Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title that scales predictably with hardware, and the Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a playable experience across most configurations, though 4K Ultra remains out of reach. The measured data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where frame rates are consistently high, while 4K requires significant settings compromises to maintain smooth gameplay. This analysis breaks down the specific performance metrics, settings recommendations, and the individual roles of the CPU and GPU in achieving these results.

FAQ

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

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 164 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This indicates the combo has substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors at 1080p when visual fidelity is not the priority.

Q: Can this system handle 4K resolution in Road 96?

A: Yes, but only with significant settings reductions. At 3840x2160, the combo averages 33 FPS on High, 40 FPS on Medium, and 55 FPS on Low. Ultra settings at 4K produce an average of just 26 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth, consistent gameplay.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 compare to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080?

A: According to the aggregate benchmark scores, the Arc B580 has an average score of 23021, while the RTX 2080 scores 22895. This puts the Arc B580 approximately 0.6% ahead of the RTX 2080, indicating near-identical overall compute performance.

Q: What is the best resolution for a consistent 60+ FPS experience?

A: At 2560x1440, the combo delivers 62 FPS on High and 76 FPS on Medium, both comfortably above 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, even Ultra settings average 76 FPS, making 1080p the safest bet for maintaining high frame rates across all quality presets.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is sufficient for the GPU at most settings. The Intel Core i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. The frame rates scale significantly with resolution and settings, indicating the GPU is the primary performance driver. The CPU's benchmark percentile of 47 places it in the mid-range, but it does not appear to hold back the Arc B580 in this title.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems?

A: This specific combination of CPU and GPU ranks 2797 out of 3713 tested combos for Road 96. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the database, reflecting its capability at 1080p and 1440p but limitations at 4K Ultra.

Settings Recommendations

The optimal experience for this hardware depends heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the data shows that Ultra settings are viable, with an average of 76 FPS. This provides the best visual quality without sacrificing playability. Those seeking maximum smoothness for fast-paced scenes can drop to High for 97 FPS or Medium for 120 FPS, but the jump from Medium to Ultra only costs 44 FPS, making Ultra the recommended choice for most users at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the choice becomes more deliberate. High settings produce a solid 62 FPS average, which is ideal for a balanced experience between visual fidelity and smoothness. Medium settings push this to 76 FPS, providing more headroom for demanding scenes. Ultra settings, however, drop to 48 FPS, which is a noticeable step down in fluidity. Therefore, the best experience at 1440p is achieved with High settings, offering a near-60 FPS experience with strong visuals.

For 3840x2160, the situation is more constrained. The only way to achieve a playable frame rate is to use Low settings, which yields an average of 55 FPS. Medium settings drop to 40 FPS, and High drops further to 33 FPS. Ultra at 4K is not viable, averaging only 26 FPS. The recommendation for 4K is to use Low settings for a playable, albeit visually basic, experience. If visual quality is paramount, users should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p and using High settings instead.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is the dominant component in this pairing for Road 96. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for the textures and assets in Road 96, even at high resolutions. The GPU's 2560 shading units and 80 ROPs handle the rendering workload effectively, as evidenced by the scaling of frame rates across resolutions.

The Arc B580's clock speeds are noteworthy, with a base and boost clock of 2670 MHz. This high boost clock contributes to its strong compute performance, which is reflected in its aggregate benchmark score of 23021. This score places it in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a solid mid-to-high-end performer. The benchmark data shows the GPU's capabilities are well-matched to the demands of Road 96, allowing for high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p.

However, the GPU's limits are clearly visible at 4K. The drop from 55 FPS at Low to 26 FPS at Ultra shows a 29 FPS penalty for maxing out settings. This indicates that the GPU's raw throughput is strained by the combination of high resolution and high-detail settings. The GPU's performance relative to its nearest rivals—such as the RTX 2080 (0.6% slower) and the RTX 3080 (0.7% faster)—shows that it sits in a competitive performance tier, capable of handling modern games but with expected limitations at the highest resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo demonstrates strong performance across all settings. The lowest average is 76 FPS at Ultra, which is still very smooth. Medium settings increase this to 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. High settings average 97 FPS, while Low settings reach the highest average of 164 FPS. The consistency at this resolution is excellent, with no settings preset dropping below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, performance remains strong but begins to show the GPU's workload. Low settings deliver an average of 104 FPS, which is excellent for 1440p. Medium settings average 76 FPS, with a minimum of 65 FPS and a maximum of 88 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay. High settings drop to 62 FPS, which is still playable but closer to the edge. Ultra settings average 48 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS target and may feel less fluid during intense scenes.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. Low settings are the only viable option, averaging 55 FPS. Medium settings average 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 FPS and a maximum of 46 FPS. High settings drop to 33 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to an average of 26 FPS. The data shows a clear trend: each step up in settings at 4K costs roughly 7-8 FPS, making it difficult to achieve a stable frame rate above 60 FPS without significant visual compromises.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B580 combination ranks 2797 out of 3713 tested combos for Road 96. This ranking places it in the 75th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it outperforms about 75% of the configurations in the database for this specific game. This is a respectable position, indicating that this combo is better suited for Road 96 than a majority of other hardware pairings.

This ranking aligns with the measured FPS data. The combo's ability to maintain high frame rates at 1080p and solid performance at 1440p justifies its position above the median. The ranking also reflects the GPU's strong aggregate performance, which is in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. While the CPU is only in the 47th percentile, the game appears to be more GPU-bound, allowing the Arc B580 to carry the system to a higher overall ranking.

The combo's performance is competitive with systems featuring GPUs like the RTX 2080 and RTX 3080, based on the nearest rival data. The deltaPct values show the Arc B580 is within 1% of these cards in aggregate benchmarks. This suggests that the combo's ranking is driven by the GPU's solid compute capabilities, which are well-utilized in this adventure title.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides a stable foundation for the Arc B580 in Road 96. With 6 cores and 6 threads, the CPU offers sufficient multi-threaded performance for the game's logic and physics. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz ensure responsive single-threaded performance, which is often critical for adventure games that rely on scripting and interactions.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate it is a competent mid-range processor. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and single-core score of 935 show it can handle modern workloads. The Geekbench multi-core score of 5141 further confirms its capability. The CPU's 47th percentile ranking places it in the middle of the pack, but this does not appear to hinder gameplay in Road 96.

The data suggests the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. The frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound scenarios. At 1080p Low, the CPU manages to feed the GPU enough data to achieve 164 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the CPU is not the limiting factor; rather, the GPU's rendering capabilities are maxed out. The CPU's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support provide adequate bandwidth for the game's data streams without causing performance stalls.