The Long Drive

The Long Drive, a Driving Simulation title from 2019, presents a unique challenge for the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B580 combination. The measured data reveals a system where the graphics card is the primary constraint, with the CPU providing ample headroom. This analysis walks through the benchmark results, showing how the combo performs across resolutions and settings, and where it stands among other tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 heavily impacts the Intel Arc B580, revealing a classic GPU-bound scenario. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the combo produces an average of 85 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same preset drops the average to 56 FPS, a reduction of 29 FPS. The jump to 3840x2160 is even more punishing, with the average falling to 31 FPS. This represents a 63.5% decrease in performance from 1080p to 4K, a steep decline that indicates the rendering pipeline is saturated by the increased pixel count.

The scaling behavior is consistent across all settings. At Low, the system moves from 165 FPS at 1080p to 109 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 60 FPS at 4K. The Medium preset shows a similar pattern: 136 FPS at 1080p, 90 FPS at 1440p, and 50 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, starting at 59 FPS at 1080p and dropping to 39 FPS at 1440p, then to 21 FPS at 4K. The data shows that the frame rate penalty for each resolution step is roughly consistent, suggesting that the limiting component is the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth rather than any CPU-side bottleneck.

The fact that the FPS drops are proportional to the resolution increase points directly to the Arc B580 as the limiting factor. The CPU, with its 24 cores and 24 threads, does not appear to be holding back performance at any resolution. The data suggests that lowering resolution will yield significant gains, but the system will remain GPU-bound until the workload becomes light enough for the CPU to become the constraint, which does not happen within these measured settings. The 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth of the GPU is likely a key factor in this scaling, as higher resolutions demand more data throughput.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear picture of the trade-offs between visual fidelity and frame rate. For players targeting a smooth 60 FPS experience at 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only option, delivering an average of 60 FPS. The Medium preset at this resolution falls short of the 60 FPS target with an average of 50 FPS, and while it has a minimum of 42 FPS, the experience may feel inconsistent. High and Ultra at 4K are not viable for smooth gameplay, with averages of 31 and 21 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, the options are more flexible. The Low preset provides a high average of 109 FPS, which is excellent for fast-paced driving. The Medium preset offers a balanced experience with an average of 90 FPS and a minimum of 76 FPS, ensuring that the frame rate stays within a playable range. High settings at 1440p yield 56 FPS, which is playable but may not be ideal for those who prefer higher refresh rates. Ultra at this resolution drops to 39 FPS, making it less desirable for consistent motion.

For 1920x1080, the Medium preset appears to be the sweet spot. It delivers an average of 136 FPS with a minimum of 116 FPS, providing a high-refresh-rate experience without sacrificing too much visual quality. The Low preset reaches 165 FPS, which is excellent for competitive play, while High still manages a respectable 85 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p produces 59 FPS, which is just below the 60 FPS threshold. The data indicates that Medium at 1080p offers the best combination of performance and visual quality, as it is the highest preset that consistently stays above 100 FPS with a comfortable minimum frame rate.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B580, based on the Xe2-HPG architecture and codenamed Battlemage, is the decisive component in this system's gaming performance. Its 12 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 456.0 GB/s, which is sufficient for the demands of The Long Drive at the tested resolutions. The GPU's clock speeds are listed as a base of 2670 MHz and a boost of 2670 MHz, indicating a fixed clock operation under load. This consistent clock speed helps maintain predictable performance, as seen in the linear scaling of FPS with resolution changes.

The GPU's specifications, such as 2560 shading units, 160 TMUs, and 80 ROPs, define its raw processing capability. The 13.67 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is what drives the pixel and texture processing. The measured results show that this compute power is adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming at medium-to-high settings but is overwhelmed at 4K with higher presets. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3068 and the Passmark G3D score of 15748 provide a synthetic baseline that aligns with the observed gaming performance.

The GPU's 68th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the mid-to-upper tier. The nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score include the AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP with a delta of -0.2%, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 with a delta of 0.6%. This close grouping in synthetic benchmarks does not translate to identical gaming performance, but it gives a reference point for the B580's overall capability. The 190 W TDP and the 1x 8-pin power connector suggest that the card is positioned for mainstream systems, and its performance in this game reflects that positioning.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the combo produces an average of 31 FPS on High, 60 FPS on Low, 50 FPS on Medium, and 21 FPS on Ultra. The Medium preset is the only one with reported minimum and maximum values, showing a range of 42 to 57 FPS. This indicates that the frame pacing at 4K Medium is somewhat variable, though the average remains playable for less demanding scenarios.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS figures are 56 for High, 109 for Low, 90 for Medium, and 39 for Ultra. The Medium preset again shows a frame time variance, with a minimum of 76 and a maximum of 103 FPS. This resolution provides a much more comfortable margin for smooth gameplay across most settings.

At 1920x1080, the averages are 85 for High, 165 for Low, 136 for Medium, and 59 for Ultra. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 116 and a maximum of 156 FPS, indicating a stable frame rate that is well-suited for high-refresh-rate displays. The jump from Low to Medium is 29 FPS, while the jump from Medium to High is 51 FPS, showing that the High preset has a significant performance cost. The Ultra preset's 59 FPS average is a stark contrast to the 136 FPS of Medium, highlighting the heavy demand of Ultra settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and Intel Arc B580 combination holds a rank of 2203 out of 2934 tested combos in The Long Drive. This places it in the 75th percentile of all configurations, meaning that roughly a quarter of tested systems perform worse. The ranking reflects the B580's mid-range positioning and the fact that the game is demanding enough to expose its limitations at higher resolutions.

This rank is likely influenced by the GPU's 68th percentile standing among all GPUs. While the CPU is a top-tier performer, ranking in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, it cannot compensate for the GPU's constraints in this graphics-heavy scenario. The combo's position in the middle of the pack suggests that it is a balanced but not extreme performer, capable of handling the game well at 1080p and 1440p but struggling at 4K. The data indicates that the system's overall ranking is primarily driven by the GPU, as the CPU provides more than enough headroom for the game's physics and simulation logic.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus, with 24 cores and 24 threads, is a high-end processor that is not the bottleneck in this game. Its base clock of 3.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.80 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, which is often critical for game logic. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7303 and multi-core score of 51731 confirm its strong computational abilities. The 36 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 per core ensure that data is readily available to the cores.

In The Long Drive, the CPU's role is to handle the simulation aspects, such as vehicle physics and world state, while the GPU renders the scene. The measured FPS data shows that the frame rate scales inversely with resolution, which is the opposite of what would be expected if the CPU were the limiting factor. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect similar FPS across all resolutions at a given setting. Instead, the FPS drops significantly as resolution increases, which proves that the CPU is not the bottleneck.

The CPU's performance relative to its rivals also supports this conclusion. It is 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX in average benchmark score. This demonstrates that the 290K Plus is among the fastest processors available, and its capabilities are more than sufficient for the demands of this driving simulation. The game's engine appears to be well-optimized for multi-threaded CPUs, and the 24 threads are likely more than enough to prevent any CPU-related stutters or frame drops.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS is 165, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings.

Q: Can this system maintain 60 FPS at 4K with Medium settings?

A: No, the average FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 50, with a minimum of 42 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B580 rank among all GPUs?

A: The Arc B580 is in the 68th percentile of all GPUs, based on its average benchmark score.

Q: What is the CPU's benchmark score compared to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has an average benchmark score that is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K.

Q: Which resolution and setting provides the most stable high-refresh-rate experience?

A: The 1920x1080 Medium preset offers the most stable experience, with an average of 136 FPS and a minimum of 116 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops when increasing resolution from 1080p to 4K.