Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a highly unusual configuration for Red Dead Redemption 2. The CPU is a top-tier desktop part with 24 cores and a 5.80 GHz boost clock, while the GPU is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, sharing system memory. Benchmark results show a system that is entirely constrained by its graphics component, with frame rates that will challenge even the most patient player. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and settings, using only the data provided.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance cliff as resolution increases. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 51 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 38 FPS, a 25.5% reduction. At 3840x2160, the average falls further to 25 FPS, which is a 34.2% drop from the 1440p result and a 51% reduction from the 1080p figure. This pattern indicates that the limiting component is the graphics processor, as the cost of rendering each frame scales directly with pixel count.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings shows a similar trend: 39 FPS down to 29 FPS, a 25.6% decrease. The jump from 1440p to 4K at Medium brings the average from 29 FPS down to 19 FPS, a 34.5% reduction. This consistent drop of roughly one-quarter to one-third for each resolution step is classic behavior for a GPU that is saturated at even the lowest tested settings. The data shows that the Arc B390’s compute throughput, measured at 7.680 TFLOPS FP32, is simply insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title.

At Ultra settings, the scaling is even more punishing. The average FPS at 1080p is 23, at 1440p it is 17 (a 26.1% drop), and at 4K it collapses to 11 (a 35.3% drop from 1440p). The fact that the 4K Ultra result is in single digits confirms that this configuration is not viable for high-resolution, high-detail play. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are the hardware limits being hit here, and they are far below what is needed for smooth 4K output. The scaling analysis points to one conclusion: the GPU is the bottleneck at every resolution, and the powerful CPU is left idle waiting for frames.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combos for Red Dead Redemption 2, this pairing ranks 3306 out of 3714 combinations. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems, a position that reflects the GPU’s severe limitations rather than any fault of the processor. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a high-performance CPU, sitting at the 96th percentile when compared against all CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 84003 is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% higher than the AMD EPYC 4584PX, showing it is a top-tier compute part.

However, the GPU’s percentile ranking tells a different story. The Intel Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482 from the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals in the GPU database are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, which scores 1463 (a 1.3% difference), and the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, which scores 1460 (a 1.5% difference). These are legacy mobile parts from over a decade ago, indicating that the Arc B390’s raw graphics performance is comparable to that of an entry-level discrete GPU from a previous generation. The combination of a 96th-percentile CPU with a 9th-percentile GPU results in a system that ranks poorly in-game, despite its impressive processor. The rank of 3306 out of 3714 is a direct consequence of this massive imbalance, where the CPU’s potential is entirely unrealized due to the GPU’s inability to render frames quickly enough.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary determinant of this combo’s in-game performance, and the data shows it is a severe bottleneck. Its architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on a 3 nm process, and it operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores. These specifications, combined with a system-shared memory configuration, produce the measured frame rates. The memory bandwidth is listed as “System Dependent,” which means it relies on the host CPU’s DDR5 memory, and the dual-channel bus provided by the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus offers 115.2 GB/s.

This shared memory arrangement is a critical weakness. Unlike a discrete GPU with dedicated VRAM, the Arc B390 must compete with the CPU for memory bandwidth and capacity. In a game like Red Dead Redemption 2, which has large textures and complex scenes, this competition leads to the low average FPS observed. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places this GPU at the 9th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from the early 2010s. The GT 520MX, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 all have scores within 2.7% of the Arc B390, confirming that its absolute performance is in that range. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits, but the real-world results are far lower due to the memory bottleneck.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS is respectable for an integrated part, but it is not enough for a demanding title at high resolutions. The measured FPS at 4K High is 16, and at 4K Ultra it is 11. These numbers are unplayable, and they improve only marginally at lower settings. The GPU’s role here is to limit the entire system, and no amount of CPU power can compensate for this deficiency. The data shows that the Arc B390 is designed for basic display output, not for gaming at competitive frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of what this combo can deliver. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings produce an average of 51 FPS, Medium produces 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 and a maximum of 44, High produces 32 FPS, and Ultra produces 23 FPS. The 1080p Low result is the only configuration that approaches a playable frame rate, and even it is below the 60 FPS target most gamers prefer. The gap between Low and Medium is 12 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 7 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 9 FPS. This shows that each settings tier has a significant cost, but the GPU cannot afford any of them at higher resolutions.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop across the board. Low settings yield 38 FPS, Medium yields 29 FPS with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 33, High yields 24 FPS, and Ultra yields 17 FPS. At this resolution, even Low settings fall below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the Medium result of 29 FPS is borderline at best. The minimum FPS of 24 at Medium suggests that there are moments where the frame rate dips into stutter territory, which would be noticeable during action sequences. The 1440p results are 25.5% to 26.1% lower than their 1080p counterparts, which is consistent with the increased pixel count.

At 3840x2160, the results are largely unusable. Low settings produce an average of 25 FPS, Medium produces 19 FPS with a minimum of 16 and a maximum of 22, High produces 16 FPS, and Ultra produces 11 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 16 FPS is particularly telling, as it indicates that the frame rate can drop to a slideshow level during intense scenes. The 4K High and Ultra results are both below 20 FPS, making them impossible to play without severe motion sickness. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, regardless of settings. The only playable results in the entire dataset are the 1080p Low and Medium settings, and even those are far from ideal.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is an exceptionally powerful processor, but its role in Red Dead Redemption 2 is largely passive due to the GPU bottleneck. The CPU has 24 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. It is built on a 3 nm process by TSMC, with 17,800 million transistors on a 243 mm² die. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration produces a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303, placing it at the 96th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of this game, the CPU’s 24 cores are far more than what Red Dead Redemption 2 can utilize, as the title is not heavily multi-threaded. The single-core performance, however, is strong enough to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic without issue. The benchmark results show that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution or setting. The measured FPS scales with resolution and settings in a way that is entirely dependent on the GPU’s rendering workload. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, but the data shows a steep decline from 1080p to 4K, which is a clear sign of GPU saturation.

The CPU’s memory support for DDR5 in a dual-channel configuration provides 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth, which is shared with the GPU. This shared memory is a double-edged sword: it allows the system to run without a discrete GPU, but it also means that the GPU’s memory operations compete with the CPU’s. In practice, this competition further hampers the already weak graphics performance. The CPU’s nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which is 0.2% slower, and the AMD EPYC 4584PX, which is 1.1% slower. This shows that the 290K Plus is a top-tier part, but its performance is wasted in this configuration. The data suggests that pairing this CPU with a discrete GPU would yield dramatically better results, but as tested, the CPU sits idle while the GPU struggles.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only acceptable settings for this combo are at 1920x1080 with Low or Medium presets. The 1080p Low result of 51 FPS is the best performance available, and it is the only configuration that approaches a smooth experience. While 51 FPS is not ideal, it is playable for a single-player title like Red Dead Redemption 2, where precise frame timing is less critical than in competitive shooters. The 1080p Medium result of 39 FPS is a step down, but it offers improved visual quality at the cost of 12 FPS. The minimum FPS of 33 at Medium suggests that there will be occasional drops, but they should not be severe enough to ruin the experience.

For players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, the 1080p High preset at 32 FPS is the highest quality option that remains semi-playable. However, the 1080p Ultra preset at 23 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 30 FPS threshold that most consider the minimum for acceptable gameplay. At 1440p, even the Low preset at 38 FPS is marginal, and the Medium preset at 29 FPS is playable only with significant compromises. The 4K results are all below 25 FPS, making them unsuitable for any serious play session.

The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with reduced settings. The 1080p Low preset offers the best balance of playability and visual quality, as it maintains an average above 50 FPS. If the player can tolerate occasional dips, the 1080p Medium preset provides a richer visual experience without dropping below 33 FPS. For the best experience, the recommendation is to run the game at 1920x1080 with the Low preset and accept that this is the ceiling for this hardware. The 1440p and 4K results are not viable for normal gameplay, and the Ultra preset at any resolution should be avoided. This configuration is a clear example of a CPU that is far ahead of its GPU, and the settings must be chosen to accommodate the weakest link in the chain.