Red Dead Redemption 2
A masterpiece of the RAGE engine, heavily taxing the GPU with volumetric lighting and water physics. Interestingly, it has relatively low CPU utilization compared to its graphical demands. Be prepared for a massive 150GB install size.
Actual FPS may vary based on RAM speed, background processes, and other system factors
Performance Report
At 1080p, frame rates range from 44 to 96 FPS depending on quality settings. At 1440p, frame rates range from 33 to 66 FPS. At 4K, frame rates range from 17 to 38 FPS.
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is 36% above the recommended GPU (GeForce GTX 1060) for Red Dead Redemption 2. The Ryzen 7 7800X3D is 278% above the recommended CPU (Core i7-4770K).
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti sets the FPS ceiling at all 1080p settings, all 1440p settings, all 4k settings, while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D still has additional frame-generation headroom.
Approximated average price on current market:
Combo price: $478.13. At 1080p Ultra, this combo delivers 44 FPS, equivalent to 0.09 FPS per dollar.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 0.201 fps/$ | 0.176 fps/$ | 0.144 fps/$ | 0.092 fps/$ |
| 1440p | 0.138 fps/$ | 0.123 fps/$ | 0.100 fps/$ | 0.069 fps/$ |
| 4k | 0.079 fps/$ | 0.069 fps/$ | 0.056 fps/$ | 0.036 fps/$ |
* Table values represent FPS per Dollar (higher is better)
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This chart answers a simple question: which upgrade is more likely to increase FPS first? In this case, the answer is clearly the GPU.
The largest gap appears at 4K Ultra, where the GeForce GTX 980 Ti reaches about 17 FPS, while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D still has headroom up to roughly 78 FPS.
That means the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is hitting its performance ceiling first, leaving a 78% gap versus the Ryzen 7 7800X3D's available headroom in the most unbalanced scenario. Across all tested settings, this pairing is GPU-limited in 12 out of 12 cases, with 0 CPU-limited and 0 balanced results.
Overall, this is a clearly GPU-bound combination in this game.
The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is consistently the limiting part in this game, so upgrading the GPU is more likely to deliver a larger FPS gain than upgrading the CPU.
This chart shows which upgrade is more likely to unlock more FPS in each tested setting. The lower line represents the part that reaches its limit first. When the CPU and GPU lines stay close together, the system is more balanced. When the gap widens, one component is more clearly holding the other back. Hover any setting to inspect it.
The lower line is the current limiter. The closer the two lines are, the more balanced the CPU and GPU are for this game.
Each line represents an estimated FPS ceiling for one component, rather than live usage alone.
To estimate the CPU ceiling, we pair the Ryzen 7 7800X3D with GeForce RTX 5090, our current GPU anchor. To estimate the GPU ceiling, we pair the GeForce GTX 980 Ti with Ryzen 9 9950X3D, our current CPU anchor.
The lower line indicates the current limiter, since that component reaches its FPS ceiling first. In most scenarios, that is also the part most likely to deliver the bigger performance uplift if upgraded first.
The percentage shown represents the gap between the two ceilings. In practical terms, it shows how much of the stronger component's potential is left unused because the weaker one becomes the bottleneck first.
See how your processor and graphics card compare against the game official minimum and recommended system specs. The placement of your hardware is calculated using relative synthetic performance scores to help you gauge overall playability.
Your CPU is 278% above and your GPU is 36% above the recommended specs. High/Ultra at 1080p. Lower settings for higher resolutions.
+278%vsrecommended
+36%vsrecommended
+728%vsminimum
+130%vsminimum
The Ryzen 7 7800X3D and GeForce GTX 980 Ti will struggle to run Red Dead Redemption 2 at smooth framerates. At 1080p Ultra, you can expect around 44 FPS which is classified as "playable". Consider lowering settings or upgrading your hardware.
This CPU + GPU combo costs approximately $478.13 ($378.13 CPU + $100 GPU). Since the GPU is the main limiting factor, investing in a stronger GPU will improve your framerates and overall value. For example, upgrading to the GeForce RTX 3070 for around $499 (Rank #137 for value) could deliver noticeably better performance.
For Red Dead Redemption 2, upgrading the GPU would usually give you the most noticeable improvement. In the Performance Limiter Analysis, the GeForce GTX 980 Ti is the side that most often caps the frame rate, while the Ryzen 7 7800X3D still has additional headroom in the tested presets. The main bottleneck appears on the GPU side. The largest gap shows up at 4K Ultra, where the GPU reaches about 17 FPS while the CPU still has headroom up to roughly 78 FPS. Across all tested settings, the distribution is 12/12 GPU-limited, 0/12 CPU-limited, and 0/12 balanced.
Red Dead Redemption 2 does not currently support Frame Generation technologies like DLSS 3 or FSR 3. Your performance is based entirely on native rendering. If the game adds support in a future update, newer GPUs will benefit the most.
Red Dead Redemption 2 requires at minimum a Core i5-2500K (CPU) and GeForce GTX 770 (GPU) with 8 GB RAM and 150 GB storage. For the recommended experience, you need a Core i7-4770K and GeForce GTX 1060 with 12 GB RAM. Your Ryzen 7 7800X3D and GeForce GTX 980 Ti both exceed the recommended specs, so you're well-positioned for a great experience.
These Red Dead Redemption 2 FPS results are not arbitrary numbers. They come from calculations informed by thousands of real gaming benchmarks, and the typical accuracy range is around 10% to 15%. That makes them far more useful than generic FPS calculators that simply invent values without a benchmark foundation. Actual in-game performance can still vary with drivers, updates, RAM configuration, cooling, and the exact scene being rendered.
Performance estimates are based on synthetic benchmarks and hardware capabilities.
Results may vary based on drivers, OS, and background processes.
