Red Dead Redemption 2

Resolution Scaling

Red Dead Redemption 2 presents a steep performance curve when moving from 1080p to 4K on the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the system delivers an average of 73 FPS. Stepping up to 2560x1440 at the same preset drops that figure to 55 FPS, a reduction of roughly 25%. Pushing further to 3840x2160 yields just 36 FPS on High, which represents a 51% decline from the 1080p result.

The pattern across all quality presets reveals a consistent scaling factor. On Low settings, the game runs at 117 FPS at 1080p, 87 FPS at 1440p, and 58 FPS at 4K. That is a 50% performance loss from the lowest to the highest resolution tested. Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 88 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most demanding, starting at 53 FPS at 1080p and falling to 39 FPS at 1440p, then 26 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that the RTX 5060 becomes the limiting factor as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 64 FPS, suggesting the GPU has headroom to handle more graphical work. At 4K, that same gap narrows to 32 FPS, showing that the card is nearing its throughput ceiling. The 4K High result of 36 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold many players target, while 4K Ultra at 26 FPS is effectively unplayable for smooth action sequences. The 1440p results are more balanced, with Medium and High both delivering playable frame rates. The scaling behavior points to a board that handles 1080p and 1440p comfortably but struggles to maintain fluid performance at 4K, particularly on higher presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process. The chip, designated GB206, packs 21,900 million transistors onto a 181 mm² die. Core clocks are set at 2280 MHz base and 2497 MHz boost, with memory running at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The 8 GB of GDDR7 memory sits on a 128-bit bus, delivering 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a key factor in the game's performance, as Red Dead Redemption 2's open world demands substantial texture throughput.

The GPU's compute capabilities include 3840 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output pipelines. Ray tracing hardware is present with 30 RT cores, alongside 120 tensor cores for AI-accelerated workloads. The card achieves 19.18 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s, with texture fill at 299.6 GTexel/s. These specifications place the RTX 5060 in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 26331.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the RTX 5060 sits remarkably close to the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, which scores 26011 — a delta of 1.2% in favor of the NVIDIA card. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary trails by 0.8% with a score of 26553, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 is 0.3% behind at 26421. The AMD Radeon 860M also comes within 0.3%, scoring 26401. This clustering suggests the RTX 5060's raw compute performance is well-matched against these competitors, though real-world game results depend on driver optimization and memory bandwidth.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a notable constraint for Red Dead Redemption 2 at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows that at 4K Ultra, the game drops to 26 FPS average, which could indicate memory pressure beyond just raw compute limits. At 4K Medium, the average rises to 43 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS and maximum of 50 FPS, showing some stability even when the card is under heavy load. The 448.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for 1440p gameplay, where High settings maintain 55 FPS, but the 128-bit bus width may bottleneck at 4K when texture data exceeds the available cache.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on TSMC's 3 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 3.50 GHz with a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, drawing 65 W TDP. The chip supports DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth. Cache hierarchy includes 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3. This processor sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 48995.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Core Ultra 5 245 shows strong multi-threaded performance. Cinebench R23 multicore scores 32924, while single-core reaches 4648. PassMark multithread results hit 38706, with single-thread at 4394. The chip's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, delta -0.4%), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, delta -0.5%), Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, delta 0.6%), and Intel Core i5-14600K (48618, delta 0.8%). These margins are tight, all within 1% of the Core Ultra 5 245's average score.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is less pronounced than the GPU's, given the game's graphical intensity. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 117 FPS, which is well above the typical 60 FPS target and suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at lower settings. The boost clock of 5.10 GHz provides ample single-thread performance for game logic and physics, while the 14 cores handle background tasks and streaming. The 24 MB L3 cache is shared across all cores, which helps maintain consistent frame delivery in open-world environments where data is constantly streamed.

The PassMark data compression score of 400942 and encryption score of 30236 indicate strong general-purpose processing, which supports the CPU's ability to keep up with the GPU at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K, the CPU's influence diminishes further since the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor. The measured FPS at 4K High (36 FPS) versus 1080p High (73 FPS) shows a 51% drop that is almost entirely attributable to GPU load, not CPU limitations. The Core Ultra 5 245's position in the 90th percentile confirms it has sufficient headroom for this title, even when paired with a mid-range GPU like the RTX 5060.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for smooth gameplay with this hardware?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the system delivers 65 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. 1920x1080 on High achieves 73 FPS, while 4K on any preset falls below 60 FPS, with High at 36 FPS and Ultra at 26 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5060 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5060 scores 26331 on average, placing it 1.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT (26011) and 0.3% ahead of both the AMD Radeon 860M (26401) and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 (26421). The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26553, which is 0.8% higher.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K. Performance drops from 73 FPS at 1080p High to 36 FPS at 4K High, a 51% reduction that aligns with the RTX 5060's compute and memory constraints. The Core Ultra 5 245's high single-core score of 4648 in Cinebench R23 indicates it is not the bottleneck.

Q: What settings preset provides the best balance at 1440p?

A: Medium settings at 2560x1440 produce 65 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 75 FPS. This provides a smooth experience while maintaining visual quality. High settings drop to 55 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge of the 60 FPS target.

Q: Does the 8 GB VRAM affect performance at higher resolutions?

A: The 8 GB GDDR7 memory with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, where Medium and High settings maintain playable frame rates. At 4K Ultra, the average drops to 26 FPS, which may indicate VRAM pressure given the game's texture demands at that resolution.

Q: How does the CPU's benchmark percentile relate to its gaming performance?

A: The Core Ultra 5 245 ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48995. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, scores 49228 (0.5% higher), while the Intel Core i5-14600K scores 48618 (0.8% lower). This high percentile suggests the CPU provides ample processing power for gaming tasks.

Settings Recommendations

For this hardware combination, the measured data points to 2560x1440 with Medium settings as the optimal experience. At this configuration, the system delivers 65 FPS average with a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 75 FPS. The minimum frame rate staying above 55 FPS ensures smooth gameplay during demanding scenes, while the average comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS target. This preset balances visual fidelity with performance, avoiding the 55 FPS average of High settings and the 87 FPS of Low settings, which sacrifices too much graphical quality.

At 1920x1080, High settings at 73 FPS average are the recommended choice for players who prioritize visual quality over resolution. The 1080p Medium preset hits 88 FPS, which is smoother but less detailed. Low settings at 117 FPS are unnecessary for most players, as the High preset already provides a fluid experience. The 1080p Ultra preset at 53 FPS is playable but falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it a less appealing option when High delivers 20 FPS more.

For 4K gaming, the data shows that no preset achieves 60 FPS. Low settings at 58 FPS are the closest, but this compromises visual quality significantly. Medium at 43 FPS and High at 36 FPS are playable for slower-paced exploration but may stutter in action sequences. Ultra at 26 FPS is not recommended. Players with 4K displays should consider lowering resolution to 1440p for a better experience, or accepting the visual trade-offs of Low settings at 4K.

The overall recommendation based on the measured rows is to use 1440p Medium for the best combination of frame rate and visual quality. This preset provides a 65 FPS average, which is 18% higher than High and 25% lower than Low, while maintaining a minimum of 56 FPS that keeps gameplay smooth. The 4K results are too weak for competitive play, and 1080p Ultra does not justify the 20 FPS drop from High.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rate ranges from 117 FPS on Low to 53 FPS on Ultra. The Low preset achieves the highest average, followed by Medium at 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 101 FPS. High settings deliver 73 FPS average, while Ultra drops to 53 FPS. The spread between the lowest and highest presets is 64 FPS, indicating significant headroom for graphical adjustments at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, performance scales down proportionally. Low settings average 87 FPS, Medium averages 65 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 75 FPS, and High averages 55 FPS. Ultra falls to 39 FPS average. The gap between Low and Ultra narrows to 48 FPS, showing that the GPU begins to feel the load at this resolution. Medium maintains a playable minimum of 56 FPS, while High's 55 FPS average sits just below the 60 FPS target.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 5060 struggles to maintain fluid performance. Low settings average 58 FPS, which is the only preset above 50 FPS. Medium averages 43 FPS with a minimum of 37 FPS and maximum of 50 FPS, while High drops to 36 FPS. Ultra bottoms out at 26 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 32 FPS, confirming that the GPU's compute and memory resources are heavily taxed at this resolution. The minimum frame rate of 37 FPS at Medium indicates occasional stutters during intense scenes, while High and Ultra provide marginal playability for cinematic moments rather than action sequences.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset consistently offers the most stable performance with recorded minimum and maximum values. At 1080p, Medium ranges from 75 to 101 FPS; at 1440p, from 56 to 75 FPS; and at 4K, from 37 to 50 FPS. This consistency makes Medium the safest choice for varied gameplay, while High and Ultra provide diminishing returns as resolution increases. The data confirms that 1080p and 1440p are the viable resolutions for this hardware, with 4K reserved for Low settings or non-competitive play.