Road 96

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B570 ranks 2324th out of 2903 tested combos for Road 96, placing it in the bottom 20% of all CPU-GPU pairings tested for this title. This is a surprisingly low ranking given the hardware involved, and it signals that the combination is heavily constrained by the GPU rather than the CPU. The data shows this is not a combo that will deliver a top-tier experience in Road 96; instead, it lands in a mid-to-low tier where playable frame rates are achievable only at lower resolutions and settings.

The low combo rank is driven almost entirely by the Intel Arc B570's position in the GPU hierarchy. The GPU sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1%), Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1%), NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (deltaPct 0.4%), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (deltaPct -0.5%). These are all mid-range or older mobile/desktop parts, and the B570 is essentially on par with them in raw compute terms. For a game like Road 96, which is not particularly demanding on GPU resources, one might expect better performance, but the measured FPS data tells a different story.

The CPU, by contrast, is a top-tier part. The Ryzen 7 9800X3D sits at the 87th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39768. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS (deltaPct 0.4%), AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 (deltaPct -0.7%), AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 (deltaPct 0.7%), and AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (deltaPct -0.8%). The CPU is clearly not the bottleneck here; it has the multi-threaded and single-threaded headroom to push far more frames than the GPU can deliver. This is a classic case of a powerful processor being held back by a mid-range graphics card.

In practical terms, the combo rank means that for Road 96, users should expect a playable but not exceptional experience. The data indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor across all resolutions, and the CPU's potential is largely untapped. For those who already own this CPU and are considering pairing it with a B570, the data suggests that a stronger GPU would yield significant gains in this game. Conversely, if the B570 is the fixed component, the CPU choice has minimal impact on the final frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture (Battlemage generation) and uses the BMG-G21 chip, manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC with 19,600 million transistors on a 272 mm² die. It features a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz (both identical), with memory clocked at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. With 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, 80 ROPs, and 18 ray tracing cores, the B570 offers 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 compute and a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s.

In Road 96, the GPU's role is decisive. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates drop precipitously, and the GPU becomes the sole limiting factor. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 145 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds. However, at 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS falls to 23 FPS, which is unplayable for most users. This is not a case of the game being poorly optimized; rather, it reflects the B570's mid-range positioning.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is sufficient for Road 96 at all settings tested, as the game does not appear to exceed this amount even at 4K Ultra. The memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s is adequate for the game's demands, but the GPU's raw compute throughput (11.52 TFLOPS) is the limiting factor. The data shows that the B570 is capable of delivering playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p with medium-to-high settings, but it struggles at 4K, particularly at higher quality presets.

Benchmark results place the B570 at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649. In Geekbench tests, it scores 83514 in OpenCL and 96844 in Vulkan. PassMark scores include 14195 in G3D and 7281 in GPU compute. These numbers confirm that the B570 is a capable 1080p/1440p card, but it is not designed for 4K gaming at high settings. The GPU's nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, has a nearly identical average score (deltaPct -0.1%), indicating that the B570 offers similar performance to its predecessor in the Arc lineup.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 85 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops the average to 54 FPS, a reduction of 31 FPS (approximately 36%). At 4K High, the average falls to 29 FPS, a further drop of 25 FPS (approximately 46% from 1440p). This scaling is typical of a GPU-bound scenario, where the CPU has ample headroom and the GPU's rendering load increases quadratically with resolution.

The Low settings preset shows a similar pattern. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 145 FPS. At 1440p Low, it drops to 92 FPS, and at 4K Low, it falls to 49 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 53 FPS (approximately 37%), and from 1440p to 4K is 43 FPS (approximately 47%). These percentage drops are remarkably consistent across settings, reinforcing the conclusion that the GPU is the bottleneck.

Medium settings provide the most complete data, with minimum and maximum FPS recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 106 FPS, with a minimum of 90 FPS and maximum of 122 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 67 FPS (minimum 57, maximum 78). At 4K Medium, the average is 36 FPS (minimum 30, maximum 41). The minimum FPS at 4K Medium (30 FPS) is just at the edge of playability, suggesting that users targeting 4K will need to lower settings or accept stutter.

Ultra settings show the steepest declines. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 67 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 43 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to 23 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 4K Ultra is 44 FPS (approximately 66%), which highlights the GPU's inability to sustain high frame rates at higher resolutions and quality settings. The data indicates that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU; the CPU's single-thread score of 1212 in 3DMark and 2080 in Cinebench R23 suggests it could easily drive higher frame rates if the GPU were faster.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: Average 145 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo, and it indicates a fluid experience suitable for fast-paced gameplay.
• Medium: Average 106 FPS, with minimum 90 FPS and maximum 122 FPS. The minimum stays well above 60 FPS, ensuring smooth performance.
• High: Average 85 FPS. This is a solid playable frame rate, with no concerns about stuttering.
• Ultra: Average 67 FPS. This remains playable, though the drop from High to Ultra is 18 FPS, showing the cost of maximal quality settings.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: Average 92 FPS. This is still very smooth, demonstrating that the GPU can handle 1440p at lower settings.
• Medium: Average 67 FPS, with minimum 57 FPS and maximum 78 FPS. The minimum is close to 60 FPS, but occasional dips may be noticeable.
• High: Average 54 FPS. This drops below the 60 FPS threshold, making it a borderline experience for those who prefer high refresh rates.
• Ultra: Average 43 FPS. This is playable but not ideal, as the frame rate approaches the lower end of smoothness.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: Average 49 FPS. This is the only 4K setting that approaches playability, but it still falls short of 60 FPS.
• Medium: Average 36 FPS, with minimum 30 FPS and maximum 41 FPS. The minimum is barely playable, and the frame pacing may be inconsistent.
• High: Average 29 FPS. This is below the playable threshold for most users.
• Ultra: Average 23 FPS. This is effectively unplayable, demonstrating the GPU's limitations at 4K.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is the sweet spot for this combo, with all settings delivering at least 67 FPS. At 1440p, users must choose between Medium (67 FPS) and High (54 FPS), with Ultra (43 FPS) being a stretch. At 4K, only Low settings (49 FPS) are marginally playable, and even then, the experience is suboptimal.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D is a Zen 5 architecture processor (Granite Ridge codename) from the 9000 series, released on 2024-11-06 with a launch MSRP of $479. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.20 GHz. The CPU features 96 MB of shared L3 cache, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. It supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s of memory bandwidth, and it has an integrated Radeon Graphics unit, though the discrete B570 handles rendering.

Benchmark results show the CPU's strengths. In Cinebench R23, it scores 23230 in multi-core and 2080 in single-core. Geekbench scores are 18696 in multi-core and 2964 in single-core. PassMark tests reveal 40009 in multithread, 4430 in single-thread, and 116709 in integer math. The 3DMark tests show 10081 in 16-thread and 1212 in single-thread. These scores place the CPU at the 87th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 39768.

In Road 96, the CPU's role is largely passive. The game is not CPU-intensive, and the data shows that even at 1080p Low, where the GPU has the least load, the combo only reaches 145 FPS. This is well below the CPU's capability; the 9800X3D could easily drive frame rates exceeding 200 FPS in less GPU-bound titles. The bottleneck is clearly the B570, as evidenced by the consistent FPS drops across resolutions. The CPU's 8 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for Road 96's requirements, and its high single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread score 1212) ensures that no CPU-side stuttering occurs.

The nearest CPU rivals—the Ryzen 7 7700 (deltaPct -0.8%), Ryzen AI 9 365 (deltaPct -0.7%), Ryzen AI 7 450 (deltaPct 0.7%), and Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS (deltaPct 0.4%)—all show negligible performance differences, confirming that the 9800X3D is not a limiting factor. Users upgrading from any of these CPUs to the 9800X3D would see no meaningful improvement in Road 96 with the B570, as the GPU would still cap frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + Intel Arc B570 combo good for Road 96?

A: The combo ranks 2324th out of 2903 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 20%. It performs well at 1080p (85-145 FPS depending on settings) and acceptably at 1440p (43-92 FPS), but it struggles at 4K, where only Low settings achieve near-playable frame rates (49 FPS).

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Road 96?

A: 1080p is the optimal resolution. All settings from Low to Ultra deliver at least 67 FPS, with Low reaching 145 FPS. At 1440p, Medium (67 FPS) is the highest setting that maintains a playable frame rate, while at 4K, only Low (49 FPS) is marginally playable.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this combo?

A: The GPU is the clear bottleneck. The CPU sits at the 87th percentile (avg score 39768), while the GPU is at the 65th percentile (avg score 20556). The FPS drops consistently as resolution increases, indicating GPU-bound performance. The CPU's single-thread score of 1212 in 3DMark shows it has significant headroom.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The B570's average benchmark score is 20556, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1%), Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1%), NVIDIA Quadro M4000M (deltaPct 0.4%), and AMD Radeon R9 M390X (deltaPct -0.5%). Performance differences are negligible, within 0.5% of all rivals.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: At 1440p High, the combo averages 54 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold, so users may notice slight stuttering in fast-paced scenes. For smoother performance, Medium settings at 1440p provide 67 FPS with a minimum of 57 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU's 96 MB of L3 cache help in Road 96?

A: The large L3 cache is a hallmark of the 9800X3D and benefits CPU-intensive titles, but Road 96 does not appear to utilize it heavily. The combo's performance is limited by the GPU, so the cache provides no measurable advantage in this game. The CPU's 3DMark max-thread score of 10067 indicates strong multi-threading, but it is underutilized here.