Road 96

Road 96 is a narrative-driven adventure where performance is about consistency as much as raw speed. The data for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination shows a title that scales predictably with settings, though the ultra-high refresh rates at lower resolutions expose the CPU as a limiting factor. This pairing delivers a playable experience even at 4K Ultra, but the most balanced experience is found in the middle of the settings range.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals how the workload shifts from the CPU to the GPU as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound. With Low settings, the average FPS hits 388, which is a massive 69% higher than the 231 FPS average at High settings. This massive swing at the same resolution indicates that the Ryzen 5 5500’s six cores are the bottleneck; the RTX 4090 is so fast that it is waiting for the CPU to feed it frames. The same pattern holds at 1440p, where Low averages 249 FPS versus 147 FPS at High. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a drop of about 36% at High settings (231 to 147 FPS), which is a significant reduction but still leaves the game very playable.

Moving to 4K, the tables turn. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 78 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 61 FPS. The gap between 1080p High and 4K High is a 66% reduction in average FPS, confirming that the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck at this resolution. The RTX 4090’s massive compute resources are what keep the frame rates in the playable range, but the CPU's influence is still visible in the smaller gaps between settings. For example, at 4K, the difference between Low and High is 132 to 78 FPS, a 41% drop, whereas the difference between Medium and Low is 97 to 132 FPS, a 26% drop. This shows that the GPU is still the limiting factor but the CPU is not entirely idle.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows show a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and performance. At 1080p, the Low preset hits 388 FPS, which is far beyond any display's refresh rate, making it a wasted resource. The Medium preset at 287 FPS is similarly excessive. The High preset at 231 FPS is the highest setting that still yields a very high frame rate, making it the best choice for high-refresh monitors. The Ultra preset at 181 FPS is still very high, but the visual gains from Ultra over High are typically modest in a game like Road 96, which is stylized and not geometry-heavy. The data suggests that High at 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, as it balances the CPU's capability with the GPU's headroom.

At 1440p, the same logic applies. Medium at 183 FPS is a massive amount of performance, and High at 147 FPS is also excellent. The Ultra preset at 115 FPS is still smooth, but the difference between High and Ultra is a 22% drop in average frames. Given that most 1440p monitors max out at 144 Hz or 165 Hz, the High preset is the best choice, as it matches the refresh rate without wasted frames. The Medium preset is a viable alternative if you want extra headroom for future titles.

At 4K, the RTX 4090 is finally stretched. The Low preset at 132 FPS is an option for high-refresh 4K displays, but the Medium preset at 97 FPS is a better balance of visual quality and speed. The High preset at 78 FPS is still playable, but the Ultra preset at 61 FPS is at the edge of the playable range, and the game's narrative style might not justify the visual upgrade. The data shows that Medium at 4K is the optimal choice, as it offers a 24% higher frame rate over High while still maintaining a solid visual experience.

GPU Role

The RTX 4090 is a flagship GPU with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 384-bit memory interface, providing 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 2235 MHz and boost clock is 2520 MHz. These specs are far beyond the needs of Road 96. The game is not a graphical showcase, and the RTX 4090's raw power is not fully utilized at lower resolutions, where the CPU is the bottleneck. The memory capacity is also overkill, as Road 96's asset sizes are not large enough to exceed even a small fraction of the frame buffer. The GPU's role is most pronounced at 4K Ultra, where its compute capabilities are the reason the average stays above 60 FPS. Without the RTX 4090, this resolution and preset would likely not be playable on a mid-range card. The GPU's performance in the passmark G3D benchmark is 38194, which is 88th percentile among all GPUs, confirming its position at the top of the stack. In the game, the GPU is the key to keeping 4K playable, but the CPU's six cores are the hard wall at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is detailed across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 388 FPS, the High preset averages 231 FPS, and the Medium averages 297 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 181 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum of 244 FPS and a maximum of 330 FPS, showing a 26% variance from the average. At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 249 FPS, the Medium averages 183 FPS with a minimum of 155 and a maximum of 210, the High averages 147 FPS, and the Ultra averages 115 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 132 FPS, the Medium averages 97 FPS with a minimum of 82 and a maximum of 111, the High averages 78 FPS, and the Ultra averages 61 FPS. The data shows a consistent 20-25% average frame drop when moving from Medium to High across all resolutions, while the jump from High to Ultra is a more substantial 15-20% drop. The minimum FPS data for Medium settings shows that the 1% lows are also consistent with the average, indicating a stable performance profile.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and NVIDIA RTX 4090 combination is ranked 175th out of 3713 tested combos in Road 96. This places it in the top 5% of all tested systems, which is a strong overall performance. The CPU's own percentile is 73rd among all CPUs, and the GPU is 88th percentile among all GPUs. The combination is higher than either component's individual percentile, which is due to the game's single-threaded nature. The Ryzen 5 5500's single-thread performance is strong, as shown in the 3dmark single-thread test where it scores 836, and the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2319. These scores are not the highest, but they are sufficient to keep the system from being the bottleneck in a game like Road 96. The nearest rival for the CPU is the AMD Ryzen AI 5 430, which is 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i5-12500, which is 0.4% faster. The nearest GPU rival is the Intel Arc Pro A60, which is 0% different, and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, which is 0.3% slower. The combo's rank confirms the balance of the two components, though the CPU is clearly the limiting factor at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: The average frame rate at 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset is 61 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data shows a significant drop from 388 FPS at Low to 231 FPS at High at 1920x1080, indicating the CPU is the bottleneck.

Q: What is the recommended preset for a 1440p monitor?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 averages 147 FPS, which is a good match for 144 Hz displays. The Medium preset at 183 FPS is also a viable option.

Q: How does the RTX 4090's memory affect Road 96?

A: The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory and 384-bit bus are massive overkill for Road 96, which does not have demanding asset sizes. The GPU's role is more about raw compute at 4K.

Q: What is the combo's rank in the game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and RTX 4090 combination ranks 175th out of 2233 tested system combos.

Q: Is the Ultra preset viable at 1080p?

A: Yes, the 1080p Ultra preset averages 181 FPS, which is still very high, but the visual gain over High is likely small in this game.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1440p with Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 2560x1440 with the Medium preset is 155 FPS, with a maximum of 210 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU's single-core performance affect the game?

A: The Ryzen 5 5500's single-core score of 836 in 3dMark and 2319 in Cinebench 23 is sufficient for Road 96, but at 1080p it still limits the GPU's output, as the CPU is the primary factor in the 1080p FPS numbers.