Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title from 2021, and the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B370 integrated graphics paints a clear picture of a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics solution. The benchmark results show a combination that ranks 2680 out of 2903 tested combos for this game, placing it in the bottom tier of systems. This page breaks down the performance characteristics across resolutions and settings, analyzes the roles of the CPU and GPU, and provides recommendations based strictly on the measured rows.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep and consistent performance drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 85 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the average falls to 54 FPS, a reduction of 31 FPS. At 4K (3840x2160) with Low settings, the average drops further to 29 FPS. This pattern indicates that the rendering load is scaling almost directly with pixel count, which is a hallmark of a GPU-bound scenario.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings shows a 36.5% decrease in average FPS, while the jump from 1440p to 4K at Low settings shows a 46.3% decrease. These are substantial reductions that point to the integrated graphics unit struggling to maintain throughput as the pixel workload expands. The Arc B370, with its System Shared memory and 25 W TDP, simply cannot keep pace with the demands of higher resolutions. The data suggests that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU, as the CPU's role becomes less relevant when the graphics pipeline is saturated.

At Medium settings, the same trend holds. The 1080p average is 62 FPS, dropping to 40 FPS at 1440p, and then to 21 FPS at 4K. The 4K Medium result also includes measured minimum and maximum values of 18 and 24 FPS respectively, showing a tight frame delivery window but at an unplayable level. High settings follow the pattern with 50 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 17 FPS at 4K. Ultra settings are the most demanding, yielding 39 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and only 13 FPS at 4K.

The interpretation here is straightforward: 4K resolution is not a viable option for this configuration under any settings preset. Even at Low settings, the 29 FPS average falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 1440p resolution offers a playable experience only at Low settings with 54 FPS, while Medium and High dip into the 30-40 FPS range, which may be acceptable for a narrative-driven adventure game but is not ideal. The 1080p resolution is where this system finds its comfort zone, with Low and Medium settings providing averages above 60 FPS. The scaling behavior confirms that users should target 1080p to achieve playable frame rates, as the GPU-bound nature of the workload does not allow for higher resolutions without significant performance penalties.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake-S architecture, built on a 3 nm process node by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. In synthetic benchmarks, this processor achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. Its Passmark multithread score is 37816, and the single-thread score is 4516.

In the context of Road 96, the CPU's role appears to be secondary given the GPU limitations observed in the measured FPS data. The game's genre is Adventure, which typically does not require the massive multi-threaded throughput that a 14-core processor provides. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low settings, the system hits 85 FPS, which suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding frames to the GPU at that level. However, as resolution increases, the FPS drops regardless of the CPU's capabilities, indicating that the processor is not the bottleneck in most scenarios.

The processor's percentile ranking against all CPUs is 89, placing it in the upper echelon of processors. Its average benchmark score of 46062 puts it in close competition with the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, which scores 46030 with a deltaPct of 0.1, and the Intel Core i9-13900HX, which scores 46098 with a deltaPct of -0.1. These rivals are within a fraction of a percent of the Core Ultra 5 235's performance, showing that this CPU holds its own against high-end mobile and desktop parts. The AMD EPYC 4364P and AMD EPYC 7303 are also within 0.2 deltaPct, though those are server processors with different workloads in mind.

For Road 96 specifically, the CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient. The game likely does not scale beyond a few threads, and the single-core performance, evidenced by the Passmark singlethread score of 4516, should handle the game's logic without issue. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (85 FPS) and 1080p Medium (62 FPS) suggest that the CPU is not holding back the system at lower resolutions. The limiting factor is the integrated GPU, as evidenced by the sharp FPS drops when resolution increases. The CPU's high boost clock of 5.00 GHz ensures responsive frame pacing, but the data shows that even with this strong processor, the system cannot overcome the GPU's deficiencies at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Panther Lake chip with the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process node by Intel. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with a power envelope of 25 W. The GPU features 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines. It also includes 10 ray tracing cores. The memory configuration is System Shared, meaning it uses the system's DDR5 memory rather than dedicated VRAM. The memory bandwidth is listed as System Dependent, which ties its performance to the CPU's memory subsystem. The GPU's FP32 performance is rated at 6.144 TFLOPS, and its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s.

In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Arc B370 scores 1184, which places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. This is an extremely low ranking, and its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with a score of 1186 and a deltaPct of -0.2, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with a score of 1190 and a deltaPct of -0.5, and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M with a score of 1192 and a deltaPct of -0.7. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 with a deltaPct of 1.4. These rivals are all older or lower-tier parts, confirming that the Arc B370 is positioned at the very bottom of the graphics performance spectrum.

For Road 96, the GPU's role is the dominant factor in determining frame rates. The measured FPS data shows that the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 1440p and 4K across all settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 13, which is a slideshow. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average is 39 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay. The GPU's shared memory architecture means that its performance is inherently tied to the CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, but even with that bandwidth, the low shading unit count and minimal ROPs limit its ability to process pixels efficiently.

The boost clock of 2400 MHz helps the GPU achieve its rated throughput, but the fundamental hardware limitations cannot be overcome by clock speed alone. The 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is modest for modern games, and Road 96, while not a graphically intensive title, still requires a minimum level of pixel throughput that this GPU struggles to provide at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the GPU can deliver 85 FPS, which indicates that the architecture is not completely incapable. However, the rapid degradation as settings and resolution increase points to a GPU that is only suitable for low-resolution, low-to-medium quality gaming.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience for this system is achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Medium settings. This preset yields an average FPS of 62, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72. The minimum FPS of 53 is above the 50 FPS threshold for acceptable gameplay, and the average of 62 provides a smooth experience for an adventure game where twitch reflexes are not required. The Medium setting strikes a balance between visual quality and performance, as the game will look noticeably better than Low while maintaining playable frame rates.

At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 85 FPS, which is the highest measured frame rate in the dataset. This setting is ideal for players who prioritize smoothness above all else, but the visual fidelity will be reduced. The 1080p High setting yields 50 FPS, which is playable but on the lower end of the acceptable range. The 1080p Ultra setting drops to 39 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering in fast-paced scenes, though Road 96's narrative focus might make this tolerable for some.

For 1440p, the only viable option is Low settings, which delivers 54 FPS. This is playable but offers no advantage over 1080p Medium in terms of visual quality, as the resolution increase is offset by the lower preset. The 1440p Medium setting at 40 FPS and High at 32 FPS are marginal, and 1440p Ultra at 25 FPS is not recommended. At 4K, no settings preset is playable, with the highest average being 29 FPS at Low, which is below the threshold for a comfortable experience.

The data suggests that users should avoid Ultra settings entirely, as the performance hit is significant across all resolutions. The difference between Low and Medium at 1080p is 23 FPS (from 85 to 62), while the difference between Medium and High is 12 FPS (from 62 to 50). The jump from High to Ultra costs 11 FPS (from 50 to 39). These incremental drops indicate that Medium offers the best performance-per-frame-rate tradeoff. For the best overall experience, the recommendation is 1920x1080 with Medium settings, as it provides an average above 60 FPS with a minimum that stays above 50.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Road 96 at 4K resolution?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 4K (3840x2160), the highest average FPS is 29 at Low settings, which falls below playable thresholds. At Ultra settings, the average is only 13 FPS, making 4K unviable for this configuration.

Q: What is the best settings preset for this configuration?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 with Medium settings is optimal, delivering an average of 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 FPS. This provides smooth gameplay while maintaining reasonable visual quality.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its nearest rivals in CPU benchmarks?

A: The CPU scores 46062 on average. The AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 scores 46030 (0.1% delta), the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098 (-0.1% delta), and the AMD EPYC 4364P scores 45970 (0.2% delta). These are all within a fraction of a percent of each other.

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

A: The data shows the GPU is the clear bottleneck. FPS drops significantly as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, while the CPU's strong benchmark scores (89th percentile) suggest it has ample headroom. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking confirms it is the limiting component.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this system in Road 96?

A: The lowest measured minimum FPS is 18, which occurs at 4K with Medium settings. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 34 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the minimum is 53 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 perform relative to other GPUs in the database?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, placing it in the 5th percentile. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5%), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7%).

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for Road 96 with the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B370 includes twelve measured configurations across four settings presets and three resolutions. The complete breakdown is as follows, with average FPS values and, where available, minimum and maximum FPS values.

At 1920x1080, the Low settings preset delivers an average FPS of 85, which is the highest recorded in the dataset. The Medium preset at this resolution yields an average of 62 FPS, with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72. The High preset produces an average of 50 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 39 FPS. This resolution is the only one where the system exceeds 60 FPS on any preset, and it does so on both Low and Medium.

At 2560x1440, the Low settings preset achieves an average of 54 FPS. The Medium preset yields an average of 40 FPS, with a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 46. The High preset produces an average of 32 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 25 FPS. None of the 1440p presets reach 60 FPS, and only Low settings remain above the 50 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the Low settings preset delivers an average of 29 FPS. The Medium preset yields an average of 21 FPS, with a minimum of 18 and a maximum of 24. The High preset produces an average of 17 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 13 FPS. Every preset at 4K falls below 30 FPS, confirming that this resolution is not suitable for gameplay with this hardware.

The data shows a consistent pattern of performance degradation as both resolution and settings quality increase. The system's best performance is at 1080p Low with 85 FPS, and its worst is at 4K Ultra with 13 FPS. The minimum FPS values are only recorded for Medium presets, showing 53 at 1080p, 34 at 1440p, and 18 at 4K. These minimums indicate that even the playable presets have frame dips that could be noticeable in certain scenes. The measured FPS breakdown provides a clear roadmap for users: stick to 1080p, prefer Medium settings, and avoid 4K entirely with this combination of processors.