Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, shows a performance profile that is heavily dependent on both resolution and graphics settings when paired with the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070. The measured data reveals a system capable of high frame rates at lower resolutions, but one that faces significant challenges at 4K with higher presets. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS across all tested configurations, interprets what the scaling patterns indicate about the limiting hardware, and provides guidance based strictly on the numbers in the data pack.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a dramatic and consistent reduction in average frame rates across all settings, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 225 at 1080p to 151 at 1440p, a decrease of 74 FPS, and then further to 87 at 4K, representing a total drop of 138 FPS from the starting point. This pattern shows that even at the lowest graphical preset, the GPU is being pushed substantially harder as resolution increases, with the 4K result being only about 38.7% of the 1080p performance.

Medium settings follow a similar trajectory. The average FPS at 1080p is 200, which falls to 135 at 1440p (a 65 FPS reduction) and then to 77 at 4K (a 123 FPS total drop from 1080p). The 4K Medium result is 38.5% of the 1080p Medium result, nearly identical scaling to Low. This consistency suggests that the resolution scaling is largely independent of the specific settings preset, with the pixel count being the dominant factor in the performance cost.

High settings show the same downward trend but with lower absolute numbers. At 1080p, the average is 136 FPS, dropping to 92 at 1440p (a 44 FPS reduction) and then to 52 at 4K (an 84 FPS total drop). The 4K High result is 38.2% of the 1080p High result, again confirming the consistent scaling pattern. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 93 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p (a 31 FPS reduction), and 36 FPS at 4K (a 57 FPS total drop). The 4K Ultra result is 38.7% of the 1080p Ultra result.

The uniformity of these percentage drops, all hovering near 38%, strongly indicates that the primary limiting component at higher resolutions is the GPU. The RTX 5070, with its 12 GB of GDDR7 memory and 672.0 GB/s bandwidth, is being saturated by the increased pixel workload as resolution rises. The CPU's role becomes less prominent at higher resolutions, as the frame rate drops reduce the number of frames the CPU needs to process per second. At 1080p, the high frame rates (up to 225 FPS) suggest that the CPU, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, is keeping up adequately with the GPU's output, but the scaling pattern shows that the GPU is the bottleneck as resolution increases.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 is the central component in this gaming performance analysis, and its specifications directly explain the measured results. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 672.0 GB/s. This bandwidth is critical for handling the texture and geometry data at higher resolutions, where the increased pixel count demands more memory throughput.

The GPU's clock speeds are listed with a base clock of 2325 MHz and a boost clock of 2512 MHz. These clocks, combined with the GPU's 6144 shading units, determine its raw computational throughput. The FP32 performance is rated at 30.87 TFLOPS, which provides a baseline for how quickly the GPU can process the shader operations required by Archeage's rendering engine. The boost clock of 2512 MHz is particularly relevant, as sustained boost behavior would help maintain frame rates in less demanding scenes, though the measured FPS data shows that even with this boost, the GPU struggles at 4K with higher settings.

The RTX 5070's memory configuration is a key factor in the 4K results. At 3840x2160, the frame buffer usage increases significantly, and the 12 GB capacity is sufficient for the tested presets, but the bandwidth becomes the limiting factor. The 672.0 GB/s bandwidth is substantial, yet the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 36, which is below the 52 FPS seen at 4K High. This 16 FPS difference between High and Ultra at 4K suggests that the Ultra preset adds rendering features that substantially increase the memory and compute load, pushing the GPU to its limits.

The GPU's benchmark scores provide additional context. The Passmark G3D score is 29137, and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 5077. These scores place the GPU in the 82nd percentile of all GPUs, indicating strong overall performance. However, the measured Archeage results show that even a high-performing GPU must be paired with appropriate settings to achieve smooth gameplay at 4K. The data indicates that the RTX 5070 is capable of excellent performance at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the user must select lower presets to maintain playable frame rates.

FAQ

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

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 93 FPS.

Q: How much faster is Low settings compared to Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves an average of 151 FPS, while Ultra achieves 62 FPS, making Low 89 FPS faster.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded at 4K Medium settings?

A: The minimum FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings is 66 FPS, with a maximum of 89 FPS.

Q: Is the 4K High preset playable on this hardware?

A: The 4K High preset yields an average of 52 FPS, which is below the typically desired 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, but may be acceptable for some users depending on their tolerance for lower frame rates.

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

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 136 at 1080p to 52 at 4K, a difference of 84 FPS.

Q: Does the Medium preset at 1440p provide a stable frame rate?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 has an average FPS of 135, with a minimum of 115 and a maximum of 155, indicating a reasonably stable frame rate.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance on which settings preset offers the best experience at each resolution, balancing frame rate against visual quality. At 1920x1080, all presets deliver playable frame rates, but the Medium preset stands out as the best option for most users. The Medium preset achieves an average of 200 FPS, which is only 25 FPS lower than Low (225 FPS) but provides significantly better visual quality. The High preset at 136 FPS is also viable, but the jump from Medium to High reduces performance by 64 FPS, which is a substantial cost for the visual improvement. Ultra at 93 FPS is the most demanding, and while still playable, it offers diminishing returns compared to Medium.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again emerges as the recommended choice. It reaches an average of 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 and a maximum of 155, providing a smooth experience with good visual fidelity. The Low preset at 151 FPS is faster but sacrifices visual quality, while High at 92 FPS is noticeably slower. Ultra at 62 FPS is borderline, as it dips below the 60 FPS mark on average, which may cause perceptible stuttering in fast-paced combat. The Medium preset offers the best compromise, delivering high frame rates while maintaining a reasonable level of graphical detail.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes dramatically. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it averages only 36 FPS, which is too low for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 52 FPS is also marginal, falling below the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset at 77 FPS is the best option for 4K, providing a playable frame rate with a minimum of 66 FPS, which ensures that most scenes will stay above 60 FPS. The Low preset at 87 FPS is the fastest, but the visual degradation is significant. For 4K gaming on this hardware, the Medium preset is the clear recommendation, as it offers the best balance of performance and visual quality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured FPS data for this combination of AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 in Archeage is presented below, organized by resolution and settings.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers the highest average FPS at 225. The Medium preset averages 200 FPS, with a minimum of 170 and a maximum of 230. The High preset averages 136 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 93 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 132 FPS, showing the significant impact of settings at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 151 FPS. The Medium preset averages 135 FPS, with a minimum of 115 and a maximum of 155. The High preset averages 92 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 62 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 89 FPS, which is narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is becoming more of a limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 87 FPS. The Medium preset averages 77 FPS, with a minimum of 66 and a maximum of 89. The High preset averages 52 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 36 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 51 FPS, which is the narrowest of all resolutions. This narrowing demonstrates that at 4K, the GPU's performance ceiling is being reached, and the differences between presets are compressed as the GPU struggles to maintain high frame rates across all settings.

The data shows a clear pattern: as resolution increases, the absolute FPS values drop, and the relative differences between presets shrink. This is expected behavior for a GPU-bound scenario, where the rendering workload at 4K strains the RTX 5070 regardless of the chosen settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9700X is a 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. It has a 32 MB shared L3 cache and supports DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. This CPU is designed for high-performance desktop use, and its specifications suggest it should be capable of handling the demands of an MMORPG like Archeage.

The CPU's benchmark scores indicate strong single-threaded and multi-threaded performance. The 3DMark single-thread score is 1280, and the Cinebench R23 single-core score is 2211. Multi-threaded scores are also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 20485 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 17906. The Passmark multi-thread score is 37161, with a single-thread score of 4654. These scores place the CPU in the 86th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37943. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i9-14901E with a deltaPct of 0.1, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 with a deltaPct of 0.1, and the Intel Core 5 211E with a deltaPct of 0.3.

In the context of Archeage, the CPU's role is most pronounced at lower resolutions where frame rates are highest. At 1080p with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 225, which requires the CPU to process a large number of frames per second. The 9700X's high boost clock of 5.50 GHz and strong single-thread performance are critical for this task, as MMORPGs often have significant single-threaded game logic and network processing that cannot be fully parallelized. The 8 cores and 16 threads provide ample multi-threading capability for background tasks and any parallel rendering work, but the single-thread performance is the key factor for maintaining high frame rates.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence diminishes. As the FPS drops to 77 at 4K Medium, the CPU has more time to process each frame, and the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The measured data shows no evidence of CPU limitation at higher resolutions, as the frame rates scale consistently with the GPU's workload. The CPU's 65 W TDP and efficient Zen 5 architecture contribute to its ability to sustain high boost clocks without thermal throttling, which is beneficial for maintaining consistent frame rates over extended gaming sessions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 7 9700X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 ranks 741 out of 3708 tested combos for Archeage. This places the combo in the top 20% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a strong performer for this game. The rank is determined by the measured FPS data across all resolutions and settings, with the combo's overall performance being a composite of its results.

The ranking reflects the system's strengths and weaknesses. At 1080p and 1440p, the combo delivers excellent frame rates, with the Low and Medium presets at 1080p exceeding 200 FPS, and the Medium preset at 1440p reaching 135 FPS. These results are among the best that a single GPU setup can achieve, and they contribute significantly to the combo's high rank. The 4K performance is less impressive, with the Ultra preset averaging 36 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. However, the 4K Medium preset at 77 FPS is still respectable, and the overall ranking benefits from the strong performance at lower resolutions.

The combo's rank of 741 out of 3708 suggests that while there are many configurations that perform better, the majority of tested combos are slower. The high percentile ranking of both the CPU (86th) and GPU (82nd) confirms that this is a high-end pairing. The data shows that the Ryzen 7 9700X provides sufficient CPU performance to avoid bottlenecking the RTX 5070 in most scenarios, and the GPU is capable of delivering high frame rates at the resolutions where most users will play. The ranking confirms the balance of this pairing, as neither component appears to be a significant weak point in the context of Archeage's performance demands.