Road 96

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

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture, using a 10 nm process node. Its base clock sits at 3.40 GHz, with a boost clock reaching 5.40 GHz. The processor's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. For a game like Road 96 — an adventure title that does not typically stress multi-threaded rendering pipelines — this CPU offers substantial headroom. In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-13700K scores 30,745 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,116 in single-core, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 45,887 and a single-thread score of 4,333.

The CPU's performance percentile versus all CPUs is 89, meaning it outperforms 89% of tested processors. Its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (deltaPct -0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (deltaPct -0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (deltaPct 0.5%). These margins are razor-thin; the i7-13700K sits effectively at parity with those chips in aggregate compute performance.

For Road 96 specifically, the measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 308 FPS average — a frame rate far beyond what the game's narrative-driven gameplay requires. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is heavily loaded, the average FPS of 48 indicates the processor is still feeding frames adequately. The 16 cores and 24 threads provide ample parallel processing for background tasks, but the game's engine likely relies more on the strong single-core performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2,116) to handle game logic and scene transitions. The fact that the combo ranks 656 out of 3,713 tested combinations in this game suggests that while the CPU is powerful, the overall result is more dependent on the GPU.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC. It packs 7,168 shading units, 224 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units. The GPU has 56 RT cores and 224 tensor cores, with a base clock of 1980 MHz and a boost clock of 2475 MHz. Memory consists of 12 GB of GDDR6X on a 192-bit bus, delivering a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. The card's FP32 performance is rated at 35.48 TFLOPS.

In benchmark terms, the RTX 4070 SUPER scores 29,995 in PassMark G3D and 17,108 in PassMark GPU compute. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 4,627. The GPU's percentile versus all GPUs is 83. Nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (deltaPct -0.1%), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (deltaPct -0.1%), and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (deltaPct -1%). The RTX 4070 SUPER is essentially neck-and-neck with these cards in aggregate GPU benchmarks, with the mobile RTX 4090 trailing by just 1%.

For Road 96, the GPU's role becomes evident when examining the FPS scaling. At 1080p Low, the combo produces 308 FPS, which drops to 104 FPS at 4K Low — a 66% reduction. This scaling pattern is classic GPU-bound behavior. The 12 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game's art style and texture requirements; even at 4K Ultra, there is no indication of memory capacity limiting performance. The boost clock of 2475 MHz helps maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, where the GPU is not fully saturated. The RTX 4070 SUPER's strong raw throughput (35.48 TFLOPS FP32) allows it to push 143 FPS at 1080p Ultra, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The data shows that the GPU is the dominant component in this pairing for Road 96, particularly at higher resolutions and settings.

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

Resolution scaling reveals the balance between CPU and GPU workload in Road 96. Starting at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 308 FPS average. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 196 FPS (a 36% decrease), and at 4K Low it falls to 104 FPS (a further 47% decrease from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p Low to 4K Low is 204 FPS, or approximately 66%. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions — the pixel fill rate and shading throughput required at 4K overwhelm the RTX 4070 SUPER, while the CPU easily keeps up.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute values: 226 FPS at 1080p, 144 FPS at 1440p (a 36% drop), and 76 FPS at 4K (a 47% drop from 1440p). The relative drops are nearly identical to Low settings, suggesting that the scaling penalty is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. High settings show 182 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p (36% drop), and 61 FPS at 4K (47% drop from 1440p). Ultra settings produce 143 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p (36% drop), and 48 FPS at 4K (47% drop from 1440p).

The consistency of these percentage drops across all settings is telling. In every case, moving from 1080p to 1440p costs roughly 36% of the frame rate, and moving from 1440p to 4K costs roughly 47%. This uniformity confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor throughout. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would plateau at lower resolutions regardless of GPU load. Instead, the steady decline with increasing pixel count shows that the RTX 4070 SUPER's rendering throughput is the constraint. The CPU's 16 cores and high boost clock are never challenged by Road 96's engine at any resolution, as evidenced by the 308 FPS ceiling at 1080p Low — a figure that is likely near the game's engine frame rate cap or the GPU's raw output limit at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 656 out of 3,713 tested combos in Road 96. This places it in the top 18% of all tested configurations. Given that the CPU ranks in the 89th percentile among all CPUs and the GPU ranks in the 83rd percentile among all GPUs, the combo's relative position makes sense — it is a high-end pairing, but not an absolute top-tier one.

The rank of 656 suggests that there are 655 other combinations that perform better in this specific game. Those combinations likely feature more powerful GPUs (e.g., RTX 4090-class cards) or CPUs with higher single-core performance. However, the i7-13700K's nearest CPU rivals — the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375, and Ryzen 9 7845HX — are all within 0.5% of its average benchmark score. If paired with the same RTX 4070 SUPER, these CPUs would produce nearly identical results in Road 96, since the game is GPU-bound at most settings.

The GPU's nearest rivals also show how close the field is: the Quadro M6000 24 GB and RTX 5050 Mobile are within 0.1% of the RTX 4070 SUPER's average score, while the RTX 4090 Mobile trails by 1%. In Road 96, swapping the RTX 4070 SUPER for any of these would likely shift the combo rank by only a few dozen positions at most. The 656th rank out of 3,713 reflects the fact that this is a well-matched pair — neither component is dramatically over- or under-powered relative to the other for this game's demands. The data indicates that the combo sits in the upper quartile of performance, capable of handling Road 96 at high frame rates across all tested resolutions and settings.

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

The measured FPS data covers four resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). Below is the full breakdown.

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers:

• Low: 308 FPS average
• Medium: 226 FPS average, with a minimum of 192 FPS and maximum of 260 FPS
• High: 182 FPS average
• Ultra: 143 FPS average

The 1080p results show a clear progression: dropping from Low to Ultra costs 165 FPS (a 54% reduction). The Medium preset's minimum of 192 FPS indicates that even in the most demanding scenes, the frame rate stays well above 144 Hz territory. The maximum of 260 FPS at Medium shows that the GPU can burst well beyond its average when scene complexity is low.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 196 FPS average
• Medium: 144 FPS average, with a minimum of 122 FPS and maximum of 165 FPS
• High: 116 FPS average
• Ultra: 91 FPS average

The 1440p results show a similar pattern. The Medium preset's minimum of 122 FPS and maximum of 165 FPS bracket the average nicely, suggesting consistent frame pacing. The drop from Low to Ultra is 105 FPS (a 54% reduction), nearly identical to the percentage drop at 1080p.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 104 FPS average
• Medium: 76 FPS average, with a minimum of 65 FPS and maximum of 88 FPS
• High: 61 FPS average
• Ultra: 48 FPS average

At 4K, the Medium preset's minimum of 65 FPS and maximum of 88 FPS are the only min/max values provided for this resolution. The Ultra preset drops to 48 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 61 FPS average just clears that bar. The total range from Low to Ultra at 4K is 56 FPS (a 54% reduction), consistent with the other resolutions.

Across all resolutions, the relative performance gap between Low and Ultra remains constant at approximately 54%, confirming that the GPU's workload scales uniformly with settings. The Medium preset consistently offers the best balance of average FPS and stability, as evidenced by the min/max data points provided.

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

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and frame rate priority. The data provides clear guidance for each resolution.

At 1920x1080, all settings presets deliver playable frame rates. The Medium preset stands out with 226 FPS average, a minimum of 192 FPS, and a maximum of 260 FPS. This is the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors (144 Hz or 240 Hz), as the minimum FPS stays above 192, ensuring no dips below refresh rate thresholds. The High preset at 182 FPS average is also viable for 144 Hz displays, but Medium offers a 24% higher average with likely minimal visual difference in an adventure game. The Ultra preset at 143 FPS is adequate for 144 Hz, but it sacrifices 83 FPS compared to Medium — a significant loss for a game that runs this fast.

At 2560x1440, Medium again provides the best experience: 144 FPS average, with a minimum of 122 FPS and maximum of 165 FPS. This preset keeps the frame rate above 120 FPS at all times, which is ideal for 144 Hz displays. The High preset at 116 FPS average is slightly below the 120 FPS threshold, and its lack of min/max data makes it harder to recommend. The Ultra preset at 91 FPS is suitable for 60 Hz displays but leaves performance on the table. For 1440p, Medium is the clear winner — it delivers the highest average FPS among presets that maintain consistent smoothness, and the min FPS of 122 ensures no stutter.

At 3840x2160, the choices narrow. The High preset at 61 FPS average just clears the 60 FPS bar, making it the only preset that provides smooth gameplay at 4K. Medium at 76 FPS average is even better, with a minimum of 65 FPS and maximum of 88 FPS, which means it never drops below 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 48 FPS average is not recommended for 4K, as it falls below the acceptable threshold. The Low preset at 104 FPS is overkill for 4K and sacrifices visual quality unnecessarily. For 4K, Medium is the recommended preset: it maintains a minimum of 65 FPS, provides 76 FPS average, and keeps all frame times above the 60 FPS floor.

Across all resolutions, the Medium preset offers the most consistent performance with the best min/max data. It provides the highest average FPS among presets that maintain a stable frame rate, and the measured minimums (192 FPS at 1080p, 122 FPS at 1440p, 65 FPS at 4K) are all comfortably above their respective resolution's playability thresholds. For players who prefer visual fidelity, High at 4K (61 FPS average) is the only alternative that maintains 60 FPS, but Medium provides a 25% higher average with a 6% higher minimum. The data strongly suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo in Road 96, balancing visual quality with frame rate stability across all resolutions.