The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation from 2019, presents an interesting test for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. The measured data shows a system capable of extremely high frame rates, but the performance scaling across settings and resolutions reveals a nuanced picture of where the bottlenecks lie and how to best configure the game for an optimal experience.

Settings Recommendations

The benchmark data suggests that the High preset offers the most balanced experience across all tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, High delivers an average of 146.2 FPS, which is substantial and smooth for a driving title. The jump to Ultra at this resolution yields 103.3 FPS, a performance drop of roughly 29%, which may not justify the visual gains for the frame rate loss. The data indicates that High is the sweet spot, providing a significant frame rate cushion over Ultra while still offering a quality visual experience.

At 2560x1440, the High preset maintains a very playable 97 FPS. This is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring a fluid experience. In contrast, the Ultra preset drops to 64.2 FPS, which is still playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes with heavy physics or environmental detail. The Medium preset at this resolution is the best option for high refresh rate 1440p monitors, delivering 149.3 FPS, which is more than enough to take advantage of a 144Hz display.

For 4K gaming at 3840x2160, the choice becomes more constrained. The High preset produces an average of 51.8 FPS, which is acceptable for a driving simulation but not ideal for fast-paced action. The Medium preset, at 82.7 FPS, is the recommended choice for 4K, offering a much smoother experience than High with only a moderate reduction in visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 36 FPS is not recommended for serious play, as it falls below the threshold for comfortable motion smoothness. The "best experience" per the data is a trade-off: High at 1080p and 1440p, and Medium at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, provides a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This is a critical factor in The Long Drive, where the vast, procedurally generated world requires constant streaming of terrain and object data. The data shows that the GPU's performance scales predictably with settings, indicating that its 5888 shading units and 64 ROPs are being fully utilized. The boost clock of 2475 MHz, up from a base of 1920 MHz, ensures high throughput in compute-heavy scenes.

The data suggests that the RTX 4070 is the primary performance driver at 4K resolution. The frame rate drop from Medium (82.7 FPS) to High (51.8 FPS) is a 37% reduction, which is a significant cost for the increased visual complexity. This indicates that the game's higher presets place a substantial load on the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth. At 1080p, the GPU is less of a bottleneck, as evidenced by the 283.2 FPS achieved on Low settings, which points to the CPU becoming the limiting factor at lower resolutions. The GPU's 184 tensor cores and 46 RT cores are present, but they do not appear to be the primary source of performance scaling in this specific title, as the frame rate differences between presets are more consistent with traditional rasterization load.

Resolution Scaling

The performance scaling from 1080p to 4K clearly illustrates the shifting bottleneck. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 283.2 FPS. When the resolution increases to 2560x1440, this drops to 182.8 FPS, a 35.5% decrease. Moving to 3840x2160 at Low settings yields 101.7 FPS, a further 44.4% drop from 1440p. This steep decline with resolution indicates that the GPU is becoming progressively more saturated, while the CPU has ample headroom at these lower settings.

The scaling pattern changes with the High preset. At 1080p, the system hits 146.2 FPS. At 1440p, this falls to 97 FPS, a 33.7% reduction. At 4K, the frame rate drops to 51.8 FPS, a 46.6% reduction from 1440p. The fact that the percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p suggests that the GPU is hitting a hard limit at 4K with High settings. This is confirmed by the Ultra preset's performance: 103.3 FPS at 1080p, 64.2 FPS at 1440p, and a mere 36 FPS at 4K. The data implies that the RTX 4070 has the raw power for high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the higher resolutions and settings push it to its limits, making the CPU less relevant to the final output at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the best setting for a 144Hz 1080p monitor?

A: The Medium preset at 1920x1080 delivers an average of 228.8 FPS, and the High preset achieves 146.2 FPS. Both are well above the 144Hz refresh rate, so High is the better choice for visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming?

A: Yes, but with compromises. The data shows 51.8 FPS on High and 82.7 FPS on Medium at 3840x2160. For a consistently smooth experience, the Medium preset is the recommended option for 4K.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra produces 64.2 FPS, while High produces 97 FPS. This is a 33.8% performance penalty for the Ultra settings, which may be too steep for the visual improvement.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes the primary limiter at 1080p. On Low settings, the system reaches 283.2 FPS, indicating the GPU is not fully stressed. The frame rate is likely constrained by the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra at 4K?

A: At 3840x2160, the Low preset yields 101.7 FPS, while Ultra yields 36 FPS. This represents a 64.6% reduction in frame rate, demonstrating a massive performance cost for the highest visual fidelity.

Q: Does the RTX 4070's memory capacity affect performance?

A: The 12 GB of GDDR6X memory is likely sufficient for The Long Drive, as the frame rate drops are more consistent with raw compute and bandwidth limitations than with memory capacity being exceeded.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 430 out of 1734 tested combos in The Long Drive. This places it in the top 25% of all systems tested, indicating a strong overall performance level. The rank is a composite measure of the system's ability across all tested settings and resolutions. Given that the GPU has a percentile rank of 81 among all GPUs, and the CPU has a percentile rank of 93, the combo's rank of 430 out of 1734 is consistent with expectations. The data shows that this is a high-performing pairing, but not an absolute top-tier one, as the 4K Ultra settings are not viable for smooth gameplay, which likely prevents a higher overall ranking. The system is clearly more comfortable at 1080p and 1440p, where it can leverage the CPU's strength to achieve very high frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. In The Long Drive, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. The data shows that at 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 283.2 FPS. This is a frame rate that is difficult for many CPUs to reach, indicating that the i5-14600KF's high boost clock and efficient core design are providing excellent single-threaded performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics.

The CPU's multi-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32889, is also relevant. The Long Drive features a dynamic world with many interacting objects, which can utilize multiple threads. The CPU's 20 threads help maintain high frame rates even in complex scenes, as seen in the 228.8 FPS on Medium at 1080p. The data suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p, as the frame rates scale linearly with the GPU load. However, at 4K, the CPU's performance becomes secondary to the GPU's rendering capabilities. The processor's 24 MB of shared L3 cache is likely beneficial for keeping frequently accessed game data close at hand, reducing latency and improving overall responsiveness. The CPU's performance is a strong complement to the GPU, ensuring that the system is not held back by processing power in CPU-bound scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data is presented below, detailing the average frame rates across all tested settings and resolutions.

1920x1080:

• Low: 283.2 FPS
• Medium: 228.8 FPS
• High: 146.2 FPS
• Ultra: 103.3 FPS

2560x1440:

• Low: 182.8 FPS
• Medium: 149.3 FPS
• High: 97 FPS
• Ultra: 64.2 FPS

3840x2160:

• Low: 101.7 FPS
• Medium: 82.7 FPS
• High: 51.8 FPS
• Ultra: 36 FPS

The data reveals a consistent pattern of frame rate reduction as both resolution and settings increase. At 1080p, the system is capable of delivering extremely high frame rates, with even the Ultra preset exceeding 100 FPS. This makes it an excellent choice for high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p, the system remains very capable, with the High preset providing a near-100 FPS experience. The 4K data shows the limits of the configuration, with only the Medium and Low presets providing a comfortable frame rate for most users. The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a consistent performance cost, with the Ultra preset being considerably more demanding than the others, solidifying the High preset as the recommended setting for the best balance of performance and visual fidelity.