Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title that leans heavily on narrative, but the benchmark data for this specific combination of an Intel Core i3-12100F and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER reveals a system that is well-balanced for the game's demands. The measured frame rates show a clear progression from unplayable at 4K Ultra to exceptionally smooth at 1080p Low. This analysis examines the collected data to determine where this combo stands, how each component contributes to the experience, and what settings provide the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The pairing of the Intel Core i3-12100F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER achieves a combo rank of 1171 out of 1684 tested combinations for Road 96. This places the system in the lower third of all tested setups, indicating that while it is capable of running the game, there are many configurations that deliver higher average frame rates. The ranking suggests this is not a top-tier enthusiast setup for this title, but rather a mainstream configuration that relies on the game's relatively modest technical requirements to provide a playable experience. The position within the 1684 combos implies that the system is far from the bottom, yet it also has significant headroom for improvement if either component were upgraded. The data shows that this combination is more than sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K, which is a primary factor in its mid-to-low pack ranking.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. For Road 96, the GPU's role becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the measured FPS data. At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 28.5 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The GPU's performance percentile stands at 63 among all GPUs, and it benchmarks closely to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN, with a delta of just 0.3%. This indicates that while the RTX 2060 SUPER is a competent card, it is not a high-end performer by modern standards. Its 8 GB VRAM capacity is adequate for this game, as the data does not suggest any memory-related stuttering, but the raw processing power is what limits 4K performance. The shift from 1080p to 4K shows a dramatic drop in FPS, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear guide for optimal settings. For 4K resolution, the only viable option is the Low preset, which yields an average of 57.8 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 43.1 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a smooth experience, while High and Ultra fall below 36 FPS. At 1440p, the Low preset achieves a very high average of 105.7 FPS, and the Medium preset provides a solid 82.1 FPS. The High preset at 1440p still maintains a good 63.5 FPS, making it a strong candidate for a balanced experience. For 1080p, all presets are playable, with Low reaching 166.7 FPS and Ultra still delivering a respectable 79.5 FPS. The data suggests that for the best overall experience, the High preset at 1440p offers a great balance between visual quality and performance. If prioritizing the highest frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p is the clear choice, but for most users, the Medium or High preset at 1440p will be the sweet spot for this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results show a consistent pattern across all resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system delivers excellent performance: the Low preset averages 166.7 FPS, Medium drops to 121.9 FPS, High to 102.8 FPS, and Ultra to 79.5 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but show a significant reduction. The Low preset averages 105.7 FPS, Medium 82.1 FPS, High 63.5 FPS, and Ultra 52.7 FPS. At 3840x2160, the performance takes a substantial hit. The Low preset is the only one that remains comfortably playable, averaging 57.8 FPS. The Medium preset averages 43.1 FPS, High drops to 35.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 28.5 FPS. This breakdown illustrates a clear scaling pattern: the gap between Low and Ultra presets widens as resolution increases, from a difference of 87.2 FPS at 1080p to just 29.3 FPS at 4K. This indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU has more headroom, while at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that the difference between settings is compressed.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combo for a smooth experience?

A: Based on the data, 1440p with the High preset is optimal, delivering an average of 63.5 FPS. This provides a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, staying well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Road 96?

A: Yes, but only at the Low preset, which averages 57.8 FPS. Higher presets at 4K result in average frame rates below 44 FPS, which may not be ideal for all players.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, which is virtually identical to the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, with a delta of -0.1%. It is also just 0.6% ahead of the Intel Core i3-10105.

Q: What is the GPU's performance ranking relative to other cards?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER is in the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 19774, which is only 0.5% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070, indicating they are very close in performance.

Q: Is the 8 GB VRAM sufficient for Road 96?

A: The data suggests yes. The game is not VRAM-intensive, and the 8 GB of GDDR6 memory is not a bottleneck, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings without signs of memory-related issues.

Q: What is the FPS difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 166.7 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 79.5 FPS. This is a difference of 87.2 FPS, showing a significant performance cost for the highest visual settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. It has a 12 MB shared L3 cache. In the context of Road 96, the CPU's role is less demanding than the GPU's. The benchmark data shows that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at any resolution. At 1080p, the system achieves very high frame rates, such as 166.7 FPS on Low settings, indicating the CPU can easily feed the GPU with frames. The CPU's single-thread performance is strong, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 893 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1681. This is important for a game that may rely on a single main thread for game logic. The CPU's average benchmark score of 13516 puts it in the 72nd percentile of all CPUs, and it performs almost identically to the Intel Core i7-7700K, with a delta of 1.8%. The data implies that the i3-12100F provides ample processing power for this adventure game, ensuring that the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern from 1080p to 4K. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 102.8 FPS at 1080p to 63.5 FPS at 1440p, and then to 35.8 FPS at 4K. This represents a 65.2% drop from 1080p to 4K. The Low preset shows a similar trend, dropping from 166.7 FPS at 1080p to 105.7 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 57.8 FPS at 4K, a 65.3% decrease. This consistent percentage drop across different settings indicates that the scaling is primarily driven by the GPU's rendering load. The fact that the frame rate halves when going from 1440p to 4K (e.g., from 63.5 to 35.8 FPS on High) is expected, as 4K has roughly twice the pixel count of 1440p. This behavior strongly suggests that the system is GPU-limited at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance does not degrade with resolution, as its workload remains constant, so the observed FPS drops are almost entirely attributable to the GPU's inability to keep up with the increasing pixel count. This makes the RTX 2060 SUPER the definitive limiting component when pushing beyond 1440p.