The Long Drive

The Long Drive pairs the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, a 12-core/24-thread desktop processor, with the Intel Arc B370, an integrated graphics solution from Intel. The benchmark data shows this combination produces a heavily GPU-limited experience, with frame rates that vary dramatically based on resolution and quality settings. The Arc B370, with its system-shared memory and modest 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, struggles to keep pace with the demands of this driving simulation at higher presets, while the Ryzen 9 9900X’s substantial multi-threaded capabilities remain largely underutilized. The following analysis breaks down the measured performance data step by step.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average frame rate this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest measured average at 1920x1080 is 86 FPS, achieved with the Low preset. The Medium preset delivers 71 FPS, High delivers 44 FPS, and Ultra drops to 31 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B370 has an average benchmark score of 1184. It is 0.2% behind the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, 0.5% behind the ATI Radeon HD 5770, and 0.7% behind the AMD Radeon HD 7650M, while being 1.4% ahead of the AMD FirePro M2000.

Q: Is there a measurable FPS range for the Medium preset?

A: Yes, the data includes min and max FPS for the Medium preset at all three tested resolutions. At 1080p, it ranges from 60 to 81 FPS. At 1440p, it ranges from 40 to 53 FPS. At 4K, it ranges from 22 to 30 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested combinations for this game?

A: The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3438 out of 3725 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the lower percentile of tested systems.

Q: Does the CPU have a high average benchmark score relative to other processors?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57498 and sits in the 92nd percentile among all CPUs. Its closest rival, the AMD EPYC 9015, scores 57555, a delta of -0.1%.

Q: What is the only 3DMark benchmark result available for the GPU?

A: The only GPU benchmark listed is 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, where the Arc B370 scores 1184 points. This places the GPU in the 5th percentile of all GPUs.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the primary bottleneck in this configuration, as its integrated nature dictates system-shared memory and a system-dependent memory bandwidth. The GPU’s performance profile, characterized by a 300 MHz base clock and 2400 MHz boost clock, directly correlates with the frame rates observed in The Long Drive. With a FP32 compute rating of 6.144 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s, the Arc B370’s raw throughput is modest, which explains its 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its average benchmark score of just 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all older or lower-tier parts, including the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2% delta) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5% delta). This indicates that the Arc B370 is operating at a performance level comparable to legacy discrete graphics solutions, which is insufficient for high-end gaming at higher resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo manages only 11 FPS, while at 1080p Low it reaches 86 FPS, demonstrating that the GPU’s capabilities are best suited for lower graphical loads. The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width further confirm its positioning as a low-power integrated solution rather than a performance-oriented discrete card. The system-shared memory type means that the GPU does not have dedicated VRAM, and its performance is heavily dependent on the system's memory configuration, which is not detailed in the measured results.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, with the GPU being the limiting factor at every step. At the Low preset, the average frame rate drops from 86 FPS at 1080p to 56 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 30 FPS, and then further down to 31 FPS at 4K. This steep decline indicates that the Arc B370’s pixel throughput is quickly saturated as the number of pixels nearly doubles from 1080p to 1440p and then again from 1440p to 4K.

The Medium preset follows a similar trajectory: 71 FPS at 1080p, 46 FPS at 1440p, and 26 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows an even more pronounced drop, with 44 FPS at 1080p falling to 29 FPS at 1440p and finally to 16 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, starting at just 31 FPS at 1080p, which plummets to 20 FPS at 1440p and bottoms out at 11 FPS at 4K. The consistent pattern across all presets suggests a purely GPU-bound scenario; the Ryzen 9 9900X, with its high single-threaded score of 2253 in Cinebench R23, is not the constraining component. The frame rate drops are almost entirely attributable to the GPU’s inability to handle the increased pixel count, confirming that resolution scaling has a direct and severe impact on playability with this combo.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal settings for this combination are heavily dependent on the target resolution, with the Low preset providing the only consistently playable experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields 86 FPS on average, which is the only setting that approaches high-refresh-rate territory. The Medium preset at 1080p still offers a respectable 71 FPS with a measured range of 60 to 81 FPS, making it a viable option for smoother visuals if the user can accept a slight frame rate hit. The High preset at 1080p drops to 44 FPS, and Ultra falls to 31 FPS, both of which are less desirable for a driving simulation that benefits from fluid motion.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only setting that maintains an average above 50 FPS, hitting 56 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 46 FPS, which is borderline playable, but the High preset at 29 FPS and Ultra at 20 FPS are likely too choppy for a smooth experience. At 3840x2160, the data shows that no preset is truly ideal; the Low preset averages 31 FPS, which is on the edge of playability, while Medium averages 26 FPS, High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS. The recommendation is to use the Low preset for any resolution above 1080p, and to consider Medium only at 1080p. The Ultra preset is effectively unusable at any resolution, as its highest average is 31 FPS at 1080p, which is below the threshold for a consistently smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B370 is ranked 3438 out of 3725 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested systems. This low ranking is almost entirely due to the GPU’s weak performance, as the CPU is a high-end part that ranks in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. The disparity between the CPU’s capability and the GPU’s output is stark: the Ryzen 9 9900X has an average benchmark score of 57498, while the Arc B370 has a score of just 1184. This indicates a severe imbalance, where the processor is vastly more powerful than the graphics solution, leading to a system that is heavily GPU-limited in this game.

The combo’s rank of 3438 suggests that most other tested combinations, even those with less capable CPUs, outperform it in The Long Drive because they likely pair their processors with more powerful discrete GPUs. The data shows that the Arc B370’s nearest rivals are legacy parts like the ATI Radeon HD 5770, which are not modern gaming solutions. This places the combo in a performance tier that is unsuitable for the game’s higher settings, and the measured FPS at 4K Ultra (11 FPS) and 1440p Ultra (20 FPS) confirm that it is at the very bottom of the performance spectrum for this title. The CPU’s high percentile ranking does little to boost the overall combo rank, as the GPU’s 5th percentile performance dominates the outcome.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four quality presets. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 86 FPS, which is the highest of any configuration. The Medium preset at 1080p averages 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS. The High preset averages 44 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 31 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the combo can handle lower settings well, but struggles to maintain high frame rates at higher quality levels.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 56 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 1080p result. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 46 FPS, with a range of 40 to 53 FPS. The High preset averages 29 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 20 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 31 FPS, the Medium preset averages 26 FPS (with a min of 22 and max of 30), the High preset averages 16 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 11 FPS. The data reveals a consistent pattern: each step up in resolution reduces the average FPS by roughly 30-40% across all presets, while each step up in quality from Low to Ultra roughly halves the frame rate. The min and max FPS data for the Medium preset shows that frame pacing is relatively stable, with a spread of about 21 FPS at 1080p, 13 FPS at 1440p, and 8 FPS at 4K.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a high-end desktop processor with 12 cores and 24 threads, based on the Zen 5 architecture and codenamed Granite Ridge. It operates on the AMD Socket AM5 platform and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, offering a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The CPU’s base clock is 4.40 GHz, and it can boost up to 5.60 GHz, with a TDP of 120 W. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and a single-core score of 2253, as well as a Geekbench multi-core score of 22174 and a single-core score of 3010. The CPU’s average benchmark score of 57498 places it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs.

Despite this processing power, the data indicates that the CPU has minimal impact on the measured FPS in The Long Drive. The frame rates are consistently low across all settings, and the scaling between resolutions is uniform, which is a hallmark of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD EPYC 9015 (57555, -0.1% delta) and the Intel Core i9-14900 (58115, -1.1% delta), have similar average scores, yet the combo’s performance does not reflect this level of CPU capability. The 12 cores and 24 threads are largely idle during gameplay, as the Arc B370 cannot feed frames fast enough to utilize them. The CPU’s high single-threaded performance, evidenced by a PassMark single-thread score of 4672, is also underutilized, suggesting that the game’s engine is not CPU-bound in this configuration. In essence, the Ryzen 9 9900X provides ample headroom, but the Intel Arc B370’s limitations cap the entire system’s performance.