Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title that does not behave like a typical shooter or open-world stress test, but the measured frame rates from this Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER pairing still reveal a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings. The data indicates a system that becomes progressively more GPU-bound as resolution climbs, while the CPU's high thread count ensures that even the lowest settings at 1080p do not expose a bottleneck. The benchmark results show a configurable experience ranging from extremely high refresh rate play to a stable 4K experience, with the specific trade-offs detailed in the sections below.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all quality presets, which points directly to the GPU as the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 308.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 105.4 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of roughly two-thirds. This scaling is expected for a GPU like the RTX 4070 SUPER, which has a 192-bit memory bus and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory; the pixel throughput demand at 4K simply overwhelms the shader and ROP capabilities relative to 1080p.

The pattern holds for Medium and High settings, but the percentage drop is less severe. At Medium, the average goes from 227.8 FPS at 1080p down to 75.6 FPS at 4K, while at High it drops from 183.1 FPS to 62.8 FPS. The Ultra preset shows the smallest relative decline, moving from 141.9 FPS at 1080p to 50.4 FPS at 4K. This suggests that at higher settings, the workload becomes more uniform across resolutions, whereas at Low settings, the CPU and memory subsystem can feed frames fast enough at 1080p that the GPU quickly becomes the sole constraint when pixel count rises.

Looking at the 2560x1440 results, the data shows a midpoint that is well-suited for high refresh rate monitors. At Medium settings, the average is 144.8 FPS, which is nearly double the 4K result for the same preset. The difference between 1440p and 1080p is also notable: at High settings, the average drops from 183.1 FPS to 116.7 FPS, a 36% reduction. This indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER has enough headroom at 1440p to maintain fluid gameplay, but the jump to 4K requires a significant settings compromise to stay above 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 23444 and a single-core score of 3309, placing it in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. In Road 96, this CPU provides more than enough headroom to avoid limiting the GPU, especially at higher resolutions where the frame rates are lower.

The data supports this by showing that at 1080p Low, the average frame rate reaches 308.6 FPS. This is a scenario where a weaker CPU would typically bottleneck a powerful GPU, but the 12600KF's 16 threads and high single-thread performance keep the pipeline fed. The PassMark multi-thread score of 27575 and the 3DMark 16-thread score of 7956 indicate that the processor can handle the game's logic and draw calls without becoming a constraint. Even at 1080p Ultra, where the average is 141.9 FPS, the CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU is still doing most of the heavy lifting.

Comparatively, the 12600KF sits near the top of its class, with nearest rivals like the Intel Core i9-10900K showing a 0% delta in average benchmark score, and the Intel Core i5-12600K trailing by only 0.1%. This means that for Road 96, the CPU choice has virtually no impact on the measured FPS differences between presets, as the game is not heavily threaded or dependent on cache hierarchy. The 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per-core L2 cache are sufficient for the game's asset streaming, but the results show that the GPU is the dominant component in this pairing.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the clear driver of performance in this combination. With 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, it delivers a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is adequate for Road 96's texture loads at 4K. The GPU has 7168 shading units and 80 ROPs, with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, resulting in a pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 554.4 GTexel/s. These specifications explain the scaling patterns seen in the measured FPS data.

At 4K Ultra, the average frame rate drops to 50.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target that many players aim for. This is a clear sign that the RTX 4070 SUPER is working hard to fill the 8.3 million pixels at 3840x2160, and the 12 GB VRAM is not a limiting factor—the bottleneck is raw compute. In contrast, at 1440p Ultra, the average is 88.3 FPS, showing a 75% improvement over 4K, which is consistent with the reduction in pixel count. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 29995 and its 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirm that it is a high-end part, but it is not a flagship.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 with a delta of -0.2% and the AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE with a delta of -0.3%, meaning the RTX 4070 SUPER is essentially on par with those cards in synthetic benchmarks. However, in Road 96, the measured data shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER can handle 4K High at 62.8 FPS, which is playable, but for a locked 60 FPS experience at 4K, players would need to use Medium settings, which yields 75.6 FPS. The GPU's 220 W TDP and dual-slot design are typical for this class, and the 16-pin power connector requires a modern power supply, but the performance per watt is excellent given the frame rates achieved.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Road 96, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 303rd out of 1684 tested combos. This places it in the top 18% of all systems, which is a strong result but not at the very top tier. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU, where the 12600KF is a high-end mid-range processor and the RTX 4070 SUPER is a high-end mainstream GPU.

The ranking suggests that there are 302 other combinations that achieve higher average frame rates across the tested scenarios. These would likely include more powerful GPUs like the RTX 4080 or 4090, or CPUs with higher single-thread performance, but the data does not specify which combos rank higher. What is clear is that this combo delivers a very playable experience at all resolutions, with the weakest result being 50.4 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is still a playable frame rate for an adventure game that does not require fast reflexes.

The percentile scores for the individual components—84th for both CPU and GPU—indicate that this is a well-matched pair. The CPU's average benchmark score is 27827, and the GPU's is 42576, both of which are high. The combo rank of 303 out of 1684 means that about 82% of tested systems perform worse, which is a solid endorsement for this build. Players looking for a consistent 60+ FPS experience at 1440p with maximum settings will find this combo exceeds that requirement, as the data shows 88.3 FPS at 1440p Ultra.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Road 96 at 4K with high settings?

A: Yes. The measured average frame rate at 3840x2160 with High settings is 62.8 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. For a smoother experience, Medium settings at 4K yield 75.6 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this system?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 is the sweet spot. At Ultra settings, the average is 88.3 FPS, and at High it is 116.7 FPS, which is ideal for high refresh rate monitors. 1080p provides even higher frame rates, but the visual fidelity is lower.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. Evidence for this is that at 1080p Low, the average is 308.6 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that the CPU can feed, but at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 50.4 FPS, indicating the GPU is saturated.

Q: How does the RTX 4070 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: In synthetic benchmarks, it is nearly identical to the NVIDIA RTX A6000 and AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE, with deltas of -0.2% and -0.3% respectively. This means that in Road 96, the RTX 4070 SUPER should perform similarly to those cards.

Q: What settings should I use for a locked 60 FPS at 4K?

A: The data indicates that High settings at 4K produce 62.8 FPS, which is just above 60. For a more comfortable margin, Medium settings at 4K produce 75.6 FPS, ensuring the frame rate stays well above 60 FPS even in demanding scenes.

Q: Does the CPU's performance limit the GPU in any scenario?

A: No. Even at 1080p Low with an average of 308.6 FPS, the Intel Core i5-12600KF provides enough headroom. The CPU's 16 threads and high boost clock of 4.90 GHz prevent it from becoming a bottleneck in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance is exceptionally high across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 308.6 FPS, which is the highest measured in this dataset. Medium settings reduce this to 227.8 FPS, High settings to 183.1 FPS, and Ultra to 141.9 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the RTX 4070 SUPER is rarely stressed, and the system can easily drive a 240 Hz monitor even with High settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages are still very strong. Low settings produce 199 FPS, Medium 144.8 FPS, High 116.7 FPS, and Ultra 88.3 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 28% reduction, while the step from Medium to High is a 19% reduction, and from High to Ultra a 24% reduction. This suggests that the Ultra preset has a significant cost on the GPU, but the frame rates remain playable for competitive or casual play.

At 3840x2160, the results are more modest, reflecting the GPU's limitations at this resolution. Low settings yield 105.4 FPS, Medium 75.6 FPS, High 62.8 FPS, and Ultra 50.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 39.5 FPS, and the gap between High and Ultra is 12.4 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that drops below 60 FPS, making it a marginal choice for 4K gaming. For a smooth experience, players should stick to High or Medium settings at 4K, as both are above the 60 FPS line.