The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation that has been available since September 2019, presents a unique performance profile when paired with the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. This combination of a 16-core, 24-thread Raptor Lake processor and an Ada Lovelace flagship GPU produces framerates that range from the exceptionally high to the surprisingly constrained, depending entirely on the resolution and quality settings selected. The measured data reveals a system that is often held back by the simulation's engine, rather than by the hardware itself, making it a fascinating case study in how software optimization can interact with top-tier components.

Resolution Scaling

The framerate drop from 1080p to 4K is not linear, and the pattern reveals a great deal about where the bottleneck lies in this specific game. At 1080p with Low settings, the combination produces an average of 398.1 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops that to 258.7 FPS, a significant 35% reduction. However, the most dramatic scaling occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K, where the average falls to 147.8 FPS, another 43% decrease. This steep decline at higher resolutions strongly suggests that at 1080p, the game is heavily CPU-bound, with the RTX 4090 waiting on the processor to feed it data. The GPU's immense power is only fully utilized as the pixel count increases, shifting the workload to the graphics card.

This pattern is consistent across all settings presets. For instance, on High settings, the drop from 1080p (201.5 FPS) to 1440p (137.1 FPS) is a 32% reduction, while the drop from 1440p to 4K (72.9 FPS) is a 47% reduction. The data implies that the CPU is the limiting component at lower resolutions, and only at 4K does the RTX 4090's rendering power become the primary factor. The 4K Ultra result of 51.7 FPS, compared to the 4K Low result of 147.8 FPS, shows that the GPU is still capable of massive performance swings, but the CPU's role in setting the ceiling at lower resolutions is undeniable. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 2.86x performance difference, while at 1080p it's only a 2.73x difference, suggesting that the CPU headroom is tighter at 1080p, preventing the GPU from stretching its legs as much.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average framerate achievable with this hardware combo?

A: The highest recorded average framerate is 398.1 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This exceptional figure highlights the CPU's ability to drive the simulation at high frame rates when the GPU is not heavily tasked.

Q: How does the Ultra preset performance compare across different resolutions?

A: The Ultra preset yields an average of 146 FPS at 1080p, 93.1 FPS at 1440p, and 51.7 FPS at 4K. This shows a clear and expected progression of decreasing performance as resolution increases, with the 4K result being the most demanding scenario in the data.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's performance in this game consistent with its high benchmark scores?

A: While the RTX 4090 has an average benchmark score of 66473 and ranks in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, its performance in The Long Drive is highly variable. At 1080p Low, the framerate is astronomical, but at 4K Ultra, it falls to 51.7 FPS, indicating that the game's engine, not the GPU, often dictates the performance ceiling.

Q: What is the difference in performance between the Low and Medium presets at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset produces an average of 258.7 FPS, while the Medium preset produces 212.5 FPS. This represents a 46.2 FPS difference, or roughly an 18% performance cost for moving from the lowest to the medium quality settings.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested hardware combinations for this game?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 25th out of 1734 tested combos in The Long Drive. This places it in the top 1.4% of all systems tested, indicating that despite the game's quirks, this is a very high-performing setup.

Q: Does the processor's multi-threading capability seem to benefit this game?

A: The CPU has a 3dmark_max_threads score of 12412 and a 3dmark_single_thread score of 1136. The game appears to be more sensitive to single-thread performance, as evidenced by the high framerates at 1080p which are often limited by the CPU's single-core speed, though the multi-threaded scores ensure there is ample headroom for other background tasks.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. Its benchmark results are formidable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39000 and a single-core score of 5505. In The Long Drive, this CPU power translates to exceptionally high framerates at 1080p, particularly on lower settings. The 398.1 FPS at Low settings and 324.5 FPS at Medium settings suggest that the game's simulation logic is well-served by the CPU's high clock speeds and strong single-thread performance.

The data implies that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary bottleneck. The framerate difference between 1080p Low (398.1 FPS) and 4K Low (147.8 FPS) is not due to the CPU but to the GPU's workload. However, the fact that the framerate at 1080p does not scale perfectly with the GPU's power suggests the CPU is hitting its limit. The processor's L3 cache of 30 MB (shared) likely helps keep game data close at hand, reducing latency and aiding in maintaining high minimum framerates, though minFps data is not provided. This CPU's performance is competitive, with its nearest rival being the Intel Core i7-13700KF, which scores 0.1% higher in average benchmarks, indicating that the unlocked K-series variant offers a negligible performance edge in synthetic tests, which may not translate to in-game differences.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers a range of performance. The Low preset leads with an average of 398.1 FPS, followed by Medium at 324.5 FPS, High at 201.5 FPS, and Ultra at 146 FPS. This represents a 2.73x difference between the lowest and highest quality settings. The scaling is not perfectly linear, with a 73.6 FPS drop from Low to Medium, a 123 FPS drop from Medium to High, and a 55.5 FPS drop from High to Ultra. This suggests that the High preset introduces significant graphical effects that tax the GPU more heavily than the jump from Medium to High would suggest.

At 2560x1440, the framerates remain high but show more strain. Low settings yield 258.7 FPS, Medium drops to 212.5 FPS, High falls to 137.1 FPS, and Ultra is 93.1 FPS. The relative performance gaps shift, with the drop from Medium to High (75.4 FPS) becoming more pronounced than it was at 1080p. This indicates that at 1440p, the GPU is starting to become a more significant factor. At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the dominant force. Low settings still manage 147.8 FPS, but Medium drops to 120.4 FPS, High to 72.9 FPS, and Ultra to 51.7 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the only scenario in the data where the framerate dips below 60 FPS, highlighting the extreme demands of 4K resolution with all settings maxed out. The progression from 1080p to 4K shows a consistent theme: the CPU handles the simulation at low resolutions, while the GPU's rendering capabilities define performance at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is a powerhouse, featuring 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s. Its boost clock is 2520 MHz, and it has an FP32 performance of 82.58 TFLOPS. In The Long Drive, the GPU's role is primarily to render the game's world, and its performance is heavily dependent on resolution. The data shows that at 1080p, the GPU is often underutilized, as the CPU limits the framerate. For example, at 1080p Medium, the system produces 324.5 FPS, but at 1440p Medium, it still manages 212.5 FPS, showing the GPU's capacity to handle higher pixel counts.

At 4K, the GPU's capabilities are fully tested. The drop from 4K Medium (120.4 FPS) to 4K High (72.9 FPS) is a 47.5 FPS reduction, which is a significant cost for the visual improvements. The 4K Ultra result of 51.7 FPS is the only time the combo fails to maintain a 60 FPS average, indicating that the Ultra preset at 4K is the most demanding scenario for this GPU. The GPU's 24 GB of VRAM is more than sufficient for this game, as the data does not show any memory-related bottlenecks. The RTX 4090's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 38194, place it in the 91st percentile of all GPUs, yet its nearest rival in the database is the NVIDIA Tesla T4, which scores 0.4% higher. This is an unusual comparison, as the Tesla T4 is a datacenter card, highlighting the unique performance characteristics of the 4090 in different workloads.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the best experience for a balance of visual quality and performance is the High preset at 1440p, which delivers an average of 137.1 FPS. This provides a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience while still offering a substantial visual upgrade over Medium settings. For players with a 4K display, the Medium preset at 120.4 FPS is the sweet spot, as it maintains a high framerate while avoiding the significant performance penalty of the High and Ultra presets. The Ultra preset at 4K, with its 51.7 FPS average, is only viable for players who prioritize maximum visual fidelity over a consistently smooth experience, as it dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset at 146 FPS is the best choice for those with high-refresh-rate monitors, as it provides a smooth experience while still leveraging the game's full visual features. The Low preset at 398.1 FPS is only useful for competitive play where framerate is the absolute priority, as the visual quality is significantly reduced. The data suggests that the Medium preset at 4K offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for the majority of users, while the High preset at 1440p is ideal for those seeking a high-refresh-rate experience without sacrificing too much visual quality. The Ultra preset is generally not recommended at 4K due to the 51.7 FPS result, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested hardware combinations for The Long Drive, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 25th out of 1734 combos. This places it in the top 1.4% of all tested systems, proof of its overall performance capabilities. The ranking is a composite of all resolutions and settings, and the data shows that this system excels particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU's strength is fully utilized. The fact that it does not rank higher is likely due to the game's engine limitations at 4K Ultra, where the 51.7 FPS result is a weak point compared to other top-tier combos that may handle that specific scenario better.

The CPU's percentile rank of 93 among all CPUs and the GPU's rank of 91 among all GPUs indicate that both components are top-tier, but the game's performance is not always indicative of these high marks. The combo's 25th place ranking suggests that while it is a very high performer, there are 24 other combinations that manage to achieve better overall results in this specific game. This could be due to variations in other components, such as memory speed, or simply the game's engine favoring different hardware configurations. The data clearly shows that this is a high-end system, but its performance in The Long Drive is not without its caveats, particularly at 4K with maximum settings.