The Long Drive

The Long Drive pairs an 8-core, 16-thread AMD Ryzen 7 3700X with the Intel Arc B370, an integrated GPU based on the Xe3-LPG architecture. This combination produces a very specific performance profile that is heavily constrained by the graphics solution. The measured frame rates show a system that is playable at lower settings and resolutions but quickly falls behind as graphical demands increase, ranking in the 2700th position out of 2934 tested combinations.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this hardware?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 with Low settings delivers the highest average frame rate at 86 FPS. For a more balanced visual experience, 1920x1080 with Medium settings is the best option, producing an average of 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X has an average benchmark score of 34260. This puts it nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (34222, 0.1% faster) and the AMD EPYC 4244P (34220, 0.1% faster), while being 0.2% behind the Intel Core i5-13450HX (34333) and 0.5% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H (34083).

Q: What is the GPU's performance ranking relative to other graphics cards?

A: The Intel Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its closest rival is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which is only 0.2% faster, followed by the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% faster) and the AMD Radeon HD 7650M (0.7% faster).

Q: Is the CPU or the GPU the limiting factor in this system?

A: The resolution scaling data points to the GPU as the primary bottleneck. When going from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings, the frame rate drops by 35%, and from 1080p to 4K it drops by 63%. This steep decline with increasing pixel count is characteristic of a graphics-bound scenario, especially given the GPU's low performance percentile.

Q: What are the core and clock specifications of the processor?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X features 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. It uses the Zen 2 architecture (Matisse) on a 7nm process node, has 32 MB of L3 cache, and supports dual-channel DDR4 memory.

Q: Does the GPU have dedicated video memory?

A: No, the Intel Arc B370 uses System Shared memory, meaning it relies on the system's main RAM for graphics data. Its memory type, bus width, and bandwidth are all listed as "System Shared" or "System Dependent", which is typical for an integrated graphics processor (IGP).

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is a capable processor with 8 cores and 16 threads, a configuration that is generally well-suited for modern gaming. Its base clock of 3.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz provide the necessary computational throughput for game logic and physics. The processor's synthetic benchmark scores, such as a Geekbench multicore score of 8899 and a Passmark multithread score of 22458, indicate a solid foundation for CPU-intensive tasks. It ranks in the 84th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of The Long Drive, the CPU's role appears to be providing sufficient headroom. The benchmark results show that at 1080p Low, the system achieves 86 FPS, a figure that is less likely to be limited by the CPU's single-thread performance (Passmark single-thread score of 2656) and more by the graphics card. The processor's performance is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, with the deltaPct values all within 0.5% of each other. This suggests that swapping the 3700X for a comparable CPU would not yield significant performance changes in this game.

However, the data implies that the CPU is not the primary constraint. The frame rate scales almost linearly with resolution and settings changes, which is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU's 32 MB of L3 cache and 8-core layout are more than adequate for a driving simulation at these frame rates. The fact that the system can produce 86 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the processor is not holding back the system from achieving high frame rates; it is the integrated GPU that prevents higher performance in more demanding scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of performance across the four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 86 FPS, while the Medium preset produces 71 FPS with a minimum of 60 FPS, ensuring a mostly smooth experience. The High preset drops to an average of 44 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages just 31 FPS.

For a target of 60 FPS or higher, 1080p Low is the only guaranteed option. The Medium preset at 1080p is the superior choice for a balance between visual quality and playability, as its minimum FPS of 60 suggests it can hold a 60 FPS target on average. The step from Low to Medium costs 15 FPS on average, which is a significant but not insurmountable trade-off for better visuals.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset is the only one that achieves an average above 50 FPS, hitting 56 FPS. Medium drops to 46 FPS, and High falls to 29 FPS. The Ultra preset is not viable for smooth gameplay, averaging only 20 FPS. At 3840x2160, all presets are below 31 FPS, making 4K gaming impractical for this hardware combination. The recommended experience is therefore 1080p Medium for a good balance or 1080p Low for the highest frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2700th out of 2934 tested combinations in The Long Drive. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems, indicating a substantial performance deficit compared to most other pairings. This low ranking is directly attributable to the integrated GPU, which is in the 5th percentile of all graphics cards.

The CPU itself is not the cause of this low ranking. The Ryzen 7 3700X sits in the 84th percentile among CPUs, showing that the processor is a high-performing component. The disparity between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low rank highlights a massive bottleneck. The data suggests that pairing this processor with any discrete GPU, even a modest one, would likely yield a significantly higher combo rank. The GPU's average benchmark score of 1184 is nearly matched by decade-old parts like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which is only 0.5% faster. This confirms that the Intel Arc B370 is the dominant factor dragging the system's overall performance down to the bottom of the rankings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and built on a 3nm process node. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz. Its performance is severely limited by its hardware configuration: 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output pipelines. It also relies on System Shared memory, which is a major disadvantage.

The GPU's benchmark data is stark. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy parts from over a decade ago, including the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 and the ATI Radeon HD 5770. This indicates that the Arc B370 offers performance akin to an entry-level discrete GPU from 2010, which is inadequate for modern gaming at high settings.

This GPU is the clear bottleneck in The Long Drive. At 1080p Low, it manages an average of 86 FPS, but this performance collapses as resolution and settings increase. The lack of dedicated VRAM forces it to share system memory, and its low pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s limit its ability to handle higher resolutions. The GPU's role is to be the limiting factor, as evidenced by the frame rate dropping by over 50% when moving from 1080p Low to 1080p High.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive look at performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: Average FPS of 86.
• Medium: Average FPS of 71, with a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 81.
• High: Average FPS of 44.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 31.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: Average FPS of 56.
• Medium: Average FPS of 46, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 53.
• High: Average FPS of 29.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 20.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: Average FPS of 31.
• Medium: Average FPS of 26, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30.
• High: Average FPS of 16.
• Ultra: Average FPS of 11.

The data shows a consistent pattern. The drop from Low to Medium is significant but manageable, while the jump to High and Ultra is punishing. For instance, at 1080p, moving from Low to High reduces the average FPS from 86 to 44, a 49% decrease. The minimum FPS readings for Medium settings at all resolutions suggest that frame times are relatively stable, but the overall averages are too low for a smooth experience at higher settings.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior confirms that the Intel Arc B370 is the primary performance limiter. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 71 at 1080p to 46 at 1440p and then to 26 at 4K. This represents a 35% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 63% drop from 1080p to 4K.

This scaling is more aggressive than what would be expected from a CPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would remain relatively constant across resolutions, as the computational load on the CPU does not change significantly with resolution. The steep decline with resolution indicates that the GPU is struggling to fill the increasing number of pixels. The GPU's low fill rate and shared memory architecture are the likely causes of this behavior.

The data implies that playing at 1080p is the only viable option for this system. Even at 1080p, the user must choose between high frame rates (Low settings) and playable frame rates with better visuals (Medium settings). The 1440p and 4K resolutions are not suitable for this game with this hardware, as even the lowest settings at 1440p only yield an average of 56 FPS, and 4K Low drops to 31 FPS. This pattern of scaling is a clear indicator that system memory bandwidth and GPU processing power are the key constraints.