The Long Drive

The Long Drive pairs the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F with the Intel Arc B390, a combination that yields a stark illustration of GPU-bound performance. The data shows a component pairing where the CPU’s substantial compute headroom is largely left untapped, as the integrated-class graphics solution becomes the primary constraint at every measured setting. This analysis examines the measured FPS data, the roles of each component, and what the results imply for gameplay.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a dramatic and consistent decline as resolution increases, indicating a system heavily limited by the graphics processor. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 95 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 63 FPS, a reduction of 32 FPS. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average falls further to 35 FPS, representing a 60 FPS decrease from the 1080p result. This pattern of steep decline is characteristic of a GPU that is saturated by the increasing pixel count, rather than a CPU limitation.

The scaling behavior becomes more telling when examining the higher settings presets. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 78 at 1080p, to 51 at 1440p, and finally to 29 at 4K. The proportional drop between 1080p and 1440p is a 34.6% reduction, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is a 43.1% reduction. This accelerating decline suggests that the Intel Arc B390’s memory bandwidth and shading capabilities are being overwhelmed as the workload expands, with the system shared memory configuration likely adding further strain at higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe impact of resolution scaling. At 1080p, the average is 34 FPS, which drops to 22 FPS at 1440p and plummets to 12 FPS at 4K. The data implies that the GPU’s 24 ROPs and limited 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are simply inadequate for the demands of 4K rendering at higher quality levels. The scaling from High to Ultra at 4K is particularly punishing, with the average FPS halving from 18 to 12, suggesting that the Ultra preset introduces effects that the Xe3-LPG architecture cannot handle efficiently at this resolution.

What the data indicates is that the limiting component is unambiguously the Intel Arc B390. The Ryzen 5 7500F, with its boost clock of 5.00 GHz and 32 MB of shared L3 cache, has ample processing power to feed the GPU, but the graphics solution’s performance ceiling is reached well before the CPU’s potential is exhausted. The ratio of performance between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution also points to the GPU, as the consistent FPS drop across all resolutions shows no signs of a CPU bottleneck that would flatten the scaling at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo can achieve in The Long Drive?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 95, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only measured configuration that reaches above 90 FPS, with the next closest being 78 FPS at 1080p Medium settings.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F holding back the Intel Arc B390 in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the primary bottleneck. The Ryzen 5 7500F has a high multithreaded score of 22799 in Cinebench R23 and a single-thread score of 3218, which are far above what would be needed for the GPU’s performance level. The steep FPS drops with increasing resolution indicate the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest rivals in terms of raw GPU performance?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which places it 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% ahead of the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710 (1443). This indicates it is in the lower tier of graphics processors.

Q: Can this system play The Long Drive at 2560x1440 resolution?

A: Yes, but with limitations. At 1440p Low settings, the average FPS is 63, which is playable. However, at 1440p High settings, the average drops to 32 FPS, and at Ultra settings, it falls to 22 FPS, which would likely be a poor experience for a driving simulation requiring smooth frame pacing.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Medium and High settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Medium settings yield an average of 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. High settings produce an average of 49 FPS. This represents a significant 29 FPS average drop when moving from Medium to High, indicating a substantial increase in GPU workload.

Q: What does the comboRankInGame of 2594 out of 2934 indicate?

A: The combo ranks in the 2594th position out of 2934 tested combinations. This places it in the lower percentile of all tested combos, with the rank of 2594 signifying that roughly 88% of tested combinations perform better, which aligns with the GPU’s low percentile ranking of 9 among all GPUs.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 7000 series based on the Zen 4 architecture. Its base clock is 3.70 GHz, which can boost up to 5.00 GHz, and it has a 65W TDP. The CPU’s cache configuration includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 32 MB of L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the 7500F demonstrates strong single-thread capabilities with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2374. Its multithreaded performance is equally robust, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22799 and a Geekbench multicore score of 12362.

In the context of The Long Drive, the CPU’s role appears to be one of providing a stable foundation that is never stressed. The game’s measured FPS at 1080p Low settings hits 95 FPS, but this is likely far from the CPU’s limit. The 7500F’s performance in the 3DMark 16-thread test (6376) and max-thread test (6379) shows it can handle a significant number of concurrent tasks, which is more than sufficient for a driving simulation that typically relies on fewer cores for physics and AI. The processor’s 12 threads are more than adequate for the game’s logic, leaving the GPU as the sole determinant of frame rate.

The data suggests that the CPU’s architectural strengths are wasted in this pairing. The Zen 4 architecture’s high IPC and the 5.00 GHz boost clock are capable of pushing far higher frame rates than the Arc B390 can deliver. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 24964 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, with nearest rivals including the Intel Core i7-11850H (24935, 0.1% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F (25005, -0.2% delta). This performance tier is vastly superior to what the GPU can utilize, making the CPU a non-factor in the measured results. In this case, the CPU’s role is to ensure that no frame drops occur due to processor limitations, which it does admirably, but the overall experience is directly capped by the graphics solution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the user's resolution target and frame rate preference. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 95 FPS, which is the smoothest experience measured. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, which is still well within playable territory and offers a better visual experience. The data shows that the jump from Medium to High at 1080p is substantial, with the average dropping to 49 FPS, indicating that the High preset is too demanding for the GPU to maintain fluid motion.

For users seeking higher visual fidelity, the Medium preset at 1080p appears to be the sweet spot. It provides a 78 FPS average, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while the minimum of 66 FPS ensures that frame pacing remains consistent. The High preset at 1080p, with its 49 FPS average, might be acceptable for some, but the 29 FPS drop from Medium suggests that the additional graphical effects are disproportionately costly on this GPU. The Ultra preset at 1080p, averaging 34 FPS, is not recommended due to its low frame rate and the severe performance penalty it incurs.

At 2560x1440, the only viable setting is Low, which produces an average of 63 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 51 FPS, which is borderline, while High (32 FPS) and Ultra (22 FPS) are not suitable for a driving game where consistent frame times are crucial. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves 35 FPS, making 4K gaming impractical for this combo. The data strongly suggests that users should stick to 1080p with Medium settings to balance visual quality and performance, or 1080p Low for the highest possible frame rate. The measured rows indicate that the GPU’s architecture is not well-suited for high-resolution rendering, so sacrificing resolution for frame rate is the most sensible approach.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and Intel Arc B390 holds a combo rank of 2594 out of 2934 tested combinations in The Long Drive. This ranking places it in the bottom 11.6% of all tested combos, which is a reflection of the GPU’s limited capabilities rather than the CPU’s. The rank of 2594 is consistent with the Intel Arc B390’s individual percentile ranking of 9 among all GPUs, suggesting that the GPU is the dominant factor in this pairing’s overall position.

The CPU’s percentile rank of 77 among all CPUs is in stark contrast to the GPU’s rank of 9, highlighting the severe mismatch in this combo. The data shows that the combo’s performance is almost entirely dictated by the graphics solution, as the CPU’s high-level performance does not translate into a better ranking. The 2594th position out of 2934 combos indicates that there are 340 tested combinations that perform worse, which are likely those with even less capable GPUs or older CPU-GPU pairings.

When interpreting this rank, it is crucial to understand that it reflects the average FPS across all settings and resolutions. The combo’s best case scenario at 1080p Low (95 FPS) is respectable, but the severe scaling drops at higher resolutions and settings drag the average down significantly. The rank of 2594 is a holistic measure, and it shows that this pairing is not competitive with the majority of systems in the database. The data indicates that while the CPU is a high-end part, the GPU’s low-end status anchors the combo to the lower echelons of the ranking table.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average FPS values are as follows: Low settings achieve 95 FPS, Medium settings achieve 78 FPS (with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 90), High settings achieve 49 FPS, and Ultra settings achieve 34 FPS. The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy, with Low being the only preset that breaks the 90 FPS barrier.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are significantly lower. Low settings produce 63 FPS, Medium settings produce 51 FPS (with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 59), High settings produce 32 FPS, and Ultra settings produce 22 FPS. The 1440p results indicate that the GPU is struggling to maintain high frame rates, with only the Low preset exceeding 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops are even more pronounced. Low settings yield an average of 35 FPS, Medium settings yield 29 FPS (with a minimum of 24 and maximum of 33), High settings yield 18 FPS, and Ultra settings yield just 12 FPS. The 4K results are uniformly poor, with no preset reaching a playable 30 FPS average except for Low. The data shows a consistent pattern where each resolution increase roughly halves the frame rate at equivalent settings, which is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario.

The minimum and maximum FPS are only provided for the Medium preset across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 66-90 FPS, at 1440p it is 44-59 FPS, and at 4K it is 24-33 FPS. These ranges indicate that frame times are relatively stable at Medium settings, with the spread being roughly 24 FPS at 1080p, 15 FPS at 1440p, and 9 FPS at 4K. The narrowing range at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is consistently saturated, which could lead to a more uniform but lower frame rate experience.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by Intel. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster output pipelines, along with 12 ray tracing cores. The GPU operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, and it relies on system shared memory for graphics duties. Its theoretical performance figures include a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, and an FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS.

In The Long Drive, the GPU’s role is the primary determinant of frame rate, and its performance characteristics explain the measured results. The GPU’s low texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s is insufficient for high-resolution rendering, which is why the FPS drops so steeply at 1440p and 4K. The 24 ROPs are also a limiting factor for pixel fill rate, particularly at 4K Ultra settings where the average FPS falls to 12. The reliance on system shared memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent," is likely a major contributor to the poor scaling, as the memory bandwidth cannot keep up with the demands of higher resolutions.

The Arc B390’s benchmark results are modest, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, placing it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all older NVIDIA parts, with the GT 520MX (1463) being 1.3% slower, the GeForce 800M (1460) being 1.5% slower, the GT 625 OEM (1446) being 2.5% slower, and the GT 710 (1443) being 2.7% slower. This puts the Arc B390 at the very bottom of the performance spectrum, which aligns with the measured FPS data. The GPU’s boost clock of 2500 MHz is high, but the limited number of shading units and the memory bottleneck prevent it from translating into playable frame rates at higher settings. The data shows that this GPU is only suitable for 1080p gaming at Low or Medium settings, and even then, it struggles to maintain high frame rates in more demanding presets.