Archeage

# How This Combo Ranks

This AMD Ryzen 9 9900X + Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 3297th out of 3708 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. That is a poor result for a game from 2014, and the data makes clear that the GPU is the limiting factor throughout the entire testing matrix. The CPU is a top-tier desktop part — ranking in the 92nd percentile against all CPUs — but the Arc B390 sits at just the 9th percentile against all GPUs, which drags the entire combo down to near the bottom of the database. In practical terms, this combo sits behind roughly 89% of all other tested configurations in this game, and the measured frame rates confirm that the experience is marginal even at lower resolutions.

The rank disparity between the two components is stark. The Ryzen 9 9900X alone outperforms or matches the average benchmark score of several enterprise-class server chips, including the AMD EPYC 9015, which is within 0.1% of its average score, and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M, which trails by 1.4%. Meanwhile, the Arc B390's only 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it just 1.3% ahead of a GeForce GT 520MX and 2.7% ahead of a GeForce GT 710. That is not a typo — this integrated-class GPU is competing with decade-old entry-level discrete cards from NVIDIA's lowest tiers. The result is a combination where the CPU has enormous headroom that the GPU simply cannot exploit in Archeage.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the bottleneck in every scenario tested, and its specifications explain why. This GPU features 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation pipelines, with 12 ray tracing cores. Its boost clock reaches 2500 MHz, and the base clock sits at 300 MHz. The pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 120.0 GTexel/s, with FP32 performance at 7.680 TFLOPS. In isolation, those numbers suggest a modest integrated GPU, and the memory configuration is the real problem: the Arc B390 uses system shared memory, with system dependent bandwidth and no dedicated VRAM of its own.

That shared memory configuration is catastrophic for a game like Archeage, which was released in 2014 and is known to be sensitive to memory bandwidth and latency. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 puts it in the company of the GeForce GT 520MX (1463, 1.3% slower), GeForce 800M (1460, 1.5% slower), GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, 2.5% slower), and GeForce GT 710 (1443, 2.7% slower). None of those NVIDIA parts were ever considered gaming GPUs, even at launch, and the Arc B390 is only marginally ahead of them. The 9th percentile ranking against all GPUs reinforces that this is a component designed for basic display output, not for running an MMORPG at playable frame rates.

The measured FPS data shows the GPU's limitations clearly. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the combo manages an average of just 11 FPS. Dropping to High at 4K yields 17 FPS, Medium gives 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 28, and Low reaches 28 FPS. Even at the lowest settings and highest resolution, the frame rate stays below 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for playable performance in most games. The GPU simply does not have the raw throughput to push pixels at that resolution, regardless of how much the CPU is willing to help.

FAQ

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested configurations in Archeage?

A: The combo ranks 3297th out of 3708 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations tested for this game.

Q: What is the strongest component in this pairing?

A: The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is the clear standout, ranking in the 92nd percentile against all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 57498, while the Intel Arc B390 ranks in the 9th percentile against all GPUs.

Q: What is the best average frame rate achieved across all tested settings?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 71 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. No other resolution or settings combination exceeds 64 FPS average.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in Archeage?

A: At 3840x2160, the best average FPS is 28 on Low settings, and Ultra settings yield only 11 FPS. Neither is considered playable for a smooth experience.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390's Steel Nomad score of 1482 is 1.3% higher than the GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M, 2.5% higher than the GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% higher than the GeForce GT 710.

Q: What is the CPU's multi-threaded performance relative to its nearest rivals?

A: The Ryzen 9 9900X's average benchmark score of 57498 is 0.1% lower than the AMD EPYC 9015, 0.2% higher than the AMD EPYC 7313, 1.1% lower than the Intel Core i9-14900, and 1.4% lower than the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the best results appear. Low settings produce an average of 71 FPS, which is the single highest average across the entire test matrix. Medium settings drop to 64 FPS average, with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73. High settings yield 43 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 29 FPS average. This is the only resolution where the combo approaches or exceeds 60 FPS, and it only does so at the two lowest settings presets.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops noticeably. Low settings produce an average of 48 FPS, which is still below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings yield 43 FPS average, with a minimum of 36 and a maximum of 49. High settings drop to 29 FPS average, and Ultra settings fall to 20 FPS average. The gap between Low and Medium at this resolution is just 5 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is already hitting a bandwidth or throughput ceiling that settings changes cannot fully overcome.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly poor. Low settings produce an average of 28 FPS, Medium yields 25 FPS average with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 28, High drops to 17 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 11 FPS average. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is only 3 FPS, and the difference between Medium and High is 8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is effectively unplayable, and even Low settings at 4K fail to reach 30 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: the Arc B390 struggles to maintain playable frame rates at any resolution above 1080p, and even at 1080p, only the Low and Medium presets deliver acceptable averages.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the recommended settings depend heavily on the target resolution and the user's tolerance for frame rate drops. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the best balance between visual quality and performance, delivering an average of 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 and a maximum of 73. This is the only settings combination outside of Low at 1080p that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The High preset at 1080p yields 43 FPS average, which is noticeably lower and may introduce stutter in crowded MMORPG scenes, while Ultra at 1080p drops to 29 FPS average, which is below the playable threshold for most users.

For users who prioritize smoothness above all else, Low settings at 1920x1080 provide the best average FPS of 71, which is the highest recorded in the entire test matrix. However, the visual downgrade from Medium to Low is substantial in most games, and the 7 FPS average difference may not justify the loss of visual fidelity. The Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended choice for the best overall experience, as it stays above 60 FPS average while offering better visual quality than Low.

At 2560x1440, no settings preset achieves an average of 60 FPS. The Low preset comes closest at 48 FPS average, followed by Medium at 43 FPS average. Given the small 5 FPS difference between Low and Medium, the Medium preset is the better choice for 1440p users, as it provides improved visuals with only a modest frame rate penalty. High and Ultra at 1440p are not recommended, as they drop to 29 FPS and 20 FPS averages, respectively, which will feel sluggish in fast-paced combat or large-scale player encounters.

At 3840x2160, the data suggests that this combo is not suitable for 4K gaming in Archeage. Even the Low preset fails to reach 30 FPS average, and the Ultra preset at 11 FPS average is essentially a slideshow. Users attempting 4K should consider lowering the resolution to 1440p or 1080p, as the GPU simply does not have the throughput to handle 4K rendering in this game. The Medium preset at 4K, with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 28 FPS, is marginally playable for non-action-oriented activities but is not recommended for any serious gameplay.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is an exceptionally strong processor that is wasted in this pairing for Archeage. It features 12 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. The CPU is built on TSMC's 4 nm process with a die size of 2x 70.6 mm² and 16,630 million transistors. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1 MB of L2 per core, and 64 MB of L3 cache. The memory support is DDR5 with dual-channel configuration and a bandwidth of 89.6 GB/s. The CPU also supports ECC memory and has integrated Radeon Graphics, though that is irrelevant when paired with the Arc B390.

The benchmark data shows that the Ryzen 9 9900X is a top-tier performer in synthetic tests. Its Cinebench R23 multicore score is 32172, and the single-core score is 2253. Geekbench multicore reaches 22174, and single-core reaches 3010. Passmark multithread score is 54643, with single-thread at 4672. The 3DMark scores range from 1286 in single-thread to 13929 in max threads. These numbers place the CPU in the 92nd percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 57498. Compared to its nearest rivals, the CPU is essentially tied with the AMD EPYC 9015 (0.1% slower) and AMD EPYC 7313 (0.2% faster), while trailing the Intel Core i9-14900 by 1.1% and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M by 1.4%.

In Archeage, which is an MMORPG from 2014, the CPU's role is primarily to handle game logic, player positions, network processing, and other simulation tasks. The 12-core, 24-thread configuration provides massive headroom for these workloads, and the high boost clock of 5.60 GHz ensures strong single-threaded performance, which many older games rely on heavily. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU's power is not being utilized effectively because the GPU cannot keep up. The fact that the combo still achieves 71 FPS at 1080p Low settings suggests that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with data quickly enough, but the GPU's shared memory architecture and low raw throughput create a hard ceiling on frame rates. In other words, the CPU is not the bottleneck in this system — the Arc B390 is, and no amount of CPU performance can overcome that limitation.