The Long Drive

The Long Dive, a driving simulation from 2019, presents a demanding workload for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B570 combination. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily constrained by graphics processing at higher resolutions, while showing surprising strength at 1080p. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics, scaling behavior, and component roles based solely on the provided benchmark results.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases, indicating where the performance bottleneck lies. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 146 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings, the average drops to 96 FPS, a reduction of 50 FPS or roughly 34%. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average falls to 53 FPS, a significant drop of 43 FPS from the 1440p result and 93 FPS from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern demonstrates that the Intel Arc B570 is the primary limiting factor; as the pixel count increases, the GPU's workload expands dramatically, outpacing the CPU's ability to feed it frames.

The scaling behavior is consistent across all settings presets. For High settings, the average FPS goes from 75 at 1080p, to 49 at 1440p (a 26 FPS drop), and finally to 27 at 4K (a 22 FPS drop from 1440p). The Ultra preset shows the same trend, with averages of 52, 34, and 19 FPS for 1080p, 1440p, and 4K, respectively. The consistent percentage-based drops across presets suggest that the game's rendering load scales uniformly with resolution, and the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are being saturated in a proportional manner.

The difference between 1080p and 1440p is substantial, but the jump from 1440p to 4K is even more punishing. For instance, with Medium settings, the 1440p average is 79 FPS, but the 4K average is only 44 FPS. This indicates that the Arc B570's 10 GB of VRAM and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are not sufficient to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, regardless of the preset. The data suggests that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where the CPU has more headroom and the GPU can keep up with the demand. At 4K, the system consistently falls below the 60 FPS threshold, making it a poor choice for high-resolution gameplay.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the central figure in this performance analysis, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured FPS. The GPU features 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This memory configuration is a likely contributor to the steep performance cliff at 3840x2160, where the higher resolution demands more memory capacity and bandwidth than at lower resolutions. The benchmark data shows that at 4K, even the Low preset only manages an average of 53 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is struggling with the sheer volume of data.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed as a base and boost of 2500 MHz, which are identical. This fixed clock behavior might indicate that the card is consistently running at its maximum rated speed, but it is still not enough for 4K Ultra settings, which only yield an average of 19 FPS. The pixel rate is 200.0 GPixel/s and the texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s, figures that provide a theoretical ceiling for its rendering capabilities. The measured results show that the card is far from hitting those limits at 1080p, but it appears to approach them at 4K, where the fill-rate requirements become more demanding.

The GPU's overall standing, as indicated by its 65th percentile rank among all GPUs, places it as a mid-range performer. Its average benchmark score of 20556 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which has a deltaPct of 0.1, and the Intel Arc A750, which is 0.1% faster. This suggests that while the B570 is a capable card, it is not a high-end solution. The performance in The Long Drive reflects this; it delivers smooth frame rates at 1080p and playable rates at 1440p, but it is not designed for the demands of 4K gaming. The data strongly indicates that the GPU's VRAM and bandwidth are the limiting factors at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops are far more severe than what would be expected from a purely compute-bound scenario.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combination depend entirely on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60+ FPS experience, the choices are clear. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 146 FPS, and the Medium preset provides 120 FPS, both well above the 60 FPS mark. Even the High preset at 1080p achieves an average of 75 FPS, making it a viable option for those who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum frame rate.

At 2560x1440, the options become more limited. The Low preset is the only one that provides a frame rate above 90 FPS, with an average of 96. The Medium preset, with an average of 79 FPS, is also a strong candidate for a high-refresh-rate monitor. The High preset at 49 FPS is borderline, but it will not provide a consistently smooth experience on a 60Hz display. The Ultra preset at 34 FPS is not recommended for 1440p gaming.

The 3840x2160 resolution is where the system struggles. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, with an average of 53 FPS. However, this is still below the ideal 60 FPS target. The Medium preset drops to an average of 44 FPS, with minimums as low as 37 FPS, which would result in noticeable stuttering. The High and Ultra presets, at 27 and 19 FPS respectively, are unplayable for a driving simulation where smooth motion is critical.

The data suggests that the best overall experience, balancing visual quality and performance, is the Medium preset at 2560x1440. It provides a 79 FPS average with a minimum of 67 FPS, ensuring a stable and responsive experience. For 1080p users, the High preset at 75 FPS offers a noticeable visual upgrade over Medium while maintaining a solid frame rate. For 4K, users should stick to the Low preset and accept a sub-60 FPS experience, as any other setting will result in a significant performance penalty.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2342 out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This places it in the 21st percentile of tested systems, meaning that roughly 79% of the other CPU-GPU pairings tested in this game perform better. This low ranking aligns with the measured FPS data, which shows that the system is not capable of high frame rates at higher resolutions.

This ranking is a direct result of the GPU's limitations. While the CPU is a strong performer, the Arc B570 holds the system back, particularly in a game that seems to be sensitive to GPU memory bandwidth, as evidenced by the drastic FPS drops at 4K. The combo's overall standing is a reflection of its 1080p performance, where it does well, but it is dragged down by its inability to handle 1440p and 4K with high settings.

The data indicates that this pairing is not an optimal one for The Long Drive when compared to other available options. The 2342nd rank out of 2934 combos is a clear indicator that many other systems will provide a better experience. While the CPU is more than capable, the GPU's performance ceiling is the defining factor in this game's results. This is a classic case of a mid-range graphics card limiting a high-end processor, resulting in a system that performs well at lower resolutions but falls behind the pack in more demanding scenarios.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X plays a supporting role in this combination, and its performance is largely sufficient for the game's demands. The CPU has 8 cores and 16 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. This configuration provides strong multi-threaded performance, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20485 and its Passmark multithread score of 37161.

In The Long Drive, the CPU's role appears to be less critical than the GPU's, as the frame rates are primarily dictated by the graphics card's capabilities. The 1080p Low preset result of 146 FPS suggests that the CPU is capable of handling the game's simulation and physics logic at high frame rates. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see the FPS plateau around a certain number, regardless of the GPU load. However, the FPS continues to increase as the resolution decreases, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor even at 1080p.

The CPU's high single-thread performance, with a Geekbench single-core score of 3023 and a 3DMark single-thread score of 1280, is likely beneficial for the game's main thread, which handles the core simulation. However, the data suggests that this is not a constraint in this particular setup. The CPU's percentile rank of 86 places it well above average, and its average benchmark score of 37943 is nearly identical to its closest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14901E, which is only 0.1% faster.

The CPU's 32 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR5 memory with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensure that it can feed the GPU with data without creating a bottleneck. In this case, the CPU is not the limiting factor; it provides enough headroom for the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance. The data shows a system where the CPU is overqualified for the GPU, resulting in the GPU being the sole bottleneck at all tested resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination.

At 1920x1080, the system performs at its best. The Low preset achieves the highest average at 146 FPS. The Medium preset is next, with an average of 120 FPS, and a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS. The High preset yields an average of 75 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, bringing the average down to 52 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops significantly. The Low preset still provides a high average of 96 FPS. The Medium preset delivers an average of 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS. The High preset averages 49 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to an average of 34 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system is heavily GPU-bound. The Low preset is the only one that remains somewhat playable, with an average of 53 FPS. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS. The High preset drops to 27 FPS, and the Ultra preset is nearly unplayable at 19 FPS.

The data clearly shows a linear performance degradation as resolution increases. For every preset, the frame rate roughly halves when moving from 1080p to 4K. This pattern is a textbook example of a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering load, rather than the CPU's simulation load, is the primary determinant of performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo in The Long Drive?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution. It is the only resolution where all presets, except Ultra, achieve average FPS above 75. At 2560x1440, only the Low and Medium presets are viable, and at 3840x2160, even the Low preset falls below 60 FPS.

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

A: The data suggests that 4K gaming is not a good experience. The Low preset at 3840x2160 averages 53 FPS, but the Medium preset drops to 44 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets are at 27 FPS and 19 FPS, respectively. These results are below the standard of 60 FPS for smooth gameplay.

Q: Which settings preset offers the best balance of performance and quality at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset is the recommended choice. It provides an average of 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS, which is a stable and smooth experience. The High preset at 49 FPS is too close to the 60 FPS target and will likely result in noticeable frame drops.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B570 has an average benchmark score of 20556. This is 0.1% slower than the Intel Arc A750, which has a score of 20582, and 0.1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which has a score of 20534. Its performance is essentially identical to these cards in synthetic benchmarks.

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X a bottleneck in this configuration?

A: No, the data does not indicate that the CPU is a bottleneck. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 146 FPS, showing that the CPU can handle high frame rates. The FPS drops consistently with increasing resolution, which points to the GPU as the primary limiting factor.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested systems in this game?

A: This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and Intel Arc B570 ranks 2342 out of 2934 tested combos. This places it in the low-to-mid range of all tested systems, indicating that the majority of other CPU-GPU pairings deliver better performance in The Long Drive.