Road 96

Road 96, an adventure title from 2021, exhibits a performance profile that is heavily dictated by resolution and graphics settings when paired with the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070. The measured data indicates that this combination delivers a wide spectrum of frame rates, from highly playable at 4K to exceptionally high at 1080p, with the GPU acting as the primary scaling factor across these configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K clearly demonstrates a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves a substantial 261 FPS average. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset, the average drops by 95 FPS to 166 FPS, representing a 36% reduction in performance. This steep decline indicates that the Radeon RX 9070 is working progressively harder as pixel count increases, but at 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the GPU is operating well within its capacity.

The scaling pattern becomes even more pronounced at 4K. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS falls to 88, which is a 47% decrease from the 1440p result. This near-halving of performance when quadrupling the pixel count from 1440p to 4K confirms that the limiting component shifts entirely to the GPU's rendering throughput. The data for High settings reinforces this: 154 FPS at 1080p drops to 98 FPS at 1440p (a 36% reduction) and then to 52 FPS at 4K (a 47% reduction from 1440p). The consistency of these percentage drops across different settings levels suggests a scalable rendering pipeline where the CPU has ample headroom.

Interestingly, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is more severe than from 1440p to 4K in absolute terms for Low settings, but in relative percentages, the 4K transition is steeper. This suggests that at lower resolutions, there might be slight inefficiencies or driver overhead that exaggerate the drop, while at 4K, the GPU's raw fill rate and memory bandwidth become the absolute bottlenecks. The 4K Ultra preset, which yields a 41 FPS average, highlights that this resolution is only suitable for less demanding settings, as the combination of high pixel count and intensive effects pushes the RX 9070 to its limits.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 48 chip, is the clear performance driver in this configuration. Its 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s, which is crucial for handling the texture-heavy scenes of Road 96 at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, where memory pressure is highest, the average FPS drops to 41, indicating that the GPU's compute units and memory subsystem are both heavily utilized.

The GPU's clock speeds—a base of 1330 MHz and a boost of 2520 MHz—allow it to scale performance dynamically. The measured results show that at 1080p Low, the system produces 261 FPS, which is likely near the upper limit of what the game engine can output, suggesting the GPU is not fully saturated. However, at 1440p Medium, the average of 122 FPS with a minimum of 104 FPS shows a more balanced load, where the GPU's 3584 shading units and 128 ROPs are actively engaged in pixel processing.

The RX 9070's 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is substantial, but Road 96's visual style, which features stylized landscapes and character animations, appears to be more dependent on memory bandwidth and fill rate than pure compute. This is evidenced by the significant FPS drops when moving from Medium to High settings at the same resolution. For instance, at 1440p, Medium yields 122 FPS, but High drops to 98 FPS, a 20% reduction. This suggests that the higher preset increases texture detail and post-processing effects that consume bandwidth, rather than purely computational shaders.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 69 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 23877, positions it as a mid-to-high-range performer. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER (with a deltaPct of -1.2, meaning the RX 9070 is 1.2% slower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6800S (with a deltaPct of -0.8). These comparisons indicate that while the RX 9070 is not a top-tier flagship, its performance in Road 96 is more than adequate for smooth gameplay at 1440p and even playable 4K, provided settings are moderated.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, plays a supporting role in this benchmark, as the frame rates are primarily limited by the GPU. The CPU's base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, combined with an 18 MB shared L3 cache, provide sufficient processing power to feed the GPU at all tested resolutions. The data shows no evidence of CPU bottlenecking, as the FPS scales predictably with resolution and settings, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited workload.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-12400F demonstrates strong multi-threaded capabilities, scoring 12380 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 19433 in Passmark multithread. Its single-thread performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1680. For an adventure game like Road 96, which likely has modest CPU requirements due to its linear narrative structure, these scores are more than sufficient. The CPU's 73rd percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19039, places it well above the average processor.

The nearest CPU rivals are the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (with a deltaPct of 0, meaning identical average score) and the Intel Core 3 201E (with a deltaPct of -0.1). This indicates that the i5-12400F's performance is consistent with other mid-range processors of its generation. In the context of the game, the CPU's 65W TDP and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support ensure that it can maintain stable frame pacing without thermal throttling, which is critical for maintaining the minimum FPS values observed, such as the 55 FPS at 4K Medium and 104 FPS at 1440p Medium.

The fact that the FPS does not degrade when moving from 1080p to 4K indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS values across resolutions, but instead we see a clear decline, confirming that the RX 9070 is the sole performance ceiling. The i5-12400F's 3DMark scores, such as 5912 for max threads and 909 for single thread, further support its capability to handle the game's physics and AI calculations without issue.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall ranking for Road 96, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 achieves a rank of 1130 out of 3713 tested combos. This places it in the 69.6th percentile of all tested systems, indicating that it performs better than the majority of configurations but is not in the top tier. This ranking is consistent with the individual component performance, where the GPU sits at the 69th percentile and the CPU at the 73rd percentile.

The combo's rank suggests that while it delivers excellent performance at 1080p and good performance at 1440p, it is outclassed by systems with higher-end GPUs, particularly at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 41 FPS is below the 60 FPS target that many gamers prefer, which likely contributes to the combo's mid-pack ranking. However, for a game like Road 96, which is a narrative-driven adventure rather than a competitive shooter, the frame rates achieved are more than sufficient for a smooth experience.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing offers a balanced profile. The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM ensures future-proofing for higher-resolution textures, while the CPU's 6 cores provide adequate multi-tasking performance. The combination is particularly effective at 1440p, where the High preset achieves 98 FPS and Ultra achieves 77 FPS, both of which are well above the threshold for smooth gameplay. At 1080p, the system is capable of exploiting high-refresh-rate monitors, with the Low preset hitting 261 FPS and Ultra hitting 121 FPS.

The ranking also reflects the fact that the RX 9070, while powerful, is not a top-tier card like the RTX 4090 or RX 7900 XTX. Its performance is more closely aligned with mid-range to upper-mid-range GPUs, as evidenced by its nearest rivals. This places the combo in a sweet spot for 1440p gaming, where it can deliver high frame rates with maximum settings, making it a viable option for gamers who prioritize resolution and visual fidelity over raw FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 121 FPS, providing a fluid experience for high-refresh-rate displays.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Road 96?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 3840x2160 with High settings, the average FPS is 52, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. At Low settings, it reaches 88 FPS, and at Medium it is 64 FPS, but Ultra drops to 41 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 has an average benchmark score of 23877. It is 0.6% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and 1.1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Mobile, but it is 0.8% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800S and 1.2% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER.

Q: What is the CPU's performance in multi-threaded tasks?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F scores 12380 in Cinebench R23 multicore and 19433 in Passmark multithread, indicating strong performance for a 6-core processor.

Q: What is the best resolution for maximum frame rates?

A: The highest frame rates are achieved at 1920x1080, where the Low preset yields 261 FPS and even the Ultra preset maintains 121 FPS. This resolution allows the GPU to operate with minimal load.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, at 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 122 FPS, while the High preset averages 98 FPS. This represents a 24 FPS difference, or approximately a 20% reduction in performance, which may be noticeable to some players.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data for the Intel Core i5-12400F and AMD Radeon RX 9070 in Road 96 is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the system delivers extremely high frame rates across all settings. The Low preset achieves an average of 261 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the dataset. The Medium preset averages 191 FPS, with a minimum of 163 FPS and a maximum of 220 FPS. The High preset averages 154 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 121 FPS. This demonstrates that at 1080p, the GPU is never the limiting factor, and the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors even at maximum settings.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows a clear drop-off. The Low preset averages 166 FPS, which is a 36% reduction from 1080p Low. The Medium preset averages 122 FPS, with a minimum of 104 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS, providing a smooth experience. The High preset averages 98 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 77 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, as even Ultra settings remain well above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The Low preset averages 88 FPS, which is playable but less than half of the 1080p result. The Medium preset averages 64 FPS, with a minimum of 55 FPS and a maximum of 74 FPS, which is the only 4K configuration with min/max data. The High preset averages 52 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 41 FPS. These results suggest that 4K gaming is only viable at Low or Medium settings for a consistent experience above 60 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset is recommended, as it achieves an average of 121 FPS, which is more than sufficient for a smooth experience on standard 60Hz or even 144Hz monitors. The High preset offers a slight FPS boost to 154 FPS, but the visual fidelity gains from Ultra are likely worth the minor performance cost.

For 1440p gaming, the High preset is the best balance, delivering 98 FPS on average. This provides a high level of visual detail while maintaining a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 77 FPS is also viable for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate, but the 21 FPS difference between High and Ultra may not be worth the additional graphical load. The Medium preset at 122 FPS is ideal for competitive play or for users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 55 FPS, ensuring that the game remains playable during intense scenes. The Low preset at 88 FPS provides a more comfortable margin for frame pacing, but at the cost of reduced visual fidelity. The High and Ultra presets, at 52 FPS and 41 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience, as they fall below the 60 FPS target and may exhibit noticeable stuttering. For the best 4K experience, players should stick to Medium settings to maintain a consistent frame rate.