Road 96

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Road 96 with the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER reveals a clear pattern: this combination is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions, but the scaling curve shows diminishing returns as pixel count rises. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 310.8 FPS, which drops to 197 FPS at 1440p Low, and further to 101.7 FPS at 4K Low. That represents a 36.6% performance loss from 1080p to 1440p, and an additional 48.4% loss moving from 1440p to 4K. The steep decline indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER's rendering throughput is the primary constraint, not the CPU.

Under Ultra settings, the scaling is even more pronounced. The combo delivers 143.6 FPS at 1080p, 90.9 FPS at 1440p, and 49.4 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36.7%, nearly identical to the Low preset's relative loss, but the 4K Ultra figure is only 34.4% of the 1080p Ultra result. This suggests that at 4K Ultra, the GPU is being pushed to its limits, with the 12 GB frame buffer and 504.2 GB/s memory bandwidth becoming substantial factors. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 52.3 FPS, whereas at 1080p that same settings gap is 167.2 FPS, further confirming that resolution scaling compresses the performance envelope as the GPU saturates.

The data indicates that Road 96 is not a particularly demanding title for this hardware at lower resolutions, but the 4K Ultra preset (49.4 FPS) falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only configuration where the combo struggles. The 4K High setting at 62.7 FPS just clears that bar, suggesting that the limiting component at 4K is unequivocally the GPU. At 1080p, even Ultra settings leave enough headroom that the CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads are unlikely to bottleneck, but the scaling pattern shows the GPU still dictates overall performance.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results clearly favor the High preset as the optimal balance for this combo. At 1440p High, the combo achieves 116.5 FPS, which is comfortably above smooth-playback thresholds, while 4K High sits at 62.7 FPS, just past the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset offers higher frame rates—225.9 FPS at 1080p, 146.1 FPS at 1440p, and 74.6 FPS at 4K—but the jump from Medium to High costs only 9.4% performance at 1080p, 8.5% at 1440p, and 7.2% at 4K, while presumably delivering noticeable visual improvements.

Ultra is the most demanding preset, and the data shows it is only viable at 1080p (143.6 FPS) and 1440p (90.9 FPS). At 4K, Ultra drops to 49.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard and not recommended for a smooth experience. Low settings produce extraordinary frame rates—310.8 FPS at 1080p and 197 FPS at 1440p—but these are far beyond what any display can show and come at the cost of visual fidelity. For players prioritizing frame rate above all else, Medium at 4K provides 74.6 FPS, which is 51% higher than High at the same resolution, making it the fallback option if 4K High proves insufficient.

The measured data suggests that High is the sweet spot for this hardware in Road 96. At 1080p, it delivers 183.7 FPS, which is 27.8% lower than Medium but still far above any refresh-rate need. At 1440p, High's 116.5 FPS is the best balance of quality and speed. The only scenario where High falls short is 4K, where the 62.7 FPS result is acceptable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

This Intel Core i5-14600K with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 308th out of 1,684 tested configurations for Road 96, placing it in the top 18.3% of all combos. That ranking is respectable but not elite, which aligns with the measured FPS data—the combo is fast enough for high-refresh 1080p and solid 1440p gaming, but it does not dominate the leaderboard. The GPU's 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs (based on average benchmark score of 42,576) and the CPU's 93rd percentile (average benchmark score of 49,166) suggest this is a well-matched pair, though neither component is at the absolute top of its class.

The combo's rank indicates that many other CPU-GPU pairings achieve higher frame rates in this specific title. Given that Road 96 is an Adventure game with modest graphical demands, the RTX 4070 SUPER's strengths in other workloads may not translate perfectly to this game's engine. The GPU's closest rivals in average benchmark score include the NVIDIA RTX A6000 (deltaPct -0.2), AMD Radeon RX 7650 GRE (deltaPct -0.3), and AMD Radeon Pro 580X (deltaPct 1.4), showing that the RTX 4070 SUPER is competitive but not dominant in raw compute. The CPU's nearest rivals—AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i5-14600KF (deltaPct -0.4), and AMD EPYC 4345P (deltaPct -0.9)—are similarly clustered, meaning the combo's ranking is more a function of the game's engine than any single component deficiency.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combo in Road 96 is as follows:

1080p: Low 310.8 FPS, Medium 225.9 FPS, High 183.7 FPS, Ultra 143.6 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 167.2 FPS, with each settings tier costing roughly 20-25% performance.

1440p: Low 197 FPS, Medium 146.1 FPS, High 116.5 FPS, Ultra 90.9 FPS. The spread narrows to 106.1 FPS, and the relative cost of Ultra versus Low is 53.9% performance loss.

4K: Low 101.7 FPS, Medium 74.6 FPS, High 62.7 FPS, Ultra 49.4 FPS. The spread compresses further to 52.3 FPS. Notably, the Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS, and even High barely clears it.

Comparing settings across resolutions, the Low preset at 4K (101.7 FPS) outperforms the Ultra preset at 1440p (90.9 FPS), indicating that resolution has a slightly larger impact than settings in this game. Similarly, Medium at 4K (74.6 FPS) is faster than High at 4K by 19%, but slower than Low at 1440p by 24.5%. The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution step down (4K to 1440p, 1440p to 1080p) yields roughly a 1.6-1.8x frame rate increase at the same settings, while each settings step down (Ultra to High, High to Medium, Medium to Low) yields roughly a 1.2-1.4x increase.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary driver of these results, and its specifications explain the observed scaling. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 504.2 GB/s of bandwidth. At 4K Ultra, the game likely approaches the limits of this frame buffer, which contributes to the 49.4 FPS result. The GPU's boost clock of 2475 MHz and base clock of 1980 MHz are not exceptionally high, but the Ada Lovelace architecture's efficiency (5 nm process, 35,800 million transistors) allows it to sustain strong performance. The 7,168 shading units and 224 texture mapping units provide ample compute for Road 96's visual effects.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its performance: a Passmark G3D score of 29,995 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 4,627 indicate mid-to-high tier performance. The RTX 4070 SUPER's percentile ranking of 84 among all GPUs means it outperforms the majority of graphics cards, but in Road 96 specifically, the 4K Ultra result shows it is not a top-tier 4K card. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A6000, has a nearly identical average benchmark score (42,653 vs. 42,576, deltaPct -0.2), yet the RTX 4070 SUPER's gaming-oriented design with higher clock speeds likely gives it an edge in this title.

The memory configuration is particularly relevant. With 12 GB of VRAM and 21 Gbps effective memory speed, the GPU has sufficient bandwidth for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra preset's 49.4 FPS suggests either memory capacity or bandwidth constraints. The 192-bit bus width is narrower than higher-tier cards, which may explain why the performance drop from 1440p to 4K is more severe than from 1080p to 1440p.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1440p High is the strongest option, delivering 116.5 FPS. At 4K, High drops to 62.7 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom. 1080p yields 183.7 FPS on High, but that resolution is underutilizing the hardware.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Road 96?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K High, the combo achieves 62.7 FPS, just above 60 FPS. At 4K Medium, it reaches 74.6 FPS. However, 4K Ultra falls to 49.4 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost going from Low to Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, the drop is 167.2 FPS (from 310.8 to 143.6 FPS). At 1440p, the drop is 106.1 FPS (from 197 to 90.9 FPS). At 4K, the drop is 52.3 FPS (from 101.7 to 49.4 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the clear limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The CPU has 14 cores and 20 threads with a 5.30 GHz boost clock, which is more than sufficient. The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K shows GPU-bound behavior.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with this setup?

A: The measured results show 197 FPS on Low, 146.1 FPS on Medium, 116.5 FPS on High, and 90.9 FPS on Ultra. Any preset at 1440p delivers a smooth experience.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: It ranks 308th out of 1,684 combos tested in Road 96, placing it in the top 18.3%. The CPU ranks in the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, and the GPU ranks in the 84th percentile among all GPUs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K provides the computational foundation for this combo, and its specifications suggest it is more than adequate for Road 96. The CPU features 14 cores (a mix of performance and efficiency cores) with 20 threads, running at a 3.50 GHz base clock and boosting up to 5.30 GHz. This configuration delivers strong single-threaded performance—evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4,642 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2,803—which is critical for game logic and physics in an Adventure title. The multi-threaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32,881 and a Passmark multithread score of 38,682.

The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49,166, places it just ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (deltaPct 0.2) and slightly behind the Intel Core i5-14600KF (deltaPct -0.4). This proximity in scores indicates that the i5-14600K is at the upper echelon of gaming CPUs. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 2 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample fast memory for game assets, though the game's modest requirements mean the CPU is unlikely to be stressed. The Passmark data compression score of 482,020 and integer math score of 125,737 further demonstrate the CPU's versatility, but in Road 96 specifically, the frame rates are consistently GPU-bound.

The memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 in dual-channel configuration, combined with PCIe Gen 5 support (16 lanes from the CPU), ensures the platform can feed data to the RTX 4070 SUPER without bottlenecks. However, the measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU limitation: even at 1080p Low, where the GPU is least stressed, the combo reaches 310.8 FPS, which is a typical ceiling for game engine frame rate limits rather than a CPU constraint. The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz and 125 W TDP indicate it operates efficiently, and its production status is Active, ensuring ongoing support. In summary, the i5-14600K performs its role silently in this combo—the data shows the RTX 4070 SUPER is the star, and the CPU provides ample headroom for any settings or resolution the user chooses.