Road 96

The benchmark data for Road 96, captured with an Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, reveals a system that is heavily influenced by resolution and graphics settings. The measured frames per second (FPS) across 1080p, 1440p, and 4K resolutions show a clear narrative about where the performance ceiling lies and how the components interact under different loads. The data suggests a capable pairing that scales predictably, though the nature of the scaling offers insight into the game's engine demands.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a substantial performance drop, but the pattern is not uniform across all settings. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 230.2 at 1080p to 75.5 at 4K, a reduction of approximately 67%. This significant decrease indicates that even at the lowest graphical fidelity, the pixel throughput demand of 4K is a major hurdle. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, with Low settings dropping from 148.7 to 75.5, showing that the jump in pixel count is the dominant factor.

At Ultra settings, the drop is equally pronounced, with the average FPS moving from 109.6 at 1080p down to 35 at 4K. The data implies that at 4K Ultra, the system is near its absolute limit, producing a barely playable frame rate. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra shows a drop from 109.6 to 67.8, a 38% decrease, which is a larger relative hit than the 1440p to 4K transition of 48%. This suggests that while the GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions, the initial jump to 1440p also exposes a significant load increase.

The data points to the GPU as the bottleneck at 4K, as the CPU's role diminishes when the frame rate is capped by pixel fill rate. Conversely, at 1080p Low with an average of 230.2 FPS, the workload shifts, and the CPU's capability becomes more relevant, though the high frame rate still suggests the GPU is keeping pace effectively. The overall curve indicates a system that is well-balanced at 1440p, offering a strong compromise between visual quality and performance, but one that struggles to maintain high refresh rates at 4K.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT, with its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus, provides a bandwidth of 432.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is crucial for handling the textures and assets at higher resolutions, and the data supports its adequacy. The GPU's boost clock of 2544 MHz and game clock of 2171 MHz are the driving forces behind the frame rates, with the base clock of 1435 MHz representing the floor under load. The compute power of 35.17 TFLOPS FP32 and a texture rate of 549.5 GTexel/s directly correlate with the ability to maintain high FPS at 1440p, where the card excels.

At 4K, the GPU's limitations become apparent. The pixel rate of 244.2 GPixel/s is a hard constraint, and the measured 35 FPS at Ultra settings shows the card is overwhelmed by the combination of high detail and high resolution. The 12 GB VRAM capacity does not appear to be a limiting factor in Road 96, as the performance degradation is more aligned with raw compute and fill rate than memory exhaustion. The GPU's percentile ranking of 73 against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 30097, places it as a solid mid-range performer, which aligns with its behavior in this game.

The data shows that the RX 7700 XT is the primary driver of performance differences between settings. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p reduces the average FPS from 230.2 to 170.4, a 26% drop, while the jump from High to Ultra only reduces it from 139.8 to 109.6, a 22% drop. This suggests that the GPU handles incremental settings increases with a predictable cost, but the Ultra preset at 4K is the only scenario where it is pushed past a playable threshold.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, provides a strong foundation for gaming. Its boost clock of 4.60 GHz ensures high single-thread performance, which is essential for Road 96's gameplay logic and physics. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21279 and a single-core score of 3004, indicate a processor that is more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. The data at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 230.2 FPS, suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck, as the frame rate is likely limited by the GPU's processing speed.

However, the CPU's role becomes more nuanced at higher resolutions. At 4K, the average FPS drops significantly, but this is not due to CPU limitations; rather, the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 80 KB L1 cache per core are sufficient for the game's data demands, as evidenced by the stable performance across different settings. The processor's percentile ranking of 82 against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25236, shows it is a high-tier performer.

The data implies that the i5-13400F is not the constraining component in this pairing. Even at 1080p Ultra, where the system achieves 109.6 FPS, the CPU is likely operating well within its capabilities, with the GPU doing the heavy lifting. The CPU's nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13620H, has a deltaPct of 0.1, indicating near-identical performance, which reinforces that the i5-13400F is a robust choice for this game. The CPU's ability to maintain high frame rates without stuttering reflects its strong single-core performance, which is critical for adventure games that rely on consistent frame pacing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a comprehensive view of performance across all settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 230.2 FPS on Low, 170.4 FPS on Medium, 139.8 FPS on High, and 109.6 FPS on Ultra. These numbers show a clear progression, with each higher preset costing approximately 30-40 FPS. The 1080p results indicate that the system is capable of high refresh rate gaming, with even Ultra settings surpassing the 100 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 148.7 on Low, 106.3 on Medium, 88.7 on High, and 67.8 on Ultra. The 1440p data reveals a more significant performance cost for Ultra settings, which now falls below the 70 FPS threshold. The jump from High to Ultra at 1440p is a 23% performance hit, from 88.7 to 67.8, which is a notable trade-off for visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the system produces 75.5 FPS on Low, 60.1 FPS on Medium, 44.6 FPS on High, and 35 FPS on Ultra. The 4K results show that only Low settings provide a smooth experience, with Medium being borderline and High and Ultra falling below playable standards for most users. The data across all resolutions reveals a consistent pattern: the RX 7700 XT is capable of handling 1080p and 1440p with ease, but 4K requires significant settings compromises to achieve acceptable frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-13400F and AMD Radeon RX 7700 XT ranks 740 out of 1684 tested combinations for Road 96. This places it in the 44th percentile of all combos, which is a mid-pack position. The ranking suggests that while this system performs well, there are many other combinations that achieve higher frame rates in this game.

The rank of 740 is influenced by the GPU's performance, as the RX 7700 XT's percentile of 73 against all GPUs is higher than the combo's overall rank. This indicates that the CPU, while strong, is not the primary driver of the combo's ranking. The data shows that the combo is better suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can leverage its strengths, but it falls behind in 4K scenarios where higher-end GPUs pull ahead.

The combo's rank also reflects the game's optimization. Road 96, being an adventure game, may not be as demanding as other genres, which means that even mid-range systems can achieve high frame rates. The rank of 740 out of 1684 confirms the system's balanced performance, but it also highlights that there are more powerful combinations available for those seeking maximum FPS at 4K Ultra settings.

FAQ

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

A: The system achieves an average of 109.6 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which is a strong result for high refresh rate monitors.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 75.5 on Low settings to 35 on Ultra settings, indicating that 4K gaming requires significant settings adjustments.

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

A: The data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, particularly at 4K, while the CPU is more than sufficient at all tested settings.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: The data indicates that 2560x1440 offers a good balance, with High settings achieving 88.7 FPS, which is smooth and visually appealing.

Q: How does the RX 7700 XT compare to its nearest rival?

A: The GPU's nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060, which has a deltaPct of 0, indicating identical average benchmark scores.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 740 out of 1684 tested combos for Road 96, placing it in the mid-range of all systems.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and refresh rate priorities. For 1080p users, the Ultra preset provides an average of 109.6 FPS, which is ideal for 100Hz or 144Hz monitors, offering the best visual quality without sacrificing smoothness. For 1440p, the High preset is recommended, as it delivers 88.7 FPS, a solid frame rate for 75Hz or 100Hz displays, while Medium also performs well at 106.3 FPS for those who prefer higher frame rates.

For 4K users, the data shows that only Low settings provide a playable experience at 75.5 FPS, which is acceptable for 60Hz displays. Medium settings at 4K drop to 60.1 FPS, which is borderline, and High and Ultra are not recommended due to frame rates below 45 FPS. The best experience per the measured rows is at 1440p High, which balances visual fidelity and performance, or 1080p Ultra for those prioritizing image quality. The system is clearly optimized for 1080p and 1440p gaming, and users should avoid 4K Ultra unless they are willing to accept a significant drop in frame rate.