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, all quality settings exceed 118 FPS. At 1440p, all settings exceed 94 FPS. At 4K, frame rates range from 57 to 93 FPS.
The GeForce RTX 4090 is 279% above the recommended GPU (GeForce GTX 1060) for Red Dead Redemption 2. The Ryzen 5 3600 is 95% above the recommended CPU (Core i7-4770K).
The Ryzen 5 3600 determines the performance ceiling at all 1080p settings, all 1440p settings, all 4k settings, while the GPU has headroom.
Approximated average price on current market:
Combo price: $1729. At 1080p Ultra, this combo delivers 118 FPS, equivalent to 0.07 FPS per dollar.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p | 0.100 fps/$ | 0.088 fps/$ | 0.078 fps/$ | 0.068 fps/$ |
| 1440p | 0.078 fps/$ | 0.065 fps/$ | 0.060 fps/$ | 0.054 fps/$ |
| 4k | 0.054 fps/$ | 0.049 fps/$ | 0.038 fps/$ | 0.033 fps/$ |
* Table values represent FPS per Dollar (higher is better)
At 1080p low, the Ryzen 5 3600 sets the ceiling at about 176 FPS, while the GeForce RTX 4090 could reach 250 FPS. In this scenario, the CPU limits the GPU potential by 30% (FPS gap: 74 FPS). Overall distribution: CPU limits 12/12 cells, GPU limits 0/12, balanced 0/12.
Your Ryzen 5 3600 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 30% | CPU Limits GPU 29% | CPU Limits GPU 26% | CPU Limits GPU 20% |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU Limits GPU 21% | CPU Limits GPU 25% | CPU Limits GPU 24% | CPU Limits GPU 17% |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | CPU Limits GPU 14% | CPU Limits GPU 16% | CPU Limits GPU 24% | CPU Limits GPU 20% |
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.
The displayed percentages are derived from FPS ceilings, not generic utilization heuristics.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p (Full HD) | CPU74% - 89% <> GPU35% - 63% <> | CPU67% - 83% <> GPU54% - 76% <> | CPU52% - 70% <> GPU53% - 75% <> | CPU44% - 69% <> GPU53% - 74% <> |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU37% - 49% <> GPU57% - 79% <> | CPU32% - 43% <> GPU82% - 93% <> | CPU33% - 44% <> GPU81% - 92% <> | CPU33% - 44% <> GPU81% - 92% <> |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | CPU28% - 43% <> GPU71% - 84% <> | CPU26% - 41% <> GPU98% - 100% <> | CPU28% - 41% <> GPU98% - 100% <> | CPU19% - 36% <> GPU98% - 100% <> |
The Ryzen 5 3600 + GeForce RTX 4090 pairing runs this title with CPU utilization between 19% and 89% and GPU utilization between 35% and 100%. Ryzen 5 3600 stays in a controlled operating range, while GeForce RTX 4090 becomes the primary limiter at high visual load. As resolution scales, average GPU load rises from 61% at 1080p to 94% at 4K, while CPU averages move from 69% to 33%.
This profile is GPU-bound. At 4K (Ultra HD) Medium, the GeForce RTX 4090 averages 99% usage (98-100%), while the Ryzen 5 3600 stays at 34% (26-41%), indicating the graphics pipeline is the limiting stage.
At 1080p, averages sit around CPU 69% and GPU 61%. At 1440p, that shifts to CPU 39% and GPU 82%, and at 4K it reaches CPU 33% and GPU 94%. This shows that workload scaling is present on both components, with stronger pressure on the GPU.
1440p (2K QHD) Medium is the most balanced preset based on this dataset. It runs around CPU 38% (32-43%) and GPU 88% (82-93%), which keeps GeForce RTX 4090 well utilized without constant max-out behavior while Ryzen 5 3600 remains stable for consistent frame delivery.
Current utilization does not show an urgent upgrade requirement for either component; the Ryzen 5 3600 and GeForce RTX 4090 remain reasonably matched for this title.
Understanding Hardware Utilization & Bottlenecks: These percentages represent how much of your component's maximum processing power is actively being used during gameplay. This is the key to identifying performance bottlenecks in any system.
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 CPU is 95% above and your GPU is 279% above the recommended specs. Ultra settings at 1080p, or High at 1440p/4K.
+95%vsrecommended
+279%vsrecommended
+327%vsminimum
+539%vsminimum
Yes, the Ryzen 5 3600 paired with the GeForce RTX 4090 can run Red Dead Redemption 2 smoothly up to 1440p achieving around 94 FPS at Ultra quality. Your GPU is 279% above the recommended specs, and your CPU is 95% above the recommended requirements.
This CPU + GPU combo costs approximately $1729 ($80 CPU (Rank #12 Value) + $1649 GPU (Rank #77 Value)). Your build is already very cost-efficient, but if you want even more FPS, the next good option is upgrading the CPU. For example, the Ryzen 9 9950X is a great upgrade option for around $649 (Rank #5 for value).
For Red Dead Redemption 2, upgrading the CPU would have the biggest impact on performance. The Ryzen 5 3600 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 Ryzen 5 3600 and GeForce RTX 4090 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.
