Road 96

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT delivers a combination that is heavily skewed toward GPU performance in Road 96, resulting in a clear bottleneck dynamic where the CPU’s capabilities define the upper ceiling for frame rates at lower resolutions. The i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark profile, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a single-core score of 1125, places it at the 50th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. This places it nearly identical to the Intel Core i3-10305 (0.2% higher) and the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (0.2% higher), while being 0.6% slower than the Intel Core i7-8809G. In a game like Road 96, which is an adventure title not known for heavy multi-threaded workloads, the 6 threads and 4.10 GHz boost clock are sufficient to maintain playable frame rates, but the data suggests that the CPU can become a limiting factor when the GPU is not stressed.

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT, on the other hand, is a high-end RDNA 2.0 part with 4608 shading units, 288 TMUs, and 128 ROPs, backed by 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its clocks are substantial, with a base of 1825 MHz, a game clock of 2015 MHz, and a boost clock of 2250 MHz, while the memory runs at 2000 MHz (16 Gbps effective). This GPU sits at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49982. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A550M, is only 0.5% slower, while the NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti SUPER is 2.6% slower, and the NVIDIA CMP 50HX is 1.9% slower. The GPU’s raw power is evident in its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3689 and Passmark G3D score of 24980. In Road 96, this level of GPU performance is massive overkill for the visual demands, meaning that at higher resolutions, the GPU is the star, but at lower resolutions, the CPU’s 6 threads become the primary constraint.

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

The Intel Core i5-9400’s role in this combination is to provide a baseline level of processing power that, while not exceptional, is enough to feed the RX 6800 XT at higher resolutions but not at lower ones. With 6 cores and 6 threads, the CPU lacks hyper-threading, which means it relies purely on its physical cores and a 4.10 GHz boost clock to handle game logic and draw calls. The benchmark data shows a Cinebench R20 multi-core score of 3346 and a single-core score of 472, indicating that single-threaded performance is adequate for most game engines, including those used in adventure titles like Road 96. The CPU’s 9 MB of shared L3 cache and Dual-channel DDR4 memory support with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth are standard for its generation, but the lack of extra threads is a notable weakness.

In practice, the CPU’s impact is most visible when the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination achieves 260.1 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset. This indicates that the CPU is capable of pushing frame rates well above 200 FPS in less demanding scenes, but the fact that this number is not higher suggests that the 6-thread limit is starting to cap performance. The CPU’s percentile rank of 50 means it sits exactly in the middle of all tested processors, and its nearest rivals are all similarly performing parts, with deltas of less than 1%. This tells us that the i5-9400 is not a performance outlier; it is a competent mid-range CPU that will hold back a top-tier GPU like the RX 6800 XT in frame-rate-unbounded scenarios.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is the dominant component in this pairing, providing massive amounts of shading power and memory bandwidth that are underutilized in Road 96. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is far more than any current adventure game needs, but it ensures that there are no memory capacity or bandwidth bottlenecks even at 4K. The GPU’s boost clock of 2250 MHz and 20.74 TFLOPS of FP32 compute are more than sufficient to render the game’s stylized visuals at maximum settings. The data confirms this: at 4K Ultra, the combination still manages 39.4 FPS, which is playable, but the GPU is clearly not being pushed to its limits given the game’s relatively simple geometry and textures.

The GPU’s performance percentile of 87 indicates that it sits well above the average, and its nearest rivals are all within a 2.6% delta, showing that the RX 6800 XT is a consistently strong performer. The Passmark G3D score of 24980 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 152200 are evidence of its capability. In Road 96, the GPU’s role is to provide headroom for high resolutions and settings, which is why we see frame rates scale so dramatically when settings are lowered. The GPU is never the limiting factor in this game; even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drop from 1080p is primarily due to the increased pixel count, not a lack of GPU power.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals a clear pattern: as resolution increases, frame rates drop significantly, but the rate of the drop is not uniform across settings, indicating a shift in the bottleneck from CPU to GPU. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is from 260.1 FPS to 84.4 FPS, a reduction of 175.7 FPS (or about 67.6%). This massive drop is expected because at Low settings, the CPU is able to feed frames at a high rate, and the GPU has to work much harder to fill the 4K pixel count. At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is from 122 FPS to 39.4 FPS, a reduction of 82.6 FPS (or about 67.7%). The percentage drop is nearly identical, which is interesting.

However, the absolute frame rates tell a different story. At 1080p Ultra, the combination achieves 122 FPS, which is a solid frame rate, but not exceptionally high for a GPU of this caliber. This suggests that the CPU is starting to limit the frame rate even at 1080p Ultra, because the GPU should be able to render this game at much higher frame rates. At 1440p, the frame rates are more moderate, with High settings at 98.1 FPS and Low settings at 164.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a drop of 55.9% for Low settings (from 260.1 to 164.9), which is a significant hit, but the GPU is still managing high frame rates. The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary limiter, while at 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting component, as the frame rates scale more linearly with pixel count.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT ranks 610th out of 1684 tested combos in Road 96, placing it in the 63.8th percentile of all combinations. This ranking is surprisingly low for a GPU that sits at the 87th percentile and a CPU at the 50th percentile. The data suggests that the CPU is dragging down the overall ranking, because if the GPU were paired with a stronger processor, the combination would likely rank much higher. The fact that this combo ranks 610th means that there are 1074 other combinations that deliver better performance in this game, which reflects the CPU’s limitations.

The ranking implies that while the RX 6800 XT is capable of high frame rates, the i5-9400 prevents the combo from reaching its full potential, especially at lower resolutions where the CPU is the bottleneck. This is a classic case of an unbalanced pairing, where the GPU is overqualified for the CPU. The combo’s rank of 610 out of 1684 is still in the top 40% of all tested combos, which means it delivers better performance than the majority of systems, but it is far from the top tier. Other combos with similar GPUs but stronger CPUs likely achieve frame rates that are significantly higher, particularly at 1080p.

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

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at how this combination performs across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are as follows: Low settings yield 260.1 FPS, Medium settings yield 187.6 FPS, High settings yield 153.8 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 122 FPS. These numbers show a clear scaling pattern, with the difference between Low and Ultra being 138.1 FPS. At 2560x1440, the frame rates drop noticeably: Low settings yield 164.9 FPS, Medium settings yield 117.4 FPS, High settings yield 98.1 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 74 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 90.9 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p, but the percentage drop is similar.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates are much lower: Low settings yield 84.4 FPS, Medium settings yield 63.9 FPS, High settings yield 48.7 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 39.4 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 45 FPS, which is the smallest absolute difference of all resolutions. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and the settings have less impact on frame rates because the pixel count is the dominant factor. Interestingly, the data shows that at 1080p, the frame rates are high enough to be limited by the CPU, as evidenced by the fact that the RX 6800 XT should be able to push well over 260 FPS in a game like Road 96. The measured numbers are consistent across all settings, with no anomalies or outliers.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combination in Road 96 depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, all settings presets are playable, but the High preset at 153.8 FPS offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, as Ultra only adds a small visual upgrade while dropping the frame rate by 31.8 FPS. For players with a 144Hz monitor, the High preset is ideal, while those with a 240Hz monitor should consider the Medium preset at 187.6 FPS, which still provides good visual quality. At 1440p, the High preset at 98.1 FPS is the sweet spot, as it provides a smooth experience on a 100Hz monitor, while Ultra at 74 FPS is still playable but not ideal for fast-paced scenes.

At 4K, the situation is more challenging. The Low preset at 84.4 FPS is the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience, while Medium at 63.9 FPS is acceptable for a casual adventure game. The High preset at 48.7 FPS is borderline, and Ultra at 39.4 FPS is not recommended for a smooth experience. For most players, the Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, as the difference between Medium and High is only 15.2 FPS, but the visual upgrade is marginal. Overall, the data suggests that the High preset at 1080p or 1440p is the best experience, with 4K being reserved for players who prioritize resolution over frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average FPS is 260.1, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 610th out of 1684 tested combinations, placing it in the top 40% of all tested systems.

Q: What is the performance difference between 1080p and 4K at Ultra settings?

A: At Ultra settings, the average FPS drops from 122 at 1080p to 39.4 at 4K, a reduction of 82.6 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset provides the smoothest experience at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 1440p provides 98.1 FPS, which is the best balance of visual quality and performance for that resolution.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data indicates the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p, as the frame rates are capped despite the GPU’s high capability, evidenced by the 122 FPS at Ultra being lower than expected.

Q: What is the GPU’s benchmark percentile compared to other GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT sits at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 49982.