The Long Drive

# The Long Drive with AMD Ryzen 7 5800X + Intel Arc B580

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X paired with the Intel Arc B580 delivers a playable but heavily settings-dependent experience in The Long Drive, a Driving Simulation title released on 2019-09-02. The measured data shows this combo ranks 2811 out of 3725 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-mid tier of the database. At 1080p, the system can push well past 60 FPS on most presets, but 4K Ultra performance falls to just 21 FPS, indicating a clear need for settings management depending on the target resolution. The Arc B580's 12 GB of GDDR6 memory and the Ryzen 7 5800X's 8-core/16-thread configuration both play distinct roles in the observed results, which we break down across six measured configurations per resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The data shows a clear sweet spot at 1080p Medium, where the combo averages 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS. This preset delivers a frame rate that is 60% higher than the 85 FPS seen at High settings for the same resolution, while remaining comfortably above the 59 FPS Ultra result. For users prioritizing smoothness over visual fidelity, 1080p Low pushes the average to 165 FPS, which is the single highest measured result in the entire dataset.

At 1440p, Medium settings produce an average of 90 FPS with a 76-103 FPS range, making it the most balanced choice for this resolution. The step down to Low yields 109 FPS, but the visual trade-off is significant when compared to the 56 FPS High result. For 4K, the situation changes dramatically: only Low settings achieve a 60 FPS average, while Medium drops to 50 FPS and High falls to 31 FPS. The 4K Ultra preset is effectively unusable at 21 FPS.

The recommendation varies by target resolution: 1080p users should default to Medium for the best balance, 1440p users should stick with Medium as well, and 4K users must use Low to maintain playable frame rates. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p, where it still manages 59 FPS, but the jump from Medium to Ultra nearly halves the frame rate at every resolution — from 136 to 59 at 1080p, 90 to 39 at 1440p, and 50 to 21 at 4K.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with the BMG-G21 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It carries 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s. The GPU's base and boost clocks are both set at 2670 MHz, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The shading unit count is 2560, paired with 160 TMUs and 80 ROPs, and the card supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), Vulkan 1.4, and OpenGL 4.6.

The GPU's average benchmark score of 23021 places it at the 68th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (avg score 23061, deltaPct -0.2), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (avg score 22895, deltaPct 0.6), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (avg score 23172, deltaPct -0.7). These deltas are all within 1%, indicating that the Arc B580 sits in a tightly contested performance band despite being a newer generation part.

In The Long Drive specifically, the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth appear sufficient for the game's demands, as evidenced by the fact that 1080p Low reaches 165 FPS — likely near the CPU or engine limit. The 12 GB frame buffer is not a limiting factor at any tested resolution, since even 4K Ultra runs out of compute headroom before memory capacity becomes an issue. The FP32 throughput of 13.67 TFLOPS and texture rate of 427.2 GTexel/s provide the raw horsepower that drives the observed frame rates, but the steep drop from Medium to Ultra at each resolution (roughly 50-60% reduction in FPS) suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that heavily tax the GPU's shading and ROP capabilities.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X is a Zen 3 (Vermeer) part built on TSMC's 7 nm process, featuring 8 cores and 16 threads. Base clock is 3.80 GHz with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, and the CPU carries a 32 MB L3 cache alongside 512 KB L2 per core and 64 KB L1 per core. Memory support is DDR4 dual-channel with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s, and the CPU supports PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes. The TDP is rated at 105 W.

The CPU's average benchmark score is 29123, placing it at the 81st percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H (avg score 29093, deltaPct 0.1), the Intel Xeon Phi 7210 (avg score 29245, deltaPct -0.4), the Intel Core i5-13500HX (avg score 29270, deltaPct -0.5), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600XT (avg score 28940, deltaPct 0.6). All rivals fall within a 0.6% band, confirming the 5800X sits in a very competitive mid-range performance tier.

In The Long Drive, the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are evidenced by strong synthetic scores: 15476 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, 27732 in Passmark multi-thread, and 11036 in Geekbench multi-core. Single-thread performance is also solid, with 1574.5 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 3445 in Passmark single-thread. These numbers suggest the 5800X can feed the Arc B580 adequately at lower resolutions, which is consistent with the observation that 1080p Low hits 165 FPS — a likely engine or VSync ceiling rather than a GPU bottleneck.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent when examining resolution scaling. Since the frame rate drops substantially as resolution increases (165 to 109 to 60 from 1080p to 1440p to 4K at Low settings), the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions. The CPU has enough headroom to push well beyond 165 FPS if the GPU could deliver it, but the Arc B580's compute limits cap performance at 4K. The 8-core/16-thread configuration is more than adequate for this title, which is a driving simulation rather than a heavily threaded strategy game.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 2811 out of 3725 tested combinations in The Long Drive, placing it in the bottom quartile of the database. This is notable given that both components individually sit at or above the 68th percentile in their respective categories. The discrepancy suggests that this particular game is either poorly optimized for this hardware combination or that the game's engine imposes bottlenecks that neither component can overcome.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the RTX 3080 (avg score 23172, deltaPct -0.7), which is a much higher-tier card in the broader GPU hierarchy, yet the Arc B580 matches its average benchmark score within 0.7%. This indicates the Arc B580 punches above its weight in synthetic tests, but The Long Drive's measured FPS may not reflect that parity due to driver or architecture-specific issues. The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 0.6% of its average score, so the CPU is not the outlier in this pairing.

The low combo rank suggests that the combination of the 5800X and Arc B580 is not particularly well-suited to this title. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (21 FPS) and even 1440p Ultra (39 FPS) places this combo well below what higher-ranked combinations would likely achieve. However, the 1080p Medium result of 136 FPS shows that the hardware is capable when settings are tuned appropriately, so the ranking reflects the average across all settings rather than the peak capability.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a consistent pattern of frame rate decline as resolution increases, which is expected, but the magnitude varies by settings preset. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 165 at 1080p to 109 at 1440p (a 34% reduction) and then to 60 at 4K (a further 45% reduction). This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions, since the CPU has ample headroom given its strong multi-threaded scores.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar but slightly less steep: 136 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p (34% drop), and 50 FPS at 4K (44% drop). The High preset shows a milder proportional decline: 85 to 56 (34% drop) to 31 (45% drop). The Ultra preset exhibits the most dramatic scaling: 59 to 39 (34% drop) to 21 (46% drop). The consistent ~34% drop from 1080p to 1440p and ~45% drop from 1440p to 4K across all presets indicates a GPU-bound scenario where the Arc B580's compute throughput scales predictably with pixel count.

The fact that the proportional drops are nearly identical across all settings presets suggests that the bottleneck is purely fill-rate or shading-rate limited, rather than memory-bandwidth limited. If memory bandwidth were the constraint, the higher settings (which use more complex textures) would show steeper declines. The 456.0 GB/s bandwidth appears sufficient, so the limiting factor is likely the 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and the 213.6 GPixel/s pixel rate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings average 165 FPS, which is the highest measured value in the entire dataset. Medium settings produce 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 and maximum of 156, providing a wide safety margin for demanding scenes. High settings average 85 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings fall to 59 FPS, which is marginal but technically playable.

At 2560x1440, performance drops noticeably. Low settings average 109 FPS, maintaining smooth gameplay. Medium settings average 90 FPS with a range of 76 to 103, which remains comfortable for most displays. High settings average 56 FPS, dipping below the 60 FPS target. Ultra settings average 39 FPS, which is borderline for playability and would likely cause noticeable stutter in a driving simulation.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low settings average 60 FPS, exactly at the threshold for acceptable performance. Medium settings average 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 and maximum of 57, indicating inconsistent frame pacing. High settings average 31 FPS, which is below the playable threshold for most users. Ultra settings average 21 FPS, which is effectively a slideshow and not recommended for any gameplay scenario.

The minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings across all resolutions: 116 at 1080p, 76 at 1440p, and 42 at 4K. These minimums are all within 15-20% of the averages, suggesting relatively stable frame pacing rather than severe spikes. This is a positive indicator for the Medium preset, as it suggests the game maintains consistent performance without sudden drops.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gaming with this combo?

A: Medium settings provide the best balance, averaging 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS and maximum of 156 FPS. Low settings reach 165 FPS but sacrifice visual quality, while High drops to 85 FPS and Ultra to 59 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Long Drive?

A: Only at Low settings, which average exactly 60 FPS. Medium averages 50 FPS with a 42-57 FPS range, High averages 31 FPS, and Ultra averages 21 FPS. For a consistent 60 FPS experience at 4K, Low is the only viable preset.

Q: How does the Arc B580 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Arc B580 has an average benchmark score of 23021, which is within 1% of the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP (23061, deltaPct -0.2), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 (22895, deltaPct 0.6), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 (23172, deltaPct -0.7). It ranks at the 68th percentile among all GPUs.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 5800X a bottleneck for the Arc B580 in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at higher resolutions, since frame rates drop proportionally with pixel count (165 to 109 to 60 from 1080p to 1440p to 4K at Low settings). The CPU's 8-core/16-thread configuration and 15476 Cinebench R23 multi-core score provide sufficient headroom.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking in the database for this game?

A: The combo ranks 2811 out of 3725 tested combinations. This places it in the lower quartile, despite both components having respectable individual percentiles (81st for CPU, 68th for GPU), indicating this game is not particularly well-suited to this pairing.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to Medium in terms of frame rate?

A: Ultra settings reduce the average FPS by roughly 55-60% compared to Medium at every resolution: from 136 to 59 at 1080p, 90 to 39 at 1440p, and 50 to 21 at 4K. The visual fidelity gain from Ultra is unlikely to justify this performance cost in a driving simulation where smooth motion is critical.