The Long Drive

The Long Drive pairs the Intel Core i7-13700K with the Intel Arc B370, an integrated GPU solution that produces a striking contrast between a high-end 16-core desktop processor and a graphics component whose benchmark scores place it near the very bottom of the database. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is entirely graphics-limited, where even the most modest settings struggle to maintain smooth gameplay at higher resolutions, while the CPU's substantial computational resources remain largely untapped. The data presents a clear picture: the Arc B370's integrated nature and its performance class define the experience, and the i7-13700K's role is mostly to provide a stable platform that never becomes the bottleneck in this driving simulation.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 86, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested resolutions and settings for this combo. This is the only configuration that approaches what could be considered a highly playable experience for a driving simulation.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested CPU-GPU combinations in The Long Drive?

A: The combo ranks 2700 out of 2934 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom percentile, indicating that the vast majority of other hardware pairings deliver higher performance in this game. The percentile for the GPU itself is 5, meaning it outperforms only 5% of all GPUs in the database.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-13700K a strong performer relative to its rivals?

A: Yes, the CPU's average benchmark score is 46881, which places it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 5900, has an average score of 46971, a delta of -0.2%, meaning the i7-13700K is essentially tied with it. The AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 are also within 0.5% of its score.

Q: What are the measured FPS numbers for 1440p Medium settings?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 46, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 53. This is a playable range for a game like The Long Drive, though it is a significant step down from the 1080p Medium result of 71 FPS.

Q: Does the Arc B370 have a dedicated VRAM pool?

A: No, the memory configuration is "System Shared" for size, type, and bus width. Memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," meaning the GPU uses the system's main memory and its performance is tied to the host platform's memory subsystem.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the i7-13700K?

A: The launch MSRP is $409. This is the only price-related information available in the data for this CPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this specific combination at rank 2700 out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This is a low rank, suggesting that this pairing is not well-suited for achieving high performance in this title. The combo's position is heavily influenced by the GPU, which has an average benchmark score of 1184 and sits at the 5th percentile of all GPUs. To contextualize that score, the Arc B370's nearest rival is the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570, which scores 1186, a delta of -0.2%. This means the Arc B370 is virtually indistinguishable in raw compute performance from a mobile GPU that is over a decade old. The other nearest rivals, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 and AMD Radeon HD 7650M, also have scores within 0.7% of the Arc B370.

The CPU, in contrast, is a top-tier performer. With an average benchmark score of 46881, it sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The difference between its score and that of its nearest rivals is minimal. The AMD Ryzen 9 5900 scores 46971 (-0.2% delta), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 scores 47022 (-0.3% delta), and both the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX and Intel Xeon w3-2535 score 46654 and 46653 respectively (0.5% delta). This indicates that the i7-13700K is perfectly competitive with other high-end desktop and mobile processors.

The disparity between the CPU's high percentile rank and the GPU's low one is the defining characteristic of this combo. The benchmark results for The Long Drive show that the system's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU. A more capable graphics solution would likely move this combo much higher in the rankings, as the CPU has ample headroom to support it. The data suggests that this is a case of a very strong processor being paired with a very weak graphics component, resulting in a system that underperforms relative to its CPU's potential.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how the Arc B370's performance degrades as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p, the GPU has fewer pixels to render, and the results are comparatively strong. With Low settings, the average FPS is 86. Moving to 1440p, that number drops to 56, a reduction of 30 FPS. At 4K, it falls to 31 FPS. This scaling pattern is stark and consistent.

A similar trend is visible at other settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 71 at 1080p, to 46 at 1440p, and then to 26 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 25 FPS, and from 1440p to 4K is another 20 FPS. At High settings, the numbers are 44, 29, and 16 FPS respectively. The frame rate is nearly halved with each step up in resolution, which indicates that the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities are the primary limiting factor.

This resolution scaling behavior has important implications. The FPS drops are not linear; they are proportionally large, suggesting that the GPU is overwhelmed by the increasing pixel count. For example, 4K has roughly four times the pixels of 1080p, and the data shows that the FPS at 4K is often less than half of what it is at 1080p. This is a clear indicator that the system is not CPU-limited, as a CPU bottleneck would show less variation in FPS across resolutions, since the CPU's workload would remain relatively constant. The consistent and significant FPS reduction with each resolution increase points directly at the Arc B370 as the limiting component. The i7-13700K, with its 16 cores and 5.40 GHz boost clock, is capable of driving far more demanding workloads than this game presents at these resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data provides a detailed look at the combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the results are the most promising. With Low settings, the average FPS is 86, which is the only result in the entire dataset that is comfortably above the threshold for smooth play. Medium settings deliver an average of 71 FPS, with a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 81, showing a playable and relatively stable experience. High settings drop the average to 44 FPS, and Ultra settings bring it down to 31 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance takes a noticeable hit. Low settings produce an average of 56 FPS, which is still playable but not as smooth as the 1080p Low result. Medium settings yield an average of 46 FPS, with a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 53. This is a borderline playable range, but it may feel less consistent. High settings average 29 FPS, and Ultra settings average 20 FPS, both of which are below the threshold for a responsive experience.

At 3840x2160, the Arc B370 is clearly struggling. Low settings produce an average of 31 FPS, which is on the edge of playability. Medium settings average 26 FPS, with a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 30. High settings average 16 FPS, and Ultra settings average 11 FPS. These numbers indicate that 4K gaming is not a viable option for this GPU, even at the lowest settings. The data shows a clear progression: the lower the resolution and settings, the higher the FPS, but even the best case scenario at 1080p Low is a modest result for a modern system.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is the component that dictates the performance ceiling of this combo. Its specifications reveal why. It is an integrated GPU (IGP) with a 25 W TDP, which is a power envelope typical of integrated graphics rather than a discrete card. Its memory is "System Shared," meaning it has no dedicated VRAM and must use the system's main memory, with bandwidth that is "System Dependent." This is a major constraint, as the GPU's performance is tied to the memory bandwidth of the host platform, which is shared with the CPU.

The GPU's silicon is based on the Xe3-LPG architecture and is manufactured on a 3 nm process. It has 1280 shading units, 40 TMUs, and 20 ROPs, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its boost clock is 2400 MHz, and its pixel rate is 48.00 GPixel/s, with a texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance is 6.144 TFLOPS. These are not impressive numbers for a modern GPU, and the benchmark results confirm this. In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 test, it scores 1184, which is in the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all older AMD and ATI parts, with the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scoring 1186. This places the Arc B370 in a performance class that is far below what is needed for high-end gaming.

In the context of The Long Drive, the GPU's limitations are evident. The game is a driving simulation that likely requires consistent frame rates for a smooth experience. The measured FPS shows that the Arc B370 cannot deliver that at higher resolutions or settings. The system shared memory and low compute throughput create a bottleneck that the powerful CPU cannot overcome. The GPU's role in this combo is to be the limiting factor, and the data suggests that any upgrade to a discrete GPU with its own memory and higher performance would result in a significant FPS increase.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the user's target resolution and tolerance for lower frame rates. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 86 FPS, which is the best result in the dataset and should provide a smooth and responsive experience for most players. The Medium preset is also a strong choice at 1080p, with an average of 71 FPS and a minimum of 60, which is still a good playable experience for a driving simulation. The High preset at 1080p drops to 44 FPS, which may feel less fluid, and Ultra at 31 FPS is likely too low for a satisfying experience.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only one that offers a consistently playable frame rate, with an average of 56 FPS. The Medium preset averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 40, which could be acceptable for some players, but the lower average and minimum suggest it may be less stable. High and Ultra at 1440p, averaging 29 and 20 FPS respectively, are not recommended for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, none of the settings deliver a truly smooth experience. The Low preset averages 31 FPS, which is on the edge of playability, but the Medium preset at 26 FPS and below are likely too slow. The data shows a clear pattern: to achieve a frame rate above 60 FPS, the user must play at 1080p with Low or Medium settings. To achieve a frame rate above 45 FPS, the user must play at 1440p with Low settings. For a 4K experience, the frame rates are too low to recommend any preset. Therefore, the best experience per the measured rows is 1080p with Low settings, which offers the highest average FPS, or 1080p with Medium settings, which offers a slightly better visual quality while still maintaining a solid frame rate above 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a high-end desktop processor that provides the foundation for this combo, but its performance is not fully utilized in The Long Drive due to the GPU's limitations. The CPU has 16 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. It is based on the Raptor Lake architecture and is manufactured on a 10 nm process. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory and has 20 PCIe Gen 5 lanes. These are specifications of a top-tier CPU.

Its benchmark scores are strong across the board. In Cinebench R23, it scores 30745 in multi-core and 2116 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 19429 in multi-core and 2529 in single-core. In Passmark, its multithread score is 45887, and its single-thread score is 4333. These scores place it in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are all within a fraction of a percent, showing that it is a competitive high-end part.

In the context of The Long Drive, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and other non-graphics tasks. The measured FPS data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this system. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions, as the CPU's workload would not change much with resolution. However, the data shows a dramatic FPS drop from 1080p to 1440p to 4K, which is a characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is likely providing more than enough processing power to feed the Arc B370, but the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to keep up. The i7-13700K's high multi-core and single-core performance ensures that it will not hold the system back, but it also means that the system's overall performance is entirely dependent on the GPU. The data implies that pairing this CPU with a significantly more powerful GPU would unlock its full potential, leading to much higher frame rates in this game.