenes. Low settings (93 FPS) provide headroom for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, while High (58 FPS) is marginal — playable but with occasional dips below 60 FPS. Ultra settings (42 FPS) are not recommended for this resolution unless the user prioritizes visual quality over gameplay smoothness.

At 3840x2160, Low settings (61 FPS) are the only tier that consistently achieves 60 FPS. Medium (46 FPS average, 39 FPS minimum) is playable for slower-paced gameplay but will exhibit noticeable frame rate fluctuations. High (38 FPS) and Ultra (28 FPS) are below recommended playable thresholds and should be avoided unless the user accepts significant compromises in responsiveness.

For the best overall experience with this combo, Medium settings at 1080p provide the strongest combination of visual quality and performance, with the 93 FPS average and 79 FPS minimum ensuring smooth gameplay in this action-adventure title. Users with 1440p displays should select Medium settings as their default, while those with 4K displays should accept Low settings to maintain playability.

The data indicates that the RTX 3070's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for Medium settings at 1080p and 1440p but strained at Ultra settings across all resolutions. The consistent frame rate drops at Ultra settings suggest that texture memory and bandwidth limitations compound with increased compute demands, making Ultra an inefficient choice for this GPU. Medium settings avoid this pitfall while still providing substantial visual improvements over Low.

The 14-core CPU with 5.10 GHz boost clock ensures that CPU-side frame pacing remains consistent across all settings tiers, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance. This makes settings selection straightforward: choose the highest tier that achieves the target frame rate for your display, with Medium being the recommended default for most users at 1080p and 1440p.