Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, is an interesting case for modern high-end hardware. With the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080, the data reveals a configuration that is massively overqualified for the game's engine, yet still shows clear scaling patterns that define the user experience. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings provides a clear picture of where the bottlenecks lie and how to best configure the game for a smooth experience.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and consistent, highlighting the increasing load on the GPU as resolution rises. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 279 FPS at 1920x1080 to 188 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 91 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 108 FPS, which is a 61% decrease from the 1080p figure. This pattern strongly suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is the primary limiting factor, while the GPU begins to take over as the resolution increases.

A similar trend is visible at High settings. The average FPS at 1080p is 169, which drops to 114 at 1440p and further to 65 at 4K. The percentage drop from 1440p to 4K is substantial, indicating that the RTX 5080 is being pushed harder at the higher pixel count. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is also significant, but the game remains highly playable in all cases.

The Medium preset shows the most complete data, including minimum and maximum FPS. At 1080p, the average is 248 FPS with a minimum of 211 FPS. At 1440p, the average is 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 FPS. At 4K, the average is 96 FPS with a minimum of 81 FPS. This data suggests that the game's engine is capable of producing very high frame rates, but the scaling is not linear, and the demands of 4K resolution are substantial.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with average FPS of 115 at 1080p, 78 at 1440p, and 44 at 4K. The drop from 1440p to 4K is a significant 34 FPS, showing the extreme load that Ultra settings place on the GPU at higher resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS is the only measurement that dips below the 60 FPS threshold, suggesting that this combination of settings is too demanding for a smooth experience at that resolution.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data suggests that the "Medium" preset offers the most balanced experience across all resolutions. At 1080p, it delivers an average of 248 FPS, which is more than enough for any high-refresh-rate monitor. At 1440p, the average of 167 FPS remains exceptionally smooth, and even at 4K, the 96 FPS average is well within the range of a great gaming experience. The minimum FPS figures of 211, 142, and 81 at 1080p, 1440p, and 4K respectively, indicate that the game maintains stable performance without severe dips.

While the "High" preset provides a visual upgrade, the performance cost is notable. The 4K High average of 65 FPS is playable, but the jump from Medium to High at 4K costs 31 FPS. For users with high-refresh-rate 1440p monitors, High is an excellent choice, as the 114 FPS average is still very fluid. At 1080p, the 169 FPS average on High is also excellent, but it is a significant drop from the 248 FPS achievable on Medium.

The "Low" preset is primarily for maximizing frame rates. It yields 279 FPS at 1080p and 188 FPS at 1440p, which would be beneficial for competitive play. However, the visual compromise is substantial, and the 4K Low average of 108 FPS suggests that even on Low, the game is still demanding at that resolution. The "Ultra" preset is the most punishing, and the data shows it is not recommended for 4K, as the 44 FPS average falls below the standard for smooth gameplay. For most users, the Medium preset provides the best combination of visual quality and performance, especially considering the game's age and the hardware's capability.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080's role in these results is primarily defined by its memory and clock speeds. With 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, the card has a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s. This is a significant asset for a game like Archeage, which, despite its age, can have large texture and asset loads in crowded areas. The high bandwidth helps to feed the GPU quickly, especially at 4K resolution where the demand for texture data is at its highest.

The GPU's clock speeds, with a base of 2295 MHz and a boost of 2617 MHz, are high for a Blackwell 2.0 architecture chip. These clocks contribute to the card's raw compute power, which is reflected in its benchmark scores. A Passmark G3D score of 36565 places it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs. This performance is also evident in its nearest rivals, where it sits just 0.6% above the AMD Radeon 8060S and 0.7% above the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, showing it is a strong performer in its class.

The data shows that the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is not linear, and the FPS drops are larger at higher settings. This indicates that the RTX 5080 is being fully utilized at 4K, especially with the High and Ultra presets. The 4K Ultra result of 44 FPS suggests that even a top-tier card like this is challenged by the game's engine at maximum settings, and the 16 GB of VRAM may be a factor in handling the data load at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

In the grand scheme of tested hardware combinations, the pairing of the AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 in Archeage ranks 129th out of 2761 combinations. This places the combo in the top 4.7% of all tested systems, which is an impressive result. The ranking reflects the overall capability of this hardware to run the game well, and its high position reflects the strength of both the CPU and GPU.

The CPU itself has an average benchmark score of 58386, which puts it in the 92nd percentile of all CPUs. It is closely matched with its nearest rivals, including the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M which is only 0.1% behind, and the Intel Core i9-14900 which is 0.5% behind. This shows that the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a top-tier processor, and its 8 cores and 16 threads are more than enough for a game like Archeage.

The GPU's percentile of 87 places it slightly lower than the CPU's 92, but its performance is still very strong. The combination of a top-tier CPU and a high-end GPU results in this excellent ranking. The fact that the combo ranks just 129th out of 2761 suggests that there are a few other configurations that are even faster, but this setup is clearly in the upper echelon of performance, delivering frame rates that are far beyond what is needed for a smooth experience in this MMORPG.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average frame rate is 279 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: Can this system run Archeage at 4K with a smooth 60+ FPS experience?

A: Yes, the data shows that at 4K with Medium settings, the average FPS is 96, and with High settings, it is 65. Both are above the 60 FPS threshold. However, at Ultra settings, the average drops to 44 FPS.

Q: Which settings preset offers the best performance at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset offers the best performance at 2560x1440, delivering an average of 167 FPS with a minimum of 142 FPS. The High preset also performs well at 114 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5080's memory bandwidth impact the game's performance?

A: The RTX 5080 has a memory bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, which helps to feed the GPU with data quickly. This is particularly important at higher resolutions like 4K, where the demand for texture data is high.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested hardware combinations in Archeage?

A: The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 combo ranks 129th out of 2761 tested combinations.

Q: How does the Ryzen 7 9850X3D compare to the Intel Core i9-14900 in average benchmark score?

A: The Ryzen 7 9850X3D has an average benchmark score of 58386, which is 0.5% higher than the Intel Core i9-14900's score of 58115.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact measured average FPS for each resolution and settings preset:

• 1920x1080, Low: 279 FPS
• 1920x1080, Medium: 248 FPS (min 211 FPS, max 286 FPS)
• 1920x1080, High: 169 FPS
• 1920x1080, Ultra: 115 FPS
• 2560x1440, Low: 188 FPS
• 2560x1440, Medium: 167 FPS (min 142 FPS, max 192 FPS)
• 2560x1440, High: 114 FPS
• 2560x1440, Ultra: 78 FPS
• 3840x2160, Low: 108 FPS
• 3840x2160, Medium: 96 FPS (min 81 FPS, max 110 FPS)
• 3840x2160, High: 65 FPS
• 3840x2160, Ultra: 44 FPS

The data shows a clear progression where higher resolutions and settings lead to lower frame rates. The Medium preset is the only one that provides minimum FPS data, which is valuable for understanding the stability of the experience. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p is a 31 FPS drop, while the jump from Medium to High is a 79 FPS drop, showing that the High preset has a more significant performance impact.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 7 9850X3D is a powerful processor that plays a crucial role in ensuring high frame rates, particularly at lower resolutions. With 8 cores and 16 threads based on the Zen 5 architecture, it has a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The processor's large 96 MB of shared L3 cache is a key feature, and its benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22807, indicate its strength in handling multiple tasks.

In Archeage, the CPU's influence is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rates are exceptionally high. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the average FPS is 279, and at 1440p Low, it is 188. This suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to achieve these high frame rates. However, as the resolution increases, the demand shifts to the GPU, and the CPU's role becomes less of a limiting factor.

The processor's performance is also reflected in its Passmark multi-thread score of 41318, which is a strong result. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon w5-2545, has a score that is 0.2% lower, showing the Ryzen 7 9850X3D is at the top of its class. The fact that the CPU's percentile is 92, higher than the GPU's 87, suggests that the processor is not the bottleneck in this configuration. The data implies that the CPU is well-suited for this game, providing more than enough headroom for the GPU to work with, even at the highest settings.