The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation from 2019, presents an unusual challenge for the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and Intel Arc B390 combination. The data shows a system where the CPU is a high-end desktop part, but the GPU is an integrated graphics processor designed for mobile devices. This pairing creates a significant bottleneck that dictates performance across all tested resolutions and settings.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, clearly indicating that the Intel Arc B390 is the limiting component. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 95 FPS at 1920x1080 to 63 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 32 FPS. Moving to 4K at 3840x2160, the average drops further to 35 FPS. This represents a 63% decrease in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at the lowest settings, a scaling pattern that points directly at the GPU struggling with the increasing pixel count.

The trend is consistent across all quality presets. At High settings, the average FPS goes from 49 at 1080p to 32 at 1440p, and finally to 18 at 4K. Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 78 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, sees averages of 34 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and a nearly unplayable 12 FPS at 4K. The data reveals that the Arc B390's performance is heavily taxed by resolution increases, with the largest relative drops occurring between 1440p and 4K.

This behavior suggests that the game's rendering load at higher resolutions is almost entirely on the GPU. The Ryzen 7 5800XT, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, has ample processing power for a driving simulation, but it cannot compensate for the integrated GPU's limited fill rate and shading capabilities. The steep decline in FPS as resolution scales is a classic symptom of a GPU bottleneck, where the processor is waiting on the graphics unit to finish its work. The gap between the CPU's potential and the GPU's delivery is vast, making the resolution scaling curve exceptionally steep in this configuration.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate over visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the game is quite playable on lower presets. The Low preset delivers an average of 95 FPS, which is excellent for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset, with an average of 78 FPS and a minimum of 66 FPS, offers a better balance of visual quality and performance, ensuring the frame rate stays well above 60 FPS. High settings at 1080p drop the average to 49 FPS, which is still acceptable but shows the GPU is starting to struggle. Ultra settings at 1080p, with an average of 34 FPS, are not recommended for a consistently smooth experience.

At 2560x1440, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset is the only option that provides a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 63 FPS. The Medium preset averages 51 FPS, which is playable but may exhibit noticeable stutters in more demanding scenes, as indicated by the 44 FPS minimum. High settings at 1440p drop to 32 FPS average, and Ultra is not a viable option at 22 FPS. For a 1440p display, sticking to Low settings is the only way to maintain a frame rate that feels responsive.

At 3840x2160, the data shows that this combination is not suited for 4K gaming. The highest average FPS at 4K is 35, achieved on the Low preset. This is below the threshold for smooth, playable performance in most driving games. The Medium preset averages 29 FPS, and High and Ultra are effectively unplayable at 18 FPS and 12 FPS, respectively. The data indicates that the best experience for this combo is at 1080p with Medium settings, which provides a 78 FPS average and a 66 FPS minimum, ensuring a good balance of visual quality and smooth gameplay without overburdening the integrated GPU. For users prioritizing frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p is the only setting that consistently stays near the 100 FPS mark.

FAQ

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

A: The data clearly shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where this combination can achieve high frame rates. At 1080p, even the High preset reaches an average of 49 FPS, whereas at 2560x1440, the Low preset is required to stay above 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, all presets fail to reach 40 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle Ultra settings in The Long Drive?

A: The benchmark results indicate that Ultra settings are not practical for this combination. The highest average FPS on Ultra is only 34 at 1080p. At 1440p, it drops to 22 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 12 FPS. These numbers are too low for a smooth driving simulation experience.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1080p, the average FPS increases from 34 on Ultra to 95 on Low, a difference of 61 FPS. This gap widens at higher resolutions; at 4K, the average FPS goes from 12 on Ultra to 35 on Low, a 23 FPS difference, showing the GPU's limitations are exacerbated by higher settings.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B390 a dedicated graphics card?

A: No, the data describes it as an "IGP" (Integrated Graphics Processor) with a slot width of "IGP" and a bus interface of "IGP". It is part of the Intel Arc Graphics-M line for Panther Lake processors, and its memory is "System Shared," meaning it uses the system's main memory rather than its own dedicated VRAM.

Q: How does the performance at 1440p Medium compare to 1080p High?

A: The data shows them to be quite different. At 1440p Medium, the average FPS is 51 with a minimum of 44. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 49. While the averages are similar, the 1440p Medium setting has a higher minimum frame rate (44 FPS) compared to the 1080p High setting, which has no recorded minimum but a lower average, suggesting a less stable experience at the higher resolution.

Q: Does the Ryzen 7 5800XT help improve frame rates in this game?

A: The data suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor. The Ryzen 7 5800XT has 8 cores and 16 threads, and its benchmark scores (e.g., a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 23794) are strong. However, the measured FPS in The Long Drive are low, indicating that the Intel Arc B390 is the bottleneck, preventing the CPU from being fully utilized.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800XT and Intel Arc B390 in The Long Drive is ranked at 2594 out of 2934 tested combos. This places it in the bottom 12% of all combinations in the database, confirming that this pairing is not well-suited for this game. The rank reflects the severe performance limitations imposed by the integrated GPU.

The CPU itself is a capable part. It ranks in the 81st percentile against all CPUs, and its average benchmark score of 29879 puts it in the same league as rivals like the AMD Ryzen 7 7840H and AMD Ryzen 5 9600X. For instance, it is 0.6% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 5 9600X in average benchmark score. This indicates the processor has significant headroom for more demanding tasks.

However, the GPU's performance is a different story. The Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile against all GPUs, and its average benchmark score of 1482 places it near the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and NVIDIA GeForce GT 710. In fact, it is only 1.3% ahead of the GT 520MX and 2.7% ahead of the GT 710. These are entry-level graphics solutions from over a decade ago, highlighting the massive gap between the CPU and GPU capabilities in this system. The combo’s low rank in-game is a direct result of this GPU bottleneck.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the primary factor limiting performance in The Long Drive. It is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. Its clock speeds are listed as a base of 300 MHz and a boost of 2500 MHz, but these are its only specifications that matter for this analysis. Crucially, its memory is "System Shared," meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and relies on the system's main memory, with bandwidth described as "System Dependent."

This lack of dedicated video memory is a major constraint. The game must use system RAM for textures and frame buffers, which is slower than dedicated GDDR memory. The GPU's performance metrics are modest: it has 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs. Its calculated pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. These figures are low for a modern game like The Long Drive, especially at higher resolutions.

The data shows a clear correlation between the GPU's capabilities and the measured FPS. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score for the B390 is 1482, which is its only recorded benchmark. This low score aligns with the poor in-game performance, where even at 1080p Low settings, the average FPS is only 95. The GPU's role is to render the game world, and its limited processing power and shared memory bandwidth are insufficient to keep up with the Ryzen 7 5800XT, resulting in the low frame rates seen across all settings and resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following data represents the exact measured average FPS for each tested configuration. Minimum and maximum FPS were only recorded for the Medium preset.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: Average 34 FPS.
• High: Average 49 FPS.
• Medium: Average 78 FPS, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS.
• Low: Average 95 FPS.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: Average 22 FPS.
• High: Average 32 FPS.
• Medium: Average 51 FPS, with a minimum of 44 FPS and a maximum of 59 FPS.
• Low: Average 63 FPS.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: Average 12 FPS.
• High: Average 18 FPS.
• Medium: Average 29 FPS, with a minimum of 24 FPS and a maximum of 33 FPS.
• Low: Average 35 FPS.

The data shows a consistent pattern: for every resolution, the Low preset provides the highest average FPS, and the Ultra preset provides the lowest. The gap between Low and Ultra is significant at all resolutions, but the overall performance level is always limited. The 1080p Low preset is the only configuration that breaks the 90 FPS mark, while all 4K presets fail to reach 40 FPS. The Medium preset is the only one with recorded minimum and maximum FPS values, showing a variance of about 24 FPS at 1080p and 1440p, and 9 FPS at 4K, suggesting less stable frame times at lower resolutions.