Archeage

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data for ArcheAge with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 reveals a scaling pattern that is far from linear. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 228.2 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 198.4 FPS, a reduction of approximately 13%. Moving to 4K Low, the average falls to 112.6 FPS, which is a 43% decline from the 1440p figure. This steep drop at 4K suggests the GPU begins to take on a more significant workload, but the sheer magnitude of the falloff points to the game engine's limitations rather than pure pixel-pushing demands.

The High preset tells a similar story with different numbers. At 1080p High, the combo delivers 181.7 FPS. At 1440p High, it remains strong at 120.5 FPS, a 34% drop. But at 4K High, the average collapses to 67.1 FPS, which is a 44% reduction from 1440p. This pattern — where the 1440p to 4K transition consistently costs more than 40% of performance regardless of preset — indicates that the RTX 4090's immense bandwidth and compute resources are being constrained by the game's rendering pipeline. The 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth and 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are clearly not being fully utilized, as a modern title would show a more graceful scaling curve.

Ultra settings amplify this effect dramatically. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 122.6 FPS. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 85.5 FPS, a 30% reduction. But at 4K Ultra, the average plummets to 45 FPS — a 47% drop from 1440p and a 63% drop from 1080p. This is the signature of a game that was released in 2014, where the rendering engine was designed for hardware that no longer exists. The RTX 4090 is effectively brute-forcing its way through a legacy codebase, and the data suggests that the game's draw calls, particle effects, and world-streaming logic become the primary bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

The scaling from Medium to High is also revealing. At 4K, Medium produces 102.8 FPS while High drops to 67.1 FPS — a 35% penalty for one step up in quality. At 1440p, Medium yields 177.4 FPS versus 120.5 FPS for High, a 32% penalty. This consistent 30-35% cost indicates that the High preset introduces expensive shading or post-processing effects that disproportionately impact the GPU, even when the GPU is otherwise underutilized. The data implies that the limiting component shifts from the CPU at lower resolutions to a combination of GPU and engine inefficiencies at 4K, but never fully saturates the RTX 4090's capabilities.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The RTX 4090 in this configuration carries 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, with memory clocks rated at 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective). For ArcheAge, a title from 2014, this memory subsystem is overwhelmingly excessive. The game's textures and geometry, even at 4K Ultra, would struggle to consume more than a fraction of that 24 GB capacity. The data supports this: the 4K Ultra average of 45 FPS is not a memory-capacity issue but rather a compute and engine limitation.

The GPU's clock speeds — 2235 MHz base and 2520 MHz boost — are high for any generation, but the benchmark results indicate that raw clock speed is not the differentiator here. Consider the PassMark G3D score of 38194, which places the GPU in the 91st percentile of all GPUs. Yet in ArcheAge at 4K Ultra, the combo only manages 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider playable. This disparity between synthetic benchmark performance and real-world game results underscores the game's age.

The RTX 4090's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are essentially dormant in ArcheAge, as the game predates ray tracing and DLSS by years. The 16384 shading units and 512 TMUs are what handle the traditional rasterization workload, and the data shows they are capable of producing 228.2 FPS at 1080p Low. However, the 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS suggests that the game's shader complexity and overdraw at high settings create a worst-case scenario for the GPU's fixed-function units.

The GPU's nearest rivals in the benchmark database — NVIDIA Tesla T4, Tesla P40, Radeon Pro Vega 56, and Quadro P6000 — all have average scores within 1.3% of the RTX 4090's 66473 average. This is a statistical artifact of the database's averaging methodology, not a reflection of gaming performance. In ArcheAge specifically, the measured FPS data is far more telling, revealing a GPU that is never the primary bottleneck until 4K Ultra, and even then, it is likely the engine's inefficiencies rather than the GPU's raw capabilities that limit the frame rate.

FAQ

Q: Why does the 4K Ultra preset only produce 45 FPS when the RTX 4090 is one of the most powerful GPUs available?

A: The data shows a 47% drop from 1440p Ultra (85.5 FPS) to 4K Ultra (45 FPS). This disproportionate penalty, combined with the game's 2014 release date, indicates that the rendering engine cannot efficiently handle the increased pixel count and shader complexity at 4K. The GPU's raw power is being wasted on legacy code paths.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo produces 228.2 FPS, which is close to the CPU's practical limits for this game. The Ryzen 7 5800X's 8 cores and 16 threads, with a boost clock of 4.70 GHz, are likely the constraint at this resolution, as the RTX 4090 is far more capable than what the game demands at 1080p.

Q: How does the Medium preset compare to High in terms of performance cost?

A: At 4K, Medium yields 102.8 FPS while High drops to 67.1 FPS, a 35% penalty. At 1440p, the penalty is 32% (177.4 FPS vs 120.5 FPS). At 1080p, it is 17% (220.1 FPS vs 181.7 FPS). The cost of High settings increases with resolution, suggesting that High introduces effects that scale poorly with pixel count.

Q: What does the combo's rank of 70 out of 1727 tell us?

A: The comboRankInGame of 70 out of 1727 means this configuration outperforms approximately 96% of all tested combos in ArcheAge. This ranking reflects the raw power of both components, but the measured FPS data shows that the game's engine prevents the combo from achieving the kind of dominance its hardware would suggest.

Q: Is the 24 GB VRAM ever fully utilized in ArcheAge?

A: The data does not provide VRAM usage metrics, but given the game's 2014 release and the fact that 4K Ultra only produces 45 FPS, it is highly unlikely that the 24 GB GDDR6X memory is a limiting factor. The bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s is more than sufficient for the game's texture streaming needs.

Q: Why does the Low preset at 4K (112.6 FPS) outperform the Ultra preset at 1440p (85.5 FPS)?

A: This 32% advantage for 4K Low over 1440p Ultra demonstrates that the Ultra preset introduces rendering features that are more demanding than a 2.25x increase in pixel count. The game's Ultra settings likely enable expensive effects like dynamic shadows, ambient occlusion, and high-quality post-processing that tax the GPU more than resolution alone.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 (4K), the measured averages are as follows: Low produces 112.6 FPS, Medium produces 102.8 FPS, High produces 67.1 FPS, and Ultra produces 45 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is only 9.8 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 35.7 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 22.1 FPS. This uneven spacing suggests that the Medium preset is relatively close to Low in terms of rendering cost, while High and Ultra introduce disproportionately expensive features.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the results are: Low at 198.4 FPS, Medium at 177.4 FPS, High at 120.5 FPS, and Ultra at 85.5 FPS. The 1440p results show a more even distribution of costs between presets, with each step up costing roughly 30-50 FPS. The 1440p Ultra figure of 85.5 FPS is still above the 4K High result of 67.1 FPS, indicating that resolution is not the sole determinant of performance.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the averages are: Low at 228.2 FPS, Medium at 220.1 FPS, High at 181.7 FPS, and Ultra at 122.6 FPS. The 1080p Medium result is within 3.5% of the Low result, suggesting that Medium adds minimal rendering overhead at this resolution. The Ultra preset at 1080p still produces a very playable 122.6 FPS, which is higher than the 4K Medium result of 102.8 FPS.

Across all resolutions, the Low preset consistently delivers the highest frame rates, with the 1080p Low figure of 228.2 FPS being the single best result in the entire dataset. The 4K Ultra figure of 45 FPS is the only measured result below 60 FPS, and it is the sole data point that would be considered borderline unplayable for fast-paced gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 achieves a rank of 70 out of 1727 tested combinations in ArcheAge. This places it in the top 4% of all configurations, which is consistent with the hardware's overall benchmark percentiles — the CPU sits in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU sits in the 91st percentile of all GPUs.

However, the rank of 70 is somewhat surprising given the GPU's dominance in other contexts. The RTX 4090's nearest rivals in the database — the Tesla T4, Tesla P40, Radeon Pro Vega 56, and Quadro P6000 — all have average scores within 1.3% of it, but none of these are gaming-focused cards. This suggests that the comboRankInGame is influenced by the CPU's performance as much as the GPU's. The Ryzen 7 5800X's nearest rivals — the Ryzen 7 5800, Ryzen 5 8500GE, Core i7-13700H, and Core i5-12600KF — are all within 0.8% of its average score, indicating that the CPU is not an outlier in its class.

The rank of 70 implies that 69 other combinations of CPUs and GPUs produce higher average FPS in ArcheAge. Given the measured data, these superior combos would likely need CPUs with higher single-thread performance, as the game's engine appears to be CPU-bound at lower resolutions. The 3dmark single-thread score of 943 for the 5800X is respectable but not exceptional, and ArcheAge's age means it likely relies heavily on single-threaded game logic.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides a clear hierarchy of presets across all three resolutions. For players prioritizing frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1440p delivers 198.4 FPS, which is more than sufficient for any competitive scenario. The 4K Low preset at 112.6 FPS is also a strong option for those with 4K displays, as it remains well above the 100 FPS threshold.

The Medium preset offers a balanced compromise. At 1440p, it produces 177.4 FPS, which is a 10.6% reduction from Low but likely provides noticeably better visual quality. At 4K, Medium delivers 102.8 FPS, which is still excellent. The jump from Medium to High is where the cost becomes significant: at 1440p, High drops to 120.5 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 67.1 FPS. The High preset is only recommended for 1080p, where it achieves 181.7 FPS.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding and the least efficient in terms of performance per visual quality. At 1080p, Ultra produces 122.6 FPS, which is playable but represents a 44% drop from Medium. At 1440p, Ultra drops to 85.5 FPS, and at 4K, it falls to 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS standard. Given the data, the best experience for most users would be the Medium preset at 1440p, offering 177.4 FPS, or the High preset at 1080p, offering 181.7 FPS. The 4K Medium preset at 102.8 FPS is the best 4K option, as the High and Ultra presets at 4K incur disproportionate penalties.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, built on the Zen 3 architecture (codenamed Vermeer), provides 8 cores and 16 threads with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 4.70 GHz. For ArcheAge, a game released in 2014, the CPU's role is primarily in handling game logic, AI, and draw calls. The 4,150 million transistors on a 74 mm² die, produced on TSMC's 7 nm process, give the CPU strong single-threaded performance, as evidenced by its 3dmark single-thread score of 943 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3327.

The data suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The 1080p Low result of 228.2 FPS is likely near the maximum frame rate the game's engine can produce with this CPU, regardless of the GPU. The fact that 1080p Medium (220.1 FPS) is only 3.5% slower than 1080p Low (228.2 FPS) supports this, as the GPU is clearly not the bottleneck at these settings. The CPU's 32 MB of L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s are more than adequate for the game's memory access patterns.

At 4K, the CPU's role diminishes as the GPU becomes more stressed, but the 4K Low result of 112.6 FPS versus the 4K Ultra result of 45 FPS shows that the CPU is still capable of feeding the GPU at lower settings. The Ryzen 7 5800X's nearest rivals, including the Ryzen 7 5800 (0.3% faster) and Ryzen 5 8500GE (0.4% slower), indicate that this CPU is well within the expected performance band for its class. The CPU's percentile of 84 means that 16% of CPUs in the database outperform it, but for ArcheAge specifically, the 8-core/16-thread configuration with a 4.70 GHz boost clock is more than sufficient to avoid being a significant bottleneck at any resolution except perhaps the highest frame rates at 1080p.