Road 96

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread Comet Lake desktop processor built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, and its 12 MB of shared L3 cache helps feed the six physical cores. In synthetic throughput tests, the chip scores 4,748 in 3DMark's 16-thread workload and 4,735 in the max-thread variant, showing strong scaling from its 12 threads. Single-thread performance is more modest, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 688, but the real-world gaming relevance of this CPU is better captured by its Cinebench R23 results: 10,297 multi-core and 1,453 single-core. These figures place the i5-10400F at the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14,168. Its nearest rivals are tightly clustered; the AMD EPYC 7552 is a mere 0.4% ahead, while the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C trails by 0.8%, the Intel Core i5-8500 by 1.1%, and the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546 by 1.2%. This positioning indicates that the i5-10400F delivers competitive computational throughput for a mid-range desktop part, but its architecture is older and lacks the higher per-core efficiency of newer designs. For an adventure title like Road 96, which is not heavily threaded, the CPU's 12 threads are more than sufficient to avoid bottlenecking the GPU, especially at lower resolutions where frame rates climb above 100 FPS. The 65 W TDP and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are standard for this class, ensuring the processor keeps pace with the graphics card without becoming a limiting factor in the measured scenarios.

CPU Role

The i5-10400F's role in Road 96 is to provide stable frame pacing without becoming a constraint. The game's adventure genre typically relies on moderate CPU loads, and this processor's 6 cores and 12 threads handle such workloads with ease. The benchmark data confirms this: at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 168.6 FPS average, and at 1080p Ultra it still manages 80.7 FPS. These numbers suggest that the CPU is not the primary limiter, as the frame rate scales more dramatically with GPU-bound settings changes. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1,350 and 4-thread score of 2,560 indicate that the chip's lighter-threaded performance is adequate for the game's logic and physics, which rarely utilise more than a few cores. In Cinebench R20, the multi-core score of 4,324 and single-core score of 610 further illustrate a balanced profile: strong enough for background tasks, but not exceptional in raw single-thread speed. Compared to its nearest CPU rivals, the i5-10400F sits in a tight performance band—within 1.2% of all four listed competitors—so users would not perceive a meaningful difference in Road 96's frame rates when swapping among these chips. The processor's 73rd percentile ranking among all CPUs reinforces that it is a respectable, if not top-tier, choice for this game, which is more dependent on the GPU for visual fidelity.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is the dominant component in this pairing, and its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's Turing architecture, built on TSMC's 12 nm process, includes 2,176 shading units, 136 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, with a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. The memory runs at 1750 MHz, translating to 14 Gbps effective, which is ample for the textures and effects in Road 96. In synthetic benchmarks, the card posts a PassMark G3D score of 16,462 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2,011, placing it at the 63rd percentile of all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 19,774 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals: the GTX TITAN is 0.3% ahead, the RTX 2070 is 0.5% ahead, and the Quadro K5200 is 0.8% ahead. This means the RTX 2060 SUPER delivers performance on par with the RTX 2070, which is a strong result for a card in this class. In Road 96, the GPU's role is clearly visible in the frame rate scaling across settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 28.9 FPS, while at 4K Low it recovers to 57.1 FPS. The card's 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game's highest settings at 1440p, where Ultra still yields 49.8 FPS, but at 4K the memory bandwidth and compute throughput become limiting factors. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 7.181 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 105.6 GPixel/s are adequate for the stylised visuals of Road 96, which do not demand the same raw power as AAA shooters. The card's 175 W TDP and dual-slot design are standard for this generation, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate, ensuring compatibility with modern rendering features.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in Road 96?

A: The highest measured average is 168.6 FPS at 1080p with Low settings.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to the RTX 2070 in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER's average benchmark score of 19,774 is only 0.5% lower than the RTX 2070's score of 19,680, making them effectively equivalent in performance.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K resolution in Road 96?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, it achieves 57.1 FPS, while at 4K High it drops to 33.7 FPS, and at 4K Ultra it falls to 28.9 FPS.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance relative to its multi-thread performance?

A: The i5-10400F scores 688 in 3DMark single-thread and 4,748 in 16-thread, showing a roughly 6.9x scaling from one thread to sixteen, which is typical for a 6-core/12-thread part.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations for Road 96?

A: It ranks 1,165 out of 1,684 tested combos, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and does it bottleneck at 4K?

A: The GPU has 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth; at 4K Ultra, the average frame rate of 28.9 FPS indicates that both memory bandwidth and compute capacity are stressed, as the frame rate drops by over half compared to 1080p Ultra (80.7 FPS).

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1080p, the combo delivers excellent performance across all presets: Low runs at 168.6 FPS, Medium at 125.9 FPS, High at 100 FPS, and Ultra at 80.7 FPS. Since all of these are well above the 60 FPS threshold, users with 1080p displays can comfortably select Ultra for the best visual experience without sacrificing smoothness. At 1440p, the situation changes: Low achieves 110.6 FPS, Medium 81 FPS, High 61.4 FPS, and Ultra 49.8 FPS. For a 60 Hz monitor, High is the recommended preset at 1440p, as it maintains a playable average while providing better fidelity than Medium. The Ultra preset at 1440p dips below 50 FPS, which may cause noticeable stutter in a narrative-driven game. At 4K, the card struggles: Low yields 57.1 FPS, Medium 43.2 FPS, High 33.7 FPS, and Ultra 28.9 FPS. For 4K, Low is the only preset that stays near 60 FPS, but even that is borderline. Given the game's adventure genre, which prioritises story over fast action, a user might accept 43.2 FPS at Medium, but the data suggests that 4K is not this combo's native resolution. The best overall experience, balancing visual quality and performance, is 1080p Ultra at 80.7 FPS, which fully utilises the GPU's capabilities while remaining fluid. For higher resolutions, 1440p High at 61.4 FPS is the sweet spot, offering a 44% improvement in frame rate over 1440p Ultra while still looking sharp.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Road 96, this Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER pairing ranks 1,165 out of 1,684 combos, placing it in the 69th percentile from the bottom. This is a middling result, reflecting the fact that the CPU and GPU are both older mid-range components. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking and the GPU's 63rd percentile ranking suggest that neither component is a top-tier performer, but their combined output is still sufficient for playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The rank indicates that there are 519 combos that perform worse, but also 1,164 that perform better, meaning this setup is overshadowed by more modern hardware. However, the data shows that the combo is not severely bottlenecked; the frame rates scale logically with resolution and settings, and the GPU is the primary driver of performance changes. The CPU's proximity to its rivals—within 1.2% of the EPYC 7552, Ryzen 3 7320C, i5-8500, and Ryzen Embedded V2546—means that any of those processors would yield nearly identical results in this game. Similarly, the GPU's performance is nearly indistinguishable from the RTX 2070, which is a positive sign for the 2060 SUPER's longevity. Overall, this combo ranks in the lower half of the tested pool, but its practical performance in Road 96 is solid for 1080p gaming and acceptable for 1440p, making it a reasonable legacy configuration for this title.