Archeage

Archeage presents an interesting scaling scenario for the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination. The data shows a clear shift in bottleneck behavior as resolution increases, with the CPU's strength becoming more apparent at lower resolutions and the GPU's limits surfacing at 4K. This pairing delivers a playable experience across most settings, but the Ultra preset proves to be a significant challenge, particularly at higher resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a pronounced performance drop when moving from 1080p to 4K, a pattern that underscores the GPU's role as the primary limiter at higher pixel counts. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 129.6 FPS at 1920x1080 to 87.3 FPS at 2560x1440, and then to 51.4 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 60% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial hit that indicates the rendering load is scaling heavily with resolution.

The scaling behavior changes with the settings preset. At Low settings, the drop from 1080p to 4K is from 209.5 FPS down to 81.7 FPS, a 61% decrease. Interestingly, the Medium preset shows a slightly smaller relative drop, going from 190.3 FPS at 1080p to 72 FPS at 4K, a 62% decline. The Ultra preset exhibits the most severe scaling, collapsing from 88.6 FPS at 1080p to just 33.8 FPS at 4K, a 62% reduction. This consistency across presets suggests that the resolution scaling is largely independent of the graphical settings, pointing to a fixed cost for pixel throughput that the RTX 4070 must pay.

This data indicates that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound, as the Ryzen 7 9800X3D can feed frames faster than the GPU can render them, especially at Low and Medium settings where frame rates exceed 190 FPS. As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with its 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth struggling to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 33.8 FPS is particularly telling, suggesting that the combination of high resolution and Ultra settings overwhelms the GPU's capabilities.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070, with its 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth, shows clear signs of being the performance ceiling at higher resolutions. The benchmark data shows that the GPU sits in the 81st percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37283. Its nearest rivals in the database include the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56, which scores 37507 (a 0.6% difference), and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A at 38008 (a 1.9% difference). These close scores indicate that the RTX 4070 is positioned firmly in the upper-midrange tier.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 1920 MHz and a boost of 2475 MHz, are relatively high, but they cannot compensate for the memory bandwidth limitations at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 33.8 FPS suggests that the GPU is fully saturated, likely due to a combination of pixel fill rate and memory bandwidth constraints. The RTX 4070's 64 ROPs and 158.4 GPixel/s pixel rate are adequate for 1440p, but the jump to 4K nearly quadruples the pixel count, exposing the GPU's throughput limits.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is sufficient for Archeage at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K results suggest that memory pressure may be a contributing factor to the low frame rates. The fact that the 4K Medium preset (72 FPS) is significantly faster than the 4K High preset (51.4 FPS) indicates that reducing texture quality and other memory-intensive settings can alleviate some of the GPU's burden. However, even at 4K Low, the frame rate of 81.7 FPS shows that the GPU is still the primary constraint, as this is far below the 1080p Low result of 209.5 FPS.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, with its 8 cores and 16 threads, demonstrates its strength in this MMORPG, particularly at lower resolutions. The CPU's 3D V-Cache, which provides 96 MB of shared L3 cache, is likely a significant factor in Archeage's performance, as MMOs often benefit from large caches to handle many simultaneous entities and player data. The CPU's base clock of 4.70 GHz and boost clock of 5.20 GHz ensure high single-thread performance, which is crucial for game logic and physics.

The CPU's benchmark scores show it is a top-tier performer, with a 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 37780. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6353P (37811, -0.1% delta), the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (37831, -0.1% delta), and the Intel Core i9-13900HK (38020, -0.6% delta). These are all high-end processors, and the 9800X3D's comparable scores indicate that it is not a bottleneck in most scenarios.

The data from the measured FPS confirms this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 209.5 FPS, which is a frame rate that would be difficult for many CPUs to sustain. The 1080p Medium result of 190.3 FPS and 1080p High result of 129.6 FPS further demonstrate that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough frames to reach these high numbers. The fact that the 1080p Ultra result (88.6 FPS) is significantly lower than the High result suggests that the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor even at 1080p when Ultra settings are enabled, as the increased graphical load begins to outpace the CPU's ability to prepare frames.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 ranks 403rd out of 1727 combos for Archeage. This places it in the top 23% of all tested configurations, which is a respectable position given the GPU's mid-range status. The rank suggests that while the CPU is among the best available, the GPU holds the combination back from the top echelons of the performance charts.

The ranking is heavily influenced by the 4K performance, where the RTX 4070's limitations are most apparent. The 4K Ultra result of 33.8 FPS is likely a significant drag on the combo's overall ranking, as many other combinations with more powerful GPUs would achieve higher frame rates at this resolution. However, at 1080p and 1440p, this combination is likely competitive with many higher-end setups due to the CPU's exceptional performance.

The data suggests that this combination is best suited for 1440p gaming, where it achieves 87.3 FPS at High settings and 59.7 FPS at Ultra. At 1080p, it excels, with frame rates above 129 FPS at High settings and above 190 FPS at Medium. The 403rd rank out of 1727 combos indicates that there are many faster configurations, but this pairing offers a balanced experience for most gaming scenarios.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the combination's performance across resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080, the system delivers high frame rates across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 209.5 FPS, Medium produces 190.3 FPS, High produces 129.6 FPS, and Ultra produces 88.6 FPS. The gap between Medium and High is notable, with a 32% drop, suggesting that High settings introduce significantly more graphical workload than Medium.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates remain playable but show a clear decline. Low settings average 139.4 FPS, Medium averages 126.3 FPS, High averages 87.3 FPS, and Ultra averages 59.7 FPS. The drop from Medium to High at this resolution is 31%, which is consistent with the 1080p scaling, indicating that the High preset has a consistent cost across resolutions.

At 3840x2160, the GPU's limitations become severe. Low settings average 81.7 FPS, Medium averages 72 FPS, High averages 51.4 FPS, and Ultra averages 33.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only result that falls below 30 FPS, making it essentially unplayable for smooth gameplay. The difference between Medium and High at 4K is 29%, which is slightly less than at lower resolutions, suggesting that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor and additional settings have diminishing returns.

FAQ

Q: Is this combination capable of 60 FPS at 4K in Archeage?

A: No, the data shows that at 4K, only the Low (81.7 FPS) and Medium (72 FPS) presets achieve above 60 FPS. High settings produce 51.4 FPS, and Ultra produces 33.8 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution to use with this setup?

A: The data indicates that 1440p is the sweet spot, as it offers high frame rates (87.3 FPS at High) while still providing a significant resolution upgrade over 1080p. At 1080p, the system achieves very high frame rates (over 190 FPS at Medium), but the CPU's power is somewhat wasted.

Q: How does the CPU's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 7 9800X3D has an average benchmark score of 37780, which is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6353P (37811, -0.1% delta) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 (37831, -0.1% delta). It is slightly behind the Intel Core i9-13900HK (38020, -0.6% delta).

Q: Why is the 4K Ultra frame rate so low?

A: The 4K Ultra result of 33.8 FPS indicates that the RTX 4070's 12 GB of VRAM and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to handle the combined load of 4K resolution and maximum graphical settings, making the GPU the primary bottleneck.

Q: What settings should be used for 1080p gaming?

A: At 1080p, the data shows that Medium settings (190.3 FPS) and High settings (129.6 FPS) both offer excellent performance. Ultra settings (88.6 FPS) are still playable but represent a significant performance cost.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 has an average benchmark score of 37283, which is slightly below the AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 (37507, -0.6% delta) and the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A (38008, -1.9% delta). It is ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 5300M (36371, 2.5% delta).

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate.

For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset is the best choice for high-refresh-rate monitors, as it delivers 190.3 FPS while still providing a substantial visual upgrade over Low. The High preset is also excellent, offering 129.6 FPS, which is sufficient for most 120 Hz displays. The Ultra preset, at 88.6 FPS, is playable but may not be worth the significant performance drop from High, especially for competitive play.

For 1440p, the High preset is the recommended choice, delivering 87.3 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming experiences. The Medium preset offers a higher frame rate of 126.3 FPS but sacrifices visual fidelity. The Ultra preset, at 59.7 FPS, is borderline playable but may experience stutters in busy MMO environments. Players with 144 Hz 1440p monitors should consider Medium to maximize frame rates.

For 4K, the data suggests that only the Low (81.7 FPS) and Medium (72 FPS) presets are viable for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 51.4 FPS is playable but not ideal, and the Ultra preset at 33.8 FPS should be avoided. Given the GPU's limitations at this resolution, players should prioritize frame rate over visual quality, and the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality at 4K.

Overall, the combination of the Ryzen 7 9800X3D and RTX 4070 is best utilized at 1440p with High settings, where it provides a strong balance of visual fidelity and performance. For players who prefer higher frame rates, dropping to Medium settings at 1440p or 1080p will yield excellent results.