Road 96

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU/GPU combination for Road 96?

A: The combo ranks 2887 out of 3713 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700KF compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The CPU sits within 0.2% of the Intel Core i7-12700K (deltaPct 0.2), 0.1% below the Intel Core i7-13700T (deltaPct -0.1), and 0.2% below the Intel Core 5 213PE (deltaPct -0.2). It also edges the Intel Core i5-13600T by 0.2%.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration, and how does it affect performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6600 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, with 224.0 GB/s bandwidth. For an adventure title like Road 96, this capacity is sufficient at 1080p and 1440p, though 4K Ultra shows strain.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average is 114 FPS, with a minimum of 97 FPS and maximum of 131 FPS. This indicates smooth gameplay with headroom above typical 60 Hz displays.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its single-threaded result?

A: In Cinebench R23, the multicore score is 28838 while single-core is 4071. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9282 versus single-thread 1043 shows strong scaling across the 12 cores and 20 threads.

Q: Is the GPU's benchmark score close to any notable rivals?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19036 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, deltaPct 0), 0.1% below the GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049), and 0.3% below the Tesla K20m (19089). It beats the RTX 2000 Ada Generation by 0.4%.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this pairing at rank 2887 out of 3713 tested combinations for Road 96. That position—roughly the 22nd percentile of all tested combos—reflects a system that is capable but not exceptional for this title. The CPU is a high-end desktop part; its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms it is far above average. The GPU, however, sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, which drags the combined result down.

This rank disparity matters. The Core i7-12700KF's average benchmark score of 35365 nearly matches the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, deltaPct -0.1) and slightly exceeds the Core i5-13600T (35305, deltaPct 0.2). The RX 6600's average score of 19036 is competitive with mid-range GPUs from several generations ago, tying the Quadro K6000 exactly and barely trailing the RTX 4050 Mobile. For a game like Road 96, which is not graphically demanding, the CPU's strength helps push frame rates higher than the GPU's raw compute might suggest, but the GPU still becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6600 is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip manufactured on a 7 nm process. Its 1792 shading units, 112 texture mapping units, and 64 ROPs provide the foundational throughput for rendering. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1626 MHz, a game clock of 2044 MHz, and a boost clock of 2491 MHz. Memory runs at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective, delivering 224.0 GB/s across a 128-bit bus.

For Road 96, the data shows the GPU's role is pivotal at 4K. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops from 52 FPS on Low to 31 FPS on High—a 40% reduction. At 1080p, the same settings change results in a drop from 155 FPS to 92 FPS, a 41% reduction. This consistent proportional decline across resolutions indicates the GPU is the primary scaling factor when settings increase. The 8 GB VRAM is adequate for this adventure title even at 4K Ultra, where the measured average is 24 FPS, though that result is below playable thresholds for most users.

The GPU's benchmark percentile of 63 places it in the mid-range category. Its PassMark G3D score of 15096 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1492 confirm its position. The nearest rivals in synthetic testing—Quadro K6000, RTX 4050 Mobile, Tesla K20m—are all within 0.3% of its average score, indicating the RX 6600 is a well-understood, predictable performer.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions. At 1080p, the results are: Low averages 155 FPS, Medium averages 114 FPS (min 97, max 131), High averages 92 FPS, and Ultra averages 72 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium represents a 26% performance cost, while Medium to High costs another 19%, and High to Ultra costs 22%.

At 1440p, the pattern scales down: Low averages 99 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS (min 61, max 83), High averages 58 FPS, and Ultra averages 46 FPS. The cost from Low to Medium is 27%, Medium to High is 19%, and High to Ultra is 21%—nearly identical percentages to 1080p. This consistency suggests the GPU is handling both resolution and settings scaling in a linear fashion.

At 4K, the numbers become more constrained: Low averages 52 FPS, Medium averages 38 FPS (min 33, max 44), High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 24 FPS. The percentage drops from Low to Medium (27%) and Medium to High (18%) mirror the lower resolutions, but High to Ultra drops 23%. The absolute values tell the story: 4K High and Ultra fall below 32 FPS, which is a difficult threshold for smooth gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reveals where the bottleneck lies. At Low settings, dropping from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by 36% (155 to 99 FPS), and from 1440p to 4K by another 47% (99 to 52 FPS). At Ultra settings, the drops are 36% (72 to 46 FPS) and 48% (46 to 24 FPS) respectively. These near-identical scaling percentages across all settings indicate that resolution is the dominant factor, not the preset.

This pattern points to the GPU being the limiting component. The CPU's performance is sufficient to feed the GPU at all tested configurations; if the CPU were the constraint, we would see smaller FPS differences between resolutions. Instead, the consistent ~36% loss from 1080p to 1440p and ~47% loss from 1440p to 4K aligns with the pixel count increases (1440p has 1.78x the pixels of 1080p, 4K has 2.25x the pixels of 1440p). The RX 6600's 224.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are being taxed progressively as resolution climbs.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel's 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and 25 MB shared L3. This CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration.

For Road 96, the CPU's role is supportive rather than dominant. The game's adventure genre typically does not stress multi-threaded workloads heavily, but the i7-12700KF's strong single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4071, PassMark single-thread score of 3984) ensures no frame rate drops from CPU limitations. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 9282 and max-thread score of 9983 show the processor can handle concurrent tasks without issue.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 85 among all processors, combined with its average benchmark score of 35365, places it in the upper tier. Its nearest rival, the Core i7-13700T, scores 35403—a 0.1% difference that is effectively negligible. The i7-12700KF's 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a flexible part, but for this game, the data shows the CPU is never the limiting factor. At 4K Ultra, where the GPU produces 24 FPS, the CPU is likely idle waiting for render commands.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimizing the experience. At 1080p, all settings presets deliver playable frame rates. Ultra at 72 FPS is smooth, and Medium at 114 FPS offers headroom for high-refresh displays. For most users, Medium at 1080p is the sweet spot: the 114 FPS average with a 97 FPS minimum ensures no noticeable stutter, and the visual improvement over Low is substantial.

At 1440p, High at 58 FPS is borderline for 60 Hz displays, while Medium at 72 FPS provides a comfortable margin. The minimum of 61 FPS on Medium confirms it stays above the 60 FPS threshold. Low at 99 FPS is viable for competitive play, but the visual downgrade may not be worth it for an adventure title. Medium is the recommended preset at 1440p for balanced quality and smoothness.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. Low at 52 FPS is playable but visually basic; Medium at 38 FPS with a 33 FPS minimum may cause noticeable hitches; High at 31 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS are below acceptable thresholds for most users. The data indicates that 4K is not a practical resolution for this combo with any preset. Users with 4K displays should consider running at 1440p or accepting the Low preset at 4K, which remains above 30 FPS but offers limited visual fidelity.

Across all resolutions, the percentage cost of each settings step is consistent (roughly 20-27% per tier), meaning there is no "efficient" preset that yields disproportionate gains. The choice comes down to the resolution target: 1080p Medium, 1440p Medium, or 4K Low. The Medium preset at either 1080p or 1440p provides the best balance of frame rate stability (minimums of 97 and 61 FPS respectively) and visual quality relative to the other measured options.