Red Dead Redemption 2

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The processor carries 36 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 192 KB of L1 cache per core and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, providing 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth, and the chip includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units.

In synthetic CPU benchmarks, this processor posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303. The PassMark multi-thread score is 60,860, with a single-thread score of 4,823. These figures place the CPU at the 96th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 84,003. The nearest rival in aggregate performance is the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, which scores 83,807 — a mere 0.2% difference. The AMD EPYC 4584PX and EPYC 9135 trail by 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively, while the AMD EPYC 7F72 leads by 1.3%.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the game's workload at lower resolutions typically shifts toward CPU-bound scenarios, particularly in open-world rendering and NPC density. The 24-core configuration with high single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core of 7,303) ensures that the processor is unlikely to bottleneck the GPU at 1080p, where the measured FPS at Low settings reaches 85. At 4K, however, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the primary constraint — the 4K Low average of 42 FPS is less than half of the 1080p Low figure, indicating that resolution scaling is the dominant factor rather than CPU capability.

The processor's 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests that for most gaming scenarios, especially at 1440p and above, the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus provides ample headroom. The PassMark physics score of 3,315 further supports its capability in handling game logic and physics calculations, which can be relevant in Red Dead Redemption 2's simulation-heavy world. Data compression and encryption scores of 698,346 and 52,563, respectively, also indicate strong general-purpose throughput that can benefit background tasks while gaming.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is built on the Turing architecture using the TU106 chip, manufactured on a 12 nm process. It features 1,920 shading units, 120 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, along with 30 RT cores and 240 tensor cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1365 MHz and a boost clock of 1680 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). The 6 GB of GDDR6 memory sits on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s. The card's FP32 performance is 6.451 TFLOPS, with a pixel rate of 80.64 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 201.6 GTexel/s. The TDP is 160 W, and the card uses a dual-slot design with a single 8-pin power connector.

In benchmark terms, the RTX 2060 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 14,111 and a PassMark GPU compute score of 5,488. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1,242, while Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores are 65,014 and 65,846, respectively. The GPU sits at the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15,290. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (score 15,283, 0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M (score 15,270, 0.1% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (score 15,199, 0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 (score 15,171, 0.8% delta). These rivals are all within 1% of the RTX 2060's aggregate score, indicating that the GPU is positioned as a mid-range performer.

For Red Dead Redemption 2, the 6 GB VRAM capacity is a critical consideration. At 4K Ultra settings, the game demands substantial memory bandwidth and capacity, which the 192-bit bus and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth may struggle to satisfy. The measured data confirms this: 4K Ultra produces an average of 19 FPS, while 4K High yields 26 FPS. The GPU's 58th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicates it is below the median of high-end cards, and the benchmark results at higher resolutions reflect this — the card appears to be the limiting factor when moving from 1080p to 4K. The boost clock of 1680 MHz, while modest by modern standards, still provides sufficient throughput for 1080p gaming, as evidenced by the 85 FPS average at Low settings.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS is 85. Moving to 1440p Low drops the average to 63, a 25.9% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 42, a 50.6% reduction from 1080p. This steep decline as resolution increases is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario — if the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, since the CPU workload does not scale with pixel count.

The Medium settings data tells a similar story. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 63 (with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73). At 1440p Medium, the average is 47 (minimum 40, maximum 54), a 25.4% drop. At 4K Medium, the average is 31 (minimum 27, maximum 36), a 50.8% drop from 1080p. The consistency of these percentage reductions across settings tiers (roughly 25% at 1440p and 50% at 4K) strongly indicates that the RTX 2060 is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions.

For High settings, the scaling is similarly pronounced: 1080p High averages 53 FPS, 1440p High averages 39 FPS (26.4% drop), and 4K High averages 26 FPS (50.9% drop). Ultra settings show the most severe degradation: 1080p Ultra averages 38 FPS, 1440p Ultra averages 28 FPS (26.3% drop), and 4K Ultra averages 19 FPS (50.0% drop). The near-constant percentage drops across all settings levels reinforce that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, and the GPU's limited compute and memory bandwidth become increasingly constraining as pixel count rises.

The CPU's 96th percentile ranking, combined with the fact that even at 1080p Low the FPS reaches 85, suggests that the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is not the bottleneck in this configuration. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect to see a plateau in FPS at lower resolutions regardless of settings, but the data shows FPS scaling directly with resolution, which is the hallmark of GPU limitation.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2,290 out of 2,902 tested combos in Red Dead Redemption 2. This places the combo in the bottom 21% of all tested configurations, which is a significant divergence from the CPU's individual 96th percentile ranking. The discrepancy highlights that the GPU is the constraining factor in this pairing — a top-tier processor paired with a mid-range graphics card results in an overall combo ranking that reflects the GPU's performance ceiling.

The combo rank of 2,290 out of 2,902 means that 612 other combinations perform worse, while 2,289 combinations achieve higher FPS in this game. Given the CPU's standing at the 96th percentile among all processors, the ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU's 58th percentile position. This is a classic imbalance scenario where the processor has substantial headroom that the GPU cannot utilize at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 85 FPS, which is reasonable for a mid-range GPU, but at 4K Ultra, the 19 FPS average is borderline unplayable. The combo's rank of 2,290 suggests that many other GPU pairings — even with less capable CPUs — would outperform this configuration in Red Dead Redemption 2, simply because they have stronger graphics hardware.

# FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 63, with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73.

Q: How does the CPU's individual ranking compare to the combo's in-game ranking?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus ranks at the 96th percentile among all CPUs, while the combo ranks 2,290 out of 2,902 tested combinations in Red Dead Redemption 2, indicating the GPU significantly limits overall performance.

Q: What is the highest average FPS measured for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS is 85, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 42, compared to 85 at 1080p Low — a 50.6% drop that scales almost exactly with pixel count, which is characteristic of GPU-bound performance.

Q: What are the nearest rival GPUs in terms of benchmark score?

A: The nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (0% delta), AMD Radeon 680M (0.1% delta), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM (0.6% delta), and AMD Radeon RX 7600 (0.8% delta), all within 1% of the RTX 2060's average benchmark score.

Q: How much VRAM does the RTX 2060 have, and what is its memory bandwidth?

A: The RTX 2060 has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo spans three resolutions and four settings tiers, providing a complete picture of performance scaling.

At 1920x1080, the lowest settings yield the highest performance: Low settings produce an average of 85 FPS. Medium settings reduce the average to 63 FPS, with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73. High settings lower the average further to 53 FPS. Ultra settings bring the average down to 38 FPS. The spread from 85 to 38 FPS across settings at 1080p demonstrates the GPU's sensitivity to graphical fidelity, with a 55.3% reduction from Low to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops are consistent. Low settings average 63 FPS, Medium settings average 47 FPS (minimum 40, maximum 54), High settings average 39 FPS, and Ultra settings average 28 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is approximately 25% across all settings levels, confirming that resolution scaling is uniform regardless of the quality preset.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become severe. Low settings average 42 FPS, Medium settings average 31 FPS (minimum 27, maximum 36), High settings average 26 FPS, and Ultra settings average 19 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 19 FPS is below playable thresholds for most users, and even 4K Low at 42 FPS is marginal. The data shows that the RTX 2060 is not suitable for 4K gaming in this title at any settings level, with the best 4K result being 42 FPS at Low.

The minimum FPS data points, available only for Medium settings, show that the game maintains reasonable frame pacing: 54 at 1080p, 40 at 1440p, and 27 at 4K. These minimums are approximately 85% of the average values, suggesting no major stuttering issues, but the absolute values at 4K are still low.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1080p gaming, Medium settings at 63 FPS average provides a balanced experience, with the minimum of 54 FPS ensuring smooth gameplay in most scenes. High settings at 53 FPS is also viable, though the drop of 10 FPS from Medium may not justify the visual improvement for all users. Low settings at 85 FPS is the best choice for competitive or high-refresh-rate play, but the visual compromise is significant. Ultra settings at 38 FPS is playable but falls below the 60 FPS threshold, so it is recommended only for users who prioritize visual quality over smoothness and are willing to tolerate occasional dips.

For 1440p gaming, Low settings at 63 FPS is the only preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS. Medium settings at 47 FPS is acceptable for slower-paced gameplay, with the 40 FPS minimum still maintaining playability. High settings at 39 FPS and Ultra at 28 FPS are below the 40 FPS playability threshold for many users, so they are not recommended unless the user accepts significant frame rate compromises.

For 4K gaming, none of the settings levels provide a consistently smooth experience. Low settings at 42 FPS is the best achievable, but it still falls short of the 60 FPS target. Medium at 31 FPS, High at 26 FPS, and Ultra at 19 FPS are all below playable thresholds for most users. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo is not a viable option, and users should either reduce resolution or upgrade the GPU.

The overall recommendation is to use Medium settings at 1080p for the best balance of visual quality and performance, or Low settings at 1440p if higher resolution is preferred. The 1080p Medium preset at 63 FPS average with a 54 FPS minimum offers a consistent experience that avoids the visual compromises of Low while maintaining smooth frame rates. For users with 1440p monitors, Low settings at 63 FPS is the recommended choice, as it delivers the same frame rate as 1080p Medium while offering a sharper image, albeit with reduced graphical detail.