Road 96

Road 96 is an adventure title that, on the surface, does not demand the highest-end hardware, yet the measured data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination reveals a performance curve heavily dictated by the graphics card. The benchmark results show a system that delivers exceptional frame rates even at 4K, though the scaling between resolutions indicates where the bottleneck lies. This pairing ranks in the 82nd percentile of all tested combos for this game, placing it firmly in the upper echelon of systems but not at the very top, a position that aligns with the GPU's overall percentile ranking.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K illustrates a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 308 FPS, a figure so high that it suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU far more work than it can render. Moving to 2560x1440 on Low, the average drops to 196 FPS, a 36% reduction. At 3840x2160 on Low, the average falls to 104 FPS, which is a 46% drop from the 1440p figure. These percentage losses are substantial, indicating that as resolution increases, the rendering load on the GPU grows exponentially, pulling performance down.

This trend is consistent across all settings presets. With High settings, the averages are 182 FPS at 1080p, 116 FPS at 1440p, and 61 FPS at 4K. The step from 1440p to 4K at High settings represents a 47% reduction in frame rate. At Ultra settings, the system manages 143 FPS at 1080p, 91 FPS at 1440p, and 48 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, landing at an average of 48 FPS. The data clearly shows that the limiting component at 1080p is not the CPU, given the massive headroom, but rather the GPU's ability to push pixels. The consistent and steep drop-off as resolution scales confirms that the RTX 4070 SUPER is the primary performance constraint in this configuration for Road 96.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of 3,713 tested combinations for Road 96, this specific pairing holds the 656th position. This places it in the top 17.7% of all systems, which is a strong showing for a desktop setup. The combo rank is notably higher than the GPU's individual percentile of 83, which suggests that the CPU is not hindering the overall performance in this title. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus ranks in the 96th percentile among all CPUs, a factor that likely contributes to the combo's ability to maintain high minimum frame rates and avoid CPU-induced stutters, even if the average FPS is GPU-limited.

The data indicates that this system is not just about raw average FPS; its high combo rank relative to its GPU percentile implies efficient frame pacing and consistent delivery. When compared to the GPU's nearest rivals, the RTX 4070 SUPER shows a negligible performance delta, with the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB being only 0.1% slower and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile being 0.1% faster. This marginal difference suggests that the combo's ranking is not an outlier due to a particularly fast GPU sample, but rather a result of the balanced pairing. The CPU's rivals also show minimal deltas, with the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K being 0.2% faster, which further solidifies the notion that this specific combination is well-matched for this game's engine.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. For a game like Road 96, which appears to be more dependent on raw throughput than memory capacity based on the performance scaling, this configuration is more than sufficient. The GPU's base clock is 1980 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz. The measured FPS data suggests that the boost clock is being utilized effectively, as the performance at lower resolutions is exceptionally high, indicating the GPU is not power or thermally constrained.

The GPU's benchmark scores further contextualize its role. It scores 29,995 in Passmark G3D, placing it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in overall score include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB and the GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile, all within a 1% delta. This indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER is a solid mid-to-high-range performer. In the context of Road 96, the 12 GB VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor, even at 4K Ultra. The performance drop from High (61 FPS) to Ultra (48 FPS) at 4K is more likely due to increased shading and effect complexity rather than memory capacity exhaustion, as the 1440p Ultra result of 91 FPS is still very playable.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain a 60+ FPS average?

A: The data shows that all tested settings at 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 produce average FPS well above 60. At 3840x2160, both Low and Medium settings exceed 60 FPS, with averages of 104 and 76 FPS respectively, while High and Ultra fall below.

Q: How does the CPU's performance affect the frame rates in Road 96?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has a Passmark multithread score of 60,860 and a single-thread score of 4,823, ranking it in the 96th percentile of CPUs. Given that the FPS drops significantly as resolution increases, the CPU appears to provide enough headroom to avoid becoming the bottleneck, even at 1080p where the GPU is pushing over 300 FPS.

Q: Is the 12 GB VRAM on the RTX 4070 SUPER sufficient for this game?

A: Yes, the benchmark results indicate no VRAM-related performance cliffs. The consistent scaling from 1440p to 4K and the playable frame rates at 4K Medium suggest that the 12 GB capacity is not being exceeded or causing frame drops in Road 96.

Q: What is the performance difference between the High and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the High preset yields an average of 116 FPS, while the Ultra preset yields an average of 91 FPS. This represents a 21.5% decrease in performance for the higher visual quality settings.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested systems for Road 96?

A: This specific combination of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER ranks 656th out of 3,713 tested combos, placing it in the top 18% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the lowest measured average FPS for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 48 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset.

Settings Recommendations

For users targeting a smooth 60 FPS experience, the data provides clear guidance. At 4K resolution, the Medium preset is the optimal choice, delivering an average of 76 FPS with minimums of 65 FPS, ensuring a stable experience above the standard target. The High preset at 4K falls to an average of 61 FPS, which is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding scenes, while Ultra drops to 48 FPS, which is suboptimal for smooth gameplay.

At 1440p, the High preset is the sweet spot, offering an average of 116 FPS, which is nearly double the refresh rate of standard 60Hz monitors and provides a significant buffer for high-refresh-rate displays. The Ultra preset at 91 FPS is also excellent for 1440p users who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rates. At 1080p, even the Ultra preset achieves 143 FPS, meaning users can maximize settings without concern. The Low preset at 1080p pushes the system to 308 FPS, which is likely beyond the refresh rate of any current display, making it a less practical choice unless seeking absolute minimum latency.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a single-core score of 7,303, place it in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. In Road 96, the CPU's role is to ensure that the GPU is fed with a consistent stream of draw calls and game logic updates.

The data suggests the CPU excels at this task. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 308 FPS, a figure that is rarely CPU-limited. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau in frame rates at lower resolutions. Instead, the FPS continues to scale inversely with resolution, confirming that the GPU is the sole limiting factor. The CPU's high single-thread performance, as evidenced by its Passmark score of 4,823, is particularly relevant for an adventure game like Road 96, which likely relies on a single primary game thread. The 24-core configuration provides ample multi-threaded headroom for background tasks and any secondary game systems, ensuring that the primary thread is never starved of resources.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the measured average FPS for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination in Road 96.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: 308 FPS average
• Medium: 226 FPS average (min 192, max 260)
• High: 182 FPS average
• Ultra: 143 FPS average

At 2560x1440:

• Low: 196 FPS average
• Medium: 144 FPS average (min 122, max 165)
• High: 116 FPS average
• Ultra: 91 FPS average

At 3840x2160:

• Low: 104 FPS average
• Medium: 76 FPS average (min 65, max 88)
• High: 61 FPS average
• Ultra: 48 FPS average

This breakdown shows a clear and predictable pattern. The frame rate is halved when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings, and the difference between Low and Ultra settings at any given resolution is consistently around a 50-60% reduction in FPS. The minimum FPS data for the Medium preset at all resolutions shows that frame pacing is stable, with the minimum being roughly 85% of the average, indicating a consistent experience without major stutters. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it the only setting that may require a reduction in resolution or graphical fidelity for users who demand a locked 60 FPS experience.