The Long Drive

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a robust experience in The Long Drive, a Driving Simulation released on 2019-09-02. The data shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and settings, with the combo ranking in the 70th percentile of tested configurations. This analysis breaks down the measured frames per second and interprets the hardware's role in achieving those results.

FAQ

*Q: What is the overall performance rank of this CPU and GPU combination in The Long Drive?*

A: The combo is ranked 515 out of 1734 tested combinations, placing it in the top 30% of all configurations evaluated for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600K compare to its closest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 49166. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, scores 49062, which is a 0.2% difference. This indicates near-identical synthetic performance between the two.

Q: What is the GPU's memory capacity and bandwidth?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 features 10 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 760.3 GB/s.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 266.7 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: At what settings does the combo fail to reach 60 FPS at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160 resolution, the Ultra preset yields an average of 35.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset also falls short, averaging 50.8 FPS.

Q: What is the boost clock of the CPU and the base clock of the GPU?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 has a base clock of 1440 MHz and a boost clock of 1710 MHz.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 achieves a rank of 515 out of 1734 tested combos in The Long Drive. This position places it ahead of the majority of configurations, indicating a strong pairing for this driving simulation. The rank is a holistic measure, reflecting the balance between the CPU's 14 cores and 20 threads and the GPU's 10 GB of VRAM.

This ranking is consistent with the individual component standings. The CPU sits in the 93rd percentile against all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 80th percentile against all GPUs. The combo's rank is likely pulled slightly below the CPU's percentile by the GPU, but the overall position remains competitive. The data suggests that this system is well-suited for high-refresh-rate gameplay at lower resolutions and can handle 4K at more moderate settings.

The rank also benefits from the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance, as seen in its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32881. This helps maintain frame pacing and prevents CPU bottlenecks that could limit the GPU's output. The result is a system that performs admirably across the board, even if it is not at the very top tier for 4K Ultra settings.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 is the primary driver of visual fidelity in this combo. Its 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s of bandwidth provide ample resources for the textures and geometry of The Long Drive. The GPU's architecture, Ampere, is built on an 8 nm process and features 8704 shading units, which directly contribute to the frame rates observed in the benchmark data.

The measured FPS shows the GPU's scaling with settings. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra settings is stark: 266.7 FPS versus 95.1 FPS. This indicates that the GPU is the limiting factor when pushing higher graphical presets, even at lower resolutions. The GPU's compute capability, rated at 29.77 TFLOPS for FP32, is substantial, but the demands of Ultra settings at 4K (35.8 FPS) prove to be too heavy for consistent smoothness.

The GPU's performance relative to its peers is also telling. Its average benchmark score of 35787 places it within a 0.9% margin of the AMD Radeon RX 7900 GRE and 1% of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Mobile. This close grouping suggests that the RTX 3080 remains a relevant and competitive part, even as newer generations are released. The boost clock of 1710 MHz is a key factor in extracting performance, particularly in scenarios where the GPU is not fully saturated.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For a standard 60 FPS experience, the data shows that High settings are achievable at 2560x1440, with an average of 89.4 FPS. This provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold. At 1920x1080, High settings deliver 139.1 FPS, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

For 4K resolution, the choices are more constrained. The Medium preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 83.1 FPS, which is playable and provides a good balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at this resolution drops to 50.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may result in less smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset is not recommended for 4K, as it averages only 35.8 FPS.

For competitive play or maximum frame rates, the Low preset is the clear winner. At 1920x1080, it achieves 266.7 FPS, and at 2560x1440, it still manages 176.6 FPS. This makes the Low preset the best choice for players prioritizing responsiveness over visual detail. The Medium preset serves as a strong middle ground, offering 219.1 FPS at 1080p and 145.2 FPS at 1440p, which is an excellent balance for most users.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the results are consistently high. Low settings produce an average of 266.7 FPS, Medium follows at 219.1 FPS, High at 139.1 FPS, and Ultra at 95.1 FPS. This shows a linear degradation in performance as settings increase, with the gap between Low and Ultra being over 170 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain strong but begin to show the GPU's limitations. Low settings average 176.6 FPS, Medium drops to 145.2 FPS, High falls to 89.4 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 61.5 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is particularly steep, a 55.8 FPS decrease, indicating a significant jump in graphical workload. The Ultra preset just barely clears the 60 FPS mark.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve becomes more pronounced. Low settings still manage an average of 98.5 FPS, which is very playable. Medium follows at 83.1 FPS, High at 50.8 FPS, and Ultra at 35.8 FPS. The data shows that the RTX 3080 can handle 4K, but only at lower settings. The jump from Low to Medium is a 15.4 FPS drop, while the jump from Medium to High is a 32.3 FPS drop, and from High to Ultra is a 15 FPS drop. This indicates that the High and Ultra presets are not well-suited for 4K on this hardware.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K plays a crucial supporting role in this combo. Its 14 cores (with 20 threads) and boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensure that the GPU is fed with data without becoming a bottleneck. The CPU's cache hierarchy, including 24 MB of shared L3 cache, helps reduce latency in game logic and physics calculations common in driving simulations.

The CPU's synthetic performance is strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 32881 and a single-core score of 4642. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle both multi-threaded background tasks and single-threaded game logic with ease. Its average benchmark score of 49166 places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, showing that it is a high-end part.

Relative to its nearest rivals, the i5-14600K is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (0.2% delta) and the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (1% delta). It sits between the i5-14600KF (-0.4%) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (-0.9%). This indicates that the CPU's performance is well within the expected range for its class. The high single-thread performance is particularly important for The Long Drive, as it ensures that the game's main thread can process input and physics responsively, which is critical for the driving simulation genre.