Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.80 GHz. In the context of Red Dead Redemption 2, this CPU configuration provides ample headroom for the game's simulation and AI workloads, which are substantial for an open-world title. The processor's multi-threaded capabilities are reflected in its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15028, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs. When compared to its nearest rivals, the data shows a tightly contested field: the Core Ultra 7 155H trails the Intel Core i5-14600T by 0% (average score 32707 vs 32697), sits 0.1% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 360 (32662), and is 0.2% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F (32750). This indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck in most gaming scenarios, as its performance profile is well-balanced for handling both the physics calculations and the draw-call overhead that Red Dead Redemption 2 presents.

The single-threaded performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1743, is adequate for the game's primary game thread, ensuring that frame pacing remains stable even when the GPU is under heavy load. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache helps reduce latency when accessing frequently used game assets, which is critical for maintaining consistent frame times in dense urban environments like Saint Denis. The processor's 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth, paired with dual-channel DDR5 support, provides sufficient data throughput to feed the GeForce RTX 4080 without creating a memory subsystem stall. In the measured results, the CPU does not appear to limit performance at any tested resolution, as the frame rates scale predictably with GPU load, a sign that the 155H's 22 threads are more than capable of keeping up with the game's demands. The Passmark multi-thread score of 24873 further corroborates this, showing strong parallel processing ability that prevents CPU-bound dips in open-world traversal.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 155H's role in this combo is to provide a stable foundation for the RTX 4080. With 16 cores and 22 threads, the processor can handle background tasks and game logic simultaneously without introducing stutter. The boost clock of 4.80 GHz is the key metric for single-threaded game performance, and the Cinebench R15 single-core score of 255 suggests that the CPU can deliver the necessary IPC for Red Dead Redemption 2's main thread. The CPU's percentile rank of 83 means it outperforms the majority of tested processors, and its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14600T, shows a deltaPct of 0, indicating near-identical average benchmark scores (32707 vs 32697). This near-parity means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the 155H will perform almost exactly like its desktop counterpart, which is a strong indicator of consistent frame delivery. The 28W TDP is a mobile-class power envelope, but the benchmark results show that this does not translate to a performance deficit in gaming, as the game is far more dependent on GPU throughput. The processor's Passmark physics score of 1727 is adequate for the game's ragdoll and physics interactions, ensuring that environmental reactions do not cause frame drops. Overall, the CPU role is to remain unobtrusive, and the data confirms it does so effectively, allowing the GPU to be the primary driver of frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly dictate the measured frame rates. With 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, the GPU has a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is crucial for Red Dead Redemption 2's high-resolution textures and large draw distances. The boost clock of 2505 MHz, combined with the Ada Lovelace architecture's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, provides the raw shading power needed to render the game's detailed environments at high settings. The GPU's 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are present but are not heavily utilized in this game, as Red Dead Redemption 2 does not feature substantial ray tracing effects, meaning the traditional rasterization performance is what matters most. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 places the GPU in the 86th percentile of all graphics cards, and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, shows a deltaPct of 0.1%, with an average score of 54209 vs 54247. This indicates that the standard RTX 4080 is virtually identical to the SUPER variant in synthetic tests, and the gaming results should reflect that parity.

The GPU's 16 GB VRAM capacity is more than sufficient for the game's Ultra preset at 4K, which typically consumes around 10-12 GB, leaving headroom for future texture packs. The measured FPS data shows a clear GPU-bound scenario at all resolutions, particularly at 4K where the average frame rate drops from 139 FPS at 1080p Low to 69 FPS at 4K Low, a 50% reduction that is directly attributable to the pixel fill rate and shading complexity. The GPU's 112 ROPs and 304 TMUs are tasked with rasterization and texture filtering, and the pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s ensures that the game's particle effects and lighting do not cause bottlenecks. The RTX 4080's performance is consistent with its position in the market, and the data shows it is the limiting factor in this combo, as lowering the resolution from 4K to 1080p yields a 3.2x increase in FPS at Ultra settings (31 FPS to 63 FPS), which is a GPU-centric scaling pattern. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 34457 further confirms its high-end status, and it is clear that the RTX 4080 is the workhorse of this system, with the CPU providing sufficient support to avoid any frame time spikes.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. At 1080p, the High preset delivers an average of 87 FPS, which is smooth for most displays, while the Medium preset at 104 FPS offers a 20% improvement over High with a modest visual downgrade. However, the Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 63 FPS, which is a 28% reduction from High, and this is not worth the minor visual gains in a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 where the difference between High and Ultra is often imperceptible in motion. Therefore, the recommended preset at 1080p is High, as it provides a stable frame rate well above the 60 FPS threshold without sacrificing the game's atmospheric lighting and shadow quality.

At 1440p, the High preset yields an average of 65 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset at 78 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a 20% performance increase over High while maintaining most of the visual features that matter, such as texture quality and draw distance. The Ultra preset at 1440p falls to 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and introduces noticeable stutter in busy scenes, making it unsuitable for a smooth experience. Consequently, the Medium preset is recommended for 1440p, as it provides a comfortable frame rate margin while still looking visually rich. At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The High preset achieves 43 FPS, which is borderline playable but not smooth, while the Medium preset at 51 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, though it still falls short of 60 FPS. The Low preset at 4K reaches 69 FPS, but the visual quality degradation is severe, with reduced shadow resolution and texture filtering. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the best compromise, offering 51 FPS with acceptable visual quality, but users with G-Sync displays will find it tolerable. The data clearly indicates that the High preset is the best overall experience at 1080p, while Medium is the pragmatic choice for higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 909th out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2, placing it in the 68.7th percentile of all system configurations. This ranking is respectable but not top-tier, which is expected given that the CPU is a mobile part and the GPU, while powerful, is not the absolute fastest available. The rank of 909 indicates that there are 908 combos that achieve higher average frame rates, many of which likely pair the RTX 4080 with higher-end desktop CPUs like the Intel Core i9-14900K or AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. However, the 155H's performance is sufficient to avoid being a significant drag on the overall ranking, as the delta between this combo and those with faster CPUs is likely small, given that the game is GPU-bound at most resolutions. The combo's rank is also influenced by the fact that the RTX 4080 is in the 86th percentile of GPUs, and its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has a deltaPct of 0.1%, meaning the combo would perform nearly identically with that GPU. The 909th rank out of 2902 means that this system outperforms roughly 68% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing for a mobile CPU paired with a high-end desktop GPU. In practical terms, the combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p and 1440p gaming, and it can handle 4K with adjusted settings, as the measured FPS data demonstrates. The ranking reflects a balanced system where the GPU is the primary driver, and the CPU's performance is adequate to support it without causing a significant rank penalty.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-limited scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p High, the combo achieves 87 FPS, while at 1440p High, it drops to 65 FPS, a 25% reduction. Moving to 4K High, the frame rate falls to 43 FPS, a 34% reduction from 1440p and a 51% reduction from 1080p. This scaling is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, where the pixel count increases by 2.25x from 1080p to 1440p and by 4x from 1080p to 4K, but the frame rate does not drop proportionally due to other bottlenecks like memory bandwidth and shading efficiency. The RTX 4080's 716.8 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient to handle the increased memory pressure at 4K, but the shading units are taxed more heavily, resulting in the observed FPS decline. At Low settings, the scaling is similar: 139 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p (a 25% drop), and 69 FPS at 4K (a 50% drop from 1080p). The fact that the FPS drops by roughly half from 1080p to 4K at both High and Low settings indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance is constant across resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the FPS to remain flat or drop less steeply at higher resolutions, which is not the case. The data also shows that the gap between Low and High settings narrows as resolution increases: at 1080p, the difference is 52 FPS (139 vs 87), while at 4K, the difference is 26 FPS (69 vs 43). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that the visual setting has a smaller impact on absolute FPS, whereas at 1080p, the GPU has more headroom to benefit from lower settings. This scaling behavior confirms that the RTX 4080 is the primary determinant of performance, and the Core Ultra 7 155H is not a limiting factor at any resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combo's performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 139 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset achieves 104 FPS, with a minimum of 89 FPS and a maximum of 120 FPS, showing good frame consistency. The High preset averages 87 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 63 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 76 FPS, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom at this resolution, and even the Ultra preset is playable. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 104 FPS, the Medium preset averages 78 FPS (with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 89), the High preset averages 65 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 47 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 57 FPS, which is less than at 1080p, showing that the GPU is becoming more constrained. The Medium preset at 1440p provides a 33 FPS advantage over Ultra, making it the recommended choice for a smooth experience. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 69 FPS, the Medium preset averages 51 FPS (with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 59), the High preset averages 43 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 31 FPS. The Low to Ultra spread is 38 FPS, and even the Low preset is below 60 FPS, indicating that 4K requires compromises. The Medium preset at 4K is the only one that provides a playable experience above 50 FPS, but it is still not smooth by modern standards. The data shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can achieve high frame rates at Medium to High settings, while 4K gaming requires dropping to Low or Medium settings to maintain acceptable performance.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p with the Medium preset provides the best balance, achieving 78 FPS average, which is smooth and visually detailed. At 1080p, the High preset delivers 87 FPS, but the visual improvement over Medium is minimal. 4K is only playable at Medium preset with 51 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The data shows a deltaPct of 0.1% between them, with the RTX 4080 scoring 54247 and the RTX 4080 SUPER scoring 54209 in average benchmark scores. This indicates that the two GPUs perform nearly identically in synthetic tests, and the gaming FPS would be virtually indistinguishable.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H a bottleneck for the RTX 4080?

A: No, the CPU is not a bottleneck. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K is consistent with GPU-limited behavior, dropping by roughly 50% from 139 FPS to 69 FPS at Low settings. The CPU's multi-thread score of 15028 in Cinebench R23 is sufficient to feed the GPU without causing frame rate drops.

Q: What is the FPS difference between High and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The High preset averages 87 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 63 FPS, a difference of 24 FPS or 28%. This is a significant drop for minor visual gains, making High the recommended preset at 1080p.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 4K, the Low preset averages 69 FPS, the Medium preset averages 51 FPS, and the High preset averages 43 FPS. The Ultra preset is not playable at 31 FPS. For a smooth experience, users must accept Medium settings or lower, which sacrifices visual quality.

Q: How does the combo's rank of 909 out of 2902 compare to other systems?

A: The rank places it in the top 68.7% of all tested combos, meaning it outperforms roughly 1993 other configurations. This is a strong result, especially considering the mobile CPU, and it indicates that the system is well-balanced for gaming, with the GPU being the primary driver of performance.