Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title that does not demand extreme hardware, but the measured results for the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination show a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, while the CPU still has enough headroom to push very high frame rates at 1080p. The data indicates that this pairing is overkill for the game’s engine at lower resolutions, but it becomes a more balanced and sensible choice as you move to 4K with higher presets.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-11400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Rocket Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It has a 12 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 memory on a dual-channel bus. With a 65 W TDP and a launch MSRP of $157, this is a mainstream desktop part that was designed for balanced gaming. Its benchmark scores place it in the 75th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17181. The data shows it is nearly identical in performance to the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, with a deltaPct of 0, and it sits just ahead of the Intel Core i7-1260P and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U, both at -0.2 deltaPct. This means the CPU’s raw compute power is solid for its class, but it is not a top-tier part.

In Road 96, the CPU’s role is primarily to feed the GPU with draw calls and handle game logic. At 1080p with Low settings, the measured average FPS is 310.3, which is far beyond the refresh rate of most monitors. This high frame rate suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution and settings; the 6 cores and 12 threads are more than enough to process the game’s scenes. The single-thread performance, as indicated by a 3dmark single-thread score of 868 and a passmark single-thread score of 2981, is sufficient for the game’s main thread. However, the data shows that as resolution increases, the CPU’s influence diminishes. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 49.3, which is a GPU limitation, not a CPU one. The CPU’s multi-threaded capabilities, with a cinebench r23 multicore score of 14372, are not fully utilized in this adventure game, as it is not a heavily threaded workload. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz is the key attribute here, as it allows the CPU to keep up with the GPU at lower resolutions without bottlenecking.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is a high-end Ada Lovelace GPU with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, offering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. Its base clock is 1980 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz. The GPU has 7168 shading units, 224 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, along with 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores. It supports DirectX 12 Ultimate and Vulkan 1.4, which are relevant for modern game engines. The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 84th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 42576. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA RTX A6000, with a deltaPct of -0.2, and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, also at -0.3 deltaPct. This indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is a very capable card for its generation.

In Road 96, the GPU is the dominant factor in determining frame rates once you move past the lowest settings. The data shows a clear trend: at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 310.3, but at 4K Ultra, it drops to 49.3. This is a massive 261 FPS difference, which is entirely attributable to GPU load. The 12 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, as it is not a VRAM-heavy title, but the memory bandwidth and processing power are what drive the performance. The GPU’s boost clock of 2475 MHz is crucial for maintaining high frame rates at 1440p and 4K. At 1440p High, the average FPS is 114.6, which is smooth for most displays, but at 4K Ultra, the card struggles to maintain 60 FPS. The RTX 4070 SUPER is clearly the bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings, as the CPU has plenty of headroom left.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data shows a consistent and expected scaling pattern as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 310.3 FPS, but this drops to 194.9 FPS at 1440p Low, a 37% reduction. At 4K Low, the average FPS is 103, which is another 47% drop from 1440p. This scaling is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, where the GPU’s pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor. For Medium settings, the drop from 229.1 FPS at 1080p to 143.7 FPS at 1440p is a 37% reduction, and then to 76.7 FPS at 4K is a 47% drop. The pattern is similar for High settings: 182.3 FPS at 1080p, 114.6 FPS at 1440p, and 63.5 FPS at 4K.

This scaling indicates that the limiting component is the GPU, not the CPU. The CPU’s performance is constant across resolutions, but the GPU’s workload increases with pixel count. The data shows that at 1080p, the system is so fast that it is likely hitting a CPU or engine limit, as the FPS is extremely high. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the FPS drops to levels that are more in line with the GPU’s raw power. The most telling data point is the Ultra preset: at 1080p, it produces 140.7 FPS, but at 4K it falls to 49.3 FPS. This is a 65% reduction, which is a massive hit that only the GPU can cause. The conclusion is that for this game, the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary performance driver, and the i5-11400F is more than adequate to keep up.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

According to the benchmark database, this specific combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 318 out of 1684 tested combos in Road 96. This places it in the top 19% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The rank is likely influenced by the GPU’s high percentile (84th) versus the CPU’s lower percentile (75th). This suggests that while the CPU is not the fastest available, the GPU is pulling the combo up in the rankings.

The fact that it ranks 318 out of 1684 indicates that there are many other combos that perform better, but they likely feature more powerful CPUs, such as higher-end Intel Core i7 or i9 parts, or AMD Ryzen 7 or 9 processors. However, the data shows that in this game, the GPU matters more than the CPU, as the combo’s rank is likely higher than what the CPU alone would achieve. A system with a weaker GPU but a stronger CPU would likely rank lower in this specific title, because the game is not CPU-intensive. The combo’s rank of 318 reflects the RTX 4070 SUPER’s ability to drive high frame rates, even with a modest CPU like the i5-11400F. For a builder, this means that the CPU is not holding back the GPU in Road 96, and the performance is close to what you would get with a more expensive processor.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the ideal settings depend on your target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p, the Medium preset offers an average of 229.1 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors (144Hz or 240Hz). The High preset at 1080p still provides 182.3 FPS, which is also very smooth, but the jump to Ultra drops it to 140.7 FPS. If you have a 144Hz monitor, Ultra is still playable, but Medium or High gives you more headroom for frame time consistency. For 1440p, the High preset at 114.6 FPS is the sweet spot, as it is above 60 FPS and close to 100 FPS, which is ideal for 100Hz or 120Hz monitors. Medium at 143.7 FPS is also great, but High offers better visual fidelity with only a 20% performance cost. Ultra at 1440p drops to 89 FPS, which is still smooth, but you might prefer the higher frame rates of High.

For 4K, the situation changes. The Low preset at 103 FPS is the only way to get above 100 FPS, but it looks poor. Medium at 76.7 FPS is a balanced choice for 4K60 displays, as it provides a solid frame rate with better visuals. High at 63.5 FPS is also viable for 60Hz monitors, but it is close to the limit. Ultra at 49.3 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as it dips below 60 FPS, which can cause stutter on a 60Hz display. The best overall experience is likely the High preset at 1440p, which offers a high frame rate and good visual quality. If you prioritize frame rate over visuals, Medium at 1080p is unbeatable. For 4K, Medium is the recommended preset, as it balances performance and quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured average FPS for this combo is broken down by resolution and settings as follows. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 310.3 FPS, the Medium preset delivers 229.1 FPS, the High preset delivers 182.3 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 140.7 FPS. This shows a clear degradation as visual quality increases, but all presets are highly playable on standard 60Hz to 240Hz monitors.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 194.9 FPS, the Medium preset averages 143.7 FPS, the High preset averages 114.6 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 89 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but the system remains well above 60 FPS for all presets, making 1440p a very viable resolution for this game. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 103 FPS, the Medium preset averages 76.7 FPS, the High preset averages 63.5 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 49.3 FPS. This is where the GPU starts to show its limits, especially on the Ultra preset, which cannot maintain 60 FPS. The data clearly shows that 4K Ultra is too demanding for this combo, while 4K High is borderline, and 4K Medium is the best option for a smooth experience. Overall, the system is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, you must compromise on settings to achieve a stable frame rate.