The Long Drive

# The Long Drive with Intel Core i7-14700F + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the Intel Arc B390 delivers a profoundly GPU-limited experience in The Long Drive, with measured frame rates that collapse under the weight of higher resolutions and quality presets. The data shows a system where the 20-core, 28-thread Raptor Lake processor is never the bottleneck; instead, the integrated Arc B390 GPU, with its 7.680 TFLOPS of FP32 throughput and 1536 shading units, caps performance at levels that range from playable at 1080p Low to nearly static at 4K Ultra. With a combo rank of 2594 out of 2934 tested configurations, this pairing sits in the bottom 12% of all systems benchmarked in this title, a position that reflects the GPU's 9th percentile standing among all graphics cards rather than any deficiency in the CPU's 91st percentile ranking.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate trajectory across resolutions tells a clear story of GPU-bound scaling. At 1080p Low, the system produces 95 FPS, which drops to 63 FPS at 1440p Low — a 33.7% reduction — and further to 35 FPS at 4K Low, representing a 63.2% decline from the 1080p figure. This pattern of steep degradation with each resolution step is characteristic of a graphics solution that runs out of pixel-pushing capacity long before the CPU's headroom is exhausted.

The scaling becomes even more pronounced at higher quality settings. At Medium, the system delivers 78 FPS at 1080p, 51 FPS at 1440p, and 29 FPS at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 4K at Medium is 62.8%, nearly identical to the proportional loss seen at Low. At High settings, the decline is steeper: 49 FPS at 1080p, 32 FPS at 1440p, and 18 FPS at 4K — a 63.3% reduction from the starting point. Ultra settings show the most severe degradation, with 34 FPS at 1080p falling to 22 FPS at 1440p and finally 12 FPS at 4K, a 64.7% loss across the resolution range.

These consistent 62-65% drops from 1080p to 4K across all settings presets indicate that the limiting component is purely the GPU's rasterization and shading throughput. The Arc B390's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are simply insufficient for 4K workloads in this driving simulation, regardless of how much the quality settings are reduced. The fact that the proportional loss stays nearly constant as settings change suggests that the GPU is saturated at every quality level, with no single setting category (shadows, textures, or effects) creating a disproportionate bottleneck.

Notably, the 4K Ultra result of 12 FPS is not merely unplayable but indicates that the GPU is operating at the edge of its capability, with the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 — which places the GPU at the 9th percentile overall — providing context for why even 1080p Ultra cannot exceed 34 FPS. The benchmark results indicate that users targeting 4K in The Long Drive would need to accept Low settings at best, and even then the 35 FPS average falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run The Long Drive at 1080p with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, at 1080p Low the system achieves 95 FPS average, and at Medium it reaches 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS. At High settings, the average drops to 49 FPS, which remains playable, but Ultra at 34 FPS will feel stuttery.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its closest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, putting it 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX and 1.5% ahead of the GeForce 800M. It also leads the GT 625 OEM by 2.5% and the GT 710 by 2.7%.

Q: Is the Core i7-14700F holding back performance in this game?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 91st percentile of all processors and sits within 0.8% of the AMD EPYC 7313P in average benchmark score. The measured FPS scaling patterns indicate the GPU is the sole limiting factor.

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

A: The data shows 1080p as the only resolution where all settings presets except Ultra exceed 45 FPS. At 1440p, only Low (63 FPS) and Medium (51 FPS) remain comfortable, while 4K never exceeds 35 FPS even at Low.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: This configuration ranks 2594th out of 2934 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11.6% of all systems benchmarked in The Long Drive.

Q: Does the Arc B390's shared memory architecture affect performance?

A: The GPU uses System Shared memory with System Dependent bandwidth, meaning it relies on the CPU's system RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. This is consistent with its IGP form factor and the observed severe frame rate drops at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the defining component in this configuration, and the data leaves no doubt that its capabilities dictate the entire performance envelope. Built on the Xe3-LPG architecture with a 3 nm process, this integrated graphics solution operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and boosts to 2500 MHz, yet its 1536 shading units, 48 TMUs, and 24 ROPs are modest by any standard. The GPU's FP32 throughput of 7.680 TFLOPS places it in a performance class that its 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms.

The memory configuration is particularly relevant to The Long Drive's performance. With System Shared memory and System Dependent bandwidth, the Arc B390 has no dedicated VRAM pool. This means the GPU competes with the CPU for memory access, and at higher resolutions where frame buffer demands increase, this shared arrangement likely contributes to the severe frame rate penalties observed. The 4K Medium result of 29 FPS with a minimum of 24 FPS and maximum of 33 FPS shows not only low average performance but also significant frame time variance, which is consistent with memory bandwidth contention.

The GPU's clock behavior also deserves attention. The 300 MHz base clock versus 2500 MHz boost clock represents a wide dynamic range, suggesting aggressive power management. With a TDP of just 80 W and no power connectors, the Arc B390 operates within strict thermal and power budgets, which may prevent sustained boost clocks during extended gaming sessions. The 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482, which is the only GPU benchmark available, provides a synthetic reference point that aligns with the observed in-game results — this is a part that trades blows with entry-level discrete GPUs from nearly a decade ago.

In The Long Drive specifically, the GPU's role is unambiguous. The resolution scaling analysis shows that the GPU is saturated at all settings, and the consistent 62-65% performance drop from 1080p to 4K indicates that pixel throughput is the binding constraint. The Arc B390's pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s are the hardware limits that manifest as 18 FPS at 4K High and 12 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results. Low settings produce 95 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combo. Medium settings yield 78 FPS with a minimum of 66 and maximum of 90, providing a smooth experience with reasonable visual quality. High settings drop to 49 FPS, still playable but with noticeable compromises. Ultra settings fall to 34 FPS, which is borderline for a driving simulation where fluid motion matters. The spread from 95 to 34 FPS across presets at 1080p shows that the GPU has roughly 2.8x headroom between its best and worst case at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance envelope compresses. Low settings produce 63 FPS, which is a 33.7% reduction from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 51 FPS with a minimum of 44 and maximum of 59. High settings drop to 32 FPS, and Ultra falls to 22 FPS. At this resolution, only Low and Medium presets remain viable for consistent gameplay, with the Medium minimum of 44 FPS approaching the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles across the board. Low settings produce 35 FPS, which is a 63.2% drop from 1080p Low. Medium settings average 29 FPS with a minimum of 24 and maximum of 33. High settings fall to 18 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 12 FPS. None of these results are acceptable for a driving simulator, where smooth frame delivery is essential for judging speed and distance. The 4K Medium minimum of 24 FPS indicates that even the "playable" preset at this resolution has significant frame drops.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: each settings tier at a given resolution costs roughly 20-30% performance, with the gap between Low and Ultra widening as resolution increases. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 61 FPS (95 to 34). At 1440p, it narrows to 41 FPS (63 to 22). At 4K, it compresses to 23 FPS (35 to 12). This compression at higher resolutions is a classic sign of pixel-bound operation — when the GPU is already near its throughput limit, quality settings have less relative impact.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 2594th out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the bottom 11.6% of all systems benchmarked. This ranking is a direct reflection of the GPU's limitations rather than the CPU's capabilities. The Intel Core i7-14700F sits in the 91st percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 53620, while the Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs with an average score of 1482.

The pairing of a top-decile CPU with a bottom-decile GPU creates an extreme imbalance. The CPU's nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701, 0.2% ahead), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469, 0.3% behind), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (53288, 0.6% behind), and the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206, 0.8% behind). These comparisons show that the i7-14700F is in elite company from a processing standpoint, yet the combo's overall ranking is dragged down by the GPU.

The GPU's nearest rivals in 3DMark Steel Nomad are the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% behind), the GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% behind), the GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% behind), and the GT 710 (1443, 2.7% behind). These are all entry-level parts from previous generations, confirming that the Arc B390's performance class is far below what The Long Drive's 4K and Ultra presets demand. The combo rank of 2594 out of 2934 means that nearly 89% of tested systems deliver better frame rates in this game, which is a sobering statistic for anyone considering this configuration for serious gameplay.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal experience for this combo in The Long Drive is at 1080p with Medium settings. This preset delivers 78 FPS average with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS, providing a smooth and consistent frame rate that suits the driving simulation genre. The Medium preset at 1080p represents the best balance between visual quality and performance, as the minimum of 66 FPS ensures that even demanding scenes will not drop into stutter territory.

For players who prioritize frame rate above all else, 1080p Low at 95 FPS is the clear choice. This preset offers the highest headroom and will maintain smooth gameplay even during complex outdoor scenes with dense vegetation or multiple vehicles. However, the visual compromise may be significant in a game where long-distance visibility matters for navigation.

At 1440p, the recommendation narrows to Low settings at 63 FPS or Medium at 51 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p provides a minimum of 44 FPS, which is workable but leaves little margin for demanding scenes. Users with 1440p monitors should accept that High and Ultra settings are not viable, as the 32 FPS and 22 FPS averages respectively fall below playable thresholds.

The data does not support 4K gaming with this combo under any settings preset. Even Low at 35 FPS is below the 40 FPS threshold that most players consider minimum for a driving game, and the Medium preset's 24 FPS minimum makes extended play sessions uncomfortable. Users with 4K displays should either run the game at a lower resolution or accept that this title will not perform adequately at native 4K.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. At 1080p it produces 34 FPS, which is playable only in the most forgiving sense, while at 1440p (22 FPS) and 4K (12 FPS) it becomes a slideshow. The visual enhancements offered by Ultra settings do not justify the 59-64% performance penalty compared to Low at the same resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F plays a supporting role in this configuration, and the data shows that it never becomes the limiting factor in The Long Drive. With 20 cores and 28 threads, this Raptor Lake Refresh processor provides far more computational capacity than the game requires, even at 1080p Low where the GPU is pushed hardest relative to the CPU. The processor's boost clock of 5.40 GHz, combined with a base clock of 2.10 GHz, gives it substantial single-thread performance that is relevant for the game's simulation logic.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark results confirm its high-end positioning. In Cinebench R23, it scores 35122 in multi-core and 4958 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 19620 multi-core and 2429 single-core. The PassMark multithread score of 41317 and single-thread score of 4257 further validate its capability. These numbers place the i7-14700F in the 91st percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53620.

The game's dependence on the CPU appears minimal based on the measured FPS scaling. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates plateau at higher resolutions or settings, where the GPU has less work to do per frame. Instead, the data shows continuous FPS reductions as resolution increases, with no sign of a CPU-imposed ceiling. The 95 FPS result at 1080p Low is likely constrained by the GPU's pixel throughput rather than the CPU's ability to feed it draw calls.

The CPU's specifications support this conclusion. Its 33 MB of shared L3 cache provides ample capacity for the game's data working set, and the dual-channel memory support with both DDR4 and DDR5 compatibility gives system integrators flexibility. The 10 nm process node and 257 mm² die size are not directly relevant to gaming performance, but they indicate a mature, efficient design. The processor's TDP of 65 W is modest for a 20-core part, though the boost behavior may push beyond this in practice.

In the context of The Long Drive, the i7-14700F's role is to ensure that the GPU is always the bottleneck. This is a position of strength — the CPU will not cause frame drops, stutters, or physics hitches even in complex scenes. The benchmark results indicate that the processor has substantial headroom beyond what the game demands, meaning that the 2594th combo rank is entirely attributable to the Arc B390's limitations, not any shortcoming in the CPU.