Road 96

FAQ

Q: What is the combo rank for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 in Road 96?

A: This combination ranks 124th out of 2,903 tested combos in the game, placing it in the top 4.3% of all configurations measured.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest rivals in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score of 60,347 is virtually identical to the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta), 0.3% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140), 2.5% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (61,896), and 2.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon PRO V710 (58,657).

Q: What is the maximum average FPS recorded for this combo, and at what settings?

A: The highest average frame rate is 392 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: What are the minimum FPS values recorded in the measured data?

A: The only min FPS values provided are for Medium settings: 82 FPS at 4K, 155 FPS at 1440p, and 244 FPS at 1080p.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the RTX 4090?

A: The launch MSRP for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is 1,599 USD.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 7900?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 has an average benchmark score of 48,995, which is 0.5% lower than the AMD Ryzen 9 7900's 49,228.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD102 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It carries 76,300 million transistors on a 609 mm² die, with a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, with memory clocked at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). Its 24 GB of GDDR6X memory runs across a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth.

In Road 96, the GPU's raw capabilities are substantial. The 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs provide a theoretical pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s. The FP32 throughput of 82.58 TFLOPS (with FP16 at 1:1 ratio) indicates the card can handle both rasterization and compute-heavy workloads without bottlenecking. The 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores further extend its capability for ray-traced effects and DLSS-style enhancements, though the measured data does not isolate these features.

The GPU's performance percentile of 88 versus all GPUs reflects its high standing, though the benchmark results show an interesting nuance. The nearest rivals — the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% delta), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% ahead), AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (2.5% ahead), and AMD Radeon PRO V710 (2.9% behind) — are all within a narrow band. This suggests that at the extreme high end, Road 96 may not fully saturate the RTX 4090's capabilities at lower resolutions, a pattern visible in the measured FPS data.

The GPU's 450 W TDP, triple-slot design, and 850 W suggested PSU indicate it is a power-hungry flagship component. However, the measured FPS in Road 96 shows the card delivering frame rates well above playable thresholds even at 4K Ultra (61 FPS average), which implies the game is not pushing the GPU to its absolute limits in most scenarios.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 392 FPS average, dropping to 249 FPS at 1440p Low (-36.5%), and further to 132 FPS at 4K Low (-47.0% from 1440p). This scaling suggests the CPU becomes a limiting factor at lower resolutions, where the GPU is not fully taxed.

For Medium settings, the progression is 287 FPS at 1080p, 183 FPS at 1440p (-36.2%), and 97 FPS at 4K (-47.0% from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across settings indicate resolution scaling is relatively uniform, regardless of quality preset. High settings show 231 FPS at 1080p, 147 FPS at 1440p (-36.4%), and 78 FPS at 4K (-46.9%).

Ultra settings exhibit the same pattern: 181 FPS at 1080p, 115 FPS at 1440p (-36.5%), and 61 FPS at 4K (-47.0%). The near-identical drop percentages across all settings — approximately 36-37% from 1080p to 1440p and 47% from 1440p to 4K — indicate that the limiting component scales predictably with pixel count.

The data suggests the CPU is the primary constraint at 1080p and 1440p. At 4K, the GPU becomes more heavily utilized, yet the RTX 4090 still delivers playable frame rates even on Ultra (61 FPS). The fact that 4K Low (132 FPS) is still far above 60 FPS indicates the GPU has substantial headroom, and the bottleneck shifts more toward the CPU's single-thread performance as resolution drops.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + RTX 4090 combination holds the 124th position out of 2,903 tested combos in Road 96, placing it in the top 4.3% of all configurations. This is a strong showing, though not the absolute top tier, suggesting that other combinations achieve higher frame rates.

The CPU's percentile of 90 versus all CPUs and the GPU's percentile of 88 versus all GPUs are both high, but neither is in the 99th percentile. This explains why the combo ranks 124th rather than higher — there are combinations with more powerful CPUs or GPUs that edge it out. The CPU's average benchmark score of 48,995 places it near the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49,196, -0.4% delta) and AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49,228, -0.5%), while it edges out the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48,698, +0.6%) and Intel Core i5-14600K (48,618, +0.8%).

Given the measured FPS data, the combo's rank reflects its ability to maintain high frame rates across all settings and resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 392 FPS average is exceptional, and even at 4K Ultra, the 61 FPS average remains playable. The rank of 124 out of 2,903 means 123 other combos perform better, likely those with higher-end CPUs (such as flagship Core i9 or Ryzen 9 parts) paired with the same or similar GPU.

The narrow delta between the CPU and its nearest rivals — all within 0.8% — suggests that the CPU is not a differentiator in this game. The GPU, while powerful, also sits in a tight band relative to its rivals. This combination's rank is therefore more about the overall balance than any one component's dominance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate preference.

At 1080p, all settings produce frame rates far above 60 FPS. Low (392 FPS), Medium (287 FPS), High (231 FPS), and Ultra (181 FPS) all deliver smooth gameplay. For maximum visual fidelity without sacrificing performance, Ultra at 1080p is the recommended choice, as 181 FPS still provides a significant margin above high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, the pattern shifts. Low (249 FPS) and Medium (183 FPS) offer extremely high frame rates, while High (147 FPS) remains excellent, and Ultra (115 FPS) is still well above 60 FPS. Given that the game is an adventure title, not a competitive shooter, High or Ultra at 1440p would provide the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 115-147 FPS being more than sufficient.

At 4K, the choices become more constrained. Low (132 FPS) and Medium (97 FPS) deliver high frame rates, while High (78 FPS) remains smooth, and Ultra (61 FPS) just barely hits the 60 FPS threshold. For the best experience at 4K, Medium offers a strong 97 FPS average with the min FPS at 82, ensuring no noticeable drops. High at 78 FPS is also viable if visual fidelity takes priority.

The data shows that Medium settings at 4K provide the best combination of quality and performance, with the min/max range of 82-111 FPS indicating stable frame times. At lower resolutions, Ultra is recommended for the best visuals without compromising the smooth experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings, providing a comprehensive view of the combo's performance.

At 1920x1080, the average FPS values are: Low 392, Medium 287 (min 244, max 330), High 231, and Ultra 181. The Medium setting's min/max range shows a 86 FPS spread, indicating some variability but overall strong performance.

At 2560x1440, the averages are: Low 249, Medium 183 (min 155, max 210), High 147, and Ultra 115. The Medium range of 55 FPS (155-210) is tighter than at 1080p, suggesting more consistent frame pacing at higher resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are: Low 132, Medium 97 (min 82, max 111), High 78, and Ultra 61. The Medium range of 29 FPS (82-111) is the narrowest of all resolutions, indicating that at 4K the system is more stable under load.

The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent reduction in FPS: at 1080p, the drop from Low to Ultra is 211 FPS (392 to 181); at 1440p, it is 134 FPS (249 to 115); and at 4K, it is 71 FPS (132 to 61). This narrowing gap at higher resolutions confirms that the GPU becomes the bottleneck as pixel count increases, while at lower resolutions, the CPU limits overall frame rates.

The min FPS values, available only for Medium settings, show that even at the lowest recorded points (82 FPS at 4K, 155 FPS at 1440p, 244 FPS at 1080p), the game remains smooth and playable.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a 14-core, 14-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2, built on the Arrow Lake architecture (Arrow Lake-S) using a 3 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU supports DDR5 memory on a dual-channel bus with a bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s, and it includes ECC memory support. Its integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 64EU provides a fallback display output, though the discrete RTX 4090 handles all gaming workloads.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration, combined with the 5.10 GHz boost clock, provides strong single-thread performance. In Cinebench R23, the CPU scores 32,924 in multicore and 4,648 in singlecore, while Cinebench R20 shows 13,828 multicore and 1,952 singlecore. Passmark results include a multithread score of 38,706, a single-thread score of 4,394, and a physics score of 2,569.

In Road 96, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. The 392 FPS at 1080p Low indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough frames to reach very high rates, but the pattern of scaling — where 4K Low (132 FPS) is only about one-third of 1080p Low — suggests the GPU is not the sole constraint. The CPU's percentile of 90 versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48,995, places it just below the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (-0.5%) and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (-0.4%), but above the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (+0.6%) and Intel Core i5-14600K (+0.8%).

The 14 cores and 14 threads (no hyperthreading) are sufficient for this adventure game, which likely does not heavily utilize multi-threaded workloads. The single-thread performance, as evidenced by the Cinebench R15 singlecore score of 468 and Passmark single-thread score of 4,394, is more relevant. The CPU's ability to sustain high clock speeds (5.10 GHz boost) is likely the key factor in achieving the high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p, where the GPU is not fully saturated.