Road 96

Road 96, a narrative-driven adventure from 2021, exhibits unusual performance scaling with the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination. The measured data reveals a configuration that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, yet demonstrates remarkable headroom at 1080p, suggesting the CPU is more than adequate for this title's demands. Benchmark results indicate that the RTX 5080's immense computational power is the primary driver of frame rates, scaling predictably with resolution and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, clearly identifying the GPU as the limiting component. At 1080p with Ultra settings, the combo produces 170 FPS on average. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 108 FPS, a reduction of 62 FPS (approximately 36%). At 4K Ultra, the average falls further to 57 FPS, representing another 51 FPS drop (approximately 47%) from the 1440p figure. This pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases is the classic signature of a GPU-bound workload.

The scaling is even more pronounced at lower settings. At Low settings, the average frame rate plummets from 367 FPS at 1080p to 234 FPS at 1440p, a 133 FPS reduction. The 4K Low result of 124 FPS is 110 FPS lower than the 1440p figure. This steep descent at lower settings indicates that when graphical load is reduced, the GPU still has ample resources, but the render resolution becomes the dominant constraint. The data suggests that even at 4K Low, the RTX 5080 is not being fully saturated, as the frame rates remain far above display refresh rates.

The difference between High and Ultra settings at each resolution highlights the cost of the highest preset. At 4K, High averages 73 FPS while Ultra averages 57 FPS, a 16 FPS penalty for the highest quality tier. This gap narrows to 30 FPS at 1440p (138 FPS vs 108 FPS) and 47 FPS at 1080p (217 FPS vs 170 FPS). The absolute delta grows at lower resolutions because the GPU has more headroom, allowing the extra settings to have a larger absolute impact. However, the relative penalty is consistent, suggesting Ultra is a uniformly demanding preset.

The 4K Medium result of 91 FPS averages, with a minimum of 77 FPS and a maximum of 104 FPS, provides a useful data point. It shows that even at 4K, the combo can deliver a smooth experience above 60 FPS with medium settings. The transition from Low to Medium at 4K costs 33 FPS (124 to 91 FPS), while Medium to High costs 18 FPS (91 to 73 FPS). This non-linear scaling suggests that the Medium preset offers a significant visual improvement over Low for a moderate performance cost, while High is a more expensive step.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Road 96 at 4K with a playable frame rate?

A: Yes, the data shows average frame rates of 73 FPS at 4K High and 91 FPS at 4K Medium. Even at 4K Ultra, the average is 57 FPS, which is still playable for many users, though it dips below 60 FPS.

Q: Which resolution provides the best combination of high frame rate and visual fidelity?

A: The 1440p High preset offers a strong balance, delivering an average of 138 FPS. This is more than double the 4K Ultra result and maintains high visual quality without the steep performance cost of 4K.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance?

A: Ultra demands a significant premium. At 1080p, the average drops from 217 FPS on High to 170 FPS on Ultra, a 47 FPS reduction. At 1440p, the drop is 30 FPS (138 to 108 FPS), and at 4K, it is 16 FPS (73 to 57 FPS).

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 367 FPS average, which is an extremely high frame rate. The Core Ultra 5 245 has the headroom to feed the GPU at these levels, as the performance scales almost linearly with resolution changes.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings?

A: The jump from Low to Medium costs 98 FPS at 1080p (367 to 269 FPS), 63 FPS at 1440p (234 to 171 FPS), and 33 FPS at 4K (124 to 91 FPS). It is a substantial increase in graphical workload.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates recorded for this combo?

A: The only rows with min/max data are the Medium presets. The lowest recorded minimum is 77 FPS at 4K Medium, while 1440p Medium shows a 146 FPS minimum and 1080p Medium shows a 229 FPS minimum.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this configuration. Its 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is crucial for feeding the rendering pipeline at high resolutions. The measured results show that the GPU's capabilities are the primary determinant of frame rate, as evidenced by the consistent scaling with resolution and settings. The GPU's high boost clock of 2617 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz contribute to its raw compute power, rated at 56.28 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

The RTX 5080's performance percentile of 87 vs all GPUs places it in the upper echelon of graphics cards. In the database, its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 8060S (0.6% faster), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (0.7% faster), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE (2.2% slower). These deltas are relatively small, indicating that the RTX 5080 is positioned in a competitive performance tier. However, in Road 96, the GPU's behavior is more telling than its synthetic benchmark scores.

The fact that the GPU can achieve 367 FPS at 1080p Low shows that it is not being fully utilized at lower resolutions. This suggests that the game is not demanding enough to stress the RTX 5080's full capabilities, and the frame rate is instead capped by the CPU and memory subsystem. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is more engaged, but the 57 FPS average indicates that even the highest preset is not enough to bring the card to its knees. The GPU's role here is to provide a massive performance ceiling, and the game's engine is the limiting factor in exploiting it.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is more than sufficient for Road 96, a game from 2021. The data does not suggest any memory-related stutters or limitations. The high bandwidth is likely a reason why the frame rates scale so smoothly across resolutions, as there is no memory bottleneck to cause sudden dips. The GPU's compute capabilities, as measured by its FP32 output, are far beyond what this game requires, resulting in the high headroom observed at lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 183rd out of 2903 tested combinations in Road 96. This places it in the top 6.3% of all tested systems, indicating a very high-performance configuration. The rank reflects the overall capability of the combo, but the measured FPS data shows that this rank is more proof of the GPU's power than any specific optimization for this title.

The combo rank of 183 suggests that there are 182 other combinations that perform better in this game. These are likely systems with even more powerful GPUs or CPUs, or perhaps combinations with higher-end processors that can push frame rates even higher at 1080p. However, the fact that this combo achieves 170 FPS at 4K Ultra is a strong indicator of its top-tier status. The percentile of the CPU (90th vs all CPUs) and GPU (87th vs all GPUs) are both high, but the combo rank of 183 out of 2903 is a more specific metric for this game.

The data underscores that Road 96 is not a particularly demanding title for modern hardware. A combo ranked 183rd can still deliver playable frame rates at 4K Ultra, which reflects the optimizations in the game engine. The rank also implies that many other combos in the database are likely limited by their GPUs at 4K, whereas this combo has enough power to push through. The deltaPct values for the CPU's nearest rivals show it is very close in performance to the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (-0.4%), AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (-0.5%), Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (0.6%), and Intel Core i5-14600K (0.8%). This means that swapping the CPU for one of these near-identical performers would likely not change the combo ranking significantly, as the GPU is the primary determinant in this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. For 4K displays, the Medium preset is the most balanced choice, delivering an average of 91 FPS with a minimum of 77 FPS. This ensures a smooth experience without dropping below 60 FPS. While High offers 73 FPS, the 18 FPS loss may be noticeable on high-refresh-rate displays, making Medium the safer recommendation for consistent performance.

For 1440p, the High preset is the clear winner, providing an average of 138 FPS. This is well above the 100 FPS mark and offers a significant visual improvement over Medium, which averages 171 FPS but lacks the same level of detail. The Ultra preset at 1440p still delivers a very playable 108 FPS, but the 30 FPS cost over High may not justify the visual gains for most users. Therefore, High is the recommended setting for 1440p.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset is the best choice, as the combo can handle it with an average of 170 FPS. This is far above any display refresh rate, and the visual fidelity is maximized. The High preset at 217 FPS is also viable, but the extra 47 FPS is meaningless on most monitors. Since the CPU and GPU have ample headroom, there is no performance reason to avoid Ultra at 1080p. The data shows that the combo is so powerful at this resolution that the user can prioritize visual quality without concern.

The Low preset is not recommended for any resolution, as it sacrifices too much visual quality for frame rates that are already exceptionally high. The Medium preset is a compromise for 4K but is unnecessary at lower resolutions where higher presets are easily achievable. The measured minimum FPS values for Medium presets (77 FPS at 4K, 146 at 1440p, 229 at 1080p) confirm that these settings maintain stable performance without major dips.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces the following average frame rates: Low at 367 FPS, Medium at 269 FPS (with a minimum of 229 FPS and maximum of 309 FPS), High at 217 FPS, and Ultra at 170 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a total reduction of 197 FPS, with the largest single step being from Low to Medium (98 FPS). The Medium preset's min/max data reveals a tight frame time distribution, indicating consistent performance.

At 2560x1440, the average frame rates are: Low at 234 FPS, Medium at 171 FPS (min 146, max 197), High at 138 FPS, and Ultra at 108 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra is 126 FPS. The Medium preset's min/max spread is 51 FPS, which is wider than at 1080p but still indicates stable performance. The High preset at 138 FPS is a sweet spot for high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors.

At 3840x2160, the average frame rates are: Low at 124 FPS, Medium at 91 FPS (min 77, max 104), High at 73 FPS, and Ultra at 57 FPS. The total reduction from Low to Ultra is 67 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 77 FPS is the only recorded data point below 100 FPS, but it remains above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 57 FPS is the only setting that averages below 60 FPS, indicating that 4K Ultra is the most demanding configuration tested.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing ample processing power without becoming a bottleneck. With 14 cores and 14 threads, it offers a robust multi-threaded foundation, though Road 96 is not a heavily threaded title. The CPU's boost clock of 5.10 GHz and base clock of 3.50 GHz ensure high single-thread performance, which is more relevant for this game's engine. Its passmark single-thread score of 4394 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4648 indicate strong per-core capability.

The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and a passmark multithread score of 38706, show it is a powerful processor. However, in Road 96, the frame rates are so high that the CPU is unlikely to be the limiting factor. The fact that the combo achieves 367 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough data to reach extremely high frame rates. The CPU's 24 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provide sufficient memory bandwidth for this workload.

The CPU's percentile of 90 vs all CPUs places it in the top decile of processors. Its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G and Intel Core i5-14600K, show negligible performance deltas (0.4% to 0.8%). This means that in a game like Road 96, swapping the CPU for a near-identical performer would have virtually no impact on the measured FPS. The CPU's role is to provide a stable platform with high single-thread performance, and it does so effectively. The data suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor at any resolution or setting tested, as the GPU is the clear bottleneck.