Road 96

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2575th out of 2903 tested combos in Road 96, placing it in the bottom 12% of all tested systems. This is a combination defined by extreme CPU strength and extreme GPU weakness, and the benchmark data reflects that imbalance clearly. The Ryzen 9 9900X sits in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 57,498, while the Arc B390 lands in the 9th percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 1,482. In Road 96, the Arc B390 becomes the overwhelming bottleneck, and the measured FPS results show that no amount of CPU headroom can compensate for the graphics card’s limitations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 2575 out of 2903 tested combinations places it in the lower tier of systems for Road 96. This rank is driven almost entirely by the GPU, as the CPU is a top-tier part. The Ryzen 9 9900X’s average benchmark score of 57,498 puts it within 0.1% of the AMD EPYC 9015 (57,555) and 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313 (57,399). It trails the Intel Core i9-14900 (58,115) by 1.1% and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323) by 1.4%. These deltas are tiny, confirming that the CPU is performing at its expected high level. However, the Arc B390’s average score of 1,482 is only 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463), 1.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1,460), 2.5% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1,446), and 2.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1,443). Those rivals are all legacy or low-end parts from years past, and the Arc B390 barely edges them out.

In Road 96 specifically, the combo’s rank of 2575 out of 2903 means that roughly 328 tested combos perform worse, while over 2,500 perform better. The 12-core, 24-thread Ryzen 9 9900X with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz and 64 MB of L3 cache provides far more processing power than this game needs at the resolutions tested. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 94 FPS, but that is the ceiling; every other setting and resolution yields significantly lower frame rates. The rank reflects a system that can handle the game’s logic, physics, and AI without breaking a sweat, but the GPU cannot push pixels fast enough to make that CPU strength visible. This is a textbook case of a lopsided pairing, and the benchmark results confirm that the GPU is the sole reason for the low ranking.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated-class part with a 3 nm process node and a base clock of 300 MHz, boosting to 2500 MHz. Its memory is system-shared, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM, and memory bandwidth is system-dependent. The GPU features 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS. The TDP is 80 W, and it uses an IGP slot width with no power connectors. These specifications place it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482. That score is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463) and GeForce 800M (1,460), both of which are entry-level mobile or OEM parts from over a decade ago.

In Road 96, the GPU role is the limiting factor at every resolution and settings level. The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern: the Arc B390 cannot maintain playable frame rates at 4K, struggles at 1440p, and only becomes somewhat acceptable at 1080p with lower settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo averages 15 FPS; at 4K High, 19 FPS; at 4K Medium, 23 FPS; and at 4K Low, 32 FPS. These are all below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and even the 4K Low result of 32 FPS is marginal. The system-shared memory means the GPU competes with the CPU for bandwidth, which further hampers performance in a game that loads new scenes frequently, as Road 96 does with its road-trip structure. The 80 W TDP and lack of dedicated memory are consistent with an integrated solution, and the benchmark results reflect that: the GPU simply does not have the resources to render this game at high resolutions or high settings.

The 12 ray tracing cores and DirectX 12 Ultimate support are present on paper, but the FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS is too low for meaningful ray-traced workloads, and Road 96 is not a game that relies on such effects. The GPU’s 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs is the key takeaway: this is a very weak graphics processor, and the measured FPS in Road 96 confirms that it is the primary constraint on the combo’s performance.

FAQ

Q: Why does this combo rank so low (2575th out of 2903) despite having a top-tier CPU?

A: The rank is driven by the GPU. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X scores in the 92nd percentile among CPUs with an average benchmark score of 57,498, but the Intel Arc B390 scores in the 9th percentile among GPUs with an average score of 1,482. The GPU is the bottleneck in Road 96, and the measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, the combo only reaches 94 FPS, while higher settings and resolutions drop significantly.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390’s average benchmark score of 1,482 is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463), 1.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (1,460), 2.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (1,446), and 2.7% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1,443). These are all low-end or legacy parts, meaning the Arc B390 is only marginally better than them.

Q: What is the best FPS this combo can achieve in Road 96?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 94, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution with Medium settings, the average drops to 69 FPS, and at High settings, it drops to 56 FPS. At 4K, the best result is 32 FPS at Low settings.

Q: Is this combo capable of 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440 with Low settings, the combo averages exactly 60 FPS. However, at Medium settings, it drops to 44 FPS, at High settings to 35 FPS, and at Ultra settings to 28 FPS. So 60 FPS at 1440p is only possible at the lowest settings preset.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X’s average score of 57,498 is 0.1% lower than the AMD EPYC 9015 (57,555), 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 7313 (57,399), 1.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900 (58,115), and 1.4% lower than the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M (58,323). These differences are negligible in real-world gaming, confirming the CPU is not the limiting factor here.

Q: Does the GPU’s system-shared memory affect performance?

A: Yes, the Arc B390 uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. This is consistent with its integrated design and 80 W TDP, and the measured FPS data shows that the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, with a maximum of 32 FPS at Low settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Road 96 covers three resolutions (3840x2160, 2560x1440, and 1920x1080) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). At 3840x2160, the combo averages 19 FPS on High, 32 FPS on Low, 23 FPS on Medium, and 15 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset also recorded a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS, providing a range of 7 FPS. These 4K numbers are all below 33 FPS, making the game effectively unplayable at this resolution regardless of settings. The gap between Low (32 FPS) and Ultra (15 FPS) is 17 FPS, showing a steep performance cost for higher settings.

At 2560x1440, the results improve but remain modest. High settings yield 35 FPS, Low yields 60 FPS, Medium yields 44 FPS, and Ultra yields 28 FPS. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS, a range of 13 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a 16 FPS drop (60 to 44), and from Low to Ultra is a 32 FPS drop (60 to 28). This resolution is only playable at Low settings, where the 60 FPS average is exactly at the threshold for smooth gameplay, but any increase in settings pushes it below 45 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results. High settings average 56 FPS, Low averages 94 FPS, Medium averages 69 FPS, and Ultra averages 43 FPS. The Medium preset has a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, a range of 20 FPS. The gap between Low (94 FPS) and Ultra (43 FPS) is 51 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU’s performance scales poorly with settings at this resolution. Even at 1080p, Ultra settings drop below 45 FPS, which is not ideal for a game that involves narrative-driven exploration and dialogue, where frame pacing is important for immersion.

The data shows a consistent pattern across all resolutions: lowering settings has a larger impact on FPS than lowering resolution. For example, going from 1080p Ultra (43 FPS) to 1080p Low (94 FPS) is a 51 FPS gain, while going from 1080p Ultra (43 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (28 FPS) is a 15 FPS loss. This indicates that the GPU is heavily taxed by settings presets, which is typical of a weak graphics processor.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and reveals the limiting component clearly. At Low settings, the combo averages 94 FPS at 1920x1080, 60 FPS at 2560x1440, and 32 FPS at 3840x2160. That is a 34 FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p (a 36% reduction) and a 62 FPS drop from 1080p to 4K (a 66% reduction). At Medium settings, the averages are 69 FPS at 1080p, 44 FPS at 1440p, and 23 FPS at 4K, representing a 25 FPS drop (36%) and a 46 FPS drop (67%), respectively. At High settings, the averages are 56 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K, a 21 FPS drop (38%) and a 37 FPS drop (66%). At Ultra settings, the averages are 43 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K, a 15 FPS drop (35%) and a 28 FPS drop (65%).

The percentage drops are remarkably consistent across all settings, hovering around 35-38% from 1080p to 1440p and 65-67% from 1080p to 4K. This consistency is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario: the CPU is not affecting the scaling because it has ample headroom. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would not drop as much at higher resolutions, because the CPU workload stays roughly constant while the GPU workload increases with pixel count. Here, the FPS drops proportionally to the pixel count increase, confirming that the Arc B390 is the limiting component. The Ryzen 9 9900X, with its 12 cores and 24 threads, is likely idle or lightly loaded during these tests, as Road 96 is not a CPU-intensive title.

The scaling also shows that the GPU’s performance is consistent with its low percentile ranking. A 4K resolution has roughly four times the pixels of 1080p, and the FPS at 4K Low (32) is roughly one-third of the FPS at 1080p Low (94), which is close to the expected inverse relationship for a GPU with limited fill rate and memory bandwidth. The system-shared memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent, likely exacerbates the drop at 4K, as the GPU must access system RAM for frame buffers and textures, competing with the CPU. The data does not include individual frame times, but the consistency of the percentage drops across settings suggests a smooth degradation rather than a sudden cliff, which is typical of a GPU that is overworked.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured FPS data, the best experience in Road 96 for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average FPS is 94. This is the only configuration that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, allowing for smooth gameplay during dialogue sequences and road-trip exploration. At 1080p Medium, the average drops to 69 FPS, which is still playable, but the Minimum FPS is 59, meaning there will be occasional dips below the 60 FPS threshold. If the user prefers better visual fidelity, 1080p Medium is the highest setting that maintains a playable average, but the 59 FPS minimum is a caveat.

At 2560x1440, the only playable option is Low settings, which averages exactly 60 FPS. Any higher setting at 1440p results in averages below 45 FPS, which is likely to feel stuttery in a game with narrative pacing. At 1080p High, the average is 56 FPS, which is borderline, and at 1080p Ultra, the average is 43 FPS, which is not recommended for sustained play. The data suggests that the GPU cannot handle Ultra settings at any resolution, as the best Ultra result is 43 FPS at 1080p, which is still below 60 FPS.

For users who prioritize frame rate over visuals, 1080p Low is the clear choice. For those who want a balance, 1080p Medium offers a 69 FPS average with a 59 FPS minimum, which is acceptable for a game that is not fast-paced. At 1440p, Low settings are the only viable option, and at 4K, none of the settings are recommended, as the highest average is 32 FPS at Low, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay. The combo’s performance is so GPU-bound that the settings preset matters more than the resolution: dropping from Ultra to Low at any resolution yields a larger FPS gain than dropping from 4K to 1080p at the same settings. This suggests that users should prioritize lowering settings before lowering resolution, but in practice, 1080p Low is the sweet spot for this hardware pairing.