Archeage

# Archeage GPU/CPU Performance Analysis: Ryzen 7 9700X + RTX 4090

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 delivers a high-refresh-rate experience in Archeage, though the game's engine shows clear scaling limits at 4K Ultra settings. This combination ranks 77th out of 3,708 tested combos in this title, placing it in the top 2.1% of all configurations. The data reveals a system capable of 298 FPS at 1080p Low but dropping to just 47 FPS at 4K Ultra, demonstrating that Archeage's optimization, not hardware capability, becomes the primary constraint at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the best-performing settings preset for this combo in Archeage?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p delivers 178 FPS average with a minimum of 152 FPS and maximum of 205 FPS, offering the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 1080p, the Medium preset achieves 265 FPS average with 225 FPS minimum and 305 FPS maximum.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X scores 37,943 in average benchmark score. It sits 0.1% ahead of the Intel Core i9-14901E (37,911) and AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 (37,904), 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core 5 211E (37,829), and 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 (37,804).

Q: What is the FPS difference between 1080p and 4K at High settings?

A: At 1080p High, the combo achieves 180 FPS average. Moving to 1440p High drops this to 121 FPS, and 4K High yields 69 FPS. This represents a 61.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K at High settings.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 show a significant performance gap versus its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4090's average benchmark score is 60,347. It is essentially tied with the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60,326, 0% delta) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60,140, 0.3% delta). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (2.5% higher), while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (2.9% lower).

Q: How does the RTX 4090's memory configuration support Archeage at high resolutions?

A: The RTX 4090 features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus with 1.01 TB/s bandwidth. This substantial memory pool ensures that VRAM capacity is never a limiting factor in Archeage, even at 4K Ultra settings.

Q: What is the CPU's single-thread performance rating?

A: The Ryzen 7 9700X scores 1,280 in 3DMark single-thread tests and 2,211 in Cinebench R23 single-core. Its PassMark single-thread score is 4,654, placing it in the 86th percentile among all CPUs.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 employs the AD102 chip built on TSMC's 5 nm process, containing 76,300 million transistors across a 609 mm² die. Its Ada Lovelace architecture includes 16,384 shading units, 512 texture mapping units, and 176 raster operation pipelines. The GPU operates at a base clock of 2,235 MHz with a boost clock of 2,520 MHz, while memory runs at 1,313 MHz with 21 Gbps effective speed.

The 24 GB GDDR6X frame buffer provides 1.01 TB/s of bandwidth through a 384-bit interface. This configuration is exceptionally well-suited for Archeage, which is a 2014 MMORPG that does not have demanding VRAM requirements. The RTX 4090's 82.58 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is far beyond what this game can utilize, meaning the GPU rarely becomes the bottleneck in most scenarios.

The GPU's benchmark results show strong performance with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223, Geekbench OpenCL score of 255,416, and Geekbench Vulkan score of 271,631. The PassMark G3D score of 38,194 and GPU compute score of 26,613 further illustrate the card's capabilities. The RTX 4090 sits in the 88th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 60,347.

In Archeage, the GPU's role shifts depending on resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is primarily responsible for frame generation, and the RTX 4090's massive compute resources go largely underutilized. At 4K, particularly with Ultra settings, the GPU begins to engage more fully, yet the frame rates suggest the game engine itself limits performance rather than the hardware. The RTX 4090's 128 RT cores and 512 tensor cores are irrelevant for this title, as Archeage does not utilize ray tracing or DLSS features.

Resolution Scaling

The measured data shows a pronounced performance drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At High settings, the average FPS falls from 180 at 1920x1080 to 121 at 2560x1440 (a 32.8% reduction), then to 69 at 3840x2160 (a 43.0% reduction from 1440p). The total drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 61.7%.

The Low settings preset shows an even steeper relative decline. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 298 FPS average. This drops to 200 FPS at 1440p (a 32.9% reduction) and 115 FPS at 4K (a 42.5% reduction from 1440p). The 1080p to 4K reduction at Low is 61.4%.

Medium settings follow the same pattern with 265 FPS at 1080p, 178 FPS at 1440p (32.8% reduction), and 102 FPS at 4K (42.7% reduction from 1440p). The 1080p to 4K decline at Medium is 61.5%.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling behavior. Frames drop from 123 FPS at 1080p to 83 FPS at 1440p (32.5% reduction) and finally to 47 FPS at 4K (43.4% reduction from 1440p). The cumulative 1080p to 4K drop at Ultra is 61.8%.

This consistent ~61% reduction across all settings indicates that the performance scaling is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. The nearly identical percentage drops at every preset suggest that the limiting factor is the game engine's draw call efficiency and CPU-bound scene management, not the GPU's fill rate or memory bandwidth. The RTX 4090's 1.01 TB/s bandwidth should theoretically handle 4K with ease, but Archeage's 2014-era engine cannot efficiently feed the GPU at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 298 FPS average, Medium achieves 265 FPS with a minimum of 225 and maximum of 305, High reaches 180 FPS, and Ultra drops to 123 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 175 FPS, indicating that settings have a substantial impact on performance even at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show the resolution penalty. Low settings average 200 FPS, Medium achieves 178 FPS with 152 minimum and 205 maximum, High produces 121 FPS, and Ultra drops to 83 FPS. The Low-to-Ultra spread narrows to 117 FPS at 1440p.

At 3840x2160, performance becomes more constrained. Low settings average 115 FPS, Medium produces 102 FPS with 87 minimum and 117 maximum, High delivers 69 FPS, and Ultra falls to 47 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 68 FPS, showing that settings have a proportionally smaller impact at higher resolutions.

The Medium preset at each resolution provides the only complete data with min and max values. At 1080p Medium, the 225 FPS minimum ensures smooth gameplay even in demanding scenes. The 1440p Medium minimum of 152 FPS remains well above typical display refresh rates. The 4K Medium minimum of 87 FPS is still playable but approaches the threshold where frame pacing becomes noticeable.

Ultra settings at 4K produce 47 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS target most gamers prefer. The 123 FPS at 1080p Ultra and 83 FPS at 1440p Ultra show that Ultra is viable at lower resolutions but becomes problematic at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The Ryzen 7 9700X and RTX 4090 combination ranks 77th out of 3,708 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the top 2.1% of all configurations tested. This ranking reflects the system's ability to maintain high frame rates across most resolution and settings combinations.

The CPU's synthetic benchmark performance supports this strong showing. With an average benchmark score of 37,943, the Ryzen 7 9700X sits in the 86th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are clustered extremely close: the Intel Core i9-14901E scores 37,911 (0.1% lower), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 scores 37,904 (0.1% lower), the Intel Core 5 211E scores 37,829 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen AI Embedded P132 scores 37,804 (0.4% lower). This tight grouping suggests that CPU choice among these top processors has minimal impact on Archeage performance.

The RTX 4090's benchmark profile shows it ranks in the 88th percentile among GPUs with an average score of 60,347. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Arc Pro A60 at 60,326 (0% difference) and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 at 60,140 (0.3% lower). The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61,896 (2.5% higher), while the AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58,657 (2.9% lower). The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9,223 and PassMark G3D score of 38,194 confirm its position among the fastest graphics cards tested.

Given that the combo ranks 77th out of 3,708, there are 76 configurations that outperform it in Archeage. These likely include combinations with newer or higher-clocked CPUs, as the game's CPU-bound nature at lower resolutions means processor choice matters more than GPU selection. The RTX 4090's position as an end-of-life product (released September 2022, now succeeded by the GeForce 50 series) means newer GPU options may achieve better results in this title.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting the highest possible frame rates, the Low preset at 1080p delivers 298 FPS average, which is ideal for competitive play on high-refresh-rate monitors. At 1440p Low, the 200 FPS average still provides excellent responsiveness. The 4K Low preset at 115 FPS is acceptable for casual play but sacrifices visual quality.

The Medium preset offers the best overall experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, 265 FPS average with a 225 FPS minimum ensures no perceptible stuttering. The 1440p Medium configuration produces 178 FPS average with a 152 FPS minimum, which comfortably exceeds 144 Hz refresh rates. Even at 4K, Medium achieves 102 FPS average with an 87 FPS minimum, making it the only preset that provides both good visuals and smooth gameplay at 4K.

High settings deliver 180 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K. The 4K result is playable but below the 75 FPS threshold some players consider minimum for smooth motion. Players with 1440p 144 Hz monitors will find High settings perfectly adequate.

Ultra settings are only recommended for 1080p displays, where 123 FPS average provides a good experience. At 1440p, the 83 FPS average is borderline for high-refresh-rate displays. The 4K Ultra result of 47 FPS is below 60 FPS and not recommended for this title, as the visual improvements over High or Medium do not justify the significant frame rate penalty.

The data indicates that Medium settings provide the optimal balance for most users. The 4K Medium preset's 102 FPS average with 87 FPS minimum offers the best combination of visual fidelity and smoothness at that resolution. For players prioritizing maximum frame rates, 1080p Low at 298 FPS is the clear choice. The diminishing returns from Medium to Ultra settings, particularly at higher resolutions, make Ultra the least efficient preset for this hardware combination.