Road 96

The data for Road 96, captured with an Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution. Across the board, the GPU is the primary driver of performance, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom to avoid becoming a limiting factor in most scenarios. The measured results show a clear scaling pattern that shifts from a GPU-bound state at 4K to a more balanced, though still GPU-leaning, state at 1080p.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a significant drop in frame rates, confirming that the RTX 3060 Ti is the performance bottleneck. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 122.8 FPS at 1920x1080 to 80.8 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 34.2%. Moving to 3840x2160, the average drops further to 40.4 FPS, which is a 67.1% decrease from the 1080p figure. This steep decline is typical of a GPU-limited workload where the pixel count increases geometrically, placing a much heavier load on the rendering pipeline.

The scaling behavior is even more pronounced at higher quality presets. With Ultra settings, the average frame rate plummets from 99.9 FPS at 1080p to 61.6 FPS at 1440p and then to 34.1 FPS at 4K. The difference between High and Ultra at 4K is notable: 40.4 FPS versus 34.1 FPS, a 15.6% drop. This indicates that the additional graphical effects and shading complexity in the Ultra preset are taxing the GPU’s compute and memory subsystems more heavily, even though the resolution remains constant.

At Low settings, the frame rates are substantially higher across all resolutions, but the scaling pattern remains consistent. The average at 1080p is 208.3 FPS, dropping to 135.3 FPS at 1440p and 68.8 FPS at 4K. The fact that even at Low settings the 4K frame rate is less than half of the 1080p rate underscores that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the decisive factors. The CPU, with its six cores and six threads, does not appear to be a constraint here, as the frame rate scales almost entirely with the GPU’s workload.

The data suggests that this combo is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p with High or Medium settings, but it will struggle to maintain smooth gameplay at 4K with demanding presets. For users targeting 1440p, the High preset offers a playable average of 80.8 FPS, while the Ultra preset at 61.6 FPS is still feasible for most titles. The sharp drop at 4K, regardless of settings, points to the RTX 3060 Ti’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 256-bit bus being pushed to their limits by the increased pixel workload.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use for a smooth experience with this combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 with High settings yields an average of 122.8 FPS, which is well above the standard 60 FPS threshold. The 2560x1440 High preset also provides a solid 80.8 FPS average, making either resolution a viable choice depending on the display’s native resolution.

Q: How much of a performance hit does enabling Ultra settings cause at 1440p?

A: The average frame rate drops from 97.8 FPS on Medium to 80.8 FPS on High, and then to 61.6 FPS on Ultra at 2560x1440. The transition from Medium to Ultra represents a 36.2% reduction in average FPS, showing that the Ultra preset is significantly more demanding.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 3060 Ti in this game?

A: The benchmark results do not indicate a significant CPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the average frame rate reaches 208.3 FPS, which is high enough to suggest the CPU can feed the GPU adequately. The consistent scaling across resolutions points to the GPU as the primary limiting component.

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

A: At 4K, the average frame rates are 40.4 FPS on High and 34.1 FPS on Ultra. These figures are below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, so 4K is only playable if the user accepts lower settings or a lower frame rate. The Low preset at 4K produces 68.8 FPS, which is playable but with reduced visual quality.

Q: How does the RTX 3060 Ti compare to its nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3060 Ti has an average benchmark score of 25120, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD Radeon RX 6700M (25180) and 0.5% lower than both the AMD Radeon RX 6600 (25235) and the AMD Radeon 890M (25246). The performance difference among these GPUs is minimal.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: The average frame rate at 1080p is 208.3 FPS on Low and 99.9 FPS on Ultra, a difference of 108.4 FPS. This shows that the Ultra preset nearly halves the frame rate compared to Low, emphasizing the substantial cost of high-quality graphics settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti ranks 873rd out of 1684 tested combos in Road 96. This places the configuration in the middle of the pack, indicating that while it is not a top-tier performer, it is by no means a weak setup. The rank reflects a balance between the CPU’s mid-range standing and the GPU’s above-average capability.

The CPU itself sits at the 50th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 2305. Its nearest rivals, the Intel Core i3-10305 and Intel Core i3-1125G4, score 2300 and 2299, respectively, showing a performance delta of just 0.2%. This suggests that the i5-9400 is operating in a crowded field of similar-performing CPUs, and its contribution to the overall combo rank is likely neutral.

The GPU, on the other hand, is at the 69th percentile among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25120. This is a stronger relative position, and the RTX 3060 Ti’s performance is closely matched by its nearest rivals, with deltas ranging from -0.2% to -0.7% against the AMD Radeon RX 6700M, RX 6600, and Radeon 890M. The combo’s rank of 873 is therefore more heavily influenced by the GPU’s capabilities than the CPU’s, as the GPU’s higher percentile ranking lifts the overall standing.

Given that there are 1684 total combos, a rank of 873 indicates that the system sits just above the median. This is consistent with a mid-range CPU paired with a solid upper-mid-range GPU, a combination that is common and well-balanced for 1080p and 1440p gaming. The data does not suggest any unusual pairing inefficiencies, as the measured frame rates align with what would be expected from the individual component benchmarks.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 3060 Ti delivers its highest frame rates. The Low preset produces an average of 208.3 FPS, which is exceptionally high and indicates that the CPU is not holding back the GPU. Moving up the settings chain, the Medium preset averages 150.8 FPS, High averages 122.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 99.9 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 108.4 FPS, or 52%, showing that the Ultra preset is roughly twice as demanding as Low.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are still respectable but show a clear reduction. The Low preset averages 135.3 FPS, which is still above the 120 FPS mark, while Medium averages 97.8 FPS. High settings produce an average of 80.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 61.6 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p at each setting is consistent, with the High preset losing 42 FPS (from 122.8 to 80.8) and the Ultra preset losing 38.3 FPS (from 99.9 to 61.6).

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit. The Low preset averages 68.8 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for high-refresh-rate displays. Medium averages 50.4 FPS, High averages 40.4 FPS, and Ultra drops to 34.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is 34.7 FPS, and the Low preset at 4K is slower than the Ultra preset at 1440p (68.8 FPS versus 61.6 FPS). This data clearly shows that 4K gaming is only viable with reduced settings, and even then, the frame rates are not high enough to take full advantage of a 144Hz monitor.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti is the dominant component in this pairing, and its specifications directly explain the measured performance. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the high pixel throughput required at 4K stresses the memory subsystem, contributing to the frame rate drop.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1665 MHz and base clock of 1410 MHz are typical for the Ampere architecture, and its 4864 shading units provide substantial compute throughput. The measured FP32 performance of 16.20 TFLOPS is competitive for its class, and the GPU’s 152 texture mapping units and 80 render output units help maintain texture fill and pixel output rates. In Road 96, an adventure game, the GPU’s role is primarily to handle geometry, lighting, and post-processing effects, all of which scale with resolution and settings.

The RTX 3060 Ti’s average benchmark score of 25120 places it at the 69th percentile, and its nearest rivals are all within 0.7% in terms of average score. This indicates that the GPU is well-matched against its direct competitors, and any performance differences in Road 96 are likely due to game-specific optimizations rather than raw hardware capability. The GPU’s launch MSRP of 399 USD positions it as a mid-range to upper-mid-range part, and its measured performance in this game aligns with that expectation.

The 8 GB of VRAM is a key factor at higher resolutions. While it is not fully exhausted at 1080p, the increased texture detail and shadow resolution at 4K can put pressure on the memory capacity. The data shows that the Ultra preset at 4K produces an average of 34.1 FPS, which is below the playability threshold for many users, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and capacity are the limiting factors rather than the CPU. The 200 W TDP and suggested 550 W PSU indicate that this is a power-hungry card, but the performance gains are evident in the frame rate data.