The Long Drive

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 presents a compelling, if uneven, picture in The Long Drive. The data indicates that this combination is heavily constrained by the graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor’s strong multi-threaded capabilities are more than adequate for the game's demands. The benchmark results show a clear narrative: for a smooth experience, users must prioritize resolution and settings carefully, as the system’s performance envelope narrows significantly when pushing towards 4K.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is severe, revealing a system that is firmly GPU-limited at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 75 FPS at 1920x1080 to 49 FPS at 2560x1440, a 34.7% reduction. The decline continues to 4K, where the average plummets to 27 FPS at 3840x2160, representing a 64% loss compared to 1080p. This steep curve is a classic indicator that the Intel Arc B570’s rendering throughput is the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases.

The scaling pattern is consistent across all quality presets, though the relative drops differ. At Low settings, the system achieves 146 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 96 FPS at 1440p (a 34.2% decrease) and further to 53 FPS at 4K (a 63.7% decrease from 1080p). This near-identical percentage drop across presets suggests that the GPU’s fill-rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors, rather than any specific shader or texture workload that might be alleviated by lower settings.

The most telling data point is the Medium preset, which includes minimum and maximum frame times. At 1080p Medium, the average is 120 FPS with a range from 102 to 138 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 79 FPS with a range of 67 to 91 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 44 FPS with a range of 37 to 50 FPS. This consistent frame time spread indicates that the GPU is working progressively harder, and the variance scales with the average, suggesting a sustained load rather than sporadic stutters.

The implication is clear: the Core i7-12700KF is not a limiting factor in this scaling. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see a plateau or a less dramatic drop as resolution increases, because the CPU workload per frame remains relatively constant. Instead, the consistent halving of performance from 1080p to 4K points squarely at the Arc B570. The 10 GB of GDDR6 memory and 160-bit bus are likely strained by the 4K framebuffer, especially at higher settings like Ultra, where the average FPS collapses to just 19.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. In The Long Drive, a driving simulation that does not appear to be heavily threaded, the CPU’s job is to maintain a stable frame pacing and handle physics calculations. The benchmark data suggests that the i7-12700KF is more than capable of this task, as the FPS drops at higher resolutions are entirely attributable to GPU load.

The processor’s benchmark scores reinforce its headroom. In Cinebench R23, it scores 28838 points in multi-core and 4071 points in single-core, placing it in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. This single-core performance is crucial for gaming, as many game engines, including driving simulators, rely heavily on a few primary threads. A single-core score above 4000 in Cinebench R23 indicates excellent per-thread performance, which explains why the CPU does not bottleneck the GPU even at 1080p where the Arc B570 is producing 146 FPS at Low settings.

The data shows that the Core i7-12700KF’s performance is nearly identical to its closest rivals. The nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, has an average score of 35403, which is only 0.1% lower than the i7-12700KF’s average of 35365. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, a 0.2% difference. This suggests that the i7-12700KF is well-positioned in its performance tier, and any differences in gaming performance would be negligible. The CPU’s 25 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory provide ample bandwidth for feeding the GPU with draw calls and game state data.

Given that the GPU is the bottleneck, the CPU’s role in this specific configuration is to ensure that it never becomes the limiting factor. The data indicates it succeeds. The fact that the FPS scales inversely with resolution and preset quality, without any signs of CPU-induced stuttering (as evidenced by the consistent min/max FPS ranges in the Medium preset), confirms that the processor is not a performance ceiling in this game.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play at for a consistent 60 FPS experience?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 at High settings is the only configuration that provides an average FPS above 75, while 2560x1440 at Low settings achieves 96 FPS. At 1440p High, the average drops to 49 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Therefore, 1080p High is the highest quality setting that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, while 1440p Low is the only 1440p option that exceeds it.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High in terms of performance cost?

A: The performance cost of Ultra is substantial. At 1920x1080, Ultra yields an average of 52 FPS, which is 23 FPS lower than High’s 75 FPS, representing a 30.7% performance penalty. At 2560x1440, Ultra drops to 34 FPS, a 30.6% penalty compared to High’s 49 FPS. At 3840x2160, Ultra produces an unplayable 19 FPS, compared to High’s 27 FPS, a 29.6% penalty. The relative cost is consistent, but the absolute frame rates make Ultra impractical at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the system more CPU-limited or GPU-limited in this game?

A: The benchmark data strongly indicates a GPU bottleneck. As resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, the average FPS drops by roughly 64% across all settings. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would be more consistent across resolutions. The Intel Core i7-12700KF’s position in the 85th percentile of CPUs, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28838, suggests it has ample headroom for this title.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Medium settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 146 FPS, while Medium averages 120 FPS. This is a 26 FPS difference, or an 17.8% reduction in average frame rate. The Medium preset also shows a minimum of 102 FPS and a maximum of 138 FPS, indicating a stable frame pacing despite the lower average. This suggests that the visual quality improvement from Low to Medium costs a relatively small amount of performance.

Q: Can the system handle 4K gaming?

A: The data suggests that 4K gaming is only viable at Low settings, where the average FPS is 53. At Medium settings, the average drops to 44 FPS, and at High it falls to 27 FPS. Ultra is not playable at 19 FPS. Therefore, users seeking a 4K experience would need to sacrifice significant visual fidelity to maintain a playable frame rate, and even then, the experience may not be smooth enough for a driving simulation.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700KF compare to its direct rival, the i7-13700T?

A: The average benchmark scores for the two processors are nearly identical. The i7-12700KF scores 35365, while the i7-13700T scores 35403, a difference of only 0.1%. This indicates that in a game like The Long Drive, which is not heavily CPU-dependent, there would be no practical performance difference between the two. The i7-12700KF’s performance is effectively on par with its more modern counterpart.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates show a clear hierarchy across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. The Low preset leads with an average of 146 FPS, followed by Medium at 120 FPS (with a min of 102 and max of 138), High at 75 FPS, and Ultra at 52 FPS. This spread shows that the Arc B570 is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p, provided the user is willing to dial back settings.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the performance drops are significant. Low remains the only preset with a triple-digit average, hitting 96 FPS. Medium averages 79 FPS (min 67, max 91), High drops to 49 FPS, and Ultra falls to 34 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p represents a substantial increase in pixel count, and the data shows the GPU struggling to maintain high frame rates at higher quality settings.

At 3840x2160, the system is firmly in playable territory only on Low settings, which averages 53 FPS. Medium averages 44 FPS (min 37, max 50), High averages 27 FPS, and Ultra averages a mere 19 FPS. The 4K data points are the clearest evidence of the GPU’s limitations. The 10 GB of VRAM and the 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth are insufficient to handle the demands of 4K at higher presets, leading to a severe performance collapse.

The only preset with complete min/max data is Medium, which shows consistent frame pacing across all resolutions. At 1080p, the range is 102 to 138 FPS; at 1440p, it is 67 to 91 FPS; and at 4K, it is 37 to 50 FPS. This consistency suggests that while the GPU is heavily loaded, it does not suffer from erratic spikes, making the Medium preset a stable choice for those who can tolerate the average frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a mid-range graphics card built on the Xe2-HPG architecture, with 2304 shading units and 80 ROPs. Its performance in The Long Drive is directly tied to its memory subsystem and raw compute power. The card’s 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The data suggests that this bandwidth is a limiting factor at 1440p and especially at 4K, where the higher resolution demands more data throughput.

The GPU’s benchmark scores place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, with an average score of 20556. Its closest rival, the Intel Arc A750, scores 20582, a 0.1% difference, indicating they are performance peers. The Arc B570’s 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2649 and Geekbench Vulkan score of 96844 provide context for its raw capabilities, but the in-game data shows a more nuanced picture. The card’s FP32 compute of 11.52 TFLOPS is sufficient for 1080p gaming, but the memory bandwidth appears to be the constraint at higher resolutions.

The 5 nm process node and 19,600 million transistors make the card efficient, but it is not a high-end performer. The data shows that at 1080p, the card can deliver excellent frame rates at Low and Medium settings, but it struggles to maintain 60 FPS at High settings (75 FPS) and falls short at Ultra (52 FPS). The performance degradation at 1440p and 4K is steep, confirming that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this configuration.

The GPU’s clock speed is locked at 2500 MHz for both base and boost, which is a modest frequency. This, combined with the memory limitations, means that the card cannot compensate for the increased pixel workload at higher resolutions. The card’s DirectX 12 Ultimate support and 18 RT cores are features that the game may not fully utilize, but the core rasterization performance is what dictates the measured FPS. The data clearly shows that the Arc B570 is a capable 1080p card that is out of its depth at 4K.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience balances visual quality with a playable frame rate. For users with a 1920x1080 display, the High preset is the clear choice, delivering an average of 75 FPS. This provides a smooth experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. While the Medium preset offers a higher 120 FPS average, the visual fidelity gain from High is likely worth the 45 FPS reduction for most players. The Ultra preset, at 52 FPS, does not provide a substantial enough visual improvement over High to justify the performance cost.

For 2560x1440 displays, the recommendation is more nuanced. The Low preset, at 96 FPS, offers the only high-refresh-rate experience, but it sacrifices significant visual quality. The Medium preset, at 79 FPS, is a better balance, providing a frame rate that is still above 60 FPS while offering improved textures and effects. The High preset, at 49 FPS, is borderline playable but may feel less smooth in a driving simulation where consistent frame pacing is important. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 1440p due to its 34 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the options are limited. The Low preset, at 53 FPS, is the only configuration that approaches playability. The Medium preset, at 44 FPS, is a compromise that may be acceptable for a casual driving experience, but the 37 FPS minimum suggests potential stutters. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended, as their average frame rates of 27 FPS and 19 FPS, respectively, are too low for a smooth experience. The data suggests that 4K gaming is not this system’s strength, and users should either lower the resolution or accept reduced settings.

The best overall experience, per the measured rows, is 1920x1080 at High settings. This configuration delivers a 75 FPS average, which is smooth and responsive for a driving simulator, while still providing a high level of visual detail. The Medium preset at 1440p is a strong alternative for those who prioritize resolution over frame rate, offering 79 FPS. For users who insist on 4K, the Low preset is the only viable option, but it requires a significant compromise in visual fidelity.