Road 96

# Road 96 – Intel Core i5-14400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is a mid-range desktop combination aimed at 1080p and 1440p gaming. In Road 96, an adventure title from 2021, this combo delivers playable frame rates across most settings, though the data reveals distinct scaling behavior that points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is a strong modern part that sits at the 88th percentile among all tested CPUs, while the RTX 4060, at the 66th percentile among GPUs, is the more modest component in this pairing. The benchmark results show a system that excels at 1080p and handles 1440p comfortably, but struggles to maintain smooth performance at 4K on higher presets.

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

The Intel Core i5-14400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boosts up to 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU has 20 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core. This is a locked multiplier part (not overclockable), and it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory via a dual-channel bus, though the benchmark data does not specify which memory type was used in testing.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-14400F shows strong multi-threaded performance with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21914 and a single-core score of 3093. Its Geekbench scores are 11209 multi-core and 2333 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 25783, and the single-thread score is 3723. With an average benchmark score of 32508, the CPU sits at the 88th percentile, meaning it outperforms 88% of all CPUs in the database. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-12800H (deltaPct 0), AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 7645 (deltaPct 0.2), AMD Ryzen 7 250 (deltaPct -0.2), and Intel Core i7-13705H (deltaPct -0.2). The deltaPct values here are negligible, indicating that the i5-14400F performs essentially on par with these alternatives in average scores.

For Road 96, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 202.3 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU is likely not the limiting factor in most scenarios. The CPU's 10 cores provide ample headroom for the game's adventure-genre workloads, which tend to be less demanding on multi-threading than competitive shooters or strategy titles. The single-core performance, reflected in the 3093 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is sufficient for maintaining high frame rates even when the GPU is not stressed.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 ranks 945th out of 1684 tested combos in Road 96, placing it in the middle of the pack. This rank of 945 out of 1684 (roughly the 56th percentile) reflects the RTX 4060's mid-range standing more than the CPU's strength. The GPU's percentileVsAllGpus is 66, and its average benchmark score is 23181, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (deltaPct -0.6), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (deltaPct -0.7), Intel Arc B580 (deltaPct 0.7), and AMD Radeon 760M (deltaPct 0.8). These deltaPct values show that the RTX 4060 performs within 1% of these alternatives in average benchmarks.

The combo's mid-pack ranking suggests that while the CPU is a high-percentile part, the GPU drags the overall standing down when paired with stronger CPUs in the database. In Road 96, where the game is not extremely demanding, the RTX 4060 still prevents the combo from reaching the top tiers, but it does not make the system unusable. The rank indicates that there are 739 combos that perform better, likely featuring higher-end GPUs, but also that 739 combos perform worse, meaning this setup is a solid middle-ground option for the game.

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

The measured FPS data across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p with High settings, the combo achieves 118.4 FPS. Moving to 1440p High, the frame rate drops to 78.2 FPS, a 34% reduction. At 4K High, the frame rate falls to 38.2 FPS, which is a 68% drop from 1080p. This steep decline as resolution increases indicates that the RTX 4060's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is the limiting factor, not the CPU. The CPU's performance does not scale with resolution, so the fact that FPS falls so dramatically at higher resolutions points squarely at the GPU.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the frame rates are 202.3 FPS at 1080p, 125.5 FPS at 1440p, and 68.3 FPS at 4K. At Medium settings, they are 148.6 FPS at 1080p, 95 FPS at 1440p, and 51.7 FPS at 4K. At Ultra settings, they are 94.4 FPS at 1080p, 61.5 FPS at 1440p, and 30.6 FPS at 4K. In every case, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 34-38%, and the drop from 1440p to 4K is roughly 50-51%. This consistent scaling suggests that the game is rendering more pixels per frame, and the GPU's pixel rate of 118.1 GPixel/s and texture rate of 236.2 GTexel/s are being saturated. The RTX 4060's 3072 shading units and 15.11 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at 4K.

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

The measured FPS data provides a full matrix of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best results: Low settings produce 202.3 FPS, Medium settings produce 148.6 FPS, High settings produce 118.4 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 94.4 FPS. This means at 1080p, even the Ultra preset stays above 90 FPS, which is smooth for an adventure game.

At 2560x1440, performance remains respectable but drops noticeably. Low settings yield 125.5 FPS, Medium settings yield 95 FPS, High settings yield 78.2 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 61.5 FPS. The 1440p results show that high refresh rate monitors (120Hz or above) can only be fully utilized with Low or Medium settings, while High and Ultra presets are better suited for 60 FPS displays.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 4060 struggles. Low settings manage 68.3 FPS, Medium settings drop to 51.7 FPS, High settings fall to 38.2 FPS, and Ultra settings bottom out at 30.6 FPS. For 4K gaming, only Low settings provide a playable experience above 60 FPS, and even that is marginal. The data shows that this combo is not designed for 4K gaming in Road 96, with the Ultra preset at 4K producing a sub-30 FPS experience that would be noticeable to most players.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Road 96 at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 68.3 FPS. At Medium settings, it drops to 51.7 FPS, and at High settings, it falls to 38.2 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K produce just 30.6 FPS, which is not smooth for most players.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination in Road 96?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the sweet spot, with all settings presets staying above 94 FPS. At 1440p, High and Ultra settings remain above 60 FPS, making it a viable option for 60Hz monitors.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest rivals in this build?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 23181, with nearest rivals including the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (deltaPct -0.6), NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (deltaPct -0.7), Intel Arc B580 (deltaPct 0.7), and AMD Radeon 760M (deltaPct 0.8). These deltaPct values indicate performance within 1% of each other.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-14400F a bottleneck in Road 96?

A: The data suggests no. At 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 202.3 FPS, which is high enough that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom for this adventure game.

Q: What settings should I use for a 1440p 60 FPS experience?

A: At 2560x1440, High settings produce 78.2 FPS and Ultra settings produce 61.5 FPS. Both presets are above 60 FPS, so either works, though Ultra is only 1.5 FPS above the threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Road 96?

A: It ranks 945th out of 1684 combos, placing it in the middle of the pack. This ranking reflects the RTX 4060's mid-range GPU performance rather than the CPU's strength.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience depends on your target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset at 94.4 FPS is the recommended choice, as it delivers the highest visual quality while staying well above 60 FPS and close to 100 FPS for smoother motion. If you have a 144Hz or higher monitor, the High preset at 118.4 FPS is also excellent, offering a slight FPS boost with only a minor visual trade-off.

For 1440p, the High preset at 78.2 FPS provides the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, comfortably exceeding 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 61.5 FPS is also playable, but it leaves little headroom for demanding scenes or background tasks. If you prefer maximum smoothness at 1440p, the Medium preset at 95 FPS is a strong option that sacrifices some detail for a significant FPS gain.

For 4K, the data shows that only Low settings at 68.3 FPS are playable. Medium settings at 51.7 FPS are borderline, and High (38.2 FPS) and Ultra (30.6 FPS) should be avoided for a smooth experience. If 4K is a priority, the Low preset is the only viable choice, but the frame rates suggest that this combo is better used at 1080p or 1440p. The overall recommendation is to prioritize 1080p Ultra or 1440p High for the best balance of visuals and performance in Road 96.