Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, is not typically the first title that comes to mind for extreme hardware benchmarking, yet the data for the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 9070 combination reveals distinct scaling characteristics across resolutions. The measured results show this pairing is capable of high frame rates at mainstream resolutions, but the demands of 4K Ultra settings expose a clear bottleneck that shifts the performance profile significantly.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K produces a dramatic and non-linear drop in frame rates across all settings presets, indicating where the system's stress points lie. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 120 at 1920x1080 to 81 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 39 FPS, and then further down to 46 at 3840x2160. This represents a 38% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, which is substantial but keeps the game playable. The Low settings preset shows a similar pattern, starting at a very high 198 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 134 at 1440p, and finally settling at 76 at 4K. While the absolute numbers are higher, the relative drop from 1440p to 4K is still significant, suggesting that even at Low settings, the 4K resolution imposes a heavy load.

The Medium preset provides the most complete data with min and max FPS recorded, offering a clearer picture of the scaling. At 1080p, the average is 177 FPS with a range from 150 to 203. Moving to 1440p, the average drops to 119 FPS with a range of 101 to 137. At 4K, the average plummets to 68 FPS with a range of 58 to 78. This shows a consistent ~33% reduction in average FPS for each step up in resolution from 1080p to 1440p, and then a further ~43% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The widening gap between the 1440p and 4K results, compared to the 1080p to 1440p step, suggests that the rendering load is scaling super-linearly with pixel count, placing an increasing burden on the GPU.

The most telling data point is the Ultra preset. At 1080p, the average FPS is 82, which is already significantly lower than the High preset's 120 FPS. At 1440p, it falls to 55 FPS, and at 4K, it collapses to just 32 FPS. This steep decline indicates that the Ultra settings, likely featuring high levels of anti-aliasing, shadow quality, and draw distances, are particularly punishing. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is below the threshold for smooth, consistent gameplay, making it clear that this configuration is not suitable for maximum quality at maximum resolution. The data suggests that while the CPU is strong enough to push high frame rates at lower resolutions, the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution and settings increase, struggling to maintain playable frame rates at 4K Ultra.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is an 8-core, 16-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its performance in synthetic benchmarks is strong, scoring 20,485 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,211 in single-core. This single-core performance is critical for an MMORPG like Archeage, which often has a primary game thread that can bottleneck overall performance. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1,280 and the Passmark single-thread score of 4,654 reinforce the processor's capability in lightly-threaded workloads.

Looking at the measured results, the CPU's role appears most dominant at 1080p and 1440p, especially at lower settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 198 FPS, which is exceptionally high and suggests the CPU is able to feed the GPU with enough data to maintain such frame rates. The jump from 134 FPS at 1440p Low to 198 FPS at 1080p Low shows that the CPU is likely the primary driver of performance at this lower resolution, as the GPU is not being fully saturated. This is consistent with the high single-thread scores, which allow the processor to handle the game's logic and draw calls efficiently.

As resolution increases, the CPU's relative importance diminishes. The frame rate drops at 4K across all settings are more attributable to the GPU's rendering workload than to CPU limitations. The Ryzen 7 9700X, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, provides ample headroom for the game's background tasks and processing, but it is not the primary constraint at 4K. The processor's 65W TDP and 4nm process node from TSMC also indicate high efficiency, allowing for sustained boost clocks without excessive thermal throttling, which supports consistent performance in longer gaming sessions. The data suggests that this CPU is well-matched to prevent a bottleneck at lower resolutions, but its high single-core performance is what truly enables the high frame rates seen at 1080p and 1440p.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9070, based on the RDNA 4.0 architecture and the Navi 48 chip, is the other half of this configuration. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 644.6 GB/s. The GPU has a boost clock of 2520 MHz and a game clock of 2070 MHz. In synthetic benchmarks, it scores 25,381 in Passmark G3D and 6,290 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. Its performance is positioned near rivals like the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 SUPER and AMD Radeon RX 6800S, with delta percentages of -1.2% and -0.8% respectively, indicating it is a solid mid-to-high-range performer.

The GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p and 1440p with Low or Medium settings, the GPU is not the primary bottleneck, as evidenced by the high frame rates. However, the transition to 4K reveals the GPU's limitations. The drop from 177 FPS at 1080p Medium to 68 FPS at 4K Medium is a clear sign that the GPU is struggling to process the increased pixel count. Similarly, at High settings, the 4K average of 46 FPS is a significant reduction from the 120 FPS at 1080p, showing that the GPU's rendering capabilities are being pushed to their limits.

The 16 GB of VRAM is a notable asset, as it prevents memory capacity from being a limiting factor at 4K with high-resolution textures. This is likely why the game runs at all at 4K Ultra, albeit at 32 FPS. The GPU's 128 ROPs and 224 TMUs are responsible for the pixel and texture processing, and the 36.13 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power provides the raw processing capability for the game's shaders. However, the data indicates that this raw power is insufficient for maintaining high frame rates at 4K Ultra. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is likely due to the combination of high fill-rate demands and complex pixel shaders, which saturate the GPU's processing units. In contrast, the 4K Low result of 76 FPS shows that when the rendering complexity is reduced, the GPU can still deliver playable frame rates, but the headroom is limited compared to lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and AMD Radeon RX 9070 ranks at 1107 out of 3708 total combos for Archeage. This places it in the top 30% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a capable system for this game, but not at the absolute top tier. The percentile ranking for the CPU is 86, meaning it outperforms 86% of all CPUs in general benchmarks, while the GPU's percentile is 69. This discrepancy highlights that the CPU is a stronger component relative to its peers than the GPU.

The combo rank of 1107 suggests that while the CPU is high-end, the GPU's mid-to-high-range performance holds the combination back from reaching the upper echelons of the ranking. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core i9-14901E and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370, have average scores within 0.1% of the Ryzen 7 9700X, showing it is competitively placed among the best processors. However, the GPU's nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN Z and RTX 3080 Mobile, have scores that are within a 1.1% delta, indicating that the RX 9070 is in a more contested performance tier.

This ranking reflects the balanced nature of the system. It is not a lopsided build where a top-tier GPU is bottlenecked by a weak CPU, nor is it a case of an overpowered CPU being held back by a weak GPU. Instead, both components are solidly mid-to-high-range, and their combined performance in Archeage places them in a respectable position. The ranking implies that for the vast majority of users, this system will deliver a good experience, but for those seeking the absolute highest frame rates at 4K Ultra, there are likely other combinations higher up the list that would be more suitable.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS is 120 at 1920x1080 with High settings.

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

A: It can, but with limitations. At 4K with Low settings, it achieves 76 FPS, but at Ultra settings, the average drops to 32 FPS, which is below the standard for smooth gameplay.

Q: How much faster is the 1080p Low preset compared to the 4K Ultra preset?

A: The 1080p Low preset achieves 198 FPS average, which is 166 FPS higher than the 4K Ultra preset's 32 FPS average.

Q: What is the typical frame rate range at 1440p Medium?

A: The average FPS is 119, with a minimum of 101 and a maximum of 137.

Q: How does the CPU's single-core performance compare to its multi-core performance?

A: The CPU scores 2,211 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 20,485 in multi-core, showing strong performance in both but with a single-core score that is crucial for games with a primary thread.

Q: Does the GPU have enough VRAM for high-resolution textures?

A: Yes, the GPU has 16 GB of GDDR6 memory, which is sufficient to avoid memory capacity issues at 4K resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table provides the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination tested, along with min and max FPS where available.

| Resolution | Settings | Average FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

| :--------- | :------- | :---------- | :------ | :------ |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 198 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 177 | 150 | 203 |

| 1920x1080 | High | 120 | - | - |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 82 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 134 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 119 | 101 | 137 |

| 2560x1440 | High | 81 | - | - |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 55 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 76 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 68 | 58 | 78 |

| 3840x2160 | High | 46 | - | - |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 32 | - | - |

This data illustrates a clear hierarchy. The system excels at 1080p, providing over 200 FPS at Low settings and over 120 FPS at High. At 1440p, it remains highly playable, with all but the Ultra preset maintaining over 80 FPS. The 4K results are more varied, with only the Low preset achieving a frame rate above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at all resolutions shows a significant performance penalty, with the 4K result being particularly low. This suggests that for the best balance of visual quality and performance, the Medium or High presets at 1440p are the sweet spot, while 4K is best reserved for lower settings or less demanding scenes.