The Long Drive

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D lands at rank 44 out of 2,934 tested combinations in The Long Drive. This places the combo comfortably within the top 1.5% of all tested systems, a position that reflects the raw firepower of the RTX 5090 D rather than any particular optimization for this specific driving simulation. The data shows a system that will obliterate most titles at any resolution, but the ranking also hints at a potential imbalance—the CPU, while solid, is not in the same performance tier as the GPU.

To contextualize the CPU side, the Core i5-13400F sits at the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 25,292. Its nearest rivals in synthetic tests include the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS at 25,284 (a 0% delta), the Intel Core 5 120 at 25,362 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D at 25,365 (-0.3% delta). The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H trails slightly at 25,201, which is a 0.4% positive delta for the Intel chip. These are essentially statistical ties, meaning the i5-13400F delivers mainstream-to-upper-midrange compute performance that punches near some mobile flagship parts.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5090 D is a different beast entirely. It ranks in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rivals in the database are somewhat unexpected: the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT at 76,904 (a 1.1% delta favoring the NVIDIA card), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT at 78,940 (-1.6% delta), and two Tesla P100 variants at 79,396 and 79,605 (-2.1% and -2.4% deltas respectively). This suggests the RTX 5090 D's synthetic average is being pulled down by older DirectX tests, while its real-world gaming performance in The Long Drive is likely far ahead of those mobile and datacenter parts.

The combination of a 77th-percentile CPU with a 92nd-percentile GPU creates a notable bottleneck dynamic. In a game like The Long Drive, which is a driving simulation with vast open environments, the CPU's role in physics and world streaming becomes critical. The rank 44 out of 2,934 is impressive, but the data suggests that pairing this GPU with a higher-end CPU could push the combo even higher. The question is whether the i5-13400F can feed the RTX 5090 D enough data to keep frame rates from being CPU-limited, especially at lower resolutions.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank against all tested systems in The Long Drive?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D combination ranks 44th out of 2,934 tested combos. This places it in the top 1.5% of all systems measured for this game.

Q: What is the CPU's synthetic performance relative to its closest rivals?

A: The i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25,292. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, scores 25,284 (0% delta). The Intel Core 5 120 scores 25,362 (-0.3% delta), and the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D scores 25,365 (-0.3% delta). The AMD Ryzen 7 6800H trails at 25,201 (0.4% delta favoring the Intel part).

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D's average score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 D averages 77,712 in benchmark scores. The AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scores 76,904 (1.1% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940 (1.6% higher), and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396 (2.1% higher). The Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605 (2.4% higher).

Q: What is the best measured FPS result at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the highest average FPS is 284 with Low settings. Medium settings yield 234 FPS (min 199, max 269), High settings yield 146 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 101 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at 1080p?

A: The data suggests a CPU bottleneck at 1920x1080. The jump from Low (332 FPS) to Medium (309 FPS) is small, and High (222 FPS) drops significantly. The i5-13400F's 10 cores and 16 threads can only push so many frames, regardless of GPU headroom.

Q: What is the largest FPS drop from 1080p to 4K for any setting?

A: For Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p (154 FPS) to 4K (56 FPS) is a 63.6% reduction. For Low settings, the drop is from 332 FPS to 158 FPS, a 52.4% reduction. This indicates the GPU becomes the limiting factor at 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a classic resolution scaling pattern that shifts the bottleneck from CPU to GPU as pixel count rises. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are extraordinarily high across all settings: Low delivers 332 FPS, Medium 309 FPS, High 222 FPS, and Ultra 154 FPS. These numbers are so far beyond typical display refresh rates that the CPU's ability to issue draw calls and handle game logic is clearly the limiting factor. The i5-13400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, simply cannot generate enough frames to fully utilize the RTX 5090 D at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture changes. Low settings produce 284 FPS, a 14.5% drop from 1080p, while Medium delivers 234 FPS (a 24.3% drop), High delivers 146 FPS (a 34.2% drop), and Ultra delivers 101 FPS (a 34.4% drop). The larger percentage drops at higher settings indicate that the GPU is beginning to take on more of the workload, though the CPU still holds back performance at Low and Medium settings.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the dominant constraint. Low settings yield 158 FPS, a 44.4% drop from 1080p, while Medium yields 130 FPS (a 57.9% drop), High yields 81 FPS (a 63.5% drop), and Ultra yields 56 FPS (a 63.6% drop). The consistency of these high-resolution drops—all above 44%—shows that the RTX 5090 D's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily at 4K. The 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s, is sufficient, but the sheer pixel count of 4K overwhelms even this flagship GPU when settings are maxed.

The implication is clear: at 1080p, the i5-13400F is the bottleneck; at 4K, the RTX 5090 D is the bottleneck. The sweet spot for this combo, where both components are more evenly utilized, appears to be at 1440p with High or Ultra settings, where frame rates around 146 and 101 FPS respectively indicate a balanced workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 332 FPS average
• Medium: 309 FPS average (min 263, max 356)
• High: 222 FPS average
• Ultra: 154 FPS average

At 1080p, the data shows diminishing returns as settings increase. The gap between Low and Medium is only 23 FPS, suggesting a CPU limit. The jump from Medium to High costs 87 FPS, and High to Ultra costs another 68 FPS, which indicates GPU effects like shadows and reflections start to bite.

2560x1440:

• Low: 284 FPS average
• Medium: 234 FPS average (min 199, max 269)
• High: 146 FPS average
• Ultra: 101 FPS average

At 1440p, the scaling is more linear. Low to Medium drops 50 FPS, Medium to High drops 88 FPS, and High to Ultra drops 45 FPS. The min and max values for Medium (199-269 FPS) show a 70 FPS range, indicating frame time variance that could be felt on high-refresh monitors.

3840x2160:

• Low: 158 FPS average
• Medium: 130 FPS average (min 110, max 149)
• High: 81 FPS average
• Ultra: 56 FPS average

At 4K, the RTX 5090 D is clearly the limiting factor. The Medium setting shows a min of 110 FPS and max of 149, a 39 FPS range, while Ultra drops to 56 FPS average—playable but not the buttery-smooth experience seen at lower resolutions. The drop from High to Ultra at 4K (81 to 56 FPS) is a 30.9% reduction, suggesting Ultra settings include effects that are disproportionately expensive at high pixel counts.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor from the Raptor Lake family, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It has a 20 MB shared L3 cache and per-core L1 and L2 caches of 80 KB and 1.25 MB respectively. These specifications place it as a strong mid-range CPU, but not a flagship.

In The Long Drive, the CPU's role is critical for game logic, physics simulation, and world streaming. The game is a driving simulation with a sparse, open environment where the CPU must manage vehicle physics and object interactions. The benchmark data shows that at 1080p, the i5-13400F reaches its limit around 330 FPS on Low settings. The fact that Medium settings only drop to 309 FPS (a 6.9% reduction) while High drops to 222 FPS (a 28.4% reduction from Low) suggests that the CPU can handle the computational load of Low and Medium, but High settings introduce GPU-bound effects that start to matter.

The 3DMark scores provide context: the CPU scores 7,314 in the 16-thread test and 7,307 in the max-thread test, showing near-perfect scaling from 16 to max threads. The single-thread score of 960 and 2-thread score of 1,880 indicate that per-core performance is decent but not exceptional. In a game like The Long Drive, which may not utilize all 16 threads efficiently, the single-thread performance of 960 (3DMark) or 3,191 (Cinebench R23 single-core) could become the limiting factor at high frame rates.

The 65W TDP and the fact that this is a locked (non-unlocked multiplier) chip mean it runs cool and efficiently, but it cannot be overclocked to extract more performance. For a game that can hit 332 FPS at 1080p Low, the CPU is doing its job, but the RTX 5090 D is clearly waiting for more data in many scenarios.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and refresh rate.

For 1920x1080 with a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, High settings at 222 FPS is the best balance. Ultra at 154 FPS is still above 144Hz, but the 68 FPS cost for Ultra over High is steep. The Medium setting at 309 FPS is overkill for most displays and sacrifices visual quality for unviewable frame rates. Low at 332 FPS is only 23 FPS faster than Medium, so there is little reason to drop below Medium unless chasing maximum frame rates.

For 2560x1440 with a 144Hz display, High at 146 FPS is the clear winner. It sits just above the 144Hz threshold, delivering smooth gameplay with good visual fidelity. Ultra at 101 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visuals over frame rate, but the 45 FPS drop from High is noticeable. Medium at 234 FPS is wasted on a 144Hz monitor, and Low at 284 FPS offers no visual benefit.

For 3840x2160 with a 60Hz or 120Hz display, Medium at 130 FPS is the sweet spot. It provides a comfortable margin above 60Hz and even approaches 120Hz territory. High at 81 FPS is acceptable for 60Hz displays, but the 49 FPS drop from Medium is significant. Ultra at 56 FPS is dangerously close to the 60Hz minimum and may cause stutter on variable refresh rate displays. Low at 158 FPS is unnecessary at this resolution, as the visual degradation is not worth the extra frames.

Overall, High settings at 1440p offers the best experience in terms of balance, delivering 146 FPS which is ideal for high-refresh gaming. For 4K, Medium settings provide the best compromise between visual quality and smoothness.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a monstrous GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. It has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost of 2407 MHz, and it can achieve 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

In The Long Drive, the GPU's role is primarily in rendering the vast open environments, handling textures, shadows, and post-processing effects. The 32 GB VRAM is overkill for this game, as even at 4K Ultra, the game likely uses a fraction of that capacity. However, the sheer compute power of the RTX 5090 D is evident in the frame rates it achieves.

The data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is rarely the limiting factor. The jump from Low (332 FPS) to Ultra (154 FPS) at 1080p is a 53.6% reduction, which is entirely due to GPU workload. But the fact that Low and Medium are within 7% of each other suggests the CPU is holding back the GPU at those settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. The drop from Low (158 FPS) to Ultra (56 FPS) is a 64.6% reduction, showing that the GPU's pixel throughput is being maxed out.

The RTX 5090 D's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which scores 1.6% higher on average. This is surprising given the NVIDIA card's desktop-class specs, but the average benchmark score includes older tests where the mobile AMD part excels. In real-world gaming, the RTX 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth provide enormous headroom for future titles, though The Long Drive does not appear to stress this GPU to its limits at 1080p or 1440p.

The GPU's 575W TDP and suggested 950W PSU indicate a power-hungry component, but the performance it delivers in this game justifies the power draw for enthusiasts. The dual-slot design and 304mm length mean it requires a spacious case, but the data shows it handles The Long Drive with ease, even at 4K Medium where it sustains 130 FPS with a minimum of 110 FPS.