Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title from 2021, and the benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 reveals a system that is decisively capable at mainstream resolutions but begins to show its limits as pixel counts rise. The measured frames per second (FPS) across the four settings presets indicate that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it delivers smooth performance even on demanding presets. The data suggests a balance where the GPU is the primary driver of performance in most scenarios, though the CPU's six cores and six threads provide a stable foundation without becoming a bottleneck at the tested settings.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 152.9, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This indicates the frame rate is highly scalable with settings at 1080p.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in this game?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6600 ranks 1363 out of 1684 tested combos in Road 96, placing it in the lower half of the database for this title.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RX 6600 and its closest rival, the AMD Radeon 890M?

A: The RX 6600 has an average benchmark score of 25235, while the AMD Radeon 890M scores 25246. The deltaPct is 0, indicating they are statistically tied in overall GPU benchmarks.

Q: What is the boost clock speed of the GPU in this combo?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has a boost clock of 2491 MHz. Its game clock is listed at 2044 MHz, and the base clock is 1626 MHz.

Q: How many cores and threads does the CPU contribute to this combo?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 provides 6 cores and 6 threads. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz.

Q: What is the average FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 59.8. This is a playable frame rate for most users, though it is a significant drop from the 92.2 average FPS seen at 1920x1080 with the same settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is the central figure in this combo's performance. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the textures and assets in Road 96. The GPU's clock speeds—a base of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost of 2491 MHz—show a wide dynamic range that allows it to scale performance based on workload. The data shows that the GPU is the primary scaling factor: as settings increase from Low to Ultra at any resolution, the average FPS drops consistently, reflecting the increased load on the shading units and texture units.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 69th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 25235. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon 890M, is a 0% deltaPct away, meaning the RX 6600 and the 890M perform essentially identically in synthetic benchmarks. However, the RX 6600 is a discrete solution with its own memory and power delivery, which typically translates to more consistent frame times in real-world gaming scenarios. The data for Road 96 shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p, where even Ultra settings produce an average FPS of 75.1, but it becomes the clear bottleneck at 4K, where the same preset drops to 25.8 FPS.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance curve as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At High settings, the average FPS drops from 92.2 at 1080p to 59.8 at 1440p and then plummets to 30.5 at 4K. This represents a 67% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload. The pixel count quadruples from 1080p to 4K, and the RX 6600's 224.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth and 8.928 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are simply not enough to maintain high frame rates at that resolution.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K is even more punishing. At Medium settings, the average FPS falls from 70.4 at 1440p to 36.4 at 4K, a drop of 48%. This indicates that the GPU is running out of raw compute and memory bandwidth at 4K, and the frame rate is halved. The implication is that for a smooth 60 FPS experience in Road 96, the user must stick to 1080p or 1440p. At 4K, even Low settings only yield 52.2 FPS, which is below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience, suggesting that this resolution is not viable for this combo without significant compromises in visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1363 out of 1684 tested configurations places it in the 19th percentile of all tested combos in Road 96. This is a low ranking, but it is important to contextualize this number. The ranking includes all combinations of CPUs and GPUs, from high-end enthusiast parts to entry-level hardware. The i5-9400 is an older, mid-range CPU from 2018, and the RX 6600 is a mainstream GPU from 2021. Together, they represent a balanced, mid-range system.

The CPU's own benchmark data shows it is a modest performer. Its average benchmark score is 2305, which places it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305, has a deltaPct of 0.2%, meaning the i5-9400 is only 0.2% faster than that chip. This indicates that the CPU is not a performance outlier in either direction. The GPU, in contrast, is in the 69th percentile, suggesting it is a stronger component relative to its peers. The combo's low rank in the game is likely due to the fact that many tested combos include much more powerful, recent hardware, pushing this mid-range pairing down the list. However, the absolute FPS numbers show that this rank does not translate to an unplayable experience at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of which settings presets offer the best experience at each resolution. At 1920x1080, all presets are playable, with even Ultra achieving an average of 75.1 FPS. The jump from Medium to High is only a 20% reduction in FPS (from 115.4 to 92.2), making High the sweet spot for visual fidelity without sacrificing smoothness. Low settings at 1080p push the frame rate to 152.9, which is excessive for an adventure game where reaction time is not critical.

At 2560x1440, the choice becomes more critical. High settings produce 59.8 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS target, while Medium produces 70.4 FPS. The data suggests that High is viable for users who can tolerate occasional dips, but Medium is the safer choice for a locked 60 FPS experience. Ultra at 1440p drops to 44.6 FPS, which is noticeably less smooth. At 3840x2160, the recommendation is to use Low settings, as it is the only preset that comes close to 60 FPS (52.2), and even that falls short. High at 4K produces 30.5 FPS, which is cinematic but not ideal for gameplay. The best experience per the measured rows is at 1080p with High settings, balancing a high frame rate with a reasonable visual upgrade.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the average FPS scales from 152.9 at Low settings to 115.4 at Medium, 92.2 at High, and 75.1 at Ultra. This shows a smooth, predictable degradation as the graphics load increases.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 101.6 at Low, 70.4 at Medium, 59.8 at High, and 44.6 at Ultra. The drop from Low to Medium is 31 FPS, while the drop from Medium to High is only 10.6 FPS, indicating diminishing returns from the higher preset.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 52.2 at Low, 36.4 at Medium, 30.5 at High, and 25.8 at Ultra. The data shows that Low is the only viable preset at this resolution, as it is the only one that stays above 30 FPS for a playable experience.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It has a 9 MB shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. In Road 96, an adventure game that is not heavily threaded, this CPU is likely sufficient to feed the GPU. The benchmark scores for the CPU show a single-core Cinebench R23 score of 1125 and a multi-core score of 7969. The single-core performance is what matters most for games that rely on a few primary threads, and the i5-9400's 4.10 GHz boost clock is adequate for this task.

The CPU's percentile rank of 50 indicates it is an average performer, and its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon E-2134, is only 0.4% slower in average benchmark scores. This suggests that the CPU is not a significant bottleneck in this combo. At 1080p with Low settings, where the GPU is less stressed, the CPU must work harder to maintain 152.9 FPS, but the data shows it can handle this workload. At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU is likely idling while waiting for the GPU to render frames. The data implies that the i5-9400 provides a stable platform without introducing frame pacing issues or stutters, but it does not boost the combo's performance beyond what the GPU can deliver.