The Long Drive

The Intel Core i5-9400 and Intel Arc B570 pairing delivers a wide spread of performance in The Long Drive, ranging from a playable 27 FPS at 4K High to a fluid 146 FPS at 1080p Low. The data indicates that this combination is positioned in the lower half of tested configurations, ranking 2342nd out of 2934 combos, which places it firmly in the mid-range tier for this driving simulation. The benchmark results show that the Arc B570’s 10 GB of VRAM is sufficient across all tested resolutions, but the CPU’s six cores become a limiting factor in lower-resolution, higher-FPS scenarios.

FAQ

*Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo achieves in The Long Drive?*

A: The highest recorded average is 146 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only tested configuration that exceeds the 144 Hz refresh rate threshold commonly targeted by gamers.

*Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in The Long Drive?*

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 3840x2160, the combo averages 27 FPS on High and 44 FPS on Medium. The Low preset delivers 53 FPS, which is smoother, while the Ultra preset drops to an unplayable 19 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, which is effectively tied with the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259, -0.2% delta) and the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248, +0.3% delta). It is also nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246, +0.4% delta).

Q: What is the GPU’s performance percentile relative to all tested graphics cards?

A: The Intel Arc B570 sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. Its closest rival is the Intel Arc A750, which scores 20582, a difference of just -0.1%.

Q: Is there a significant frame rate difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the gap is substantial. At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 79 FPS, while High settings drop to 49 FPS. This represents a 30 FPS reduction for moving from Medium to High.

Q: What are the minimum frame rates recorded for this combo?

A: Minimum FPS data is only available for Medium settings. At 1920x1080, the minimum is 102 FPS; at 2560x1440, it is 67 FPS; and at 3840x2160, it is 37 FPS. No minimum data is provided for Low, High, or Ultra presets.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is the primary driver of visual fidelity in this pairing, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. The GPU operates at a consistent 2500 MHz for both base and boost clocks, with memory running at 2375 MHz (19 Gbps effective). The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves adequate for the texture loads in The Long Drive at all tested resolutions, as evidenced by the absence of any VRAM-related stutters in the data.

The GPU’s compute capabilities are robust, with 2304 shading units, 144 TMUs, and 80 ROPs. The 18 ray tracing cores are present but do not appear to be leveraged significantly by this driving simulation, as the performance scaling from Low to Ultra follows a predictable pattern based on rasterization load. The Arc B570’s 11.52 TFLOPS of FP32 performance and 200.0 GPixel/s pixel rate suggest it is well-suited for the open-world environments typical of the genre.

Benchmark results place the Arc B570 at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Its average score of 20556 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (20534, +0.1% delta), indicating that desktop and mobile high-end parts are operating in a similar performance envelope. The closest desktop competitor is the Intel Arc A750 at 20582 (-0.1% delta), showing that the B570 is a generational step within Intel’s own lineup.

In The Long Drive, the GPU’s role is most apparent at higher resolutions. At 4K, the average frame rate scales from 19 FPS on Ultra to 53 FPS on Low, a 2.8x improvement purely from reducing graphical load. The Medium preset at 4K (44 FPS) is only 9 FPS slower than Low, suggesting that the GPU can handle moderate settings without a severe penalty. The pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s becomes a bottleneck at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, where the 19 FPS result indicates the fill-rate demand exceeds what the 80 ROPs can deliver.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 + Intel Arc B570 combination ranks 2342nd out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This places it in the 20th percentile of all configurations, which is lower than the individual component percentiles (CPU at 47th, GPU at 65th). The discrepancy suggests that the pairing is not optimal for this specific game, likely due to the CPU constraining the GPU’s potential in certain scenarios.

The ranking indicates that roughly 80% of tested systems outperform this combo in The Long Drive. This is a significant finding for builders, as the GPU alone would suggest higher placement. The data implies that the Core i5-9400’s six-core, six-thread configuration without hyper-threading is the limiting factor, particularly in a game that appears to favor higher thread counts for physics and world simulation.

When compared to the GPU’s nearest rivals, the combo rank would likely improve if paired with a stronger processor. The Arc B570’s performance is on par with the RTX 3070 Mobile and Arc A750, but those GPUs are often paired with more capable CPUs in tested systems. The 2342nd rank reflects the entire system’s capability, not just the GPU, and the CPU’s 47th percentile score reinforces this bottleneck theory.

The combo’s position in the lower half of the rankings is not a disqualifier, as the measured FPS data shows playable results at 1080p and 1440p with appropriate settings. However, for users chasing high-refresh-rate 4K gaming, this rank accurately predicts the 19 FPS Ultra result. The data suggests that this combo is best suited for 1080p medium-to-high settings or 1440p medium settings, where the rank would be less relevant than the actual playable experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its strongest performance. The Low preset delivers an average of 146 FPS, which is smooth on any monitor. Medium settings reduce the average to 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS, indicating consistent frame pacing. High settings drop to 75 FPS, while Ultra falls to 52 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 64% reduction in frame rate, highlighting the GPU’s sensitivity to shadow quality and draw distance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance degrades predictably. Low settings still produce a respectable 96 FPS, making 1440p gaming viable for esports-style play. Medium settings drop to 79 FPS, with a minimum of 67 FPS and a maximum of 91 FPS, which remains playable. High settings halve the Low result to 49 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 34 FPS. The 1440p Medium result (79 FPS) is the best balance of visual quality and smoothness at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to struggle. Low settings produce 53 FPS, which is borderline playable for a driving sim. Medium settings drop to 44 FPS, with a minimum of 37 FPS and a maximum of 50 FPS, creating noticeable stutter in fast-paced scenes. High settings fall to 27 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 19 FPS. The data shows a clear cliff between Medium (44 FPS) and High (27 FPS) at 4K, suggesting that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s is insufficient for the higher texture detail at this resolution.

The average FPS across all settings and resolutions shows a pattern: 1080p Low (146) > 1080p Medium (120) > 1440p Low (96) > 1440p Medium (79) > 1080p High (75) > 1080p Ultra (52) > 4K Low (53) > 1440p High (49) > 4K Medium (44) > 1440p Ultra (34) > 4K High (27) > 4K Ultra (19). This ordering reveals that resolution scaling is more impactful than settings scaling, with 4K Low performing worse than 1080p Ultra.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 14 nm process. It runs at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boosts to 4.10 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel mode with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s, which is modest by modern standards. Its 9 MB of shared L3 cache is divided among the six cores, providing 1.5 MB per core.

Synthetic benchmarks show the CPU’s position. In Cinebench R23, it scores 6629 multi-core and 935 single-core. The Geekbench results are 5141 multi-core and 1389 single-core. These scores place the CPU at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, meaning it is slightly below average. Its average benchmark score of 2254 is within 0.4% of its nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500, showing that it is a well-balanced mid-range part.

In The Long Drive, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU can render frames faster. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 146 FPS, but the CPU’s six threads may limit this from going higher. The lack of hyper-threading means the processor can only handle six concurrent threads, which is sufficient for most games but may cause bottlenecks in physics-heavy driving simulations. The 2.90 GHz base clock is low, but the 4.10 GHz boost helps in single-threaded tasks.

The 47th percentile ranking suggests that this CPU is not a top-tier performer, but it is not a weak link either. In the context of The Long Drive, the data shows that the CPU can keep up with the GPU at 1440p and below, as the frame rates are primarily GPU-limited. However, the combo rank of 2342/2934 suggests that other CPUs in the same price tier offer better performance in this game, likely due to higher boost clocks or better IPC.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience on this combo, the data points to 1920x1080 with Medium settings as the sweet spot. The 120 FPS average with a 102 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay without the visual degradation of Low settings. The 102 FPS floor is above the 90 FPS threshold most players consider playable, and the 138 FPS maximum shows headroom for less demanding scenes. This configuration provides a 60% improvement over High settings (75 FPS) while maintaining acceptable visual quality.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings are the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience. The 79 FPS average with a 67 FPS minimum is playable, though the minimum dips below the 70 FPS threshold some players prefer. The Low preset at 1440p (96 FPS) offers a smoother experience but sacrifices too much visual detail for a game like The Long Drive where environmental readability matters. High settings at 1440p (49 FPS) are too choppy for driving at speed.

For 4K, the data suggests avoiding Ultra entirely, as the 19 FPS average is unplayable. The Low preset at 4K (53 FPS) is the only configuration that approaches playability, but the visual compromise is severe. Medium at 4K (44 FPS) is borderline, with a 37 FPS minimum likely causing noticeable stutter in open areas. If 4K is a priority, the recommendation is to stick with Low or drop to 1440p Medium.

The Ultra preset is never recommended on this combo. Across all three resolutions, it produces frame rates between 19 and 52 FPS, with only the 1080p result being marginally playable. The step from High to Ultra costs 23 FPS at 1080p, 15 FPS at 1440p, and 8 FPS at 4K, which is a poor trade-off for the incremental visual improvements. The Medium preset offers the best balance of frame rate and visual fidelity, as it consistently delivers the highest FPS per settings tier across all resolutions.