The Long Drive

# The Long Drive with Intel Core i5-13400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a broadly playable experience in The Long Drive, but the data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions while showing strong CPU headroom at 1080p. The combo ranks 991st out of 1,734 tested configurations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database. Across all measured settings, frame rates range from a playable 35.8 FPS at 4K High to an exceptionally smooth 201.4 FPS at 1080p Low, with the scaling pattern exposing where this pairing's bottlenecks truly lie.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent pattern: resolution is the single largest factor governing performance, and the RTX 4060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory buffer and 128-bit bus become the limiting constraint as pixel count rises. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 201.4 FPS on Low, 168.1 FPS on Medium, 104.2 FPS on High, and 74 FPS on Ultra. Dropping to 2560x1440 reduces these figures to 133.8, 111.4, 72.1, and 47.5 FPS respectively. At 3840x2160, the collapse is stark: 72.8 FPS on Low, 60.1 FPS on Medium, 35.8 FPS on High, and just 26.8 FPS on Ultra.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings shows a 33.6% drop (201.4 to 133.8 FPS), while the same resolution step at Ultra costs 35.8% of performance (74 to 47.5 FPS). Moving from 1440p to 4K is even more punishing: Low settings fall from 133.8 to 72.8 FPS (a 45.6% reduction), and Ultra drops from 47.5 to 26.8 FPS (a 43.6% reduction). This pattern indicates that the RTX 4060, with its 272.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, simply cannot sustain the fill rate demands of 4K, particularly at higher quality presets.

The data strongly suggests a GPU-bound scenario at 1440p and above. The RTX 4060's 15.11 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 118.1 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for 1080p but become progressively overwhelmed as resolution climbs. At 4K Ultra, the 26.8 FPS average is borderline unplayable, while 4K High at 35.8 FPS remains below the 60 FPS threshold most players target. The 4K Low result of 72.8 FPS shows that even with reduced graphical load, the GPU's 8 GB memory capacity and 128-bit bus create a hard ceiling.

Interestingly, the spread between Low and Ultra at each resolution reveals the GPU's scaling efficiency. At 1080p, the gap is 127.4 FPS (201.4 vs 74), at 1440p it narrows to 86.3 FPS (133.8 vs 47.5), and at 4K it compresses to 46 FPS (72.8 vs 26.8). This compression at higher resolutions confirms that pixel throughput, not shading complexity, is the primary limiter — the GPU can handle the extra effects work of Ultra settings but cannot overcome the raw pixel count.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F brings substantial processing capability to this pairing, and the benchmark results indicate it is rarely the bottleneck in The Long Drive. This Raptor Lake-S chip features 10 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. Its 20 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB L2 per core provide ample data locality for the game's driving simulation workloads, which typically involve physics calculations, AI traffic, and world streaming.

Synthetic benchmarks place this CPU in the 82nd percentile of all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 25,236. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-13620H (25,201, 0.1% behind) and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25,365, 0.5% ahead), showing the 13400F sits in a tightly contested performance band. The multi-threaded results are particularly strong: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 21,279, while 3DMark 16-thread and max-thread tests hit 7,314 and 7,307 respectively. Single-thread performance is respectable at 3,004 in Cinebench R23 and 960 in 3DMark single-thread.

In the context of this game, the CPU's 16 threads appear more than sufficient. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (201.4 FPS) approaches the practical ceiling for many display setups, and even at 1080p Ultra (74 FPS), the frame rate is likely constrained by the GPU rather than the processor. The 4.60 GHz boost clock provides strong single-thread responsiveness, which matters for the game's core simulation loop, while the 10-core configuration handles background tasks and multi-threaded game systems without contention.

The CPU's 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node from Intel's Raptor Lake architecture contribute to efficient operation, though the game's performance scaling suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield far larger FPS gains than upgrading the CPU. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1,880 and 4-thread score of 3,459 indicate solid lightweight-thread performance, which aligns well with a driving sim that may not fully utilize 16 threads. The PassMark single-thread score of 3,634 further confirms the CPU's adequacy for this title.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Long Drive?

A: The data shows 1920x1080 is the sweet spot. At 1080p, all settings deliver playable frame rates, ranging from 74 FPS at Ultra to 201.4 FPS at Low. At 1440p, only Low (133.8 FPS) and Medium (111.4 FPS) remain above 60 FPS, while 4K drops below playable thresholds at High and Ultra.

Q: How does the RTX 4060 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in benchmarks?

A: The RTX 4060's average benchmark score is 23,181, placing it in the 66th percentile of all GPUs. It sits 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX 6600M (23,321) and 0.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 Ti (23,338), while leading the Intel Arc B580 (23,021) by 0.7% and the AMD Radeon 760M (22,999) by 0.8%.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-13400F holding back the RTX 4060 in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate the CPU is not the limiting factor. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 201.4 FPS, suggesting the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU's 82nd percentile ranking and strong multi-threaded scores (21,279 in Cinebench R23 multicore) provide ample headroom for this driving simulation.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Long Drive?

A: Only at lower settings. At 4K Low, the combo manages 72.8 FPS, and 4K Medium achieves 60.1 FPS. However, 4K High drops to 35.8 FPS and 4K Ultra falls to 26.8 FPS, both below the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The 13400F scores 25,236 on average, which is 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13620H (25,201) and 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25,365). It also leads the AMD EPYC 9474F (25,103) by 0.5% and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 340 (25,099) by 0.5%.

Q: What frame rates can players expect at 1440p High settings?

A: The measured average is 72.1 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. This represents a 30.8% reduction from the 1080p High result of 104.2 FPS, illustrating the GPU's scaling behavior as resolution increases.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 991st out of 1,734 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the 57th percentile of all configurations. This middling rank reflects a pairing where the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions temper the CPU's solid performance. The CPU alone sits in the 82nd percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 66th percentile of all graphics cards — the combo's overall position suggests the GPU drags the pairing down relative to the CPU's capability.

This rank indicates that a substantial portion of tested combos outperform this setup, likely those with more powerful GPUs that can sustain higher frame rates at 1440p and 4K. The 35.8 FPS result at 4K High and 26.8 FPS at 4K Ultra are the weakest measured outcomes and contribute significantly to the combo's below-average standing. Conversely, the 201.4 FPS at 1080p Low demonstrates that the system excels in lower-resolution scenarios, but the database's combo ranking appears weighted toward overall versatility across resolutions.

The delta between the CPU's 82nd percentile and the GPU's 66th percentile highlights an imbalance — the 13400F is a stronger component relative to its peers than the RTX 4060. This asymmetry suggests that users seeking better overall rankings would benefit more from a GPU upgrade than a CPU swap. The combo's position in the lower half of the tested field is consistent with the RTX 4060's end-of-life production status and its modest 8 GB memory allocation, which limits 4K performance in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 201.4 FPS average
• Medium: 168.1 FPS average
• High: 104.2 FPS average
• Ultra: 74 FPS average

At 1080p, the combo delivers excellent performance across all settings. The jump from Low to Medium costs 16.5% of performance (201.4 to 168.1), while High demands a 38% reduction from Medium (168.1 to 104.2). Ultra further reduces frame rates by 29% from High (104.2 to 74). Even at Ultra, the 74 FPS average exceeds the 60 FPS target, making 1080p fully playable at any quality setting.

2560x1440:

• Low: 133.8 FPS average
• Medium: 111.4 FPS average
• High: 72.1 FPS average
• Ultra: 47.5 FPS average

1440p shows a marked performance decline. Low settings remain strong at 133.8 FPS, but the scaling becomes steeper: Medium drops 16.7% from Low (133.8 to 111.4), High falls 35.3% from Medium (111.4 to 72.1), and Ultra plunges 34.1% from High (72.1 to 47.5). The Ultra result falls below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that only Low through High settings are viable at this resolution.

3840x2160:

• Low: 72.8 FPS average
• Medium: 60.1 FPS average
• High: 35.8 FPS average
• Ultra: 26.8 FPS average

4K performance is severely constrained. Low settings achieve 72.8 FPS, barely above the 60 FPS target, while Medium hits 60.1 FPS exactly. High drops to 35.8 FPS, a 40.4% reduction from Medium (60.1 to 35.8), and Ultra falls to 26.8 FPS, another 25.1% decline. The 4K data confirms the RTX 4060's memory bandwidth and capacity are insufficient for high-quality 4K rendering in this title, with only Low and Medium settings providing playable frame rates.