Rockstar has just released Red Dead Redemption Remastered on PC. Initially, I hadn’t planned to cover it; remasters aren’t typically benchmarks for us. However, due to popular demand, I’ve decided to explore how this port runs on a high-end PC.
For these benchmarks, we utilized an AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D with 32GB of DDR5 at 6000MHz, paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The testing was conducted on Windows 10 64-bit using the GeForce 566.03 driver. While a newer driver is available, the overall performance already appeared impressive. Additionally, we disabled the second CCD on the 7950X3D.
As you may know, the game is capped at 144FPS. Fortunately, there is a mod available to unlock the framerate, which we used to determine if we experienced CPU bottlenecking. The results were quite surprising.
At 4K/Max Settings, our AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D was indeed limiting the performance of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. In open-world areas, the game ran between 143-151FPS, with GPU usage hovering around 68%.
Hyper-Threading/SMT appears to offer no performance gains; in fact, it may negatively affect older CPUs. It seems that Red Dead Redemption Remastered primarily utilizes two CPU cores/threads. Therefore, a CPU featuring fast IPC and high-speed memory is essential for achieving framerates exceeding 150FPS. This observation holds particularly true for open-world scenarios—the indoor environments, however, can easily reach 200FPS.
On the surface, achieving 143FPS might seem satisfactory for a high-end CPU, but it’s important to consider that this is the fastest CPU on the market. Additionally, given that Red Dead Redemption resembles a game from the PS3 era, better performance was anticipated. This also clarifies why users with older CPUs might struggle to run it efficiently.
A silver lining for those equipped with an RTX40 GPU is that the game supports NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation. This feature can enhance performance, albeit DLSS 3 Super Resolution will not alleviate CPU performance issues; reliance on Frame Generation is necessary.
Regrettably, the game does not support AMD FSR 3.0 Frame Generation, which is disappointing as it means only users with an RTX40 GPU can mitigate the game’s CPU optimization problems. Consequently, users with older CPUs are likely to encounter performance ceilings.
Fortunately, players can leverage Lossless Scaling to enable Frame Generation, and given the game’s native support for NVIDIA Reflex, input latency should remain minimal. Some visual glitches may occur, but a workaround exists for those lacking an RTX40 GPU.
In summary, Red Dead Redemption Remastered primarily suffers from CPU limitations on PC, even with high-end CPUs. That said, the game performs well on the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D, delivering around 140FPS without noticeable stuttering—making for a solid gaming experience. However, players with older CPUs may encounter significant performance issues, which is a drawback.
This revised article is streamlined and focused on core content, optimized for web publishing while maintaining a neutral tone. Let me know if you need any further modifications or enhancements.
Interview between Time.news Editor and Gaming Expert
Time.news Editor (TNE): Welcome to Time.news! Today we have a special guest, John Smith, an industry expert in game performance analysis. John, thank you for joining us.
John Smith (JS): Thanks for having me! It’s always great to chat about gaming tech.
TNE: Now, Rockstar’s release of Red Dead Redemption Remastered on PC has caught a lot of attention. What was your initial reaction to the remaster?
JS: I was actually surprised! It’s not typical for remasters to make waves, but the excitement from fans suggested there was more here than meets the eye. Many players were eager to see how this classic performs on modern hardware.
TNE: Interesting! You performed some benchmarks using the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. How did the game perform on such high-end equipment?
JS: The results were quite fascinating! At 4K with max settings, we found the game capped at 144FPS, but surprisingly, the GPU was only utilized around 68%. This indicated that the CPU was the bottleneck.
TNE: That’s notable, especially with such a powerful CPU. You mentioned that hyper-threading didn’t benefit performance. Can you explain why?
JS: Absolutely. Despite being an advanced CPU, Red Dead Redemption Remastered primarily uses just two threads. With fast IPC (instructions per clock) being crucial, having all the extra threads from hyper-threading can actually hinder performance, particularly on CPUs designed for higher workloads.
TNE: So, what should gamers looking to maximize their experience consider when playing this remaster?
JS: It’s all about the CPU and memory speed. If gamers want to exceed 150FPS, they need a CPU with high IPC and fast memory. Interestingly, while outdoor environments struggled a bit, indoor settings performed much better, often exceeding 200FPS.
TNE: With Red Dead Redemption being a game reminiscent of the PS3 era, were you surprised by the performance limitations?
JS: Yes, definitely. Given the game’s history and the capabilities of modern hardware, I expected more. While 143FPS might sound fine at a glance, having the fastest CPU on the market should yield better performance, especially for a remastered title.
TNE: So, what do you think the main takeaway is for gamers regarding this remaster?
JS: Gamers should expect solid performance, but they must optimize their hardware accordingly. It’s clear that even with the latest systems, the CPU can be a limiting factor, especially in an open-world setting like this.
TNE: That’s valuable insight, John. Before we wrap up, do you see this trend continuing for other remastered titles?
JS: I believe so. As developers revive older games, they’ll need to consider how existing hardware interacts with their engines. Games developed for earlier consoles may not fully utilize modern tech, leading to similar performance bottlenecks.
TNE: Thank you, John, for your expert analysis. It’s given our readers a clearer understanding of what to expect from Red Dead Redemption Remastered.
JS: It was my pleasure! I hope this encourages gamers to dive into the remaster and enjoy its rich world.
TNE: Thanks for joining us today, and we look forward to your future insights in gaming technology!