The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation from 2019, presents a fascinating performance profile when paired with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070. The benchmark data reveals a system that is exceptionally capable at high refresh rates but quickly succumbs to the demands of maximum graphical fidelity. The measured results indicate that the primary bottleneck shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and settings, making component selection and configuration crucial for an optimal experience.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and highly dependent on the graphics preset, revealing where the system's limits lie. At the Low preset, the frame rate falls from a blistering 279.2 FPS at 1920x1080 to 181.3 FPS at 2560x1440, and finally to 102.6 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 63.3% reduction in FPS from 1080p to 4K, a massive hit that highlights the GPU's workload scaling with pixel count.

However, the pattern changes at the High preset. The transition from 1080p (143.4 FPS) to 1440p (96.5 FPS) is a 32.7% drop, but the move from 1440p to 4K (50.1 FPS) is a more severe 48.1% drop. This non-linear scaling suggests that at 4K High, the RTX 4070 is hitting a wall, likely due to the combined pressure of higher resolution and more complex shading. The Ultra preset tells a similar story, with a 36% drop from 1080p (101.7 FPS) to 1440p (65.1 FPS) and another 46.7% drop to 4K (34.7 FPS).

This data indicates that the RTX 4070 is the limiting component at 4K, especially with higher settings. At 1080p and 1440p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU and GPU are likely sharing the load, but the sheer pixel throughput required at 4K overwhelms the graphics card. The scaling is not smooth; it accelerates at higher resolutions, confirming that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute capabilities are being saturated.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for high-refresh-rate monitors?

A: For monitors with refresh rates above 144Hz, the 1920x1080 resolution with Medium settings is the sweet spot, delivering 232.4 FPS. Even the High preset at 1080p offers 143.4 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. The 2560x1440 resolution with Low settings hits 181.3 FPS, but 1440p High drops to 96.5 FPS, which may be below the target for some high-refresh displays.

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

A: The Ultra preset at 3840x2160 yields an average of 34.7 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay and is only suitable for slow-paced exploration. The data shows that this setting is extremely demanding and not recommended for a playable experience at this resolution.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF a bottleneck for this GPU?

A: At lower resolutions and settings, the CPU can become a factor. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 279.2 FPS. This is an extremely high frame rate that demands significant CPU processing power to feed the GPU. The i7-12700KF’s benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979 and a single-core score of 4091, suggest it has the headroom to support these high frame rates.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset achieves 149.3 FPS, while the High preset drops to 96.5 FPS. This is a 35.4% performance decrease for the jump to High. The data shows that Medium provides a much better balance for high-refresh 1440p gaming.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming at all?

A: Yes, but with limitations. The Low preset at 4K achieves 102.6 FPS, which is very playable. The Medium preset at 4K hits 81.4 FPS, which is also smooth. However, High (50.1 FPS) and Ultra (34.7 FPS) fall below the 60 FPS standard, making them less desirable for action-heavy moments.

Q: How does the RTX 4070's performance compare to its closest rivals based on the data?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283, placing it in the 81st percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, scores 37507, which is 0.6% higher. This indicates the 4070 is statistically on par with that older card, but its modern features likely account for differences in real-world gaming.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the clear performance driver in this configuration, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 192-bit memory bus providing a bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s. This memory configuration is crucial for handling the high-resolution textures and geometry in The Long Drive. The card's 5888 shading units and boost clock of 2475 MHz deliver the raw compute power needed for the frame rates seen in the benchmarks.

The GPU's performance is heavily taxed at 4K. The measured FPS at 4K Ultra (34.7 FPS) is less than half of the 1080p High result (143.4 FPS). This stark difference underscores that the card's 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is not sufficient to maintain high frame rates at maximum settings and 4K resolution. The data suggests the card is more comfortable at 1440p, where it achieves 96.5 FPS on High, or 1080p, where it can push past 230 FPS on Medium.

The 12 GB VRAM capacity appears sufficient for this game, as the benchmarks do not show a catastrophic failure at higher settings, only a gradual performance decline. The GPU's 81st percentile ranking and average score of 37283 confirm it is a strong performer, but the difference between the 4K Low (102.6 FPS) and 4K Ultra (34.7 FPS) results shows that its capabilities are finite and scale poorly with the most demanding presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the i7-12700KF and RTX 4070 combination produces outstanding results. The Low preset averages 279.2 FPS, while Medium drops to 232.4 FPS. The High preset still delivers a very playable 143.4 FPS, and even the demanding Ultra preset manages 101.7 FPS. This resolution is clearly where the combo excels, offering high refresh rates across all settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but requires more careful settings management. The Low preset achieves 181.3 FPS, and Medium follows with 149.3 FPS. The High preset falls to 96.5 FPS, which is still smooth for most players, but the Ultra preset drops to 65.1 FPS, which is on the edge of the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows that 1440p is viable for high-refresh gaming if settings are kept to Medium or below.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The Low preset is the most playable, hitting 102.6 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 81.4 FPS, which is still acceptable. However, the High preset (50.1 FPS) and Ultra preset (34.7 FPS) are not ideal for a smooth experience. The data clearly shows that 4K gaming requires turning down the settings to maintain a stable frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

For the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium preset is the clear winner at 1080p and 1440p. At 1080p, it delivers 232.4 FPS, which is only 16.8% lower than the Low preset but with significantly better visuals. At 1440p, the Medium preset’s 149.3 FPS is a 35.4% improvement over the High preset’s 96.5 FPS, making it the ideal choice for high-refresh monitors.

For 4K gaming, the Low preset is the only sensible choice for a high frame rate, achieving 102.6 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K (81.4 FPS) is also viable for those who prioritize visual fidelity over maximum refresh rates. The High and Ultra presets should be avoided at 4K, as their frame rates fall below the 60 FPS playability threshold, leading to a potentially jarring experience in a driving game where smooth motion is key.

The Ultra preset is only recommended for 1080p, where it still manages 101.7 FPS. At higher resolutions, the performance cost is too steep, with the 1440p result dropping to 65.1 FPS and the 4K result plummeting to 34.7 FPS. The data suggests that players should prioritize the Medium preset for the most consistent experience across all resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF provides the computational foundation for this system. With 12 cores (based on the Alder Lake architecture) and 20 threads, it offers substantial multi-threaded performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28979. This processing power is essential for handling game logic, physics, and AI in The Long Drive, especially at high frame rates.

The CPU's high single-thread performance, with a 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2526, is crucial for maintaining high FPS in less demanding scenes. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system hits 279.2 FPS, a frame rate that requires the CPU to process frames quickly enough to keep the GPU fed. The i7-12700KF's 5.00 GHz boost clock is a key factor in achieving these high frame rates.

Its 25 MB of shared L3 cache and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory help reduce latency. The CPU's 89th percentile ranking and average benchmark score of 35355 place it in the top tier of processors. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i5-14400, has an average score of 35336, a delta of just 0.1%, indicating that the i7-12700KF is a very balanced and high-performing chip. The data confirms that the CPU is not a limiting factor in this configuration, except perhaps at the absolute highest frame rates where its performance is the ceiling.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database, this specific combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 471 out of 1734 tested combos for The Long Drive. This places it in the top 27.2% of all configurations, a solid result that indicates a well-matched pairing. The ranking reflects the system's ability to deliver high frame rates, particularly at 1080p and 1440p.

The high ranking reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. While the RTX 4070 is not the most powerful GPU available, its performance is well-supported by the i7-12700KF. The data shows that this combo can outperform many other pairings, especially in scenarios where the CPU might otherwise bottleneck a more powerful GPU, or a weaker GPU might limit a strong CPU. The 471st rank out of 1734 suggests that users of this combination will have a positive experience, particularly if they target the 1080p or 1440p resolutions with Medium to High settings, where the measured frame rates are excellent.