The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation from 2019, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and Intel Arc B570 pairing. The measured data reveals a configuration that is heavily influenced by graphics settings and resolution, with the CPU appearing to have ample headroom in most scenarios. The results show a clear performance hierarchy where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution and visual fidelity increase, while the 6-core processor maintains a solid foundation for the game's physics and logic.

Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the average FPS across resolutions reveals a predictable yet telling pattern of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 146 FPS, but this drops substantially to 96 FPS at 1440p and further to 53 FPS at 4K. This represents a 63% performance reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting factor even at the lowest quality preset. The frame rate is not doubling or halving in a linear fashion, which suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint at these lower settings.

The scaling becomes more dramatic when examining the High settings preset. The transition from 1080p (75 FPS) to 1440p (49 FPS) results in a 35% performance drop, while moving to 4K (27 FPS) represents a 64% reduction from the 1080p baseline. This steeper decline at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU's 10 GB of VRAM and 160-bit memory bus are being stressed by the increased pixel count and texture detail. The data implies that the Arc B570's rendering capabilities, rather than the Ryzen 5 7500F's processing power, are dictating the frame rates at High settings.

The Ultra preset demonstrates the most severe scaling, with 1080p yielding 52 FPS, 1440p dropping to 34 FPS, and 4K falling to just 19 FPS. This 63% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Ultra mirrors the Low preset's scaling, reinforcing that the GPU is the dominant bottleneck across all settings. The question this raises is whether the CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads are fully utilized at lower resolutions, or if the game engine's single-threaded performance is creating a hidden ceiling that prevents higher frame rates even when the GPU has headroom. The 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218 suggest strong per-core performance, but the game's engine architecture may not be leveraging all available threads effectively.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Long Drive with this hardware combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1080p is the only resolution where all settings presets achieve playable frame rates above 50 FPS. The 1440p resolution remains viable for Low (96 FPS) and Medium (79 FPS) settings, but High (49 FPS) and Ultra (34 FPS) dip below the 60 FPS threshold. At 4K, only the Low preset reaches 53 FPS, while all other presets fall below 45 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU benchmark performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 5 7500F has an average benchmark score of 24964, placing it at the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F, scores 25005, which is a 0.2% advantage. The Intel Core i7-11850H trails by 0.1% with a score of 24935, while the Intel Core i7-13620H is 0.2% behind at 24911, and the Intel Core 5 210H is 0.4% behind at 24872.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 96 FPS, while the Ultra preset delivers only 34 FPS. This represents a 182% performance increase for Low over Ultra, demonstrating that the visual fidelity of Ultra settings demands significantly more GPU resources. The Medium preset at 79 FPS offers a middle ground, being 132% faster than Ultra but 18% slower than Low.

Q: Does the GPU's benchmark score place it competitively among similar graphics cards?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556, placing it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, scores 20582, which is a 0.1% advantage. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile trails by 0.1% with a score of 20534, while the AMD Radeon R9 M390X is 0.5% behind at 20662, and the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M is 0.4% behind at 20480.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for the Medium settings at each resolution?

A: The measured data includes minimum FPS values only for the Medium preset. At 1080p, the minimum is 102 FPS with a maximum of 138 FPS. At 1440p, the minimum drops to 67 FPS with a maximum of 91 FPS. At 4K, the minimum is 37 FPS with a maximum of 50 FPS. These minimums are crucial for understanding frame pacing and potential stuttering during intensive driving scenes.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2342 out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This places it in the lower half of all configurations, suggesting that while it can run the game, there are many other hardware pairings that deliver higher average frame rates across the tested settings and resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is built on the Zen 4 architecture with a 5 nm process and features 6 cores and 12 threads. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz can boost up to 5.00 GHz, and it has a 65W TDP, making it a power-efficient option for gaming. The CPU's benchmark scores indicate strong single-threaded performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 974 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3218. These scores are relevant because The Long Drive, as a driving simulation, likely has physics and game logic that depend on single-core performance.

The multi-threaded capabilities are also robust, as evidenced by the Cinebench R23 multicore score of 22799 and the Geekbench multicore score of 12362. The CPU's L3 cache of 32 MB shared across all cores helps maintain data locality for the game engine. In the context of the measured FPS, the CPU appears to have sufficient headroom, as the frame rates scale consistently with resolution changes, which is a hallmark of GPU-bound scenarios. However, the 1080p Low setting reaching 146 FPS suggests the CPU can support high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

The CPU's 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 24964, places it above many processors but not at the top tier. Its nearest rivals show minimal performance differences, with the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F being the only competitor that scores higher by a margin of 0.2%. This indicates that the 7500F is a well-balanced mid-range processor that should not be the limiting factor in most gaming scenarios, including The Long Drive.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F and Intel Arc B570 achieves a rank of 2342 out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This places the configuration in the 20.2nd percentile of all tested hardware pairings, meaning roughly 80% of other combos deliver higher average frame rates. This ranking is notably lower than the individual component percentiles, which could indicate that the GPU is underperforming relative to the CPU's potential in this specific game.

The CPU's 77th percentile ranking suggests it is a capable processor, while the GPU's 65th percentile is slightly lower. The combo's overall rank of 2342 out of 2934 suggests there may be a mismatch or that the game's engine is not optimized for this specific hardware combination. The data reveals that the average FPS across all settings and resolutions is heavily influenced by the GPU, as the frame rates drop significantly at higher resolutions and settings. This suggests that the Arc B570, despite its 10 GB of VRAM, is not able to fully utilize the Ryzen 5 7500F's processing capabilities in this game.

When comparing to other combos, the rank indicates that users with this hardware should expect lower-than-average performance in The Long Drive. The 20.2nd percentile ranking is a clear signal that this is not an ideal pairing for this specific title, and users may need to rely on lower settings or resolutions to achieve acceptable frame rates. The data implies that a different GPU or CPU combination could yield better results, but based on the measured facts, this combo ranks in the bottom quarter of all tested configurations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's resolution and performance priorities. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering 120 FPS average with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. This provides a smooth experience well above the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining visual quality. The Low preset at 146 FPS is also viable for competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, but Medium offers a better visual experience without a significant performance cost.

At 1440p, the Low preset at 96 FPS is the only option that maintains a frame rate above 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 79 FPS is still playable, but the minimum FPS of 67 indicates potential dips below 70 FPS during demanding scenes. For users prioritizing visual quality over frame rate, Medium is the recommended choice, as it provides a 132% improvement over Ultra while still being 18% slower than Low. The High preset at 49 FPS and Ultra at 34 FPS are not recommended for a consistent experience.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset at 53 FPS is the only playable option, but it falls short of the 60 FPS target. Users with 4K displays should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or accepting the lower frame rates of the Low preset. The Medium preset at 44 FPS and High at 27 FPS are not suitable for a smooth experience, and Ultra at 19 FPS is essentially unplayable. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires significant compromises in visual fidelity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS ranges from 146 at Low settings to 52 at Ultra settings. The Medium preset achieves 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS, while High settings deliver 75 FPS. This represents a 64% performance reduction from Low to Ultra, with Medium being 18% slower than Low and 56% faster than Ultra. The High preset is 38% slower than Medium and 44% faster than Ultra.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 96 at Low, 79 at Medium, 49 at High, and 34 at Ultra. The Medium preset has a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra is 182%, with Medium being 132% faster than Ultra and 18% slower than Low. High settings are 44% slower than Medium and 44% faster than Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 53 at Low, 44 at Medium, 27 at High, and 19 at Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 179%, with Medium being 132% faster than Ultra and 17% slower than Low. High settings are 39% slower than Medium and 42% faster than Ultra. These numbers clearly illustrate the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions, with the 4K Ultra preset delivering less than 20 FPS average.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture and features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output pipelines. It has 18 ray tracing cores and a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. These specifications place it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556.

In The Long Drive, the GPU's role is clearly the primary determinant of frame rates, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when increasing resolution or settings. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent pattern where the GPU becomes more stressed. At 1080p, the GPU can handle Low settings at 146 FPS, but Ultra drops to 52 FPS, indicating the rendering load is nearly three times higher at maximum settings. The 10 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for the game, but the 160-bit memory bus may limit texture streaming at higher resolutions.

The GPU's nearest rival, the Intel Arc A750, scores 20582, which is a 0.1% advantage over the B570. This close performance parity suggests that users upgrading from the A750 would not see significant improvements in this game. The Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 and OpenCL score of 83514 indicate strong compute capabilities, but the game's performance is more dependent on the rasterization and pixel processing throughput. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are the key metrics that explain the FPS drops at higher settings, as the GPU struggles to maintain fill rates when rendering complex scenes.