The Long Drive

# The Long Drive with Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080

The data set for The Long Drive with this Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination shows a system that scales predictably across resolutions, with the RTX 5080 clearly dominating the performance envelope. The combo ranks 89th out of 1734 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5% of all recorded configurations for this driving simulation. Across all measured points, the average frame rates range from a low of 52.3 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 312.4 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that the GPU headroom is substantial at lower resolutions. The measured data covers 12 distinct resolution-and-settings combinations, providing a comprehensive view of how this pairing behaves under varying graphical loads.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 1440p to 4K reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound performance degradation, though the magnitude varies significantly by preset. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 312.4 FPS at 1080p to 251.4 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 61 FPS or roughly 19.5% when moving to the higher resolution. Continuing to 4K Low yields 141.1 FPS, which is another 110.3 FPS drop from 1440p — a 43.9% reduction. This accelerating decline at 4K suggests that the RTX 5080's memory bandwidth and pixel throughput are being heavily taxed at that resolution, even with minimal graphical features enabled.

For Medium settings, the scaling is similar but slightly less steep in absolute terms: 294.1 FPS at 1080p, 202.4 FPS at 1440p, and 111.4 FPS at 4K. The 1080p-to-1440p drop is 91.7 FPS (31.2%), while the 1440p-to-4K drop is 91.0 FPS (45.0%). The consistency of the 1440p-to-4K penalty across Low and Medium presets indicates that the resolution increase itself, rather than specific settings, drives most of the performance loss at higher pixel counts.

High settings show a more pronounced scaling curve: 194.2 FPS at 1080p, 125.5 FPS at 1440p, and 68.4 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 35.4% from 1080p to 1440p and 45.5% from 1440p to 4K. Ultra settings follow the steepest path, with 134.2 FPS at 1080p, 88.9 FPS at 1440p, and 52.3 FPS at 4K — drops of 33.8% and 41.2% respectively. Across all presets, the 4K penalty relative to 1440p hovers between 41-45%, while the 1440p penalty relative to 1080p ranges from 19.5% to 35.4%.

This scaling behavior indicates that the limiting component shifts depending on resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (312.4 FPS at Low) that the Intel Core i3-12100F's four cores and eight threads become the primary constraint, especially given the CPU's 3dmark_max_threads score of 4023 and single-thread score of 893. At 4K, the RTX 5080's rendering load dominates, as evidenced by the 52.3 FPS floor at Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a 4-core, 8-thread processor based on Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it at the 72nd percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516. The nearest rivals show a tightly clustered field: the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX scores 13534 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13462 (0.4% lower), the Intel Core i3-10105 scores 13430 (0.6% lower), and the Intel Core i7-7700K scores 13280 (1.8% lower). This positioning suggests the i3-12100F competes well above its core count would imply, thanks to its efficient Alder Lake design.

In The Long Drive, the CPU's role becomes apparent when examining the 1080p results. At 1080p Low, the system delivers 312.4 FPS, which far exceeds the refresh rate of typical monitors. However, the scaling from Low to Medium at 1080p is only 18.3 FPS (from 312.4 to 294.1), indicating that the CPU is already near its limit for frame generation. The jump from Medium to High at 1080p is more substantial at 99.9 FPS (294.1 to 194.2), suggesting that High settings introduce GPU-side effects that relieve some CPU bottleneck pressure.

The multi-threaded performance of the i3-12100F is modest by modern standards — its cinebench_r23_multicore score is 11912, and passmark_multithread is 14015. In a driving simulation like The Long Drive, which likely relies on physics calculations and world streaming, these four cores must handle all background tasks while the GPU renders frames. The 3dmark_8_threads score of 4026 is nearly identical to the max_threads score of 4023, confirming that the CPU's performance does not scale beyond eight threads — an expected result for a 4-core/8-thread part. This means that any workload in The Long Drive that uses more than eight threads will not benefit from the i3-12100F's architecture.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this pairing, with a 5 nm Blackwell 2.0 architecture, 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, and a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. Its boost clock of 2617 MHz and base clock of 2295 MHz drive 10752 shading units across 336 TMUs and 112 ROPs. The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 89th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 59188. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A570M at 58239 (1.6% lower), the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60326 (1.9% higher), the Intel Arc A580 at 57756 (2.5% lower), and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500X at 57661 (2.6% lower).

The RTX 5080's performance in The Long Drive is substantial across all measured points, but its headroom is most evident at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p Ultra, the card delivers 134.2 FPS, which is 82.5% of the 1080p High result of 194.2 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, the 88.9 FPS figure represents a 29.2% drop from 1440p High's 125.5 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the 52.3 FPS result is the lowest measured point, yet it still maintains playability for a driving simulation.

The GPU's memory subsystem is likely a key factor at 4K, where the 16 GB VRAM capacity and 960.0 GB/s bandwidth must handle high-resolution textures and rendering buffers. The measured 4K Low result of 141.1 FPS shows that even with minimal settings, the GPU can produce high frame rates, but the 4K Ultra result of 52.3 FPS demonstrates that the full feature set demands significantly more from the rendering pipeline. The RTX 5080's passmark_g3d score of 36565 and 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 score of 8637 confirm its raw capability, which the game leverages differently across presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate measured for this combination?

A: The highest measured average is 312.4 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: How does the Intel Core i3-12100F compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-7700K?

A: The i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516, which is 1.8% higher than the Core i7-7700K's score of 13280.

Q: What is the lowest average frame rate recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest is 52.3 FPS, occurring at 3840x2160 resolution with Ultra settings.

Q: Does the RTX 5080 outperform the Intel Arc A580 in benchmark scores?

A: Yes, the RTX 5080's average benchmark score of 59188 is 2.5% higher than the Intel Arc A580's score of 57756.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 202.4 FPS while High settings produce 125.5 FPS, a difference of 76.9 FPS favoring Medium.

Q: How many threads does the i3-12100F support, and does its benchmark score scale with thread count?

A: The i3-12100F supports 8 threads across 4 cores. Its 3dmark_8_threads score of 4026 is nearly identical to its 3dmark_max_threads score of 4023, indicating no performance gain beyond 8 threads.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results span a wide range. Low settings deliver 312.4 FPS, which is the highest frame rate in the entire data set. Medium settings produce 294.1 FPS, only 18.3 FPS lower than Low. High settings drop to 194.2 FPS, a significant 99.9 FPS reduction from Medium. Ultra settings yield 134.2 FPS, which is 60.0 FPS below High and represents the largest single-settings jump at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance scales down accordingly. Low settings achieve 251.4 FPS, a 61.0 FPS drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings produce 202.4 FPS, which is 91.7 FPS lower than 1080p Medium. High settings reach 125.5 FPS, down 68.7 FPS from 1080p High. Ultra settings deliver 88.9 FPS, representing a 45.3 FPS reduction from 1080p Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 162.5 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance is more constrained. Low settings still manage 141.1 FPS, which is 110.3 FPS below 1440p Low. Medium settings produce 111.4 FPS, a 91.0 FPS drop from 1440p Medium. High settings achieve 68.4 FPS, down 57.1 FPS from 1440p High. Ultra settings deliver 52.3 FPS, which is 36.6 FPS below 1440p Ultra. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 88.8 FPS, narrower than at lower resolutions.

Across all resolutions, the Low-to-Ultra ratio narrows as resolution increases. At 1080p, Ultra delivers 43.0% of Low's frame rate (134.2 vs 312.4). At 1440p, that ratio is 35.4% (88.9 vs 251.4). At 4K, it is 37.1% (52.3 vs 141.1). This pattern indicates that the RTX 5080's raw throughput becomes the limiting factor at 4K, while at 1080p the i3-12100F's CPU performance caps the maximum achievable frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that Medium settings at 1440p offer the most balanced experience for this combination. At 202.4 FPS, this configuration provides smooth frame pacing that exceeds the refresh rate of most high-end monitors, while the 1440p resolution delivers significantly more visual detail than 1080p. The 91.7 FPS penalty from 1080p Medium is acceptable given the resolution upgrade, and the 91.0 FPS difference to 4K Medium is not worth the resolution increase for most users.

For users prioritizing maximum visual fidelity, 1440p Ultra at 88.9 FPS is the highest settings level that remains comfortably above 60 FPS at that resolution. The 4K Ultra result of 52.3 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making it less suitable for consistent smoothness. At 4K, Medium settings at 111.4 FPS provide the best compromise, as they deliver more than double the frame rate of Ultra while maintaining a higher resolution than 1440p.

For competitive or high-refresh-rate play, 1080p Low at 312.4 FPS is the clear choice, though the jump to Medium at 294.1 FPS costs only 18.3 FPS and likely adds substantial visual improvements. The 1080p High result of 194.2 FPS remains above 144 Hz, making it a viable option for users with high-refresh displays who want better image quality without sacrificing frame rate. The Ultra preset at any resolution below 1440p delivers diminishing returns relative to High, as the 60.0 FPS gap at 1080p and 36.6 FPS gap at 1440p suggest that the additional settings do not proportionally improve the experience.