The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a driving simulation released on 2019-09-02, is tested with the Intel Core i7-14700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070. The data is measured. The combo ranks 788 out of 1734 tested combos. The CPU has a launch MSRP of $409, and the GPU has a launch MSRP of 499 USD. The CPU is a 20-core, 28-thread part with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, while the GPU is an 8 GB GDDR6 card with a 256-bit bus. Benchmark results indicate a strong pairing, but the scaling across resolutions reveals a clear bottleneck shift.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a pronounced shift in the limiting component as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 232.7 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is the primary driver of performance at this setting. The i7-14700K posts a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44534 and a singlecore score of 6287, indicating substantial headroom for high-refresh-rate gaming. This is reflected in the 1080p Low result, where the GPU is not the primary constraint. However, as resolution climbs to 4K, the GPU's workload increases dramatically. The 4K Low result of 82.1 FPS is still playable, but the 4K Ultra result of 29.1 FPS shows the GPU is saturated.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings is stark: the FPS drops from 80.4 to 29.1. At Low settings, the drop is from 232.7 to 82.1. This pattern indicates that the RTX 3070 becomes the limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the i7-14700K remains capable of feeding frames at lower resolutions. The 1440p results sit between these extremes: Low is 151.8 FPS, Medium is 125.8 FPS, High is 76.2 FPS, and Ultra is 56.9 FPS. The 1440p results indicate a balanced configuration, with High settings achieving 76.2 FPS and Ultra achieving 56.9 FPS. The data shows a consistent pattern where Ultra settings yield significantly lower FPS than Low settings at each resolution, confirming that the GPU's compute and memory resources are the primary bottleneck in demanding scenarios.

GPU Role

The RTX 3070 has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 1500 MHz and boost is 1725 MHz. Memory clock is 1750 MHz, effective 14 Gbps. In The Long Drive, the 8 GB VRAM is a critical factor. At 4K Ultra, the game demands more memory, and the 29.1 FPS result suggests the GPU is struggling with both memory capacity and compute. The GPU's FP32 performance is 20.31 TFLOPS. The GPU's pixel rate is 165.6 GPixel/s and its texture rate is 317.4 GTexel/s. These figures, combined with the 448.0 GB/s memory bandwidth, determine how quickly the card can fill frames at high resolutions. The 8 GB VRAM capacity is a hard limit; at 4K Ultra, the game's memory footprint likely exceeds the comfortable operating range of the card, contributing to the 29.1 FPS result.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 28238, placing it in the 72nd percentile. Compared to its nearest rivals, it is 0.9% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (27985), and 1% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti (27956). It trails the AMD FirePro S7150 (28409) by 0.6% and the AMD Radeon R9 M295X (28541) by 1.1%. This indicates the RTX 3070 sits in a tight performance band around the 28000-28500 mark. The GPU's TDP is 220 W, and it requires a 550 W suggested PSU. It uses a 1x 12-pin power connector. The GPU is end-of-life, released on 2020-08-31. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3162 further illustrates its DirectX 12 capability, which is relevant for a modern driving simulation.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 116.7.

Q: How does the RTX 3070 compare to the RX 6600 XT in average benchmark score?

A: The RTX 3070 scores 28238, while the RX 6600 XT scores 27985, making the RTX 3070 0.9% higher.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combos?

A: It ranks 788 out of 1734 combos.

Q: What is the CPU's boost clock?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700K has a boost clock of 5.60 GHz.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: It has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, with a bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s.

Q: What is the average FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 29.1.

Measured FPS Breakdown

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- |

| 3840x2160 | High | 44.3 |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 82.1 |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 66.6 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 29.1 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 76.2 |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 151.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 125.8 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 56.9 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 116.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 232.7 |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 189.8 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 80.4 |

The data shows a consistent pattern where Ultra settings yield significantly lower FPS than Low settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the spread is from 232.7 down to 80.4. At 1440p, it is from 151.8 down to 56.9. At 4K, it is from 82.1 down to 29.1. The Medium settings provide a middle ground, with 189.8 FPS at 1080p, 125.8 FPS at 1440p, and 66.6 FPS at 4K. The High settings sit between Medium and Ultra, with 116.7 FPS at 1080p, 76.2 FPS at 1440p, and 44.3 FPS at 4K. This granular breakdown allows for precise tuning based on the user's display resolution and desired frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo ranks 788 out of 1734 tested combos. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested configurations. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 70074. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700KF, scores 70104, a delta of 0%. The AMD EPYC 9115 scores 69887, a delta of 0.3%. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X scores 70420, a delta of -0.5%. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 scores 71056, a delta of -1.4%. This shows the i7-14700K is essentially tied with the 14700KF and EPYC 9115, and slightly behind the Ryzen 9 9950X and Xeon Platinum 8270 in average CPU score. The GPU is in the 72nd percentile, with an average score of 28238. Its rivals are tightly clustered. The FirePro S7150 is 0.6% higher, the RX 6600 XT is 0.9% lower, the GTX 980 Ti is 1% lower, and the R9 M295X is 1.1% higher.

The rank of 788 out of 1734 reflects the balance of a top-tier CPU (96th percentile) with a mid-to-high-tier GPU (72nd percentile). The CPU's high percentile ensures it won't bottleneck at lower resolutions, but the GPU's 72nd percentile limits the combo's overall standing in GPU-heavy scenarios like 4K Ultra, where it drops to 29.1 FPS. The deltaPct values show that the CPU is virtually tied with the i7-14700KF, differing by 0%, while the GPU is 0.9% faster than the RX 6600 XT. This tight clustering means the combo's rank is highly sensitive to the specific game's engine and settings. In The Long Drive, the measured data indicates that the RTX 3070 is the decisive factor in determining the final rank, as the CPU's performance headroom is largely untapped at higher resolutions.