Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 pairs the 24-core Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, a combination that lands at rank 260 out of 3,714 tested setups. The CPU’s 24 threads and 5.50 GHz boost clock provide substantial headroom, but the benchmark data reveals that this game’s performance ceiling is dictated almost entirely by the GPU’s rendering load at higher resolutions. The measured frames per second across three resolutions and four quality presets show a clear pattern of scaling that shifts from a balanced workload at 1080p to a heavily GPU-bound scenario at 4K.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is built on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC, with 24 cores and 24 threads. Its base clock sits at 3.70 GHz, boosting up to 5.50 GHz, and it carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic workloads, this CPU posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44,253 and a single-core score of 2,439, placing it in the 96th percentile among all CPUs. The PassMark multithread score of 68,574 and single-thread score of 5,068 reinforce its position as a top-tier desktop processor.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not saturated. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 194 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. This figure suggests that the CPU’s high boost clock and robust multi-threading are sufficient to feed the RTX 4080 without creating a bottleneck. The 24 threads handle the game’s background simulation tasks, while the 5.50 GHz boost clock ensures that single-threaded game logic does not stall the frame pipeline. However, as resolution increases, the CPU’s influence wanes because the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: The highest average FPS is 194, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only measured scenario that breaks the 190 FPS barrier.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus has a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,439. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon 6520P, has an identical average benchmark score (93,786 vs. 93,785), indicating that their overall performance is effectively tied. The AMD EPYC 4564P is 1.5% behind in average score.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the combo records an average FPS of 72, with a minimum FPS of 61 and a maximum of 82. This is the only 4K preset that includes min/max data in the measured results.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to the 4K Ultra preset?

A: The 1080p Low preset achieves 194 FPS, while the 4K Ultra preset achieves 43 FPS. This represents a difference of 151 FPS, or approximately 4.5 times higher frame rate at the lower resolution and settings.

Q: What percentile does the GPU rank among all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 sits in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54,247. Its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is just 0.1% ahead in average score.

Q: Does the CPU’s launch MSRP reflect its performance tier?

A: The CPU has a launch MSRP of $299. It ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, suggesting it delivers top-tier performance at that price point, though the data does not provide a direct cost-to-performance comparison.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The resolution scaling pattern in Red Dead Redemption 2 reveals a textbook GPU-bound behavior as pixel count increases. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 121 at 1080p to 90 at 1440p, then to 60 at 4K. This is a 50% reduction from 1080p to 4K, which aligns with the 4x increase in pixel count—though the drop is less than proportional, indicating that the RTX 4080 scales efficiently. At Medium settings, the same progression shows 145 FPS at 1080p, 108 FPS at 1440p, and 72 FPS at 4K, again demonstrating a consistent ~50% decline from the lowest to highest resolution.

The Low preset shows the steepest relative drop: 194 FPS at 1080p falls to 145 FPS at 1440p and then to 96 FPS at 4K. This 98 FPS difference between 1080p and 4K is the largest absolute drop in the dataset, suggesting that at Low settings, the GPU is still the primary limiter even at 1080p, but the CPU’s headroom becomes more apparent as the GPU workload lightens. The Ultra preset, which yields 87 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K, shows the smallest relative drop (approximately 50% from 1080p to 4K), confirming that the GPU is consistently the bottleneck across all quality settings. The data implies that upgrading the CPU would not meaningfully improve frame rates at 1440p or 4K, as the RTX 4080 is already working near its limits.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance across all presets. Low settings produce 194 FPS average, Medium hits 145 FPS with a minimum of 123 and maximum of 167, High reaches 121 FPS, and Ultra drops to 87 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 107 FPS, indicating that the GPU has ample headroom at this resolution to handle even the most demanding preset without falling below 60 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down proportionally. Low settings achieve 145 FPS, Medium averages 108 FPS with a min of 92 and max of 125, High settles at 90 FPS, and Ultra comes in at 65 FPS. The 80 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is narrower than at 1080p, reflecting the increased GPU workload. All presets still maintain averages above 60 FPS, with Ultra being the only one that approaches the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limits become apparent. Low settings yield 96 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS with a min of 61 and max of 82, High drops to 60 FPS, and Ultra falls to 43 FPS. The 53 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is the smallest of any resolution, showing that the RTX 4080 is the dominant constraint. Notably, the Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration in the entire dataset that falls below 60 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay without adjustments.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its boost clock runs at 2505 MHz, and it houses 9,728 shading units alongside 304 texture mapping units and 112 raster output units. The GPU’s 76 ray tracing cores and 304 tensor cores support DirectX 12 Ultimate, which Red Dead Redemption 2 can leverage for enhanced visual effects. In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 4080 scores 34,457 in PassMark G3D and 6,567 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs.

The GPU’s role in this game is most clearly defined by the 4K results. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS of 43 indicates that the RTX 4080’s 16 GB VRAM and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to maintain fluid frame rates at maximum settings. However, at 4K High, the 60 FPS average shows that the GPU can handle the game’s demands when settings are moderated. The 96 FPS at 4K Low demonstrates that the RTX 4080 has substantial raw compute power, but the gap between Low and Ultra (53 FPS) highlights how quickly the game’s visual features tax the GPU. The data suggests that the 16 GB VRAM is adequate for this title, but the GPU’s compute throughput becomes the limiting factor at higher settings, not memory capacity.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 108 FPS with a minimum of 92 FPS, ensuring that frame times remain consistent even during demanding scenes. This configuration provides a 43 FPS improvement over High settings at the same resolution, while still maintaining a 92 FPS floor that exceeds the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The 1440p Medium preset also outperforms the 4K High preset by 48 FPS, making it the superior choice for players who prioritize frame rate stability over resolution.

For players targeting 4K, the High preset at 3840x2160 delivers an average of 60 FPS, which is borderline but playable. The Medium preset at 4K offers 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS, providing a safer margin above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 4K should be avoided, as its 43 FPS average falls well below acceptable playability standards. At 1080p, the High preset at 121 FPS is the recommended choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, as it offers a significant visual upgrade over Medium (145 FPS) while still delivering frame rates above 120 FPS. The Low presets at any resolution are only recommended for competitive play or extreme frame rate targets, as they sacrifice the game’s detailed environments for marginal FPS gains.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a combo rank of 260 out of 3,714 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the setup in the top 7% of all tested configs, indicating that it delivers near-elite performance for this title. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU’s 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs combine to create a system that is well above average, though not at the absolute peak of the rankings.

The rank of 260 suggests that while this combo is powerful, there are 259 other configurations that outperform it in this specific game. The gap between this combo and the top-ranked setups likely stems from the GPU’s position in the 86th percentile, as higher-tier GPUs such as the RTX 4090 or newer 50-series cards would push frame rates higher, particularly at 4K Ultra where the RTX 4080 drops to 43 FPS. The CPU’s nearest rivals—the Intel Xeon 6520P, AMD EPYC 4564P, AMD EPYC 9175F, and AMD EPYC 4565P—all have nearly identical average scores, confirming that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration. Instead, the data implies that the RTX 4080’s 4K Ultra performance is what prevents this combo from ranking higher, as every other resolution and preset combination maintains playable frame rates.