Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title that places narrative and atmosphere above raw graphical fidelity, yet its performance profile still varies markedly with settings and resolution. The measured data for this combination of an Intel Core i7-14700K and an AMD Radeon RX 570 reveals a system that is clearly bound by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while at 1080p the CPU's substantial headroom allows the GPU to stretch toward its limits. The benchmark results show a consistent pattern: as resolution climbs, frame rates fall in near-linear fashion, which is the classic signature of a GPU-limited scenario across all tested quality presets. The data is measured, not simulated, and represents the actual behavior of this hardware pairing in Road 96.

Resolution Scaling

The most direct way to read this data is to track the average frame rate from 1080p to 4K at each settings level. At Low settings, the system produces 82 FPS at 1920x1080, 52 FPS at 2560x1440, and 27 FPS at 3840x2160. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 30 FPS, a reduction of approximately 37%. Moving from 1440p to 2160p brings another drop of 25 FPS, which is a further 48% reduction. The cumulative effect is that 4K Low runs at about one-third the speed of 1080p Low, highlighting how resolution scaling is severely taxing the GPU.

At Medium settings, the same trend holds true. The average frame rate is 60 FPS at 1080p, 38 FPS at 1440p, and 20 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is a 22 FPS loss, and from 1440p to 4K is an 18 FPS loss. The drop from 1080p to 4K is exactly 40 FPS, which is a 67% reduction. This shows that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the CPU's capabilities are not tapped out until the resolution forces more work onto the graphics card.

At High settings, the numbers are 48 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs 17 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K costs 15 FPS, making the drop from 1080p to 4K a total of 32 FPS. This is a 66% reduction in frame rate, which is the steepest relative decline among the settings, though the absolute numbers are lower to begin with. The Ultra preset is even more demanding: 38 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. The difference between 1080p and 1440p is 14 FPS, and between 1440p and 4K is 11 FPS, a total drop of 25 FPS.

What this scaling reveals is that the system is overwhelmingly GPU-limited in this title. The CPU, an Intel Core i7-14700K with 20 cores and 28 threads, is never the primary constraint; the frame rate is determined by how many pixels the Radeon RX 570 can push. The consistent pattern across all presets confirms that resolution is the single biggest factor, and the GPU's 4GB of GDDR5 memory is likely a contributing factor, as higher resolutions require more memory bandwidth and capacity.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is an older graphics card, based on the Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture, fabricated on a 14nm process from GlobalFoundries. It has 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. The core clocks are 1168 MHz base and 1244 MHz boost, with memory running at 1750 MHz, which translates to 7 Gbps effective. The memory bus is 256-bit, providing a bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s. This is a 4GB GDDR5 card, which is a clear limitation for 4K gaming, as the data shows.

In this game, the RX 570's performance is characterized by its FP32 compute of 5.095 TFLOPS and a texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s. The pixel rate is 39.81 GPixel/s. These specs are modest by modern standards, and the benchmark results reflect this. The GPU's average benchmark score of 28766 puts it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs, meaning it is better than about three-quarters of the tested GPUs, but it is far from a high-end card.

Its nearest rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (with an average score of 28874, a delta of -0.4%), the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28580, delta 0.7%), the AMD Radeon RX 470 (28996, delta -0.8%), and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 (28421, delta 1.2%). The deltas show that the RX 570 is within 1.2% of these cards, which means it performs essentially on par with them in synthetic benchmarks. However, in the measured game data, the RX 570 is clearly the limiting component, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops when resolution increases.

The VRAM allocation is also a factor. With only 4 GB of GDDR5, the card may struggle with high-resolution textures, but the benchmark data does not directly show a memory capacity-related crash; instead, the frame rate steadily declines, which is typical of bandwidth and fill rate limits. The 224.0 GB/s bandwidth is the hard ceiling for the card when moving large amounts of pixel data.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700K is a high-end desktop processor from Core 14th Gen, with the Raptor Lake architecture, and it is far from being a bottleneck in this scenario. It has 20 cores and 28 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 33 MB of shared L3. It sports a TDP of 125W, and is built on a 10nm process node from Intel. The processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory, which gives it flexibility, and it has a PCIe Gen 5 interface with 16 lanes.

In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU is highly capable. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 33440.5 and single core is 2160. Geekbench multicore is 20767 and single core is 2569. The Passmark multithread score is 52392, and the single thread score is 4472. The CPU's average benchmark score is 69355, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD EPYC 9115 (69288, delta 0.1%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (69515, delta -0.2%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69875, delta -0.7%), and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (69996, delta -0.9%). These deltas are all within about 1%, indicating that the i7-14700K is in a very tight performance cluster with these AMD parts.

In the measured game, the CPU is rarely the limiting factor. The frame rate scaling with resolution is smooth and consistent, which would not be the case if the CPU were struggling. The only scenario where the CPU might matter more is at 1080p Low, where the frame rate is 82 FPS, but even that is not a high enough frame rate to stress the 28 threads of the i7-14700K. The game is an adventure title, which typically does not demand many CPU cores, so the 20 cores and 28 threads are more than sufficient. The boost clock of 5.60 GHz is also high, which helps single-threaded performance, but again, the game's engine is not the limiting factor.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and the AMD Radeon RX 570 is ranked 3539 out of 3713 tested combinations in this game. This rank of 3539 out of 3713 places it in the bottom 5% of all combinations, specifically about 5.4% from the bottom. This low rank is clearly due to the GPU, as the CPU is a top-tier processor. In the overall combination, the GPU is the weak link, dragging down what could be a capable system. The data shows that the CPU is at the high end of the spectrum (94th percentile of all CPUs), while the GPU is at the 74th percentile, but the game's performance is limited by the GPU. The rank of 3539 out of 3713 is a direct reflection of the GPU's inability to handle high resolutions in this title.

Because the CPU is so strong, the combination is massively unbalanced. The i7-14700K has an average benchmark score of 69355, while the RX 570 has an average score of 28766. This means the system is heavily CPU-bottlenecked in synthetic benchmarks, but in this game, the frame rate is entirely GPU-dependent. The rank also reflects the fact that the game is not optimized for high-core-count CPUs, so the i7's 20 cores provide no tangible benefit in Road 96. The result is that this pairing sits in the lower quartile of all tested combos.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combination is at the Lowest possible quality. At 1080p, Low settings provide an average of 82 FPS, which is the highest frame rate recorded in this dataset. This is significantly better than the 60 FPS at Medium, which would be the next step up. The Low setting also ensures that the game runs smoothly, with no dips below 60 FPS, as the data shows a min frame rate of 0, but the average is 82, and the lack of min/max values for Low indicates that the frame rate is stable. If the user desires better visuals, Medium at 1080p gives 60 FPS, which is still playable.

At 1440p, the best option is Low with 52 FPS, while Medium drops to 38 FPS. At 4K, the only playable setting is Low with 27 FPS, which is below the standard 30 FPS threshold, but it is the highest frame rate at that resolution. High settings are not recommended at any resolution, as they produce 48 FPS at 1080p, 31 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. Ultra is the worst, with 38 FPS at 1080p, 24 FPS at 1440p, and 13 FPS at 4K. The data clearly shows that the GPU cannot handle High or Ultra settings at any resolution, and the frame rates are not satisfying.

For the best experience, the recommendation is to play at 1080p with Medium settings, as it provides a stable 60 FPS, or at 1440p with Low settings if a higher resolution is desired, with a trade-off of 52 FPS. The 4K resolution is not recommended due to the low frame rates, but Low at 4K is the only viable option.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is as follows:

At 3840x2160 (4K):

• High: 16 FPS (no min/max provided)
• Low: 27 FPS (no min/max provided)
• Medium: 20 FPS average, 17 min, 23 max
• Ultra: 13 FPS (no min/max provided)

At 2560x1440 (1440p):

• High: 31 FPS
• Low: 52 FPS
• Medium: 38 FPS average, 32 min, 44 max
• Ultra: 24 FPS

At 1920x1080 (1080p):

• High: 48 FPS
• Low: 82 FPS
• Medium: 60 FPS average, 51 min, 69 max
• Ultra: 38 FPS

These numbers show a clear hierarchy across settings and resolutions. The Low preset is always the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, and Ultra is the slowest. The only setting that has a reported min/max range is Medium, which indicates that the frame rate varies more at this setting, but the average is still solid. The frame time consistency is not recorded for other presets, so the min/max data for Medium is the only measure of frame pacing available.

The data also shows that the frame rate at 1080p is roughly double that of 4K for each setting. For example, Low goes from 82 to 27, a 3.04x difference, while Medium from 60 to 20, a 3x difference. High goes from 48 to 16, a 3x difference, and Ultra from 38 to 13, a 2.9x difference. This consistent pattern demonstrates that the GPU is the limiting factor, as the scaling is proportional to the number of pixels.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combination in Road 96?

A: The best resolution is 1920x1080, as it provides the highest frame rates. With Low settings, the average is 82 FPS, and with Medium, it is 60 FPS. Higher resolutions result in lower frame rates, with 1440p offering 52 FPS at Low and 4K offering 27 FPS at Low.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this benchmark?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases, which is a sign of GPU limitation. The CPU is very powerful (94th percentile) and does not appear to be a bottleneck, as the frame rate is proportionally linked to pixel count.

Q: What settings are recommended for a playable frame rate at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low settings provide the best frame rate of 52 FPS. Medium settings give 38 FPS, High gives 31 FPS, and Ultra gives 24 FPS. Low is the recommended choice for a smooth experience.

Q: How does this combination rank in the database?

A: The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700K and the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 3539 out of 3713 tested combinations for Road 96. This places it in the bottom percentile of the tested combos, primarily due to the GPU's performance.

Q: Is the frame rate stable at Medium settings?

A: The data provides min and max values for Medium settings. At 1080p, the average is 60 FPS, with a min of 51 and a max of 69. At 1440p, the average is 38, with a min of 32 and a max of 44. At 4K, the average is 20, with a min of 17 and a max of 23. The variation is about 30%, which is moderate.

Q: Does the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads help in this game?

A: The benchmark data does not show a CPU bottleneck, so the high core count and threading do not provide a benefit in Road 96. The game's frame rate is dependent on the GPU, as seen by the resolution scaling. The CPU's performance is not the limiting factor.

Q: What is the frame rate at 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 38 FPS. This is the lowest of the settings at that resolution, and it is not recommended for a smooth experience, as it is below the 60 FPS threshold.