The Long Drive

The Long Drive is an unusual title in this benchmark set, and the data for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination reveals a system that is heavily skewed toward CPU performance at lower resolutions, while the GPU takes over as the primary bottleneck as resolution climbs. This pairing sits at rank 1771 out of 2934 tested combinations for this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the pack, which is a notable position given the strength of the individual components in other workloads.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a classic and dramatic scaling curve from 1080p to 4K, but the shape of that curve tells a specific story about where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system produces 180 FPS average. Moving to 1440p at the same Low preset drops that to 119 FPS, a reduction of 61 FPS. Continuing to 4K at Low yields 66 FPS, another 53 FPS drop. This pattern—where each resolution step costs roughly 50-60 FPS—indicates that at Low settings, the GPU is already struggling to keep pace with the frame generation capability of the CPU, even at 1080p.

The scaling becomes more severe when we look at the High preset. At 1080p High, the average is 93 FPS. Dropping to 1440p High yields 61 FPS, a 32 FPS loss. Then moving to 4K High brings the average down to 34 FPS, another 27 FPS loss. The percentage drops here are steeper than at Low settings, which is a strong indicator that the RTX 5050's 8 GB frame buffer and 128-bit memory interface are being saturated as pixel count and texture detail increase simultaneously.

The Medium preset offers the most complete data set with min and max FPS recorded. At 1080p Medium, the average is 148 FPS with a min of 126 and max of 171. At 1440p Medium, the average falls to 98 FPS with min/max of 83/112. At 4K Medium, the average is 54 FPS with min/max of 46/62. This tight min-to-max spread at each resolution suggests consistent frame pacing without severe stutter, which is typical of a CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions transitioning to a GPU-bound scenario at higher ones.

The Ultra preset shows the most punishing scaling. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages 64 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, that drops to 42 FPS. At 4K Ultra, the average collapses to 23 FPS. The delta between 1440p and 4K Ultra is only 19 FPS, but the absolute values are so low that the experience becomes unplayable at the top resolution. The data clearly shows that 4K is not a viable target for this combination except at Low settings, where 66 FPS is achievable but still below the 72+ FPS threshold many consider smooth.

What the resolution scaling reveals is a system where the i7-14700F is never the limiting factor above 1080p. The 20-core, 28-thread processor with a 5.40 GHz boost clock is capable of feeding frames far faster than the RTX 5050 can render them at higher resolutions. The GPU's 320.0 GB/s bandwidth and 8 GB GDDR6 memory become the wall, and the data shows that wall getting lower as resolution increases.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is the clear performance anchor in this system, and its benchmark scores explain why the 1080p results are so strong. The processor posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35122 and a single-core score of 4958. The Geekbench results show 19620 multi-core and 2429 single-core. These numbers place the CPU at the 91st percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong position for a desktop part.

The nearest rivals in the benchmark database put this CPU's standing in context. The Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701 average with a delta of -0.2%, meaning it is essentially tied with the i7-14700F's average benchmark score of 53620. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 is 0.3% ahead, and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X is 0.6% ahead with a score of 53288. The AMD EPYC 7313P is 0.8% ahead. These sub-1% deltas indicate that the i7-14700F sits in a very tight competitive cluster, but the data shows it is the weakest of this particular group by a small margin.

For The Long Dive specifically, the CPU's architecture matters more than raw core count. The 20 cores (with 28 threads) and 33 MB of shared L3 cache provide ample headroom for the game's physics and world simulation, but the measured FPS at 1080p Low (180 FPS) suggests the game is not heavily multi-threaded. The single-core performance of 4958 in Cinebench R23 is likely the more relevant metric here, as driving simulation games tend to have a dominant main thread for game logic.

The fact that the system achieves 180 FPS at 1080p Low but only 93 FPS at 1080p High indicates that the CPU can handle the frame rate, but the GPU cannot keep up when settings increase. This is a classic sign of a CPU that is overqualified for the GPU it is paired with in this specific title. The i7-14700F's boost clock of 5.40 GHz and base clock of 2.10 GHz give it the raw speed needed to avoid becoming the bottleneck at any resolution tested, as evidenced by the fact that FPS scales consistently with resolution rather than hitting a CPU-imposed ceiling.

The processor's memory support for both DDR4 and DDR5, dual-channel, adds flexibility, but the benchmark data does not indicate that memory bandwidth is a limiting factor in this game's results. The Passmark multi-thread score of 41317 and single-thread score of 4257 further confirm a balanced part that excels at both productivity and gaming workloads, yet in The Long Drive, its role is simply to stay out of the way.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the component that defines the playable envelope for this system in The Long Drive. The GPU's raw compute numbers—13.17 TFLOPS FP32, 2560 shading units, and 80 TMUs—are modest by current standards, and the benchmark scores reflect that positioning. The Passmark G3D score of 17326 places it at the 66th percentile of all GPUs, which is notably lower than the CPU's 91st percentile.

The nearest rivals for the RTX 5050 are surprising and instructive. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153 with a delta of -0.6%, meaning it is effectively tied with the RTX 5050's average score of 21035. The AMD Radeon HD 8970M is 1% behind, while the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT is 1.6% ahead. The NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile is 1.6% ahead as well. This grouping suggests that the RTX 5050, despite being a new Blackwell architecture part, performs at a level comparable to older mid-range mobile and desktop GPUs in synthetic benchmarks.

In The Long Drive, the GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus width are the primary constraints. The memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s is sufficient for 1080p gaming but becomes insufficient as resolution increases. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 23, which is unplayable. Even at 4K High, the 34 FPS average is below the threshold for a smooth experience. The GPU's 32 ROPs are also a limiting factor for pixel fill rate at higher resolutions, with a pixel rate of 82.30 GPixel/s that gets stretched thin at 8.3 million pixels per frame at 4K.

The RTX 5050's clock speeds are 2317 MHz base and 2572 MHz boost, which are reasonable for the 130 W TDP. The 5 nm process from TSMC with 16,900 million transistors on a 149 mm² die gives it efficiency, but efficiency does not translate to raw performance in this game. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 2502 is a low number that predicts the 4K struggles seen in the measured FPS data.

The GPU's 20 RT cores and 80 tensor cores are present, but The Long Drive does not appear to leverage ray tracing or DLSS based on the settings tested. The data shows a straightforward rasterization workload where the GPU's raw throughput and memory bandwidth are the deciding factors. The 66th percentile ranking confirms that this is a mid-range GPU in a system with a high-end CPU, and the game's results reflect that imbalance.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run The Long Drive at 4K with acceptable performance?

A: Only at Low settings, where it achieves 66 FPS average. At Medium, it drops to 54 FPS, and at High it falls to 34 FPS. Ultra is unplayable at 23 FPS.

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

A: The data shows that 1440p is the sweet spot, with 119 FPS at Low and 61 FPS at High. 1080p offers higher frames but does not meaningfully improve the experience over 1440p given the CPU headroom.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: It scores 21035 average, which is 0.6% behind the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and 1.6% behind both the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile. It is 1% ahead of the AMD Radeon HD 8970M.

Q: Is the Intel Core i7-14700F the bottleneck at 1080p in this game?

A: No. The 180 FPS at 1080p Low indicates the CPU is not limiting. The GPU becomes the constraint as settings increase, shown by the drop to 93 FPS at High and 64 FPS at Ultra.

Q: What does the 91st percentile CPU ranking mean for this game?

A: The i7-14700F outperforms 91% of all CPUs in the database, but that strength does not translate to proportionally higher FPS in The Long Drive because the GPU cannot keep up above 1080p.

Q: Are the min FPS values stable across settings?

A: The Medium preset shows min FPS of 126 at 1080p, 83 at 1440p, and 46 at 4K. The spread between min and max is 45, 29, and 16 FPS respectively, indicating tighter frame pacing at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data points to a clear hierarchy for the best experience on this hardware. For 1080p displays, the High preset at 93 FPS average is the recommended choice. It delivers smooth frame rates while maintaining visual quality. The Ultra preset at 64 FPS is playable but the jump from High to Ultra costs 29 FPS, which is a significant trade for marginal visual gains. The Medium preset at 148 FPS is excessive for most displays, but it is the best option for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, the High preset at 61 FPS is the cutoff for a playable experience. The Medium preset at 98 FPS is the better choice for those who prefer higher frame rates and are willing to reduce visual fidelity. The Ultra preset at 42 FPS is borderline and not recommended for action-heavy driving. The Low preset at 119 FPS is viable for competitive play but sacrifices too much visual detail for a driving simulation.

At 4K, there is no good setting for this combo. The Low preset at 66 FPS is the only option that approaches playability, but it requires significant visual compromises. The Medium preset at 54 FPS is playable but not ideal, and High and Ultra are unplayable. For 4K users, the data suggests that this GPU is not suited for The Long Drive at high detail levels.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1440p Medium at 98 FPS. This provides a balance of visual quality and frame rate that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold while maintaining a min FPS of 83, which prevents noticeable stutter. For users with 1080p monitors, the Medium preset at 148 FPS is equally compelling, offering headroom for future settings changes.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS table for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 in The Long Drive is as follows:

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 180 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 148 FPS average, with a minimum of 126 and maximum of 171. The High preset delivers 93 FPS average. The Ultra preset delivers 64 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 119 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 98 FPS average, with a minimum of 83 and maximum of 112. The High preset delivers 61 FPS average. The Ultra preset delivers 42 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers an average of 66 FPS. The Medium preset delivers 54 FPS average, with a minimum of 46 and maximum of 62. The High preset delivers 34 FPS average. The Ultra preset delivers 23 FPS average.

The data shows a consistent pattern: each resolution doubling reduces FPS by roughly 40-50% across all settings, with the exception of Ultra at 4K, which falls to 23 FPS from 42 FPS at 1440p, a 45% drop. The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data, and it shows that the frame time consistency improves as resolution increases, with the min-to-max spread narrowing from 45 FPS at 1080p to 16 FPS at 4K.

The combination's overall rank of 1771 out of 2934 in this game positions it below the median. Given the CPU's 91st percentile ranking and the GPU's 66th percentile ranking, the game's results are more aligned with the GPU's performance tier. This suggests that The Long Drive is a GPU-bound title at higher resolutions, and users should set their expectations based on the RTX 5050's capabilities rather than the i7-14700F's raw processing power.