Archeage

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F is an 8-core, 16-thread processor built on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge) using a 4 nm process from TSMC. It operates with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, and its 65 W TDP classifies it as a highly efficient desktop part. The CPU features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 32 MB of shared L3 cache, with dual-channel DDR5 memory support delivering 89.6 GB/s of bandwidth.

In the context of Archeage, an MMORPG released in 2014, the game's engine is not known for heavily taxing modern multi-core processors. However, the measured FPS data reveals that CPU performance still matters at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 305 FPS average, which drops to 271 FPS at Medium and 184 FPS at High. This scaling pattern suggests that while the GPU is capable of immense throughput, the CPU's single-thread performance and memory latency play a role in maintaining high frame rates when the GPU is not the bottleneck.

The Ryzen 7 9700F's PassMark single-thread score of 4691 places it in the 94th percentile among all CPUs, indicating excellent per-core performance. This is crucial for Archeage, which likely relies on a few heavily loaded threads for game logic and network processing. The multithread score of 36470 further confirms strong overall throughput, though in this MMORPG context, the single-thread capability is more relevant.

Comparing to its nearest rivals, the Ryzen 7 9700F scores 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (avg score 69875) and 0.7% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (avg score 69515). It trails the Intel Core i7-14700KF by 0.2% (avg score 70163) and leads the Intel Core i7-14700K by 0.9% (avg score 69355). These margins are negligible in real-world gaming scenarios, meaning the 9700F is squarely in the top tier of desktop CPUs for this workload.

The CPU's 5.50 GHz boost clock is particularly relevant for Archeage's frame pacing. At 1080p Low, the 305 FPS average suggests the CPU can feed frames faster than most displays can refresh, but at 4K Ultra, the average drops to 48 FPS, indicating the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The data shows a clear transition point: at 1440p and below, the CPU's headroom is sufficient to push high frame rates, but the GPU's workload at 4K Ultra overwhelms even this high-end combination.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture using TSMC's 5 nm process, featuring 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. It operates with a base clock of 2017 MHz and a boost clock of 2407 MHz, with memory clocked at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). The GPU comes equipped with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth—an enormous amount for any game, let alone a 2014 MMORPG.

The RTX 5090's raw compute capabilities are staggering: 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate, and 1,636.8 GTexel/s texture rate. It has 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs, along with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. These specifications place it in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database, with an average benchmark score of 79842.

In Archeage, the GPU's role becomes dominant at higher resolutions and settings. The measured FPS shows a steep drop from 271 FPS at 1080p Medium to 105 FPS at 4K Medium—a 61% reduction. At Ultra settings, the drop is even more pronounced: from 126 FPS at 1080p to 48 FPS at 4K, a 62% decrease. This indicates that Archeage's Ultra preset applies substantial graphical effects that stress even the RTX 5090's massive VRAM and bandwidth.

The 32 GB VRAM is far beyond what Archeage requires, but it ensures zero memory-related stuttering regardless of resolution or texture quality. The 1.79 TB/s bandwidth allows the GPU to stream textures and geometry without bottlenecks, which is evident in the relatively smooth scaling from Medium to High settings compared to the jump to Ultra.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the RTX 5090 scores 0.3% higher than the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (avg score 79605) and 0.6% higher than the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (avg score 79396). It leads the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT by 1.1% (avg score 78940) and trails the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64X by 1.4% (avg score 80959). These rival deltas are small, but they indicate the RTX 5090 sits at the top of the GPU hierarchy for this benchmark suite.

The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz is respectable but not the highest in its class; however, the sheer number of shading units and the memory bandwidth more than compensate. In Archeage, the RTX 5090's performance at 4K Low (117 FPS) versus 4K High (71 FPS) shows a 39% reduction, suggesting that High settings introduce significant per-pixel work that the GPU must process sequentially.

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

The measured FPS data across three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, 3840x2160) reveals a clear pattern of scaling that identifies the bottleneck at each settings level. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 305 at 1080p to 205 at 1440p (a 33% reduction) and further to 117 at 4K (a 62% reduction from 1080p). This aggressive scaling at Low settings indicates that even with minimal graphical load, the GPU's rasterization throughput is the primary constraint as pixel count increases.

At Medium settings, the scaling is more linear: 271 FPS at 1080p, 183 FPS at 1440p (32% reduction), and 105 FPS at 4K (61% reduction from 1080p). The consistency of these percentages across Low and Medium suggests that the game's rendering pipeline at these settings is primarily GPU-bound, with the CPU providing sufficient headroom.

High settings show a different pattern: 184 FPS at 1080p, 124 FPS at 1440p (33% reduction), and 71 FPS at 4K (61% reduction). The 1080p High frame rate of 184 FPS is notably lower than the 271 FPS at Medium, indicating that High settings impose a significant per-pixel cost that affects even the relatively light 1080p workload. The 4K High result of 71 FPS is the first time the combo dips below the 75 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for smooth gameplay.

Ultra settings exhibit the steepest scaling: 126 FPS at 1080p, 85 FPS at 1440p (33% reduction), and 48 FPS at 4K (62% reduction from 1080p). The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS is below the 60 FPS standard, making it unsuitable for competitive play or high-refresh-rate displays. The proportional scaling across all settings (roughly 33% from 1080p to 1440p and 62% from 1080p to 4K) suggests that Archeage's rendering engine scales predictably with pixel count, and the RTX 5090's performance is the limiting factor at 4K regardless of settings.

The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested. If the CPU were limiting, we would expect frame rates to plateau or show smaller differences between resolutions. Instead, the consistent 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and 62% drop to 4K across all settings points to the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing as the governing constraint. The RTX 5090's 176 ROPs and 423.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are impressive, but 4K Ultra demands more than even this flagship can deliver for Archeage's specific shader complexity.

FAQ

Q: Is the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F sufficient for Archeage at 1080p?

A: Yes, the data shows 305 FPS average at 1080p Low and 184 FPS at 1080p High, indicating the CPU provides ample headroom. The 8-core, 16-thread design with a 5.50 GHz boost clock is more than capable for this MMORPG's single-threaded workload, as evidenced by the high frame rates even at the most demanding settings tested.

Q: Why does the RTX 5090 only achieve 48 FPS at 4K Ultra in Archeage?

A: The 4K Ultra setting imposes a significant per-pixel rendering cost that overwhelms even the RTX 5090's 104.8 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The 62% reduction from 1080p Ultra (126 FPS) to 4K Ultra (48 FPS) indicates that the GPU's pixel throughput and shader processing are the limiting factors, not the CPU or memory bandwidth.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5090's average benchmark score is 79842, which is 0.3% higher than the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605), 0.6% higher than the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396), and 1.1% higher than the RX 6850M XT (78940). It trails the Radeon Pro Vega 64X by 1.4% (80959), but these differences are minor in real-world gaming.

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

A: The 1440p resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 205 FPS at Low and 124 FPS at High settings. At 4K, only Low (117 FPS) and Medium (105 FPS) maintain playable frame rates above 100 FPS, while High (71 FPS) and Ultra (48 FPS) fall below the 75 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: Does the CPU's 65 W TDP affect gaming performance?

A: The data does not show any thermal or power-related performance limitations. The 65 W TDP is a design specification that reflects efficiency, and the measured frame rates (up to 305 FPS at 1080p Low) indicate the CPU can sustain high clock speeds without throttling in this workload.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combo ranks 32nd out of 2761 tested combinations in Archeage, placing it in the top 1.2% of all systems tested. This ranking reflects the strong synergy between the high single-thread CPU performance and the flagship GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080 resolution, the measured average FPS ranges from 305 at Low settings to 126 at Ultra. The Medium preset achieves 271 FPS average with a minimum of 231 FPS and a maximum of 312 FPS, providing a wide margin above typical 144 Hz refresh rates. High settings produce 184 FPS average, which remains suitable for high-refresh displays. Ultra settings at 1080p drop to 126 FPS average, still above the 120 Hz threshold but with less headroom.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the scaling shows expected reductions. Low settings deliver 205 FPS average, Medium achieves 183 FPS (with a minimum of 155 FPS and maximum of 210 FPS), and High produces 124 FPS average. Ultra settings at 1440p yield 85 FPS average, which is playable but below the 100 FPS mark that smooth 1440p gaming typically targets. The Medium preset's minimum of 155 FPS ensures consistent frame pacing even during demanding scenes.

At 3840x2160 resolution, the performance envelope tightens considerably. Low settings achieve 117 FPS average, Medium produces 105 FPS (with a minimum of 89 FPS and maximum of 120 FPS), and High drops to 71 FPS average. Ultra settings fall to 48 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS standard for console-like smoothness. The Medium preset's minimum of 89 FPS is just above the 85 FPS threshold for VRR displays, making it the highest settings option that maintains playable minimums at 4K.

The complete FPS table shows a consistent pattern: Medium settings provide the best balance of visual fidelity and performance at every resolution, with the minimum frame rates staying within 15% of the average. The Low presets offer the highest frame rates but sacrifice visual quality, while Ultra presets provide the richest visuals but at the cost of significant frame rate drops that may cause stuttering in fast-paced combat.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best overall experience for this combo at all three resolutions. At 1080p, Medium achieves 271 FPS average with a 231 FPS minimum, ensuring buttery-smooth gameplay on any display. At 1440p, Medium delivers 183 FPS average with a 155 FPS minimum, which remains well above the 144 Hz refresh rate common on high-end monitors. At 4K, Medium provides 105 FPS average with an 89 FPS minimum, which is acceptable for most players and represents the highest settings tier that maintains consistent frame pacing above 85 FPS.

For players prioritizing maximum visual quality, the High preset is viable at 1080p (184 FPS) and 1440p (124 FPS), but the 4K High result of 71 FPS average may cause noticeable judder on 60 Hz displays. The Ultra preset is only recommended at 1080p, where 126 FPS average provides a smooth experience, but at 1440p (85 FPS) and 4K (48 FPS), the frame rate drops become too pronounced for consistent gameplay.

The Low preset is unnecessary for this hardware combination, as even at 4K it achieves 117 FPS average—far above the display refresh rates most users employ. The data suggests that Medium at 4K is the sweet spot for this combo, offering a 105 FPS average that balances visual fidelity with high refresh rate performance. For competitive players, 1440p Medium at 183 FPS or 1080p Medium at 271 FPS provides maximum responsiveness without sacrificing too much visual quality.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination ranks 32nd out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the top 1.2% of all systems. This ranking is consistent with the individual component performance: the CPU sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs. The combo's high rank indicates that the pairing is well-balanced for this game, with neither component unduly limiting the other's performance.

The CPU's nearest rivals show that the 9700F is competitive with top-tier alternatives: it scores within 0.2% of the Ryzen 9 7940HX and 0.7% of the Ryzen 9 7950X, while trailing the Core i7-14700KF by just 0.2%. These small deltas mean the combo's rank would not change significantly with a different high-end CPU. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rivals confirm its flagship status, with the RTX 5090 outperforming the Tesla P100 variants and RX 6850M XT by 0.3-1.1%.

The rank of 32 out of 2761 suggests that the few combos above this one likely pair the RTX 5090 with even higher single-thread CPUs or leverage specific overclocking configurations. However, the 9700F's 5.50 GHz boost clock and 4691 single-thread score place it firmly in the top tier, and the measured frame rates in Archeage show no evidence of CPU bottlenecking at any resolution or setting. The combo's strong ranking reflects the effective synergy between AMD's efficient Zen 5 architecture and NVIDIA's Blackwell 2.0 flagship GPU.