Road 96

Road 96 is an Adventure title from August 2021 that scales heavily with GPU load, and the measured results for the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 show a component relationship that shifts dramatically depending on resolution. The data reveals a system that can deliver high refresh rates at 1080p, solid performance at 1440p, and playable but more demanding results at 4K, with the CPU maintaining a comfortable lead in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS progression from 1080p to 4K clearly indicates a GPU-bound workload at higher resolutions, while the lower resolutions expose the CPU’s capability. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 214 FPS at 1920x1080 to 136 FPS at 2560x1440, a 36% reduction, and then to 72 FPS at 3840x2160, which is a 47% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at 4K is typical of a game that becomes increasingly dependent on pixel throughput, and the RTX 5060’s 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus is likely a contributing factor as the resolution increases.

Moving to Medium settings, the pattern persists but with more moderated absolute numbers: 157 FPS at 1080p, 100 FPS at 1440p, and 53 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 47%, which mirrors the Low setting scaling almost exactly. This consistency suggests that the resolution scaling is primarily a function of the GPU’s rendering pipeline rather than a sudden bottleneck shift, with the frame rate penalties being nearly proportional across these two presets.

At High settings, the averages are 127 FPS at 1080p, 81 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops here are 36% from 1080p to 1440p and 47% from 1440p to 4K, again matching the previous patterns. This uniformity across three different presets indicates that Road 96’s scaling is highly predictable, and the limiting component remains the GPU throughout the resolution range, though the CPU has more headroom at lower resolutions.

Ultra settings show the most aggressive scaling, with 99 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1440p to 4K it is 48%, which is slightly steeper than the other presets. This suggests that the Ultra preset adds effects that disproportionately tax the GPU at higher resolutions, and the 4K result of 33 FPS approaches the edge of playability, indicating that this setting is best reserved for 1080p or 1440p use.

The data shows that the CPU is not the primary constraint in any of these scenarios. At 1080p Low, the 214 FPS average is high enough that the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 with its 14 cores and 14 threads is likely keeping pace, but the GPU is still the deciding factor when moving up in resolution. The consistent 36% and 47% scaling percentages across Low, Medium, and High presets strongly point to a GPU-limited system, with the RTX 5060’s performance ceiling being reached at 4K Ultra where the average falls to 33 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and the RTX 5060 ranks at 1249 out of 2903 tested combos for Road 96. This places the pairing in the 43rd percentile of all tested systems, which is a middling position that reflects a balance between the CPU and GPU capabilities rather than an outright high-end or low-end configuration. The combo rank suggests that while this system is capable of running the game well, there are many other pairings that achieve higher frame rates.

The CPU itself ranks in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 with a score of 46030 and a delta of 0.1%, the Intel Core i9-13900HX with a score of 46098 and a delta of -0.1%, the AMD EPYC 4364P with a score of 45970 and a delta of 0.2%, and the AMD EPYC 7303 with a score of 45960 and a delta of 0.2%. This shows that the Core Ultra 5 235 is essentially tied with these processors, with performance differences of less than one percent, meaning that any of these CPUs would likely deliver similar frame rates in Road 96.

The GPU, meanwhile, ranks in the 72nd percentile against all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 26331. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 860M with a score of 26401 and a delta of -0.3%, the NVIDIA GeForce MX550 with a score of 26421 and a delta of -0.3%, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary with a score of 26553 and a delta of -0.8%, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT with a score of 26011 and a delta of 1.2%. The RTX 5060 is within a couple of percent of these cards, which puts it in a competitive tier but not at the top of the charts.

The combination rank of 1249 out of 2903 indicates that the overall system is more limited by the GPU than the CPU, since the CPU is in the 89th percentile while the GPU is in the 72nd percentile. This means that in Road 96, the RTX 5060 is likely the component that determines the final frame rates, and the Core Ultra 5 235 has enough headroom to support it without becoming a bottleneck. The ranking also suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield more performance gains than upgrading the CPU for this specific title.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for most users will be found at Medium settings with a resolution of 2560x1440. At this configuration, the average frame rate is 100 FPS with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 115 FPS, which provides a smooth and responsive experience for an adventure game. The 85 FPS minimum is well above the threshold for comfortable gameplay, and the headroom to 100 FPS average ensures that there are no significant dips during scene transitions or dialogue sequences.

For users with 1080p displays, High settings at 1920x1080 deliver an average of 127 FPS, which is excellent for a game of this type. The jump to Ultra at the same resolution only yields 99 FPS, a 22% reduction, which is not worth the visual trade-off unless the player prioritizes maximum graphical fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p offers 157 FPS, which is higher than High but comes with reduced visual quality, so High is the balanced choice for most users at this resolution.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. High settings at 3840x2160 produce an average of 43 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a smooth experience. Medium settings at 4K improve this to 53 FPS, which is a more comfortable margin, but the 43 FPS minimum at Medium suggests that there are moments where performance dips. Low settings at 4K reach 72 FPS, which is the only preset that provides a fully smooth experience at this resolution, but it comes with significant visual compromises.

The data indicates that the Ultra preset is not recommended for any resolution if the goal is consistent frame rates. At 1080p it hits 99 FPS, at 1440p it drops to 63 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 33 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions, with the 1440p Medium configuration being the sweet spot for this hardware combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured frame rates show a clear progression across presets. Low settings produce an average of 214 FPS, which is the highest result in the entire dataset. Medium settings reduce this to 157 FPS with a minimum of 133 FPS and a maximum of 180 FPS, indicating a stable performance window. High settings average 127 FPS, and Ultra settings average 99 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 115 FPS, which highlights the significant impact of the preset selection at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 136 FPS for Low, 100 FPS for Medium with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 115 FPS, 81 FPS for High, and 63 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at this resolution provides a solid 100 FPS average, which is a strong result for 1440p gaming. The minimum of 85 FPS at Medium ensures that the experience remains smooth even during more demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160, the averages drop to 72 FPS for Low, 53 FPS for Medium with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 61 FPS, 43 FPS for High, and 33 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K is the only one that maintains an average above 50 FPS, but the minimum of 45 FPS indicates some stuttering potential. Low settings are the only configuration that provides a consistently playable experience at 4K, with a 72 FPS average that is close to the 60 FPS target.

The data shows that the RTX 5060 has a clear performance ceiling at 4K, with even Low settings only reaching 72 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K, with its 53 FPS average and 45 FPS minimum, suggests that the GPU is struggling to maintain smooth frame rates at this resolution. For users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 4K is the only viable option, while those with 1080p or 1440p displays have more flexibility in their preset choices.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 is the primary driver of the frame rate differences seen across resolutions and presets in Road 96. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 128-bit bus, which provides a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but the data suggests that at 4K, the 8 GB capacity and 128-bit bus may be limiting factors, as evidenced by the significant frame rate drops at higher resolutions.

The GPU’s clocks are 2280 MHz base and 2497 MHz boost, with a pixel rate of 119.9 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 299.6 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 19.18 TFLOPS, which places it in a mid-range tier for the GeForce 50-series. The TDP is 145 W, and the card requires a 300 W PSU, which is modest for a modern GPU. The bus interface is PCIe 5.0 x8, which is sufficient for this class of card.

In Road 96, the RTX 5060’s performance at 4K Ultra is 33 FPS, which is a 70% reduction from the 1080p Ultra result of 99 FPS. This steep decline is characteristic of a game that is heavily reliant on pixel shading and memory bandwidth, and the 128-bit bus is likely a bottleneck at 4K. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is also a concern at higher resolutions, as the game may be exceeding this limit with Ultra settings, causing additional performance hits.

The GPU’s benchmark results show a Passmark G3D score of 20891 and a Passmark DirectX 12 score of 77, which are mid-range figures. The nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT, has a delta of 1.2%, meaning the RTX 5060 is slightly behind, but the other rivals like the AMD Radeon 860M and NVIDIA GeForce MX550 are within 0.3% of its score. This puts the RTX 5060 in a competitive position, but not at the top of its class.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 plays a supporting role in Road 96, providing enough processing power to avoid becoming a bottleneck at most settings. The CPU has 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The L3 cache is 24 MB shared, and the CPU supports DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s. The TDP is 65 W, which is efficient for a desktop processor.

The CPU’s benchmark scores are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769 and a single-core score of 2085. The Passmark single-thread score is 4516, and the multithread score is 37816. These results place the Core Ultra 5 235 in the 89th percentile against all CPUs, which indicates that it is a capable performer. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i9-13900HX, has a delta of -0.1%, meaning the Core Ultra 5 is essentially equal in performance.

In Road 96, the CPU’s role is most evident at 1080p Low settings, where the frame rate reaches 214 FPS. This high number suggests that the CPU is feeding the GPU effectively, and it is not a limiting factor at this resolution. At 4K, the CPU’s influence diminishes as the GPU becomes the primary constraint, and the frame rates drop to 72 FPS at Low and 33 FPS at Ultra, which are GPU-bound results.

The CPU’s 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for an adventure game like Road 96, which is not heavily threaded. The high single-core performance, evidenced by the 2085 Cinebench R23 score, ensures that the game’s main thread is well-served, and the boost clock of 5.00 GHz provides responsive gameplay. The data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck in any of the measured configurations, and it provides ample headroom for future games or more demanding scenarios.