The Long Drive

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on Intel's Raptor Lake architecture using a 10 nm process. Its base clock runs at 3.50 GHz, boosting up to 5.30 GHz under load. The chip carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache, with 2 MB of L2 per core and 80 KB of L1 per core. This configuration places it in the 90th percentile among all CPUs tested on this database, with an average benchmark score of 48,618.

In synthetic workloads, the i5-14600K posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24,491 and a single-core score of 2,064. Its Geekbench results show 16,673 multi-core and 2,491 single-core. The PassMark multi-thread score is 38,682, with a single-thread score of 4,270. These numbers indicate a processor with strong single-thread performance—critical for a driving simulation where physics and game logic often run on a few primary threads—while still delivering substantial multi-core headroom for background tasks and engine systems that scale across cores.

The nearest rivals in aggregate CPU benchmark score provide context. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48,698, a delta of -0.2% relative to the i5-14600K. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48,470, a delta of +0.3%. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48,287, a delta of +0.7%. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48,995, a delta of -0.8%. These are all within a narrow band, meaning the i5-14600K sits in a highly competitive cluster; no rival in this group has a meaningful advantage in raw aggregate compute.

For The Long Drive specifically, the CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz is likely the more relevant figure. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo reaches 371 FPS average. That frame rate far exceeds what the GPU alone would produce at higher settings, implying the CPU can feed frames quickly when the render load is light. The 14 cores also matter for the game's simulation aspects—driving games often maintain persistent world states, AI traffic, and physics calculations that can use multiple threads. The measured data does not isolate CPU-bound versus GPU-bound scenarios directly, but the scaling pattern across resolutions (detailed later) suggests the CPU is not the primary constraint at 4K Ultra, where the average drops to 48 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 ranks 177th out of 3,725 tested combos in The Long Drive. This places the combo in the top 4.8% of all configurations analyzed for this game. In percentile terms, the combo outperforms roughly 95% of all recorded CPU-GPU pairings in this title.

That rank reflects a combination of a high-end GPU and a strong mid-to-high-end CPU. The RTX 5080 sits in the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56,083. The i5-14600K's 90th percentile CPU score is slightly higher relative to its own pool, suggesting the processor is not holding back the graphics card in most scenarios. When a combo ranks as high as 177 out of 3,725, it generally indicates that neither component is a bottleneck at typical settings—the data supports that here, except at the most demanding preset.

The nearest GPU rivals in aggregate score include the AMD Radeon 8060S at 55,757 (delta +0.6%), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB at 55,698 (delta +0.7%), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X at 54,828 (delta +2.3%), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE at 57,367 (delta -2.2%). The RTX 5080 is within 2.3% of all these cards in aggregate score, but the measured FPS in The Long Drive shows it pulling well ahead of what a mid-range GPU like the RX 6750 GRE would typically deliver—the aggregate score includes many synthetic tests, while actual game performance depends on driver optimization and architecture-specific strengths.

The combo rank of 177 is notable because many combos above it likely use even higher-end CPUs (like Core i9 or Ryzen 9 parts) paired with the same or similar GPUs. The i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads may be sufficient for this game's engine, but the ranking suggests that some additional performance exists in combos with more powerful processors. However, the delta between this combo and those above it is likely small in absolute FPS terms, given the high frame rates already achieved at most settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern across resolutions. At 1080p, the combo delivers 371 FPS on Low, 305 FPS on Medium, 191 FPS on High, and 132 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 1440p, those numbers drop to 244 FPS on Low, 201 FPS on Medium, 126 FPS on High, and 87 FPS on Ultra. At 4K (3840x2160), the results are 135 FPS on Low, 111 FPS on Medium, 70 FPS on High, and 48 FPS on Ultra.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings shows a reduction from 371 FPS to 135 FPS—a 63.6% decrease. At Medium settings, the drop is from 305 FPS to 111 FPS—a 63.6% decrease as well. At High settings, the drop is from 191 FPS to 70 FPS—a 63.4% decrease. At Ultra, the drop is from 132 FPS to 48 FPS—a 63.6% decrease. These percentages are remarkably consistent across all settings, which indicates that the frame rate scaling is driven almost entirely by resolution (pixel count) rather than by any setting-specific bottleneck.

At 1080p Low, 371 FPS suggests the CPU and GPU are both capable of extremely high throughput. At 4K Ultra, 48 FPS indicates the GPU is heavily loaded. The consistency of the percentage drop (roughly 63-64% across all settings) suggests that neither the CPU nor the GPU is hitting a hard wall; instead, the render workload scales predictably with pixel count. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the 1080p to 1440p drop to be smaller than the 1440p to 4K drop, because the CPU load would stay constant while GPU load increases. The data does not show that pattern—the drops are uniform.

This uniformity implies that the RTX 5080 is the primary determinant of FPS at all resolutions and settings tested. The i5-14600K provides enough headroom to avoid becoming a bottleneck even at 1080p Low, where 371 FPS requires very fast frame submission. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS is the only figure that falls below 60 FPS, and it is likely GPU-bound given the pixel fill rate demands.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo produces an average of 371 FPS on Low settings, 305 FPS on Medium, 191 FPS on High, and 132 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset includes a minimum FPS of 259 and a maximum of 351, indicating some frame time variance but still well above any smoothness threshold. The other presets do not have min/max data recorded, so the averages stand alone.

At 2560x1440, the results are 244 FPS on Low, 201 FPS on Medium, 126 FPS on High, and 87 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 171 FPS and a maximum of 231 FPS. This represents a tighter frame time distribution relative to the average than at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is becoming more consistently loaded at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 135 FPS on Low, 111 FPS on Medium, 70 FPS on High, and 48 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset records a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS. The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS is the only average below 60 FPS across all tested configurations, and the 95 FPS minimum on 4K Medium shows that even at 4K, the combo remains playable on lower presets.

Comparing settings at each resolution: at 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces FPS by 64.4% (371 to 132). At 1440p, the reduction is 64.3% (244 to 87). At 4K, the reduction is 64.4% (135 to 48). The setting-based scaling is also consistent, which reinforces that the GPU's workload scales predictably with both resolution and quality presets.

The delta between Low and Medium at 1080p is 66 FPS (371 to 305), between Medium and High is 114 FPS (305 to 191), and between High and Ultra is 59 FPS (191 to 132). At 4K, the deltas are 24 FPS (135 to 111), 41 FPS (111 to 70), and 22 FPS (70 to 48). The Medium to High gap is the largest at every resolution, suggesting that the High preset introduces a significant increase in rendering complexity—likely shadow quality, draw distance, or post-processing effects—relative to Medium.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, with a die size of 378 mm² and 45,600 million transistors. It features 10,752 shading units, 336 texture mapping units, and 112 ROPs. The GPU has 84 ray tracing cores and 336 tensor cores. Its base clock is 2,295 MHz, boosting to 2,617 MHz, with memory clocked at 1,875 MHz (30 Gbps effective).

Memory configuration is 16 GB of GDDR7 on a 256-bit bus, providing 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The pixel rate is 293.1 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 879.3 GTexel/s. The GPU delivers 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 performance. It connects via PCIe 5.0 x16 and consumes up to 360 W TDP, with a suggested 750 W PSU.

In synthetic benchmarks, the RTX 5080 scores 36,565 in PassMark G3D, 21,789 in PassMark GPU Compute, 235,901 in Geekbench OpenCL, and 255,450 in Geekbench Vulkan. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 8,637. The GPU sits in the 87th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 56,083.

In The Long Drive, the GPU's role is clearly central. The measured FPS scales with resolution and settings in a way that points to GPU-bound performance across the board. The 16 GB of VRAM is unlikely to be a limiting factor at any preset, given the game's age (released in 2019) and the relatively modest texture demands implied by the FPS figures. The 960.0 GB/s bandwidth provides ample headroom for the 4K Ultra preset, where the combo still manages 48 FPS.

The GPU's nearest rivals in aggregate score—the AMD Radeon 8060S (55,757), RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (55,698), and Radeon Pro W5700X (54,828)—are all within 2.3% of the RTX 5080 in synthetic terms. However, the measured FPS in this game shows the RTX 5080 delivering 371 FPS at 1080p Low, which is a frame rate that only a top-tier GPU could produce. The synthetic aggregate does not fully capture the RTX 5080's strength in this specific title.

Settings Recommendations

The data shows that the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality across all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 305 FPS average with a minimum of 259 FPS—far above any display refresh rate likely in use. At 1440p, Medium gives 201 FPS with a 171 FPS minimum, still excellent for high-refresh monitors. At 4K, Medium produces 111 FPS with a 95 FPS minimum, which is smooth for standard 60 Hz displays and even playable on 120 Hz panels.

The High preset is also viable at all resolutions: 191 FPS at 1080p, 126 FPS at 1440p, and 70 FPS at 4K. The jump from Medium to High costs 114 FPS at 1080p (a 37.4% reduction), 75 FPS at 1440p (a 37.3% reduction), and 41 FPS at 4K (a 36.9% reduction). This consistent drop of roughly 37% suggests High adds substantial visual features that tax the GPU.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p or 1440p if the user prioritizes maximum visuals over frame rate. At 1080p Ultra, 132 FPS is still smooth. At 1440p Ultra, 87 FPS is acceptable for most games. At 4K Ultra, 48 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold and may result in noticeable judder, particularly in a driving game where smooth motion is important.

The Low preset is the only option that exceeds 300 FPS at 1080p (371 FPS), which could matter for competitive play or extreme refresh rate displays, but the visual compromise is likely not worth it given how well Medium performs. For most users, Medium at 4K or High at 1440p provides the best experience—both exceed 100 FPS average—while Ultra at 1080p offers a high-fidelity option without sacrificing playability.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: All tested combinations except 4K Ultra achieve at least 70 FPS average. The 4K Medium preset delivers 111 FPS with a 95 FPS minimum, making it the highest resolution and quality combination that comfortably exceeds 60 FPS. 4K Ultra is the only configuration that drops below 60 FPS, with an average of 48 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU at any settings in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is consistently around 63-64% across all settings, and the drop from Low to Ultra is consistently around 64% at every resolution. This uniform scaling suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at all tested configurations, with the i5-14600K providing sufficient headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its nearest rival GPUs in aggregate benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5080's average benchmark score is 56,083. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55,757 (0.6% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55,698 (0.7% lower), the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54,828 (2.3% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE scores 57,367 (2.2% higher). All rivals are within 2.3% of the RTX 5080.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the combo produces an average of 201 FPS, with a minimum of 171 FPS and a maximum of 231 FPS. This is well above the refresh rate of most gaming monitors and provides a very smooth experience.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra preset playable with this combo?

A: The 4K Ultra preset averages 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold commonly considered the minimum for smooth gameplay. While playable on a 60 Hz display with some frame pacing issues, the 4K Medium preset at 111 FPS is a much better choice for 4K gaming.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all tested combinations in The Long Drive?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combination ranks 177th out of 3,725 tested combos, placing it in the top 4.8% of all configurations. This high ranking reflects the strong performance of both components in this specific game.