Road 96

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 lands at rank 3302 out of 3713 tested combos in Road 96. That places this configuration in the bottom 11% of all measured combinations, a position that reflects the GPU's severe limitations rather than any deficiency in the processor. The data shows a system that can run the game, but only at settings and resolutions that demand modest graphical loads.

This ranking becomes more meaningful when examining the individual component percentiles. The Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, meaning roughly 91% of tested graphics cards outperform it. The Core i5-12400F, by contrast, ranks at the 73rd percentile among all CPUs, placing it comfortably above the median processor. This is a classic imbalance: a mid-range processor paired with a graphics solution that benchmarks closer to entry-level integrated graphics than to any discrete gaming card.

The gap between component capabilities and overall combo ranking suggests the GPU acts as the primary constraint in nearly every scenario. When the processor can compute frames faster than the graphics unit can render them, the combo's rank reflects the weakest link. With the Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, and nearest rivals like the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower) and GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), the graphics ceiling is evident from synthetic testing alone.

# GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor built on the Xe3-LPG architecture, fabricated on a 3 nm process. Its clock behavior shows a base frequency of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, a wide operating range that allows the GPU to idle efficiently and ramp up under load. The chip contains 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output units, along with 12 ray tracing cores.

Memory configuration is unusual: the Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning it draws from the same pool as the CPU rather than having dedicated VRAM. The memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as System Shared or System Dependent, which means performance scales with the host system's memory configuration. This architecture explains why the GPU's benchmark results are so modest; shared memory systems typically face bandwidth constraints that dedicated VRAM solutions avoid.

The GPU's raw throughput figures reinforce this picture. Pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, and FP32 compute reaches 7.680 TFLOPS. While these numbers might sound respectable on paper, the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places the Arc B390 at the 9th percentile. Its nearest rivals in the database — the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 — are all legacy or entry-level parts, with delta percentages ranging from 1.3% to 2.7% relative to the Arc B390's score. The graphics card is simply not designed for demanding 3D workloads.

In Road 96, an adventure title with stylized visuals, the GPU still struggles to maintain playable framerates at higher settings. The measured data shows that at 1080p Ultra, the average FPS drops to 43, while at 4K Ultra it falls to 15. These figures align with a GPU whose percentile ranking places it among the weakest tested.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400F provides a stark contrast in capability. This Alder Lake-S processor features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. The 10 nm process node and 163 mm² die size house an 18 MB shared L3 cache, with 80 KB of L1 and 1.25 MB of L2 per core. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 20 CPU lanes.

Synthetic benchmarks show a processor that punches well above its position in the combo. Cinebench R23 multicore score reaches 12380, with a single-core score of 1680. Geekbench results show 9472 multicore and 1964 single-core. The PassMark multithread score of 19433 and single-thread score of 3481 confirm balanced performance across both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. The CPU's average benchmark score of 19039 places it at the 73rd percentile, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (19047, 0% delta), Intel Core 3 201E (19056, -0.1% delta), and Intel Core i5-1335U (18982, 0.3% delta).

For Road 96 specifically, the CPU's 12 threads provide ample headroom for game logic, physics, and streaming tasks. The boost clock of 4.40 GHz ensures responsive single-threaded performance, which matters for adventure games that often rely on one primary simulation thread. The 65 W TDP and active production status suggest this is a mainstream part designed for broad compatibility.

The data indicates the processor is never the bottleneck in this combo. At every resolution and settings level, the measured FPS aligns more closely with what the GPU can deliver rather than what the CPU could support. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 5895 and max-thread score of 5912 show consistent scaling across thread counts, meaning the CPU can feed the GPU without stalling.

# FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running Road 96 at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured data shows 94 avg FPS at 1080p Low, 69 avg FPS at 1080p Medium, and 56 avg FPS at 1080p High. At 1080p Ultra, the average drops to 43 FPS, which may feel less smooth.

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

A: The Arc B390's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1482. Its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower).

Q: What is the CPU's strongest synthetic benchmark result?

A: The PassMark data compression test yields the highest score at 233327. Among traditional CPU benchmarks, Cinebench R23 multicore reaches 12380 and Geekbench multicore reaches 9472.

Q: Does the CPU hold back the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests no. The CPU ranks at the 73rd percentile while the GPU ranks at the 9th percentile. The processor's multicore and single-core scores indicate it can handle the game's demands without limiting the graphics unit.

Q: What memory configuration does the GPU use?

A: The Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, with the type, bus width, and bandwidth all listed as System Shared or System Dependent. This means it relies on the host system's memory rather than dedicated VRAM.

Q: How does the combo rank overall among tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 3302 out of 3713 tested combos in Road 96, placing it in the bottom 11% of all measured systems.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 94 avg FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 60 avg FPS, a 36% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 32 FPS, which is 66% lower than the 1080p Low result.

The scaling across settings follows a similar trajectory. At 1080p Medium, the average is 69 FPS; at 1440p Medium it drops to 44 FPS; at 4K Medium it falls to 23 FPS. The High preset shows 56 FPS at 1080p, 35 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings produce 43 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K.

These resolution scaling patterns indicate that the GPU is the limiting component. The FPS drops are roughly proportional to the increase in pixel count, which is characteristic of a graphics-bound scenario. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect similar FPS across resolutions because the processor workload does not scale with resolution. Instead, the consistent degradation from 1080p to 1440p to 4K confirms that the Arc B390's rendering throughput is the bottleneck.

The medium preset provides the only rows with min and max FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the range spans 59 to 79 FPS. At 1440p Medium, it spans 37 to 50 FPS. At 4K Medium, it spans 20 to 27 FPS. These ranges show that even within a single settings level, frame pacing becomes more erratic as resolution increases, further evidence of GPU strain.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual quality and performance occurs at 1080p Medium. This setting delivers 69 avg FPS with a range of 59 to 79 FPS, providing smooth gameplay while maintaining moderate visual fidelity. The 1080p High preset at 56 avg FPS remains playable, but the 13 FPS drop from Medium to High may not justify the visual improvement for a game like Road 96 that emphasizes narrative and atmosphere over graphical intensity.

At 1440p, the Low preset achieves 60 avg FPS, which matches the 1080p High result. However, the Medium preset at 1440p drops to 44 avg FPS with a range of 37 to 50 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stuttering during scene transitions. For users with 1440p displays, the Low preset represents the only setting that maintains a 60 FPS average.

The 4K resolution is not recommended for this combo. Even at Low settings, the average FPS is 32, which falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K produces only 15 avg FPS, making it effectively unplayable for interactive purposes.

The data suggests that users should prioritize resolution over settings. Running at 1080p Medium or High provides a better experience than running at 1440p Low or Medium. The game's adventure genre means that occasional frame drops are less impactful than in fast-paced action titles, but the measured minimums at Medium settings (59 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p, 20 FPS at 4K) indicate that lower settings provide more consistent frame pacing.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. The Low preset achieves 94 avg FPS, the highest measured value across all resolutions and settings. Medium follows at 69 avg FPS with a range of 59 to 79 FPS. High drops to 56 avg FPS, and Ultra falls to 43 avg FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a 54% reduction in average framerate, highlighting the GPU's sensitivity to graphical settings.

At 2560x1440, performance degrades noticeably. Low settings produce 60 avg FPS, which is exactly 36% lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 44 FPS with a range of 37 to 50 FPS. High drops to 35 avg FPS, and Ultra falls to 28 avg FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p delivers only 30% of the 1080p Low performance.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across all settings. Low averages 32 FPS, Medium averages 23 FPS with a range of 20 to 27 FPS, High averages 19 FPS, and Ultra averages 15 FPS. The gap between 1440p and 4K is substantial: even the best 4K result (32 FPS at Low) is 47% lower than the worst 1440p result (28 FPS at Ultra).

The data shows that the Arc B390's performance ceiling in Road 96 is roughly 94 FPS at 1080p Low. Every other configuration yields lower results, with the floor at 15 FPS for 4K Ultra. The 79 FPS maximum recorded at 1080p Medium represents the highest frame rate within any Medium preset, while the 20 FPS minimum at 4K Medium shows the lowest recorded frame rate for that settings level. These numbers provide a complete picture of what this combo can and cannot deliver in Road 96.