Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents an interesting case study for the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination. The measured data reveals a system that is highly capable at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain fluid frame rates at 4K, particularly on higher presets. The benchmark results indicate a clear shift in system bottleneck as resolution increases, moving from a CPU-bound scenario at 1080p to a GPU-bound one at 2160p.

Resolution Scaling

The most dramatic finding in the data is the performance cliff when moving from 1440p to 4K. At 1080p with Medium settings, the combo averages 121 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Medium only reduces this to 82 FPS, a modest 32% decrease. However, jumping to 2160p Medium causes the average to plummet to 47 FPS, a further 43% reduction. This non-linear scaling is a classic indicator that the GPU is becoming the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The 4K Ultra preset paints an even starker picture, with an average of just 22 FPS. This is less than half the 47 FPS seen at 4K Medium, showing that the cost of the highest settings is exceptionally high at this resolution. The data suggests that while the RTX 4060 can handle the pixel count at 4K, its 8 GB memory buffer and 128-bit bus are likely overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and demanding visual effects. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is much more efficient, indicating that the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU until the pixel workload becomes too great.

This pattern implies that for a smooth experience, users will need to be mindful of their resolution choices. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is manageable, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is a chasm. The 4K numbers suggest the system is not optimized for that resolution in this game, regardless of the preset used.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, based on the Ada Lovelace architecture, is a mobile GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. Its boost clock is listed at 2460 MHz. The benchmark results show that this configuration is the decisive factor in the 4K performance collapse. With a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 2302 and a Passmark G3D score of 19545, the GPU's raw compute is respectable, but its memory subsystem appears to be a bottleneck in this specific workload.

Looking at the measured FPS, the GPU's role becomes clearer. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 136 FPS, indicating the GPU is not heavily taxed. As resolution increases, the frame rate drops consistently, showing the GPU is working harder to fill more pixels. The 4K results, however, show a disproportionate drop, suggesting that the 8 GB VRAM capacity is being exceeded, forcing the system to rely on slower memory paging.

The GPU's nearest rivals, based on average benchmark scores, include the AMD Radeon HD 7790 and the AMD Radeon 780M, with negligible performance deltas of -0.2% and +0.3%, respectively. This is a curious data point; it suggests that in general compute tasks, the RTX 4060 is not far ahead of these older or integrated solutions. Yet, in gaming, the RTX 4060's feature set and drivers likely provide a significant advantage, which is evidenced by its ability to hit 136 FPS at 1080p Low. The GPU's percentile rank of 61 versus all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier, which aligns with its performance in this game at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX is a 16-core, 32-thread processor based on the Zen 4 architecture, with a boost clock of 5.40 GHz and 64 MB of L3 cache. Its multi-core performance is exceptional, as shown by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42713 and a Passmark multi-thread score of 51405. The data suggests this CPU is not the primary bottleneck in Archeage at any tested resolution, as the frame rates scale more with resolution than with settings changes.

At 1080p, the CPU is able to feed the GPU efficiently, as seen by the high frame rates across all settings. The difference between 1080p Low (136 FPS) and 1080p High (82 FPS) is significant, but this is more likely due to increased GPU load from higher settings rather than a CPU limitation. Even at 1080p Ultra, the system maintains 56 FPS, which is playable and suggests the CPU is keeping up with the game's logic and draw calls.

The CPU's benchmark scores show it is a top-tier performer, sitting in the 95th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX and AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D, have nearly identical average scores, with deltas of 0.1% and 0.6%, respectively. This indicates that the 8945HX is among the best mobile processors available. In the context of this game, the CPU is clearly not the limiting factor, as the GPU's workload increases with resolution, while the CPU's frame time contribution remains relatively constant.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system is highly capable:

• Low: 136 FPS average, a very high frame rate indicating minimal GPU load.
• Medium: 121 FPS average, with a minimum of 103 FPS and maximum of 139 FPS, showing excellent consistency.
• High: 82 FPS average, a solid performance for high-detail gaming.
• Ultra: 56 FPS average, which is still playable but shows a significant cost for the highest preset.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the GPU's increasing workload:

• Low: 92 FPS average, a notable drop from 1080p but still very smooth.
• Medium: 82 FPS average, with a minimum of 69 FPS and maximum of 94 FPS.
• High: 55 FPS average, which is on the edge of ideal smoothness for some players.
• Ultra: 38 FPS average, indicating a challenging workload for the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor:

• Low: 52 FPS average, which is the only 4K preset that approaches playability.
• Medium: 47 FPS average, with a minimum of 40 FPS and maximum of 54 FPS, showing noticeable dips.
• High: 32 FPS average, which is a significant drop from Medium, indicating the high preset is very demanding.
• Ultra: 22 FPS average, which is largely unplayable for a smooth experience.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the gap between Low and Medium is small, but the gap between High and Ultra is large, especially at 1440p and 4K. This suggests that the Ultra preset includes effects that are disproportionately taxing on the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations, this specific pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 8945HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 holds a rank of 1677 out of 2761 combos. This places it in the 60th percentile of all tested systems, which is a lower position than the individual component rankings might suggest. The CPU is in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, so the combined rank indicates a potential imbalance.

The combo rank suggests that while the CPU is top-tier, the GPU is holding back the overall system performance in this game. The data from the measured FPS confirms this, as the 4K results are poor, dragging down the overall ranking. This is a common issue with pairing a high-end CPU with a mid-range GPU, as the system's gaming performance is ultimately limited by the graphics card. The rank of 1677 out of 2761 indicates that many other combinations, likely with more powerful GPUs, achieve better overall performance in Archeage.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS achieved by this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS at 1080p is 136, achieved with the Low settings preset.

Q: Is this system capable of smooth 4K gaming in Archeage?

A: The data suggests not. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 22, and even at 4K Low, it only reaches 52 FPS. These numbers indicate a sub-optimal experience at this resolution.

Q: Which preset provides the best balance of high FPS and visual quality at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p offers an average of 82 FPS with a minimum of 69 FPS, providing a smoother experience than High (55 FPS) with a significant visual upgrade over Low (92 FPS).

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

A: The Ryzen 9 8945HX has an average benchmark score of 76212, which is nearly identical to the Intel Core Ultra 9 285HX (76155, +0.1%) and the AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D (75779, +0.6%).

Q: What is the GPU's memory bandwidth, and how might it affect performance?

A: The RTX 4060 has a memory bandwidth of 272.0 GB/s. This relatively limited bandwidth, combined with the 8 GB memory size, likely contributes to the significant performance drop at 4K where memory demands are highest.

Q: What is the combo's overall rank in the benchmark database?

A: The combo ranks 1677 out of 2761 tested combinations for this game.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For a smooth 60 FPS experience, the 1920x1080 High preset (82 FPS) or 2560x1440 Medium preset (82 FPS) are the best choices. If a higher frame rate is preferred for competitive play, the 1920x1080 Low preset (136 FPS) delivers the fastest performance, while 2560x1440 Low (92 FPS) still provides a very fluid experience with a higher resolution.

For players with a 4K display, the data indicates that only the Low preset (52 FPS) is viable, and even then, it may not be consistent enough for all users. The Medium preset at 4K (47 FPS) is borderline, while High (32 FPS) and Ultra (22 FPS) should be avoided due to low frame rates. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as the performance cost is severe, with a 44% drop from High to Ultra at 1080p and a 54% drop at 1440p. The sweet spot for this combo is clearly at 1080p or 1440p with Medium or High settings, balancing visual fidelity with playable frame rates.