Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title that, by its nature, is not typically as demanding as a fast-paced shooter or simulator, yet the data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 reveals a configuration that is almost certainly overkill for the task. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings are exceptionally high, indicating that the game itself is rarely the limiting factor. This analysis will walk through the resolution scaling, the respective roles of the GPU and CPU, and how this particular combination ranks among a large pool of tested systems.

Resolution Scaling

The most immediate observation from the measured FPS data is the dramatic impact of resolution on performance. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo produces an average of 354 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average drops to 226 FPS, which is a reduction of roughly 36%. Scaling further up to 3840x2160 (4K) at Low, the average falls to 119 FPS. This represents a significant 52% drop from the 1440p figure and a 66% drop from the 1080p figure. This steep decline when moving to higher resolutions is a classic indicator that the rendering load is shifting onto the GPU.

The pattern continues across the other settings. For the High preset, the averages are 209 FPS at 1080p, 133 FPS at 1440p, and 71 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops between these steps are substantial. The 4K High result of 71 FPS is below the 100 FPS mark that many users would consider ideal for a smooth experience, but it is still perfectly playable. The Ultra preset shows a similar trajectory: 164 FPS at 1080p, 104 FPS at 1440p, and 55 FPS at 4K. This 4K Ultra result is the lowest average in the entire dataset, but even at this most demanding configuration, the game remains fluid enough for its adventure genre pacing.

The data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is likely the primary component determining the maximum achievable frame rate, as the GPU has enough headroom to render frames faster than the CPU can issue them. The gap between the 1080p and 1440p results is smaller than the gap between 1440p and 4K for most settings, which hints that the CPU is nearing its limit in the lower resolution scenarios. For instance, the jump from 1440p Medium (165 FPS) to 4K Medium (87 FPS) is a 47% drop, whereas the jump from 1080p Medium (260 FPS) to 1440p Medium (165 FPS) is a 37% drop. As resolution climbs, the GPU's workload increases exponentially, and its performance ceiling becomes the dominant factor, pulling the average FPS down in a more predictable, linear fashion.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end graphics card, and its specifications in the FACT PACK paint a clear picture of its capability. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, yielding a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. This is a substantial amount of memory bandwidth, which is crucial for feeding the 9728 shading units and 112 ROPs. The card's boost clock is listed at 2505 MHz, and these high clock speeds, combined with the architecture's efficiency, contribute to the raw performance that pushes even 4K Ultra settings to a playable 55 FPS average.

The RTX 4080's benchmark scores are also telling. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 6567, and its Passmark G3D score is 34457. These numbers, while not game-specific, corroborate the card's high standing. Its percentile rank of 86 among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 54247 place it in the upper echelon of graphics hardware. The nearest rival data shows it is within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER, indicating that the two cards are essentially peers in synthetic tests.

In the context of Road 96, the GPU's role is most evident at 4K resolution. The game is not a graphical showcase, but the pixel count at 3840x2160 still demands significant fill rate and memory bandwidth. The fact that the average FPS drops from 119 at Low to 55 at Ultra at 4K shows that the GPU is being progressively more stressed as settings increase. The GPU is the component that scales the visual fidelity, and the measured data shows it handles the transition from a light load to a moderate one without issue. The card's 16 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, as Road 96 is unlikely to exceed even a fraction of that capacity at any resolution or setting.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this CPU/GPU combo in Road 96?

A: The highest average FPS is 354, which was measured at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 powerful enough for 4K gaming in Road 96?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 119 on Low settings to 55 on Ultra settings. Even the lowest average of 55 FPS is a playable frame rate for this adventure game.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4080 has an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score of 54209, which is a 0.1% difference in favor of the RTX 4080.

Q: What is the difference in performance between 1080p and 1440p at the Medium preset?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 260. At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 165. This represents a 95 FPS drop when moving up in resolution.

Q: What is the lowest FPS value recorded in the entire dataset?

A: The lowest average FPS is 55, observed at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset. The dataset also includes a minimum FPS value of 74 for the 4K Medium preset, but the lowest average is the 55 FPS figure.

Q: What is the rank of this specific CPU and GPU combination among all tested combos for Road 96?

A: This combo is ranked 257 out of a total of 3713 tested combinations.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and RTX 4080 combination holds a rank of 257 out of 3713 tested combos in Road 96. This places it in the top 7% of all tested systems, which is an exceptionally strong showing. The data indicates that this pairing is far more capable than what the vast majority of systems can achieve in this game. The high rank is a direct result of both components being top-tier performers in their respective categories.

To contextualize this rank, the CPU alone has a percentile rank of 90 among all CPUs, and the GPU has a percentile rank of 86 among all GPUs. The combination of two components that are both in the 86th and 90th percentiles respectively, naturally results in a system that ranks very highly in a game-specific benchmark. The rank of 257 suggests that there are only 256 other system configurations that were tested which achieve higher frame rates in Road 96, likely consisting of combinations with even more powerful CPUs like the Core i9 series or top-end Ryzen processors paired with the RTX 4090. The position reflects the balance of this pairing, as neither component is a bottleneck, allowing the system to achieve its full potential.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core processor with 20 threads, based on the Raptor Lake architecture. Its base clock is 3.50 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.30 GHz. This high boost clock is particularly important for gaming, where single-threaded performance often dictates the maximum frame rate. The CPU's benchmark scores support this, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 and a multi-core score of 32544. The Passmark single-thread score is 4273, and the multi-thread score is 38697.

In the context of Road 96, the CPU's role is to feed the GPU with draw calls and process game logic. The data from the 1080p and 1440p results suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at these resolutions. For example, at 1080p Low, the system hits 354 FPS, but it is unlikely that this is a GPU limit since the RTX 4080 is capable of far more in a lighter game. The fact that the FPS drops from 354 to 226 when moving from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings indicates that the GPU is becoming more involved, but the CPU is still keeping up. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache is also beneficial, as it can hold more of the game's working set, reducing latency.

The CPU's percentile rank of 90 and average benchmark score of 49394 place it just slightly above the AMD Ryzen 9 7900, which has an average score of 49228 with a 0.3% delta. This indicates that the i5-14600KF is a formidable processor that is not going to be a weak link in a gaming system. In a game like Road 96, which is not heavily multi-threaded, the high single-core performance of the i5-14600KF is what allows the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. The fact that this data is marked as "dataIsMeasured" adds a layer of authenticity to the results.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: The average FPS is 354, which is the highest recorded in the dataset.
• Medium: The average FPS is 260, with a minimum of 221 and a maximum of 298.
• High: The average FPS is 209.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 164.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: The average FPS is 226.
• Medium: The average FPS is 165, with a minimum of 140 and a maximum of 190.
• High: The average FPS is 133.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 104.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: The average FPS is 119.
• Medium: The average FPS is 87, with a minimum of 74 and a maximum of 101.
• High: The average FPS is 71.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 55.

The Medium presets are the only ones that have min and max FPS data. At 1080p Medium, the spread is from 221 to 298 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the spread is from 140 to 190 FPS. At 4K Medium, the spread narrows to 74 to 101 FPS. This narrowing of the frame time variance at higher resolutions suggests that the workload is becoming more consistent, as the GPU is more uniformly utilized. The average FPS values show a clear hierarchy: lower resolutions yield higher FPS, and lower settings yield higher FPS, which is the expected behavior. The performance drops are consistent across the board, with a roughly 40-50% reduction in FPS when moving from 1080p to 4K for the same settings preset.

Settings Recommendations

Given the extraordinarily high frame rates this system achieves, the recommendation is clear: use the Ultra preset. The data shows that at 1920x1080, the Ultra preset still yields an average of 164 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, which typically cap at 144Hz or 165Hz. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset achieves an average of 104 FPS, which is perfectly smooth for an adventure game. Even at 3840x2160, the Ultra preset maintains a 55 FPS average, which is acceptable for a slower-paced narrative title.

The Ultra preset is the highest visual quality setting available in the data, and since the system can handle it without dropping below a playable threshold at any resolution, there is no reason to compromise on visual fidelity. For users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, the Ultra preset offers a massive performance buffer, ensuring that the game will run flawlessly with no stutters or dips. For 4K users, the 55 FPS average is a slight compromise, but the visual uplift from High to Ultra is likely worth it for a game that emphasizes atmosphere and story. Dropping to High at 4K would gain 16 FPS on average, bringing the total to 71 FPS, which is a more comfortable margin for players sensitive to frame pacing. The Medium and Low presets are entirely unnecessary for this hardware, as they offer diminishing returns in performance for a significant loss in visual detail.