Archeage

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B570 combination delivers playable frame rates in Archeage only at lower resolutions and settings, with the data showing a clear performance ceiling that shifts from GPU-bound at 4K to CPU-bound at 1080p. The measured results indicate a system that is well-matched for 1080p Medium play, but one that struggles to maintain acceptable performance at higher resolutions or with maximum graphical fidelity.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is severe and non-linear, revealing a system where the Intel Arc B570 becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count rises. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 110 FPS at 1920x1080 to 74 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 36 FPS, and then drops further to 42 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 62% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, a scaling pattern that points directly at the GPU's rendering capacity being overwhelmed by the increased pixel workload.

The Medium settings row shows a similar trajectory: 98 FPS at 1080p, 66 FPS at 1440p, and 38 FPS at 4K. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is 32 FPS, while the gap between 1440p and 4K is 28 FPS. This relatively consistent decline suggests the GPU is operating near its bandwidth and shading limits across all three resolutions at Medium. High settings follow the same pattern: 66 FPS, 45 FPS, and 26 FPS across the three resolutions, with the 4K result dropping below the 30 FPS threshold typically considered the minimum for acceptable gameplay.

Ultra settings produce the most dramatic scaling collapse. The average FPS at 1080p is 45, which falls to 31 at 1440p and then plummets to 17 at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than half the 1080p Ultra figure, indicating that the combination of high pixel count and maximum graphical features places an insurmountable load on the Arc B570. The data shows that resolution scaling is not uniform across settings; the percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 61% at Low, 61% at Medium, 61% at High, and 62% at Ultra. This consistency suggests the scaling bottleneck is resolution-driven rather than settings-driven, with the GPU's 10 GB memory and 160-bit bus width struggling to feed the render pipeline at higher pixel densities.

The 1440p to 4K transition is particularly punishing. At High settings, the drop from 45 FPS to 26 FPS represents a 42% performance loss, while at Ultra the loss is 45%. This steep decline indicates that the Arc B570's 380.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 compute are simply insufficient for 4K workloads in this MMORPG. The data strongly suggests that 4K is not a viable resolution for this combo, regardless of settings, as even Low settings only manage 42 FPS.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570, built on the Xe2-HPG architecture with a 5 nm process, provides the graphical foundation for this combo. Its 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus delivers 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth, a figure that proves adequate for 1080p but becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 render output units produce a pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s, specifications that translate directly into the measured frame rates.

The GPU's clock behavior is notable: both base and boost clocks are locked at 2500 MHz, with no dynamic range. This fixed clock speed means the Arc B570 cannot ramp up to offset increased load, so performance scaling relies entirely on the memory subsystem and compute units. The 18 ray tracing cores are present but irrelevant for Archeage, which does not appear to use ray tracing based on the measured rows. The 150 W TDP and dual-slot cooler indicate a mid-range power envelope, with the suggested 450 W PSU confirming the card's mainstream positioning.

Comparing the Arc B570 to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, it sits at the 65th percentile of all GPUs with an average benchmark score of 20556. The closest competitor is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 20534, a delta of just 0.1% in favor of the Intel card. The Intel Arc A750 is next at 20582, with the B570 trailing by 0.1%. These near-identical scores place the B570 in a performance tier that is competitive with mobile RTX 3070-class hardware and the previous-generation Arc A750, but the measured FPS in Archeage shows that this synthetic benchmark parity does not always translate to real-world gaming results.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 14195 and DirectX 12 score of 72 provide additional context. The DirectX 11 score of 118 is notably higher than the DirectX 12 result, which could indicate driver overhead or architectural preference for older APIs. In Archeage, an MMORPG from 2014, the DirectX 11 path may be more relevant, and the higher score there suggests the B570 should perform reasonably well at lower settings where API overhead is less pronounced.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. With a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, this CPU provides substantial single-thread and multi-thread capabilities. Its 64 MB of L3 cache and 1 MB L2 cache per core offer ample fast memory for game logic, while the dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 89.6 GB/s bandwidth ensures the GPU is fed with data. The CPU's 120 W TDP and active production status indicate a modern, efficient design.

In synthetic benchmarks, the 9900X demonstrates its strength: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32172 and single-core score of 2253, a Geekbench multi-core score of 22174 and single-core score of 3010. The 3DMark 16-thread score of 12552 and max-thread score of 13929 show strong scaling with thread count, while the single-thread score of 1286 confirms excellent per-core performance. The CPU sits at the 92nd percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 57498, placing it in the top 8% of all tested processors.

The nearest CPU rivals are close in average score: the AMD EPYC 9015 at 57555 (0.1% ahead), the AMD EPYC 7313 at 57399 (0.2% behind), the Intel Core i9-14900 at 58115 (1.1% behind), and the Intel Xeon Platinum 8260M at 58323 (1.4% behind). These deltas are small, indicating that the 9900X is firmly in the high-end desktop segment. However, the benchmarks also show that the 9900X's multi-threaded performance is not its only asset; the PassMark single-thread score of 4672 and 3DMark 2-thread score of 2519 demonstrate strong low-thread performance that matters for MMORPGs.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is evident in the measured FPS data. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 110 FPS, a figure that is likely CPU-limited given the relatively low graphical load. If the GPU were the bottleneck at 1080p Low, the frame rate would be higher, but 110 FPS suggests the CPU is the limiting factor. The 9900X's boost clock of 5.60 GHz and single-thread score of 1286 in 3DMark provide the raw speed needed for Archeage's game logic, which often runs on a single primary thread. The PassMark physics score of 3381 and find prime numbers score of 436 indicate the CPU can handle the computational load of MMORPG simulations.

The fact that 1080p Low yields 110 FPS while 1080p Ultra yields 45 FPS shows the CPU is not the primary bottleneck at higher settings. The 65 FPS difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p is attributable to GPU load. However, the CPU's 24 threads are not fully utilized by Archeage, which is typical for an MMORPG from 2014 that was designed for older multi-core processors. The 9900X's 12 cores and 24 threads are overkill for this game, but the high single-thread performance ensures it does not become a limiting factor at any resolution or settings level tested.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo's performance across three resolutions and four settings levels. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 110 FPS at Low, 98 FPS at Medium, 66 FPS at High, and 45 FPS at Ultra. The Medium settings row includes minimum and maximum values of 83 FPS and 112 FPS, respectively, indicating a relatively stable frame delivery with a 29 FPS spread. The 1080p results show that the combo can exceed 100 FPS at Low settings, approach 100 FPS at Medium, but falls to console-like 45 FPS at Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops to 74 FPS at Low, 66 FPS at Medium, 45 FPS at High, and 31 FPS at Ultra. The Medium settings at 1440p show a minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 76 FPS, a 20 FPS spread that indicates less stability than at 1080p. The 1440p Ultra result of 31 FPS is just above the 30 FPS threshold, but the lack of minimum FPS data for that row means we cannot assess frame pacing. The 1440p High result of 45 FPS matches the 1080p Ultra result, showing that resolution has a similar impact to some settings changes.

At 3840x2160, the results are 42 FPS at Low, 38 FPS at Medium, 26 FPS at High, and 17 FPS at Ultra. The Medium settings at 4K show a minimum of 32 FPS and maximum of 43 FPS, an 11 FPS spread that is tight but low overall. The 4K High result of 26 FPS is below the 30 FPS playability threshold, and 4K Ultra at 17 FPS is nearly unplayable. The 4K Low result of 42 FPS is the only 4K row above 40 FPS, and even that is marginal for smooth gameplay.

The settings scaling at each resolution shows diminishing returns. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Medium is 12 FPS, between Medium and High is 32 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 21 FPS. At 1440p, the gaps are 8 FPS, 21 FPS, and 14 FPS, respectively. At 4K, the gaps are 4 FPS, 12 FPS, and 9 FPS. This pattern shows that as resolution increases, the impact of settings changes diminishes because the GPU is already saturated with pixel work. The 1080p Medium to High gap of 32 FPS is the largest single settings jump in the entire dataset, indicating that High settings introduce a significant workload increase over Medium.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and Intel Arc B570 combo ranks 2983 out of 3708 tested combinations in Archeage, placing it in the 19th percentile of all combos. This low ranking indicates that the combination is not well-suited for this specific game, despite the individual components performing reasonably in their respective benchmarks. The 92nd percentile CPU and 65th percentile GPU do not translate to a high combo ranking, suggesting that Archeage's specific requirements are not met by this pairing.

The ranking of 2983 out of 3708 means that 80.5% of tested combos outperform this one in Archeage. This is a significant underperformance relative to the component benchmarks, and the data indicates why: the GPU's 10 GB memory and 160-bit bus are insufficient for the game's higher resolution demands, while the CPU's multi-threaded strength is largely irrelevant for an MMORPG that likely uses fewer threads. The combo ranking reflects the reality that Archeage is not a game that rewards high core counts or the specific balance of CPU and GPU performance found in this pairing.

The nearest rival GPU, the Intel Arc A750, scores 20582 in the average benchmark, just 0.1% higher than the B570. However, the B570's architectural improvements, including the Xe2-HPG design and 5 nm process, do not manifest in Archeage performance. The GPU's percentile of 65 places it in the lower half of the top tier, but the combo ranking shows that this GPU is not competitive in this specific title. The CPU's nearest rivals, including the Intel Core i9-14900, all have higher average scores, but the 9900X's 0.2% delta from the EPYC 7313 shows it is not the primary factor in the low combo ranking.

The data suggests that the combo ranking is dragged down primarily by the GPU. At 1080p Low, the 110 FPS result is respectable, but at 4K Ultra, the 17 FPS result is among the worst possible outcomes. The rank of 2983 indicates that most other GPUs paired with high-end CPUs achieve better results in Archeage, likely because they have more memory bandwidth or higher shading throughput. The B570's 380.0 GB/s bandwidth is a clear weakness for this game, which appears to be sensitive to memory subsystem performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the user's resolution and performance priorities. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average FPS of 98 and a minimum of 83 FPS. This result provides a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS threshold and maintains frame stability, as shown by the 83-112 FPS range. The Low preset at 110 FPS is smoother but sacrifices visual fidelity, while the High preset at 66 FPS is playable but with less headroom for demanding scenes. The Ultra preset at 45 FPS is not recommended at 1080p, as the visual gains do not justify the 53 FPS drop from Medium.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again emerges as the best choice, with an average FPS of 66 and a minimum of 56 FPS. This provides a 60 FPS average with a minimum that stays above 55 FPS, which is acceptable for most MMORPG gameplay. The Low preset at 74 FPS is smoother but the visual downgrade is noticeable at this resolution. The High preset at 45 FPS is borderline playable but may suffer during crowded events or large-scale battles. The Ultra preset at 31 FPS is too close to the 30 FPS threshold for consistent enjoyment.

At 3840x2160, the data clearly shows that this combo cannot deliver a consistently playable experience. The Medium preset at 38 FPS is the highest average above 30 FPS, but the minimum of 32 FPS leaves little margin for fluctuations. The Low preset at 42 FPS is the best 4K option, but even this falls short of the 60 FPS target and may feel sluggish in fast-paced combat. The High and Ultra presets at 26 FPS and 17 FPS, respectively, are not recommended for any gameplay scenario.

The overall recommendation is to use the Medium preset at 1920x1080 for the best combination of visual quality, performance, and stability. The 98 FPS average with an 83 FPS minimum provides a smooth experience that comfortably exceeds the 60 FPS standard. For users who prioritize frame rate over visuals, the Low preset at 1080p offers 110 FPS, but the Medium preset's additional visual features justify the 12 FPS reduction. The data shows no scenario where the High preset is the best choice, as it offers only a modest visual improvement over Medium while incurring a 32 FPS penalty at 1080p. The Ultra preset is uniformly the worst choice across all resolutions, providing the lowest frame rates without a correspondingly large visual benefit in this game.