The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation from 2019, presents an interesting case study for the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER pairing. The benchmark data reveals a system where the 6-core, 12-thread Comet Lake processor, which sits in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs, frequently becomes the limiting factor against the 5nm Ada Lovelace GPU, which is in the 88th percentile of all GPUs. This combination produces a wide range of frame rates that are highly sensitive to both resolution and graphical presets.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the shifting bottleneck between the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 231.9 FPS. This high frame rate is a strong indicator that the GPU is not being fully utilized, as the workload is light enough for the CPU's single-thread performance to govern the output. Moving to 2560x1440 on Low settings, the average FPS drops to 200.8, a reduction of 31.1 FPS, or 13.4%. This relatively modest decline suggests that while the GPU is taking on more work, the system is still somewhat constrained by the processor.

The trend becomes more pronounced at 4K. At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the average FPS is 130.5. This represents a significant 70.3 FPS drop from the 1440p Low result, a 35% decrease. This substantial fall indicates that the GPU is now becoming the primary bottleneck, as the pixel throughput demands of 4K outpace the CPU's ability to feed frames. The scaling pattern is consistent across other settings. For instance, at High settings, the FPS drops from 178.4 at 1080p to 119.0 at 1440p (a 33.3% decrease), and then further to 66.0 at 4K (a 44.5% decrease from 1440p).

The data suggests the RTX 4080 SUPER has ample headroom at lower resolutions. The 121.1M / mm² transistor density of the AD103 chip is largely idle at 1080p, waiting for more data from the CPU. The i5-10400F, with its 2.90 GHz base and 4.30 GHz boost clock, likely cannot maintain a high enough instruction throughput to feed the GPU's 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power. Only when the resolution increases to 4K does the GPU's workload become heavy enough to shift the balance, making the graphics card the definitive limiting component.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo perform at 1080p with High settings?

A: The system delivers an average of 178.4 FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings. This is a very playable frame rate for the driving simulation, indicating the GPU is more than capable at this resolution, though the CPU is likely limiting the absolute maximum output.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS with Low settings is 200.8, which is more than double the 85.0 FPS achieved with Ultra settings. This significant performance gap of 115.8 FPS highlights the heavy computational cost of the Ultra preset's effects, which engage the RTX 4080 SUPER's capabilities more fully.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 SUPER's performance held back by the Core i5-10400F?

A: Yes, benchmark results indicate this is the case, particularly at lower resolutions. The data shows very high frame rates at 1080p, such as 231.9 FPS on Low. The GPU's performance percentile is higher than the CPU's, and the relatively small FPS gains from 1080p to 1440p at lower settings suggest the CPU is the primary bottleneck before the GPU workload becomes too heavy.

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

A: The highest recorded average frame rate in the measured data is 231.9 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration that breaks the 230 FPS barrier.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested system configurations for this game?

A: According to the data, this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 282nd out of 1734 tested combos for The Long Drive. This places it in the top 16.3% of all recorded system performance for this title.

Q: Is the frame rate at 4K with High settings acceptable for smooth gameplay?

A: The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 with High settings is 66.0. This is above the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered the minimum for smooth, responsive gameplay, suggesting a generally playable experience even at this demanding resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER combination holds a rank of 282 out of 1734 tested combos for The Long Drive. This places it in the top 16.3% of all configurations in the database for this specific title. The rank reflects the system's ability to produce high frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p, despite the potential CPU bottleneck. The GPU's high average benchmark score of 53610, which puts it 0.2% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT and 2.9% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, is a major contributor to this strong showing.

However, the ranking also highlights the imbalance of the pairing. The CPU's average benchmark score of 14168 places it 1.1% behind the Intel Core i5-8500 and 1.2% behind the AMD Ryzen Embedded V2546. While these differences are small, the CPU's lower relative standing compared to the GPU suggests the system is not achieving its full potential. The data implies that a more modern, higher-performing processor would likely push this combo significantly higher in the rankings, as the GPU would be less constrained. The 282nd rank, while respectable, is likely a reflection of the processor's limitations in this simulation-heavy genre.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a complete picture of the system's performance across three resolutions and four settings levels.

At 1920x1080, the system is consistently fast. With Low settings, it achieves an average of 231.9 FPS. Moving to Medium reduces the average to 214.8 FPS. The High preset yields 178.4 FPS, while the demanding Ultra preset still produces a smooth 126.0 FPS average. The spread between Low and Ultra is 105.9 FPS, showing a substantial performance cost for the highest visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains high but the impact of resolution is clear. The Low preset averages 200.8 FPS. Medium settings are virtually identical at 190.8 FPS. The High preset drops to 119.0 FPS, and Ultra falls to 85.0 FPS. The 115.8 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at this resolution is even larger than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is becoming more of a factor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is fully engaged. The Low preset delivers an average of 130.5 FPS. Medium settings reduce this to 106.4 FPS. The High preset achieves 66.0 FPS, which is still playable. However, the Ultra preset is the most demanding configuration in the data, with an average of only 47.6 FPS. This is the only measured result below 60 FPS, making it the least suitable for smooth gameplay. The performance scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 62.8% reduction, underscoring the immense load of the Ultra settings on the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and the user's preference for visual fidelity versus maximum frame rate.

For 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is a clear recommendation. The system still achieves an average of 126.0 FPS, which is far above the threshold for smooth gameplay. This allows the user to experience the highest visual quality without any performance concerns. If a user prioritizes maximum refresh rates, the High preset at 178.4 FPS would be preferable, but the Ultra preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best choice for a balanced experience, delivering 119.0 FPS. This is an excellent frame rate for a driving simulator and offers a significant visual improvement over Medium settings. The Ultra preset, at 85.0 FPS, is still very playable and is a strong option for users who want the best possible image quality and have a high-refresh-rate monitor. The Low and Medium presets offer higher frame rates but forgo too much visual quality for the performance gain.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that High settings are the recommended maximum. The 66.0 FPS average is just above the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay, providing a good balance. The Ultra preset at 47.6 FPS is likely to cause noticeable stutter and is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience. The Medium preset, with its 106.4 FPS average, is the better choice if a higher frame rate is desired at 4K, though it will compromise on some visual effects. The Low preset is available for very high frame rates but will severely degrade the visual presentation of the game world.