Road 96

Road 96 is a stylized adventure game where performance headroom matters more than raw competitive frame rates, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination shows a clear story: this pair is built for smooth 1080p and capable 1440p play, but it hits a wall at 4K. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 2060 is the primary limiting factor as resolution climbs, while the Core Ultra 5 225 provides ample headroom to keep the frame pacing stable at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent across all settings, which points directly at the GPU as the bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 155 at 1920x1080 to 98 at 2560x1440, a 37% reduction, and then drops further to 52 at 3840x2160, which is a 66% reduction from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU that is running out of pixel throughput, as the RTX 2060’s 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are being pushed hard by the higher pixel counts.

At Medium settings, the trend is similar but the 4K result becomes less playable. The data shows 113 FPS at 1080p, 72 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The jump from 1440p to 4K costs 34 FPS, which is a 47% loss, indicating that the GPU is struggling to fill the additional pixels. The High preset tells the same story: 91 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. The 1440p result is still smooth, but the 4K average drops below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider the baseline for a good experience.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, and the scaling shows why 4K is not viable with this combo. At 1080p, the average is 71 FPS, which is playable; at 1440p, it falls to 45 FPS; and at 4K, it collapses to 24 FPS. This 66% drop from 1080p to 4K is the largest of any preset, suggesting that the Ultra settings include effects that are particularly heavy on the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth. The data indicates that the CPU is not the limiting factor here, because the Core Ultra 5 225 has a high single-thread benchmark score of 4412 in PassMark, which is more than enough to feed the GPU at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and smooth frame rates, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the sweet spot for this combination. The measured average of 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS shows that the frame time is consistent, which is important for an adventure game where pacing and atmosphere matter. The 61 FPS minimum ensures that there are no noticeable hitches during scene transitions or dialogue-heavy moments.

If you are playing at 1920x1080, the High preset is the recommended choice. The average of 91 FPS is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the data suggests that there is enough headroom to handle busier scenes without dropping below playable levels. The Ultra preset at 1080p is also viable, with an average of 71 FPS, but the jump to High is not worth the performance cost unless you have a high refresh rate monitor and want to push closer to 100 FPS.

At 4K, the data suggests that only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 38 FPS, which is below the smoothness threshold, and the High and Ultra presets are not recommended at this resolution. For players with a 4K display, the Low preset is the only option that keeps the game running at a consistent pace, but the visual compromise is significant. The 1440p Medium setting is the best overall recommendation because it offers a 72 FPS average, which is smooth, and the minimum of 61 FPS indicates that the experience will be consistent.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 is the component that determines the performance ceiling in Road 96. With a boost clock of 1680 MHz, a memory clock of 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), and a 6 GB GDDR6 frame buffer on a 192-bit bus, the card provides 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The measured FPS data shows that this bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest that the 6 GB capacity and the bus width are insufficient for the higher resolution textures and pixel counts.

The GPU’s 1920 shading units and 48 ROPs are also relevant. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 24, which indicates that the shading units are overwhelmed by the pixel fill rate required at that resolution. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1242, which is a low score for a modern GPU, reinforces that this card is entry-level by current standards. The PassMark G3D score of 14111 places it in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and the AMD Radeon 680M, which have similar average scores, but the RTX 2060 offers a slight edge in raw performance.

The 6 GB VRAM is a potential concern for texture-heavy scenes, but the data shows that the game runs at 91 FPS on High at 1080p, which suggests that the memory is not causing a hard cap at this resolution. The GPU’s total board power is 160 W, and it requires a 450 W power supply, but these are not factors in the measured frame rates. The key takeaway is that the RTX 2060 is the limiting component in this combo, and the CPU is not holding it back, as evidenced by the CPU’s 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a wide range of performance depending on the preset. Low settings produce an average of 155 FPS, which is extremely high and indicates that the CPU and GPU are both working efficiently. Medium settings yield 113 FPS with a minimum of 96 and a maximum of 130, which is a tight frame time window that will feel very smooth. High settings drop to 91 FPS, and Ultra settings bring the average down to 71 FPS. All of these 1080p results are playable, and even the Ultra preset maintains a frame rate that is above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down predictably. Low settings still deliver a high 98 FPS, which is impressive for a 1440p resolution. Medium settings provide 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 and a maximum of 83, which is the most balanced result in the entire dataset. High settings yield 58 FPS, which is playable but shows the GPU starting to strain. Ultra settings drop to 45 FPS, which is below the ideal 60 FPS mark, but it is still a playable experience for a slower-paced game like Road 96.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Low settings produce an average of 52 FPS, which is the only preset that reaches a playable level at this resolution. Medium settings drop to 38 FPS with a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 44, which shows significant frame time variability. High settings yield 31 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 24 FPS, both of which are not smooth enough for a comfortable experience. The 4K data confirms that this combo is not suited for 4K gaming unless you are willing to play on the Low preset and accept the visual compromise.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination ranks 2940 out of 3713 tested combos in Road 96. This puts it in the bottom 21% of all configurations, which is a low ranking that reflects the GPU’s age and performance level. The ranking indicates that most other tested combinations, which likely include newer GPUs with more VRAM and higher compute throughput, achieve higher frame rates at the same settings.

The CPU in this combo is not the reason for the low rank. The Core Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, has a score of 36945 with a deltaPct of 0, meaning they are essentially tied. The Intel Core i9-12900T has a score of 37112 with a deltaPct of -0.5, which is also a negligible difference. This CPU is a solid performer, and its 10 cores and 10 threads are more than enough for the game’s demands. The GPU, with an average benchmark score of 15290, is the component that drags the combo down.

When looking at the GPU’s rivals, the RTX 2060 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580, which has an average score of 15283 and a deltaPct of 0. This means that in terms of raw compute, the RTX 2060 is not a significant upgrade over a much older card. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 has a score of 15171 and a deltaPct of 0.8, which means it is actually slightly slower in this benchmark, but it has more VRAM and newer features that are not captured in this specific game’s FPS data. The low combo rank is a direct result of the GPU’s position in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, and the data shows that the RTX 2060 is a limiting factor for Road 96 at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: The data shows that 2560x1440 with Medium settings is the sweet spot, delivering an average of 72 FPS with a minimum of 61 FPS. This provides a smooth experience without the visual compromise of Low settings.

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

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset, which produces an average of 52 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K drops to 38 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets are not playable, with averages of 31 and 24 FPS respectively.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU has a PassMark single-thread score of 4412 and an 85th percentile ranking, which is more than sufficient. The GPU’s 58th percentile ranking and low 3DMark score of 1242 indicate it is the limiting component.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 compare to its nearest rivals in this game?

A: The RTX 2060 has an average benchmark score of 15290, which is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 (15283) and the AMD Radeon 680M (15270). It has a slight edge over the RTX 3050 OEM and the AMD Radeon RX 7600, but the differences are minimal.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1080p with this setup?

A: At 1920x1080, the data shows that Low settings yield 155 FPS, Medium yields 113 FPS, High yields 91 FPS, and Ultra yields 71 FPS. All presets are playable at this resolution.

Q: Why does the frame rate drop so much from 1440p to 4K?

A: The drop is due to the GPU’s memory bandwidth and shading units. The RTX 2060 has a 192-bit bus and 6 GB of VRAM, which is insufficient for the pixel fill rate required at 4K. The data shows a 47% drop from 1440p to 4K on Medium settings, confirming the GPU is overwhelmed.