The Long Drive

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the Intel Arc B370 produces a very specific performance profile in The Long Drive. The data indicates a system where the discrete-class GPU is the dominant bottleneck, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The combo ranks in the 2700th position out of 2934 tested combinations, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS data, component roles, and settings recommendations based solely on the provided metrics.

FAQ

Q: What is the best average FPS this combo achieves in The Long Drive?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 86, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The second-best result is 71 FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

Q: How does this combo rank against all other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 2700th out of 2934 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 8% of all systems tested for this game.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 86 on Low to 31 on Ultra. This represents a 55 FPS difference, meaning the Ultra preset delivers only about 36% of the Low preset's frame rate.

Q: Is the system capable of maintaining 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: No. The only setting row at 2560x1440 that comes close to 60 FPS is Low, which achieves 56 FPS. Medium at 1440p drops to 46 FPS, and High falls to 29 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's benchmark percentile compared to all other GPUs?

A: The Intel Arc B370 sits in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 is nearly identical to older cards like the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186.

Q: Does the measured FPS data include minimum and maximum frame times?

A: Only for the Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the min is 60 and max is 81; at 1440p Medium, the min is 40 and max is 53; at 4K Medium, the min is 22 and max is 30. All other settings rows only provide average FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. It features 24 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 and a single-core score of 2064, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

Given the measured FPS data, the CPU appears to be more than capable of feeding the GPU in The Long Drive. The system's performance ceiling is clearly not set by the processor. For example, at 1080p Low, the system hits 86 FPS, but the CPU's strong single-threaded performance (4270 in Passmark single-thread) suggests it could drive much higher frame rates if the GPU were faster. The GPU's 5th percentile ranking versus the CPU's 90th percentile ranking creates a massive imbalance.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (deltaPct -0.2%), AMD EPYC 4345P (deltaPct 0.3%), and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (deltaPct -0.8%). These comparisons show the i5-14600K is performing squarely in line with other high-end processors. In The Long Drive, a driving simulation that often relies on physics calculations and world streaming, the 20 threads and high boost clock should prevent any CPU-bound stuttering. However, the FPS data shows severe drops when increasing graphical settings, which points directly to the GPU as the limiting factor.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process. It has a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with 1280 shading units and 40 texture mapping units. Its memory is system-shared, meaning bandwidth is system dependent. The GPU's measured 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 1184, and its nearest rivals in benchmark scores are all older or lower-end cards: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192).

This GPU is the unequivocal bottleneck in this configuration. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system produces 86 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it falls to 31 FPS. This 64% performance drop from a single settings change is characteristic of a GPU that is severely overloaded by higher graphical demands. The Arc B370's 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its position as a low-performance part, especially when paired with a top-tier CPU.

The GPU's 6.144 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 48.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are modest figures. In The Long Drive, which appears to be more graphically intensive than the GPU can handle, the system's performance scales almost entirely with resolution and settings. The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width indicate this is a mobile-oriented or ultra-low-power part, further explaining its limited frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and Intel Arc B370 ranks 2700th out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This puts the system in the bottom 8% of all configurations tested. The ranking reflects the severe GPU limitation; the CPU's 90th percentile standing is effectively wasted in this pairing.

The data suggests that most other tested combos, likely featuring dedicated graphics cards, achieve significantly higher frame rates. The i5-14600K's nearest CPU rivals all have similar average benchmark scores, but when paired with a more capable GPU, those systems would rank much higher. This combo's low rank is not due to the processor but entirely due to the Arc B370's performance class.

In practical terms, a rank of 2700 out of 2934 means the system is only ahead of roughly 234 other tested configurations. For a driving simulation that likely benefits from smooth frame pacing, this ranking indicates the system will struggle to provide a fluid experience at most settings. The combo's performance is consistent with what one would expect from an integrated GPU from a low-power segment, as confirmed by its nearest GPU rivals being over a decade old.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience balances playable frame rates with visual quality. The only preset that achieves a clearly playable average FPS across all resolutions is Low. At 1080p Low, the system produces 86 FPS, which is smooth. At 1440p Low, it drops to 56 FPS, which is still acceptable for many players. At 4K Low, it falls to 31 FPS, which is borderline.

For the best experience, the Medium preset at 1080p offers a reasonable compromise. It delivers 71 FPS average, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS. This means the system can maintain a consistent 60 FPS floor at 1080p Medium, making it the highest quality setting that remains definitively playable. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 46 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS, which may be playable for some but risks noticeable stuttering.

The High preset is not recommended for any resolution. At 1080p High, the average is 44 FPS; at 1440p High, it is 29 FPS; at 4K High, it is 16 FPS. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it only achieves 31 FPS at 1080p, 20 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K. The data clearly shows that the GPU cannot handle High or Ultra settings even at the lowest resolution tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's capabilities across three resolutions and four settings presets. The following is the exact breakdown:

1920x1080:

• Low: 86 FPS average
• Medium: 71 FPS average, 60 FPS minimum, 81 FPS maximum
• High: 44 FPS average
• Ultra: 31 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 56 FPS average
• Medium: 46 FPS average, 40 FPS minimum, 53 FPS maximum
• High: 29 FPS average
• Ultra: 20 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 31 FPS average
• Medium: 26 FPS average, 22 FPS minimum, 30 FPS maximum
• High: 16 FPS average
• Ultra: 11 FPS average

At 1080p, the system transitions from a smooth experience on Low to a stuttery one on High. The 44 FPS at High is below the 60 FPS threshold that most players consider smooth, and the 31 FPS at Ultra is barely interactive. At 1440p, only Low comes close to playable, and the 20 FPS at Ultra is effectively a slideshow. At 4K, even Low fails to reach 60 FPS, and the 11 FPS at Ultra is nearly unplayable.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data reveals a consistent and steep performance penalty as pixel count increases. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS drops by roughly 35-37% across all settings. For example, Low goes from 86 to 56 FPS (a 30 FPS drop), Medium from 71 to 46 FPS (a 25 FPS drop), High from 44 to 29 FPS (a 15 FPS drop), and Ultra from 31 to 20 FPS (an 11 FPS drop).

From 1440p to 4K, the scaling is even more severe. Low drops from 56 to 31 FPS (a 45% reduction), Medium from 46 to 26 FPS (a 43% reduction), High from 29 to 16 FPS (a 45% reduction), and Ultra from 20 to 11 FPS (a 45% reduction). The consistent ~45% drop from 1440p to 4K across all settings is a classic sign of a GPU that is fully saturated and limited by its pixel throughput and memory bandwidth.

This scaling behavior confirms that the Intel Arc B370 is the primary limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller FPS differences between resolutions, especially at lower settings. Instead, the FPS drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. The i5-14600K's strong single-thread performance is irrelevant here because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize it. The system's performance ceiling is set entirely by the Arc B370's ability to process pixels, which is why the FPS drops so predictably as resolution increases.