The Long Drive

The Long Drive pairs the Intel Core i7-12700K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, a combination that produces a wide performance spread across resolutions and settings. Measured data shows this combo ranks 1771st out of 2934 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database for this driving simulation. The CPU holds an 84th percentile standing among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 66th percentile among all graphics cards, suggesting a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint in demanding scenarios.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process from TSMC. Its chip, designated GB207, contains 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2317 MHz and boosts to 2572 MHz, with memory running at 2500 MHz (20 Gbps effective). The memory subsystem consists of 8 GB of GDDR6 on a 128-bit bus, yielding 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications directly influence the measured frame rates, particularly at higher resolutions where memory capacity and bandwidth become more critical.

The RTX 5050 includes 2560 shading units, 80 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units. It also features 20 ray tracing cores and 80 tensor cores, though The Long Drive’s measured results do not isolate ray tracing effects. The GPU achieves a pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance rated at 13.17 TFLOPS. The 8 GB VRAM is a notable factor: at 4K Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 23 FPS, which indicates the card is overwhelmed by both compute and memory demands. At 4K Low, the average rises to 66 FPS, showing that reducing settings alleviates pressure on the GPU.

The GPU’s benchmark scores provide context. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 2502, and Geekbench OpenCL and Vulkan scores are 90334 and 89381, respectively. Passmark G3D scores 17326, while G2D scores 1113. The GPU’s average benchmark score is 21035, which places it near rivals like the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL (21153, -0.6% delta), AMD Radeon HD 8970M (21237, -1% delta), and AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT (20713, 1.6% delta). These deltas are small, indicating the RTX 5050 performs similarly to those cards in synthetic tests. In The Long Drive, the GPU’s role is dominant: at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 180 FPS, but that drops to 64 FPS at 1080p Ultra, a 116 FPS swing driven entirely by GPU workload scaling.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What frame rate can this combo achieve at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the measured average FPS is 148, with a minimum of 126 and a maximum of 171. This is the highest average among the Medium settings across all three resolutions, and it remains far above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating a smooth experience for most driving scenarios.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra compared to 4K Low?

A: At 3840x2160 Ultra, the average FPS is 23, which is below playable thresholds for most users. Reducing to 4K Low nearly triples performance to 66 FPS average. The gap between these settings is 43 FPS, showing that the RTX 5050’s 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for Ultra presets at 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: Benchmark results indicate the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU, Intel Core i7-12700K, has 12 cores and 20 threads with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, and it holds an 84th percentile rank among CPUs. The GPU sits at the 66th percentile. Evidence from the measured FPS shows that scaling from 1080p to 4K at the same settings produces steep declines—for example, High settings drop from 93 FPS at 1080p to 61 FPS at 1440p and 34 FPS at 4K—which is characteristic of GPU-limited performance.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo if targeting 60 FPS?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the average FPS is 61, which just meets the 60 FPS target. At 1920x1080, all settings except Ultra exceed 60 FPS, with Low reaching 180 FPS, Medium 148 FPS, and High 93 FPS. For 4K, only Low settings (66 FPS) achieve above 60 FPS, while Medium (54 FPS) and High (34 FPS) fall short.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The RTX 5050’s average benchmark score is 21035. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, scores 21153, a delta of -0.6%. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237 (-1% delta), while the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713 (1.6% delta). The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379 (-1.6% delta). These differences are minimal, meaning the RTX 5050 performs essentially on par with these cards in general benchmarks, though game-specific results may vary.

Q: What is the combo rank in The Long Drive?

A: The combo ranks 1771st out of 2934 tested combinations. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested combos, meaning roughly 60% of tested systems perform better in this game. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-tier performance and the CPU’s strong but insufficient ability to overcome GPU limitations at higher settings.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1771st out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This rank indicates the system sits in the lower half of the database, with 1163 combos performing worse and 1770 performing better. The percentile position suggests that while the CPU is capable—its 84th percentile rank among all CPUs reflects strong multi-threaded performance—the GPU’s 66th percentile standing drags the overall combo down in this game.

To contextualize this rank, consider the CPU’s nearest rivals. The Intel Core i5-13600T has an average score of 35305, a -0.1% delta from the i7-12700K’s 35287. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365 (-0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 (-0.3% delta). These CPUs are all within 0.4% of each other, meaning the i7-12700K is not the differentiator in this combo’s rank. The GPU’s rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT with a 1.6% higher average score, similarly show that the RTX 5050 is not far off from comparable cards. The rank of 1771st is therefore a product of the GPU’s mid-range position rather than a CPU deficiency.

The measured FPS data supports this ranking. At 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 148 FPS, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 23 FPS. These numbers align with a GPU that can handle esports-level settings at lower resolutions but struggles with high-fidelity 4K. The combo’s rank would improve if the GPU were faster; the CPU has headroom, as evidenced by its ability to push 180 FPS at 1080p Low without the frame rate collapsing. In short, the 1771st rank reflects a balanced-but-mid-tier pairing where the GPU is the bottleneck in demanding settings.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

Resolution scaling reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation. At 1080p High, the average FPS is 93. Moving to 1440p High, it drops to 61 FPS, a 34% reduction. At 4K High, it falls to 34 FPS, a further 44% drop from 1440p. The total decline from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 59 FPS, or 63%. Similarly, at Medium settings, 1080p yields 148 FPS, 1440p yields 98 FPS (a 34% drop), and 4K yields 54 FPS (a 45% drop from 1440p). The scaling factors are nearly identical across High and Medium, which is typical for GPU-bound workloads where pixel count drives performance.

At Low settings, the pattern holds: 1080p Low produces 180 FPS, 1440p Low produces 119 FPS (a 34% drop), and 4K Low produces 66 FPS (a 45% drop from 1440p). The consistent percentage drops across all settings—roughly 34% from 1080p to 1440p and 45% from 1440p to 4K—indicate that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are being saturated. The RTX 5050’s 320.0 GB/s bandwidth and 82.30 GPixel/s pixel rate are the likely constraints. At 4K, the number of pixels is 8.3 million versus 2.1 million at 1080p, and the GPU cannot keep up.

This scaling behavior also rules out CPU limitation. If the CPU were the bottleneck, FPS would remain flat or decline less sharply when resolution increases, because the CPU would be the same workload. Instead, the FPS drops proportionally with pixel count, confirming the RTX 5050 is the limiting component. The CPU’s 12 cores and 20 threads are sufficient to feed the GPU at 1080p, but at 4K, the GPU’s compute and memory resources are exhausted. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo averages 23 FPS, which is unplayable, while 4K Low at 66 FPS is the only 4K setting that clears 60 FPS. For a playable experience, users must either drop to 1440p or reduce settings at 4K.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance: 148 FPS average with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides headroom for dips. The High preset at 1080p averages 93 FPS, which is also smooth, but Medium’s higher minimum (126 versus unknown for High) suggests more consistent performance. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 64 FPS, which is playable but near the edge of comfort; if visual fidelity is paramount, Ultra is acceptable, but Medium is safer.

At 1440p, the Medium preset again stands out: 98 FPS average with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. This is the only 1440p setting that exceeds 90 FPS on average. High at 1440p averages 61 FPS, which meets 60 FPS but leaves little margin. Ultra at 1440p drops to 42 FPS, which is not recommended for smooth driving. Low at 1440p yields 119 FPS, but the visual quality loss is significant. For 1440p, Medium is the best choice, as it provides a high average and a minimum above 60 FPS.

At 4K, the options are more limited. Low settings average 66 FPS, which is the only 4K preset above 60 FPS. Medium averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS and a maximum of 62 FPS, which is borderline; some users may find 54 FPS acceptable, but the minimum of 46 FPS suggests occasional stutters. High at 4K averages 34 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS, both unplayable. Therefore, for 4K, Low is the recommended preset to maintain smoothness, while Medium is a compromise if the user can tolerate occasional frame dips. Overall, the data indicates that Medium settings at 1080p or 1440p provide the best experience, with 4K reserved for Low settings.

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

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz, with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and it has 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes. The processor’s TDP is 125 W, and it includes integrated UHD Graphics 770, though the RTX 5050 handles all rendering in this game.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-12700K demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 19784, and single-core is 1850.5. Geekbench multicore scores 15790, with single-core at 2308. Passmark multithread scores 34404, and single-thread scores 4013. The CPU’s average benchmark score is 35287, placing it at the 84th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are all within 0.4%: the Intel Core i5-13600T (35305, -0.1%), Intel Core i7-12700KF (35365, -0.2%), Intel Core i7-13700T (35403, -0.3%), and Intel Core 5 213PE (35428, -0.4%). These scores show the i7-12700K is competitive with newer mid-range parts.

In The Long Drive, the CPU’s role is to maintain frame pacing and feed the GPU. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo achieves 180 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame output for this game. At 1080p Medium, the FPS drops to 148, and at High to 93, indicating the GPU is taking over. The fact that FPS scales so heavily with resolution and settings—rather than remaining flat—confirms the CPU is not the bottleneck. Even at 4K Ultra (23 FPS), the CPU is not limiting; the GPU is fully saturated. The i7-12700K’s 12 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for this driving simulation, which likely uses a few threads for physics and AI. The CPU’s 5.00 GHz boost clock helps ensure single-threaded tasks, such as game logic, are handled quickly. Overall, the CPU is more than capable for this game, and the combo’s rank is determined by the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). For each combination, average FPS is provided, with minimum and maximum values for Medium settings only.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows:

• Low: average 180 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Medium: average 148 FPS, minimum 126 FPS, maximum 171 FPS.
• High: average 93 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Ultra: average 64 FPS, no min/max recorded.

The 1080p results show a clear hierarchy: Low is the fastest, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra. The gap between Low and Medium is 32 FPS, while Medium to High is 55 FPS, and High to Ultra is 29 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 126 FPS ensures the frame rate stays well above 60 FPS even in demanding scenes.

At 2560x1440:

• Low: average 119 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Medium: average 98 FPS, minimum 83 FPS, maximum 112 FPS.
• High: average 61 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Ultra: average 42 FPS, no min/max recorded.

The 1440p results show that Low and Medium are both above 90 FPS, while High barely meets 60 FPS and Ultra falls below 45 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 83 FPS provides a comfortable margin, whereas High has no recorded minimum, but its average of 61 FPS suggests occasional dips below 60 FPS are possible.

At 3840x2160:

• Low: average 66 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Medium: average 54 FPS, minimum 46 FPS, maximum 62 FPS.
• High: average 34 FPS, no min/max recorded.
• Ultra: average 23 FPS, no min/max recorded.

The 4K results are the most constrained. Only Low exceeds 60 FPS on average. Medium averages 54 FPS with a minimum of 46 FPS, meaning the frame rate can dip into the 40s. High and Ultra are below 35 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay. The data shows that the RTX 5050’s 8 GB VRAM and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for 4K Ultra, which requires more memory and bandwidth than the card can provide. The measured values across all resolutions demonstrate a GPU-bound system where settings and resolution have a linear impact on performance, with the CPU providing consistent support throughout.