Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination delivers a playable but demanding experience in Red Dead Redemption 2, with performance scaling that clearly shifts from CPU-bound at lower resolutions to heavily GPU-bound as pixel count rises. The measured data shows a wide spread of frame rates across the four tested presets and three resolutions, making this combo a study in compromise. Here is the breakdown of how the pairing behaves, where its strengths lie, and which settings offer the most balanced outcome.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent penalty as resolution increases, which points directly at the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher pixel counts. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 145 FPS average. Moving to 1440p on the same Low preset drops that figure to 108 FPS, a reduction of roughly 25%. The jump to 4K Low yields 72 FPS, which is another 33% decline from the 1440p result. This scaling pattern is typical of a system where the GeForce RTX 3080 is being pushed harder at each step, while the Core Ultra 5 245 has enough headroom to keep feeding frames.

The trend intensifies with higher graphical loads. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 109 at 1080p to 81 at 1440p, then to 54 at 4K. The High preset shows 91 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 68 at 1440p and just 45 at 4K. Ultra is the most punishing tier, with 65 FPS at 1080p collapsing to 49 at 1440p and 32 at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 4K widens as settings increase, which indicates that the RTX 3080's 10 GB GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated by the combination of high resolution and demanding effects.

Looking at the percentage deltas, the 1080p-to-4K drop at Low is from 145 to 72, a 50% reduction. At High, the same resolution jump goes from 91 to 45, also a 50% loss. This consistency suggests that the limiting component is scaling linearly with pixel count, and the CPU is not introducing a variable bottleneck at these settings. The fact that 4K Ultra bottoms out at 32 FPS, while 4K Low holds 72 FPS, reinforces that the GPU is the dominant constraint. The Core Ultra 5 245, with its 14 cores and 14 threads, is unlikely to be the weak link at 4K given its strong synthetic scores.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on a 3 nm TSMC process. It runs at a base clock of 3.50 GHz and boosts up to 5.10 GHz. Its benchmark results place it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. In synthetic tests, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a single-core score of 4648, indicating robust all-core throughput and strong single-thread performance for game logic.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU role is most visible at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 145 FPS. This is the highest measured frame rate in the dataset, and it suggests the processor is capable of driving the RTX 3080 to a high level of output without being the limiting factor. The nearest rival data shows the Core Ultra 5 245 is closely matched with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, trailing by only 0.5% in average benchmark score, and it sits just 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K. This level of parity indicates that the CPU can hold its own against comparable desktop parts in CPU-heavy workloads.

However, the data also shows that the CPU is not the main driver of performance in this game at higher settings. When moving from 1080p Low to 1080p Ultra, the average FPS falls from 145 to 65. That 55% drop cannot be attributed to the CPU, as its clock speeds and core count remain constant. Instead, the GPU is taking on more work with each preset tier. The 14-core layout, with no hyperthreading, provides enough parallel capacity for the game's engine, but the single-thread score of 4648 in Cinebench R23 suggests it has the per-core strength needed for the game's main thread. The boost clock of 5.10 GHz should help maintain high frame pacing, though the measured min FPS values are only available for Medium settings, showing 92 at 1080p, 69 at 1440p, and 46 at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the clear performance driver in this pairing, and the measured data reflects its capabilities and limits. The GPU is based on the Ampere architecture with a GA102 chip, manufactured on an 8 nm Samsung process. It features 8704 shading units, 68 RT cores, and 272 tensor cores, with a boost clock of 1710 MHz. The 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus provides 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial but becomes a constraint at 4K with high texture loads.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 68th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 23172. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA P106-100, which scores 23249, a delta of -0.3%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at 23273, a delta of -0.4%. These comparisons show the RTX 3080 is slightly below these cards in aggregate synthetic performance, but in-game results tell a different story. The measured FPS at 1080p Low of 145 FPS indicates the GPU can handle the game's lighter loads with ease, and even at 1440p High, it maintains 68 FPS, which is smooth for most displays.

The GPU's role becomes more pronounced at 4K. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 54, with a min of 46 and max of 62. This is the only resolution where min and max data are available for Mid, and the spread suggests frame time variance under load. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 32 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play on a 60 Hz monitor. The RTX 3080's 10 GB memory capacity is likely a factor here, as Red Dead Redemption 2 at 4K Ultra can exceed that allocation, forcing texture streaming and causing performance hits. The FP32 performance of 29.77 TFLOPS is high, but the memory bandwidth is the limiting factor at extreme resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 109 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold and leaves room for minor dips to 92 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average is 81 FPS, with a min of 69, which is still smooth for most gaming monitors. Even at 4K Medium, the system holds 54 FPS average, which is borderline but playable if the user is willing to accept occasional drops to 46 FPS.

The High preset is a reasonable alternative for users prioritizing visual fidelity over raw frame rate. At 1080p High, the average is 91 FPS, which is still fluid, and at 1440p High it drops to 68 FPS, which is near the refresh rate of many 1440p displays. However, at 4K High, the average falls to 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard and may feel sluggish in fast-paced scenes. The Low preset is only recommended for competitive play or for users seeking maximum frame rates, as it achieves 145 FPS at 1080p and 108 FPS at 1440p, but sacrifices significant visual quality.

The Ultra preset is not advisable for this combo. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 65 FPS, which is acceptable, but at 1440p it drops to 49 FPS, and at 4K it plummets to 32 FPS. The performance hit from Ultra is disproportionate to the visual gains, and the data indicates that the RTX 3080 is not capable of maintaining a consistent 60 FPS at this preset above 1080p. For a smooth experience, Medium at 1440p is the sweet spot, delivering 81 FPS with a min of 69, which provides both quality and headroom.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 ranks 785th out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This puts it in the top 27% of all systems tested, which is a solid position for a mid-range-to-high-end pairing. The rank reflects the system's ability to run the game at playable frame rates across most settings, but it also highlights that there are many faster configurations available.

The CPU's percentile rank of 90 places it in the top 10% of all processors, while the GPU's percentile rank of 68 is more modest, sitting in the upper third of all graphics cards. This discrepancy suggests that the RTX 3080 is the weaker link in this pairing, and the overall combo rank is likely held back by the GPU's performance at higher resolutions. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 with a delta of -0.5% and the Intel Core i5-14600K with a delta of 0.8%, are all closely matched in synthetic benchmarks, but the GPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX 6600M at -0.4%, are less relevant to this game's specific demands.

The 785th rank out of 2902 means that roughly 73% of tested combos perform better, but this does not tell the full story. The measured FPS data shows that the combo is capable of 145 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a high result, but it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra. The ranking is an aggregate measure, and users who target 1440p gaming will find this combo more than adequate, while those seeking 4K Ultra performance will be disappointed.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average FPS is 145, which is the peak for the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 109 FPS average, with a min of 92 and max of 125. High settings yield 91 FPS average, and Ultra settings drop to 65 FPS average. The gradient shows a clear linear progression, with each preset tier costing approximately 15-20 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down proportionally. Low settings achieve 108 FPS average, which is still very smooth. Medium settings produce 81 FPS average, with a min of 69 and max of 93. High settings yield 68 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 49 FPS average. The 1440p results indicate that the system can handle high refresh rate gaming on Medium or High, but Ultra requires a compromise in frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the system is pushed to its limits. Low settings manage 72 FPS average, which is playable. Medium settings drop to 54 FPS average, with a min of 46 and max of 62, showing noticeable frame time spikes. High settings yield 45 FPS average, and Ultra settings bottom out at 32 FPS average. These 4K numbers confirm that the RTX 3080's 10 GB memory and 320-bit bus are insufficient for the game's most demanding settings at this resolution.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the system is most capable at 1080p and becomes increasingly strained as resolution rises. The 4K Medium result of 54 FPS is the only 4K preset that approaches playability, and even then, the min FPS of 46 suggests occasional stutters. The 1440p Medium result of 81 FPS is the best balance of resolution and performance, offering a smooth experience with acceptable visual quality. The 1080p Low result of 145 FPS is the best for competitive play, but the visual fidelity is severely reduced.