Red Dead Redemption 2

Intel Core Ultra 7 155H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a playable, though not exceptional, Red Dead Redemption 2 experience. The benchmark data shows this combination ranks in the 39th percentile among all tested combos (rank 2283 out of 3714), placing it firmly in the lower-middle tier of systems for this title. The measured results reveal a platform where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the hybrid CPU architecture provides adequate, if unremarkable, support.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data across all resolutions and presets indicates that the Medium preset provides the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance for this combination. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS and a maximum of 84 FPS. This is the only preset at 1080p that maintains an average above 70 FPS while keeping the minimum frame rate above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring consistent gameplay without noticeable hitches.

The High preset at 1080p yields 61 FPS average, which is technically playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset drops to 44 FPS average, which is below the smoothness standard for action-adventure titles. Low settings at 1080p reach 98 FPS, but the visual compromise is substantial and unnecessary given the Medium preset's performance.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS. This is the highest resolution at which the Medium preset remains semi-playable, though the minimum frame rate suggests occasional dips into the 40s during intensive sequences. High at 1440p drops to 46 FPS average, which is borderline for a game of this genre. For players prioritizing resolution over settings, Medium at 1440p is the recommended ceiling.

The 3840x2160 data shows no preset achieves an average above 48 FPS, with Low being the only playable option at 48 FPS average. Medium at 4K averages 36 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS, which is marginal for a game requiring precise aiming. Ultra at 4K is effectively unplayable at 22 FPS average. The data clearly indicates that this combination is not suited for 4K gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2, regardless of settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combination in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The measured data shows 1920x1080 is the optimal resolution. At Medium settings, the system achieves 73 FPS average with a minimum of 62 FPS, providing the only combination of resolution and preset that consistently exceeds the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 handle 4K in this game?

A: Poorly. The highest average at 3840x2160 is 48 FPS on Low settings. Medium drops to 36 FPS, High to 30 FPS, and Ultra to 22 FPS. None of these results provide a consistently smooth experience for this title.

Q: Is the Ultra preset usable at any resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra averages 44 FPS; at 1440p, it averages 33 FPS; at 4K, it averages 22 FPS. The data indicates Ultra is not a viable preset for this combination at any resolution, as all results fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate on Medium settings?

A: At 1080p, the minimum is 62 FPS; at 1440p, the minimum is 47 FPS; at 4K, the minimum is 31 FPS. Only the 1080p result maintains a minimum above 60 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2283 out of 3714 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier. This ranking reflects the system's performance limitations at higher resolutions and presets.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more?

A: The resolution scaling data indicates the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus of the RTX 4060 restrict performance at higher resolutions, while the CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads provide sufficient processing power for this title.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario. At Medium settings, the average FPS decreases from 73 at 1080p to 55 at 1440p (a 24.7% reduction) and further to 36 at 4K (a 50.7% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is consistent with the RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM capacity and 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth becoming increasingly taxed at higher pixel counts.

The High preset shows similar degradation: 61 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p (24.6% drop), and 30 FPS at 4K (50.8% drop). The Low preset follows the same trajectory with 98 FPS at 1080p, 73 FPS at 1440p (25.5% drop), and 48 FPS at 4K (51.0% drop). The consistent percentage drops across all presets indicate that resolution scaling is uniform and independent of graphics settings, reinforcing that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors.

The frame time data from Medium settings shows the minimum FPS at 4K (31 FPS) is nearly half the minimum at 1080p (62 FPS), suggesting that the GPU's compute resources are saturated at higher resolutions. The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for maintaining smooth frame rates above 1080p in this title. The 128-bit memory bus delivers 272.0 GB/s, which proves inadequate for the texture and geometry demands of 4K rendering in Red Dead Redemption 2.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2283 out of 3714 places this system in the 38.5th percentile of all tested combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2. This ranking is notably lower than the individual component percentiles might suggest: the CPU sits in the 83rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU is in the 61st percentile among all graphics cards. The disparity between component rankings and the game-specific combo ranking indicates that this game is particularly demanding on the GPU configuration.

The RTX 4060's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (deltaPct -0.2%), AMD Radeon 780M (deltaPct 0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro 560 (deltaPct 0.5%), and AMD Radeon Pro 460 (deltaPct 0.7%). These comparisons show the 4060's average benchmark score of 17639 is nearly identical to these older or integrated solutions, despite being a modern discrete GPU. This suggests that for this specific game, the 4060's architectural advantages do not translate into meaningful performance gains over these rivals.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-14600T (deltaPct 0%), AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (deltaPct 0.1%), AMD Ryzen 5 7400F (deltaPct -0.2%), and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H (deltaPct -0.4%). The Core Ultra 7 155H's average benchmark score of 32697 is effectively tied with these processors, indicating that CPU performance is not a differentiating factor in this system's ranking. The game's combination ranking is therefore driven almost entirely by the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H features 16 cores and 22 threads, running at a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. This Meteor Lake architecture processor includes 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel configuration delivering 89.6 GB/s bandwidth. The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028 and a single-core score of 1743, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as evidenced by the consistent performance scaling across resolutions. The processor's 22 threads provide ample capacity for the game's simulation and AI workloads, which rarely stress more than a handful of cores in this title. The passmark multi-thread score of 24873 and integer math score of 86870 indicate robust general-purpose compute capabilities that handle the game's background tasks without bottlenecking.

The CPU's 28 W TDP suggests it operates within a constrained power envelope typical of mobile processors. The measured FPS data shows no signs of CPU-induced frame drops, as the minimum frame rates at each resolution scale proportionally with the average. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see minimum frame rates cluster at a similar value regardless of resolution. Instead, the minimum FPS decreases from 62 at 1080p to 31 at 4K on Medium settings, confirming the GPU as the primary constraint.

The single-thread performance, measured at 3468 in passmark single-thread tests, is adequate for this game's main thread. Red Dead Redemption 2 does not exhibit extreme single-thread sensitivity, and the 155H's boost clock of 4.80 GHz provides sufficient headroom. The CPU's nearest rivals all show negligible performance deltas (within 0.4%), indicating that any of these processors would yield similar results when paired with the same GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system achieves its best performance. Low settings produce 98 FPS average, Medium produces 73 FPS average (62 min, 84 max), High produces 61 FPS average, and Ultra produces 44 FPS average. The step from Low to Medium costs 25 FPS (25.5% reduction), while Medium to High costs 12 FPS (16.4% reduction), and High to Ultra costs 17 FPS (27.9% reduction). This pattern shows diminishing returns at higher presets, with the largest performance penalty occurring between High and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, performance drops significantly. Low settings average 73 FPS, Medium averages 55 FPS (47 min, 63 max), High averages 46 FPS, and Ultra averages 33 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs approximately 25% of performance at every preset, consistent with the 1.78x increase in pixel count. The minimum frame rate at Medium (47 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that 1440p gaming requires accepting occasional frame drops.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 48 FPS, Medium averages 36 FPS (31 min, 42 max), High averages 30 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. The 4K resolution represents a 4x increase in pixels over 1080p, and the measured performance drops by roughly 50% at each preset, suggesting the GPU's memory bandwidth is the limiting factor. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is likely exceeded at this resolution with higher presets, causing additional performance degradation beyond raw pixel throughput.

The Medium preset data provides the most complete picture with minimum and maximum frame rates at all three resolutions. The frame time consistency, measured by the spread between minimum and maximum, remains relatively stable: 22 FPS spread at 1080p, 16 FPS spread at 1440p, and 11 FPS spread at 4K. This narrowing spread at higher resolutions indicates the GPU is operating at full capacity, reducing frame time variance but also reducing average performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the AD107 chip using TSMC's 5 nm process, containing 18,900 million transistors on a 159 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, delivering 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 performance. The 8 GB GDDR6 memory runs at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective) across a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs give it a pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s.

The GPU's benchmark results place it in the 61st percentile of all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals in the database are notably older or lower-tier products: the AMD Radeon HD 7790, AMD Radeon 780M (integrated), AMD Radeon Pro 560, and AMD Radeon Pro 460. All of these show deltas within 0.7% of the 4060's score, indicating that for compute workloads, the 4060 offers minimal advantage over these alternatives.

In Red Dead Redemption 2 specifically, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus prove to be significant limitations. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU becomes the bottleneck at 1440p and 4K resolutions, where the memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s cannot sustain the texture and geometry throughput required. The 128-bit bus width is particularly constraining for a game with large open-world environments that demand frequent texture streaming.

The RTX 4060's Ada Lovelace architecture includes 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores, but these features have minimal impact on this game's performance. Red Dead Redemption 2 does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS in the measured configurations, so the GPU's rasterization performance is the determining factor. The 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 throughput is sufficient for 1080p gaming but falls short at higher resolutions, as demonstrated by the steep FPS drops.

The GPU's 115 W TDP and dual-slot design indicate a modest power envelope suitable for mobile platforms. The 300 W suggested PSU requirement reflects the overall system power draw. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for 1080p and 1440p at Medium settings but becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where the game's high-resolution textures likely exceed available memory, causing the performance to drop below what raw compute would suggest.