Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title that rarely stresses high-end hardware, and the measured data for the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti combination confirms this. The pairing produces exceptional frame rates across all tested resolutions, with the GPU clearly becoming the bottleneck only at 4K Ultra settings. The data indicates that this system is significantly overqualified for the game's demands, though the performance scaling reveals interesting characteristics about both components.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a predictable and steep decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop tells a clear story about the limiting component. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 334 FPS at 1920x1080 to 213 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 121 FPS, and then further to 112 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 66% loss from the 1080p baseline. This dramatic scaling at Low settings indicates that the CPU is the primary limiting factor at 1080p, as the RTX 5070 Ti has ample headroom to render frames far faster than the processor can feed it.

The scaling pattern shifts when moving to higher graphical presets. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 197 at 1080p to 125 at 1440p (a 72 FPS decline) and then to 66 at 4K (a 59 FPS further decline). The 4K High result is only 47% of the 1080p High figure, which suggests the GPU is becoming more influential at this resolution, though the absolute numbers remain very high. At Medium settings, the progression from 244 FPS at 1080p to 156 FPS at 1440p and 82 FPS at 4K shows a similar proportional decline of roughly 36% per resolution step.

The most telling data point comes from the Ultra preset, where 4K average FPS drops to 52, compared to 98 at 1440p and 154 at 1080p. The 4K Ultra result represents only 34% of the 1080p Ultra performance, which is a much steeper drop than the Low preset's 34% retention. This divergence indicates that at Ultra settings and 4K resolution, the RTX 5070 Ti's compute and memory bandwidth are fully engaged, while at lower settings the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads become the ceiling. The data suggests that Road 96 is not particularly demanding on either component, but the balance point shifts decisively toward the GPU as resolution and settings increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 features 6 cores and 12 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. This Alder Lake-S architecture processor has an 18 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration. The benchmark data for this CPU shows a 3DMark single-thread score of 910 and a 3DMark max-threads score of 5890, with Cinebench R23 results of 2257 single-core and 15989 multi-core. These scores place the processor in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18683.

In Road 96, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p and Low settings, where the system achieves 334 FPS. This extreme frame rate is far beyond what any display can show, and it indicates that the game's logic and draw calls are being processed quickly by the i5-12400's 6 cores. The 12 threads allow the game's background tasks to run without interfering with the main render thread, which is crucial for maintaining consistent frame pacing. The CPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD EPYC 7643 (0.1% lower average score) and the Intel Core i7-1355U (0.3% lower), showing that the i5-12400 sits in a competitive performance tier.

The fact that 1080p Low (334 FPS) is nearly double the 4K Low (112 FPS) performance strongly suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at higher resolutions. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively constant regardless of resolution. Instead, the data shows that at 4K Low, the GPU is still able to produce 112 FPS, which is a very high number for any adventure game. This indicates that even at lower settings, the RTX 5070 Ti's rendering pipeline, not the CPU, becomes the constraint as pixel count increases. The i5-12400's 65W TDP and 10nm process node make it an efficient partner, but in this specific game, its performance headroom is only fully utilized at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB203 chip manufactured on a 5nm process by TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 896.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has 8960 shading units, 280 TMUs, and 96 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2452 MHz and a base clock of 2295 MHz. Its benchmark results include a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6604 and a Passmark G3D score of 32974, placing it in the 86th percentile among all GPUs with an average score of 49957.

The RTX 5070 Ti's role in Road 96 becomes dominant at 4K resolution, particularly with the Ultra preset. The measured 52 FPS average at 4K Ultra is the only sub-60 FPS result in the entire dataset, and it highlights the GPU's limits when rendering the game's highest-quality effects at maximum pixel count. The 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, as even at 4K Ultra, the memory requirements would not approach the 16 GB capacity. The 896.0 GB/s memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and high-resolution assets do not create stutters, which is reflected in the consistent frame times at Medium settings where minimum FPS is recorded.

At 1440p and 1080p, the GPU's performance is so far above the game's requirements that it becomes nearly irrelevant. The 4K Low result of 112 FPS demonstrates that even at maximum resolution, the GPU can deliver high frame rates when graphical effects are reduced. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K (112 FPS to 52 FPS) shows a 54% performance penalty for the highest preset, which is a substantial cost. The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 (0.1% lower average score) and the Intel Arc A550M (0.4% higher), though these comparisons are based on synthetic benchmarks rather than Road 96-specific performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 334 FPS on Low, 244 FPS on Medium (with a minimum of 208 FPS and maximum of 281 FPS), 197 FPS on High, and 154 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset at 1080p shows a 73 FPS range between minimum and maximum, indicating some scene-to-scene variability, but the average remains exceptionally high. The step from Medium to High costs 47 FPS, while High to Ultra costs another 43 FPS, showing that the Ultra preset has a significant performance tax.

Moving to 2560x1440, the results are 213 FPS on Low, 156 FPS on Medium (minimum 132 FPS, maximum 179 FPS), 125 FPS on High, and 98 FPS on Ultra. The 1440p Medium dataset shows a 47 FPS spread, which is narrower than the 1080p Medium spread, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more of a factor in smoothing out frame times. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1440p follows a similar pattern to 1080p, with each preset step costing roughly 20-30% of the previous performance.

At 3840x2160, the data shows 112 FPS on Low, 82 FPS on Medium (minimum 70 FPS, maximum 95 FPS), 66 FPS on High, and 52 FPS on Ultra. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset drops below 60 FPS, and the Medium preset's minimum of 70 FPS indicates that there are brief dips below the average. The 4K scaling from Low to Ultra represents a 54% performance reduction, which is the steepest across all resolutions. The 4K Medium result of 82 FPS is still very playable, and the 4K High result of 66 FPS remains above the 60 FPS threshold, but the Ultra preset requires either a reduction in resolution or settings for a locked 60 FPS experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combo in Road 96?

A: The data shows that all three resolutions produce high frame rates. At 1440p High, the system achieves 125 FPS, and at 4K High, it maintains 66 FPS. For a 60 FPS target, 4K High is viable, while 1440p allows for much higher refresh rates.

Q: Can this system run Road 96 at 4K Ultra?

A: The measured data indicates an average of 52 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. While playable, this preset does not maintain a consistent 60 FPS experience, and the minimum FPS is not recorded for this configuration.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 334 to 112, a 66% reduction. At High settings, the drop is from 197 to 66, also a 66% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is from 154 to 52, a 66% reduction. The proportional loss is consistent across presets.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck in Road 96?

A: The data suggests the CPU is only a limiting factor at 1080p Low, where the 334 FPS result likely exceeds the game's engine limits. At higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops with increased pixel count.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset has recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 208 to 281 FPS (73 FPS spread). At 1440p, the range is 132 to 179 FPS (47 FPS spread). At 4K, the range is 70 to 95 FPS (25 FPS spread).

Q: How does the RTX 5070 Ti's 16 GB VRAM factor into Road 96 performance?

A: The 16 GB GDDR7 memory with 896.0 GB/s bandwidth ensures that memory capacity is never a limiting factor in this game. The performance drops at 4K Ultra are due to compute limitations rather than memory constraints, as the game does not require anywhere near 16 GB of VRAM.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's display refresh rate and resolution preference. For 4K displays, the High preset at 66 FPS provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, as the Ultra preset drops to 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K offers 82 FPS and a recorded minimum of 70 FPS, which would be the safer choice for a 60 Hz display with headroom, while High at 66 FPS is acceptable for those who prioritize visual fidelity.

For 1440p displays, the High preset at 125 FPS offers an excellent experience for high-refresh-rate monitors, while the Ultra preset at 98 FPS remains well above 60 FPS and provides the maximum visual quality. The Medium preset at 156 FPS is beneficial for 144 Hz or 165 Hz displays, as it clears the refresh rate threshold with a 24 FPS margin. The 1440p Ultra setting is recommended for users with 60 Hz to 100 Hz displays who want the best image quality.

At 1080p, all presets deliver exceptional performance, with the Low preset at 334 FPS being suitable for 240 Hz or faster displays. The Medium preset at 244 FPS and High preset at 197 FPS are both viable for 240 Hz monitors, while the Ultra preset at 154 FPS is ideal for 144 Hz displays. Given that the Ultra preset provides the highest graphical fidelity and still achieves 154 FPS at 1080p, it is the recommended choice for this resolution unless the user has an extremely high refresh rate display that requires the Low or Medium presets.

The data suggests that the Ultra preset at 1440p offers the most balanced experience, as it delivers 98 FPS with the highest visual quality. For users who demand a locked 60 FPS at 4K, the Medium preset with its 82 FPS average and 70 FPS minimum provides the necessary headroom. The High preset at 4K is the best choice for those who want a compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate, as it sits just above the 60 FPS threshold.