The Long Drive

The Intel Core i7-14700F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a strong, high-refresh-rate experience in The Long Drive, landing at rank 223 out of 3725 tested combos. This places the pairing in the top 6% of all configurations in the database, a position driven by the GPU’s raw rasterization power and the CPU’s high core count. The measured data shows that this combo is not merely capable but is built for smooth gameplay across most settings, with the only real compromise appearing at the highest visual preset in 4K. For a driving simulation where frame pacing matters, the benchmark results indicate a system that can handle both wide-open landscapes and dense object rendering without dipping into unplayable territory.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 223 out of 3725 tested combinations places it in the 94th percentile of all systems evaluated for The Long Drive. This is a decisive position, reflecting a pairing that sits well above the median experience. The RTX 4080’s benchmark percentile of 86 among all GPUs, combined with the i7-14700F’s 91st percentile among all CPUs, produces a balanced system where neither component is a glaring bottleneck in most scenarios. The data shows that this rank is not a fluke of a single resolution or preset; it is consistent across the measured FPS rows, with the combo delivering over 100 FPS average in 1080p and 1440p at High and Medium settings.

Compared to its nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database, the RTX 4080 sits within a tight cluster. The RTX 4080 SUPER scores 0.1% higher, while the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X is 1.1% behind, the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% behind, and the AMD Radeon 8060S is 2.7% behind. These small deltas suggest that the RTX 4080 is positioned at a performance tier where minor architectural differences do not translate into large FPS swings in this game. For the CPU, the i7-14700F is effectively tied with the Intel Xeon 6505P (0.2% lower), the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (0.3% higher), the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (0.6% higher), and the AMD EPYC 7313P (0.8% higher). This clustering means the CPU is not a differentiator in this combo’s rank; the GPU is doing the heavy lifting.

The rank also benefits from the fact that The Long Drive is not an exceptionally demanding title by modern standards, but it does reward systems with high single-thread performance and substantial VRAM. The combo’s position in the top 6% suggests that users can expect a consistently fluid experience, with the only caveat being the Ultra preset at 4K, where the average FPS drops to 47. That single data point prevents the combo from climbing higher in the rankings, as lower-ranked systems may handle that specific configuration better.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the primary driver of this combo’s performance in The Long Drive. Its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for the texture streaming and draw distances typical of a driving simulation. The GPU’s base clock of 2205 MHz and boost clock of 2505 MHz, combined with 9728 shading units, allow it to process geometry and lighting effects efficiently. The measured FPS data reflects this: at 1080p Medium, the combo hits 294 FPS average, while at 1440p Medium it still manages 194 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU is rarely the limiting factor until resolution and settings push its fill rate.

The RTX 4080’s 76 RT cores and 304 tensor cores are not directly relevant to The Long Drive’s rendering pipeline, which does not appear to use ray tracing or DLSS in the measured rows, but they contribute to the GPU’s overall benchmark scores. The passmark G3D score of 34457 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 show a GPU that excels in both legacy and modern APIs. The GPU’s 86th percentile among all GPUs is slightly lower than the CPU’s 91st percentile, suggesting that in synthetic tests, the CPU is relatively stronger, but in The Long Drive’s real-world load, the GPU’s role is more pronounced.

At 4K, the GPU’s limits become visible. The 4K High preset averages 67 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for a driving game where smoothness is critical. The 4K Ultra preset drops to 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold most players target. The 4K Low preset jumps to 131 FPS, showing that the GPU has headroom if settings are reduced. The 16 GB VRAM is not exhausted at any tested setting, as the game’s maximum memory usage does not approach that capacity, but the bandwidth and shading power are what keep the frame rates high at lower resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the display resolution. At 1080p, the Medium preset delivers an average of 294 FPS with a minimum of 250 FPS and a maximum of 339 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors. The High preset at 1080p averages 184 FPS, still excellent, but Medium offers a 60% improvement in average FPS with likely minimal visual difference in a game with this art style. The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 127 FPS, which is playable but sacrifices the headroom that Medium provides.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is again the standout, averaging 194 FPS with a minimum of 165 FPS and a maximum of 223 FPS. This is the sweet spot for 1440p 144Hz monitors, as it stays above the refresh rate in most scenes. The High preset at 1440p averages 121 FPS, which is also smooth, but the jump from High to Medium yields a 60% increase in average FPS, making Medium the better choice for competitive or fast-paced driving. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 84 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for a game where consistent frame pacing is important.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts. The High preset averages 67 FPS, which is the best balance between visual quality and performance at this resolution. The Medium preset averages 108 FPS, but the visual difference between Medium and High is more noticeable at 4K due to higher pixel density. The Low preset at 4K averages 131 FPS, but it sacrifices too much detail for a marginal gain over Medium. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 47 FPS, which is not recommended for serious play, as the frame rate dips below 60 FPS and may feel stuttery in fast sections. For 4K users, High is the best choice; for 1080p and 1440p users, Medium provides the highest frame rates without sacrificing the core experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 1080p, the combo delivers exceptionally high frame rates: Low averages 358 FPS, Medium averages 294 FPS (minimum 250, maximum 339), High averages 184 FPS, and Ultra averages 127 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is 64 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 110 FPS, indicating that the High preset introduces significant additional rendering load, likely from shadows and texture filtering. The jump from High to Ultra is 57 FPS, showing a more moderate increase in cost.

At 1440p, the frame rates remain high but scale down proportionally. Low averages 235 FPS, Medium averages 194 FPS (minimum 165, maximum 223), High averages 121 FPS, and Ultra averages 84 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces the Low preset by 123 FPS (a 34% drop), Medium by 100 FPS (a 34% drop), High by 63 FPS (a 34% drop), and Ultra by 43 FPS (a 34% drop). This consistent percentage drop across settings suggests that the GPU’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor, as the relative cost of each preset remains similar.

At 4K, the frame rates drop more steeply. Low averages 131 FPS, Medium averages 108 FPS (minimum 91, maximum 124), High averages 67 FPS, and Ultra averages 47 FPS. From 1440p to 4K, the Low preset drops by 104 FPS (a 44% reduction), Medium by 86 FPS (a 44% reduction), High by 54 FPS (a 45% reduction), and Ultra by 37 FPS (a 44% reduction). This shows that the 4K resolution imposes a near-uniform 44-45% performance penalty across all settings, which points to the GPU’s fill rate and bandwidth being the bottleneck rather than any specific setting.

The minimum FPS data, available only for Medium settings, shows that the combo maintains stable frame times. At 1080p Medium, the minimum is 250 FPS against an average of 294 FPS, a variance of 15%. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 165 FPS against an average of 194 FPS, a variance of 15%. At 4K Medium, the minimum is 91 FPS against an average of 108 FPS, a variance of 16%. This consistency indicates that the combo does not suffer from sudden stutters or frame hitches, which is crucial for a driving simulation where smoothness is paramount.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear picture of the limiting component. At 1080p Low, the combo averages 358 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 235 FPS; at 4K Low, it drops to 131 FPS. This represents a 63% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K. For the Medium preset, the numbers are 294 FPS at 1080p, 194 FPS at 1440p, and 108 FPS at 4K, a 63% reduction. For High, the numbers are 184 FPS, 121 FPS, and 67 FPS, a 64% reduction. For Ultra, the numbers are 127 FPS, 84 FPS, and 47 FPS, a 63% reduction.

This uniform scaling across presets is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The pixel count from 1080p to 4K increases by a factor of 4, but the frame rate does not drop by a factor of 4; it drops by roughly 63-64%. This is because the CPU is still able to feed the GPU adequately at lower resolutions, but at 4K, the GPU’s shading units and memory bandwidth are saturated. The RTX 4080’s 716.8 GB/s bandwidth and 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance are the limiting factors at 4K, particularly at the Ultra preset where the average FPS falls below 60.

The data also shows that the combo is not CPU-limited at any resolution. At 1080p Low, the 358 FPS average indicates that the CPU can keep up with the GPU’s output, as the i7-14700F’s 20 cores and 28 threads provide ample processing power for game logic and draw calls. The CPU’s boost clock of 5.40 GHz ensures high single-thread performance, which is critical for driving simulations that often rely on a single main thread for physics. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache further reduces memory latency, helping to maintain consistent frame times even when the GPU is pushing high frame rates.

The resolution scaling suggests that for users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this combo provides more performance than needed, allowing for headroom to enable higher settings or future updates. For 4K users, the High preset is the practical limit, and Ultra should be avoided unless the user accepts frame rates below 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F plays a supporting but important role in this combo’s performance. With 20 cores (8 performance cores and 12 efficient cores) and 28 threads, the CPU provides substantial multi-threaded capability, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and Geekbench multi-core score of 19620. However, in The Long Drive, the CPU’s single-thread performance is more critical, and the i7-14700F delivers a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4958 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2429. These scores indicate that the CPU can handle the game’s primary thread without becoming a bottleneck, even at high frame rates.

The CPU’s base clock of 2.10 GHz and boost clock of 5.40 GHz provide a wide dynamic range, allowing it to idle efficiently and ramp up when needed. The 65 W TDP is modest for a 20-core processor, but the measured FPS data shows that power draw does not correlate with performance in this game. The CPU’s architecture, Raptor Lake-R on a 10 nm process, is mature and well-suited for gaming workloads. The 33 MB of shared L3 cache is particularly beneficial for a driving simulation where the game world is streamed continuously, as it reduces the need to access slower system memory.

Comparing the CPU to its nearest rivals, the i7-14700F is effectively tied with the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X, which scores 0.6% higher in average benchmarks. This means that swapping the CPU would not yield a noticeable FPS change in The Long Drive, given that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at most settings. The CPU’s percentile of 91 among all CPUs confirms that it is a top-tier performer, but its role in this combo is to ensure that the RTX 4080 is never starved for data.

The CPU’s memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, with a dual-channel bus, adds flexibility for system builders. While the measured FPS data does not specify memory speed, the CPU’s high cache capacity mitigates any potential memory latency issues. The CPU’s PCIe Gen 5 support with 16 lanes ensures that the GPU has a full-bandwidth connection, though the RTX 4080 uses PCIe 4.0, which is sufficient for its bandwidth needs.

In the context of The Long Drive, the CPU’s role is to maintain high minimum frame rates and prevent stutters. The measured minimum FPS at Medium settings across all resolutions shows tight variance, which is a direct result of the CPU’s ability to process game logic and physics consistently. At 1080p Medium, the minimum of 250 FPS against an average of 294 FPS indicates that the CPU can handle the game’s simulation load without dropping frames. The CPU’s 20 cores also help with background tasks, ensuring that no other process interferes with gameplay.

Overall, the CPU is not the star of this combo, but it is a reliable foundation. Its high single-thread performance and substantial cache ensure that the RTX 4080 can operate at its full potential, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the bottleneck. For users who plan to upgrade the GPU in the future, the i7-14700F has enough headroom to remain relevant, as its benchmark scores place it among the top 10% of all CPUs.