The Long Drive

The Long Drive presents an unusual hardware challenge: a driving simulation where the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B390 combination yields surprisingly low frame rates, placing this pairing at rank 2594 out of 2934 tested combos. The data reveals a system where the integrated graphics solution struggles significantly, even at mainstream resolutions, making this a fascinating case study in component bottlenecking.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with Low settings for this combo?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 paired with the Intel Arc B390 achieves an average of 95 FPS at 1920x1080 on Low settings, which is the highest frame rate recorded across all tested configurations.

Q: How does the GPU's benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, placing it just 1.3% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463) and 2.7% ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (1443), indicating it sits in a very low performance tier.

Q: What is the CPU's percentile ranking among all processors?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 ranks in the 89th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46062, showing it is a high-performing processor relative to the broader market.

Q: What is the best average FPS recorded at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 35, achieved with Low settings. The Ultra preset drops this to just 12 FPS, making 4K gameplay largely impractical.

Q: How many cores and threads does the processor feature?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has 14 cores and 14 threads, with a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, running on the Arrow Lake architecture.

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration?

A: The Intel Arc B390 uses System Shared memory, meaning its VRAM size, type, and bus width are all dependent on the system's main memory, with bandwidth listed as "System Dependent."

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the dominant limiting factor in this configuration. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, a remarkably low position that explains the frame rates observed. The GPU's nearest rivals are all legacy NVIDIA parts, with the GT 520MX, GeForce 800M, GT 625 OEM, and GT 710 all scoring within 2.7% of the Arc B390. This clustering of scores indicates the B390 operates in a performance class defined by decade-old entry-level hardware.

The GPU's architecture is Xe3-LPG, built on a 3 nm process at Intel's foundry. It features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation pipelines, alongside 12 ray tracing cores. The boost clock reaches 2500 MHz from a 300 MHz base, yet this headroom cannot compensate for the fundamental throughput limitations. The pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s sound respectable on paper, but the FP32 performance of 7.680 TFLOPS tells a more accurate story of its compute capability.

Memory bandwidth is the critical weakness. The "System Shared" memory configuration means the GPU relies on the CPU's dual-channel DDR5 memory bus, which provides 102.4 GB/s of theoretical bandwidth. This is shared with the processor for all system tasks, creating contention. In The Long Drive, which appears to demand steady memory throughput for its driving simulation world, this shared arrangement likely contributes to the severe frame rate collapses at higher settings. The 80 W TDP for an integrated graphics processor (IGP) interestingly exceeds the CPU's 65 W TDP, suggesting the GPU portion receives substantial power allocation, yet the performance data shows this power is not translating into playable frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling behavior reveals a system under extreme duress. Moving from 1080p to 1440p on High settings drops the average FPS from 49 to 32, a 34.7% reduction. The jump from 1440p to 4K on the same High preset further reduces performance from 32 to 18 FPS, another 43.8% decline. These steep drop-offs indicate that the GPU is being overwhelmed by pixel throughput demands, with each resolution increase exposing more of its fillrate and bandwidth limitations.

The Low settings data shows a similar pattern but from a higher starting point. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 95 FPS, which drops to 63 FPS at 1440p (a 33.7% reduction) and then to 35 FPS at 4K (a 44.4% reduction). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests the scaling penalty is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven, a hallmark of a GPU that is compute-bound at every quality level.

Interestingly, the Medium preset at 4K shows a minimum FPS of 24 and maximum of 33, with an average of 29. This narrow band relative to the average indicates frame pacing issues, where the GPU cannot maintain consistent output. The fact that Low at 4K (35 FPS) outperforms High at 4K (18 FPS) by nearly double underscores how sensitive this GPU is to shading complexity. The data implies that at 1080p, the system is borderline playable, but the component limiting factor shifts decisively to the GPU as resolution climbs, with the CPU's strong single-thread performance unable to compensate.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear performance hierarchy across settings. Low presets deliver 95 FPS average, which represents the only truly fluid experience in this dataset. Medium settings drop to 78 FPS average, with a measured range of 66 to 90 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but still maintaining playability. High settings fall to 49 FPS, a substantial 51.6% reduction from Low, while Ultra plummets to 34 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 61 FPS, demonstrating that each quality tier exacts a significant toll on the Arc B390.

Moving to 2560x1440, the same settings pattern repeats with lower absolute values. Low produces 63 FPS, which is still respectable, but Medium drops to 51 FPS (range 44-59), High to 32 FPS, and Ultra to 22 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the only configuration in this resolution that maintains a minimum above 40 FPS, suggesting that players targeting 1440p would need to accept significant visual compromises.

At 3840x2160, the results become largely academic. Low settings achieve 35 FPS, Medium drops to 29 FPS, High to 18 FPS, and Ultra to 12 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 24 FPS and maximum of 33 FPS shows that even the average is barely attainable, with frame drops below 25 FPS common. These 4K numbers indicate that this resolution is not viable for The Long Drive with this hardware, as even the lowest settings fail to reach the 60 FPS threshold typically desired for driving simulations.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 presents a stark contrast to the GPU's weakness. With 14 cores and 14 threads operating on the Arrow Lake architecture, this processor posts strong synthetic benchmarks. The Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14769 and singlecore score of 2085 position it well above average, and its 89th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms its capability. The Passmark multithread score of 37816 and single thread score of 4516 further validate that this is not a CPU-limited scenario.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration provides 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a desktop processor. This bandwidth is critical because the GPU's System Shared memory architecture depends entirely on it. In The Long Drive, the CPU's job is to handle game logic, physics calculations for the driving simulation, and asset streaming. The Passmark physics score of 2570 and data compression score of 390711 indicate strong computational throughput for these types of workloads.

The nearest rivals for the CPU include the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (avg score 46030, delta 0.1%) and Intel Core i9-13900HX (avg score 46098, delta -0.1%). These comparisons show the Ultra 5 235 sits in a tight performance cluster around the 46000 mark, with all rivals within 0.2% of each other. This suggests that swapping in any of these comparable CPUs would not meaningfully change The Long Drive's frame rates, because the bottleneck resides entirely in the GPU's inability to render frames fast enough to utilize the CPU's headroom.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience for this combination requires prioritizing frame rate over visual fidelity. At 1920x1080, the Low preset's 95 FPS average is the only configuration that provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, making it the baseline choice for any acceptable gameplay. The Medium preset at 78 FPS is the highest quality setting that remains playable, though its 66 FPS minimum suggests occasional dips that could be noticeable during intense driving sequences.

For players willing to accept lower resolutions, 2560x1440 with Low settings delivers 63 FPS, which is playable but leaves no headroom for demanding scenes. The Medium preset at 1440p drops to 51 FPS average with a 44 FPS minimum, crossing below the 60 FPS threshold and entering territory where input lag becomes perceptible in a driving game. High and Ultra settings at any resolution above 1080p produce averages below 35 FPS, which the data suggests is unsuitable for this genre.

The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely, as even the lowest settings produce only 35 FPS, and the Medium preset's 24 FPS minimum indicates severe stuttering. The recommendation from the data is clear: use 1080p with Medium settings for the best balance of visual quality and performance, or drop to Low settings if consistent 95 FPS is preferred. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended, as its 12-34 FPS range across resolutions makes it the worst performing option in every scenario.

How This Combo Ranks

This pairing of Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and Intel Arc B390 ranks 2594 out of 2934 tested combinations in The Long Drive, placing it in the bottom 11.6% of all systems. This rank is particularly striking given the CPU's strength, as the processor alone sits in the 89th percentile of all CPUs. The massive disconnect between the CPU's capability and the combo's performance underscores how severely the GPU drags down the overall experience.

The combo's ranking means that roughly 88% of tested hardware combinations deliver better frame rates in this game, regardless of their CPU choice. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking among all GPUs is the primary driver of this poor performance. When the GPU is compared to its nearest rivals, the deltaPct values of 1.3% to 2.7% show that the Arc B390 is barely distinguishable from hardware that is over a decade old, such as the GT 710.

The data suggests that this combo would have ranked significantly higher if the CPU were paired with even a modest discrete GPU. The Ultra 5 235's benchmark scores indicate it has ample processing power to feed a more capable graphics solution, but the Arc B390's System Shared memory and low compute throughput create a bottleneck that caps performance at levels typical of entry-level systems from previous generations. For The Long Drive specifically, this ranking implies that the integrated GPU approach is fundamentally mismatched with the game's rendering demands, and that users seeking playable performance would need to either drastically reduce resolution and settings or consider alternative GPU configurations.