Road 96

Road 96 is a narrative-driven adventure where the pace of the story matters more than raw frame rate, but the data for the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER shows this pairing still delivers a wide range of performance headroom. The measured results indicate a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while at 1080p the CPU begins to assert its limits, though the frame rates remain exceptionally high. This analysis focuses on what the numbers say about how to configure the game and what each component contributes to the experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS rows provide a clear hierarchy for settings at each resolution, and the data suggests that the "High" preset offers the best balance for a smooth experience on this hardware. At 4K, the High preset delivers an average of 69.5 FPS, which is well above the standard 60 FPS target for most displays and keeps the visual quality high. While the Medium preset at 4K increases the average to 87.2 FPS, the jump from High to Ultra at this resolution is significant, dropping to 56.7 FPS. Since Road 96 is not a fast-paced competitive shooter, the marginal gain from 69.5 FPS to 87.2 FPS is less critical than maintaining the visual fidelity that High settings offer.

For 1440p, the High preset is the clear recommendation, as it averages 130.7 FPS. This is nearly double the 4K High result and provides a very fluid experience on high refresh rate monitors. The Ultra preset at 1440p still manages a strong 107.2 FPS, but the data shows that the step from High to Ultra costs about 23.5 FPS, a noticeable drop for what is typically a minor visual improvement in this genre. At 1080p, even the most demanding Ultra preset yields an average of 160.8 FPS, meaning the user can prioritize visual quality without any concern for performance. The data shows that the Low preset at 1080p reaches 322.6 FPS, but this is only useful for maximizing refresh rates beyond 240Hz, a scenario where the game's visual style would be unnecessarily degraded.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is the dominant component in this configuration, and its specifications in the FACT PACK explain the benchmark results. The GPU features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s. This memory capacity is ample for Road 96, even at 4K Ultra settings, ensuring that texture loading and streaming do not become a bottleneck. The high memory bandwidth is a key reason why the GPU can handle the jump from 1080p to 4K without a catastrophic performance collapse, though the frame rate does drop significantly as pixel count increases.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2550 MHz, are substantial and contribute to its high fill rate and compute performance. The data shows a strong scaling in benchmark scores, with a Passmark G3D score of 34245 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6600. The RTX 4080 SUPER performs at the 88th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, is only 0.2% behind in average score. This indicates that the GPU is providing top-tier performance, and in a game like Road 96, it is rarely the limiting factor except at the highest resolution and settings combination.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and expected trend: performance degrades as resolution increases. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 205.8 FPS at 1080p to 130.7 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 75.1 FPS, and then further down to 69.5 FPS at 4K, another reduction of 61.2 FPS. This pattern indicates that the RTX 4080 SUPER is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, as the workload on the GPU increases exponentially with pixel count. The consistent halving of frame rates when moving from 1440p to 4K suggests a standard fill-rate bottleneck.

However, the scaling at Low settings tells a different story about the CPU's role. At Low settings, the 1080p average is 322.6 FPS, but at 1440p it drops to 226.1 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 120 FPS. The difference between 1080p and 1440p at Low settings is 96.5 FPS, which is a larger absolute drop than the equivalent step at High settings. This data points to the Intel Core i5-10400F becoming more of a factor at lower resolutions and settings, where it must feed frames to the GPU as fast as possible. The GPU is still the main driver of resolution scaling, but the CPU's limits are more exposed when the graphical load is lightened.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Road 96 at 4K with the highest visual quality?

A: Yes, but with a caveat. The data shows an average of 56.7 FPS at 4K Ultra settings. This is playable, but it falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many consider ideal for smooth motion.

Q: What is the best way to get a high refresh rate experience in Road 96?

A: The benchmark results show that at 1440p with High settings, the system averages 130.7 FPS. This is the optimal combination for a smooth experience on a 120Hz or 144Hz monitor, as it offers a significant frame rate advantage over 4K while maintaining high visual fidelity.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F a bottleneck for the RTX 4080 SUPER in this game?

A: The data suggests that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 4K, the frame rates are clearly limited by the GPU's rendering capabilities. However, at 1080p Low settings, the average of 322.6 FPS indicates the CPU is pushing its limits, as this is a very high frame rate that requires substantial single-thread processing power.

Q: How big is the performance difference between High and Ultra settings?

A: The performance cost of Ultra is substantial. At 4K, the average frame rate drops from 69.5 FPS on High to 56.7 FPS on Ultra, a difference of 12.8 FPS. At 1440p, the drop is from 130.7 FPS to 107.2 FPS, a difference of 23.5 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU have enough memory for Road 96?

A: Yes. The RTX 4080 SUPER has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory. The benchmark data shows that even at 4K Ultra settings, the game runs without any indication of memory-related performance issues, such as severe stuttering, which would appear in the average FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Comet Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10297 and a single-core score of 1453, place it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. The data shows that its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, is 0.8% faster, while the Intel Core i5-8500 is 1.1% faster. This indicates that the CPU is a solid mid-range performer, but its age is showing when compared to more modern chips.

In Road 96, the CPU's role is to manage the game's logic and AI, which is not particularly demanding. The data shows that at 4K, the CPU is not the bottleneck, as the frame rates are dictated by the GPU's ability to render pixels. However, at 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate of 322.6 FPS highlights the CPU's capabilities and limits. The 12 threads are sufficient for the game's multi-threaded tasks, but the single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Passmark single-thread score of 2541, is what allows it to achieve these very high frame rates. The data indicates that while the CPU is not holding back the system in most scenarios, it is the component that prevents the system from reaching even higher frame rates at 1080p.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data is derived directly from the measured FPS rows.

1920x1080:

• Low: Average FPS is 322.6. This is the highest frame rate recorded in the entire dataset.
• Medium: Average FPS is 258.2. This is a significant drop of 64.4 FPS from Low.
• High: Average FPS is 205.8. The scaling from Medium to High shows another substantial decrease of 52.4 FPS.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 160.8. The most demanding preset at 1080p still provides a very high frame rate, suitable for high refresh rate displays.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average FPS is 226.1. This resolution still allows for frame rates above 200 FPS on the lowest settings.
• Medium: Average FPS is 163.4. The drop from Low to Medium is 62.7 FPS.
• High: Average FPS is 130.7. This is a solid result for high refresh rate gaming at 1440p.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 107.2. The step from High to Ultra costs 23.5 FPS, making it a less attractive option for competitive play.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average FPS is 120. This is the only way to achieve a 120 FPS average at 4K, according to the data.
• Medium: Average FPS is 87.2. This is a playable and smooth experience for a narrative game.
• High: Average FPS is 69.5. This is the recommended setting for 4K, as it provides a good balance between visual quality and performance.
• Ultra: Average FPS is 56.7. The highest preset at 4K falls below 60 FPS, which may be noticeable during camera pans or fast scene transitions.