The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation released in 2019, presents an interesting benchmark scenario when paired with an Intel Core i5-9400 and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080. This combination of a six-core CPU from the Coffee Lake era with a high-end Ada Lovelace GPU creates a significant performance dynamic. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily influenced by resolution and settings, with the CPU emerging as a clear limiting factor at lower resolutions. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS data to understand the balance of this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, but the pattern reveals a classic shift in bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system produces an average of 221 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at Low settings, the average drops to 192 FPS, a 13.1% decrease. When scaling up to 3840x2160 at Low settings, the average falls to 131 FPS, a 31.8% reduction from the 1440p figure and a 40.7% drop from the 1080p result.

This scaling behavior changes dramatically with higher graphical presets. At High settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p yields a drop from 172 FPS to 121 FPS, a 29.7% decrease. The jump from 1440p to 4K at High settings is similarly steep, with the average falling from 121 FPS to 67 FPS, a 44.6% reduction. The Ultra preset shows the most extreme scaling: 127 FPS at 1080p falls to 84 FPS at 1440p (a 33.9% drop) and then plummets to 47 FPS at 4K (a 44.0% drop from 1440p).

The data strongly indicates that at lower resolutions and settings, the Intel Core i5-9400 is the primary limiting component. The 221 FPS at 1080p Low suggests the CPU is nearing its maximum output for this game, as the GPU has ample headroom. As resolution increases, the rendering load shifts to the RTX 4080, and the FPS drops become more linear and predictable, indicating a transition to a GPU-bound scenario. The steep falloffs at High and Ultra presets confirm that the RTX 4080 is being fully utilized at higher resolutions, but the CPU's performance ceiling prevents it from pushing frame rates higher at 1080p.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS achievable with this combination?

A: The highest recorded average FPS is 221, observed at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution with the Ultra preset?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the benchmark records an average FPS of 47, which is the lowest average in the entire measured data set.

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

A: Yes, the data shows a substantial gap. At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce an average of 179 FPS, while High settings yield 121 FPS, a difference of 58 FPS or roughly 32.4% lower performance on High.

Q: Does the CPU limit performance at 1080p?

A: The evidence suggests yes. The FPS difference between Low (221 FPS) and Medium (206 FPS) at 1080p is only 15 FPS, while the difference between Medium and Ultra (127 FPS) is 79 FPS. This indicates that the CPU is likely saturating before the GPU becomes the bottleneck at lower settings.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like at 1440p Medium?

A: The measured data for 2560x1440 Medium shows an average FPS of 179, with a minimum of 152 FPS and a maximum of 206 FPS. This represents a variance of 54 FPS between the minimum and maximum recorded values.

Q: How does the 4K Medium result compare to the 1080p Ultra result?

A: The 4K Medium average of 108 FPS is lower than the 1080p Ultra average of 127 FPS. This indicates that the increased pixel count at 4K has a more significant impact on performance than the higher graphical preset at 1080p.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark scores place it in the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. This positions it as a mid-range processor relative to the entire CPU market, and its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (avg score 2259, deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (avg score 2246, deltaPct 0.4), show it is competitive within its performance tier.

In the context of The Long Drive, the CPU's role is critical at lower resolutions. The 1080p Low result of 221 FPS is a strong indicator of the CPU's maximum frame throughput in this game. At this resolution, the RTX 4080 is not being fully taxed, and the frame rate is likely constrained by the i5-9400's single-thread and multi-thread performance. The Cinebench R23 scores of 935 for single-core and 6629 for multi-core provide context for this behavior. The relatively modest single-core score suggests that the CPU may struggle to issue draw calls and process game logic fast enough to feed the high-end GPU at 1080p.

As the resolution increases, the CPU's load becomes relatively less demanding, as the GPU takes more time to render each frame. This is why the scaling from 1440p to 4K is more consistent with GPU limitations. The 6 cores and 6 threads are sufficient for the game's logic at higher resolutions, but they cap the maximum achievable FPS at lower settings. The data indicates that while the RTX 4080 can deliver over 200 FPS at 1080p Medium, the CPU is the factor preventing even higher frame rates at Low settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-9400 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination holds a rank of 676 out of 3725 tested combos for The Long Drive. This places it in the top 18.1% of all tested configurations, which is a strong showing given the age of the CPU. The ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates, particularly at 1440p and 4K resolutions where the GPU can dominate.

The RTX 4080's individual performance is a major contributor to this ranking. The GPU sits in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54247. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, has a score of 54209 (deltaPct 0.1), indicating near-identical performance. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% ahead, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% ahead in average benchmark score. The GPU's high percentile ensures that the combo ranks well, even with the i5-9400's more modest 47th percentile CPU score.

The rank of 676 suggests that while the GPU is a top-tier part, the CPU holds the combo back from reaching the very top of the charts. Combos with newer, faster CPUs paired with the RTX 4080 would likely achieve higher ranks, as they would not be limited by CPU performance at 1080p. However, for a driving simulation game, the combination's ability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K, where the GPU is the primary driver, secures a respectable position in the overall rankings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 221 FPS on Low, 206 FPS on Medium (min 175, max 237), 172 FPS on High, and 127 FPS on Ultra. The progression shows a clear performance cost for higher settings, with the difference between Low and Ultra being 94 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 192 FPS on Low, 179 FPS on Medium (min 152, max 206), 121 FPS on High, and 84 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Low to Ultra is 108 FPS, showing a larger absolute difference than at 1080p, as the GPU becomes more involved in rendering.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 131 FPS on Low, 108 FPS on Medium (min 91, max 124), 67 FPS on High, and 47 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Ultra here is 84 FPS, but the absolute values are much lower, indicating a GPU-bound scenario at this resolution.

The data shows a consistent pattern where Medium settings provide a substantial performance boost over High, while Ultra demands a significant premium. For example, at 1440p, moving from Medium to High costs 58 FPS (179 to 121), while moving from High to Ultra costs 37 FPS (121 to 84). This suggests that the Medium preset is a sweet spot for high refresh rate gaming, while Ultra is only viable at 1080p for a smooth experience.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and refresh rate. For players with a 1080p display, the Medium preset is the best choice for a balance of visual quality and performance, delivering 206 FPS. The High preset at 172 FPS is also excellent, but the jump to Ultra (127 FPS) may not be worth the visual gain for the significant performance loss.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, as it provides an average of 179 FPS, which is well above the 144 FHz threshold for many high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 121 FPS is also capable, but the 58 FPS loss from Medium suggests that the visual uplift is not proportional to the performance cost. Ultra at 84 FPS is only suitable for players who prioritize image quality over frame rate.

At 4K, the situation is more constrained. The High preset yields 67 FPS, which is playable on a 60 Hz display, while Medium provides 108 FPS for smoother motion. The Low preset at 131 FPS offers the highest frame rate but sacrifices visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 47 FPS is not recommended for a consistently smooth experience, as it falls below the standard 60 FPS threshold. For 4K gaming with this combo, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance, with the High preset as a viable alternative for those with 60 Hz monitors.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end GPU based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, fabricated on a 5 nm process at TSMC. It features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is 2505 MHz, and it offers substantial compute resources, including 9728 shading units and 76 RT cores. Its FP32 performance is rated at 48.74 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 Ultimate.

In The Long Drive, the RTX 4080's role becomes more prominent as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not the limiting factor, as the CPU's 221 FPS ceiling is well below the GPU's potential. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, with the 47 FPS average reflecting the immense rendering load at that resolution and preset.

The GPU's 16 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game at all tested settings, and the high memory bandwidth ensures that texture streaming and geometry processing are not bottlenecks. The benchmark scores for the RTX 4080, such as a Passmark G3D score of 34457 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567, confirm its position in the 86th percentile of all GPUs. This performance headroom allows the GPU to deliver high frame rates at 1440p Medium (179 FPS) and 4K Medium (108 FPS), where it is the primary driver of performance. The data indicates that the RTX 4080 is a capable partner for the i5-9400, but its full potential is only realized at higher resolutions, where the CPU's limitations are less impactful.