Road 96

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 produces a very constrained experience in Road 96, ranking in the bottom 11% of tested combinations. Measured frame rates show that this combo is playable only at lower resolutions and settings, with the Intel Arc B390 acting as the clear limiting factor based on its position in the GPU percentile hierarchy and the steep frame rate drops as resolution increases. The data indicates a system that can handle the game’s narrative adventure genre at 1080p with adjusted settings, but it falls short of smooth performance at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination for Road 96?

A: The combo ranks 2575 out of 2903 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 11.3% of all tested combos for this game. This indicates a below-average pairing for achieving high frame rates.

Q: How does the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F compare to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F?

A: The Ryzen 5 8400F has an average benchmark score of 25005, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F’s score of 24964. This is a negligible performance difference, effectively putting the two CPUs at parity in general compute tasks.

Q: What is the performance percentile of the Intel Arc B390 compared to all GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it performs better than only 9% of the GPUs in the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score is 1482, based on a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test.

Q: Which resolution provides the highest average frame rate for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings, producing 94 FPS. This is the only configuration that exceeds 90 FPS, while the 2560x1440 Low setting reaches 60 FPS.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 60 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to 28 FPS. This represents a 32 FPS decrease, or a 53.3% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest quality settings.

Q: Does the Intel Arc B390 have dedicated VRAM?

A: No, the Intel Arc B390 uses System Shared memory for its VRAM, with the memory type and bus width also listed as System Shared. The memory bandwidth is described as System Dependent, meaning it relies on the system’s main memory rather than dedicated graphics memory.

How This Combo Ranks

The measured data places this AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and Intel Arc B390 combination at rank 2575 out of 2903 tested combos for Road 96. This rank, which falls in the bottom 11.3% of all combinations, immediately signals that this hardware pairing is not optimized for high-performance gaming in this title. The rank is a composite reflection of the CPU’s strong showing relative to its peers and the GPU’s very weak position relative to its own peers.

The CPU, an AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, is a capable processor. It features 6 cores and 12 threads based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. Its benchmark results show a percentile rank of 77 among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms 77% of the CPUs in the database. Its average benchmark score of 25005 places it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which scores 24964 and is only 0.2% slower. It also edges out the Intel Core i7-11850H, which is 0.3% slower, and the Intel Core i7-13620H, which is 0.4% slower. In multi-threaded workloads like Cinebench R23, it scores 20851, and in single-threaded tests it scores 2943. This data shows a processor that should not bottleneck most games at standard resolutions.

However, the Intel Arc B390 is the antithesis of the CPU in terms of relative performance. With a percentile rank of 9 among all GPUs, it is in the bottom 9% of the graphics card market. Its average benchmark score of 1482 comes from a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its nearest rivals are all older, entry-level NVIDIA parts: the GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and the GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). Being only slightly faster than a GeForce GT 710 in this benchmark is a damning indicator of its gaming capability. The GPU’s specifications support this low standing, with only 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, alongside a modest FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS.

The result is a profound imbalance. The CPU has the headroom to push far higher frame rates, but the GPU caps the system’s output. The combo rank of 2575 is a direct consequence of this GPU bottleneck. For a game like Road 96, which is an adventure title that does not typically demand extreme hardware, the combo still struggles to maintain high frame rates at higher settings, confirming that the GPU is the primary constraint in this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and dramatic scaling pattern as resolution increases, which strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting component. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 56 FPS. Moving up to 2560x1440 with the same High settings, the average drops to 35 FPS, a reduction of 21 FPS or 37.5%. When resolution is increased again to 3840x2160, the average plummets to 19 FPS, which is a further drop of 16 FPS or 45.7% from the 1440p result.

This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario. The number of pixels being rendered increases quadratically with resolution. At 4K, there are four times as many pixels as at 1080p. The fact that the frame rate does not scale linearly with pixel count, but instead drops by over 66% from 1080p to 4K, points to the GPU running out of processing power to fill those pixels. A CPU-bound system would show a much flatter curve, where the frame rate is relatively consistent across resolutions until the GPU eventually becomes overwhelmed. Here, the frame rate begins its sharp descent at 1440p, showing the GPU is already struggling at that resolution.

The data for Low settings reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p Low, the average is 94 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 60 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 32 FPS. Even with the lowest graphical settings, which reduce the GPU workload significantly, the frame rate still halves when moving from 1080p to 4K. This indicates that the GPU’s raw pixel throughput is insufficient for high-resolution output. The CPU, which is far more powerful relative to its peers, is not the cause of this drop, as it has ample single-threaded performance (2943 in Cinebench R23) to handle the game’s logic at any of these resolutions.

The implication is clear: for this combo, resolution is the primary lever on performance. Users targeting higher resolutions will face severe frame rate penalties. The sweet spot for this hardware is 1080p, where the GPU’s limitations are less pronounced. At 1440p, the system is only viable at Low settings, and at 4K, it is not viable for smooth gameplay, with even Low settings failing to reach 60 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the combo’s performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. The data is presented as average FPS, with minimum and maximum FPS provided only for the Medium preset at each resolution.

At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results. The Low preset averages 94 FPS, which is the highest score recorded for this system. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, indicating a relatively stable frame time. The High preset averages 56 FPS, which is playable but approaches the edge of smoothness for some users. The Ultra preset averages 43 FPS, which is a significant drop and suggests a less fluid experience. The scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 51 FPS difference, which is a 54.3% reduction in performance.

At 2560x1440, the performance degrades notably. The Low preset is the only one to reach an average of 60 FPS, which is the minimum for a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS, showing more variance and occasional dips below 40 FPS. The High preset averages 35 FPS, which is choppy. The Ultra preset averages 28 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable playability. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 32 FPS, or 53.3%.

At 3840x2160, the combo is largely overwhelmed. The Low preset averages 32 FPS, which is the highest score at this resolution but is still below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset averages 23 FPS, with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS, showing a very tight but low frame rate range. The High preset averages 19 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 15 FPS, which is the lowest score in the entire dataset. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 17 FPS, or 53.1%.

The Medium preset data, which includes min and max FPS, shows that the frame rate variance is relatively contained. At 1080p, the 69 FPS average has a 20 FPS spread between min and max. At 1440p, the 44 FPS average has a 13 FPS spread. At 4K, the 23 FPS average has a 7 FPS spread. This suggests that while the average frame rate is low at higher resolutions, the frame pacing is not erratic; the system is consistently delivering low performance rather than stuttering wildly.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the dominant factor in this combo’s performance, and its specifications and benchmark results fully explain the measured FPS data. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, but its memory configuration is a major liability. It uses System Shared memory, with the memory type and bus width also listed as System Shared. This means the GPU does not have its own dedicated VRAM; instead, it relies on the system’s main DDR5 memory, which is shared with the CPU. The memory bandwidth is described as System Dependent, which means it is tied to the performance of the system’s memory controller and RAM. For the Ryzen 5 8400F, the memory bandwidth is listed as 83.2 GB/s, but achieving this depends on the specific memory configuration, and the GPU’s access to this bandwidth is shared with the CPU.

This shared memory architecture is a significant bottleneck for gaming. Modern games require high memory bandwidth for textures and frame buffers. A discrete GPU with dedicated GDDR6 memory typically has bandwidth in the hundreds of GB/s. The Arc B390’s reliance on system memory means it must compete with the CPU for bandwidth, and the actual bandwidth available to the GPU will be lower than the theoretical maximum. This is reflected in the GPU’s low benchmark score and its 9th percentile ranking.

The GPU’s compute specifications also point to its limited capability. With 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs, the GPU has a low pixel fill rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS. These are entry-level numbers, and the GPU’s nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts like the GeForce GT 520MX and GeForce GT 710, which are over a decade old and were never designed for high-end gaming.

The GPU’s 80 W TDP and its classification as an IGP (Integrated Graphics Processor) further confirm its positioning. This is not a discrete add-in card; it is an integrated solution. The fact that it is being paired with a powerful desktop CPU like the Ryzen 5 8400F is unusual, but the data shows that the GPU cannot keep up with the CPU’s potential. The CPU can easily process the game’s logic and render commands, but the GPU is unable to transform those commands into pixels at a high rate, especially at higher resolutions. The result is that the GPU is the unequivocal performance limiter in this pairing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo are dependent on the target resolution. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the user is restricted to 1920x1080 with the Low preset, which delivers an average of 94 FPS. This is the only configuration that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

For users who prefer 1080p with higher visual quality, the Medium preset is a viable alternative. It averages 69 FPS, with a minimum of 59 FPS, meaning it will occasionally dip just below 60 FPS but should generally feel smooth. The High preset at 1080p averages 56 FPS, which is playable but may exhibit noticeable frame drops in busier scenes. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 43 FPS, which is below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience and is not recommended for action-oriented gameplay, though it may be acceptable for a slower-paced adventure title.

At 2560x1440, the options are more limited. The Low preset is the only one that achieves an average of 60 FPS. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS, which will be noticeable as stutter. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p, with averages of 35 FPS and 28 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience. Users with a 1440p monitor should strongly consider using the Low preset to maintain a playable frame rate.

At 3840x2160, no preset provides a playable experience. The Low preset averages 32 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and will look choppy. The Medium, High, and Ultra presets, with averages of 23 FPS, 19 FPS, and 15 FPS respectively, are all unplayable for a smooth experience. The data indicates that this combo is not suitable for 4K gaming in Road 96.

The overall recommendation is to prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity. The game is an adventure title, and a stable frame rate is often more important for the experience than minor graphical improvements. For this combo, the best experience is achieved at 1080p with the Medium preset, which offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. If a higher resolution is required, the user must be prepared to drop to Low settings and accept a lower frame rate. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it produces the lowest frame rates at every resolution and offers diminishing returns in visual quality for a significant performance cost. The data clearly shows that the Medium preset at 1080p provides the best measured experience, with a 69 FPS average that is 13 FPS higher than the next best playable option (1080p High) and a minimum FPS of 59 that stays just above the 60 FPS target.