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 155 FPS, suitable for 144Hz+ monitors. At 1440p, all settings exceed 124 FPS. At 4K, all settings exceed 87 FPS.
The GeForce RTX 4090 is 279% above the recommended GPU (GeForce GTX 1060) for Red Dead Redemption 2. The Xeon E-2488 is 251% above the recommended CPU (Core i7-4770K).
At lower resolutions (1080p (low/medium), 1440p (low/medium)), the Xeon E-2488 sets the FPS ceiling. As graphical load increases at (4k (high/ultra)), the GeForce RTX 4090 becomes the FPS-limiting side. The FPS ceiling is closely matched at 1080p (high/ultra), 1440p (high/ultra), 4k (low/medium).
This section is based on estimated CPU/GPU FPS ceilings, not utilization percentages.
At 4k ultra, the GeForce RTX 4090 sets the ceiling at about 78 FPS, while the Xeon E-2488 has headroom up to 88 FPS. In this scenario, the GPU limits the CPU potential by 11% (FPS gap: 10 FPS). Overall distribution: GPU limits 2/12 cells, CPU limits 4/12, balanced 6/12.
The Xeon E-2488 and GeForce RTX 4090 stay close in effective frame-generation ceiling across most presets, so neither side consistently suppresses the other by a large margin.
| Resolution | Low | Medium | High | Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1080p (Full HD) | CPU Limits GPU 7% | CPU Limits GPU 9% | Balanced | Balanced |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU Limits GPU 8% | CPU Limits GPU 8% | Balanced | Balanced |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | Balanced | Balanced | GPU Limits CPU 8% | GPU Limits CPU 11% |
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) | CPU50% - 57% <> GPU40% - 65% <> | CPU47% - 55% <> GPU58% - 77% <> | CPU25% - 37% <> GPU57% - 76% <> | CPU18% - 36% <> GPU57% - 76% <> |
| 1440p (2K QHD) | CPU26% - 43% <> GPU65% - 85% <> | CPU24% - 40% <> GPU90% - 99% <> | CPU23% - 40% <> GPU90% - 98% <> | CPU21% - 36% <> GPU89% - 98% <> |
| 4K (Ultra HD) | CPU25% - 40% <> GPU71% - 87% <> | CPU27% - 40% <> GPU100% - 100% | CPU26% - 39% <> GPU99% - 100% <> | CPU16% - 30% <> GPU99% - 100% <> |
The Xeon E-2488 + GeForce RTX 4090 pairing runs this title with CPU utilization between 16% and 57% and GPU utilization between 40% and 100%. Xeon E-2488 keeps significant headroom across presets, while GeForce RTX 4090 carries most of the graphics load at heavier visual settings. As resolution scales, average GPU load rises from 63% at 1080p to 95% at 4K, while CPU averages move from 41% to 30%.
From a utilization perspective, this is a GPU-heavy load profile. At 4K (Ultra HD) Medium, the GeForce RTX 4090 averages 100% usage (100-100%), while the Xeon E-2488 stays at 34% (27-40%). This shows the graphics pipeline is carrying most of the workload, but utilization alone does not define the FPS limiter.
At 1080p, averages sit around CPU 41% and GPU 63%. At 1440p, that shifts to CPU 32% and GPU 89%, and at 4K it reaches CPU 30% and GPU 95%. 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 32% (24-40%) and GPU 94% (90-99%), which keeps GeForce RTX 4090 well utilized without constant max-out behavior while Xeon E-2488 remains stable for consistent frame delivery.
Upgrade priority should be the GPU. The GeForce RTX 4090 reaches 100% average load at 4K (Ultra HD) Medium while the Xeon E-2488 still has headroom, so a faster graphics card would deliver the largest uplift.
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 CPU is 251% above and your GPU is 279% above the recommended specs. Ultra settings at 1080p, or High at 1440p/4K.
+251%vsrecommended
+279%vsrecommended
+670%vsminimum
+539%vsminimum
Yes, the Xeon E-2488 paired with the GeForce RTX 4090 can run Red Dead Redemption 2 smoothly up to 4k achieving around 87 FPS at Ultra quality. Your GPU is 279% above the recommended specs, and your CPU is 251% above the recommended requirements.
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 Xeon E-2488 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, 1440p low, 1440p medium. GPU fully utilized at: 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 Xeon E-2488 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.
