Archeage

Archeage is an older MMORPG, but its performance with this pairing of an AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D reveals a clear division of labor. The data shows that the CPU handles the game's core logic and draw calls, while the GPU's immense power is only partially utilized at lower resolutions. This combination places 42nd out of 2761 tested combos, putting it in the top 1.5% of all configurations tested for this title. The benchmark results indicate a system that is exceptionally capable, though the specific balance between components shifts dramatically depending on the resolution and settings you choose.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 5 8400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, running on the AMD Socket AM5 platform. It has a base clock of 4.20 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, with a 65W TDP. Its cache layout includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and a shared 16 MB of L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores a single-thread score of 951 in 3DMark and 2943 in Cinebench R23, which indicates strong per-core performance. Its multi-threaded capabilities are also solid, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 20851 and a Passmark multithread score of 24389, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs tested.

In the context of Archeage, the CPU's role is to maintain a stable frame rate floor, especially when many players are on screen. The benchmark data suggests that the Ryzen 5 8400F is more than adequate for this task. At 1080p with Low settings, the average frame rate reaches 245 FPS, which is well beyond what most displays can show. This high frame rate at low resolution indicates that the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at these settings; the workload is light enough that the processor can feed frames to the GPU quickly. The nearest rival to this CPU is the AMD Ryzen 5 7500F, which scores 24964 on average, a mere 0.2% difference. This shows that the 8400F is right in line with other mainstream 6-core parts.

However, the CPU's influence becomes more pronounced when looking at the frame rate scaling from Low to Ultra settings. At 1440p, the average frame rate drops from 215 FPS on Low to 90 FPS on Ultra, which is a 58% reduction. This is not a sign of CPU weakness but rather the GPU becoming more heavily tasked with rendering the additional visual effects. The CPU's 12 threads are sufficient to handle the game's logic, and the 3DMark 16-thread score of 6091 suggests that even under heavy load, there is headroom. The Passmark single-thread score of 3685 reinforces that the CPU has strong single-core performance, which is often the most critical factor for older MMORPG engines that may not scale perfectly across many cores.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a behemoth of a graphics card, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a GB202 chip on a 5 nm process. It features an enormous 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The GPU has a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with 21760 shading units. This hardware results in a Passmark G3D score of 44065 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14326, placing it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. The GPU's compute power is staggering, with FP32 performance rated at 104.8 TFLOPS.

Given this massive hardware, the RTX 5090 D is overkill for a game like Archeage in most scenarios. The bottleneck for the GPU lies in its ability to render frames, which is directly tied to the game's engine and the CPU's ability to issue draw calls. At 1080p with Low settings, the GPU is likely not being fully utilized, as the average frame rate of 245 FPS is likely limited by the CPU and game engine's frame pacing rather than the GPU's raw fill rate. The GPU's 32 GB of VRAM is far more than any current game, including Archeage, would need, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor here.

The GPU's role becomes more critical as resolution and settings increase. At 4K with Ultra settings, the average frame rate drops to 52 FPS. This significant drop indicates that the GPU is finally being pushed to its limits, with the higher resolution and more demanding visual effects requiring substantial pixel and shader work. The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database are the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, with the 5090 D scoring 1.1% higher than the former and 1.6% lower than the latter in average benchmark score. This is an unusual comparison group, but it suggests that the 5090 D's performance in this specific test is not as dominant as its raw specs would suggest, likely due to the game's age and engine limitations.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a clear pattern of the GPU becoming the limiting component at higher resolutions. At High settings, the average frame rate drops from 197 FPS at 1080p to 132 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop), and then to 76 FPS at 4K (a 42% drop from 1440p and a 61% drop from 1080p). This scaling is typical for a system where the CPU is strong enough to maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions, but the GPU's rendering workload grows quadratically with pixel count.

The scaling is even more pronounced at Ultra settings. The average frame rate drops from 134 FPS at 1080p to 90 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop), and then to 52 FPS at 4K (a 42% drop from 1440p and a 61% drop from 1080p). This consistent percentage drop across settings suggests that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while the CPU is likely still the limiting factor at 1080p. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate of 134 FPS is high, but it is not scaling linearly with the GPU's power, indicating that the CPU's single-thread performance is holding the GPU back from reaching its full potential.

Looking at the Low settings, the frame rate drops from 245 FPS at 1080p to 215 FPS at 1440p (a 12% drop), and then to 125 FPS at 4K (a 42% drop from 1440p). The smaller drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is interesting, as it suggests that even at 1440p, the CPU is still the primary limiter. The larger drop from 1440p to 4K indicates that the GPU is starting to become more involved, but the overall frame rates remain exceptionally high. This data indicates that for the best experience, you should target 1440p or 4K with medium settings to balance the load between the CPU and GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 8400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 42nd out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage. This places it in the top 1.5% of all configurations, which is an outstanding result. The high rank is primarily driven by the GPU's raw power, which ensures that the system can handle the most demanding scenarios, even if the CPU is not the absolute fastest available. The data shows that this combo is more than capable of delivering a smooth experience at any resolution, with the only caveat being that the CPU may limit the GPU's potential at lower resolutions.

The rank is also a signal of the CPU's solid performance. While it is not a top-tier processor, its strong single-thread performance and adequate multi-threading ensure that it does not drag down the overall system. The combo's rank is higher than what the CPU's percentile (77th) might suggest, which indicates that the GPU's dominance is the primary factor in this pairing's success. If you were to pair this CPU with a lower-end GPU, the rank would likely be much lower, as the GPU would become the bottleneck at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates provide a detailed look at how this combo performs across different settings and resolutions.

At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings. With Low settings, the average FPS is 245. Moving to Medium settings, the average FPS is 236, with a minimum of 200 and a maximum of 271. High settings yield an average of 197 FPS. Ultra settings drop the average to 134 FPS. These numbers show that at 1080p, the system is capable of pushing well beyond 144Hz refresh rates, even at Ultra settings, making it ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

At 1440p, the performance remains very strong. Low settings produce an average of 215 FPS. Medium settings average 195 FPS, with a minimum of 166 and a maximum of 224. High settings average 132 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 90 FPS. These results indicate that 1440p is the sweet spot for this combo, as it maintains high frame rates while also allowing for more detailed visuals. The minimum frame rate of 166 FPS at Medium settings shows that the system can maintain a smooth experience even in demanding scenes.

At 4K, the performance is still playable, but the GPU is clearly being pushed harder. Low settings average 125 FPS. Medium settings average 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 128. High settings average 76 FPS. Ultra settings drop to an average of 52 FPS. The data shows that at 4K, you will need to compromise on settings to achieve a high refresh rate experience. Medium settings provide a solid 112 FPS average, which is great for a 4K display, while High settings are still playable at 76 FPS. Ultra settings, however, may feel less smooth, especially in crowded areas.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best settings depend on your display and performance goals.

For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the clear winner. It provides an average of 112 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, and the minimum of 95 FPS ensures that there are no major hitches. The High preset, at 76 FPS, is also a good option if you prefer higher visual fidelity, but the drop from 112 to 76 FPS is noticeable. Ultra at 4K, with an average of 52 FPS, is best avoided unless you have a variable refresh rate monitor and can tolerate the lower frame rate. The data suggests that Medium is the optimal balance between visual quality and performance at this resolution.

For 1440p gaming, the High preset is recommended. It offers an average of 132 FPS, which is excellent for a 144Hz monitor, and the visual quality is significantly better than Medium. If you have a 240Hz monitor, the Medium preset at 195 FPS is a better choice, as it will ensure you are hitting the high refresh rate more consistently. The Ultra preset at 90 FPS is also viable, but it does not provide a substantial visual improvement over High to justify the 32% performance drop.

For 1080p gaming, the Ultra preset is the best choice for most users. It provides an average of 134 FPS, which is still high enough for a smooth experience on a 144Hz monitor, and it delivers the best visual quality the game has to offer. If you have a 240Hz or 360Hz monitor, the High preset at 197 FPS is a better option, as it will allow you to take full advantage of the display's refresh rate. The Low and Medium presets are only recommended if you are chasing the absolute highest frame rates, but the visual quality trade-off is not worth it for most players.