Road 96

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination delivers a remarkably fluid experience in Road 96, an adventure title where performance is dictated less by raw physics and more by consistent frame pacing. The data shows this pairing sits at rank 257 out of 3713 tested combos, placing it in the top 7% of all configurations—a strong result that underscores the balance between the 10-core Alder Lake processor and the Ada Lovelace flagship. This analysis breaks down the measured frame rates, scaling behavior, and component roles using only the benchmark data provided.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake-S architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The processor supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus, and it connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes from the CPU.

For Road 96, the CPU's role is primarily to maintain a stable minimum frame rate rather than to push peak FPS. In this game, the measured data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 354 FPS average, but the CPU's multi-threaded headroom, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391, ensures that frame times remain consistent even when the GPU is not the bottleneck. The single-thread performance, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3302, is adequate for the game's logic and AI, which are typically light in an adventure title.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the i5-12600KF's average benchmark score of 27799 is essentially tied with the Intel Core i9-10900K (deltaPct: -0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (deltaPct: -0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U (deltaPct: -0.3%). It also slightly surpasses the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE by 0.3%. This indicates that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this combo; its performance envelope is well within the range needed to feed the RTX 4080 at high frame rates.

The benchmark results from 3DMark reinforce this: the 16-thread score is 7956, while the single-thread score is 1016. These figures suggest that the CPU can handle both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads without significant performance cliffs. In Road 96, where the gameplay is driven by narrative and environmental interactions, the CPU's consistent throughput across its 10 cores ensures that background tasks and game logic do not introduce stutters, even at 4K Ultra where the GPU is heavily loaded.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 354 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This demonstrates the extreme headroom of the RTX 4080 when the resolution is low, and the CPU's ability to drive the GPU to its limits.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra compared to 4K High?

A: At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset yields an average of 55 FPS, while High settings produce 71 FPS. This represents a significant 29% performance drop from High to Ultra, indicating that the Ultra preset introduces demands that disproportionately impact frame rates at this resolution.

Q: Is there a measurable minimum FPS data point for the Medium preset?

A: Yes, the data includes min FPS values for the Medium preset across all resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the min FPS is 221 FPS; at 1440p Medium, it is 140 FPS; and at 4K Medium, it is 74 FPS. These values provide insight into frame pacing consistency, with the 4K Medium showing a tighter window relative to its average.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: The combo ranks 257th out of 3713 tested combos, placing it in the top 6.9% of all configurations. This rank reflects the overall capability of the i5-12600KF and RTX 4080 pairing for Road 96.

Q: How does the RTX 4080's GPU score compare to its closest rival?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247, which is just 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER's score of 54209. This places the two cards in a statistical tie, with the standard 4080 slightly ahead in this dataset.

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p Low and 1080p Ultra?

A: The difference is substantial: 354 FPS at Low versus 164 FPS at Ultra, representing a 53.7% reduction in average FPS. This highlights the heavy GPU load from Ultra settings, even at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data reveals a clear scaling pattern as resolution increases, which indicates how the workload shifts between the CPU and GPU. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 354 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low, the average drops to 226 FPS, a 36.2% reduction. At 4K Low, the average further drops to 119 FPS, a 47.3% reduction from 1440p. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, where the RTX 4080's pixel throughput becomes the limiting factor.

At High settings, the scaling is steeper. From 1080p High (209 FPS) to 1440p High (133 FPS), there is a 36.4% drop. From 1440p High to 4K High (71 FPS), the drop is 46.6%. The percentage reductions are similar across Low and High, suggesting that the game's rendering load scales uniformly with resolution, and the GPU is the primary bottleneck once resolution increases beyond 1080p.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 1080p Medium (260 FPS) to 1440p Medium (165 FPS) is a 36.5% drop, and 1440p Medium to 4K Medium (87 FPS) is a 47.3% drop. The consistency of these percentage drops across presets indicates that the CPU is not introducing a variable bottleneck; the i5-12600KF provides sufficient headroom to maintain the same relative scaling.

At 4K Ultra, the average FPS falls to 55, which is a 66% drop from 1080p Ultra (164 FPS). This sharper decline at Ultra settings suggests that the Ultra preset includes effects that are particularly demanding on GPU memory bandwidth and shading units. The RTX 4080's 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient, but the sheer pixel count at 4K combined with Ultra effects drives the frame rate down. The data indicates that the GPU is the dominant limiting component at 4K, while the CPU's role diminishes as resolution scales up.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combo rank of 257 out of 3713 tested configurations places this pairing in the top 6.9% of all tested setups for Road 96. This rank is a strong indicator of overall system balance, as it considers both the CPU and GPU contributions to the game's performance. The i5-12600KF's percentile of 79 against all CPUs and the RTX 4080's percentile of 86 against all GPUs both contribute to this high ranking.

Compared to the nearest CPU rivals, the i5-12600KF's average benchmark score of 27799 is nearly identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (27872, deltaPct: -0.3%) and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (27896, deltaPct: -0.3%). This suggests that swapping the CPU for these alternatives would likely yield similar frame rates in Road 96, as the game is not CPU-intensive enough to differentiate between these processors.

The GPU's nearest rivals tell a similar story. The RTX 4080's score of 54247 is 0.1% higher than the RTX 4080 SUPER (54209), while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% slower (54828, deltaPct: -1.1%). The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% slower (55698, deltaPct: -2.6%), and the AMD Radeon 8060S is 2.7% slower (55757, deltaPct: -2.7%). This indicates that the RTX 4080 is positioned at the top of its performance tier, with no meaningful competition from the listed rivals.

The rank of 257 suggests that while this combo is excellent, there are still 256 configurations that outperform it, likely featuring higher-end CPUs like the Core i9 series or more recent flagships. However, given the game's nature as an adventure title, the difference in real-world gameplay between rank 257 and rank 1 is likely imperceptible, as the combo already delivers well above 60 FPS at 4K High.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal preset depends on the target resolution and the desired balance between visual quality and frame rate. At 1080p, all presets deliver playable frame rates, but the Medium preset offers the best balance. It achieves 260 FPS average with a minimum of 221 FPS, providing a smooth experience with a modest visual uplift over Low. The High preset at 209 FPS is also excellent, but the jump from Medium to High only yields a 20% reduction in FPS, making Medium the more efficient choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot. It delivers 133 FPS average, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and it offers significantly better visuals than Medium (165 FPS). The Ultra preset at 104 FPS is also viable, but the 22% drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains for most players. For those with 144 Hz monitors, Medium at 165 FPS is the best choice to fully utilize the refresh rate.

At 4K, the High preset is the recommended setting. It produces 71 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS standard for console-like smoothness. The Medium preset at 87 FPS is also good, but High provides a more substantial visual improvement for a 18% FPS cost. The Ultra preset at 55 FPS is playable but may be too demanding for those who prefer a consistent 60 FPS; the min FPS data for Ultra is not provided, but the average suggests potential dips below 60. The Low preset at 119 FPS is not recommended at 4K, as it sacrifices too much visual fidelity for a frame rate that exceeds the refresh rate of most 4K monitors (typically 60-120 Hz).

The data clearly shows that the High preset offers the best experience across all resolutions, providing a balance of visual quality and frame rate that is suitable for the game's narrative-driven gameplay. For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, Medium at 1080p is the best option.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1920x1080:

• Low: 354 FPS average
• Medium: 260 FPS average, with min 221 FPS and max 298 FPS
• High: 209 FPS average
• Ultra: 164 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 226 FPS average
• Medium: 165 FPS average, with min 140 FPS and max 190 FPS
• High: 133 FPS average
• Ultra: 104 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 119 FPS average
• Medium: 87 FPS average, with min 74 FPS and max 101 FPS
• High: 71 FPS average
• Ultra: 55 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern where each increment in settings reduces the average FPS by roughly 20-30% across all resolutions. The min FPS values for the Medium preset provide useful insight into frame pacing: at 1080p, the min is 84.2% of the average; at 1440p, it is 84.8%; and at 4K, it is 85.1%. This indicates that the frame time distribution is stable, with no severe spikes in rendering time. The max FPS values show the upper bound of the GPU's capability, with the RTX 4080 reaching 298 FPS at 1080p Medium.

The transition from 1080p to 1440p results in an average FPS drop of approximately 36% across all settings, while the transition from 1440p to 4K results in a further drop of approximately 47%. This non-linear scaling is typical of GPU-bound workloads, where the pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, but the actual FPS drop is less than 75% due to other bottlenecks like memory bandwidth and shading capacity.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a chip size of 379 mm² and 45,900 million transistors. It operates at a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with memory clocked at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). The GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. Its compute capabilities include 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, 112 ROPs, 76 RT cores, and 304 tensor cores, delivering 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In Road 96, the GPU's role is primarily to handle the rendering of environmental detail and lighting effects, which are common in adventure games. The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 4080 is a dominant force, capable of pushing over 350 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU's 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, as the highest resolution and settings (4K Ultra) do not appear to cause any memory-related stutters, given the minimum FPS data is not provided but the average of 55 FPS suggests consistent performance.

The GPU's benchmark scores reinforce its position. Its passmark G3D score of 34457 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4080 is essentially tied with the RTX 4080 SUPER (deltaPct: 0.1%), but it is 1.1% faster than the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, 2.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, and 2.7% faster than the AMD Radeon 8060S. This performance headroom is reflected in the game's FPS, where the RTX 4080 maintains high frame rates even at 4K High.

The GPU's boost clock of 2505 MHz is relatively high, and the data suggests that it sustains this clock under load, as evidenced by the high FPS at 1080p. The 320 W TDP and 700 W suggested PSU are consistent with a high-end card, but the benchmark data does not indicate any thermal throttling that would reduce performance. The GPU's role in this combo is to provide the raw rendering power, while the CPU ensures that the game logic and frame pacing do not introduce bottlenecks. This division of labor results in the strong overall performance seen in the measured FPS across all resolutions and settings.