Road 96

Road 96 is a narrative adventure where performance is about maintaining a smooth, consistent frame rate rather than chasing extreme refresh rates. The data for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti combination shows a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, but which reveals the CPU's limitations at 1080p. This pairing delivers a strong experience, though the benchmark results indicate that the processor is the primary factor preventing the system from achieving maximum frame rates at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking pattern in the data is how average frame rates collapse as resolution increases. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces 202.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that to 124.4 FPS, a substantial reduction. At 4K, the average falls further to 66.4 FPS. This scaling behavior is a classic sign of a GPU-bound workload; the RTX 5070 Ti is being tasked with rendering an increasing number of pixels, and its performance ceiling is what dictates the frame rate.

However, the gap between 1080p and 1440p is notably larger than the gap between 1440p and 4K in percentage terms. The 124.4 FPS at 1440p is still high, but the jump to 66.4 FPS at 4K represents a 46% reduction. This suggests that while the GPU is the main driver at 4K, the CPU is beginning to become a more significant factor at 1440p, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high that the CPU's 6-core, 6-thread configuration is likely hitting its limit, capping performance below what the graphics card could theoretically deliver.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor from the Coffee Lake generation, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark results place it in the 50th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2305. This places it in the middle of the pack, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i3-10305 and the Intel Core i3-1125G4, which it edges out by 0.2%, and the Intel Xeon E-2134, which it leads by 0.4%. The data shows it is also 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G.

In Road 96, this CPU's role is most evident in the 1080p results. The difference between Low and High settings at 1080p is only 63 FPS (265.6 vs 202.7), which is a smaller relative gain than at higher resolutions. This indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting component; the GPU has plenty of headroom to render frames quickly, but the processor cannot feed it data fast enough to push the frame rate higher. The CPU's moderate single-threaded and multi-threaded performance, as shown in its Cinebench scores (e.g., 1125 in R23 single-core, 7969 in R23 multi-core), is adequate for the game's logic and rendering calls, but it is not powerful enough to unlock the full potential of the RTX 5070 Ti at lower resolutions.

FAQ

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

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 265.6 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i3-10305?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2305, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305's score of 2300.

Q: Is the system capable of 4K gaming in Road 96?

A: Yes, the data shows it can run at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings at an average of 50.8 FPS, and it can achieve 66.4 FPS at High settings.

Q: What is the biggest performance difference between two settings at the same resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is 63.6 FPS (114.4 vs 50.8), which is the largest absolute gap in the dataset.

Q: Does the GPU benchmark higher than its rival, the RTX 4080?

A: The RTX 5070 Ti has an average benchmark score of 52086, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 has a score of 52085, making them effectively equal with a deltaPct of 0%.

Q: How many total system combinations have been tested for this game?

A: The combo rank in game is 259 out of a total of 1684 tested combinations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is ranked 259th out of 1684 tested combinations for Road 96. This places it in the top 15% of all tested systems, which is a strong result, but it is not at the very top of the leaderboard. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU, which is in the 87th percentile of all GPUs and has an average benchmark score of 52086.

The CPU's 50th percentile ranking (with a score of 2305) is the limiting factor in this pairing. The data suggests that a system with a more powerful CPU could achieve a higher rank, as the GPU would not be held back at lower resolutions. The 259th rank indicates that while this is a capable gaming machine, there are a significant number of other CPU and GPU combinations that can deliver higher frame rates in this specific title.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti is the star of this pairing, with its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and a memory bandwidth of 896.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2452 MHz, and it has an impressive array of 8960 shading units. The GPU's benchmark performance is exceptional, placing it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 52086. This puts it in a dead heat with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, which scores 52085, a deltaPct of 0%.

In Road 96, the GPU's role is to render the game's stylized visuals and handle the resolution scaling. The data confirms this is a GPU-intensive task at higher resolutions. At 4K, the frame rate scales almost linearly with the performance demands of the settings: 114.4 FPS on Low, 84.3 on Medium, 66.4 on High, and 50.8 on Ultra. This clear separation shows the GPU is the component doing the heavy lifting. The 16 GB VRAM buffer is more than sufficient for this game, ensuring that texture loading and memory allocation are not bottlenecks, even at 4K Ultra settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rate data for this system is consistent and predictable across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system is capable of very high frame rates. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 265.6 FPS. Moving up to Medium yields 233.2 FPS, and High settings produce 202.7 FPS. The most demanding setting, Ultra, still delivers a very playable 157.9 FPS. The performance at this resolution is likely limited by the CPU, as the frame rates are high enough to stress even a fast processor.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a more pronounced impact from the GPU. Low settings average 214.8 FPS, Medium drops to 157.9 FPS, and High settings achieve 124.4 FPS. At Ultra, the system still maintains an average of 100.5 FPS. This resolution is a sweet spot for this combo, providing high refresh rate performance on less demanding settings and still maintaining over 100 FPS on Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the system transitions to being firmly GPU-bound. The performance is more moderate, with Low settings hitting 114.4 FPS and Medium at 84.3 FPS. High settings average 66.4 FPS, which is suitable for a 60 Hz display. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with an average of 50.8 FPS. This demonstrates that while the RTX 5070 Ti is powerful, 4K Ultra is still a heavy load, and users should expect to adjust settings to achieve higher refresh rates. The data shows a clear and predictable performance scaling path for users looking to prioritize visual fidelity or frame rate.