Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents a distinctive performance profile when paired with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT. The measured data shows a combination that scales predictably with resolution but exhibits a significant sensitivity to the Ultra preset, which is the defining characteristic of this specific hardware pairing. The benchmark results indicate a system capable of high frame rates at mainstream resolutions, yet one that requires careful settings management to maintain a consistent experience at higher fidelity levels.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear and consistent drop in performance as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160, with the rate of decline heavily influenced by the selected settings preset. At the Low preset, the average frame rate falls from 200.5 FPS at 1080p to 142 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 29.2%, and then further to 79.2 FPS at 4K, which is a 44.2% drop from the 1440p figure. This trajectory suggests that at lower settings, the load remains manageable for the RX 9070 XT, and the scaling is relatively smooth, indicating a healthy margin of performance headroom.

The Medium preset shows a similar pattern, with 190.1 FPS at 1080p, 125.6 FPS at 1440p, and 70.6 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are 33.9% and 43.8% respectively, which is nearly identical to the Low preset's scaling. This consistency implies that the game's engine is not introducing any non-linear bottlenecks between these two settings levels. The High preset, however, begins to show a steeper curve. From 125.1 FPS at 1080p, it drops to 87.3 FPS at 1440p (a 30.2% decrease) and then to 50.4 FPS at 4K (a 42.3% decrease from 1440p). While the relative drops are similar, the absolute frame rates are much lower, suggesting that the High preset is already engaging more of the GPU's resources.

The Ultra preset is where the data becomes most telling. At 1080p, the Ultra preset yields 83.5 FPS, which is a 33.3% reduction compared to the High preset at the same resolution. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 59.2 FPS, a 29.1% decrease from 1080p. The most dramatic shift occurs at 4K, where the average plummets to 34.5 FPS, a 41.7% reduction from the 1440p figure. This 4K Ultra result is less than half the frame rate of the 4K Low preset (34.5 vs 79.2), indicating a massive performance penalty. The data suggests that the Ultra preset in Archeage introduces effects or settings that disproportionately load the GPU, far more than the incremental steps between Low, Medium, and High. The limiting component at 4K Ultra is clearly the GPU, as the RX 9070 XT is unable to maintain fluid frame rates despite its strong benchmark scores. At lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is less likely to be the primary constraint, given the high frame rates achieved.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with the High preset?

A: The measured average FPS for the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combo at 1920x1080 with the High preset is 125.1 FPS.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to the 1080p Low performance?

A: The 4K Ultra preset delivers an average of 34.5 FPS, while the 1080p Low preset achieves 200.5 FPS. This represents a performance reduction of approximately 82.8% when moving from the lowest settings at 1080p to the highest settings at 4K.

Q: Is the Ryzen 5 5500 a limiting factor at 1080p with Low settings?

A: Given the 200.5 FPS average at 1080p Low, the CPU is likely not a bottleneck at this setting. The Ryzen 5 5500's 6-core, 12-thread configuration and its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429, suggest it can feed the GPU adequately at this level.

Q: What is the percentile ranking of the RX 9070 XT among all GPUs?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT has a percentile rank of 82, indicating it outperforms 82% of all GPUs in the benchmark database. This is consistent with its strong measured FPS at lower resolutions.

Q: Which settings preset at 1440p provides the highest average frame rate?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 yields the highest average frame rate of 142 FPS, followed by the Medium preset at 125.6 FPS.

Q: What is the combo's rank in Archeage compared to all other tested combinations?

A: The combo of the AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT is ranked 488 out of 1727 total tested combinations for Archeage, placing it in the upper echelon of tested systems.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests a clear hierarchy in performance across the four presets. The Low preset is the only configuration that consistently maintains an average frame rate above 140 FPS at all tested resolutions, peaking at 200.5 FPS at 1080p. For users prioritizing maximum frame rates, particularly on higher refresh rate monitors, the Low preset is the only option that guarantees a fluid experience at 4K, with an average of 79.2 FPS.

The Medium preset offers a balanced compromise, providing 190.1 FPS at 1080p and 125.6 FPS at 1440p. However, at 4K, it drops to 70.6 FPS, which is still playable but begins to approach the threshold where some users may notice a lack of smoothness. The High preset delivers solid performance at 1080p (125.1 FPS) and 1440p (87.3 FPS), but its 4K average of 50.4 FPS is marginal for a modern gaming experience.

The Ultra preset is not recommended for this combination at any resolution above 1080p. While it achieves a playable 83.5 FPS at 1080p, the performance collapses at 1440p (59.2 FPS) and becomes largely unplayable at 4K (34.5 FPS). The performance gap between High and Ultra is substantial, with a 33.3% drop at 1080p, a 32.2% drop at 1440p, and a 31.5% drop at 4K. Given this steep penalty, the Ultra preset appears to enable features that are not well optimized for this hardware. For the best overall experience, the Medium preset at 1440p is the sweet spot, offering a high average frame rate of 125.6 FPS with significantly better visual fidelity than Low. Users with 4K displays should stick to the Low preset to maintain a playable frame rate, as the jump to Medium incurs a 10.9% performance loss, which is less severe than the 28.7% loss from Medium to High.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT combination holds a rank of 488 out of 1727 tested combos in Archeage. This places the system in the top 28.3% of all recorded configurations, a solid standing for a mid-range CPU paired with a high-end GPU. The ranking indicates that the combination is well-suited for this MMORPG, though it is not among the absolute top performers.

The 488th rank suggests that while the RX 9070 XT provides substantial graphics power, the Ryzen 5 5500 may be holding the system back from reaching the highest echelons of the chart. The CPU's 3DMark scores, such as 5386 for 16 threads and 5411 for max threads, are respectable but not exceptional, and its Passmark multithread score of 19330 positions it as a capable but not flagship processor. In a game like Archeage, which may have CPU-bound scenarios in crowded areas, the Ryzen 5 5500's performance is likely adequate but not without limitations. The rank is a strong showing, especially considering the CPU's 79th percentile ranking among all CPUs, which indicates it is a better-than-average processor overall. However, the GPU's 82nd percentile ranking is slightly higher, suggesting the pairing is balanced but slightly GPU-favored.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 5500 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 3 architecture, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 4.20 GHz. This configuration is well-suited for modern games, providing a solid foundation for multi-threaded workloads. In Archeage, a game that can be demanding in terms of CPU processing due to its MMO nature, the 5500's performance is a key factor in the overall results.

The CPU's benchmark scores provide insight into its capabilities. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 16429 and single-core score of 2319 indicate a balanced performance profile. The single-core performance is particularly relevant for gaming, as many games, including MMOs, rely heavily on single-threaded performance for game logic and physics. The 5500's 3DMark single-thread score of 836 and 2-thread score of 1645 show that it can handle lightly-threaded workloads efficiently. In the context of the measured FPS data, the CPU appears to be sufficient for the lower resolution and settings combinations, where the GPU is not fully saturated. For instance, at 1080p Low, the system achieves 200.5 FPS, which is a high frame rate that would likely stress the CPU in other games, but the data shows the combo can sustain it here.

However, at higher resolutions and the Ultra preset, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the dramatic FPS drops. The CPU's role becomes less critical in these scenarios, as the GPU is unable to process frames quickly enough. The 5500's 16 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s are adequate for feeding the GPU, but they are not exceptional. The processor's 7nm process node and 65W TDP indicate it is an efficient chip, but its performance ceiling is lower than that of higher-end Ryzen parts. In this pairing, the CPU is a competent partner that does not hinder performance at standard settings, but it is not the hero of the story; the RX 9070 XT is clearly the dominant component, particularly at 4K where the GPU's raw power is the deciding factor.