Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title from 2021, and the measured performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 reveals a configuration that scales predictably with resolution and settings. The data shows a system that delivers high frame rates at standard resolutions but begins to strain under the load of 4K Ultra settings. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across the board, examining what these numbers indicate about the CPU and GPU roles in this specific title.

Resolution Scaling

The progression from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scaling pattern. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 201 FPS, which drops to 128 FPS at 1440p and further to 68 FPS at 4K. This represents a 66% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the rendering load is scaling heavily with pixel count.

The scaling is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The system produces 93 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and only 31 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Ultra is a 67% decrease, showing that the most demanding preset places a consistent load on the GPU regardless of resolution. The frame rate gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases, from a 108 FPS difference at 1080p (201 vs 93) to a 37 FPS difference at 4K (68 vs 31).

This scaling behavior points to the GPU as the primary limiting component in this configuration. The RTX 4060, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus, shows a throughput ceiling that becomes apparent at higher resolutions. The 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth appears to be a constraining factor at 4K, where the pixel fill rate demands exceed what the card can sustain at high quality settings. The CPU’s role diminishes as resolution increases, a typical pattern where the graphics card becomes the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 1999 out of 3713 tested combinations in Road 96. This places it in the 46th percentile of all tested systems, meaning slightly below the median performance for this game. The rank reflects a mid-pack standing, which is consistent with the measured frame rates that are playable but not exceptional at higher resolutions.

The RTX 4060 holds a benchmark percentile of 61 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 with a delta of -0.2%, the AMD Radeon 780M with +0.3%, and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 with +0.5%. These are all within a narrow band of performance, suggesting the 4060’s compute capabilities are closely matched by these other cards, though none of these rivals are direct competitors in the same generation or class.

The Ryzen 7 7800X3D sits at the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33079. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G, Intel Core i7-13650HX, and AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX, all with a delta of 0%, and the AMD Ryzen 9 PRO 6950H with -0.4%. This high CPU percentile indicates that the processor is not a limiting factor in most scenarios, which aligns with the measured FPS data showing GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 119, with no minimum or maximum values recorded for this configuration.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this combo?

A: At 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 50 with a minimum of 42 and maximum of 57. At High settings, the average drops to 40 FPS, and at Ultra it falls to 31 FPS. Low settings at 4K yields 68 FPS average.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest benchmark rivals?

A: The GPU’s average benchmark score of 17639 is within 0.7% of the AMD Radeon Pro 460 (17509) and within 0.3% of the AMD Radeon 780M (17588). The AMD Radeon HD 7790 scores 17666, which is just 0.2% higher.

Q: What is the CPU’s benchmark standing relative to other processors?

A: The Ryzen 7 7800X3D has a percentile of 83 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 33079. It benchmarks nearly identically to the AMD Ryzen 7 8700G (33089), Intel Core i7-13650HX (33089), and AMD Ryzen 7 7745HX (33091).

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining high frame rates?

A: At 1920x1080, all settings achieve at least 93 FPS average, with Low hitting 201 FPS. At 2560x1440, High settings deliver 76 FPS and Low delivers 128 FPS. For consistent frame rates above 60 FPS, 1080p or 1440p with appropriate settings is recommended.

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS at Medium settings across resolutions?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 125 and maximum is 169. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 80 and maximum is 108. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 42 and maximum is 57.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a complete picture across three resolutions and four quality settings. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from a low of 93 FPS at Ultra to a high of 201 FPS at Low. The Medium preset records 147 FPS average with a minimum of 125 and maximum of 169, while High sits at 119 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1080p is well within the comfortable range for this hardware, with even the most demanding preset delivering nearly 100 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops proportionally. Low settings produce 128 FPS, High yields 76 FPS, and Ultra falls to 59 FPS. The Medium preset shows an average of 94 FPS with a minimum of 80 and maximum of 108. The gap between Medium and High at 1440p is 18 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 17 FPS, showing a consistent step-down in performance as quality increases.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain high frame rates. Low settings deliver 68 FPS, which is playable but not high refresh rate territory. Medium averages 50 FPS with a tight range of 42 to 57, indicating consistent performance without major dips. High drops to 40 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in most scenarios. The 4K results show that this combo is best suited for lower quality settings at this resolution.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, codenamed Raphael, built on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 120 W TDP. The CPU’s cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a substantial 96 MB of shared L3 cache. This large L3 cache is a defining feature of the X3D series and contributes to its strong benchmark performance.

In Road 96, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU at higher resolutions, but its capabilities are not wasted. The 83rd percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that this processor exceeds the vast majority of installed hardware. The single-thread performance is particularly strong, with a Geekbench single-core score of 2426 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1713. The multi-threaded performance is also robust, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 15610 and a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 16817.

The 3DMark results further illustrate the CPU’s scaling characteristics. The 2-thread score of 1887, 4-thread score of 3684, and 8-thread score of 6539 show near-linear scaling up to 8 threads. The max-thread score of 7967 is nearly identical to the 8-thread score, indicating that the 16 threads provide minimal additional benefit beyond 8 threads for this workload. This is consistent with a game like Road 96 that may not heavily utilize more than 8 threads. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s with dual-channel DDR5 support ensures that data can be fed to the cores efficiently, though the game’s demands are modest enough that the CPU rarely becomes a bottleneck.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings offer the best experience at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers 93 FPS, which is above the threshold for smooth gameplay on most displays. However, the Medium preset at 147 FPS offers a significant frame rate increase with only a moderate reduction in visual quality, making it the recommended choice for players who prioritize responsiveness over maximum detail. The Low preset at 201 FPS is excessive for most displays but useful for competitive play or high refresh rate monitors.

At 2560x1440, the High preset at 76 FPS provides a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. The Medium preset at 94 FPS is also viable and offers a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 59 FPS is borderline, falling just below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for smooth gameplay. For a consistent experience, Medium or High is recommended at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The Low preset at 68 FPS is the only setting that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 50 FPS is playable but may show noticeable frame pacing issues. The High preset at 40 FPS and Ultra at 31 FPS are below the acceptable range for most players. For 4K gaming with this combo, Low settings are the only reliable option, with Medium being a compromise for those who prioritize visual quality over frame rate.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using the AD107 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1830 MHz and a boost clock of 2460 MHz, with memory running at 2125 MHz or 17 Gbps effective. The card has 3072 shading units, 96 TMUs, and 48 ROPs, along with 24 RT cores and 96 tensor cores.

The GPU’s benchmark data shows a 61st percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639. Its nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks are all within a narrow performance band, with the AMD Radeon HD 7790 at 17666 (-0.2%), AMD Radeon 780M at 17588 (+0.3%), and AMD Radeon Pro 560 at 17551 (+0.5%). This clustering suggests that the 4060’s raw compute performance is comparable to these older or integrated parts, though the 4060’s newer architecture provides features like DirectX 12 Ultimate support that these rivals lack.

In Road 96, the GPU’s role is dominant at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 31 FPS indicates that the card’s 8 GB of VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are insufficient for the most demanding settings at this resolution. The 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s becomes a limiting factor at 4K. The GPU’s 115 W TDP and 300 W suggested PSU indicate an efficient design, but the performance ceiling is clear from the measured data. The 4060 is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers frame rates well above 60 FPS at most settings, but it is not a 4K-capable card for this title at high quality levels.