Archeage

Archeage, an MMORPG released in 2014, presents a demanding workload that scales heavily with both resolution and quality settings. The measured data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 580 shows a combo that struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher resolutions, while offering a surprisingly capable experience at 1080p with lower presets. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is heavily GPU-limited in most scenarios, with the RX 580's aging Polaris architecture becoming the primary bottleneck as pixel count increases. This analysis examines the measured FPS data, the role of each component, and practical settings recommendations based solely on the provided figures.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 69 FPS, which drops to 46 FPS at 1440p and further to 26 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a 62% reduction from 1080p to 4K. The pattern is consistent across all settings presets, indicating that resolution scaling is the dominant factor in performance degradation.

Looking at the High preset specifically, the average FPS falls from 42 at 1080p to 28 at 1440p, then to 16 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is particularly severe, with a 43% loss in performance. This steep decline suggests that the RX 580's memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s and its 8 GB of GDDR5 memory are insufficient to feed the GPU's 2304 shading units efficiently at 4K. The data implies that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo in Archeage, as even the Low preset only manages 26 FPS average.

The Medium preset shows the most complete data set, with min and max FPS values recorded at all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the average is 61 FPS with a range of 52 to 70 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 41 FPS with a range of 35 to 47 FPS. At 4K Medium, the average is 24 FPS with a range of 20 to 27 FPS. The consistency of the min-max spread suggests that frame pacing remains stable even as the average drops, which could indicate that the GPU is consistently saturated rather than experiencing intermittent spikes.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with average FPS of 28 at 1080p, 19 at 1440p, and 11 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 11 FPS is effectively unplayable, and even the 1080p Ultra result of 28 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay in a fast-paced MMORPG. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra shows a 32% drop, while the scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 42% drop, mirroring the pattern seen in other presets.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580, built on the GCN 4.0 architecture with a 14 nm process node from GlobalFoundries, is the clear limiting component in this pairing. Its base clock of 1257 MHz and boost clock of 1340 MHz are modest by modern standards, and its 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute is the fundamental constraint on rendering performance. The GPU's percentile rank of 53 among all GPUs places it in the middle of the pack, and its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (with a deltaPct of -0.4) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (with a deltaPct of -0.1).

The VRAM configuration consists of 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This is adequate for 1080p and even 1440p in many games, but the 4K results suggest that the memory subsystem becomes a bottleneck. The pixel rate of 42.88 GPixel/s and texture rate of 193.0 GTexel/s are the raw throughput numbers that determine how quickly the GPU can fill pixels and apply textures. At 4K, the sheer number of pixels (8.3 million) overwhelms these rates, resulting in the low FPS figures observed.

The GPU's DirectX support includes version 12 (12_0), which is relevant for Archeage's rendering pipeline. The PassMark DirectX 11 score of 60 is notably higher than the DirectX 12 score of 43, suggesting that the GPU performs better under older API workloads. Since Archeage was released in 2014, it likely uses a DirectX 11 rendering path, which could partially explain why the GPU's performance is more competitive at lower resolutions. The OpenGL 4.6 and Vulkan 1.3 support provide alternative API paths, but the benchmark data does not specify which API was used for the measured FPS.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the average FPS exceeds 60, and only at Low settings (69 FPS). At Medium settings, 1080p yields 61 FPS average, which is still playable. Both 1440p and 4K fail to reach 60 FPS on any preset, with the highest 1440p result being 46 FPS at Low and the highest 4K result being 26 FPS at Low.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Ultra preset averages 28 FPS while High averages 42 FPS. This is a 33% reduction in performance from High to Ultra, which is a significant drop for what is typically a modest visual improvement. The data suggests that Ultra is not worth the performance cost at this resolution.

Q: Is the RX 580 the bottleneck in this system?

A: The benchmark results strongly indicate yes. The CPU, AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, has a percentile rank of 94 among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 69996, with nearest rivals like the Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct -0.2) and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct 0.7). The GPU's percentile rank of 53 is far lower. The FPS scaling with resolution changes is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank among tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2528 out of 2761 tested combos for Archeage. This places it in the bottom 8% of all tested combinations, which reflects the GPU's mid-range performance relative to the CPU's high-end capabilities.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12928. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, scores 12940 (deltaPct -0.1), while the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12986 (deltaPct -0.4). The AMD Radeon 740M scores 12870 (deltaPct 0.5), and the AMD FirePro W5100 scores 12847 (deltaPct 0.6). These differences are all within 1%, indicating that the RX 580 performs essentially identically to these rivals.

Q: Does the CPU's performance suggest it could handle higher FPS if the GPU were stronger?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700F's PassMark single-thread score of 4691 and multithread score of 36470 indicate strong processing capability. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i7-14700K (deltaPct 0.9) and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct 0.7), are all high-end desktop processors. The data implies that the CPU is not the limiting factor in Archeage, and a more powerful GPU would likely yield higher FPS.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 69 FPS average, which is excellent for an MMORPG. The Medium preset delivers 61 FPS average with a range of 52 to 70 FPS, which is still smooth and likely offers noticeably better visual quality. The High preset at 42 FPS average is borderline for a game where smooth movement matters, but may be acceptable for less action-heavy content. The Ultra preset at 28 FPS is not recommended.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 46 FPS average, which is playable but not ideal. The Medium preset at 41 FPS average is a reasonable compromise if visual quality is prioritized over frame rate. The High preset at 28 FPS average is marginal, and the Ultra preset at 19 FPS average is not recommended for any gameplay scenario.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets deliver acceptable performance. The Low preset at 26 FPS average is the highest result, but it is still below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 24 FPS average and High at 16 FPS average are both poor, and Ultra at 11 FPS average is unplayable. The data suggests avoiding 4K entirely with this combo.

The best overall experience per the measured rows is 1080p with Medium settings, which balances the 61 FPS average with the visual improvements over Low settings. The min FPS of 52 at this setting ensures that frame drops are unlikely to cause noticeable stuttering. If maximum frame rate is the priority, 1080p Low at 69 FPS average is the clear choice.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2528 out of 2761 tested combos places this configuration in the lowest 8% of all tested systems for Archeage. This is a poor ranking, but it is important to contextualize this number. The Ryzen 7 9700F is a high-end CPU with a percentile rank of 94 among all CPUs, while the RX 580 has a percentile rank of 53 among all GPUs. The mismatch between these two components is the primary reason for the low combo rank.

The CPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores include the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (avgScore 69875, deltaPct 0.2), Intel Core i7-14700KF (avgScore 70163, deltaPct -0.2), AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (avgScore 69515, deltaPct 0.7), and Intel Core i7-14700K (avgScore 69355, deltaPct 0.9). All of these are within 1% of the Ryzen 7 9700F's score of 69996, indicating that the CPU is competitive with top-tier desktop processors.

The GPU's nearest rivals, as mentioned, are all within 1% of the RX 580's benchmark score. This suggests that the RX 580 is performing exactly as expected for its class. The low combo rank is therefore a reflection of the GPU's mid-range position in the overall GPU hierarchy, not a sign of any component malfunction.

For Archeage specifically, the game's status as an MMORPG from 2014 means it may not be optimized for modern hardware. The data shows that the game is heavily GPU-bound, which is typical for games that rely on traditional rasterization rather than CPU-intensive physics or simulation. Users with this combo should expect performance consistent with the GPU's class, and the rank reflects that reality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table summarizes all measured FPS data from the FACT PACK:

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|------------|----------|---------|---------|---------|

| 3840x2160 | High | 16 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 26 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 24 | 20 | 27 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 11 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | High | 28 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 46 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 41 | 35 | 47 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 19 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | High | 42 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 69 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 61 | 52 | 70 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 28 | - | - |

At 1080p, the progression from Low to Medium to High to Ultra is 69, 61, 42, and 28 FPS respectively. The drop from Medium to High is 31%, and from High to Ultra is 33%. At 1440p, the same progression is 46, 41, 28, and 19 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 32%, and from High to Ultra is 32%. At 4K, the progression is 26, 24, 16, and 11 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 33%, and from High to Ultra is 31%.

The Medium preset is the only one with complete min/max data across all resolutions, providing insight into frame time consistency. At 1080p, the range is 52-70 FPS (18 FPS spread), at 1440p it is 35-47 FPS (12 FPS spread), and at 4K it is 20-27 FPS (7 FPS spread). The narrowing spread at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is more consistently saturated, reducing variance but also lowering the average.

The data shows that the High preset at 1080p (42 FPS) performs nearly identically to the Low preset at 1440p (46 FPS) in terms of absolute FPS, but the 1440p Low setting renders over 77% more pixels. This suggests that users prioritizing resolution over visual effects might prefer 1440p Low over 1080p High, though neither reaches 60 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, with 8 cores and 16 threads from the Zen 5 architecture on a 4 nm TSMC process, is an extremely capable processor that is not being fully utilized in this game. Its base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.50 GHz provide substantial single-thread performance, as evidenced by the PassMark single-thread score of 4691. The multithread score of 36470 reflects the 8-core/16-thread configuration, which is more than sufficient for most gaming workloads.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 cache per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache. This configuration is designed to reduce memory latency, which is important for MMORPGs that often have complex game logic and many concurrent entities. The memory support for DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth ensures that the CPU can feed data to the GPU without becoming a bottleneck.

The CPU's percentile rank of 94 among all CPUs places it in the top 6% of all processors. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-14700KF (deltaPct -0.2) and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (deltaPct 0.7), both of which are flagship-level desktop CPUs. The average benchmark score of 69996 is remarkably close to these rivals, indicating that the Ryzen 7 9700F is a top-tier performer.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is likely to handle game logic, networking, and the MMO's server-side synchronization. However, the measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at all resolutions and settings. The evidence for this is the consistent FPS scaling with resolution: if the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain relatively constant regardless of resolution. Instead, the FPS drops by roughly 30-40% with each resolution step up, which is the hallmark of GPU-limited performance.

The CPU's 65 TDP and AM5 socket compatibility make it a power-efficient choice, but this is irrelevant to gaming performance. The PassMark data compression score of 421988 and data encryption score of 21488 indicate strong general-purpose compute, which could benefit MMO server interactions but does not directly translate to higher FPS in Archeage. The CPU's boost clock of 5.50 GHz is particularly useful for single-threaded game logic, and the PassMark find prime numbers score of 183 suggests good integer performance.

For users considering upgrades, the data implies that replacing the RX 580 with a more powerful GPU would yield substantial FPS improvements in Archeage, while the CPU would have plenty of headroom to support such an upgrade. The combo rank of 2528 out of 2761 is primarily a GPU limitation, and the CPU's high percentile rank suggests it is not the component holding back performance.