Road 96

# Road 96 with Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 — Benchmark Analysis

This combo ranks 124th out of 2,903 tested combinations for Road 96, placing it in the top 4.3% of all systems evaluated. The pairing of Intel's 20-core Core Ultra 7 265 with NVIDIA's RTX 4090 produces exceptionally high frame rates across all resolution and settings combinations, though the data reveals interesting scaling behavior that suggests the CPU plays a more significant role at lower resolutions than one might expect from a GPU of this caliber.

How This Combo Ranks

The 124th position out of 2,903 combos represents a strong overall standing, but it is not the absolute top tier. This rank reflects the aggregate performance across all tested resolutions and settings, and the data shows that this system consistently delivers high average FPS figures. The RTX 4090 itself holds an 88th percentile rank among all GPUs, while the Core Ultra 7 265 sits at the 93rd percentile among all CPUs — both are well-above-average components individually. When combined, they produce a system that outperforms the vast majority of tested configurations in this adventure title.

The measured FPS data confirms this high standing. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 392 FPS, and even at the most demanding 4K Ultra setting, it maintains 61 FPS. The spread between the best and worst measured results is substantial — from 392 down to 61 FPS — which indicates that Road 96's engine scales significantly with both resolution and graphical settings. The rank of 124 suggests that some combinations achieve even higher peak performance, likely those with faster CPUs at lower resolutions where the frame rates exceed what this Intel processor can deliver.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 brings substantial specifications to this pairing: 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, and the memory operates at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). The GPU's 16,384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs provide the raw compute capacity needed for high-resolution rendering. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 9,223, and its Passmark G3D score reaches 38,194, placing it in the 88th percentile of all GPUs.

For Road 96, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K, the gap between Low and Ultra settings is 71 FPS (132 vs 61), whereas at 1080p the same settings gap is 211 FPS (392 vs 181). This demonstrates that the RTX 4090's rendering capacity is the limiting factor at high resolutions with demanding settings. The 24 GB VRAM allocation is more than sufficient for this game's needs at any tested configuration, so memory capacity never becomes a constraint. The GPU's nearest rivals in aggregate benchmarks include the Intel Arc Pro A60 (0% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (0.3% ahead), though these comparisons reflect general compute workloads rather than gaming-specific performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals where the bottleneck shifts between CPU and GPU. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings, the average frame rate drops from 231 to 147 FPS — a 36% reduction. From 1440p to 4K at High, it falls from 147 to 78 FPS, another 47% drop. This progressive decline indicates the GPU becomes increasingly dominant as pixel count rises.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic: 392 FPS at 1080p drops to 249 FPS at 1440p (37% reduction), then to 132 FPS at 4K (47% reduction). The fact that 1080p Low produces nearly 400 FPS suggests the CPU is near its limit at this configuration — the Core Ultra 7 265's 20 cores and 20 threads with a 5.30 GHz boost clock are driving frame generation as fast as the game engine allows. At 4K Low, the 132 FPS figure indicates the GPU is now the primary constraint, as the pixel throughput requirement exceeds what even the RTX 4090 can sustain at lower CPU overhead levels.

The Medium settings data includes min and max FPS values, providing additional insight. At 1080p Medium, the combo produces 287 FPS average with a 244-330 range. At 1440p Medium, it achieves 183 FPS (155-210 range), and at 4K Medium, 97 FPS (82-111 range). The consistent narrowing of the FPS range as resolution increases — from an 86 FPS spread at 1080p to a 29 FPS spread at 4K — suggests that frame time variance decreases when the GPU is fully loaded, a characteristic typical of GPU-bound scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce 392 FPS average, Medium reaches 287 FPS with a minimum of 244 and maximum of 330, High achieves 231 FPS, and Ultra maintains 181 FPS. The step from Low to Medium represents a 27% performance reduction, while the step from Medium to High costs another 20%, and High to Ultra costs 22%. These consistent reductions indicate the game's settings scale linearly in GPU demand at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance profile shifts downward across the board. Low settings yield 249 FPS, Medium averages 183 FPS (155-210 range), High produces 147 FPS, and Ultra drops to 115 FPS. The percentage reductions between settings are similar to 1080p, but the absolute values are lower. The Medium setting's 155 FPS minimum at 1440p still provides smooth gameplay, and even Ultra at 115 FPS remains well above typical display refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the system's performance becomes more moderate. Low settings produce 132 FPS, Medium averages 97 FPS (82-111 range), High delivers 78 FPS, and Ultra drops to 61 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 61 FPS is the lowest measured value in the entire dataset, but it still meets the 60 FPS threshold for standard displays. The Medium setting's 82 FPS minimum at 4K indicates the system can maintain playable frame rates even during demanding scenes, though the 111 FPS maximum shows there is headroom in less intensive moments.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p provides the optimal balance. At High settings, the system achieves 147 FPS average, which is significantly above 4K's 78 FPS while still offering higher visual fidelity than 1080p's 231 FPS at the same settings.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: In aggregate benchmarks, the RTX 4090 scores 60,347, placing it at the 88th percentile. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60,326 (0% delta), while the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (2.5% ahead). These are general compute comparisons, not gaming-specific results.

Q: Can this system maintain 60+ FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: Yes. The measured average at 3840x2160 Ultra is 61 FPS, just above the 60 FPS threshold. However, the margin is slim, so users seeking guaranteed performance might prefer 4K High at 78 FPS or 4K Medium at 97 FPS.

Q: What is the CPU's performance relative to its rivals?

A: The Core Ultra 7 265 has an average benchmark score of 64,640, placing it at the 93rd percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD EPYC 4464P, scores 64,823 (0.3% higher), while the Intel Core Ultra 7 265F scores 64,438 (0.3% lower). These differences are negligible in real-world gaming.

Q: Is the system CPU-bound or GPU-bound in Road 96?

A: At 1080p Low, the 392 FPS result suggests CPU limitation, as the GPU's capability exceeds this frame rate. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with frame rates dropping to 61-132 FPS depending on settings. The transition point appears between 1080p and 1440p, where the CPU's influence diminishes.

Q: What frame rates can users expect at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured data shows 183 FPS average with a range of 155 to 210 FPS. This provides excellent smoothness with comfortable headroom above 144 Hz displays, and the 155 FPS minimum ensures consistent performance during demanding scenes.

Settings Recommendations

For the best overall experience, 2560x1440 at High settings represents the strongest combination of visual quality and performance. The 147 FPS average provides smooth gameplay on high-refresh displays while maintaining substantial headroom above 60 FPS. The 115 FPS at 1440p Ultra is also viable, offering enhanced visuals at the cost of roughly 22% performance. Given that Road 96 is an adventure game where consistent frame pacing matters more than absolute frame rates, the 1440p High setting's stability is preferable to the lower minimums seen at higher settings.

At 4K, the 97 FPS Medium setting is the recommended choice. The 82 FPS minimum ensures no significant frame drops, and the 111 FPS maximum shows the system has headroom. The 78 FPS at 4K High is also acceptable, but the smaller margin above 60 FPS makes it riskier for scenes with unexpected complexity. The 61 FPS at 4K Ultra meets the minimum threshold, but the lack of margin means any slight variation could cause noticeable stuttering.

At 1080p, the 231 FPS High setting is excessive for most displays, but it demonstrates the system's capability. Users with 240 Hz monitors might prefer the 287 FPS Medium setting, though the 244 FPS minimum still exceeds 240 Hz in most scenarios. The 392 FPS at 1080p Low is primarily useful for competitive play, which is not typical for an adventure title, so most users at this resolution should prioritize visual quality with Ultra at 181 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 serves as the system's foundation with 20 cores and 20 threads, operating at a 2.40 GHz base clock and 5.30 GHz boost clock. Its architecture is Arrow Lake-S on a 3 nm TSMC process, featuring 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. The CPU's benchmark results show strong multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 42,216 and single-core 5,960, while Passmark multithread reaches 49,682 and single-thread 4,689. These scores position the CPU at the 93rd percentile of all processors.

In Road 96, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU has spare capacity. The 392 FPS at 1080p Low represents near the practical limit for this processor in this game engine — pushing beyond this would require higher single-thread performance than the 5.30 GHz boost clock can provide. The 20-core configuration provides ample multi-threading capability for background tasks and game logic, but Road 96's engine appears to scale primarily with single-thread performance, as indicated by the strong Cinebench R23 single-core score of 5,960. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs suggests it is a top-tier processor for this title, and its 64,640 average benchmark score places it within 0.7% of its nearest rivals, indicating that alternative CPUs in this performance class would produce nearly identical results in Road 96.