The Long Drive

# The Long Drive with Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090

This pairing combines a 4-core, 8-thread Intel Core i3-12100F with the flagship NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090, creating an unusual balance in a driving simulation title. The CPU, based on Alder Lake architecture on Intel's 10 nm process, operates at a 3.30 GHz base clock and boosts to 4.30 GHz, while the GPU brings Ada Lovelace architecture on a 5 nm TSMC process with substantial memory resources. Benchmark results from 12 measured configurations show this combo ranking 58th out of 1,734 tested combinations, placing it in the top 3.3% of all pairings tested for this game.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F provides 4 physical cores and 8 threads, a configuration that relies on high per-core performance rather than raw core counts. Its single-thread performance is strong, evidenced by a 3dmark_single_thread score of 893 and a passmark_single_thread score of 3,444. Multi-threaded results show a 3dmark_max_threads score of 4,023, which is nearly identical to the 8-thread score of 4,026, indicating the processor saturates its thread capacity efficiently. In Cinebench R23, the multicore score reaches 11,912 while single-core hits 1,681, demonstrating a 7.1x scaling ratio between single and multi-threaded workloads.

Relative to its nearest rivals, this CPU sits in a tightly contested tier. The AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX averages 13,534 in aggregate benchmarks, a mere 0.1% ahead, while the Intel Core i7-1250U trails by 0.4%. The Intel Core i3-10105 is 0.6% behind, and the Intel Core i7-7700K lags by 1.8%. This places the i3-12100F in the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms nearly three-quarters of processors in general benchmark terms. For The Long Drive, the game's driving simulation nature likely benefits from the strong single-thread performance, as physics and game logic typically scale with per-core speed. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache helps maintain data locality for the 4 cores, while the dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support provides flexibility for system builders.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a massive GPU with 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, delivering 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its AD102 chip contains 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output pipelines, with 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores. Clock speeds start at 2,235 MHz base and boost to 2,520 MHz, enabling 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The 5 nm process from TSMC packs 76,300 million transistors into a 609 mm² die, achieving a transistor density of 125.3 million per square millimeter.

In benchmark terms, the RTX 4090 achieves a passmark G3D score of 38,194 and a 3dmark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223. Its percentile ranking of 91st among all GPUs indicates it outperforms 91% of graphics cards in the database. The nearest rivals show interesting deltas: the NVIDIA Tesla T4 averages 66,733, which is 0.4% higher, while the Tesla P40 is 0.5% lower. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 and NVIDIA Quadro P6000 trail by 0.9% and 1.3% respectively. For The Long Drive, the 24 GB VRAM capacity is substantial for a driving simulation, likely accommodating high-resolution textures and draw distances without memory pressure. The 1.01 TB/s bandwidth ensures texture streaming keeps pace with the GPU's rendering throughput.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves rank 58 out of 1,734 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the 96.7th percentile of all pairings. This ranking reflects the GPU's dominance in most configurations, while the CPU's 72nd percentile standing suggests it is not the primary bottleneck in this title. The measured FPS data confirms this interpretation: at 1080p Low settings, the combo reaches 312.1 FPS, which is 2.15x higher than the 144.8 FPS at Ultra settings at the same resolution. This scaling pattern indicates the CPU can feed the GPU adequately at lower settings, while higher settings shift more load to the graphics card.

When comparing to the broader context, this rank of 58 means only 57 other combos outperform this pairing in The Long Drive. The data shows that the RTX 4090's performance ceiling is rarely reached at 1080p, where even Ultra settings yield 144.8 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 53.2 FPS, suggesting the GPU becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The CPU's 4-core/8-thread configuration appears sufficient for this game's demands, as evidenced by the consistent frame rates across resolution changes at similar settings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 312.1 FPS average, Medium reaches 295.8 FPS, High hits 206.7 FPS, and Ultra drops to 144.8 FPS. The transition from Low to Medium costs only 5.2% performance, while Low to High reduces FPS by 33.8%. The jump from High to Ultra represents a 29.9% performance reduction, indicating a significant quality-per-frame tradeoff at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. Low settings yield 263.1 FPS, which is 15.7% lower than 1080p Low. Medium achieves 212.6 FPS, a 19.2% drop from 1080p Medium. High settings produce 132 FPS, a 36.1% reduction from 1080p High. Ultra at 1440p reaches 95.2 FPS, which is 34.3% lower than 1080p Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 63.8%, widening compared to the 53.6% gap at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's workload increases substantially. Low settings deliver 145.2 FPS, which is 44.8% lower than 1080p Low. Medium drops to 119.9 FPS, a 17.4% reduction from 1440p Medium. High settings achieve 74.6 FPS, representing a 43.5% drop from 1440p High. Ultra settings produce 53.2 FPS, a 44.1% decrease from 1440p Ultra. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at each settings tier ranges from 43.5% to 44.8%, showing consistent GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves?

A: The maximum measured average is 312.1 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: It ranks 58th out of 1,734 tested combos, placing it in the top 3.3% of all pairings.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded?

A: The lowest measured average is 53.2 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F is in the 72nd percentile, outperforming 72% of all CPUs in the database.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all graphics cards?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is in the 91st percentile, outperforming 91% of all GPUs.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo exceed 200 FPS?

A: It exceeds 200 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low (312.1), Medium (295.8), and High (206.7) settings, plus at 2560x1440 with Low (263.1) and Medium (212.6) settings.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data shows that the best experience depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 3840x2160, the High preset delivers 74.6 FPS, which is 40.3% higher than Ultra's 53.2 FPS while maintaining good visual quality. The Medium preset at 4K provides 119.9 FPS, a 61.1% improvement over High, though the visual difference may be noticeable. For players prioritizing smoothness at 4K, Medium offers the best balance, delivering nearly double the Ultra frame rate.

At 2560x1440, High settings achieve 132 FPS, which is sufficient for high-refresh-rate displays. The Medium preset reaches 212.6 FPS, providing headroom for 240 Hz monitors. Ultra at 1440p drops to 95.2 FPS, which still exceeds 60 FPS but sacrifices 28.1% performance compared to High. The data suggests High is the optimal preset at 1440p, as it maintains a high frame rate while preserving visual fidelity.

For 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 206.7 FPS, which exceeds the refresh rate of most monitors. The Medium preset at 295.8 FPS offers diminishing returns, as the difference between Medium and Low (312.1 FPS) is only 5.5%. Ultra at 1080p produces 144.8 FPS, which is 29.9% lower than High while adding marginal visual improvements. Based on the measured results, High at 1080p provides the best experience, balancing frame rate and image quality without exceeding practical display capabilities. The Low preset at any resolution yields the highest FPS but likely compromises visual detail beyond what most players would accept for a driving simulation.