Red Dead Redemption 2

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a playable, though not flawless, experience in Red Dead Redemption 2. The data shows a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the processor’s substantial headroom ensures consistent scaling as settings are lowered. This analysis breaks down the measured performance across resolutions and presets, providing a clear picture of what this combination can achieve.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance gradient as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 56 FPS at 1080p to 42 FPS at 1440p, a 25% reduction, and then further to 28 FPS at 4K, another 33% decline. This pattern strongly indicates that the Intel Arc B580’s rendering throughput, rather than the CPU, is the limiting factor. The GPU’s pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth are being saturated as the pixel count grows, which is typical for a mid-range graphics card.

When the preset is lowered to Low, the scaling becomes more linear and the frame rates are significantly higher. The system achieves 90 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 67 FPS at 1440p and 44 FPS at 4K. The 4K Low result is still 57% higher than the 4K High result, showing that the GPU has headroom when the graphical load is reduced. However, the fact that 4K Low still only produces 44 FPS suggests that the game’s engine and the card’s architecture are not able to fully compensate for the massive pixel count, even with minimal settings.

The Medium preset offers a middle ground, with 67 FPS at 1080p, 50 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. The incremental drops of 17 FPS and then 17 FPS again show a consistent penalty for each resolution step. This consistency suggests a well-balanced scaling curve for this preset, but the 4K result remains below the 60 FPS target that many users prefer. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with frame rates plummeting to 40 FPS at 1080p, 30 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. These numbers indicate that Ultra is essentially unplayable at higher resolutions with this hardware, and even at 1080p it struggles to maintain smooth motion.

The data clearly shows that resolution scaling is steep and predictable. The primary bottleneck is the GPU, as the CPU’s performance metrics (detailed in the CPU Role section) are more than sufficient for this game. The 19% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 1440p at High settings (56 to 42 FPS) is a significant hit, but the 50% reduction from 1440p to 4K (42 to 28 FPS) is even more severe. This non-linear drop at 4K highlights the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute limits being reached.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, featuring 2560 shading units, 160 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. These specifications directly influence the measured frame rates. The 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for Red Dead Redemption 2 at all tested settings and resolutions, as the game’s textures at 4K Ultra can be demanding, but the card’s capacity appears to handle it without a memory-related performance cliff, as evidenced by the playable 4K Low result.

The card’s base and boost clocks are both 2670 MHz, which is a high frequency for a mid-range GPU. This clock speed helps maintain performance in lower-resolution scenarios where the GPU is not as bandwidth-limited. At 1080p Low, the card achieves 90 FPS, indicating that its compute units are able to work efficiently when not bottlenecked by memory or pixel throughput. However, as resolution increases, the fixed clock speed cannot overcome the increased workload, leading to the observed frame rate declines.

Comparing the Arc B580 to its nearest rivals from the benchmark database provides context. Its average benchmark score is 23021, which is slightly lower than the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, -0.2%) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, -0.7%), but slightly higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, 0.6%). This places the Arc B580 in a competitive position among these cards, and the measured FPS in Red Dead Redemption 2 aligns with this ranking. The card’s 68th percentile among all GPUs indicates it is a solid mid-range performer, but not a high-end solution.

The GPU’s FP32 performance of 13.67 TFLOPS and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s are the theoretical limits that dictate how fast it can process geometry and shading. In practice, the measured FPS shows that these limits are reached at 4K Ultra, where the card produces only 20 FPS. The 4K Medium result of 33 FPS shows that reducing the shader complexity has a direct and positive impact on frame rate, confirming that the GPU’s compute units are the primary constraint at high resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 90 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors. The Medium preset provides 67 FPS, which is still smooth and likely offers a better visual balance. The High preset at 56 FPS is also acceptable for most users, but the jump from Medium to High costs 11 FPS, a 16% reduction. The Ultra preset at 40 FPS is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only one that consistently breaks the 60 FPS barrier, achieving 67 FPS. The Medium preset at 50 FPS is playable, but it may feel less fluid in fast-paced scenes. The High preset at 42 FPS is a notable step down, and the Ultra preset at 30 FPS is best avoided. For 1440p users, the data suggests that Low or Medium settings are the sweet spot, with High being a compromise for visual fidelity over smoothness.

For 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 44 FPS is the only playable option, and even that is below 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 33 FPS and High at 28 FPS are borderline, and Ultra at 20 FPS is not viable. Users with 4K displays should stick to Low settings to maintain a playable frame rate, accepting that this combo cannot deliver a high-fidelity 4K experience. The Medium preset’s min FPS of 28 at 4K also indicates potential stuttering, which can detract from the experience.

The data shows a clear pattern: the Arc B580 has enough power for 1080p at high settings and 1440p at medium settings, but 4K requires the lowest settings to remain functional. The measured FPS for Medium at 1440p (50 FPS) and Low at 4K (44 FPS) are the best compromises for their respective resolutions, offering a balance between visual quality and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

In the comprehensive database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2, this specific pairing holds a rank of 2195 out of 2902 total combos. This places it in the lower 25th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that while it is functional, it is far from the top-tier performers. This ranking is consistent with the measured FPS, which shows that the system struggles to maintain high frame rates at demanding settings.

The combo’s rank is likely dragged down by the GPU’s performance relative to other cards. The CPU, as detailed later, is a top-tier processor, but its capabilities are not fully utilized in this game due to the GPU bottleneck. The rank of 2195 suggests that many other CPU and GPU pairings deliver higher frame rates, particularly those with more powerful graphics cards. The data implies that this combo is better suited for 1080p gaming than for high-resolution or high-refresh-rate scenarios.

The CPU’s own percentile rank is 96th among all CPUs, showing that it is a high-end processor. However, the GPU’s percentile rank is 68th, which is significantly lower. This mismatch in performance tiers is the root cause of the combo’s relatively low rank. The system is imbalanced, with a processor that has far more headroom than the graphics card can exploit. Consequently, the combo’s overall standing is limited by its weakest link, which is the Arc B580.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, which can boost up to 5.80 GHz. These specifications provide enormous processing power that far exceeds the demands of Red Dead Redemption 2. The CPU’s benchmark scores are exceptional, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. These scores indicate that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this game.

The game’s engine is known to be more GPU-intensive, and the measured FPS scaling with resolution confirms this. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 90 FPS, which is a high frame rate that still does not saturate the CPU’s capabilities. The processor’s high boost clock of 5.80 GHz ensures that single-threaded tasks, which are common in game logic, are handled without delay. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache also helps reduce memory latency, further ensuring smooth CPU performance.

The nearest rivals for this CPU, based on average benchmark scores, are the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K (0.2% faster), AMD EPYC 4584PX (1.1% slower), and AMD EPYC 9135 (1.2% slower). The 290K Plus is also 1.3% slower than the AMD EPYC 7F72. These small percentage differences indicate that the 290K Plus is at the top of the performance heap, and any of these CPUs would perform similarly in a GPU-bound scenario. In Red Dead Redemption 2, the CPU’s role is to feed the GPU with data, and its high core count and clock speed ensure that it never becomes a bottleneck, even at low resolutions where frame rates are higher.

The CPU’s PassMark multi-thread score of 60860 and single-thread score of 4823 further demonstrate its strength. This processing power means that the frame rate drops observed at higher resolutions are solely due to the GPU’s limitations, not the CPU. The data shows that the 290K Plus is a future-proof component, but its potential is wasted with the Arc B580 in this specific game.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the most suitable resolution. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 90 FPS and the High preset achieves 56 FPS, both of which are playable. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (67 FPS) is consistently smooth, and at 3840x2160, the Low preset (44 FPS) is the only option that approaches playability.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Red Dead Redemption 2?

A: Yes, but only at the lowest settings. The measured 4K Low average is 44 FPS, while 4K Medium is 33 FPS, and 4K High is 28 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset is not viable at 20 FPS. Users should expect to compromise heavily on visual quality to get a playable frame rate at 4K.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The Arc B580’s average benchmark score is 23021, which is slightly lower than the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172), but higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895). This translates to similar performance in games, with the measured FPS in this test being representative of its mid-range standing.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus a bottleneck for this game?

A: No. The CPU’s benchmark scores are extremely high, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731. The data shows that frame rate scaling is tied to resolution, which is a GPU characteristic. The CPU is not the limiting factor in any of the measured scenarios.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a balance of visuals and performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice at 2560x1440, delivering 50 FPS. The Low preset offers higher performance at 67 FPS, but the Medium preset provides a better visual experience for a 17 FPS reduction. The High preset at 42 FPS is a noticeable step down in smoothness.

Q: What does the combo’s rank of 2195 out of 2902 mean?

A: It indicates that this CPU and GPU pairing performs in the lower quarter of all tested combinations for Red Dead Redemption 2. This is due to the GPU’s mid-range performance, which holds back the high-end CPU. Many other combos with more powerful graphics cards will achieve higher frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average frame rates measured for this CPU and GPU combination in Red Dead Redemption 2.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 28 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 44 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 33 | 28 | 38 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 20 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 42 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 67 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 50 | 43 | 58 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 30 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 56 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 90 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 67 | 57 | 77 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 40 | - | - |

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p Low is the highest-performing configuration, while 4K Ultra is the lowest. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded min and max FPS values, indicating a wider variance in frame times. At 1080p Medium, the range is 57 to 77 FPS, while at 1440p Medium it is 43 to 58 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 28 to 38 FPS. This variance suggests that the Medium preset can have occasional dips, but the averages remain consistent with the overall scaling trend.