Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title from 2021, and the measured data for this combination of an Intel Core Ultra 7 265 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 places it at rank 1,527 out of 2,903 tested combos. That is a mid-pack position, sitting just above the 47th percentile of all tested system pairings. The ranking reflects a balanced pairing where neither component is a dramatic outlier, but the overall standing is dragged down by the GPU’s modest positioning among all graphics cards. The Core Ultra 7 265, by contrast, sits at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs, making it the stronger half of this combo in raw benchmark terms. The RTX 4060, at the 61st percentile among GPUs, is competent but not exceptional, and the measured frame rates in Road 96 reflect that dynamic across resolutions and settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1,527 out of 2,903 tested combinations places it squarely in the middle of the database. It is not a flagship pairing, nor is it a weak one. The CPU is the standout component: the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64,640, which puts it at the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the CPU benchmark rankings are the AMD EPYC 4464P, which scores 64,823 and is 0.3% faster, and the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F, which scores 64,438 and is 0.3% slower. The delta between these three is negligible, meaning the 265 is essentially tied with its closest competitors in synthetic CPU workloads.

The GPU, however, is a different story. The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17,639, placing it at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores 17,666 and is 0.2% faster, and the AMD Radeon 780M, which scores 17,588 and is 0.3% slower. These are not modern high-end parts; the HD 7790 is a decade-old card, and the 780M is an integrated GPU. That the RTX 4060 is trading blows with these in average benchmark scores tells you that its synthetic compute performance is not its selling point. The 4060’s strength lies in its feature set and efficiency, but in raw benchmark terms, it is a mid-tier part.

In Road 96 specifically, the combo’s rank of 1,527 out of 2,903 is consistent with this profile. The game is not a demanding title by 2025 standards, and the measured FPS shows that the RTX 4060 can handle it at high settings at 1440p, but struggles at 4K Ultra. The CPU’s high percentile ranking does not translate into a high combo rank because the game is not CPU-bound at most settings. The data suggests that the limiting factor in this pairing is the GPU, especially at higher resolutions and settings.

What does this mean for the user? If you are targeting 1080p or 1440p gaming, this combo is more than adequate for Road 96. At 4K, you will need to drop settings to maintain playable frame rates. The CPU has headroom to spare; the GPU is the bottleneck. This is a common pattern for mid-range GPU pairings with high-end CPUs.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 265 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64,640. Its closest competitor, the AMD EPYC 4464P, scores 64,823, which is 0.3% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265F scores 64,438, which is 0.3% lower. The AMD EPYC 7343 scores 64,202, 0.7% lower, and the AMD EPYC 9124 scores 65,104, 0.7% higher. The differences are minimal, placing the 265 in a tight cluster with these server-oriented chips.

Q: What is the RTX 4060’s benchmark standing relative to other GPUs?

A: The RTX 4060 has an average benchmark score of 17,639 and sits at the 61st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon HD 7790, which scores 17,666 and is 0.2% faster. The AMD Radeon 780M scores 17,588 and is 0.3% slower. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 scores 17,551 (0.5% slower), and the AMD Radeon Pro 460 scores 17,509 (0.7% slower). This places the 4060 in a surprisingly close grouping with much older or integrated parts in synthetic benchmarks.

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

A: At 4K with High settings, the measured average FPS is 40. Dropping to Medium yields an average of 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 and a maximum of 57. Low settings push the average to 68 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 31 FPS. So, playable frame rates are achievable at 4K, but only if you are willing to use Medium or Low settings. High settings sit at the edge of playability, and Ultra is not recommended.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Road 96?

A: At 1080p, the combo delivers strong performance across all settings: 201 FPS on Low, 147 FPS on Medium, 119 FPS on High, and 93 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, it still performs well: 128 FPS on Low, 94 FPS on Medium, 76 FPS on High, and 59 FPS on Ultra. For a smooth experience with high visual quality, 1440p High is a sweet spot. 1080p Ultra is also viable, but 1440p offers more detail with still-strong frame rates.

Q: How does the CPU’s core count and clock speed relate to Road 96 performance?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 has 20 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Road 96 is not a heavily threaded title, so the high boost clock is more relevant than the core count. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 201 FPS, which suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck in this scenario. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly stressed, the CPU’s single-thread performance (Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,960) is more than sufficient for this game.

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 1440p gaming?

A: The measured data shows that at 1080p, the combo can exceed 200 FPS on Low settings and maintain 93 FPS on Ultra. At 1440p, it drops to 128 FPS on Low and 59 FPS on Ultra. For competitive play or high refresh rate monitors, 1080p is the safer choice. For visual fidelity, 1440p High at 76 FPS is a strong option. 4K is possible but requires significant setting compromises.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of scaling from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the combo delivers 201 FPS at 1080p, 128 FPS at 1440p, and 68 FPS at 4K. That is a drop of 36% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 47% drop from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The RTX 4060’s 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus with 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth is not designed for high-resolution gaming, and the data confirms that.

At High settings, the scaling is similar: 119 FPS at 1080p, 76 FPS at 1440p, and 40 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 36%, and from 1440p to 4K is 47%. This consistent pattern across settings suggests that the GPU’s compute and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks, not the CPU. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see less of a drop at higher resolutions, as the GPU becomes more stressed while the CPU load remains relatively constant.

At Ultra settings, the pattern holds: 93 FPS at 1080p, 59 FPS at 1440p, and 31 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest measured in the entire dataset, at just 31 FPS average. This is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in most titles. The RTX 4060’s FP32 performance of 15.11 TFLOPS and its 24 ray tracing cores are simply not enough to push high pixel counts at maximum settings in this game.

The data shows that the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is roughly a 36% reduction in FPS across all settings. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is more severe, around 47%, because 4K has 2.25 times the pixels of 1440p. This is a classic GPU-bound scenario. The CPU, with its 20 cores and 5.30 GHz boost clock, is not the limiting factor at any resolution. Even at 1080p Low, where the frame rate is highest at 201 FPS, the CPU is able to feed the GPU adequately.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of what settings to use for different priorities. If your goal is maximum frame rate, 1080p Low delivers 201 FPS, which is well above any display refresh rate. However, Low settings likely sacrifice visual quality in a game that is known for its stylized art direction. A better balance is 1080p Medium, which delivers 147 FPS with a minimum of 125 FPS and a maximum of 169 FPS. That is still an extremely smooth experience and likely offers a significant visual upgrade over Low.

For 1440p, the sweet spot is High settings, which deliver 76 FPS average. This is above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a good balance between visual fidelity and performance. Medium at 1440p delivers 94 FPS, but High adds more detail without dropping below playable levels. Ultra at 1440p drops to 59 FPS, which is borderline for a smooth experience. If you have a 60 Hz monitor, 1440p Ultra is playable, but the 59 FPS average means there will be occasional dips.

At 4K, the recommendation is more constrained. Low settings deliver 68 FPS, which is playable, but Low likely removes many of the visual effects that make the game appealing. Medium at 4K delivers 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS, which is playable if you can tolerate frame rate dips. High at 4K drops to 40 FPS, and Ultra is at 31 FPS, which is not recommended for a smooth experience. If you must play at 4K, Medium is the best compromise, offering a 50 FPS average with a minimum of 42 FPS.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1440p High at 76 FPS. It offers a good balance of resolution, visual quality, and frame rate. If you prioritize frame rate over resolution, 1080p Medium at 147 FPS is the strongest choice. For a cinematic experience at 4K, Medium at 50 FPS is the only viable option that stays above 40 FPS minimum.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce an average of 201 FPS. Medium settings yield 147 FPS, with a minimum of 125 FPS and a maximum of 169 FPS. High settings drop to 119 FPS. Ultra settings produce 93 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 108 FPS, showing that the RTX 4060 has significant headroom at this resolution. Even at Ultra, the 93 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the performance is still strong but shows the GPU’s limits. Low settings deliver 128 FPS. Medium settings produce 94 FPS, with a minimum of 80 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS. High settings drop to 76 FPS. Ultra settings produce 59 FPS. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is notable but not drastic. The 59 FPS at Ultra is the first sign of trouble, as it is below the 60 FPS target.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Low settings deliver 68 FPS. Medium settings produce 50 FPS, with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS. High settings drop to 40 FPS. Ultra settings produce just 31 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only measured average below 40 FPS in the entire dataset. The minimum FPS of 42 at 4K Medium is the lowest recorded minimum in the dataset, indicating that even Medium settings can cause frame drops below 45 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 4060 can handle Road 96 at 1080p and 1440p with ease, but 4K requires significant compromises. The 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus are likely contributing factors at 4K, where texture memory and bandwidth demands increase.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 2.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The CPU has 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus and a memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s.

In Road 96, the CPU’s role is secondary to the GPU. The game is not heavily threaded, and the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not a bottleneck at any resolution or setting. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 201 FPS, which is a strong indicator that the CPU can feed the GPU at high frame rates. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz is likely more important than the 20 cores, as single-thread performance is key for this game.

The CPU’s Cinebench R23 single-core score is 5,960, and its multi-core score is 42,216. These scores place it at the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, is 0.3% faster in average benchmark score, but that is a server chip with a different power profile. The Core Ultra 7 265’s 20 cores and 20 threads are more than sufficient for Road 96, which likely uses only a few threads.

The integrated graphics, Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 32EU, are present but not used in this configuration, as the RTX 4060 is the primary display adapter. The CPU’s memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s and dual-channel DDR5 support are adequate for the game. The data suggests that the CPU has significant headroom in this pairing. If you were to upgrade the GPU in the future, the Core Ultra 7 265 would not be a limiting factor in Road 96. Even at 4K Ultra, where the GPU is clearly stressed, the CPU is likely waiting for the GPU to catch up. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra is 31 FPS, which is a GPU limitation, not a CPU one.