The Long Drive

# The Long Drive with AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D + Intel Arc B370

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D paired with the Intel Arc B370 represents a stark asymmetry in The Long Drive: a top-tier desktop processor driving an integrated-class graphics solution. Measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings indicate the GPU is the decisive bottleneck, with the CPU's substantial compute resources largely underutilized in this driving simulation. The following analysis details the measured performance data, component roles, and practical settings guidance based exclusively on the benchmark results.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU/GPU combo in The Long Drive?

A: This combination ranks 2700 out of 2934 tested combos in the game, placing it in the bottom percentile of system configurations. The low ranking reflects the GPU's limited throughput rather than CPU capability, as the measured FPS figures show consistent GPU-bound behavior across all test scenarios.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals in raw GPU benchmarks?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test. Its closest competitor, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186 (0.2% higher), while the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (1.4% lower). This places the B370 in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, indicating entry-level performance territory.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1080p for this combo?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 86 FPS average, which is the highest measured frame rate for this combination. The Medium preset achieves 71 FPS average with a minimum of 60 FPS and maximum of 81 FPS, offering a balanced alternative with higher visual fidelity while maintaining playable performance.

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

A: At 3840x2160, performance drops significantly. The Low preset yields 31 FPS average, Medium produces 26 FPS (minimum 22, maximum 30), High delivers 16 FPS, and Ultra falls to 11 FPS. Only the Low preset approaches marginally playable territory, while higher settings are not viable at this resolution.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9800X3D perform relative to its nearest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 39768, placing it in the 87th percentile of all CPUs. It trails the AMD Ryzen 7 7700 by 0.8% (which scores 40081) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 365 by 0.7% (scoring 40048), while leading the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840HS by 0.4% and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450 by 0.7%.

Q: What does the measured FPS data reveal about the system bottleneck?

A: The frame rates scale dramatically with resolution and settings, with the 1080p Low preset reaching 86 FPS while 4K Ultra drops to 11 FPS. This pattern indicates the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component, as a CPU bottleneck would show less variation across resolution changes.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D provides 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.20 GHz. This processor features a 96 MB shared L3 cache, 1 MB L2 per core, and 80 KB L1 per core, with a 120 W TDP. The 4 nm process node (TSMC foundry) houses 8,315 million transistors on a 70.6 mm² die.

Synthetic benchmarks show strong multi-threaded capability: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 23230, Geekbench multicore reaches 18696, and 3DMark 16-thread scores 10081. Single-thread performance is equally robust, with Cinebench R23 singlecore at 2080 and Geekbench singlecore at 2964. The Passmark multithread score of 40009 and single thread score of 4430 further confirm the CPU's high throughput.

In The Long Drive, however, this CPU power is not the limiting factor. The measured FPS values at 1080p Low (86 FPS) versus 1440p Low (56 FPS) versus 4K Low (31 FPS) show a consistent halving of frame rates as resolution increases, which is the signature of GPU-bound rendering. The CPU's 87th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 39768 place it far above the GPU's 5th percentile standing, meaning the processor is likely idle or lightly loaded during gameplay.

The 16 threads and high boost clock would theoretically handle the physics and simulation aspects of a driving game well, but the data suggests the Arc B370's rendering throughput caps overall performance. The 9800X3D's nearest rivals in average benchmark score — the Ryzen 7 7700 at 40081 (0.8% higher) and Ryzen AI 9 365 at 40048 (0.7% higher) — would likely produce identical FPS in this configuration since the GPU remains the bottleneck.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture (Panther Lake chip) built on Intel's 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and boost clock of 2400 MHz, featuring 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units. The GPU includes 10 ray tracing cores and supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4.

Memory is system-shared with bandwidth described as "System Dependent," which means performance scales with the host system's DDR5 memory configuration. The GPU's compute capabilities include 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 and 12.29 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio), with pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width confirm its integrated nature.

The single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark score of 1184 places the Arc B370 in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rivals — ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster) — are all legacy discrete or mobile parts, while the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, 1.4% slower) trails slightly.

In The Long Drive, this GPU produces the measured FPS values that define the combo's experience. The 1080p Medium preset achieves 71 FPS average with a minimum of 60 FPS, which suggests the GPU can maintain playable frame rates at lower resolutions. However, the steep drop to 4K Ultra at 11 FPS highlights the GPU's limited fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints when pixel count quadruples.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 2700 out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. The ranking reflects the GPU's 5th percentile standing among all GPUs, which heavily outweighs the CPU's 87th percentile performance. The measured FPS data confirms this ranking is accurate for gaming workloads.

The stark contrast between component percentiles — CPU at 87th versus GPU at 5th — illustrates a fundamental imbalance. While the Ryzen 7 9800X3D can drive complex simulations and physics calculations, the Arc B370's 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and system-shared memory create a hard ceiling on frame delivery. At 1080p Low, the 86 FPS average is respectable, but this represents the GPU's maximum practical output in this title.

Compared to other combos, the 2700th rank out of 2934 suggests the Arc B370's integrated nature places this system in the lower tier of gaming configurations. The CPU's contribution to the ranking is minimal because the GPU saturates well before CPU limits are reached — even the 1080p Medium preset at 71 FPS with a 60 FPS minimum does not approach the CPU's frame generation ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience balances frame rate and visual quality. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides the best overall experience: 71 FPS average, 60 FPS minimum, and 81 FPS maximum. This maintains fluid gameplay while offering improved visuals over Low (86 FPS average but reduced detail). The High preset at 44 FPS average is playable but noticeably less smooth, while Ultra at 31 FPS dips below ideal responsiveness.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset (56 FPS average) is the only setting that maintains playable frame rates. Medium drops to 46 FPS average (minimum 40 FPS), which may be acceptable for slower-paced driving, but High (29 FPS) and Ultra (20 FPS) fall below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The 1440p Medium preset's minimum of 40 FPS indicates occasional stutter during demanding scenes.

For 3840x2160, no setting provides a fully smooth experience. The Low preset at 31 FPS is the only option approaching playability, while Medium (26 FPS average, 22 minimum), High (16 FPS), and Ultra (11 FPS) are all unsuitable for active gameplay. Users prioritizing resolution over smoothness might tolerate Low at 4K, but the data strongly suggests 1080p as the practical ceiling for this GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results show a clear performance hierarchy across presets. Low delivers 86 FPS average, Medium achieves 71 FPS average with a minimum of 60 FPS and maximum of 81 FPS, High produces 44 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 31 FPS average. The gap between Low and Medium (15 FPS) is smaller than the gap between Medium and High (27 FPS), suggesting the High preset introduces significantly more rendering workload.

At 2560x1440, performance drops proportionally. Low averages 56 FPS, Medium averages 46 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS, High averages 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 20 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset's minimum of 40 FPS indicates the GPU can sustain playable performance in less demanding scenes but may struggle during complex driving sequences.

At 3840x2160, all settings produce low frame rates. Low averages 31 FPS, Medium averages 26 FPS (minimum 22 FPS, maximum 30 FPS), High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS. The 4K Medium preset's narrow range (22-30 FPS) suggests the GPU is consistently saturated at this resolution, with little headroom for frame time variation.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU-bound nature of this configuration. At Low settings, performance scales from 86 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p (35% reduction) to 31 FPS at 4K (64% reduction from 1080p). This roughly tracks with pixel count increases: 1440p has 1.78x the pixels of 1080p, and 4K has 4x the pixels.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar: 71 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p (35% reduction), and 26 FPS at 4K (63% reduction). The consistency across presets indicates the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints, with the CPU's available headroom unused at every resolution.

The High preset shows more severe scaling: 44 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p (34% reduction), and 16 FPS at 4K (64% reduction). Ultra follows the same pattern: 31 FPS at 1080p, 20 FPS at 1440p (35% reduction), and 11 FPS at 4K (65% reduction). This uniform scaling behavior confirms that the Arc B370's rendering pipeline is the limiting component across all settings, with the Ryzen 7 9800X3D's substantial compute resources never becoming the bottleneck.