Red Dead Redemption 2FPS onCore i5-12500E&GeForce RTX 4090

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.

Red Dead Redemption 2 - FPS Estimates by Resolution

Actual FPS may vary based on RAM speed, background processes, and other system factors

1080P
low184 FPS
medium172 FPS
high155 FPS
ultra137 FPS
1440P
low139 FPS
medium130 FPS
high125 FPS
ultra115 FPS
4K
low95 FPS
medium93 FPS
high81 FPS
ultra72 FPS

Performance Report

Red Dead Redemption 2

GeForce RTX 4090 + Core i5-12500E
🎮Visual Experience

At 1080p, all quality settings exceed 137 FPS. At 1440p, all settings exceed 115 FPS. At 4K, all settings exceed 72 FPS.

Official Requirements

The GeForce RTX 4090 is 279% above the recommended GPU (GeForce GTX 1060) for Red Dead Redemption 2. The Core i5-12500E is 125% above the recommended CPU (Core i7-4770K).

AI Acceleration

Red Dead Redemption 2 supports: AFMF. This game does not have native DLSS 3 or FSR 3 Frame Generation support. AFMF is AMD-exclusive and not compatible with GeForce RTX 4090.

⚙️FPS Ceiling Analysis

The Core i5-12500E sets the FPS ceiling at all 1080p settings, 1440p (low/medium/high), 4k low, while the GeForce RTX 4090 still has headroom. The FPS ceiling is closely matched at 1440p ultra, 4k (medium/high/ultra).

💰Value Analysis

Approximated average price on current market:

GeForce RTX 4090:$1649(updated 2/6/2026)
Official Launch Price: $1599
Core i5-12500E:$200(updated 2/10/2026)
Official Launch Price: $225

Combo price: $1849. At 1080p Ultra, this combo delivers 137 FPS, equivalent to 0.07 FPS per dollar.

ResolutionLowMediumHighUltra
1080p0.100 fps/$0.093 fps/$0.084 fps/$0.074 fps/$
1440p0.075 fps/$0.070 fps/$0.068 fps/$0.062 fps/$
4k0.051 fps/$0.050 fps/$0.044 fps/$0.039 fps/$

* Table values represent FPS per Dollar (higher is better)

Performance Limiter Analysis

Core i5-12500E|GeForce RTX 4090

This section is based on estimated CPU/GPU FPS ceilings, not utilization percentages.

📈Analysis

At 1080p low, the Core i5-12500E sets the ceiling at about 188 FPS, while the GeForce RTX 4090 could reach 257 FPS. In this scenario, the CPU limits the GPU potential by 27% (FPS gap: 69 FPS). Overall distribution: CPU limits 9/12 cells, GPU limits 0/12, balanced 3/12.

Verdict

CPU Limits GPU

Your Core i5-12500E is the limiting side in the heaviest mismatch. This means part of the GeForce RTX 4090 rendering potential remains unused in those settings.

🧩Detailed Breakdown
1080p (Full HD)
LowCPU Limits GPU 27%
MediumCPU Limits GPU 20%
HighCPU Limits GPU 15%
UltraCPU Limits GPU 7%
1440p (2K QHD)
LowCPU Limits GPU 18%
MediumCPU Limits GPU 12%
HighCPU Limits GPU 10%
UltraBalanced
4K (Ultra HD)
LowCPU Limits GPU 13%
MediumCPU Limits GPU 8%
HighBalanced
UltraBalanced
Percentages show how much potential FPS of the stronger component is lost because the other component has a lower FPS ceiling.
🧠Methodology

We estimate the maximum FPS the processor can sustain and the maximum FPS the graphics card can sustain in each setting, then compare those limits directly.

Limit Factor formula: (stronger - weaker) / stronger. Example: if CPU ceiling is 200 FPS and GPU ceiling is 140 FPS, then GPU limits CPU by 30%.

CPU Limits GPU means the processor ceiling is lower. GPU Limits CPU means the graphics ceiling is lower. Balanced means the FPS ceilings are close enough that the gap is negligible.

A component can still be the FPS limiter without reaching 100% utilization. The displayed percentages are derived from FPS ceilings, not generic utilization heuristics.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Requirements Comparison

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.

CPU - Core i5-12500E
cpu icon
20,411
Your Score
MinimumCore i5-2500K
RecommendedCore i7-4770K
GPU - GeForce RTX 4090
gpu icon
38,112
Your Score
MinimumGeForce GTX 770
RecommendedGeForce GTX 1060

Your CPU is 125% above and your GPU is 279% above the recommended specs. Ultra settings at 1080p, or High at 1440p/4K.

CPU

+125%vsrecommended

GPU

+279%vsrecommended

CPU

+393%vsminimum

GPU

+539%vsminimum

Minimum Requirements
Video Card: GeForce GTX 770
Processor: Core i5-2500K
Memory: 8 GB
Disk Space: 150 GB
System: Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended Requirements
Video Card: GeForce GTX 1060
Processor: Core i7-4770K
Memory: 12 GB
Disk Space: 150 GB
System: Windows 10 64-bit

Frequently Asked Questions

1Can the Core i5-12500E and GeForce RTX 4090 run Red Dead Redemption 2 well?

Yes, the Core i5-12500E paired with the GeForce RTX 4090 can run Red Dead Redemption 2 smoothly up to 4k achieving around 72 FPS at Ultra quality. Your GPU is 279% above the recommended specs, and your CPU is 125% above the recommended requirements.

2Is there a more cost-effective setup to run Red Dead Redemption 2?

This CPU + GPU combo costs approximately $1849 ($200 CPU (Rank #179 Value) + $1649 GPU (Rank #77 Value)). Since the CPU is the main limiting factor, investing in a stronger processor will improve your framerates and overall value. For example, the Ryzen 9 9950X is a great upgrade option for around $649 (Rank #5 for value).

3Which component should I upgrade first to improve Red Dead Redemption 2 performance?

For Red Dead Redemption 2, upgrading the CPU would have the biggest impact on performance. The Core i5-12500E is currently the limiting factor — the GeForce RTX 4090 has extra headroom that a faster processor could take advantage of. This is especially noticeable at 1080p where CPU performance matters more. CPU-limited at: 1080p high, 1080p low, 1080p medium, 1080p ultra, 1440p high, 1440p low, 1440p medium, 4k low.

4Does this setup support Frame Generation for Red Dead Redemption 2?

Red Dead Redemption 2 currently only supports AFMF (AMD Fluid Motion Frames) for frame generation, which is an AMD-exclusive technology. Because you are using an NVIDIA GPU, you cannot use Frame Generation for this specific game. However, the game does support DLSS Upscaling and FSR Upscaling, which you should enable to render at a lower resolution and use AI to significantly boost your FPS without losing visual quality.

5What are the minimum and recommended specs for Red Dead Redemption 2?

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 Core i5-12500E and GeForce RTX 4090 both exceed the recommended specs, so you're well-positioned for a great experience.

6How accurate are these Red Dead Redemption 2 FPS estimates for the Core i5-12500E and GeForce RTX 4090?

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.