Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 presents a demanding workload that clearly delineates the capabilities of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. The measured data reveals a configuration where the GPU is the primary driver of performance across most settings, but the scaling pattern also exposes the CPU's considerable headroom. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results for this specific pairing, interpreting the FPS figures and their implications for gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the RTX 5090 is the limiting component in this system for Red Dead Redemption 2. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 137 FPS at 1920x1080 to 102 FPS at 2560x1440, a decline of 35 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160, the average further drops to 68 FPS. This trajectory shows a heavy load on the GPU as pixel count increases, with the 4K resolution demanding significantly more from the graphics card.

The scaling factor between 1080p and 4K at High settings is roughly 2x, with the frame rate nearly halving from 137 FPS to 68 FPS. This is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario; the CPU is capable of feeding frames at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering workload becomes the bottleneck as resolution scales. The pattern repeats across other settings, with Low settings showing a drop from 220 FPS at 1080p to 108 FPS at 4K, and Medium settings falling from 164 FPS to 81 FPS.

This data suggests that for users targeting high refresh rates at 1440p, the system is well-equipped, but at 4K, the focus shifts to visual fidelity over raw frame rate. The Ultra preset is particularly demanding, with the average dropping to 49 FPS at 4K, indicating that even the flagship RTX 5090 struggles to maintain smooth gameplay at maximum settings in this title at that resolution. The resolution scaling analysis points to a system where the GPU is the definitive performance ceiling for this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is the dominant force in this benchmark configuration. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides a massive 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Red Dead Redemption 2's assets at any resolution. The memory clock is listed as 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed, and the GPU's boost clock is rated at 2407 MHz. These specifications allow the card to handle the game's detailed textures and open-world geometry without memory-related stutters.

The GPU's role is most evident in the measured FPS at 4K. At this resolution, the card is clearly the limiting factor, as the CPU has ample headroom. The RTX 5090's raw compute power, with 21,760 shading units and a FP32 performance of 104.8 TFLOPS, is what pushes the average frame rate to 68 FPS at High settings. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with the settings preset, from 108 FPS at Low to 49 FPS at Ultra at 4K resolution.

The performance relative to its peers is notable. The GPU's average benchmark score is 79,842, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, has an average score of 79,605, a delta of 0.3%, meaning the RTX 5090 is slightly ahead. This indicates that the GPU is performing as expected for a top-tier part, and the measured FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2 reflects its high-end status. The card's architecture, Blackwell 2.0, is built on a 5 nm process, and its 92,200 million transistors are put to work efficiently in this title.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 76th out of 2,902 tested combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the pairing in the top 3% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The rank reflects the high performance of the GPU, which is a key driver of FPS in this game, while the CPU's role is secondary.

This ranking is particularly impressive given the CPU's position in the broader market. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48,995, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G, has an average score of 49,196, a delta of -0.4%, meaning the Intel chip is slightly slower. However, the combo's high rank suggests that the RTX 5090 compensates for any CPU limitations, and the system as a whole is well-balanced for this game.

The data indicates that this combo is not just about having a top-tier GPU; it also benefits from a CPU that can keep up. The CPU's single-thread performance, as shown by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,648, is strong enough to avoid becoming a bottleneck at most settings. The high rank of 76 out of 2,902 combos confirms that this pairing delivers excellent performance in Red Dead Redemption 2, making it a viable option for high-resolution gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at how the system performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of very high frame rates. With Low settings, the average is 220 FPS, which drops to 164 FPS at Medium, 137 FPS at High, and 99 FPS at Ultra. The Medium setting also shows a min FPS of 140 and a max FPS of 189, indicating some variance but generally smooth performance.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but start to show the GPU's workload. The Low preset delivers an average of 164 FPS, Medium drops to 123 FPS, and High falls to 102 FPS. The Ultra preset at this resolution averages 74 FPS, which is still playable but shows a significant drop from the lower settings. The Medium preset at 1440p has a min FPS of 104 and a max of 141, showing a wider range than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly stressed. The Low preset averages 108 FPS, Medium averages 81 FPS, and High averages 68 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K has a min FPS of 69 and a max of 93, indicating that even at this resolution, there are moments of high performance, but the average is lower than at 1440p.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is for high refresh rate gaming, 1440p is a sweet spot for high quality and good FPS, and 4K is for maximum visual fidelity with a compromise on frame rate. The RTX 5090's power is evident, but even it cannot maintain 60 FPS at Ultra 4K in this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1440p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings is 102 FPS, which is a strong result for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: Can this system run the game at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 49 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, but it is still a playable frame rate for many users.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rival in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79,842, while its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, has a score of 79,605. This puts the RTX 5090 0.3% ahead of that rival.

Q: What is the CPU's single-core performance score?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,648, which indicates strong per-core performance for gaming.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 140 FPS, showing that the system maintains high performance even in demanding scenes at this resolution.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 76th out of 2,902 tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the top 3% of all systems.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a supporting role in this configuration, but its specifications ensure it does not become a bottleneck. With 14 cores and 14 threads, it offers substantial multi-threaded capability, though the lack of hyper-threading means it has one thread per core. The base clock is 3.50 GHz, and the boost clock reaches 5.10 GHz, providing strong single-thread performance that is crucial for gaming.

The CPU's architecture is Arrow Lake, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has 24 MB of shared L3 cache and a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s with dual-channel DDR5 support. These features help ensure that game data is processed quickly. The CPU's performance is highlighted by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,924 and single-core score of 4,648, which are strong numbers for a desktop processor.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with frames. The data shows that at 1080p, the system achieves 220 FPS on Low settings, which suggests the CPU is capable of high frame generation. However, as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The CPU's percentile rank of 90th among all CPUs and its average benchmark score of 48,995 show that it is a capable part, but it is not the primary driver of performance in this game at higher resolutions. The CPU is a solid match for the GPU, providing enough performance to avoid holding back the RTX 5090.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and performance goals. For 1080p, the High preset is the best choice, delivering an average of 137 FPS. This provides a high refresh rate experience without sacrificing visual quality. The Low preset offers 220 FPS, but the visual quality is significantly lower. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 99 FPS, which is still smooth, but the High preset offers a better balance.

For 2560x1440, the High preset is again the best recommendation, with an average of 102 FPS. This is ideal for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors. The Medium preset averages 123 FPS, which is also excellent, but High provides better visuals. The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 74 FPS, which is playable but not as smooth as the lower presets.

For 3840x2160, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it provides an average of 81 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay. The High preset averages 68 FPS, which is also acceptable. The Ultra preset averages 49 FPS, which is below 60 FPS and may result in less smooth gameplay. The Low preset at 4K averages 108 FPS, but the visual quality is too compromised for a 4K experience.

The best overall experience is achieved with the High preset at 1440p, which offers a great balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. For 4K users, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, providing smooth performance without a major drop in visual quality.