The Long Drive

The data for The Long Drive with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 presents a curious case of extreme hardware meeting a simulation that may not scale as expected. The measured results show a wide gulf between settings, and the ranking data suggests this is not a top-tier pairing for this specific title. This analysis will parse the measured frames, the role of each component, and what the numbers imply about the game's engine.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, the combination achieves an average of 144 frames per second (FPS). This is notably lower than the 208 FPS average seen at High settings, indicating a significant performance cost for the Ultra preset.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, scores 35403, which is a delta of -0.1% relative to the i7-12700KF. This indicates the two processors are effectively tied in overall synthetic performance.

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This is a substantial amount of memory bandwidth and capacity for high-resolution textures.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the combo achieve its highest average FPS?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 363, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is more than double the frame rate of the High preset at the same resolution, which averages 208 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combination is ranked 82nd out of 3725 tested combos in The Long Drive. While this places it in the top percentile, it does not hold the top position, suggesting other pairings may yield higher performance.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 outperform its nearest rival in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 5090 has an average benchmark score of 79842. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB, scores 79605, a deltaPct of 0.3% relative to the RTX 5090. This means the RTX 5090 is slightly ahead of that rival.

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. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 and 1.25 MB of L2 per core, alongside 25 MB of shared L3 cache. In terms of raw computational power, its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 28838, and its single-core score is 4071. The processor's performance percentile is 85, placing it in the top tier of all CPUs.

However, the measured FPS data suggests that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck in The Long Drive. The most telling evidence is the performance scaling at 1080p, which is often a CPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080, the average FPS jumps from 363 on Low settings to 208 on High settings, a massive 155 FPS difference. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rate would be more consistent across settings, as the CPU workload is often less dependent on graphical fidelity. The fact that FPS drops so dramatically with higher settings points to the GPU becoming the limiting factor, even at 1080p. The CPU's 20 threads are likely more than sufficient for the game's logic, leaving headroom that is not being utilized. The near-identical average benchmark score (35365) to its rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T (35403), suggests that within this performance class, the CPU is not a differentiator for this game.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a massive piece of hardware, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process node from TSMC. It houses 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 ROPs. Its memory subsystem is exceptional: 32 GB of GDDR7 on a 512-bit bus, yielding 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's clock speeds are also high, with a base of 2017 MHz and a boost of 2407 MHz.

The benchmark results show a clear pattern where the GPU's load dictates the frame rate. At 4K, the Ultra preset drops to an average of 53 FPS, while Low settings at the same resolution produce 148 FPS. This is a direct indication that the RTX 5090 is being stressed by the game's higher graphical settings. The GPU's percentile rank is 92, and its average benchmark score is 79842, which is slightly higher than its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605). Despite the immense power of the RTX 5090, the 4K Ultra results are surprisingly low, which implies that The Long Drive may have rendering paths that are not fully optimized for the Blackwell architecture, or that the game's engine has specific bottlenecks that even a top-tier GPU cannot overcome. The 33 FPS difference between 4K High (76 FPS) and 4K Medium (122 FPS) shows that the GPU is highly sensitive to the specific settings within the presets.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal experience balances visual quality with frame rate. The data shows that the "Medium" preset offers a compelling compromise. At 2560x1440, Medium settings yield an average of 219 FPS, with a minimum of 187 FPS and a maximum of 252 FPS. This is a very playable and smooth frame rate. At 3840x2160, Medium settings still deliver 122 FPS, which is excellent for 4K gaming.

The "High" preset is also viable, especially at 1440p, where it averages 137 FPS. However, at 4K, High drops to 76 FPS, which is a more significant decrease. The "Ultra" preset appears to be the most problematic. At 1440p, it averages 95 FPS, but at 4K, it falls to 53 FPS. This makes Ultra a questionable choice for 4K gaming, as the visual improvement may not justify the substantial performance hit. The "Low" preset provides the highest frame rates, but it likely sacrifices too much visual detail for a game that may have a more atmospheric or scenic focus. Therefore, the Medium preset is the best recommendation, as it provides a strong balance of visual fidelity and high, consistent frame rates across all tested resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is ranked 82nd out of 3725 tested combos in The Long Drive. This is a strong ranking, placing the system in the top 2.2% of all tested hardware pairs. However, given the absolute top-tier nature of the RTX 5090 and the high-performance i7-12700KF, one might expect a rank closer to the number one spot. The fact that it is not in the top 50 suggests that other combinations, perhaps with different CPU architectures that are more efficient for this game's engine, or even different GPU pairings, outperform this specific set.

The GPU’s average benchmark score is high (79842), and its percentile is 92, but the game's engine seems to be the limiting factor. The data implies that the RTX 5090 is not fully utilized in The Long Drive, as the framerates, especially at 4K Ultra, are not as high as the hardware's synthetic power would suggest. This ranking serves as a reminder that a high-performing component in synthetic benchmarks does not always translate to a top-tier ranking in every game, especially a niche title like a driving simulation. The rank is a measure of real-world performance in this specific game, and it shows that raw power needs to be matched with game optimization.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across resolutions and settings. The table below summarizes the average FPS for each configuration.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :------ | :------ | :------ |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 363 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 333 | 283 | 383 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 208 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 144 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 267 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 219 | 187 | 252 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 137 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 95 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 148 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 122 | 103 | 140 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 76 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 53 | - | - |

The pattern is consistent. As resolution increases, the average FPS decreases. As settings increase, the average FPS also decreases. The 1080p Medium setting shows a very tight range (283-383), indicating good frame pacing. The 4K Medium setting also shows a stable range (103-140). The largest percentage drop occurs when moving from High to Ultra at 4K, where the FPS falls from 76 to 53, a reduction of 30%. This suggests that the Ultra preset introduces effects that are particularly demanding on the GPU at high resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The data shows a clear and expected trend: FPS drops as resolution increases. From 1080p to 1440p, the average FPS decreases across all settings. For example, at High settings, the FPS drops from 208 at 1080p to 137 at 1440p, a 34% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the drop continues, with High settings falling from 137 to 76 FPS, a 45% reduction.

This scaling pattern is more aggressive than what would be expected from a pure pixel-count increase, which suggests the GPU is the limiting component. The RTX 5090 has to render more pixels and process more data at higher resolutions. The fact that the 4K Ultra setting results in only 53 FPS, while 1080p Low achieves 363 FPS, shows a massive performance range of 310 FPS across the tested configurations. The severe drop at 4K, especially with higher settings, points to the game's rendering engine being very sensitive to the increased workload, and the GPU is taking the full brunt of that load. This indicates that the CPU is not a major constraint at these resolutions, as the frame rate is being dictated by the GPU's ability to fill pixels and process shaders. The implication is that for 4K gaming with this title, users will need to carefully select settings, as the difference between Medium and Ultra can mean the difference between a playable 122 FPS and a less comfortable 53 FPS.