Road 96

Road 96 presents a relatively light workload for modern hardware, and the measured results for the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination confirm this. The data shows a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher resolutions, while still capable of delivering exceptionally high frame rates at 1080p. The benchmark results paint a clear picture of a pairing that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming in this title, with performance scaling that follows predictable patterns based on resolution and graphical preset.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, indicating that the AMD Radeon RX 7700 is the primary limiting component as resolution increases. At the High preset, the average frame rate falls from 126 FPS at 1920x1080 to 80 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 46 FPS, and then further down to 42 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 67% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K, a substantial hit that is typical for a GPU-bound scenario where the number of pixels rendered quadruples.

The pattern is similar across all settings, though the absolute frame rates differ. At the Low preset, the drop is from 213 FPS at 1080p to 136 FPS at 1440p and finally to 72 FPS at 4K. This is a 66% reduction from 1080p to 4K, mirroring the High preset’s scaling almost exactly. The consistency of this percentage drop across different presets is a strong indicator that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks, rather than any CPU limitation. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see a smaller percentage drop when moving to higher resolutions, as the CPU workload remains relatively constant while the GPU workload increases.

The data suggests that the Core i5-12400F has ample headroom to feed the RX 7700 at all tested resolutions. The fact that the frame rate scales so dramatically with resolution implies that the CPU is not struggling to keep up with the game’s logic and draw calls. This is a classic sign of a balanced pairing where the GPU is the limiting factor, which is generally the desired configuration for gaming. The 4K results, while playable at Medium settings with an average of 53 FPS, show that this combination is not designed for high-refresh-rate 4K gaming in this title. The 33 FPS average at 4K Ultra confirms that this resolution is best left to more powerful GPUs, or that users should stick to lower presets to maintain smooth gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions, providing a significant boost over High and Ultra while maintaining playable frame rates. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers an average of 156 FPS, which is 30 FPS higher than High and 58 FPS higher than Ultra. This makes it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, as the frame rate is well above the 144 Hz threshold commonly found in gaming displays. The 1440p Medium result of 99 FPS is also strong, offering a smooth experience that is likely to be preferred over the 80 FPS High preset for most users.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 53 FPS and a minimum of 45 FPS. This is a playable frame rate for a narrative-driven adventure game like Road 96, which does not require fast, competitive reflexes. The High preset at 4K drops to 42 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the Medium preset provides a safer margin above the 30 FPS minimum that is often considered the floor for playability. The Low preset at 4K offers 72 FPS, which is surprisingly high, but it likely comes with a significant visual quality reduction that may not be worth the performance gain.

The Ultra preset is the least efficient choice, offering the lowest frame rates at every resolution. At 1080p, it still achieves 98 FPS, which is respectable, but the 63 FPS at 1440p and 33 FPS at 4K make it a poor choice for higher resolutions. The data suggests that the visual fidelity jump from High to Ultra is not worth the performance cost, especially when the Medium preset provides such a large frame rate advantage. For users with 144Hz or 165Hz monitors, Medium at 1080p or 1440p is the clear recommendation, while those on 4K displays should opt for Medium to ensure a smooth experience.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 plays the dominant role in determining the frame rates in Road 96, as evidenced by the resolution scaling analysis. The GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus width provide a bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for this game’s textures and assets, even at 4K. The data shows no signs of a memory capacity bottleneck, as the performance drop from 1440p to 4K is consistent with a pure rendering load increase rather than a memory spillover effect.

The GPU’s clock speeds, with a base of 1900 MHz and a boost of 2459 MHz, contribute to its overall compute power. The measured results show that the GPU is capable of delivering 213 FPS at 1080p Low, which confirms its raw performance when the load is light. However, the 33 FPS at 4K Ultra shows that the GPU’s limits are reached when the pixel count and graphical effects are maximized. The GPU’s percentile ranking of 58% against all GPUs indicates it is a mid-to-upper-tier part, and the benchmark scores, such as the Passmark G3D score of 20974, support this position.

The nearest rival data shows that the RX 7700 is closely matched with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which has a benchmark score that is 1.7% higher. This close competition is reflected in the gaming performance, where the RX 7700 is able to hold its own in a game like Road 96 that is not particularly demanding. The 16 GB of VRAM is a notable advantage over many rivals, though the data does not indicate that this capacity is fully utilized in this specific game. Overall, the GPU is the clear performance driver, and its capabilities are the primary factor in the frame rates achieved at each resolution and setting combination.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 80 FPS at High settings and 99 FPS at Medium settings. This provides a high frame rate experience that fully utilizes the GPU’s capabilities without the steep performance penalty seen at 3840x2160.

Q: Is the AMD Radeon RX 7700 powerful enough for 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The measured results show an average of 42 FPS at 4K High and 53 FPS at 4K Medium. This is playable for a slower-paced game like Road 96, but it is not suitable for high-refresh-rate 4K displays.

Q: What CPU benchmark score does the Intel Core i5-12400F have?

A: The Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19039, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380 and a single-core score of 1680. This places it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, indicating solid mid-range performance.

Q: How does the RX 7700 compare to its nearest rival in terms of benchmark scores?

A: The RX 7700’s nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which has an average score of 15862, a 0.1% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti has a score of 16129, which is 1.7% higher than the RX 7700’s score of 15852.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows a minimum FPS of 84 at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with an average of 99 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS. This indicates a stable frame time experience without significant drops.

Q: Does the game rely more on the CPU or GPU for this combo?

A: The data indicates a strong GPU reliance. The frame rate drops by a similar percentage (approximately 67%) from 1080p to 4K across all presets, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The CPU has ample headroom to keep up, as it is not the bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 combination ranks 1298th out of 2903 tested combos in Road 96, placing it in the 55th percentile of all configurations. This is a solid mid-pack ranking, indicating that the combo performs better than a majority of systems but is not at the top tier. The ranking reflects the balance of the components, where the GPU is a mid-to-upper-tier part and the CPU is a strong mid-range offering.

The ranking is likely influenced by the fact that Road 96 is a relatively easy game to run, meaning that even lower-end GPUs can achieve good frame rates. The RX 7700’s performance is sufficient to place this combo above more than half of all tested systems, but there are many other combinations with more powerful GPUs that will achieve higher frame rates, especially at 4K. The combo’s rank of 1298 suggests that it is a capable gaming system for this title, but not an exceptional one in the context of all possible hardware pairings.

The data show that the combo is well-optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers frame rates that are competitive with much more expensive systems. The rank reflects the efficiency of the RDNA 3.0 architecture and the solid single-threaded performance of the Alder Lake CPU. However, for users looking to play at 4K with maximum settings, this combo would rank lower due to the GPU’s limitations in that specific scenario. Overall, the rank indicates a reliable and well-rounded gaming experience for the majority of users.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F plays a supporting role in this pairing, providing more than enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck in Road 96. The CPU’s 6 cores and 12 threads, based on the Alder Lake architecture, deliver strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 12380. The single-core performance, with a score of 1680, is also excellent, which is crucial for games that rely heavily on a single main thread.

The measured FPS data confirms that the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were struggling, we would see frame rates that plateau or drop significantly at lower resolutions where the CPU workload is relatively higher compared to the GPU. Instead, the frame rates scale smoothly with resolution, indicating that the CPU has ample headroom. The CPU’s boost clock of 4.40 GHz provides the high per-core performance needed to handle the game’s logic and physics without slowing down the GPU.

The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as the 3DMark single-thread score of 909 and the Geekbench single-core score of 1964, support its capability to handle gaming workloads. Its 18 MB of L3 cache also helps to reduce memory latency, which can improve frame pacing. The Core i5-12400F’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS, have nearly identical average benchmark scores (19047 vs 19039, a 0% difference), indicating that this CPU is in a very competitive performance tier. In this game, the CPU’s role is to keep the GPU fed with data, and the data shows it does this effortlessly, allowing the RX 7700 to be the sole determinant of the frame rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 deliver exceptional performance across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 213 FPS, which is an extremely high frame rate suitable for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset provides an average of 156 FPS, with a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 179 FPS, offering a smooth and consistent experience. The High preset drops to an average of 126 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers an average of 98 FPS. This shows that even at the highest settings, the combo can push nearly 100 FPS at 1080p.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong, though the frame rates decrease as expected. The Low preset delivers an average of 136 FPS, which is still very high. The Medium preset offers an average of 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 FPS and a maximum of 114 FPS, making it ideal for 144Hz monitors. The High preset averages 80 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 63 FPS. This demonstrates that 1440p is a sweet spot for this combo, as it can maintain high frame rates while offering better image quality than 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU workload becomes significant, and the frame rates drop to more modest levels. The Low preset averages 72 FPS, which is still playable. The Medium preset averages 53 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS, providing a stable experience for a story-driven game. The High preset averages 42 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 33 FPS. These 4K results show that the combo can handle 4K gaming, but users will need to adjust settings to maintain a smooth frame rate. The data across all resolutions and settings provides a comprehensive view of the combo’s capabilities, highlighting its strengths at 1080p and 1440p while showing its limitations at 4K.