Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure game that does not demand extreme hardware, but the measured results for the Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 show a configuration that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. The data indicates that this combo is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gameplay, with 4K requiring careful settings management to stay playable. The CPU is a strong performer in synthetic benchmarks, but the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor as resolution increases, which is typical for a game of this visual style.

FAQ

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

A: According to the measured FPS data, 2560x1440 on High settings delivers an average of 54 FPS, while 1920x1080 on High hits 85 FPS. For a smoother experience, 1080p on Low reaches 145 FPS, but 1440p on Medium (67 FPS) appears to be the sweet spot for balancing visual quality and performance.

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

A: Yes, but with compromises. At 3840x2160, the High preset only averages 29 FPS, which is below the standard 60 FPS target. Dropping to Low settings raises the average to 49 FPS, but this is still not ideal. The data suggests 4K is only playable at Low settings, and even then, it may not be a consistent experience.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 20556, which places it 0.1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% behind the Intel Arc A750. It also sits 0.4% above the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 0.5% below the AMD Radeon R9 M390X, indicating it performs in a similar tier to these mobile and older desktop parts.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12600KF a bottleneck for the Arc B570?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not a bottleneck in this game. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multicore score is 23391, and its percentile rank is 79th among all CPUs. In Road 96, the FPS drops significantly from 1080p Low (145 FPS) to 4K Low (49 FPS), which demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Q: Which preset provides the most stable frame times?

A: The Medium preset is the only one that provides min and max FPS data across all resolutions. At 1080p, it ranges from 90 to 122 FPS, at 1440p from 57 to 78 FPS, and at 4K from 30 to 41 FPS. This data suggests that Medium offers a more consistent frame pacing than other presets, where only average FPS is reported.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU shows a significant difference between single and multi-threaded workloads. Its PassMark single-thread score is 3925, while its PassMark multithread score is 27575. This indicates the 10-core, 16-thread processor is capable of handling heavy multi-threaded tasks, but its strong single-core performance (3DMark single-thread score of 1016) is also sufficient for games.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary driver of frame rate in Road 96. The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The core clocks are fixed at 2500 MHz for both base and boost, which is a relatively high clock speed that helps with the game's rendering tasks. The GPU's architecture is Xe2-HPG on a 5 nm process, with 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units.

In synthetic benchmarks, the Arc B570 achieves a PassMark G3D score of 14195, which places it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2649. The GPU's performance is closely matched with its nearest rivals, with a delta of only 0.1% compared to the RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750. This means that in Road 96, the Arc B570 should deliver frame rates comparable to those of these other GPUs.

The VRAM capacity of 10 GB is not a limiting factor in this game, as the measured FPS shows consistent scaling from 1080p to 4K without any signs of memory-related stuttering. The GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are sufficient for the adventure game's visual style, which does not rely on heavy texture streaming or complex geometry. The data confirms that the GPU is the component that dictates the FPS ceiling, especially at higher resolutions like 2560x1440 and 3840x2160.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, average frame rates drop significantly. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 145 FPS, which drops to 92 FPS at 1440p Low and further to 49 FPS at 4K Low. This represents a 36.5% decrease from 1080p to 1440p, and a 46.7% decrease from 1440p to 4K. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has enough headroom to handle the increased pixel count.

The same scaling is visible on the High preset. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 85, which drops to 54 FPS at 1440p High (a 36.5% reduction) and then to 29 FPS at 4K High (a 46.3% reduction from 1440p). This consistent percentage drop across settings suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being saturated as the resolution increases.

The Medium preset shows the most complete data, with min and max FPS values. At 1080p Medium, the average is 106 FPS with a range of 90-122 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 67 FPS with a range of 57-78 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 36 FPS with a range of 30-41 FPS. The frame time variance also increases with resolution, which is typical when the GPU is under heavy load. This data strongly suggests that the Arc B570 is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance in synthetic benchmarks (e.g., Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23391) would not cause such a dramatic FPS drop.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for Road 96 with this hardware combination is as follows:

1080p:

• Low: Average FPS 145, with no min or max reported.
• Medium: Average FPS 106, with a range of 90 to 122 FPS.
• High: Average FPS 85, with no min or max reported.
• Ultra: Average FPS 67, with no min or max reported.

1440p:

• Low: Average FPS 92, with no min or max reported.
• Medium: Average FPS 67, with a range of 57 to 78 FPS.
• High: Average FPS 54, with no min or max reported.
• Ultra: Average FPS 43, with no min or max reported.

4K:

• Low: Average FPS 49, with no min or max reported.
• Medium: Average FPS 36, with a range of 30 to 41 FPS.
• High: Average FPS 29, with no min or max reported.
• Ultra: Average FPS 23, with no min or max reported.

At 1080p, all presets are playable, with even the Ultra preset maintaining an average of 67 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 39 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High costs 21 FPS. The step from High to Ultra costs 18 FPS. At 1440p, the Low preset is the only one that exceeds 90 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 54 and 43 FPS respectively. The 4K results are the most demanding, with only the Low preset breaking 40 FPS, and the Ultra preset dropping to just 23 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. It has 20 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strong multi-threaded performance, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23391 and a PassMark multithread score of 27575. Its single-thread performance is also solid, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3302 and a PassMark single-thread score of 3925.

The CPU's percentile rank of 79th among all CPUs indicates that it is a high-performing part. Its average benchmark score of 27799 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with a delta of -0.3% compared to the Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D. This means that in CPU-bound scenarios, the i5-12600KF will perform on par with these older high-end chips.

In the context of Road 96, the CPU's role is less critical than the GPU. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 145 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at high frame rates. However, as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are more than sufficient for an adventure game like Road 96, which likely uses only a few threads. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 7956 and the 8-thread score of 6128 indicate that the CPU has plenty of headroom for gaming workloads, and the measured FPS scaling confirms that the CPU is not limiting performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1080p, the High preset at 85 FPS is recommended for a balance of visual quality and performance. If a higher frame rate is desired, the Medium preset at 106 FPS is a better choice, as it provides a smoother experience while maintaining decent visuals. The Ultra preset at 67 FPS is still playable, but the 18 FPS drop from High may not be worth the marginal visual improvement. The Low preset at 145 FPS is only recommended for competitive play or if the user has a 144Hz monitor and prioritizes frame rate above all else.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 67 FPS is the recommended starting point. It offers a solid frame rate with good visual fidelity. The High preset at 54 FPS is acceptable for users who prefer higher settings, but the 13 FPS drop from Medium might be noticeable. The Low preset at 92 FPS is the best option for a high-refresh-rate 1440p monitor, as it provides a fluid experience. The Ultra preset at 43 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel less responsive.

For 4K, the data suggests that this hardware is not ideal for high or ultra settings. The Low preset at 49 FPS is the only option that comes close to a playable experience, but it still falls short of 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 36 FPS is borderline playable, but the frame rate may feel inconsistent during intense scenes. Users who want to play at 4K should stick to the Low preset and accept the lower visual quality, or consider reducing the resolution to 1440p for a better experience. The Ultra preset at 23 FPS is not viable for gameplay.

Overall, the Medium preset is the most balanced across all resolutions, as it is the only one with reported min and max FPS values, indicating more stable performance. For the best experience, prioritize 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings, and avoid Ultra settings at 4K.