Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 5 7400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER pairing. The benchmark data reveals a system that is highly capable at mainstream resolutions but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K, particularly when settings are maxed out. The measured results show a clear hierarchy where resolution and preset choices dramatically impact the experience, and the analysis points to a complex interaction between the CPU and GPU depending on the workload.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 has a profound impact on the measured average frame rates, indicating a shift in system bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 142 FPS, but this plummets to 96 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to just 55 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 61% drop in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, which strongly suggests that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor as pixel count increases. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, is being tasked with rendering significantly more pixels, and the data shows it cannot keep pace at the 4K resolution.

The scaling pattern is even more pronounced when examining the Ultra preset. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the system delivers 59 FPS, but at 2560x1440 Ultra it falls to 39 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Ultra it drops to a nearly unplayable 23 FPS. The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings is approximately 61%, mirroring the Low setting drop. This consistency across presets is notable; it indicates that the resolution is the primary driver of the frame rate decline, rather than the specific graphical features toggled by the preset. The data implies that the 4K resolution, regardless of the quality settings, pushes the RTX 2070 SUPER beyond its comfortable operating range in this title.

Interestingly, the scaling between 1080p and 1440p is less severe but still significant. At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 126 at 1920x1080 to 85 at 2560x1440, a 33% reduction. This smaller drop suggests that at 1440p, the system is better balanced, with both the CPU and GPU contributing to the workload without one being completely overwhelmed. The data indicates that 2560x1440 is a more viable target for this combination, offering a substantial improvement over 4K while still providing a higher resolution image than 1080p. The frame time data at Medium settings shows the 1440p run had a minimum FPS of 72 and a maximum of 98, while the 1080p run had a minimum of 107 and a maximum of 145, further illustrating the tighter performance envelope at higher resolutions.

GPU Role

The RTX 2070 SUPER's specifications provide context for its performance in Archeage, but the measured data is the definitive guide. With a base clock of 1605 MHz and a boost clock of 1770 MHz, the GPU has a solid foundation, and its 8 GB of VRAM is a critical resource. The benchmark results show that at 3840x2160 with High settings, the system only averages 33 FPS, which is likely due to the combination of high resolution and the demands of the High preset on the GPU's compute resources. The Turing architecture, with its 2560 shading units and 64 ROPs, is capable, but the data suggests it is not sufficient for 4K gaming in this MMORPG.

The difference between Low and High settings at 4K is substantial, with a 22 FPS gap (55 vs 33). This indicates that the graphical features enabled by the High preset have a significant cost on the GPU. The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 18169 places it at the 65th percentile of all GPUs, and its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc A750 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, with performance deltas of -1.5% and -1.2% respectively. This data suggests the RTX 2070 SUPER is a mid-to-high-tier card, but one that is outclassed by the demands of 4K resolution in Archeage. The VRAM capacity of 8 GB, while standard for its generation, is being saturated at the higher resolutions, as evidenced by the sharp frame rate drop to 23 FPS at 4K Ultra, which is the most demanding configuration tested.

The GPU's memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s is a key factor in its performance. The data shows that the card is more comfortable at 1920x1080, where it delivers 142 FPS at Low and 86 FPS at High. This indicates that the GPU is capable of high frame rates when the pixel count is manageable. The performance difference between the Low and High presets at 1080p is 56 FPS, which is a significant gap and highlights the cost of the High preset's features. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1651 and the Geekbench OpenCL score of 83358 provide synthetic benchmarks that align with the measured gaming performance, showing a card that is competent but not a high-end performer by modern standards.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 7400F, a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, plays a crucial role in ensuring the GPU is fed with data. Its high boost clock of 4.70 GHz and substantial 32 MB of shared L3 cache are well-suited for gaming workloads. The data suggests that at lower resolutions like 1920x1080, the CPU is more critical for achieving high frame rates. The system reaches 142 FPS at Low settings, which is a very high frame rate that demands a capable CPU to handle the game's logic and draw calls. The Ryzen 5 7400F's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21765 and single-core score of 3072 indicate strong processing power, which allows it to keep up with the GPU at 1080p.

However, the CPU's influence wanes as the resolution increases and the GPU becomes the bottleneck. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is significantly lower across all settings, suggesting that the CPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution. Even with a powerful CPU, the GPU cannot render enough frames per second to fully utilize the processor's capabilities. The processor's Passmark multithread score of 25645 and single-thread score of 3689 place it at the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, with rivals like the Intel Core i5-14600T and AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 6850H showing performance deltas of just 0.1% and -0.2%, respectively. This shows the 7400F is a competitive mid-range option.

The CPU's memory support for DDR5 and dual-channel configuration, with a bandwidth of 83.2 GB/s, is another factor that helps minimize bottlenecks. The data shows that at 2560x1440, the system is balanced, with the CPU and GPU working in tandem. The frame rates at this resolution, such as 96 FPS at Low and 58 FPS at High, are respectable and indicate a well-matched pairing. The processor's 6 cores and 12 threads are likely sufficient for Archeage, which may not be heavily multi-threaded but still benefits from the high single-thread performance of the Zen 4 architecture. The data implies that for this game, the Ryzen 5 7400F is not a bottleneck at 1080p and 1440p, but its potential is untapped at 4K due to GPU limitations.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Archeage with this system?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. At Medium settings, it delivers an average of 85 FPS, which is smooth and playable. While 1920x1080 is faster, the jump to 1440p provides a significant visual upgrade with a moderate performance cost.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in Archeage?

A: The data indicates that 4K gaming is challenging for this combo. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 23 at Ultra settings to 55 at Low settings. The lower settings are playable, but the performance is not consistently smooth, and the High preset averages only 33 FPS.

Q: How does the CPU impact performance at different resolutions?

A: The CPU's impact is most apparent at 1920x1080, where the system is able to reach high frame rates like 142 FPS at Low settings. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, and the CPU's role diminishes. At 4K, the CPU is likely not a bottleneck, but the GPU cannot deliver enough frames to fully utilize the processor.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings?

A: The difference is substantial. At 1920x1080, the average FPS drops from 142 at Low to 59 at Ultra, a difference of 83 FPS. At 2560x1440, the drop is from 96 to 39 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it is from 55 to 23 FPS. The Ultra preset has a significant performance cost.

Q: Is the RTX 2070 SUPER a good match for the Ryzen 5 7400F?

A: The data suggests they are a well-balanced pair. At 1080p and 1440p, the system performs admirably, indicating the CPU is strong enough to feed the GPU and the GPU is capable at these resolutions. The pairing only becomes unbalanced at 4K, where the GPU is clearly the weaker component.

Q: How does this system compare to other tested combos in this game?

A: The combo is ranked 2147 out of 3708 tested combinations. This places it in the middle of the pack, indicating that there are many more powerful systems, but also many that are weaker. The performance is respectable for the hardware's tier.

How This Combo Ranks

The comboRankInGame data places this specific configuration at rank 2147 out of 3708 tested combos for Archeage. This ranking is a comprehensive measure of the system's overall performance in the game, incorporating all resolutions and settings. Being in the 58th percentile (calculated from 2147/3708) indicates that this system is positioned slightly above the median of all tested configurations. This is a logical result for a pairing of a mid-range CPU from 2025 and a high-end GPU from 2019.

The ranking reveals that while the system is not a top-tier performer, it is far from being a low-end one. It outperforms 1561 other combos but is beaten by 2146. This suggests that many users with more modern or higher-end hardware will achieve better results, but this system is still capable of delivering a playable experience in Archeage, especially at 1080p and 1440p. The CPU's percentileVsAllCpus of 83 is significantly higher than the GPU's percentileVsAllGpus of 65, which suggests that the CPU is a stronger component relative to its peers than the GPU is.

This ranking also implies that the system's performance is likely held back by the GPU in many scenarios. The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, and its lower relative standing compared to the CPU supports this. For users looking to improve this system's ranking, upgrading the GPU would likely have a greater impact than upgrading the CPU. The fact that the system is ranked in the middle of the pack in a game from 2014 shows that the hardware is aging, but it remains a viable option for mainstream gaming.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the system is most comfortable, with an average FPS of 142 at Low, 126 at Medium, 86 at High, and 59 at Ultra. The Medium setting shows a frame time range with a minimum of 107 FPS and a maximum of 145 FPS. This indicates a smooth experience at this resolution, with the Low and Medium settings providing high refresh-rate capable performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops across the board. The system achieves 96 FPS at Low, 85 FPS at Medium, 58 FPS at High, and 39 FPS at Ultra. The Medium setting has a minimum FPS of 72 and a maximum of 98, showing a wider fluctuation than at 1080p. This resolution is a good target for a 60Hz monitor, with High settings being borderline and Medium being the sweet spot for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes limited. The average FPS is 55 at Low, 49 at Medium, 33 at High, and 23 at Ultra. The Medium setting shows a minimum of 41 FPS and a maximum of 56 FPS, indicating inconsistent frame pacing. This resolution is only playable at Low or Medium settings, and even then, the frame rates are not ideal for a fast-paced game. The data shows a clear and predictable pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases, with the GPU being the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this system depend heavily on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the High preset, with an average of 86 FPS, provides an excellent balance of visual quality and performance. Users with high refresh rate monitors can even consider the Medium preset at 126 FPS for a more competitive edge, while the Low preset at 142 FPS is the best for maximizing frame rate. The Ultra preset, at 59 FPS, is playable but does not offer a significant visual advantage over High to justify the substantial performance drop.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, delivering an average of 85 FPS. This provides a smooth and responsive experience with good visual fidelity. The High preset at 58 FPS is also viable for users who prefer visual quality over absolute smoothness, but it may be less consistent in demanding scenarios. The Low preset at 96 FPS is the best for competitive play, while the Ultra preset at 39 FPS is best avoided due to its low frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that only the Low preset, with an average of 55 FPS, offers a consistently playable experience. The Medium preset at 49 FPS is borderline, and the High and Ultra presets at 33 and 23 FPS respectively are not recommended for a satisfactory experience. For a 4K display, users would need to significantly lower settings to achieve acceptable performance, and even then, the frame rates are not ideal. The overall recommendation is to use 2560x1440 with Medium settings as the best compromise between visual quality and performance for this hardware combination.