The Long Drive

# The Long Drive with Intel Core i7-12700KF + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050

The pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 creates an interesting dynamic in The Long Drive, a Driving Simulation title from 2019. With the CPU sitting at the 85th percentile among all processors and the GPU at the 66th percentile, the benchmark results reveal a system that scales predictably across resolutions but shows distinct bottlenecks depending on the settings load. The combo ranks 1771st out of 2934 tested combinations, placing it in the lower-middle tier of the database, which is a curious position given the individual component strengths. The measured frames per second data, spanning three resolutions and four quality presets, offers a detailed look at how this hardware handles the game's demands.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K tells a clear story about where the performance ceiling lies in this configuration. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 93 FPS at 1920x1080 to 61 FPS at 2560x1440, then further down to 34 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 34% reduction going from 1080p to 1440p, and a 44% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The scaling is not perfectly linear, which suggests the GPU is becoming progressively more stressed as pixel count rises, but the CPU is still contributing enough headroom to keep the drop from being catastrophic.

Looking at the Low preset, the pattern becomes even more pronounced. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 180 FPS, which drops to 119 FPS at 2560x1440 — a 34% decrease. From 1440p to 4K, the fall continues to 66 FPS, another 45% reduction. The fact that Low settings at 4K still manages 66 FPS indicates that the RTX 5050 has substantial raw throughput, but the increasing pixel load at 4K is clearly the limiting factor. The gap between Low and High at 4K is 32 FPS, which is nearly double the 18 FPS gap at 1080p between those same two presets.

The Medium preset provides the only complete data with min and max FPS values. At 1080p, the average is 148 FPS with a range of 126 to 171 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 98 FPS with a range of 83 to 112 FPS. At 4K, the average falls to 54 FPS with a range of 46 to 62 FPS. The consistency of the frame times, as indicated by the relatively narrow min-max spread, suggests that neither component is causing severe stuttering; the system is simply running out of GPU horsepower at higher resolutions.

Ultra settings reveal the steepest scaling curve. At 1080p, the average is 64 FPS; at 1440p, it drops to 42 FPS; and at 4K, it falls to 23 FPS. The 4K result is borderline unplayable for smooth driving, while the 1080p result is adequate but not exceptional. The data implies that Ultra settings push the GPU to its absolute limit, and the resolution scaling becomes increasingly punishing as quality increases. This pattern strongly suggests the RTX 5050 is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and quality settings, while the i7-12700KF has enough processing power to feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with the GB207 chip, brings 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 320.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clocks run at 2500 MHz with 20 Gbps effective speed, while the GPU base clock is 2317 MHz and the boost clock reaches 2572 MHz. With 2560 shading units, 80 TMUs, and 32 ROPs, the GPU is designed for mainstream performance rather than enthusiast-class throughput. The FP32 compute rating of 13.17 TFLOPS and the texture rate of 205.8 GTexel/s provide context for why the card behaves as it does in this driving simulation.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity becomes a relevant factor when examining the 4K results. At Ultra settings and 3840x2160 resolution, the average FPS falls to 23, which is the lowest measured result in the entire dataset. While the data does not explicitly track VRAM usage, the combination of high resolution and maximum quality settings typically demands more memory bandwidth and capacity than the 128-bit bus can comfortably provide. The 320.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming, but at 4K with Ultra settings, the GPU's memory subsystem likely becomes a limiting factor alongside the raw compute throughput.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it at the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 21035. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL with a score of 21153 (0.6% higher), the AMD Radeon HD 8970M at 21237 (1% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT at 20713 (1.6% lower), and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile at 21379 (1.6% higher). This clustering within roughly 2% of the RTX 5050's performance suggests that the card sits in a competitive but narrow performance band, and the measured FPS in The Long Drive reflects this mid-pack positioning. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 17326 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 indicate solid DirectX 12 capability, which aligns with the game's performance across different quality presets.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a 12th Gen Alder Lake-S processor with 12 cores and 20 threads, running at a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier make it a flexible desktop part, and its 25 MB of shared L3 cache, along with 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core and 80 KB of L1 cache per core, provide ample on-chip storage for game data. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration, and its PCIe Gen 4 interface with 20 lanes offers modern connectivity.

Benchmark results for the CPU show strong multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838 and single-core score of 4071 indicate balanced capabilities, while the Geekbench multicore score of 14367 and single-core score of 2255 reinforce this picture. The PassMark multithread score of 34092 and single-thread score of 3984 further demonstrate that the CPU can handle both heavily threaded workloads and lighter tasks that rely on single-core speed. The 3DMark scores — 9983 for max threads, 9282 for 16 threads, 7211 for 8 threads, and 1043 for single thread — show that scaling from a few threads to many threads is efficient but not perfectly linear.

In the context of The Long Drive, the CPU appears to have sufficient headroom at all tested resolutions. At 1080p with Low settings, the system reaches 180 FPS, which is likely approaching the game's engine limits or the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls. The fact that the FPS does not double when moving from High to Low at 1080p (93 to 180 FPS) suggests that the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower quality settings — the GPU is still responsible for the majority of frame time. The CPU's percentile ranking of 85 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 35365, places it above the GPU's 66th percentile, indicating that the processor is relatively stronger than the graphics card in this pairing.

The nearest CPU rivals include the Intel Core i7-13700T with a score of 35403 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core i5-13600T at 35305 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core 5 213PE at 35428 (0.2% lower), and the Intel Core i7-12700K at 35287 (0.2% higher). These extremely tight deltas, all within 0.2%, show that the i7-12700KF is performing exactly as expected for its class, with no anomalies in its benchmark scores. The CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 2065 and 4-thread score of 4011 suggest that even lightly threaded game workloads are handled well, which is beneficial for a driving simulation that may not fully utilize all 20 threads.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1771st out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the 40th percentile of all tested systems. This ranking is somewhat surprising given that the CPU alone sits at the 85th percentile and the GPU at the 66th percentile. The discrepancy suggests that the overall system performance in this game is heavily weighted toward the GPU's capabilities, and the RTX 5050's mid-pack positioning drags the combo down relative to the CPU's individual strength. The rank indicates that roughly 1163 other combinations outperform this pairing in this specific game, which is a substantial number given the GPU's modern architecture.

The ranking becomes more understandable when considering the GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database. The RTX 5050's average score of 21035 is nearly identical to the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT's 20713, which is a previous-generation card. This means the combo is competing with systems that pair similar-performing GPUs with a variety of CPUs, and the i7-12700KF's strength cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions and settings. The data implies that for The Long Drive, the GPU is the determining factor for the combo's rank, and users seeking higher placement would need to prioritize GPU upgrades over CPU changes.

The combo's position also reflects the game's demands. As a driving simulation with open-world elements, The Long Drive likely stresses both the CPU for physics and game logic and the GPU for rendering the environment. However, the measured FPS data shows that resolution scaling is the dominant factor, and the GPU's 8 GB memory and 320.0 GB/s bandwidth become constraints at 4K. The rank of 1771 out of 2934 puts this system in the lower half of tested configurations, which aligns with the GPU's 66th percentile but falls short of what the CPU's 85th percentile might suggest. This is a case where the weakest link in the chain — the GPU — defines the overall experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 180 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced driving. Medium settings achieve 148 FPS on average, with a minimum of 126 FPS and a maximum of 171 FPS, showing tight frame pacing. High settings drop to 93 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Ultra settings bring the average down to 64 FPS, which is playable but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes. The 1080p results show a clear progression: each quality tier costs approximately 30-50 FPS, with the largest single drop occurring between Medium and High.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down but remains respectable. Low settings average 119 FPS, which is still high for 1440p gaming. Medium settings average 98 FPS with a range of 83 to 112 FPS, maintaining solid playability. High settings fall to 61 FPS, which is right at the edge of the smoothness threshold. Ultra settings drop to 42 FPS, which becomes noticeably less fluid for a driving game that benefits from high frame rates. The 1440p results suggest that Medium is the sweet spot for this resolution, offering nearly 100 FPS while maintaining visual quality.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck. Low settings average 66 FPS, which is still acceptable, but Medium drops to 54 FPS with a range of 46 to 62 FPS. High settings fall to 34 FPS, which is below the ideal playable range. Ultra settings bottom out at 23 FPS, making the game feel sluggish and unresponsive. The 4K results demonstrate that this combo is not suited for maximum quality at the highest resolution; users would need to significantly lower settings to achieve playable frame rates. The data shows a clear pattern: 1080p is the native resolution for this combo, 1440p is workable with reduced settings, and 4K requires substantial compromises.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 provides the most consistent performance, with averages ranging from 64 FPS at Ultra to 180 FPS at Low. At 2560x1440, only Low and Medium settings achieve above 90 FPS, while at 3840x2160, even Low settings only reach 66 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5050 has an average benchmark score of 21035, which is 0.6% lower than the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, 1% lower than the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, 1.6% higher than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, and 1.6% lower than the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 4K resolution?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, the GPU is the limiting factor at 3840x2160. The average frame rate drops to 23 FPS at Ultra settings, and even at Low settings it only reaches 66 FPS, indicating that the RTX 5050 cannot keep up with the pixel load regardless of CPU capability.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested systems?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 1771st out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database.

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

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings achieve an average of 98 FPS, while High settings achieve 61 FPS. This 37 FPS difference represents a 38% reduction in performance when moving from Medium to High quality.

Q: How much does the frame rate drop when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 93 FPS at 1920x1080 to 34 FPS at 3840x2160, a reduction of 59 FPS or approximately 63% performance loss.

Settings Recommendations

For this combo in The Long Drive, the measured data points to 1920x1080 as the optimal resolution for the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, High settings deliver 93 FPS, which is smooth and visually detailed, while Medium achieves 148 FPS for those who prioritize frame rate over graphics. Ultra at 1080p offers 64 FPS, which is playable but does not provide the headroom needed for consistent frame pacing in a driving game where sudden scenery changes can cause dips.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings provide the best experience with an average of 98 FPS and a minimum of 83 FPS, ensuring that even demanding scenes stay above 60 FPS. High settings at 1440p drop to 61 FPS, which is close to the minimum acceptable threshold and may result in occasional stutters. Low settings at 1440p achieve 119 FPS, but the visual compromise may not be worth the extra performance when Medium offers a significantly better balance.

For 3840x2160, the data suggests that Low settings are the only viable option, with an average of 66 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 54 FPS, which is below the ideal smoothness threshold, and High and Ultra at 34 FPS and 23 FPS respectively are not recommended for an enjoyable driving experience. The overall recommendation across all resolutions is to use Medium settings as the default, as it consistently provides the most favorable balance of visual quality and frame rate, with only 4K requiring a drop to Low to maintain acceptable performance.