The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation, presents a unique challenge for the Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B390. The benchmark data reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained by its graphics component, resulting in a narrow range of viable settings for a playable experience.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data for this combination points to a clear hierarchy of playability. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 95 FPS, which is the only setting that approaches high-refresh-rate territory. This is a significant leap from the next tier. The Medium preset at 1080p yields 78 FPS, which remains smooth and playable for most users, and it does so while providing a substantial visual upgrade over Low. The High preset drops to 49 FPS, which is a more pronounced hit that may introduce noticeable stutter in a driving game where smooth scenery transitions are important. The Ultra preset at 1080p falls to 34 FPS, which is a considerable downgrade in fluidity.

The situation becomes more constrained at higher resolutions. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (63 FPS) maintains a consistently smooth frame rate. The Medium preset at this resolution averages 51 FPS, which is playable but begins to show the GPU's limitations. The High preset at 1440p drops to 32 FPS, and Ultra is nearly unplayable at 22 FPS. At 3840x2160, the data shows a stark reality: the Low preset is the only one that breaks 30 FPS, averaging 35 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K averages 29 FPS with a minimum of 24 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience. High (18 FPS) and Ultra (12 FPS) at 4K are not viable for actual gameplay.

The data indicates that the best experience is achieved by prioritizing the Low or Medium presets. For the optimal balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 is the recommended choice, as it stays well above 60 FPS while offering a richer visual environment. If the user's priority is maximum frame rate for the most responsive feel, Low at 1080p is the only preset that delivers near-100 FPS. The scaling from Low to Medium at 1080p is an 18% performance cost, which is a reasonable trade for the visual improvement. However, moving to High at 1080p incurs a 37% performance penalty relative to Medium, making it a less efficient choice for this hardware.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play The Long Drive with this CPU and GPU combo?

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the only resolution where multiple presets achieve playable frame rates. At 2560x1440, the experience is limited to Low or Medium settings, and at 3840x2160, only the Low preset manages an average above 30 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle the Ultra settings in The Long Drive?

A: The data shows that the Ultra preset is consistently the lowest performer. At 1080p, it averages 34 FPS; at 1440p, it averages 22 FPS; and at 4K, it averages just 12 FPS. These results indicate that Ultra is not a viable setting for this combination.

Q: How much of a performance difference is there between the Low and Medium presets?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 95 FPS on Low to 78 FPS on Medium, a difference of 17 FPS. At 2560x1440, the drop is from 63 FPS to 51 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it is from 35 FPS to 29 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12600KF a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B390 in this game?

A: The benchmark results suggest the GPU is the primary limiting factor. The frame rates drop significantly as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU has a high multi-threaded benchmark score of 23391 in Cinebench R23, indicating it has ample headroom.

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured data shows an average of 32 FPS for the High preset at 2560x1440. This is a marginal improvement over the 29 FPS average seen at the Medium preset in 4K, highlighting the GPU's performance wall.

Q: Where does this combo rank against other tested systems?

A: The combo rank for this specific pairing in The Long Drive is 2594 out of 2934 tested combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of systems.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it performs strongly, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302. Its average benchmark score of 27799 places it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, and it trades blows with rivals like the Intel Core i9-10900K and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which have deltaPct values of -0.3 and -0.3 respectively.

In the context of The Long Drive, the data indicates that the CPU is not the primary constraint. The evidence lies in the frame rate scaling with resolution. When the resolution is increased from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 at the same settings, the frame rate drops dramatically. For example, on the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 95 to 35, a 63% reduction. This is a typical pattern for a GPU-bound scenario, where the graphics card is unable to keep up with the increased pixel count. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would remain relatively flat across resolutions. The CPU's robust multi-threading capabilities, evidenced by its 3dmark_16_threads score of 7956, are sufficient to feed the GPU in this simulation, leaving the graphics hardware to dictate performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this combination at rank 2594 out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This ranking, which is in the bottom 12% of all tested systems, is a direct consequence of the GPU's performance. The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482 and sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and the GeForce GT 710, with deltaPct values of 1.3 and 2.7 respectively, which are all in a similar, low-performance tier.

This low GPU percentile starkly contrasts with the CPU's 79th percentile standing. The combination of a high-performing CPU and a low-performing GPU creates an imbalance that is reflected in the in-game rank. The system is effectively handicapped by the graphics card, preventing the processor from demonstrating its full potential in this gaming scenario. The combo's rank is not a reflection of the CPU's capability but rather the overall system's ability to render the game, which is almost entirely dependent on the GPU.

Resolution Scaling

The impact of resolution on the average FPS is severe for this combo. The data shows a clear and consistent decline in performance as the pixel count increases, which strongly indicates that the graphics card is the limiting component. Looking at the Low preset as a baseline, the scaling is as follows: at 1920x1080, the average is 95 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 reduces this to 63 FPS, a 34% drop. Moving further to 3840x2160 yields 35 FPS, a 63% drop from the 1080p figure.

This pattern is consistent across all presets. For the Medium preset, the frame rate drops from 78 FPS at 1080p to 51 FPS at 1440p, and then to 29 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows a similar trajectory, from 49 FPS to 32 FPS to 18 FPS. The percentage drops between resolutions are substantial, especially from 1440p to 4K. For instance, the High preset loses 44% of its performance when moving from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline at higher resolutions is a hallmark of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing capability. The CPU's performance is not affected by resolution in this way, so the data unequivocally points to the Intel Arc B390 as the limiting factor in this pairing.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is the complete breakdown of measured average frame rates for this hardware combination in The Long Drive.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: The average FPS is 35.
• Medium: The average FPS is 29, with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 33.
• High: The average FPS is 18.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 12.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: The average FPS is 63.
• Medium: The average FPS is 51, with a minimum of 44 and a maximum of 59.
• High: The average FPS is 32.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 22.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: The average FPS is 95.
• Medium: The average FPS is 78, with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 90.
• High: The average FPS is 49.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 34.

The data reveals that the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS is the Low preset at 1080p. The Medium preset at 1080p is the only other setting that stays comfortably above 60 FPS. All other combinations of resolution and settings result in average frame rates below 60 FPS, with the 4K and Ultra settings falling into single-digit or low-double-digit territory, which is not suitable for a smooth driving simulation.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the decisive factor in this system's performance. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its memory is designated as "System Shared," meaning it relies on the system's main memory, and its bandwidth is "System Dependent." The GPU's raw compute capabilities are modest, with an FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s.

The synthetic benchmark data for this GPU is limited but telling. It scores 1482 in the 3dmark_steel_nomad_dx12 test, which places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs. This low percentile is corroborated by its in-game performance. The GPU's role as the bottleneck is clearly defined by the FPS data. As detailed in the Resolution Scaling section, performance plummets with increased resolution, a direct consequence of the GPU's limited fill rate and memory bandwidth. The data shows that this GPU is only comfortable at 1080p with lower settings. The significant frame rate drops at 1440p and 4K, even on the Low preset, confirm that the B390 lacks the necessary horsepower to drive the game at higher resolutions. The system's overall ranking in the lower percentiles is a direct result of this GPU's performance class.