Red Dead Redemption 2

# GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution built on the Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on Intel's 3 nm process. Its clock behavior is distinctive: a 300 MHz base clock and a 2400 MHz boost clock. The GPU operates with system-shared memory, meaning its memory size, type, bus width, and bandwidth are all dependent on the host system's configuration rather than dedicated VRAM. This architectural choice has profound implications for Red Dead Redemption 2, a game known for its demanding texture and geometry workloads.

The GPU's compute resources are modest: 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, 20 raster operations pipelines, and 10 ray tracing cores. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, the texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, and FP32 throughput is 6.144 TFLOPS. These figures place the Arc B370 at the 5th percentile of all GPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, delta -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, delta -0.5%), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (score 1192, delta -0.7%), and AMD FirePro M2000 (score 1168, delta 1.4%). The delta percentages indicate that the Arc B370 sits within a narrow performance band of these older discrete parts.

The measured FPS data in Red Dead Redemption 2 reflects this limited GPU capability. At 3840x2160, the Arc B370 produces an average of 14 FPS on High settings, 17 FPS on Medium, 23 FPS on Low, and 10 FPS on Ultra. Even at 1920x1080, the highest average is 47 FPS on Low settings. The pattern across resolutions and settings demonstrates that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck in this configuration. The system-shared memory architecture means the GPU competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which is especially problematic in a game like Red Dead Redemption 2 that streams large open-world assets. The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width further indicate this is not designed for sustained high-end gaming, but rather for basic graphical output.

The boost clock of 2400 MHz is relatively high for an integrated solution, yet the limited shading units and texture units cannot compensate for the memory bandwidth constraints. The 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 figure, while not negligible on paper, translates to sub-30 FPS averages at 1080p in most settings presets. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs contextualizes these results: the Arc B370 is in the bottom tier of graphics hardware, and Red Dead Redemption 2's requirements quickly overwhelm it.

# CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm TSMC process. It features a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy is substantial: 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 30 MB shared L3. Memory support includes DDR5 on a dual-channel bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth, and ECC memory is supported. The CPU operates on Intel Socket 1851 with Gen 5 PCIe connectivity (20 lanes from the CPU). It includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong. In Cinebench R15, it scores 5020 multicore and 708 singlecore. Cinebench R20 shows 20918 multicore and 2953 singlecore. Cinebench R23 produces 35850 multicore and 2020 singlecore. Geekbench scores are 23085 multicore and 2713 singlecore. Passmark results include 58594 multithread, 4928 single thread, 189629 floating point math, 143242 integer math, and 3731 physics. The average benchmark score is 70879, placing it at the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Xeon 6511P (avg score 71051, delta -0.2%), Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 (avg score 71370, delta -0.7%), Intel Core i7-14700KF (avg score 70163, delta 1%), and AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (avg score 69996, delta 1.3%). The CPU's launch MSRP is $394.

In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU's role is secondary to the GPU, as the measured FPS data shows. The game's engine is well-known for CPU-bound scenes in crowded towns and during complex physics interactions, but the Arc B370's limitations mask the CPU's potential. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 47, which is the highest observed in this dataset. This suggests the CPU can feed frames at a reasonable rate, but the GPU cannot render them faster. The 20 cores and 20 threads provide ample parallel processing headroom, and the 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures strong single-threaded performance for game logic. The 30 MB L3 cache helps with data locality, and the 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth supports the dual-channel DDR5 configuration.

Benchmark results indicate the Ultra 7 265K is far more capable than the GPU. The 94th percentile CPU ranking versus the 5th percentile GPU ranking creates a massive imbalance in this pairing. The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are all within 1.3% of its average score, confirming it is a top-tier processor. However, in this game's measured FPS, the CPU's strengths are largely untapped because the GPU saturates first.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2670 out of 2902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested configurations, which is consistent with the GPU's low percentile ranking. The combo rank reflects the overall gaming experience, which is severely constrained by the GPU.

Comparing to the individual components' rankings, the CPU is at the 94th percentile while the GPU is at the 5th percentile. The combo's rank of 2670 out of 2902 is much closer to the GPU's low standing than the CPU's high standing. This indicates that in this specific game, the GPU is the primary determinant of the overall performance ranking. The data shows that pairing a top-tier CPU with an entry-level integrated GPU does not yield a balanced system for Red Dead Redemption 2.

The rank suggests that most other tested combinations—whether they use mid-range discrete GPUs or balanced CPU-GPU pairs—outperform this setup. The measured FPS figures corroborate this: even at the lowest resolution and settings (1080p Low), the average FPS is only 47, which is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered smooth gameplay. The combo's position in the lower quartile of all tested combos indicates that users would need to significantly reduce graphical settings to achieve playable frame rates, and even then, the experience would be compromised.

# FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable at 1080p with this combo?

A: The highest average FPS at 1920x1080 is 47 FPS, achieved on Low settings. Medium settings yield 35 FPS, High yields 29 FPS, and Ultra yields 21 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark percentile compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370 is at the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186 with a delta of -0.2%, meaning the Arc B370 is marginally slower.

Q: What is the CPU's average benchmark score and percentile ranking?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K has an average benchmark score of 70879, placing it at the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the Intel Xeon 6511P, scores 71051 with a delta of -0.2%.

Q: At 1440p, what is the FPS difference between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS on Low is 35, while on Ultra it is 16. This represents a 19 FPS drop, or approximately 54% lower performance on Ultra compared to Low.

Q: Does the combo rank suggest the CPU or GPU is the limiting factor?

A: The combo ranks 2670 out of 2902, while the GPU is at the 5th percentile and the CPU is at the 94th percentile. The combo's low rank aligns with the GPU's poor standing, indicating the GPU is the primary bottleneck.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded at 1080p Medium?

A: At 1920x1080 Medium, the minimum FPS is 30, with an average of 35 and a maximum of 40.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear scaling pattern across resolutions. At 1920x1080 Low, the average FPS is 47. Moving to 2560x1440 Low drops the average to 35 FPS, a 25.5% reduction. At 3840x2160 Low, the average falls to 23 FPS, which is a 51.1% reduction from 1080p. For High settings, the progression is 29 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p (24.1% drop), and 14 FPS at 4K (51.7% drop). Medium settings show 35 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p (25.7% drop), and 17 FPS at 4K (51.4% drop). Ultra settings produce 21 FPS at 1080p, 16 FPS at 1440p (23.8% drop), and 10 FPS at 4K (52.4% drop).

The consistent pattern of approximately 25% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and roughly 50% reduction from 1080p to 4K across all settings indicates that the scaling is driven by pixel throughput, which is a GPU-bound characteristic. The resolution scaling behavior suggests the GPU is the limiting component at all resolutions. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat when resolution increases, because the CPU workload would stay similar while the GPU render time grows. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with pixel count, confirming the GPU's constraints.

The data also shows that the gap between Low and Ultra settings widens at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low (47 FPS) and Ultra (21 FPS) is 26 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 19 FPS (35 vs 16). At 4K, the difference is 13 FPS (23 vs 10). This narrowing absolute gap at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU becomes even more saturated as resolution increases, leaving less headroom for settings adjustments to make a difference.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings produce 47 FPS, Medium produces 35 FPS with a minimum of 30 and a maximum of 40, High produces 29 FPS, and Ultra produces 21 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one at 1080p with recorded minimum and maximum values, showing a 10 FPS variance.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low at 35 FPS, Medium at 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30, High at 22 FPS, and Ultra at 16 FPS. The Medium preset again shows a 8 FPS variance between minimum and maximum.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low at 23 FPS, Medium at 17 FPS with a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 20, High at 14 FPS, and Ultra at 10 FPS. The Medium preset shows a 5 FPS variance.

The pattern across all resolutions is consistent: Low settings provide the highest FPS, followed by Medium, then High, and finally Ultra with the lowest FPS. The Medium preset consistently has the only recorded min/max values, suggesting it was tested more thoroughly or exhibits the most variable performance. The FPS deltas between presets are roughly proportional across resolutions. At 1080p, Low to Medium is a 12 FPS drop, Medium to High is a 6 FPS drop, and High to Ultra is an 8 FPS drop. At 1440p, the corresponding drops are 9, 4, and 6 FPS. At 4K, they are 6, 3, and 4 FPS.

The absolute FPS values at 4K are extremely low, with even the Low preset achieving only 23 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 10 FPS, which is effectively unplayable. The data indicates that this configuration cannot maintain playable frame rates at 4K under any settings preset, and at 1440p, only Low settings approach playability with 35 FPS average.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and the user's tolerance for frame rate fluctuations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset provides the highest average FPS at 47, which is the closest to a smooth 60 FPS experience. The Medium preset at 35 FPS may be acceptable for some users, but the minimum recorded FPS of 30 indicates occasional dips below the 30 FPS threshold. The High preset at 29 FPS and Ultra at 21 FPS are below playable thresholds for most users.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset yields 35 FPS average, which is marginally playable but with noticeable stutter in demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS is borderline, and High at 22 FPS or Ultra at 16 FPS are not recommended for a playable experience. The data suggests that 1440p gaming with this combo requires Low settings, and even then, the experience is marginal.

At 3840x2160, all presets produce average FPS below 24, which is the standard threshold for cinematic frame rates. The Low preset at 23 FPS is the only option approaching playability, but it still falls short. The Medium preset at 17 FPS, High at 14 FPS, and Ultra at 10 FPS are all well below acceptable levels for an action-adventure game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which requires responsive controls for combat and traversal.

The best experience per the measured rows is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which delivers 47 FPS average. This is the only configuration that approaches smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a balance of visual quality and performance at 35 FPS average, but the 30 FPS minimum is a concern. For users prioritizing visual fidelity over frame rate, the Medium preset at 1080p is the highest settings level that maintains an average above 30 FPS. The High and Ultra presets at any resolution do not provide acceptable performance, with all average FPS values below 30.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at Low or Medium settings. Users seeking higher resolutions or higher quality presets would need a more capable GPU. The CPU's high performance ceiling is not utilized in this configuration, as the GPU's limitations dominate the gaming experience. The measured FPS breakdown supports the conclusion that the Intel Arc B370 is the primary constraint, and settings adjustments can only partially mitigate its limitations.