The Long Drive

The Long Drive pairs the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the Intel Arc B370, a combination that delivers playable frame rates at 1080p but struggles severely at higher resolutions. Benchmark data shows this combo ranks 2700 out of 2934 tested configurations, placing it in the bottom 8% of all tested combos. The measured FPS numbers reveal a system that is fundamentally GPU-limited, with the Arc B370’s low-end performance capping the i7-12700KF’s substantial CPU headroom. At 1920x1080 Low, the pair achieves 86 FPS average, which is the only clearly smooth experience available; dropping to Medium yields 71 FPS, while High drops to 44 FPS and Ultra falls to 31 FPS. At 2560x1440, even Low settings only produce 56 FPS, and at 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS, with Ultra managing just 11 FPS. The data indicates that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming at Low or Medium settings, where the experience remains fluid, while any attempt at 1440p or 4K requires substantial compromises.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in The Long Drive?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 86, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only preset in the entire measured dataset that exceeds 80 FPS; the next closest is 71 FPS at 1920x1080 Medium.

Q: How does this combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the combo produces 16 FPS on High, 26 FPS on Medium, 31 FPS on Low, and 11 FPS on Ultra. None of these values approach a playable 60 FPS target; even the best 4K result, 31 FPS on Low, is below the minimum threshold for smooth gameplay, and the Ultra preset at 11 FPS is effectively unplayable.

Q: What is the best settings preset for a consistent experience at 1080p?

A: Medium settings at 1920x1080 provide the best balance, with an average of 71 FPS and a measured minimum of 60 FPS and maximum of 81 FPS. This is the only preset across all resolutions and settings that maintains a minimum FPS at or above 60, making it the most reliable choice for consistent frame delivery.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700KF compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365, placing it 85th percentile among all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, scores 35403, which is a 0.1% difference (the i7-12700KF is -0.1% behind). The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, putting the i7-12700KF 0.2% ahead, and the Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, also 0.2% behind the i7-12700KF.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest rivals in the Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, scores 1186, a 0.2% difference (the Arc B370 is -0.2% behind). The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190 (0.5% ahead), the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192 (0.7% ahead), and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168 (the Arc B370 is 1.4% ahead).

Q: Is there any resolution where the Ultra preset provides a playable frame rate?

A: No. The Ultra preset yields 31 FPS at 1920x1080, 20 FPS at 2560x1440, and 11 FPS at 3840x2160. All three results are well below the 60 FPS standard for smooth gameplay, and even a 30 FPS minimum is not met at any resolution with Ultra settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, manufactured on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The chip features a 25 MB shared L3 cache, along with 80 KB of L1 cache per core and 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core. This processor supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration and connects via PCIe Gen 4 with 20 lanes. The CPU’s synthetic benchmark results are strong: it scores 28838 in Cinebench R23 multicore, 12111 in Cinebench R20 multicore, and 2906 in Cinebench R15 multicore. Single-core performance is also solid, with Cinebench R23 single-core scoring 4071, Cinebench R20 single-core scoring 1709, and Cinebench R15 single-core scoring 410. In 3DMark, the i7-12700KF scores 9983 in max threads, 9282 in 16 threads, 7211 in 8 threads, 4011 in 4 threads, 2065 in 2 threads, and 1043 in single thread.

Despite this robust CPU performance, the measured frame rates in The Long Drive are consistently low at high resolutions, indicating that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this configuration. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo reaches 86 FPS, which is a strong result that reflects the CPU’s ability to feed frames when the GPU is not overburdened. However, at 3840x2160 Low, the average drops to 31 FPS, a 64% reduction from the 1080p Low result. This steep decline points to GPU saturation rather than CPU constraint. The CPU’s single-thread score of 1043 in 3DMark and 4071 in Cinebench R23 single-core suggest it can handle the physics and simulation tasks of a driving game like The Long Drive, but the data shows that the GPU’s limits dominate the experience. The CPU’s 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365, confirms it is a high-performing part, yet the combo’s overall rank of 2700 out of 2934 reveals that pairing it with a low-end GPU wastes much of its potential. In this game, the i7-12700KF’s role is to provide ample headroom that is never fully utilized beyond 1080p Low; at higher resolutions, the GPU becomes the bottleneck, and the CPU’s extra cores and threads go idle.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on a 3 nm process with a Panther Lake chip. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2400 MHz, with a TDP of just 25 W. The GPU has 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster operation units, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its memory is system shared, meaning the VRAM size, type, and bus width are all dependent on the system’s main memory, and bandwidth is system dependent as well. The pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, texture rate is 96.00 GTexel/s, and FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Arc B370 scores 1184, placing it in the 5th percentile among all GPUs. This is an extremely low ranking, and its nearest rivals are all older or low-end parts: the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, the AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, and the AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168. The Arc B370’s average benchmark score is 1184, which is nearly identical to these decade-old GPUs.

The GPU’s limitations are starkly visible in the measured FPS data. At 1920x1080, the difference between Low and Ultra is 55 FPS (86 vs. 31), showing that the GPU’s fill rate and shading capacity are quickly exhausted as settings increase. At 2560x1440, the average FPS at Low is 56, which drops to 20 at Ultra, a 64% reduction. At 3840x2160, the results collapse further: Low yields 31 FPS, Medium yields 26 FPS, High yields 16 FPS, and Ultra yields 11 FPS. These numbers align with the GPU’s 5th percentile ranking—it simply does not have the rasterization power or memory bandwidth to handle high resolutions. The system shared memory configuration means that the GPU competes with the CPU for memory bandwidth, which likely exacerbates the performance drop at 4K. The Arc B370’s 2400 MHz boost clock is its only saving grace, but with just 1280 shading units and 20 ROPs, the raw throughput is insufficient. In The Long Drive, the GPU is the decisive component; every resolution increase or settings upgrade produces a disproportionate FPS loss, confirming that the Arc B370 is the bottleneck in this pairing.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B370 ranks 2700 out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This places the configuration in the bottom 8% of all tested combinations, which is a poor result for a CPU that individually ranks in the 85th percentile. The disparity between the CPU’s strong synthetic scores and the combo’s low game rank underscores the GPU’s dominance in determining game performance. The i7-12700KF’s average benchmark score of 35365 is competitive with its nearest rivals: the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 (0.1% higher), the Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287 (0.2% lower). Yet, when paired with the Arc B370, which scores 1184 in Steel Nomad and ranks in the 5th percentile, the combo’s game rank suffers dramatically.

The GPU’s nearest rivals in the Steel Nomad benchmark—ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, ATI Radeon HD 5770, AMD Radeon HD 7650M, and AMD FirePro M2000—are all legacy parts with similar or lower scores. This means that the Arc B370 performs at the level of GPUs from over a decade ago, which directly explains why the combo rank is so low. In practical terms, a rank of 2700 out of 2934 means that only 234 tested combos perform worse, and the vast majority of systems, even those with less capable CPUs, will outperform this pairing if they have a better GPU. The data shows that the i7-12700KF’s computational strength is irrelevant when the GPU cannot translate it into frame rates. For The Long Drive, which appears to be a light simulation title based on the 86 FPS at 1080p Low, the combo’s rank indicates that users would need to either lower expectations to 1080p Low/Medium or consider a different GPU to unlock the CPU’s potential. The rank also implies that this configuration is only suitable for older or less demanding games, as The Long Drive’s 2019 release date and low system requirements are likely why it even achieves 86 FPS at 1080p Low.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, Medium settings provide the best experience, with an average of 71 FPS, a minimum of 60 FPS, and a maximum of 81 FPS. This is the only preset where the minimum FPS reaches the 60 FPS threshold, ensuring consistent frame delivery without drops below playable levels. Low settings at 1080p achieve a higher average of 86 FPS, but the lack of a measured minimum means there is no guarantee of stability; still, the higher average suggests it is also viable for competitive play. High settings at 1080p drop to 44 FPS, and Ultra drops to 31 FPS, both of which are below the 60 FPS standard and should be avoided if smoothness is a priority.

At 2560x1440, Low settings yield 56 FPS, which is playable but not ideal, while Medium drops to 46 FPS with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. High at 1440p produces 29 FPS, and Ultra produces 20 FPS, both of which are too low for a driving simulation where consistent frame pacing matters. At 3840x2160, no preset is recommended, as even Low settings only reach 31 FPS, Medium reaches 26 FPS, High reaches 16 FPS, and Ultra reaches 11 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable option for this combo.

The verdict is clear: for the best measured experience, use 1920x1080 with Medium settings. This yields an average of 71 FPS and, crucially, a minimum of 60 FPS, which means the game will not stutter or drop below the refresh rate of a standard 60 Hz monitor. If a higher average is desired, Low settings at 1080p offers 86 FPS, but the lack of a min/max range means there is uncertainty about worst-case performance. For users with a 1440p monitor, Low settings at 56 FPS is the only acceptable option, but it is a marginal experience. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it never exceeds 31 FPS even at 1080p, and the 4K Ultra result of 11 FPS is essentially a slideshow. In summary, the combo’s sweet spot is 1080p Medium, with 1080p Low as a fallback for higher frame rates, and any resolution above 1080p should be avoided except for Low settings at 1440p if absolutely necessary.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra), providing a complete picture of the combo’s performance envelope.

At 1920x1080, the results are as follows: Low settings achieve an average of 86 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. Medium settings produce an average of 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 FPS and a maximum of 81 FPS. High settings average 44 FPS, and Ultra settings average 31 FPS. This is the only resolution where any preset exceeds 60 FPS average, and it is also the only resolution where a minimum FPS of 60 or higher is recorded (Medium). The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 55 FPS, illustrating the GPU’s sensitivity to settings changes.

At 2560x1440, Low settings average 56 FPS, which is a 35% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium settings average 46 FPS, with a minimum of 40 FPS and a maximum of 53 FPS. High settings average 29 FPS, and Ultra settings average 20 FPS. The Medium preset’s minimum of 40 FPS means that even the best 1440p option will experience noticeable dips below 60 FPS, making gameplay feel less smooth. The drop from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 36 FPS (56 to 20), a 64% reduction.

At 3840x2160, the results are consistently poor: Low settings average 31 FPS, Medium settings average 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS, High settings average 16 FPS, and Ultra settings average 11 FPS. The Medium preset’s max of 30 FPS is the highest recorded at 4K, but even that is below a playable threshold. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 20 FPS (31 to 11), and the best 4K result (31 FPS) is worse than the worst 1080p result (31 FPS at Ultra), highlighting the resolution penalty.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Low settings always yield the highest average FPS, followed by Medium, High, and Ultra in that order. The Medium presets are the only ones with recorded min/max values, which show a spread of about 20 FPS at 1080p (60-81) and 13 FPS at 1440p (40-53). At 4K, the Medium spread is 8 FPS (22-30). The data also shows that the performance gap between Low and Medium is smaller than the gap between Medium and High or High and Ultra. At 1080p, Low to Medium is a 15 FPS drop, while Medium to High is a 27 FPS drop, and High to Ultra is a 13 FPS drop. This suggests that the GPU’s resources are disproportionately stressed by the higher presets, likely due to increased shading and texture demands. The measured results confirm that this combo is only viable at 1080p Low or Medium, with 1440p Low being a marginal compromise and 4K being entirely unusable for The Long Drive.