The Long Drive

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D presents an interesting study in bottlenecking within The Long Drive. The data indicates a system where the GPU is overwhelmingly powerful, but the 6-core Comet Lake processor from 2020 frequently becomes the limiting factor, especially at lower resolutions. This combination ranks in the 92nd percentile among all tested GPUs, yet the CPU sits in the 68th percentile, creating a mismatch that dictates performance scaling. The measured FPS shows that while the RTX 5090 D is capable of extreme frame rates, the i5-10400F holds it back from reaching its full potential in many scenarios. This analysis breaks down the measured results to show exactly where this pairing excels and where it struggles.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on your target resolution and refresh rate. The most balanced experience is found at Medium settings, which offers a strong compromise between visual fidelity and frame rate stability across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium produces an average of 216 FPS, which is only 16 FPS lower than Low but 36 FPS higher than High. More importantly, Medium is the only setting tier that provides both minimum and maximum FPS data, showing a range of 184-249 FPS, indicating a more stable frame time distribution than the other presets which only list averages.

For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, Low settings provide the best path to maximizing frame rates, hitting an average of 202 FPS. This is a significant jump from the 146 FPS average at High and the 188 FPS at Medium. However, the difference between Low and Medium at 1440p is only 14 FPS, making Medium a more sensible choice for the visual uplift unless you are chasing every last frame. At 4K, the situation changes; Medium is the clear sweet spot, delivering 130 FPS, which is 49 FPS higher than High and 74 FPS higher than Ultra. Low at 4K does reach 158 FPS, but the visual degradation at that resolution is typically not worth the 28 FPS gain over Medium.

The Ultra preset is generally not recommended for this pairing. The performance drop from Medium to Ultra is drastic: a 74 FPS loss at 4K, an 87 FPS loss at 1440p, and a 62 FPS loss at 1080p. Given that the i5-10400F is likely the bottleneck at lower resolutions, the extra load from Ultra settings seems to disproportionately impact the CPU's ability to feed the GPU, resulting in poor scaling. For a smooth experience, stick with Medium for a balance of quality and speed, or drop to Low if you prioritize maximum frame rates over visual detail.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is an absolute powerhouse, featuring 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. With a boost clock of 2407 MHz and 21760 shading units, the card is capable of massive compute throughput, evidenced by its 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance. However, in The Long Drive, the GPU's role is often secondary to the CPU. The data shows that at 1080p, the frame rate difference between Low (232 FPS) and Ultra (154 FPS) is 78 FPS, which is substantial but not proportional to the GPU load increase. This suggests that the CPU is struggling to issue draw calls fast enough to keep the GPU fully utilized at lower resolutions.

The GPU's 32 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, which is a driving simulation with relatively simple textures. The measured results show no signs of VRAM limitations, even at 4K Ultra. The RTX 5090 D's vast memory bandwidth and capacity are effectively irrelevant in this title; the card is never starved for data or memory space. Instead, the GPU's role is to render frames as fast as the CPU can provide them. At 4K, the GPU becomes more of a limiting factor, as the resolution scaling increases the pixel fill rate demand. The 81 FPS at 4K High versus 146 FPS at 1440p High shows the GPU is working harder, but even then, the CPU's influence is still present.

The benchmark results for the GPU show a Passmark G3D score of 44065, placing it in the 92nd percentile. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which is 1.6% slower, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, which is 2.4% slower. This confirms the RTX 5090 D is a top-tier card, but in this specific combo, its performance is capped by the i5-10400F's single-thread and multi-thread capabilities, particularly in scenarios where the game logic and physics simulation are the primary bottlenecks.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 239th out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the top 8% of all configurations. This is a strong overall ranking, but it is important to contextualize it. The high rank is almost entirely due to the GPU's raw power; the CPU is holding the combo back from a higher placement. If we were to pair this GPU with a more modern, higher-performing CPU, the rank would likely improve significantly.

The data suggests that this combo is performing below the sum of its parts. The GPU alone is in the 92nd percentile, but the combo rank of 239/2934 is not proportionally high. This discrepancy indicates a bottleneck. The i5-10400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, has a Passmark multithread score of 12115 and a single-thread score of 2541. These scores are decent for everyday use, but they are not in the same league as the GPU. In a game like The Long Drive, which appears to be CPU-sensitive based on the scaling data, the CPU's limitations are exposed.

The combo's rank is still respectable because the GPU can brute-force its way to high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, even when the CPU is not providing optimal conditions. The 239th rank means there are 238 other combinations that perform better, likely those with more balanced pairings. This is a critical insight for potential buyers: this combo is a GPU-centric build where the CPU is a weak link. It will play the game well, but a faster CPU would unlock more of the RTX 5090 D's potential.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of CPU limitation at lower resolutions and a shift towards GPU limitation at 4K. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, but the scaling is peculiar. Low settings yield 232 FPS, Medium 216 FPS, High 180 FPS, and Ultra 154 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is only 16 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 36 FPS. This non-linear scaling is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck; the GPU can handle the increased graphical load, but the CPU cannot keep up with the increased draw calls and physics calculations as settings increase.

At 1440p, the pattern continues. Low settings produce 202 FPS, Medium 188 FPS, High 146 FPS, and Ultra 101 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 42 FPS, which is the largest single-step decline at this resolution. This suggests that the High preset introduces a significant jump in CPU workload, perhaps related to draw distance or object density, that the i5-10400F struggles with. The Ultra preset at 1440p (101 FPS) is only 20 FPS higher than the 4K High preset (81 FPS), which is a surprisingly small difference.

At 4K, the scaling becomes more GPU-bound. Low settings achieve 158 FPS, Medium 130 FPS, High 81 FPS, and Ultra 56 FPS. The difference between 1440p High (146 FPS) and 4K High (81 FPS) is a massive 65 FPS drop, indicating that the GPU is now the primary bottleneck. The RTX 5090 D is powerful, but rendering at 4K with High settings is a massive workload. The Ultra preset at 4K (56 FPS) is playable but not ideal for a high-refresh-rate experience. This data shows that the sweet spot for this combo is Medium at any resolution, as it provides the best balance between the CPU and GPU loads.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate scaling from 1080p to 4K is the most telling indicator of this combo's bottleneck characteristics. Looking at High settings, the FPS drops from 180 at 1080p to 146 at 1440p (an 18.9% decrease) and then to 81 at 4K (a 55% decrease from 1440p). The drop from 1440p to 4K is much more severe than from 1080p to 1440p. This indicates that at 1080p and 1440p, the CPU is the limiting factor, and the GPU has headroom. The RTX 5090 D is not being fully utilized until the resolution reaches 4K, where the pixel fill rate demand finally exceeds the CPU's ability to feed it.

For Medium settings, the scaling is similar but with higher absolute numbers: 216 FPS at 1080p, 188 FPS at 1440p, and 130 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is 13%, and from 1440p to 4K is 30.9%. This shows that even at Medium settings, the CPU is still a bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p. The 4K performance is more balanced, but the CPU still has some influence. At Low settings, the scaling is 232 FPS (1080p), 202 FPS (1440p), and 158 FPS (4K). The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 12.9%, and from 1440p to 4K is 21.8%. This is the most linear scaling, suggesting that at Low settings, the CPU bottleneck is less severe, but it still exists.

The Ultra preset tells a different story. The FPS drops from 154 at 1080p to 101 at 1440p (a 34.4% decrease) and then to 56 at 4K (a 44.6% decrease from 1440p). The large drop from 1080p to 1440p indicates that the Ultra preset is heavily CPU-dependent, and the i5-10400F is severely limiting the RTX 5090 D. The 4K Ultra result of 56 FPS is the only point where the GPU is clearly the primary bottleneck. This analysis confirms that the i5-10400F is the limiting component for most of the resolution and settings matrix, and the RTX 5090 D is only fully engaged at 4K Ultra.

FAQ

Q: What is the best settings preset for this CPU/GPU combo at 1440p?

A: The data shows that Medium settings provide 188 FPS on average, which is a good balance. Low settings reach 202 FPS, but the visual quality loss is significant. High settings drop to 146 FPS, making Medium the best trade-off between frame rate and graphical fidelity for 1440p.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-10400F bottlenecking the RTX 5090 D in this game?

A: Yes, the benchmark results strongly indicate a CPU bottleneck. The FPS at 1080p and 1440p does not scale down proportionally when increasing resolution, which is a classic sign of a CPU limit. The combo's rank of 239/2934, despite the GPU being in the 92nd percentile, further confirms this.

Q: How much VRAM is being used by this game at 4K with this GPU?

A: The RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory. The fact pack does not include VRAM usage figures, but it is safe to say the game is not limited by VRAM, as the GPU's memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s is more than sufficient for a driving simulation with this visual complexity.

Q: What is the performance difference between the RTX 5090 D and its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77712, which is 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT's average score of 78940. This means the RTX 5090 D is slightly faster in synthetic benchmarks, but the real-world performance in The Long Drive is more dependent on the CPU.

Q: Should I use Ultra settings with this combo at 1080p?

A: The measured data shows 154 FPS at 1080p Ultra. While this is a playable frame rate, it is a significant drop from the 216 FPS at Medium. Given that the CPU is likely the bottleneck, you are not getting the full benefit of the RTX 5090 D at Ultra, so Medium is the recommended choice.

Q: Is this combo better suited for 4K or 1080p gaming?

A: The combo is best suited for 4K gaming, despite the lower absolute frame rates. At 4K, the GPU is more fully utilized, and the CPU bottleneck is less apparent. The 130 FPS at 4K Medium is a better experience than the 232 FPS at 1080p Low, as you are getting a much higher visual quality with a still-excellent frame rate. The RTX 5090 D's power is wasted at 1080p with this CPU.