Archeage

# Archeage with AMD Ryzen 9 7900X + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

This combination places the AMD Ryzen 9 7900X alongside the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 in Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG that remains sensitive to both single-threaded CPU performance and raw GPU throughput. The CPU, a 12-core/24-thread Zen 4 part running at 4.70 GHz base and 5.60 GHz boost, sits in the 91st percentile among all tested CPUs. The GPU, a Blackwell 2.0 flagship with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and a 512-bit bus, ranks in the 92nd percentile among all tested GPUs. Together they form a high-end pairing that delivers playable frame rates across all tested settings, though the data reveals clear bottlenecks depending on resolution and quality preset.

CPU Role

The Ryzen 9 7900X contributes 12 physical cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 4.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 64 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of shared L3 cache. For a game like Archeage, which launched in 2014 and relies heavily on single-threaded performance for game logic and network handling, the CPU's strong single-core showing is critical. In synthetic benchmarks, the 7900X scores 1093 in 3dmark_single_thread, 4238 in passmark_single_thread, and 2016.5 in cinebench_r23_singlecore. These figures place it well above average, but the game's engine may not fully utilize all 24 threads; the 3dmark_16_threads score of 10972 and 3dmark_max_threads score of 12536 suggest that scaling beyond 8 threads yields diminishing returns, with the 8-thread score at 7798 representing about 62% of the max-thread result.

In Archeage specifically, the CPU's role becomes apparent when comparing frame rates at 1080p versus higher resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 281 FPS, which is the highest recorded result across all tested configurations. This suggests that at lower resolutions and settings, the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to reach very high frame rates. However, the gap between 1080p Low (281 FPS) and 1440p Low (205 FPS) indicates that the GPU begins to take on more responsibility as pixel count rises. The CPU's 91st percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53288, places it just 0.2% ahead of the AMD EPYC 7313P and 0.6% ahead of the Intel Xeon 634, while trailing the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 by 0.3% and the Intel Core i7-14700F by 0.6%. These rival deltas are minimal, confirming that the 7900X is a top-tier performer but not an outlier.

The 12-core configuration matters for MMO environments with many player characters, where background threads handle pathfinding, AI, and world state updates. The CPU's passmark_multithread score of 51406 and cinebench_r23_multicore score of 29300 demonstrate substantial parallel throughput. Yet the measured FPS data shows that Ultra settings at any resolution produce the lowest frame rates, which implies that the GPU, not the CPU, becomes the limiting factor when visual effects and draw distances are maxed out. At 1080p Ultra, the combo delivers 126 FPS, which is still smooth, but it is less than half of the 1080p Low result. This pattern holds across all resolutions, indicating that the CPU maintains adequate performance headroom while the GPU's workload scales with settings complexity.

GPU Role

The RTX 5090 brings 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, yielding 1.79 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed. The GPU contains 21760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 render output units, along with 170 RT cores and 680 tensor cores. For Archeage, which is not a graphically demanding title by modern standards, this GPU is massively overprovisioned. The passmark_g3d score of 39650 and geekbench_vulkan score of 376728 confirm its dominance, placing it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs.

The GPU's role becomes evident when examining frame rates across settings at the same resolution. At 3840x2160, the average FPS drops from 117 on Low to 105 on Medium, then to 71 on High, and finally to 48 on Ultra. This steep decline — a 59% reduction from Low to Ultra — demonstrates that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K, as higher settings increase pixel shading and texture sampling workloads. The 32 GB VRAM is far more than Archeage requires; even at 4K Ultra, the game likely uses a fraction of that capacity, so memory capacity is not a constraining factor. Instead, the raw compute throughput of the GPU, rated at 104.8 TFLOPS FP32, determines the frame rate ceiling.

At 1440p, the same pattern emerges but with higher absolute values: Low hits 205 FPS, Medium 183 FPS, High 124 FPS, and Ultra 85 FPS. At 1080p, Low reaches 281 FPS, Medium 270 FPS, High 184 FPS, and Ultra 126 FPS. The ratio between resolutions at the same settings reveals the GPU's scaling efficiency. For Low settings, moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces FPS by 27% (from 281 to 205), and from 1440p to 4K reduces it by 43% (from 205 to 117). For Ultra settings, the corresponding reductions are 33% (126 to 85) and 44% (85 to 48). This consistency suggests that the GPU's fillrate and shading capabilities scale predictably with pixel count, while the CPU's contribution remains relatively constant.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Archeage, this CPU-GPU pairing ranks 64th out of 3708 combos, placing it in the top 1.7% of all tested configurations. This ranking reflects the high percentiles of both components: the CPU at 91st percentile and the GPU at 92nd percentile. The combo's rank of 64 means that only 63 other combinations of CPUs and GPUs delivered higher average frame rates in this game. Given that Archeage can be CPU-bound in crowded areas, the fact that this pairing ranks this highly suggests that the 7900X's strong single-thread performance (4238 in passmark_single_thread) is sufficient to keep the RTX 5090 from being starved of data.

The rank also implies that faster CPUs, such as those with even higher single-core scores, might push this GPU further. However, the nearest rivals to the 7900X in overall CPU benchmarks — the EPYC 7313P (0.2% slower), Xeon Phi 7290 (0.3% faster), Xeon 634 (0.6% slower), and Core i7-14700F (0.6% faster) — all have very similar average scores, so the practical difference in Archeage would be minimal. The GPU's nearest rivals — Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (0.3% slower), Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (0.6% slower), RX 6850M XT (1.1% slower), and Radeon Pro Vega 64X (1.4% faster) — also show tiny deltas, meaning the RTX 5090's position is secure but not uniquely dominant.

The combo rank of 64 out of 3708 is impressive for a game that is over a decade old, but it does not guarantee the highest possible frame rates. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 281 FPS, which is likely near the game's engine cap or the CPU's single-thread limit. At 4K Ultra, the 48 FPS result indicates that the GPU's performance, while strong, is still constrained by the game's rendering workload when all quality options are maxed out.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured results span a wide range. Low settings produce an average of 281 FPS, which is the highest recorded value in this dataset. Medium settings yield 270 FPS, with a minimum of 230 FPS and a maximum of 311 FPS, indicating some frame time variance but generally stable performance. High settings drop to 184 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 126 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is just 11 FPS (4%), suggesting that Medium is nearly as fast as Low, while the jump from Medium to High costs 86 FPS (32%), and from High to Ultra costs another 58 FPS (32%). This suggests that High and Ultra settings introduce significant shading and post-processing effects that heavily tax the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the same settings ladder shows: Low at 205 FPS, Medium at 183 FPS (minimum 155, maximum 210), High at 124 FPS, and Ultra at 85 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is 22 FPS (11%), from Medium to High is 59 FPS (32%), and from High to Ultra is 39 FPS (31%). Compared to 1080p, the percentage drop from Low to Ultra is similar: 59% at 1080p (281 to 126) versus 59% at 1440p (205 to 85). This consistency indicates that the relative cost of each settings tier does not change with resolution.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 117 FPS, Medium at 105 FPS (minimum 89, maximum 120), High at 71 FPS, and Ultra at 48 FPS. The Low-to-Medium drop is 12 FPS (10%), Medium-to-High is 34 FPS (32%), and High-to-Ultra is 23 FPS (32%). The 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS is the only measured value below 60 FPS, which may be a concern for players seeking a locked 60 FPS experience. However, the Medium preset at 4K delivers 105 FPS, which is well above playable thresholds.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this CPU-GPU pair in Archeage?

A: Based on the measured data, 2560x1440 with High settings provides 124 FPS average, while 1920x1080 with Ultra delivers 126 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and frame rate, 1440p High is the sweet spot, as it maintains over 120 FPS while offering better image clarity than 1080p.

Q: Can this combo achieve 60 FPS at 4K Ultra?

A: No. The measured average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 48 FPS, which falls short of 60 FPS. To reach 60 FPS at 4K, dropping to High settings (71 FPS) or Medium settings (105 FPS) is necessary.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The Ryzen 9 7900X has an average benchmark score of 53288, which is 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 7313P (53206), 0.6% higher than the Intel Xeon 634 (52974), 0.3% lower than the Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (53469), and 0.6% lower than the Intel Core i7-14700F (53620).

Q: What is the GPU's memory configuration and bandwidth?

A: The RTX 5090 has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The memory clock is 1750 MHz with 28 Gbps effective speed.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to bottleneck in Archeage at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p Low, where the combo reaches 281 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the frame rate drops only slightly to 270 FPS, but High (184 FPS) and Ultra (126 FPS) show larger drops, indicating the GPU becomes more involved as settings increase. The CPU's 3dmark_single_thread score of 1093 is strong, but the game's engine may cap performance around 280 FPS.

Q: How does the combo's rank of 64 out of 3708 translate to percentile standing?

A: Ranking 64th out of 3708 places this combination in the top 1.7% of all tested combos for Archeage. This means it outperforms approximately 98.3% of all CPU-GPU pairing configurations tested in this game.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings. At 1920x1080, Medium settings (270 FPS) offer nearly the same performance as Low (281 FPS) while providing better visual quality. High settings at 1080p (184 FPS) are still excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors, and even Ultra (126 FPS) remains smooth for most displays. For 2560x1440, High settings (124 FPS) strike the best balance, as Medium (183 FPS) may not look dramatically better than Low (205 FPS) but High adds meaningful visual improvements. Ultra at 1440p (85 FPS) is playable but may not be worth the performance cost over High. At 3840x2160, Medium settings (105 FPS) are the recommended choice, as they deliver over 100 FPS while High (71 FPS) and Ultra (48 FPS) incur significant penalties. Low settings at 4K (117 FPS) are viable for competitive play, but Medium offers a better visual experience with only a 12 FPS loss.

The pattern across all resolutions shows that the step from Medium to High costs approximately 32% of frame rate, while the step from High to Ultra costs another 32%. This consistent degradation suggests that High settings introduce a major increase in shading complexity, and Ultra adds even more. For most players, Medium or High will provide the best experience, depending on resolution. At 1080p and 1440p, High is recommended for the visual uplift; at 4K, Medium is the practical ceiling for maintaining high frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K at each settings tier reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 281 at 1080p to 205 at 1440p (a 27% reduction) and then to 117 at 4K (a 43% reduction from 1440p). At Medium settings, the sequence is 270 → 183 → 105, with reductions of 32% and 43%, respectively. At High settings, 184 → 124 → 71, with reductions of 33% and 43%. At Ultra settings, 126 → 85 → 48, with reductions of 33% and 44%. The near-constant percentage drops across all settings tiers indicate that the GPU's performance scales predictably with pixel count, and the CPU's contribution does not degrade disproportionately at higher resolutions.

The fact that the 1080p-to-1440p drop (27-33%) is smaller than the 1440p-to-4K drop (43-44%) is expected, as 4K has 2.25 times as many pixels as 1440p, while 1440p has 1.78 times as many as 1080p. The larger absolute pixel increase at 4K amplifies the GPU load. The limiting component is clearly the GPU at higher resolutions, as the CPU's single-thread performance remains constant regardless of resolution. At 1080p Low, the 281 FPS result may be near the CPU's practical limit, but at 4K Ultra, the 48 FPS result is purely GPU-bound, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed the GPU at lower frame rates. This analysis suggests that players with this combo should prioritize GPU settings over resolution, as dropping from 4K to 1440p yields a significant frame rate increase, while dropping from Ultra to High at any resolution provides a similar boost.