The Long Drive

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 32nd out of 1,734 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the top 2% of all configurations. This is an elite-tier result, but it is not the absolute pinnacle—the data indicates that a handful of other CPU-GPU pairings deliver higher average frame rates in this driving simulation. The ranking reflects a balanced system where neither component bottlenecks the other to a severe degree, though the performance ceiling is ultimately dictated by the GPU at higher resolutions and by the CPU at lower resolutions. The combo's rank of 32 out of 1,734 is particularly notable because it outperforms the vast majority of systems while still leaving headroom for more specialized builds—likely those with even faster CPUs—to claim the top spots.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the dominant force in this pairing, and its specifications make it exceptionally well-suited for The Long Drive's rendering demands. The GPU is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture using a 5 nm process at TSMC, with a massive 76,300 million transistors packed into a 609 mm² die. Its memory subsystem is the standout feature: 24 GB of GDDR6X on a 384-bit bus delivers 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient to feed the high-resolution textures and draw distances common in driving simulations. The base clock runs at 2235 MHz with a boost clock of 2520 MHz, while the memory operates at an effective 21 Gbps. This configuration yields a pixel rate of 443.5 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 1,290.2 GTexel/s, with FP32 compute pegged at 82.58 TFLOPS.

In The Long Drive, benchmark results show that the RTX 4090 scales predictably with settings changes. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 49.8, which is a demanding workload for any GPU. The card's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are present but not heavily utilized in this title, as the game's rendering pipeline appears to favor raw rasterization throughput over ray tracing. The GPU's percentile ranking of 91st among all GPUs and an average benchmark score of 66,473 confirm that it sits near the top of the performance hierarchy. Notably, its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks—such as the NVIDIA Tesla T4 (avg score 66,733, delta -0.4%) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56 (avg score 67,097, delta -0.9%)—are within a narrow margin, but in real-world gaming, the RTX 4090's gaming-specific optimizations give it a clear edge.

# FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-12700KF a bottleneck for the RTX 4090 in The Long Drive?

A: No, the data suggests it is not a significant bottleneck. The combo ranks 32nd out of 1,734 configurations, and at 1080p Low the system hits 365.2 FPS, indicating the CPU can keep up with the GPU's output. The i7-12700KF's max-thread 3DMark score of 9,983 and Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28,979 provide ample headroom for the game's physics and AI calculations.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in The Long Drive?

A: The data shows that 1440p High delivers 131.5 FPS, which is an excellent balance of visual fidelity and smoothness. At 4K High, the average drops to 75.9 FPS, which is still playable, but 1440p offers a higher refresh rate experience without sacrificing much detail.

Q: How does the i7-12700KF compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35,355, placing it essentially on par with the Intel Core i5-14400 (avg score 35,336, delta 0.1%) and Intel Core i9-12900HX (avg score 35,289, delta 0.2%). It trails the Intel Core i7-13800H by just 0.2% (avg score 35,416), meaning performance differences are negligible in practice.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM matter for this game?

A: The 24 GB VRAM is more than adequate for The Long Drive, even at 4K Ultra settings. The game's asset streaming benefits from the high 1.01 TB/s bandwidth, but the VRAM capacity is unlikely to be a limiting factor—the GPU's raw compute power is what drives the frame rates.

Q: What settings preset provides the smoothest experience at 4K?

A: The data indicates that 4K Medium yields 116.8 FPS, which is significantly smoother than 4K High (75.9 FPS) and 4K Ultra (49.8 FPS). For competitive play or high-refresh monitors, 4K Low at 143.3 FPS is the best option.

Q: Is this combo future-proof for driving simulators?

A: The RTX 4090's 91st percentile ranking among all GPUs and the i7-12700KF's 89th percentile among CPUs suggest strong longevity. The combo's rank of 32 out of 1,734 indicates it will handle future titles well, though more demanding games may require settings adjustments.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combo covers three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance scaling.

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 365.2 FPS
• Medium: 328.9 FPS
• High: 206.2 FPS
• Ultra: 143.5 FPS

At 1080p, the system is heavily CPU-bound. The jump from Low to Medium costs only 36.3 FPS, but moving to High drops the frame rate by 122.7 FPS compared to Medium, indicating a significant GPU load increase. Ultra further reduces performance to 143.5 FPS, which is still exceptionally smooth but represents a 60% reduction from Low.

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 263.6 FPS
• Medium: 213.4 FPS
• High: 131.5 FPS
• Ultra: 95.2 FPS

1440p shows a more balanced distribution. Low delivers 263.6 FPS, while Ultra still manages 95.2 FPS, making this resolution the sweet spot for high-refresh monitors. The scaling from Low to Ultra is a 63.9% reduction, which is less severe than at 1080p, suggesting the GPU is becoming the primary limiter.

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 143.3 FPS
• Medium: 116.8 FPS
• High: 75.9 FPS
• Ultra: 49.8 FPS

At 4K, the GPU dominates. Low settings produce 143.3 FPS, which is remarkable for 4K, but Ultra drops to 49.8 FPS, revealing the RTX 4090's limits under maximum load. The gap between Medium and High is 40.9 FPS, the largest single-step drop across all resolutions, indicating that High settings introduce particularly demanding effects.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, fabricated on Intel's 10 nm process. It operates at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and boosts up to 5.00 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB L1 per core, 1.25 MB L2 per core, and a shared 25 MB L3 cache. This configuration supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel mode, though the memory bandwidth is not listed in the data.

In The Long Drive, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 365.2 FPS, a figure that is likely limited by the CPU's single-thread performance. The i7-12700KF scores 1,043 in 3DMark single-thread and 4,091 in Cinebench R23 single-core, which are strong but not class-leading numbers. Its multi-threaded capabilities, however, shine in the game's background simulation: the Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 28,979 and 3DMark max-thread score of 9,983 ensure that AI traffic, physics calculations, and world streaming do not cause stutters even when the GPU is under heavy load at 4K.

The CPU's percentile ranking of 89th among all CPUs places it in the upper echelon, but its nearest rivals—the i5-14400, i7-13800H, i9-12900HX, and i5-13600T—are all within a 0.3% delta of its average score. This means that while the i7-12700KF is not the absolute fastest, it provides more than enough compute power to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 4090 in this title. The data confirms that at 1440p and above, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as evidenced by the frame rate drops that scale with resolution.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the target resolution and refresh rate. For 1080p users with high-refresh monitors (144Hz or above), the Low preset at 365.2 FPS is the clear choice, as it maximizes frame rates without any perceptible benefit from higher settings in a game that prioritizes responsiveness. The Medium preset at 328.9 FPS is also viable if visual fidelity is preferred, but the High preset at 206.2 FPS and Ultra at 143.5 FPS are still well above playable thresholds.

For 1440p, the Medium preset at 213.4 FPS offers the best balance of smoothness and quality, easily driving 144Hz displays. The High preset at 131.5 FPS is recommended for users with 120Hz monitors who want better visuals, while Ultra at 95.2 FPS remains smooth for 60Hz displays but sacrifices the high-refresh advantage. The Low preset at 263.6 FPS is unnecessary unless competing in esports-style scenarios.

At 4K, the choices are more constrained. The Medium preset at 116.8 FPS is the standout recommendation, providing a high-refresh experience on 120Hz TVs or monitors. The Low preset at 143.3 FPS is even smoother but at a noticeable visual cost. The High preset at 75.9 FPS is acceptable for 60Hz displays, while Ultra at 49.8 FPS should only be used for screenshots or cinematic play, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold for fluid gameplay.

# Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear shift in the limiting component. At Low settings, the frame rate drops from 365.2 FPS at 1080p to 263.6 FPS at 1440p (a 27.8% reduction) and then to 143.3 FPS at 4K (a further 45.6% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline at 4K indicates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU can maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions but cannot compensate for the increased pixel count.

At Medium settings, the pattern is similar: 328.9 FPS at 1080p, 213.4 FPS at 1440p, and 116.8 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 35.1% and 45.3%, respectively, showing consistent GPU-bound behavior. The High settings show an even more pronounced decline: 206.2 FPS at 1080p, 131.5 FPS at 1440p, and 75.9 FPS at 4K. The 63.1% drop from 1080p to 4K is the largest across all presets, suggesting that High settings introduce effects that disproportionately impact higher resolutions.

The Ultra preset exhibits the most severe scaling: 143.5 FPS at 1080p, 95.2 FPS at 1440p, and 49.8 FPS at 4K. The 65.3% reduction from 1080p to 4K confirms that Ultra is designed for lower resolutions or future hardware. Overall, the data indicates that the RTX 4090 can deliver 100+ FPS at 1440p across all settings, but 4K Ultra remains out of reach for high-refresh gaming, requiring settings reductions to maintain smooth performance.