The Long Drive

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a specific performance profile in The Long Drive, a Driving Simulation. The measured data reveals a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, while the processor demonstrates sufficient headroom to maintain high frame rates at lower settings. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to understand how this combination behaves across various configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The most striking trend in the data is the dramatic impact of resolution on frame rates, which clearly identifies the GPU as the limiting factor in this pairing. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 146 FPS, which is a highly playable and fluid experience. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same Low settings, the average FPS drops to 96, a decrease of 50 FPS. At 3840x2160, the Low setting average falls further to 53 FPS. This pattern shows a steep, linear decline as pixel count increases.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced when examining higher settings. At Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 120 FPS at 1080p to 79 FPS at 1440p, and then to 44 FPS at 4K. For High settings, the progression is 75 FPS at 1080p, 49 FPS at 1440p, and 27 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the most severe scaling, with 52 FPS at 1080p falling to 34 FPS at 1440p and a nearly unplayable 19 FPS at 4K.

This data indicates that the Intel Arc B570's rendering capabilities are quickly saturated as the resolution increases. The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus with 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is likely a contributing factor, as the demand for memory bandwidth and fill rate grows exponentially with resolution. The CPU, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, appears to have minimal involvement in this scaling. The consistent frame rate drops align with the GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s, which are fixed hardware limits. The system is clearly GPU-bound at resolutions above 1080p, and even at 1080p, the GPU is the performance ceiling for higher settings.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark results provide clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best balance of performance and visual fidelity for this hardware combination. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the optimal choice. It delivers an average of 120 FPS, which is a significant improvement over the 75 FPS of the High preset. The minimum FPS recorded for Medium at this resolution is 102, ensuring a consistent and smooth experience without dips into stutter territory. The jump from Low to Medium results in a 26 FPS decrease (from 146 to 120), but the visual quality improvement is typically substantial.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset remains the best option, but with a lower performance ceiling. It produces an average of 79 FPS with a minimum of 67 FPS. While this is below the 144 Hz refresh rate ideal, it is well within the range for smooth gameplay on a 60 Hz or 75 Hz monitor. The Low preset at 1440p offers a much higher 96 FPS, but this comes at a significant visual cost. The High preset at this resolution drops to 49 FPS, which may feel less fluid for a driving game where smooth motion is important.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves a consistently playable frame rate. The Low preset is the only one that breaks the 30 FPS barrier, with an average of 53 FPS. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, which is borderline playable but may have noticeable stutters, as the minimum FPS is 37. The High and Ultra presets at 27 and 19 FPS respectively are not recommended for a good experience. The data suggests that users with a 4K display should consider lowering the resolution or accepting the visual compromises of the Low preset.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF, with its Alder Lake architecture, provides a strong foundation for this game. Its 10 cores (a mix of performance and efficiency cores) and 16 threads are more than adequate for the demands of The Long Drive. The processor's benchmark scores support this, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and a single-core score of 3302. The PassMark single-thread score of 3925 indicates strong per-core performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics.

The CPU's role in this specific benchmark is to ensure it does not become a bottleneck. The scaling analysis shows that it does not. When the resolution is lowered to 1080p and settings are set to Low, the frame rate jumps to 146 FPS. This high number indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to achieve very high frame rates. The CPU's 3.70 GHz base clock and 4.90 GHz boost clock provide the necessary speed for this task.

The benchmark scores for the i5-12600KF place it in the 79th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27799. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-10900K, which has a score of 27872 and a deltaPct of -0.3, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, with a score of 27896 and a deltaPct of -0.3. This essentially puts the i5-12600KF on par with these high-end processors in general compute tasks. In the context of The Long Drive, this level of performance means the CPU is a silent partner, allowing the GPU to be the sole determinant of frame rate at most settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12600KF and Intel Arc B570 is not a top-tier performer in the database for The Long Drive. The combo rank is 2342 out of 2934 tested combinations. This places it in the lower 20% of all tested systems, which is a direct result of the GPU's limitations at higher settings. While the CPU is strong, the overall system performance is dragged down by the Arc B570's inability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K with higher quality presets.

This ranking is relative to all other combos tested. The data suggests that many other GPU and CPU pairings are capable of higher frame rates in this game. The rank is likely influenced by the fact that the Arc B570's performance, while competent at 1080p, falls off significantly at higher resolutions. The GPU's own benchmark scores show it has a PassMark G3D score of 14195 and an average benchmark score of 20556, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (deltaPct 0.1) and the Intel Arc A750 (deltaPct -0.1), indicating it is a mid-range performer.

The low combo rank is not a reflection of a faulty pairing, but rather a reflection of the target performance envelope. For a user with a 1080p monitor who sticks to Medium settings, this combo would feel responsive and capable. However, for those expecting high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming or any 4K gaming, this combination will not deliver, as evidenced by its position in the rankings.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the defining component in this system's gaming performance. Its specifications paint a picture of a mid-range graphics card. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units. The card has 18 ray tracing cores, but its primary workload in this game is traditional rasterization. The GPU's clock speed is a constant 2500 MHz for both base and boost, which simplifies its performance profile.

The Arc B570's memory subsystem is a key factor. It comes with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. This configuration is a potential bottleneck at high resolutions. The measured frame rates support this theory. At 4K with Ultra settings, the system manages only 19 FPS. The GPU's fill rate is 200.0 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 360.0 GTexel/s. These are the hardware limits that cap performance when rendering complex scenes at high pixel counts.

The GPU's benchmark scores show it is a DirectX 12-capable card, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2649. Its Vulkan performance is strong, as indicated by a Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844. However, in The Long Drive, the data shows that the card is best suited for 1080p gaming. The FPS drop from 146 at 1080p Low to 53 at 4K Low is a 63% reduction, which is a direct result of the GPU's rendering power being spread across 4 times the number of pixels. The GPU is the clear bottleneck in this system for all configurations except perhaps 1080p Low, where the CPU may start to become more relevant, though the data still shows the GPU has headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Ultra: 19 FPS
• High: 27 FPS
• Medium: 44 FPS (min 37, max 50)
• Low: 53 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Ultra: 34 FPS
• High: 49 FPS
• Medium: 79 FPS (min 67, max 91)
• Low: 96 FPS

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Ultra: 52 FPS
• High: 75 FPS
• Medium: 120 FPS (min 102, max 138)
• Low: 146 FPS

The data for the Medium preset at all resolutions includes minimum and maximum FPS values, providing a range for frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 102 FPS, which is excellent. At 1440p Medium, the minimum drops to 67 FPS, which is still acceptable. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 37 FPS, indicating that frame pacing may be inconsistent. The Ultra and High presets do not have min/max data, but the average FPS values are low enough to suggest a less than ideal experience.

FAQ

*Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in The Long Drive?*

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the best resolution. It is the only resolution where the system achieves consistently high frame rates across multiple settings, with the Low preset hitting 146 FPS and the Medium preset reaching 120 FPS.

*Q: Can this system play The Long Drive at 4K?*

A: Technically yes, but not well. At 4K, the maximum average FPS is 53 on the Low preset. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, and the High and Ultra presets fall below 30 FPS, making them largely unplayable.

Q: Which settings preset provides the smoothest experience?

A: For a balance of performance and visual quality, the Medium preset is the best choice. At 1080p, it provides an average of 120 FPS with a minimum of 102 FPS, ensuring a very smooth experience. At 1440p, it still maintains an average of 79 FPS.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12600KF a bottleneck for the Intel Arc B570?

A: The data suggests it is not. When the resolution and settings are lowered to reduce GPU load, the frame rate scales up to 146 FPS at 1080p Low. This indicates the CPU has enough processing power to support high frame rates, and the GPU becomes the limiting factor.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested systems?

A: This combination ranks 2342 out of 2934 tested combos for The Long Drive. This places it in the lower percentile of all tested systems, primarily due to the GPU's performance limitations at higher resolutions and settings.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 96 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 34 FPS. This represents a 62 FPS difference, showing the massive performance cost of enabling the highest visual settings.