The Long Drive

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2,594 out of 2,934 tested combinations in The Long Drive, placing it in the bottom 12% of all systems. This is a profound mismatch between a strong 8-core processor and a graphics solution that appears fundamentally out of its depth. The data suggests a system that can compute the game's logic without breaking a sweat, yet one that cannot render frames with any fluidity at higher settings. The Arc B390, with its 9th percentile performance ranking among all GPUs, acts as a severe bottleneck, dragging the entire experience down to near-unplayable levels at 4K and only achieving passable results at 1080p with the lowest settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2,594 out of 2,934 is a stark indicator of its overall performance tier. This is not a mid-pack or slightly-below-average result; it is a position firmly in the lower echelons of all tested hardware pairings. The data indicates that for a driving simulation, which often requires consistent frame pacing for a smooth experience, this system will struggle to deliver. The primary culprit is the GPU. The Intel Arc B390's average benchmark score of 1,482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710. These are all entry-level or legacy parts, and the Arc B390's score is only 1.3% higher than the GT 520MX and 2.7% higher than the GT 710. This context is crucial; the processor is not the limiting factor here. The Ryzen 7 5700, in contrast, sits in the 78th percentile of all CPUs, with an average score of 25,517. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon D-2752TER and the AMD Ryzen 5 7640U, all with scores within a 0.3% delta. The data paints a clear picture: a powerful, capable CPU is being paired with a GPU that is in a completely different performance class, resulting in a combo rank that reflects the weakest link in the chain.

FAQ

Q: Why is the 4K Ultra setting performance so poor, with an average of only 12 FPS?

A: The Intel Arc B390 GPU is the limiting factor. Its performance is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its benchmark scores are directly comparable to decade-old NVIDIA entry-level cards like the GT 710. It simply lacks the raw rendering power (7.680 TFLOPS) to handle the pixel count of 3840x2160 at the highest detail settings.

Q: The CPU has 8 cores and 16 threads. Does it help in The Long Drive?

A: The CPU is more than sufficient. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20,655 and Passmark multithread score of 24,303 indicate a very capable processor for handling game logic and physics. The benchmark results show that the frame rate is not limited by the CPU but by the GPU, as evidenced by the massive FPS swings when only changing graphics settings.

Q: What is the best way to play this game with this hardware?

A: The data suggests that 1080p with Low settings, yielding an average of 95 FPS, is the only way to achieve a high-refresh-rate experience. For a more balanced visual quality, 1440p Medium provides a playable 51 FPS average, which is likely the best compromise between fidelity and smoothness.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The data shows it is only 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. This places it in the same performance tier as these very old, low-end components, confirming its status as a bottleneck in this system.

Q: Is the memory configuration a factor in the low performance?

A: Yes, indirectly. The GPU uses "System Shared" memory with a "System Dependent" bandwidth. This means it relies on the system's DDR4 memory, which is shared with the CPU. This shared memory architecture and the lack of dedicated high-speed VRAM likely contributes to the GPU's low performance in a game like The Long Drive, which requires constant texture streaming.

Q: The game was released in 2019. Is the game simply too demanding for this GPU?

A: The game's release date is a factor, but not an excuse for the GPU. The data shows that even at 1080p High, the system only manages 49 FPS. A modern, dedicated GPU would handle this resolution and setting without issue. The Arc B390's performance profile is simply too low to provide a consistently smooth experience at higher settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience is a clear trade-off between visual fidelity and playability. The benchmark results show a dramatic drop in performance as settings are increased. For a target of 60 FPS or higher, the only viable option is 1080p with Low settings, which achieves an average of 95 FPS. This is the only configuration that provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. If a user is willing to accept a lower frame rate for better visuals, the 1440p Medium preset offers a more balanced experience at an average of 51 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS. This is likely the "sweet spot" for this hardware. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 78 FPS, but the jump to High drops it to 49 FPS, indicating a significant performance cost. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it yields an average below 35 FPS at 1080p and drops to 12 FPS at 4K, making the game unplayable. The data strongly suggests that the GPU is so constrained that any attempt to raise settings at a given resolution will result in a disproportionately large FPS loss.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system shows a wide range of performance depending on the preset. With Low settings, the average frame rate is 95 FPS, providing a smooth experience. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 78 FPS, with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 90 FPS. High settings reduce the average further to 49 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with an average of only 34 FPS. This represents a 64% performance drop from Low to Ultra at this resolution. At 2560x1440, the performance degrades further. Low settings produce an average of 63 FPS, which is still playable. Medium settings drop to 51 FPS on average, with a range of 44 to 59 FPS. High settings yield 32 FPS, and Ultra falls to 22 FPS. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly overburdened. Low settings manage a 35 FPS average, Medium drops to 29 FPS (with a min/max of 24/33), and High is at 18 FPS. The Ultra setting is effectively unplayable at an average of 12 FPS. The data shows a consistent and severe penalty for increasing resolution, particularly at higher settings.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and reveals the GPU as the primary bottleneck. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 95 at 1080p to 63 at 1440p and then to 35 at 4K. This is a 63% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K. At Medium settings, the drop is from 78 FPS at 1080p to 51 FPS at 1440p and 29 FPS at 4K, a 63% reduction as well. The pattern is consistent across all settings. This scaling behavior is typical of a system where the GPU is the limiting factor. As the resolution increases, the number of pixels the GPU must process multiplies, and the Arc B390, with its limited compute power (7.680 TFLOPS), cannot keep up. The CPU, which has ample headroom, is not the issue. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions. The data implies that the limiting component is the graphics processor, and the only way to get a smooth experience is to significantly reduce the rendering load by lowering the resolution and settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5700 is a high-performance desktop processor, a fact that is clearly supported by the benchmark data. It has 8 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20,655 and single-core score of 2,916 are strong results. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 6,628 and 8-thread score of 5,585 show excellent multi-threaded scaling. With a 78th percentile ranking, it is a far more capable component than the GPU it is paired with. In The Long Drive, a driving simulation, the CPU is responsible for game logic, physics calculations, and AI. The data suggests that this CPU handles these tasks with ease. The fact that frame rates plummet when resolution increases, while the CPU's workload remains relatively constant, is a clear sign that the CPU is not the limiting factor. The processor is a Zen 3 architecture part on a 7 nm process, and its performance is more than sufficient for this game. The results point to a system where the CPU is ready to deliver high frame rates, but it is being held back by the graphics solution.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the definitive bottleneck in this system. Its performance is in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 1,482 is pitifully low. The nearest rivals are all NVIDIA GeForce GT series parts from over a decade ago. The GPU has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, but it only has 24 ROPs and 48 TMUs. Its FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS. More critically, it uses "System Shared" memory with a "System Dependent" bandwidth, meaning it has no dedicated VRAM. This architecture forces it to share the system's memory bus with the CPU, which is a significant handicap for a game like The Long Drive that requires constant asset streaming. The measured FPS data confirms this. At 1080p Low, the GPU can manage 95 FPS, but at 4K High, it drops to 18 FPS. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 is a clear indicator of its low performance ceiling. This is not a part designed for gaming; its performance class is simply too low. The data indicates that this GPU is the sole reason for the system's low combo ranking, and any upgrade path would need to focus on replacing this component.