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 30 to 70 FPS depending on quality settings. At 1440p, frame rates range from 25 to 54 FPS. At 4K, frame rates range from 11 to 28 FPS.
The GeForce RTX 4090 is 279% above the recommended GPU (GeForce GTX 1060) for Red Dead Redemption 2. The Core i5-4200M is 32% below minimum CPU requirement.
The Core i5-4200M sets the FPS ceiling at all 1080p settings, all 1440p settings, all 4k settings, while the GeForce RTX 4090 still has headroom.
This section is based on estimated CPU/GPU FPS ceilings, not utilization percentages.
At 4k ultra, the Core i5-4200M sets the ceiling at about 11 FPS, while the GeForce RTX 4090 could reach 77 FPS. In this scenario, the CPU limits the GPU potential by 86% (FPS gap: 66 FPS). Overall distribution: CPU limits 12/12 cells, GPU limits 0/12, balanced 0/12.
Your Core i5-4200M is the limiting side in the heaviest mismatch. This means part of the GeForce RTX 4090 rendering potential remains unused in those settings.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p (Full HD) | CPU Limits GPU 73% | CPU Limits GPU 73% | CPU Limits GPU 77% | CPU Limits GPU 80% |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU Limits GPU 69% | CPU Limits GPU 72% | CPU Limits GPU 77% | CPU Limits GPU 80% |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | CPU Limits GPU 76% | CPU Limits GPU 80% | CPU Limits GPU 85% | CPU Limits GPU 86% |
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.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p (Full HD) | CPU100% - 100% GPU17% - 28% <> | CPU100% - 100% GPU19% - 35% <> | CPU99% - 100% <> GPU20% - 40% <> | CPU98% - 100% <> GPU29% - 42% <> |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU100% - 100% GPU17% - 32% <> | CPU100% - 100% GPU19% - 38% <> | CPU100% - 100% GPU19% - 38% <> | CPU100% - 100% GPU29% - 42% <> |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | CPU97% - 100% <> GPU36% - 59% <> | CPU97% - 99% <> GPU37% - 62% <> | CPU98% - 100% <> GPU37% - 63% <> | CPU96% - 100% <> GPU38% - 63% <> |
The Core i5-4200M + GeForce RTX 4090 pairing runs this title with CPU utilization between 96% and 100% and GPU utilization between 17% and 63%. Core i5-4200M reaches high load in heavier scenarios, while GeForce RTX 4090 is utilized efficiently without persistent saturation. As resolution scales, average GPU load rises from 29% at 1080p to 50% at 4K, while CPU averages move from 100% to 98%.
From a utilization perspective, this is a CPU-heavy load profile. At 1080p (Full HD) Low, the Core i5-4200M reaches 100% average load (100-100%), while the GeForce RTX 4090 remains comparatively lower at 22% (17-28%). This points to heavier CPU-side frame preparation work, but utilization alone does not define the FPS limiter.
At 1080p, averages sit around CPU 100% and GPU 29%. At 1440p, that shifts to CPU 100% and GPU 29%, and at 4K it reaches CPU 98% and GPU 50%. This shows that GPU demand scales sharply with resolution while CPU load remains comparatively stable.
4K (Ultra HD) Medium is the most balanced preset based on this dataset. It runs around CPU 98% (97-99%) and GPU 50% (37-62%), which keeps GeForce RTX 4090 well utilized without constant max-out behavior while Core i5-4200M remains stable for consistent frame delivery.
Upgrade priority should be the CPU. The Core i5-4200M reaches 100% average load at 1080p (Full HD) Low while the GeForce RTX 4090 remains comparatively underutilized, so a faster processor would improve frame-time consistency and top-end FPS.
Understanding Hardware Utilization: These percentages represent how much of your component's maximum processing power is actively being used during gameplay. They describe hardware load, but they do not directly tell you which component sets the FPS ceiling.
Important: a CPU or GPU can still be the FPS limiter without reaching 100% utilization. Two processors can both show 40% usage and still deliver very different frame rates, depending on per-core speed, cache, engine threading, driver overhead, and frame preparation efficiency.
Data generated by our Machine Learning engine trained on real-world benchmarks. Shows the approximate average utilization at each setting.
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 hardware is below minimum requirements. CPU is the limiting factor (32% below minimum). Expect performance issues. Low settings recommended.
-69%vsrecommended
+279%vsrecommended
-32%vsminimum
+539%vsminimum
The Core i5-4200M and GeForce RTX 4090 will struggle to run Red Dead Redemption 2 at smooth framerates. At 1080p Ultra, you can expect around 30 FPS which is classified as "playable". Consider lowering settings or upgrading your hardware.
Price data is not currently available for this combination. In general, look for setups where the CPU and GPU are balanced — this ensures you're not overspending on one component that the other can't keep up with.
For Red Dead Redemption 2, upgrading the CPU would have the biggest impact on performance. The Core i5-4200M 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 low, 1080p medium, 1080p high, 1080p ultra, 1440p low, 1440p medium, 1440p high, 1440p ultra, 4k low, 4k medium, 4k high, 4k ultra.
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 hardware falls below the minimum requirements for this game, which may result in poor performance.
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.
