The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation from 2019, presents an interesting benchmark scenario when paired with an Intel Core i5-10400F and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080. This combination produces a wide spread of frame rates depending on resolution and settings, revealing how the game’s engine scales with hardware. The data shows a system capable of very high refresh rates at 1080p, which progressively narrows as resolution increases, ultimately highlighting the GPU’s dominance in the workload. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, the role of each component, and where this specific combo stands among the thousands of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo demonstrates a clear and predictable scaling pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 180 FPS at 1080p to 121 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 67 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction in performance when moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45% reduction when stepping up to 4K. The scaling indicates that the game becomes increasingly GPU-bound at higher resolutions, with the rendering load growing faster than the CPU’s ability to feed frames.

The pattern is even more pronounced at the Low preset, where the average FPS falls from 232 at 1080p to 202 at 1440p, then down to 131 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is a substantial 35% decline, suggesting that even at the lowest settings, the pixel count at 4K presents a significant challenge for the RTX 4080. At the Ultra preset, performance is more modest to begin with, with 127 FPS at 1080p, 84 FPS at 1440p, and 47 FPS at 4K. The relative deltas are similar, with a 34% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a 44% drop from 1440p to 4K.

These numbers reveal that the limiting component shifts with resolution. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, can keep up with the GPU’s output. However, the steep declines at 4K strongly suggest the RTX 4080 is the primary bottleneck, as the sheer number of pixels being processed overwhelms the GPU’s rendering pipeline. The High preset’s 67 FPS average at 4K, while playable, is a far cry from the 180 FPS seen at 1080p, making it clear that resolution scaling is the dominant factor in performance.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo, the measured data points to Medium settings as the optimal balance between visual fidelity and frame rate, particularly for higher refresh rate displays. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers an average of 216 FPS, which is only 16 FPS lower than the Low preset’s 232 FPS, but offers substantially better visual quality. The High preset at 1080p still achieves a very playable 180 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High costs 36 FPS, a significant trade-off for what might be a marginal visual improvement.

At 1440p, the Medium preset stands out as the clear sweet spot, with an average of 188 FPS and a minimum of 160 FPS. This is comfortably above the 144Hz refresh rate that many monitors support, and the minimum frame rate ensures a smooth experience. The High preset at 1440p drops to 121 FPS, which is still good, but the Medium preset’s higher headroom makes it the safer choice for maintaining consistent frame times. The Ultra preset at 1440p, at 84 FPS, is a noticeable step down and may not be worth the visual gain for most users.

At 4K, the situation changes dramatically. The High preset’s 67 FPS average is the highest playable option, but the Medium preset’s 108 FPS average is the best choice for a smoother experience. The Low preset at 131 FPS is the only option that approaches high-refresh-rate territory, but it comes with the most significant visual compromises. The Ultra preset’s 47 FPS is too low for a comfortable experience in a driving game where smooth motion is critical. Therefore, the data suggests that Medium settings at 4K offer the best experience, providing a frame rate that is nearly double that of High while retaining more visual detail than Low.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the undisputed performance driver in this configuration, and its capabilities are clearly reflected in the benchmark results. The GPU’s 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s, which is more than sufficient for the textures and geometry in The Long Drive at any resolution tested. The measured frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, often exceeding 180 FPS, are a direct consequence of the GPU’s high shading unit count of 9728 and its boost clock of 2505 MHz.

The RTX 4080’s Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, delivers substantial compute throughput, with 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. This raw power translates into the high average FPS numbers seen across all presets. The GPU’s performance relative to its direct rivals is remarkably close; it scores within 0.1% of the RTX 4080 SUPER and is only 1.1% behind the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X in average benchmark score. This tight grouping suggests that the RTX 4080 is a well-balanced card that is not easily outclassed by its nearest competitors.

The GPU’s role as the primary bottleneck at 4K is evident in the data. The drop in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at the High preset is 113 FPS, which is a 63% reduction. This significant decline indicates that the rendering pipeline is saturated by the pixel workload, and the CPU’s ability to prepare frames is not the limiting factor. The RTX 4080’s TDP of 320 W and its triple-slot cooler are justified by the sustained performance on display, as it powers through even the most demanding 4K presets without falling below playable frame rates, albeit with some settings compromises.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo spans three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance. At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: the Low preset achieves an average of 232 FPS, which is the highest score in the entire dataset. The Medium preset delivers 216 FPS average, with a minimum of 184 FPS and a maximum of 249 FPS. The High preset reaches an average of 180 FPS, while the Ultra preset drops to an average of 127 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is capable of extremely high frame rates, with even the Ultra preset clearing the 120 FPS mark.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decline. The Low preset averages 202 FPS, while the Medium preset averages 188 FPS, with a minimum of 160 FPS and a maximum of 216 FPS. The High preset averages 121 FPS, which is still very smooth, and the Ultra preset averages 84 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p costs approximately 13% performance at the Low preset, but the gap widens to 33% at the High preset and 34% at the Ultra preset. This suggests that higher settings amplify the resolution scaling effect.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates become more moderate. The Low preset is the only one to exceed 100 FPS, with an average of 131 FPS. The Medium preset averages 108 FPS, with a minimum of 91 FPS and a maximum of 124 FPS, providing a playable experience with some headroom. The High preset averages 67 FPS, which is the minimum for a smooth 60 FPS experience, while the Ultra preset averages 47 FPS, making it unsuitable for fast-paced gameplay. The data clearly shows that 4K is the domain of the Medium and Low presets for this combo, as the higher presets cannot maintain the frame rates expected from a high-end GPU.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to achieve the highest frame rates?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the best resolution for maximum frame rates, with the Low preset achieving an average of 232 FPS. Even at the High preset, the average is 180 FPS, which is far higher than what is achievable at higher resolutions.

Q: Does the RTX 4080 bottleneck the i5-10400F in this game?

A: The data suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions. The frame rate drops significantly from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the GPU is saturated by the pixel workload. At 1080p, the CPU appears to keep up, but the scaling pattern shows the GPU limiting performance as resolution increases.

*Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM on the RTX 4080 sufficient for The Long Drive?*

A: The measured results indicate that the 16 GB of GDDR6X memory is more than adequate, as the GPU achieves high frame rates across all settings. There is no data suggesting a VRAM limitation, as the game’s requirements are well within the memory capacity.

Q: How does the i5-10400F compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Xeon 6756E and 0.5% higher than the AMD EPYC 7552. It is 0.3% lower than the Intel Core 7 160UL and 0.6% lower than the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C.

Q: What is the playable frame rate target for this combo at 4K?

A: For a 60 FPS target, the High preset at 4K, with an average of 67 FPS, is the minimum viable option. For a smoother 100+ FPS experience, the Medium preset at 108 FPS or the Low preset at 131 FPS are the recommended choices, as they provide a more comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, plays a supporting role in this configuration. Its base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.30 GHz provide adequate single-thread performance for the game’s simulation logic. The CPU’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 10283 and a single-core score of 1451, indicate a balanced level of processing power that is sufficient for most gaming workloads.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary limiting factor in The Long Drive, as the frame rates scale more with resolution than with CPU load. At 1080p, the CPU can feed the GPU effectively, as evidenced by the 232 FPS average at Low settings. However, the CPU’s performance relative to its rivals is noteworthy. The 3DMark single-thread score of 688 and the multi-thread score of 4735 show a typical profile for a mid-range 10th-gen processor.

The CPU’s cache configuration, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache, is adequate for the game’s data requirements. The memory bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s from dual-channel DDR4 is a potential limitation, but the measured FPS data does not indicate a memory bottleneck, as the frame rates are high across all resolutions. The CPU’s percentile ranking of 68 versus all CPUs shows it is a competent performer, but the GPU does the heavy lifting in this pairing. The nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon 6756E and AMD EPYC 7552, have similar average scores, indicating that the i5-10400F is well-positioned in the mid-range segment.

How This Combo Ranks

In the context of all tested combinations for The Long Drive, this pairing of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 achieves a rank of 603 out of 3725 combos. This places it in the top 16% of all tested configurations, which is a strong result given the CPU’s mid-range positioning. The rank indicates that the RTX 4080’s high performance compensates for the i5-10400F’s less powerful CPU, allowing the combo to outperform many systems with newer or more expensive processors.

The combo’s ranking is a direct reflection of the measured FPS data, which shows excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p. The high frame rates at these resolutions are proof of the GPU’s capabilities, and the CPU’s ability to avoid bottlenecking ensures that the system delivers consistent results. The rank of 603 means that there are 602 combos that perform better, but the vast majority of the 3725 tested combos are slower.

This ranking is particularly impressive when considering the CPU’s average benchmark score relative to its rivals. The i5-10400F scores within 0.6% of its nearest competitors, such as the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, yet the combo’s in-game rank is high due to the GPU’s dominance. The data indicates that for a game like The Long Drive, which is not heavily CPU-bound, the GPU is the primary determinant of overall performance. The RTX 4080’s ability to push high frame rates ensures that this combo is a capable performer, even if the CPU is not the newest or most powerful on the market.