Road 96

Road 96, an adventure title with stylized visuals, shows a clear performance curve for the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination. The measured frames per second (FPS) data reveals a component balance that shifts predictably as resolution increases, with the GPU becoming the dominant constraint at higher pixel counts.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings presets. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 170 FPS at 1920x1080 to 57 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of approximately 66%. At High settings, the drop is from 100 FPS to 34 FPS, which is a 66% decrease as well. This proportional scaling indicates that the rendering load is scaling almost linearly with the pixel count, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions.

The Medium preset provides the most granular data, as it is the only preset with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values at every resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset averages 124 FPS with a range of 106 to 143 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 79 FPS, with a range of 67 to 91 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average falls to 42 FPS, with a range of 36 to 48 FPS. The delta between minimum and maximum frames is roughly 30% of the average at each resolution, suggesting a consistent frame pacing without severe spikes.

The step from 1080p to 1440p costs about 36% of the average FPS at Medium settings (124 to 79 FPS). The step from 1440p to 4K costs another 47% of the 1440p average (79 to 42 FPS). This shows that the RTX 2060 SUPER is being pushed progressively harder as resolution climbs. The fact that the 4K Ultra preset only manages 26 FPS average indicates that this combo is not suited for maximum fidelity at 4K, but the 4K Low preset at 57 FPS is playable.

The data suggests that the limiting component at 1080p is likely the CPU or a mix, given the very high frame rates (170 FPS at Low). As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a drop from 170 to 78 FPS, a 54% reduction, which is substantial but leaves headroom. At 4K, the same preset change drops the average from 57 to 26 FPS, a 54% reduction as well, but the absolute numbers are much lower, confirming the GPU is the primary limiter at this resolution.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture and features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. In the context of Road 96, this memory configuration proves adequate for the 1080p and 1440p presets, but the 8 GB capacity appears to be a limiting factor at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 26.

The GPU's compute capabilities, rated at 7.181 TFLOPS FP32, are sufficient for the game's stylized rendering at lower resolutions. The benchmark results show that the card sits at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093. Its nearest rivals in the database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (score 18159, delta -0.4%) and the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (score 18189, delta -0.5%), placing it in a competitive mid-range tier.

The 4K Medium result of 42 FPS average, with a minimum of 36 FPS, shows the GPU struggling to maintain fluidity at that resolution. The 2560x1440 Ultra preset achieves 50 FPS average, which is a playable number for an adventure game, but the 4K Ultra result of 26 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The data indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is a capable 1440p card for this title, but 4K is only viable at Low or Medium settings. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 256-bit bus width are likely adequate for the texture loads at 1440p, but the 4K data suggests the card is running out of memory bandwidth or fill rate.

FAQ

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

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 100 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming viable with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: At 4K, the average FPS ranges from 57 FPS on Low settings to 26 FPS on Ultra settings. Low and Medium settings (42 FPS) are viable, but High and Ultra presets fall below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rival, the RTX 3060 Mobile?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, while the RTX 3060 Mobile has a score of 18159. This places the RTX 2060 SUPER 0.4% behind the RTX 3060 Mobile in average score.

Q: What is the best resolution for maintaining a 60+ FPS average?

A: At 1920x1080, all presets except Ultra (78 FPS) achieve above 100 FPS average. At 2560x1440, the Low preset (108 FPS) and High preset (64 FPS) both exceed 60 FPS average, while Medium (79 FPS) also does. The Ultra preset at 1440p (50 FPS) falls below.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values for the Medium preset?

A: The minimum FPS values for the Medium preset are 106 FPS at 1920x1080, 67 FPS at 2560x1440, and 36 FPS at 3840x2160.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 170, which is very high. The scaling down to 78 FPS at Ultra suggests that the GPU is becoming more involved, but the high frame rates indicate the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU adequately at this resolution. The bottleneck is likely the GPU even at 1080p, but the CPU has enough headroom to avoid being the primary constraint.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the performance is strong across the board. The Low preset delivers an average of 170 FPS. The Medium preset averages 124 FPS, with a minimum of 106 FPS and a maximum of 143 FPS. The High preset averages 100 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 78 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy: each step up in settings costs roughly 20-30 FPS at this resolution, but even the most demanding preset remains comfortably above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop but remain mostly playable. The Low preset averages 108 FPS. The Medium preset averages 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. The High preset averages 64 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 50 FPS. The data shows that for a 60 FPS target, the High preset is the highest setting that achieves it, while Medium provides a comfortable margin. The Ultra preset is the only one that fails to reach 60 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. The Low preset averages 57 FPS. The Medium preset averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 36 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS. The High preset averages 34 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 26 FPS. None of the presets at 4K achieve a 60 FPS average, and only the Low preset stays above 30 FPS. This resolution is only suitable for the lowest fidelity settings if a playable frame rate is required.

The data shows that the Medium preset is the only one with a full set of min/max values, which allows for a detailed look at frame variance. At 1080p, the variance is 37 FPS (106 to 143). At 1440p, the variance is 24 FPS (67 to 91). At 4K, the variance is 12 FPS (36 to 48). This suggests that as resolution increases, the frame rate becomes more consistent, likely because the GPU is fully saturated and the CPU is no longer introducing frame time spikes.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset at 78 FPS average is the best choice if visual fidelity is the priority, as it still clears the 60 FPS threshold. However, the High preset at 100 FPS offers a smoother experience with a slight reduction in visual quality. The Medium preset at 124 FPS is the best for high-refresh-rate monitors, but the High preset provides a good balance of quality and speed.

For 2560x1440, the High preset at 64 FPS average is the recommended choice for a 60 FPS experience. It is the highest preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 79 FPS offers more headroom and would be preferable for users who want to avoid any potential dips, given the minimum recorded FPS of 67. The Ultra preset at 50 FPS is playable for a slow-paced adventure game, but it does not meet the 60 FPS target.

For 3840x2160, the game is not fully playable at high settings. The Low preset at 57 FPS average is the only setting that approaches a fluid experience. The Medium preset at 42 FPS is acceptable for a story-driven game where precise timing is not critical, but the minimum of 36 FPS might be noticeable. The High and Ultra presets (34 FPS and 26 FPS) are not recommended due to the low frame rates.

The data suggests that the best overall experience is achieved at 1440p with the High preset, which yields 64 FPS average. This combination provides a significant resolution upgrade over 1080p while maintaining a smooth frame rate. If the user prioritizes maximum smoothness, the 1440p Medium preset at 79 FPS is a safer choice. For those with a 1080p display, the Ultra preset is the best way to utilize the available performance headroom.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It is based on the Raptor Lake architecture and has a 24 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064. It sits at the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48618.

In Road 96, the CPU's performance is more than adequate. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 170 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. This indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with draw calls and game logic without becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (score 48698, delta -0.2%) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (score 48470, delta 0.3%), have similar average scores, suggesting that this level of CPU performance is sufficient for the game.

The high single-core performance (Cinebench R23 score of 2064) is likely beneficial for Road 96, as adventure games often rely on a few primary threads for game logic and physics. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz provides a significant speed advantage when a single core is under load. The CPU does not appear to be the limiting factor in any of the measured resolutions, as the FPS drops are consistent with GPU scaling when resolution increases. The data supports the conclusion that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary constraint on frame rates, especially at 1440p and 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 2629 out of 3713 tested combos for Road 96. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database rankings, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is not at the bottom either. The rank is likely influenced by the GPU's age, as the RTX 2060 SUPER sits at the 62nd percentile of all GPUs.

In comparison to other combos, the CPU is a high-end part (90th percentile), but the GPU is a mid-range part (62nd percentile). This imbalance means the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU. The data shows that the CPU has significant headroom, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p, but the GPU limits the combo's ability to achieve higher ranks at higher resolutions.

The rank of 2629 out of 3713 (roughly the 71st percentile) suggests that there are many combos with more balanced or more powerful GPUs that can achieve higher frame rates in this game. The fact that the combo can still achieve 170 FPS at 1080p Low shows that it is not a weak performer, but its limitations at 4K Ultra (26 FPS) prevent it from ranking higher. The data implies that for users looking to improve this combo's ranking, upgrading the GPU would be the most effective change, as the CPU is already performing at a high level. The combo's rank is a direct result of the GPU's mid-range status in the current benchmark database.