The Long Drive

# How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 2,594 out of 2,934 tested combos in The Long Drive. That places this configuration in the bottom percentile of all tested combinations, at roughly the 11th percentile overall. The data positions this combo as one that will struggle to deliver smooth gameplay in most scenarios, though it is not the absolute bottom of the pack — roughly 340 combinations perform even worse.

The ranking reflects a fundamental imbalance between the CPU and GPU in this pairing. The Ryzen 7 9700F is a high-end desktop processor with a PassMark average benchmark score of 69,996, placing it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (average score 69,875, deltaPct 0.2), the Intel Core i7-14700KF (average score 70,163, deltaPct -0.2), the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (average score 69,515, deltaPct 0.7), and the Intel Core i7-14700K (average score 69,355, deltaPct 0.9). These deltas are all within 1% of the 9700F’s average score, indicating the processor performs at the level of flagship-class CPUs from recent generations.

In contrast, the Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Panther Lake chip with Xe3-LPG architecture. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1,482, which places it in the 9th percentile among all GPUs. The nearest GPU rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (average score 1,463, deltaPct 1.3), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (average score 1,460, deltaPct 1.5), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (average score 1,446, deltaPct 2.5), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (average score 1,443, deltaPct 2.7). These are all entry-level or legacy discrete GPUs, and the Arc B390’s integrated nature means it competes at that very low performance tier.

The combination of a top-tier CPU with a bottom-tier GPU creates a system where the processor is dramatically overqualified relative to the graphics subsystem. In The Long Drive, a driving simulation game, the frame rate is ultimately constrained by the GPU. The combo rank reflects this reality — the system is held back by its weakest link, and the CPU’s strength does little to boost the overall ranking.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) built on Intel’s 3 nm process node. Its base clock is 300 MHz, with a boost clock of 2,500 MHz. The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning there is no dedicated VRAM; the GPU draws from the same DDR5 memory pool as the CPU. The memory bus width and bandwidth are both listed as system-dependent, so performance scales with the host platform’s memory capabilities.

The shader configuration consists of 1,536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 raster output units (ROPs). The GPU also includes 12 ray tracing cores. Its pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s. The FP32 compute throughput is 7.680 TFLOPS, with FP16 at 15.36 TFLOPS (2:1 ratio). The TDP is 80 W, and the slot width is listed as IGP, confirming its integrated nature.

In The Long Drive, the GPU’s performance is the dominant factor in determining frame rates. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 95 FPS on average. That drops to 78 FPS at Medium, 49 FPS at High, and 34 FPS at Ultra. These numbers illustrate a GPU that can handle the game at lower presets but becomes increasingly strained as graphical demands rise. The system-shared memory means there is no dedicated VRAM pool, which can introduce latency and bandwidth contention with the CPU when both compete for the same memory subsystem.

The GPU’s benchmark percentile of 9 places it among the weakest graphics solutions tested. Its nearest rivals are all NVIDIA parts from the GT 600 and 800 series, which are themselves very low-end. The deltaPct values are all positive — 1.3%, 1.5%, 2.5%, and 2.7% — meaning the Arc B390 scores slightly higher than these rivals, but the differences are minimal. In practical terms, the GPU delivers performance that would be considered acceptable only for very undemanding titles or at the lowest settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 95 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops the average to 63 FPS, a reduction of roughly one-third. At 4K with Low settings, the average falls further to 35 FPS.

The Medium preset tells a similar story. At 1080p, the average is 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 90. At 1440p, the average drops to 51 FPS with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 59. At 4K, the average falls to 29 FPS with a minimum of 24 and maximum of 33. The consistent minimum and maximum values across resolutions show that the frame pacing remains relatively stable, but the overall performance level declines sharply.

High settings show even steeper scaling. At 1080p, the average is 49 FPS. At 1440p, it drops to 32 FPS. At 4K, it falls to 18 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 34 FPS at 1080p, 22 FPS at 1440p, and just 12 FPS at 4K.

These results indicate that the limiting component is the GPU. The CPU’s performance is essentially constant across resolutions, but the GPU’s workload scales with pixel count. The frame rate drops roughly proportionally to the increase in resolution, which is characteristic of a GPU-bound scenario. The Ryzen 7 9700F has ample headroom to feed the Arc B390 at any resolution, but the GPU simply cannot keep up as pixel counts rise.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at every setting preset shows the GPU losing between 58% and 65% of its performance. This is a substantial reduction that makes 4K playable only at the lowest settings, and even then only marginally. At 4K Low, the 35 FPS average is borderline playable, but at 4K Medium (29 FPS), High (18 FPS), or Ultra (12 FPS), the experience would be too choppy for most users.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this combo in The Long Drive?

A: The data shows that 1080p is the only resolution where the combo achieves consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 95, at Medium it is 78, at High it is 49, and at Ultra it is 34. At 1440p, only the Low preset (63 FPS) and Medium preset (51 FPS) remain above 30 FPS. At 4K, no preset exceeds 35 FPS.

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

A: The Arc B390’s 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,482 is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1,463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1,460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1,446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1,443). These are all small margins, placing the Arc B390 at the very low end of the GPU performance spectrum.

Q: Is the Ryzen 7 9700F the bottleneck in this system?

A: No. The CPU has a PassMark average benchmark score of 69,996 and sits in the 94th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are within 1% of its score, including the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (69,875) and the Intel Core i7-14700KF (70,163). The frame rate scaling across resolutions indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, not the processor.

Q: What settings preset provides the most consistent frame times at 1080p?

A: The Medium preset at 1080p has a minimum FPS of 66, an average of 78, and a maximum of 90. This spread of 24 FPS between minimum and maximum is the tightest among all presets with measured min/max values. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 34 FPS, while High averages 49 FPS.

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

A: Only at the Low preset, where it averages 35 FPS. At Medium, the average drops to 29 FPS with a minimum of 24. At High, it averages 18 FPS, and at Ultra it averages 12 FPS. These results indicate that 4K is not a practical target for this GPU in this game, except possibly at the lowest settings.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F scores 4,691 in PassMark single-thread tests and 36,470 in multithread tests. It also scores 2122 in PassMark physics tests, 120,788 in integer math, 77,955 in floating-point math, and 421,988 in data compression. These scores indicate strong all-around performance, but they do not translate into higher frame rates because the GPU limits the system.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor from the 9000 series, based on the Zen 5 architecture (codename Granite Ridge). It has a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. The TDP is 65 W, and it uses the AMD Socket AM5 platform. The process node is 4 nm from TSMC, with 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die.

The cache hierarchy consists of 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 with a dual-channel bus and 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth. ECC memory is supported. The CPU provides PCIe Gen 5 with 24 lanes (CPU only). There is no integrated graphics, which means the Arc B390 is the sole display output. The CPU was released in September 2025 with a launch MSRP of $289, and it has an unlocked multiplier for overclocking.

In PassMark benchmarks, the CPU scores 4691 in single-thread tests, 36,470 in multithread, 2122 in physics, 120,788 in integer math, 77,955 in floating-point math, 421,988 in data compression, 21,488 in data encryption, 33,688 in extended instructions, 18,390 in prime number finding, and 45,890 in random string sorting. The average benchmark score is 69,996.

The CPU’s role in The Long Drive is to feed the GPU with draw calls, physics calculations, and game logic. Given its high performance, it is unlikely to be the cause of any frame rate limitations. The data shows that the CPU’s nearest rivals are all within 1% of its average score, confirming that it performs at the level of high-end desktop and mobile processors. However, the GPU’s low performance means the CPU’s capabilities are largely untapped in this pairing.

The absence of integrated graphics on the CPU means the Arc B390 is the only graphics solution. This is notable because the Arc B390 is itself an IGP, but it resides on a different chip (Panther Lake) and is paired with the 9700F through some platform configuration. The CPU’s 89.6 GB/s memory bandwidth is shared with the GPU, which uses system shared memory. This could create contention in memory-intensive scenarios, though the GPU’s low compute throughput is the primary constraint.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user’s target resolution and tolerance for frame rate variability. At 1080p, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 95, which is well above smooth gameplay thresholds. However, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a better balance of visual quality and performance, with an average of 78 FPS and a minimum of 66 FPS. The 24 FPS range between minimum and maximum (66 to 90) indicates reasonably stable frame pacing, which is preferable for a driving simulation where smoothness matters.

The High preset at 1080p averages 49 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth. The Ultra preset averages 34 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS target and may feel stuttery in fast-paced driving sections. For users who prioritize frame rate stability, the Medium preset at 1080p is the best choice, as it maintains a minimum above 60 FPS while providing moderate visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the Low preset averages 63 FPS, which is acceptable, but the Medium preset drops to 51 FPS with a minimum of 44. The High preset averages 32 FPS, and Ultra averages 22 FPS. For 1440p, the Low preset is the only one that consistently stays above 60 FPS. Users who prefer higher quality at 1440p might accept the Medium preset, but the frame rate will dip below 50 FPS at times.

At 4K, all presets fall below 60 FPS. The Low preset averages 35 FPS, Medium averages 29 FPS, High averages 18 FPS, and Ultra averages 12 FPS. None of these are ideal for smooth gameplay, but the Low preset is the only one that approaches playability. Users targeting 4K should expect to sacrifice visual quality significantly.

The data suggests that the best experience is achieved at 1080p with Medium settings. This configuration provides an average FPS of 78, a minimum of 66, and a maximum of 90, which is the strongest combination of performance and visual quality among all measured rows. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended due to the substantial frame rate penalties.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset combination. Minimum and maximum values are provided where available.

At 1920x1080:

• Low: Average 95 FPS
• Medium: Average 78 FPS, minimum 66, maximum 90
• High: Average 49 FPS
• Ultra: Average 34 FPS

At 2560x1440:

• Low: Average 63 FPS
• Medium: Average 51 FPS, minimum 44, maximum 59
• High: Average 32 FPS
• Ultra: Average 22 FPS

At 3840x2160:

• Low: Average 35 FPS
• Medium: Average 29 FPS, minimum 24, maximum 33
• High: Average 18 FPS
• Ultra: Average 12 FPS

The data shows a consistent pattern: each increase in resolution reduces the average FPS by roughly 30-40%, and each increase in settings preset reduces it by a similar margin. The Medium preset at all three resolutions is the only one with full min/max data, showing the frame rate ranges: 66-90 at 1080p, 44-59 at 1440p, and 24-33 at 4K. These ranges indicate that the frame pacing is relatively consistent, with no extreme spikes or drops.

The transition from 1080p Low (95 FPS) to 1440p Low (63 FPS) represents a 34% reduction, and the further drop to 4K Low (35 FPS) is another 44% reduction. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound workload where the rasterization load increases with pixel count. The CPU’s performance is sufficient to maintain these frame rates without introducing CPU-side bottlenecks.

The Ultra preset shows the most severe degradation: from 34 FPS at 1080p to 22 FPS at 1440p and 12 FPS at 4K. The 12 FPS result at 4K Ultra is the lowest measured value across all rows, indicating that this configuration is not viable for high-fidelity gaming at high resolutions. The High preset follows a similar but less extreme pattern, with 49 FPS at 1080p dropping to 18 FPS at 4K.

Overall, the measured FPS breakdown underscores the GPU’s role as the limiting component. The Ryzen 7 9700F provides ample compute headroom, but the Intel Arc B390’s modest specifications cap the achievable frame rates at every resolution and settings combination. Users seeking higher performance would need a more capable GPU, but within this pairing, the data supports 1080p Medium as the most balanced configuration.