The Long Drive

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-14700KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 312th out of 1,734 tested combos in The Long Drive, placing it in the top 18% of all configurations evaluated. This is a strong result for a driving simulation that tends to favor raw GPU throughput, though the ranking reflects the combined ceiling of both components rather than any single standout trait.

The CPU sits in the 96th percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 70,104. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-14700K, scores 70,074 — a 0% delta, meaning the KF variant effectively matches its integrated-graphics counterpart in compute performance. The AMD Ryzen 9 9950X trails by 0.4% at 70,420, while the AMD EPYC 9115 is 0.3% ahead at 69,887. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 leads this group by 1.3% at 71,056, but that gap is largely irrelevant for gaming workloads where the 14700KF's architecture and clock behavior dominate.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5070 achieves an 83rd percentile ranking among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 41,687. Its nearest rivals are surprisingly close: the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 scores 41,610 (0.2% behind), the NVIDIA Tesla M40 scores 41,897 (0.5% ahead), and the AMD Radeon Pro 580X scores 41,991 (0.7% ahead). The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090, a previous-generation flagship, scores 41,441, which is 0.6% behind the 5070. This clustering suggests the RTX 5070's raw compute throughput is competitive with older high-end parts, but its real advantage lies in newer architectural features and memory technology rather than sheer benchmark dominance.

The combined ranking of 312 out of 1,734 combos indicates that this pairing sits comfortably in the upper quartile, though not at the absolute top. For The Long Drive specifically, the data shows the system is capable of high frame rates at most settings, with the bottleneck shifting between CPU and GPU depending on resolution and quality preset.

GPU Role

The RTX 5070's memory configuration is a defining factor for this game. It carries 12 GB of GDDR7 across a 192-bit bus, yielding 672.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock runs at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed, which is substantial for a driving simulation that may stream large, open-world environments. The GPU's base clock is 2325 MHz, boosting to 2512 MHz, and it packs 6,144 shading units, 192 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units.

For The Long Drive, the GPU's role scales with resolution. At 1080p, the RTX 5070 is hardly strained, as evidenced by frame rates exceeding 300 FPS on Low settings. The card's 30.87 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is more than sufficient for the game's visual load at lower resolutions, where the CPU becomes the limiting factor. At 4K, however, the GPU's 12 GB VRAM and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth become critical, as the higher pixel count demands more memory throughput and fill rate. The pixel rate of 201.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 482.3 GTexel/s help sustain playable frame rates even at Ultra settings, though the data shows a steep drop at that preset.

The 48 RT cores and 192 tensor cores are present but likely underutilized in this title, as The Long Drive does not heavily rely on ray tracing or AI-enhanced rendering. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) ensures compatibility with modern rendering paths, but the benchmark results suggest the game's engine favors raw rasterization performance over advanced features.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate progression from 1080p to 4K reveals a clear GPU-bound behavior at higher resolutions, while lower resolutions expose CPU limitations. At 1080p Low, the system hits 303.8 FPS, but this drops to 196.6 FPS at 1440p Low (a 35% reduction) and 111 FPS at 4K Low (a 63% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU that becomes progressively more stressed as pixel count increases, though the absolute numbers remain high.

At Medium settings, the drop is slightly less severe: 250.6 FPS at 1080p, 162.2 FPS at 1440p (35% lower), and 93.1 FPS at 4K (63% lower). The consistency of these percentage drops across Low and Medium suggests the game's rendering load scales linearly with resolution, and the GPU is the primary constraint once the CPU has enough headroom.

High settings show a similar trend: 152.6 FPS at 1080p, 102.5 FPS at 1440p (33% lower), and 58.6 FPS at 4K (62% lower). The 4K High result is just below the 60 FPS threshold, indicating that this is the edge of playability for this combo at maximum resolution.

Ultra settings exaggerate the scaling. At 1080p, the system manages 109.4 FPS, but 1440p drops to 71.4 FPS (35% lower), and 4K falls to 42.3 FPS (61% lower). The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that dips below 45 FPS, suggesting that this preset is too demanding for the RTX 5070 at 4K on this title.

The limiting component shifts as resolution increases. At 1080p, the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads, boosted by a 5.60 GHz turbo clock, are sufficient to feed the GPU, which is why frame rates are extremely high. At 4K, the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute throughput become the bottleneck, as evidenced by the larger absolute frame rate drops. The 14700KF's PassMark multithread score of 52,425 and single-thread score of 4,480 indicate it can handle the game's physics and AI logic without holding back the GPU at lower resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the RTX 5070 delivers exceptional performance across all presets. Low settings produce an average of 303.8 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. Medium settings reduce this to 250.6 FPS, a 17.5% drop, while High settings yield 152.6 FPS, a 39% reduction from Low. Ultra settings drop to 109.4 FPS, which is 64% lower than Low but still comfortably above 100 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 194.4 FPS spread, indicating that the GPU has significant headroom even at the highest quality preset.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but begins to show GPU strain. Low settings average 196.6 FPS, which is still excellent for 1440p gaming. Medium settings produce 162.2 FPS (17.5% lower than Low), while High settings drop to 102.5 FPS (47.8% lower). Ultra settings yield 71.4 FPS, which is 63.7% lower than Low and approaches the threshold where some users might notice reduced smoothness. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1440p is 125.2 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, confirming that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. Low settings average 111 FPS, which is still playable for most users. Medium settings drop to 93.1 FPS (16.1% lower), while High settings fall to 58.6 FPS (47.2% lower). Ultra settings produce just 42.3 FPS, which is 61.9% lower than Low and below the 45 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a smooth experience. The spread from Low to Ultra at 4K is 68.7 FPS, the narrowest of all resolutions, demonstrating that the GPU is thoroughly saturated at this resolution.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 5070 can handle 1080p and 1440p at any preset, but 4K requires careful settings selection. The 58.6 FPS at 4K High is borderline, while 42.3 FPS at 4K Ultra is the only measured configuration that falls below 45 FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal experience depends on the target resolution and desired smoothness. For 1080p users, Ultra settings are viable with 109.4 FPS, providing the best visual quality without sacrificing performance. The 14700KF's strong single-thread performance (6,290 in Cinebench R23 single-core) ensures that physics and AI calculations do not introduce stutters at these frame rates.

For 1440p, High settings at 102.5 FPS offer the best balance of visual fidelity and performance. Ultra settings at 71.4 FPS are also playable, but the 30% drop from High to Ultra may not justify the visual gains. Medium settings at 162.2 FPS are ideal for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays, but High provides a more cinematic experience without falling below 100 FPS.

For 4K, the recommendation is more nuanced. Low settings at 111 FPS are the only preset that provides a clear margin above 60 FPS, making it the safest choice for consistent gameplay. Medium settings at 93.1 FPS are also viable and offer improved visuals. High settings at 58.6 FPS are borderline — playable but close to the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings at 42.3 FPS are not recommended, as the frame rate drops below the level where most users perceive smooth motion.

The GPU's 12 GB VRAM is sufficient for this game at all settings, as The Long Drive does not appear to exceed that capacity at 4K Ultra. The 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth is also adequate, though the steep drop from Medium to High at 4K suggests that texture quality and shadow complexity are major performance drivers.

For users with a 144 Hz or higher refresh rate monitor, 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium delivers frame rates well above 144 FPS. For users with a 60 Hz display, 4K Medium at 93.1 FPS provides excellent visual quality with a comfortable margin. The data does not support Ultra settings at 4K for this combo, but every other combination of resolution and preset delivers playable results.