Archeage

# Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for ArcheAge with the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 show a clear pattern: the game scales from 170 FPS at 1080p Low down to 43 FPS at 4K Ultra. This is a dramatic drop, but the scaling is not uniform across all settings, and the data reveals where the bottleneck shifts as resolution increases.

At 1080p, the frame rates are consistently high across all settings. The Low preset delivers 170 FPS, Medium 164 FPS, High 141 FPS, and Ultra 111 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra is 59 FPS, which indicates that even at 1080p, the GPU is doing meaningful work, but the CPU (with 6 cores and 12 threads, boosting to 4.20 GHz) is still able to feed it adequately. The 170 FPS ceiling at Low suggests that the Ryzen 5 3600's single-thread performance, which scores 696 in 3dmark_single_thread and 2,562 in passmark_single_thread, is the limiting factor here, as the RTX 4080 is far more capable than what these numbers reflect.

Moving to 1440p, the frame rates remain high but begin to compress. Low drops to 149 FPS, Medium 143 FPS, High 110 FPS, and Ultra 75 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra shrinks to 74 FPS, but the more telling detail is that Medium and Low are nearly identical, with only 6 FPS separating them. This suggests that at 1440p, the game is still largely CPU-bound at lower settings, but the Ultra preset starts to engage the GPU more heavily, pulling the average down to 75 FPS.

At 4K, the pattern changes decisively. Low delivers 104 FPS, Medium 92 FPS, High 63 FPS, and Ultra 43 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is only 12 FPS, but between Medium and High it widens to 29 FPS, and between High and Ultra it is 20 FPS. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU becomes the primary limiting component. The RTX 4080, with its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and 716.8 GB/s bandwidth, is being pushed to its limits by the higher resolution, especially on the Ultra preset. The fact that 4K Ultra produces 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many consider playable, shows that this combination, while strong, cannot fully handle ArcheAge at maximum settings in 4K.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at each setting tells a similar story. At Low, the drop is from 170 to 104 FPS, a 38.8% reduction. At Medium, it is 164 to 92 FPS, a 43.9% reduction. At High, it is 141 to 63 FPS, a 55.3% reduction. At Ultra, it is 111 to 43 FPS, a 61.3% reduction. The increasing percentage drop as settings rise confirms that the GPU load grows disproportionately with resolution, and the CPU bottleneck at 1080p becomes a GPU bottleneck at 4K.

# CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 3600 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the 3000 series, based on the Zen 2 architecture (codenamed Matisse) on a 7 nm process. Its base clock is 3.60 GHz with a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. In ArcheAge, an MMORPG, the CPU's role is crucial for handling game logic, AI, and player interactions, but the data shows that the Ryzen 5 3600 is not the primary bottleneck in most scenarios tested.

Benchmark results for the CPU show a strong multi-threaded capability: it scores 15,045 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 17,700 in passmark_multithread. Single-thread scores are also respectable, with 2,124 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 2,562 in passmark_single_thread. In the context of ArcheAge, these numbers suggest the CPU can handle the game's demands, but the frame rate data indicates that at 1080p Low, the 170 FPS ceiling is likely due to the CPU's single-thread limits rather than GPU constraints.

The evidence for this is in the 1080p results. The RTX 4080 is a high-end GPU that scores 34,457 in passmark_g3d and 54,247 in average benchmark score, placing it in the 86th percentile. If the GPU were the limit at 1080p, we would expect frame rates to stay similar across settings, but they do not; they drop from 170 to 111 FPS going from Low to Ultra. This suggests the CPU is holding back performance at lower settings, as the GPU has headroom to render more frames but is constrained by the CPU's ability to issue draw calls.

However, the CPU's multi-threading helps in more demanding scenarios. At 1440p Medium, the frame rate is 143 FPS, which is only 18 FPS lower than 1080p Medium. This smaller drop indicates that the CPU can still keep up even as resolution increases, and the game benefits from the 12 threads. The Ryzen 5 3600's L3 cache of 32 MB shared also aids in MMORPG scenarios where many entities are active.

Compared to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 5 3600 is competitive. It is 0.2% behind the Intel Core i7-1260P and 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core i5-11400 in average benchmark score. In practical terms, this means the CPU's performance is in line with other mid-range processors, and in ArcheAge, it provides a solid foundation for the RTX 4080 to work with, as long as resolution and settings are not too low.

# How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 3600 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks 667 out of 3,708 tested combos in ArcheAge. This places it in the top 18% of all combinations, which is a strong showing given that the CPU is not a top-tier model. The ranking reflects the overall balance of the system, where the GPU's high performance compensates for the CPU's mid-range position.

The rank is influenced by the fact that ArcheAge is an MMORPG, where frame rates can vary widely depending on the number of players and effects on screen. The measured data, which is based on actual gameplay, shows that this combo can deliver playable frame rates at most settings and resolutions. At 1080p, all settings exceed 100 FPS, which is excellent for a smooth experience. At 1440p, the Ultra preset drops to 75 FPS, which is still playable, and the Medium preset at 143 FPS is very smooth. At 4K, only the Low preset (104 FPS) and Medium preset (92 FPS) deliver playable frame rates, while High (63 FPS) is borderline and Ultra (43 FPS) is not recommended for competitive play.

The rank of 667 out of 3,708 also indicates that there are many combos that perform better, likely those with newer CPUs that offer higher single-thread performance. The Ryzen 5 3600's percentile ranking of 71 among all CPUs shows it is above average, but not exceptional. The RTX 4080, with a percentile of 86 among GPUs, is the stronger component in this pairing. This is reflected in the game's performance, where the GPU limits at high resolutions and settings, while the CPU limits at low resolutions and settings.

In terms of relative performance, the combo's rank suggests that users can expect a good experience, but not top-tier. The 1080p and 1440p results are strong, and the 4K results are acceptable at lower settings. The data indicates that this combo is best used at 1440p with High or Ultra settings, where the frame rates are high enough for smooth gameplay without pushing the GPU to its limits.

# FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in ArcheAge?

A: Based on the measured data, 1440p is the best resolution. At Medium settings, it delivers 143 FPS, and at High settings, 110 FPS. These are high enough for smooth gameplay, and the GPU is not as stressed as it is at 4K.

Q: Can this combo run ArcheAge at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. At 4K Low, it achieves 104 FPS, and at Medium, 92 FPS. High drops to 63 FPS, and Ultra to 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold typically considered playable.

Q: How does the CPU affect performance at 1080p?

A: The CPU appears to be the limiting factor at 1080p. The frame rates range from 170 FPS at Low to 111 FPS at Ultra, and the GPU could likely render more frames if the CPU were faster. The Ryzen 5 3600's single-thread performance is the constraint.

Q: Is the RTX 4080 the bottleneck at 4K?

A: Yes, the data suggests the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K. The frame rates drop more steeply with higher settings at 4K compared to 1080p, indicating the GPU is being pushed to its limits. The RTX 4080's 16 GB VRAM is sufficient, but the rendering load at 4K Ultra is too heavy.

Q: What settings should be used for a 60 FPS target at 4K?

A: To achieve a consistent 60 FPS at 4K, the Medium preset is the best choice, as it averages 92 FPS. The High preset averages 63 FPS, which is close but could dip below 60 in demanding scenes. Ultra is not viable, averaging 43 FPS.

Q: How does this combo compare to the RTX 4080 SUPER?

A: The RTX 4080 in this combo has an average benchmark score of 54,247, which is 0.1% lower than the RTX 4080 SUPER's 54,209. In practice, the performance difference is negligible, so the measured frame rates are representative of what the SUPER would achieve.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is the dominant component in this pairing, and its role in ArcheAge becomes more pronounced as resolution and settings increase. The GPU is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, built on a 5 nm process, and features 9,728 shading units, 304 TMUs, and 112 ROPs. It has 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. These specifications make it a high-end card, and its benchmark results confirm this: it scores 34,457 in passmark_g3d and 21,4739 in geekbench_opencl.

In ArcheAge, the GPU's role is to handle the game's graphics rendering, including textures, lighting, and effects. At 1080p, the GPU is not fully utilized, as evidenced by the frame rates being CPU-limited. However, as resolution increases to 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor. This is seen in the 4K results, where the frame rates drop from 104 FPS at Low to 43 FPS at Ultra, a 58.7% reduction. The GPU's memory bandwidth and capacity are sufficient for the game's needs, as there is no indication of VRAM limitations.

The RTX 4080's nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, has an average score of 54,209, which is 0.1% higher. This means the two cards perform nearly identically, and the measured frame rates in ArcheAge would be the same for both. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X and RX 6750 GRE 12 GB are lower performers, with scores 1.1% and 2.6% lower, respectively, but they are not direct competitors in this context.

The GPU's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is more than enough for ArcheAge, but the game's engine appears to be limited by other factors, such as draw call throughput and shading complexity. This explains why at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 43 FPS despite the GPU's raw power. The data shows that for a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the limit, and for 1440p, the Ultra preset can be used with an average of 75 FPS.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured frame rates, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual quality. The data provides clear guidance for each resolution.

At 1080p, all settings deliver playable frame rates, with Low at 170 FPS and Ultra at 111 FPS. For the best experience, the High preset at 141 FPS is recommended, as it offers a good balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset at 111 FPS is also viable for those who prioritize visuals, and the frame rate remains above 100 FPS.

At 1440p, the Medium preset at 143 FPS is the best choice for a high-refresh-rate experience, as it is only 6 FPS lower than Low. The High preset at 110 FPS is also excellent and provides better visuals. The Ultra preset at 75 FPS is playable but may have occasional dips in busy scenes, so it is recommended only for those who accept a lower frame rate for maximum quality.

At 4K, the Medium preset at 92 FPS is the recommended setting, as it delivers a smooth experience above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 104 FPS is even smoother but sacrifices visual quality. The High preset at 63 FPS is borderline, and the Ultra preset at 43 FPS is not recommended for play, as it falls well below the 60 FPS threshold.

In summary, the data indicates that for a balanced experience, the Medium preset at 1440p offers the best combination of frame rate and visual fidelity, with 143 FPS. For those with a 4K display, the Medium preset at 4K provides 92 FPS, which is a good trade-off. Users with a 1080p monitor can comfortably use the Ultra preset at 111 FPS for the best visual experience without sacrificing playability.