Red Dead Redemption 2

# Red Dead Redemption 2 — Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates across resolutions show a clear and consistent pattern: the RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck as pixel count rises. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 98 FPS, which drops to 73 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 48 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 51% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a scaling curve typical of a GPU that is being pushed to its limits at higher resolutions.

At Medium settings, the same trend holds with slightly lower absolute numbers: 73 FPS at 1080p, 55 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K. The incremental drop from 1080p to 1440p is 25%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 35%. This non-linear degradation indicates that the memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s and the 128-bit bus width become increasingly strained as resolution increases, particularly beyond 1440p.

High settings tell a similar story: 61 FPS at 1080p falls to 46 FPS at 1440p and 30 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p penalty is 25%, while the 1440p-to-4K penalty is 35%. Ultra settings are the most demanding, producing 44 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p, and just 22 FPS at 4K. The scaling pattern here is almost perfectly linear in percentage terms, with each resolution step costing roughly 25% of the previous frame rate.

The data suggests that the CPU, a 14-core Arrow Lake part, is not the limiting factor at any tested resolution. The 1080p Low result of 98 FPS is the highest recorded, and the fact that frame rates scale smoothly downward with resolution rather than plateauing indicates that the GPU is the sole constraint. The RTX 5050's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory interface are the design characteristics most likely responsible for the steep 4K penalties, as the game's asset streaming at 3840x2160 places heavy demand on both capacity and bandwidth.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where all settings presets reach playable frame rates. At 1080p, even Ultra produces 44 FPS, while 1440p Ultra drops to 33 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 22 FPS. The 1080p High preset at 61 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and smoothness.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5050's average benchmark score is 21035, which places it 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153), 1% behind the AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21237), and 1.6% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713). It also trails the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile by 1.6% (21379). These are all sub-2% differences, indicating near-identical synthetic performance.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 competitive with similarly priced CPUs?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 48995, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. It sits 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196), 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228), 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698), and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core i5-14600K (48618). All four rivals are within 1% of each other.

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

A: Only at Low settings, where the average frame rate reaches 48 FPS. Medium settings at 4K produce 36 FPS, High produces 30 FPS, and Ultra produces 22 FPS. The 4K Low result is playable but requires significant visual compromises. For smoother 4K gameplay, the data suggests a more powerful GPU would be needed.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset is the only settings tier with recorded minimum and maximum frame rates. At 1080p, the combo delivers an average of 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 84. At 1440p, it averages 55 FPS with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 63. At 4K, it averages 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 41. The spread between min and max is consistent at roughly 15% of the average across all resolutions.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 1760 out of 2902 tested combinations, placing it in the lower half of the distribution. This rank reflects the RTX 5050's 66th percentile standing among all GPUs, while the CPU sits much higher at the 90th percentile among all CPUs.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1760 out of 2902 tested configurations places it in the 39th percentile of all combos tested in Red Dead Redemption 2. This is a modest position that reflects the GPU's relative standing more than the CPU's. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 48995, while the RTX 5050 sits in the 66th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 21035.

The gap between CPU and GPU percentile rankings is substantial — 24 percentage points — which indicates that the graphics card is the limiting factor in this pairing. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and Intel Core i5-14600K, all score within 1% of the Core Ultra 5 245, confirming that this processor is well-positioned in the mid-to-high tier of desktop CPUs. The GPU, however, sits just above the median, with rivals like the RX 5600 XT and RTX A4000 Mobile all clustered within 2% of its score.

In practical terms, this rank means that roughly 6 out of 10 tested combos outperform this pairing in Red Dead Redemption 2. The measured frame rates support this: even at 1080p High, the combo only achieves 61 FPS, which is below what many higher-tier GPUs would deliver. The rank also suggests that users upgrading from a weaker CPU but keeping the RTX 5050 would see minimal improvement, as the GPU's 66th percentile standing caps overall performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 98 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. Medium settings average 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 and maximum of 84. High settings average 61 FPS, and Ultra settings average 44 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 55% drop in frame rate, from 98 to 44 FPS, which is expected given the increasing shader and texture complexity.

At 2560x1440, all settings see a reduction. Low averages 73 FPS, which is a 26% drop from the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 55 FPS with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 63, representing a 25% drop from 1080p Medium. High averages 46 FPS, a 25% drop from 1080p High. Ultra averages 33 FPS, a 25% drop from 1080p Ultra. The consistency of the 25% penalty across all settings at this resolution step indicates a uniform GPU workload increase.

At 3840x2160, the penalties deepen. Low averages 48 FPS, a 34% drop from 1440p Low. Medium averages 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 and maximum of 41, a 35% drop from 1440p Medium. High averages 30 FPS, a 35% drop from 1440p High. Ultra averages 22 FPS, a 33% drop from 1440p Ultra. The 4K step consistently costs about one-third of the frame rate, which is steeper than the 25% cost of the 1440p step. This indicates that the GPU's memory subsystem, with its 320.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB capacity, struggles to feed the render pipeline at 4K.

The only preset with complete min/max data is Medium, which shows that frame time consistency holds up across resolutions. At 1080p, the 62-84 FPS range spans 22 FPS. At 1440p, the 46-63 FPS range spans 17 FPS. At 4K, the 31-41 FPS range spans 10 FPS. The absolute spread narrows as resolution increases, but the relative spread remains around 15% of the average.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel interface with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, and it includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG graphics with 64 execution units.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the data shows that this CPU is not the limiting factor. The 1080p Low result of 98 FPS is likely near the game's engine ceiling for this GPU, and the smooth scaling of frame rates with resolution changes — rather than a plateau — confirms that the CPU is delivering frames faster than the GPU can render them. The CPU's 90th percentile standing among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995, further supports this interpretation.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 1% of its score: the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G is 0.4% faster, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 is 0.5% faster, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H is 0.6% slower, and the Intel Core i5-14600K is 0.8% slower. This clustering suggests that the Core Ultra 5 245 is well-matched to the RTX 5050, as neither component is significantly stronger or weaker than its peers.

The 14-core configuration without hyperthreading (14 threads total) is notable. In a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which is primarily GPU-bound at the tested settings, the lack of hyperthreading does not appear to hurt performance. The boost clock of 5.10 GHz provides strong single-thread performance, which is reflected in the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648. This is important for game logic and draw call processing, but the measured frame rates suggest the GPU is the bottleneck in all tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to 1080p High as the best overall experience for this combo. At 61 FPS average, it provides smooth gameplay with substantial visual quality improvements over Medium (73 FPS) and Low (98 FPS). The 12 FPS difference between High and Medium is noticeable but not dramatic, while the 17 FPS difference between High and Ultra is more significant — and Ultra's 44 FPS dips below the 60 FPS target.

For users prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity, 1080p Low at 98 FPS is the clear choice. This preset delivers nearly double the frame rate of 1080p Ultra and provides the headroom needed for competitive play or for users with high-refresh-rate displays. The jump from Low to Medium costs 25 FPS (from 98 to 73), which is a significant trade-off for modest visual gains.

At 1440p, the data suggests that Medium is the maximum viable preset. The 55 FPS average is close to the 60 FPS target, with a minimum of 46 FPS that stays above the 30 FPS playability threshold. High settings at 1440p average 46 FPS, which is playable but requires accepting frame rates below 60. Ultra at 1440p averages 33 FPS, which is only suitable for users who prioritize image quality over fluidity.

At 4K, the data recommends Low settings exclusively. The 48 FPS average at Low is the only 4K result above 30 FPS, and it still falls short of 60 FPS. Medium at 4K averages 36 FPS, High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. For a consistent experience at 4K, users should accept the visual compromises of Low settings or consider a more powerful GPU.

The Medium preset shows the best frame time consistency, with min/max spreads of 22 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 10 FPS at 4K. This consistency is valuable for avoiding stutter, but the average frame rates at Medium are not substantially better than High at 1080p. The 73 FPS at 1080p Medium versus 61 FPS at 1080p High represents a 16% performance difference, which is a reasonable trade-off for the visual uplift of High settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output pipelines. The GPU has 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, with a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory runs at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective) over a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the RTX 5050's 66th percentile standing among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21035, aligns with the measured frame rates. The GPU's nearest rivals are all within 2% of its score: the RX Vega M GL is 0.6% faster, the HD 8970M is 1% faster, the RX 5600 XT is 1.6% slower, and the RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% faster. This tight clustering indicates that the RTX 5050 delivers performance in a narrow band around the median.

The GPU's 8 GB VRAM is a critical constraint at higher resolutions. The measured 4K results — 48 FPS at Low, 36 FPS at Medium, 30 FPS at High, and 22 FPS at Ultra — suggest that the memory capacity and bandwidth are insufficient for the asset streaming demands of 3840x2160. The 128-bit bus width is particularly limiting, as it halves the memory bandwidth compared to wider-bus designs with similar clock speeds. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is adequate for 1080p and 1440p but becomes a bottleneck at 4K.

The GPU's compute capabilities, rated at 13.17 TFLOPS for FP32, are modest by modern standards. The PassMark G3D score of 17326 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 confirm that this is an entry-level to mid-range part. DirectX 12 performance, as measured by PassMark at a score of 66, is notably weaker than DirectX 11 (150) and DirectX 10 (103), which may indicate driver overhead or architectural trade-offs in the Blackwell design.

The RTX 5050's predecessor is the GeForce 40 series, and its successor is the GeForce 60 series. This positioning, combined with the 66th percentile ranking, suggests that users should expect this GPU to handle 1080p gaming with high settings and 1440p gaming with medium settings, which is exactly what the measured data shows. The 130 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate that this is a power-efficient part, but the performance ceiling is set by its memory subsystem and shader count rather than its power envelope.