The Long Drive

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 pairing delivers a wide spread of performance in The Long Drive, with results that scale predictably from high-refresh 1080p dominance to playable 4K. The data shows a combo that is capable of extreme frame rates at lower resolutions but encounters a performance ceiling at 4K Ultra, making settings management crucial for a consistent experience.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, built on a 4 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. This is a desktop part with a single-thread 3DMark score of 951 and a multi-thread max score of 6165, alongside a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2943 and multi-core score of 20851. In synthetic benchmarks, it holds a 77th percentile ranking against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25005. Its nearest rivals are extremely close: the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F is just 0.2% ahead, the Intel Core i7-11850H is 0.3% ahead, and the Intel Core i7-13620H is 0.4% ahead, while the AMD EPYC 9474F trails by 0.4%.

In The Long Drive, the CPU's role appears to be a supporting one, given the game's driving simulation nature. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 337 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with a massive amount of draw calls. However, the gap between the 1080p Low result and the 1080p High result (184 FPS) indicates that the game's engine does scale with CPU work, but the GPU is still the primary resource being taxed. The 12 threads allow for smooth handling of background physics and AI, while the strong single-core performance from the Zen 4 architecture ensures that the main game logic thread isn't a bottleneck. The data implies that for this specific title, the Ryzen 5 8400F provides ample headroom, as the largest FPS drops occur when increasing graphical settings, not when moving between resolutions at the same setting.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for The Long Drive, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 291st out of 3725 total combos. This places it in the top 8% of all tested systems, indicating a high-performance setup. The ranking reflects the combined capabilities of both components. While the CPU is a mid-range part in the broader market, its performance is sufficient to allow the RTX 4080 to operate near its full potential in this title. The rank suggests that while there are faster combinations, this pairing is not leaving a significant amount of performance on the table. The proximity of the CPU's nearest rivals, all within 0.4% of its average score, means that swapping to a Ryzen 5 7500F or an Intel Core i7-13620H would likely not change the overall ranking of this combo in any meaningful way. Conversely, the GPU's closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is only 0.1% ahead in average score, which reinforces that this combo's position is solid and that the RTX 4080 is performing as expected.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear trend: performance is heavily dependent on resolution and settings. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 337 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 235 FPS, a 30% decrease, and then to 4K Low at 131 FPS, which is a further 44% drop from 1440p. This scaling pattern is typical for a system where the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution increases. The frame rate at 1080p Low is so high that it suggests the CPU is nearing its limit, but the massive drop at higher resolutions confirms the GPU is taking over as the primary constraint.

Looking at High settings, the trend continues: 184 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p, and 67 FPS at 4K. The relative drops between resolutions are consistent, indicating a GPU-bound workload. At Ultra settings, the pattern is more extreme, with 127 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. This shows that the RTX 4080's 16 GB of VRAM and 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth are being heavily taxed at 4K Ultra. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor at Low settings, but the GPU is the clear bottleneck at 4K, especially with higher graphical presets. The 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS is the only sub-60 FPS result in the entire dataset, highlighting that the Ultra preset at 4K is too demanding for a smooth experience with this combo.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use for a high-refresh-rate monitor?

A: The data shows that 1080p with Low settings yields 337 FPS, and 1440p with Low settings yields 235 FPS. If you have a 144Hz monitor, 1440p Low is the highest resolution that can comfortably exceed that refresh rate. For a 240Hz monitor, 1080p Low is the only setting that gets close, while 1080p Medium at 294 FPS also works.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest competitor in this system?

A: The RTX 4080's average benchmark score is 54247. Its nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score of 54209, which is a 0.1% difference. This indicates that the two cards are virtually identical in overall performance, and you would not notice a significant difference in The Long Drive.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 8400F a weak link for this GPU?

A: The CPU's average benchmark score is 25005, and its closest rival, the Ryzen 5 7500F, is only 0.2% faster. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 337 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. The fact that FPS scales down dramatically with resolution and settings indicates the GPU is the limiting factor in most scenarios, so the CPU is not a significant bottleneck.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with caveats. The data shows 4K High delivers 67 FPS, which is playable. 4K Medium delivers 108 FPS, which is excellent. However, 4K Ultra drops to 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. You will need to adjust settings for a consistent 4K experience.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the Low preset produces 235 FPS, while the High preset produces 121 FPS. This is a 48% reduction in frame rate for the jump from Low to High. The Medium preset sits in between at 194 FPS.

Q: Does the Ryzen 5 8400F have integrated graphics for troubleshooting?

A: No. The FACT PACK lists "Integrated Graphics" as "N/A" for this processor. You will need a discrete GPU, like the RTX 4080 in this combo, to get any display output.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant force in this pairing. It is a 5 nm Ada Lovelace chip with 9728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU has a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, with memory running at 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective). Its compute power is substantial, with an FP32 throughput of 48.74 TFLOPS. The card holds an 86th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is a mere 0.1% ahead, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind, and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% behind.

In The Long Drive, the GPU's influence is most evident at higher resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the FPS is 337, which is likely CPU-limited, but at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 47, showing the GPU is handling a massive load. The 16 GB VRAM buffer is more than sufficient for this game, even at 4K, as the performance drops are more likely due to the raw compute requirements of the Ultra preset rather than memory capacity. The RTX 4080's strong rasterization performance is what drives the high frame rates at Medium and High presets across all resolutions, making it the primary reason this combo ranks so highly. The data indicates that the GPU is the component to adjust settings for, as it is the one that will dictate whether you hit 60 FPS or 100+ FPS.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of presets for different priorities. For maximum frame rate, 1080p Low yields 337 FPS, but this is overkill for most displays and sacrifices visual quality. The 1080p Medium preset at 294 FPS is a better balance, offering a high frame rate with improved visuals, and it also has a recorded minimum FPS of 250, ensuring a consistent experience. At 1440p, the Medium preset provides 194 FPS with a minimum of 165 FPS, making it the best option for high-refresh 1440p gaming. For a visual upgrade at 1440p, the High preset at 121 FPS is still very smooth.

For 4K gaming, the choices are more constrained. The 4K Medium preset delivers 108 FPS, which is an excellent experience for a high-refresh 4K monitor and provides a minimum of 91 FPS. The 4K High preset at 67 FPS is still playable and offers better image quality. The 4K Ultra preset at 47 FPS is not recommended for a consistent 60 FPS experience. Therefore, the data suggests that the Medium preset is the most versatile across all resolutions, providing the best combination of frame rate and visual fidelity without dropping below playable thresholds. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it achieves 127 FPS, but its 4K performance is too low for a fluid experience.