Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents a unique scaling profile for the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti combination. The data indicates that this pairing is exceptionally strong at lower resolutions, but the game's engine becomes a significant bottleneck as resolution increases, particularly at the highest settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves an average of 208.9 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same Low settings drops performance to 143.8 FPS, a reduction of roughly 31%. At 4K, the Low preset yields 79 FPS, which is a further 45% decline from the 1440p figure. This steep drop-off from 1080p to 1440p and then to 4K indicates that the CPU is capable of feeding frames at a very high rate at 1080p, but the GPU is increasingly tasked with more pixel work as resolution climbs.

The scaling behavior changes dramatically when looking at the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 89.1. At 1440p Ultra, it falls to 60.1, and at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 32.2. The percentage drop between 1080p and 1440p Ultra is about 33%, which is similar to the Low preset. However, the drop from 1440p to 4K Ultra is over 46%, suggesting that the extreme pixel count at 4K combined with the demanding Ultra settings is overwhelming the GPU.

This pattern points to a system where the RTX 3080 Ti is the primary limiting factor at 4K, especially with higher quality presets. The GPU, which scores in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, is being pushed to its limits. At 1080p, the CPU's strength is more evident, as the high frame rates suggest the Ryzen 9 9900X is not a bottleneck. The 1440p results represent a balanced middle ground, where both components are working in tandem, but the scaling data indicates that the GPU's performance ceiling is reached well before the CPU's.

FAQ

Q: What is the maximum average FPS this combo can achieve in Archeage?

A: The highest measured average frame rate is 208.9 FPS, which occurs at 1920x1080 resolution with the Low settings preset.

Q: How does the 4K Ultra performance compare to 1080p Low?

A: The 4K Ultra preset delivers an average of 32.2 FPS, while 1080p Low achieves 208.9 FPS. This represents a performance difference of over 80% in favor of the lower resolution and settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more likely to be the bottleneck at 1440p High?

A: At 2560x1440 with High settings, the combo produces 87.4 FPS. Given that the GPU is in the 83rd percentile and the CPU is in the 94th percentile, the data suggests the GPU is the limiting factor at this setting, as the CPU has more headroom for higher frame rates seen at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between the Medium and High presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Medium preset yields an average of 187 FPS, while the High preset yields 125.4 FPS. This is a difference of 61.6 FPS.

Q: How does the combo's performance at 4K Medium compare to 4K Low?

A: At 4K, the Medium preset averages 70.7 FPS, which is 8.3 FPS lower than the 79 FPS achieved with the Low preset. This indicates that the Medium preset provides a significant visual upgrade for a relatively small performance cost.

Q: Does the game run at 60 FPS at 4K?

A: Yes, it can. The 4K Low preset achieves 79 FPS, and the 4K Medium preset achieves 70.7 FPS. However, the 4K High preset falls short with an average of 47.4 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Archeage, this pairing of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti ranks 460th out of 1727 total combos. This places it in the top 27% of all tested systems, indicating a strong performance tier. The CPU's average benchmark score of 54450 puts it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU's average score of 41224 places it in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs.

The ranking suggests that while the individual components are high performers, the combination is not at the absolute top of the list for this specific game. This is likely due to Archeage's engine limitations, which may not fully utilize the capabilities of such a powerful CPU. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D (with a deltaPct of -0.4) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (with a deltaPct of -1.5), perform similarly in synthetic benchmarks, but the game's frame rates will be more dependent on the GPU and the game's optimization. The combo's rank reflects a system that is powerful overall, but the game's scalability caps its potential at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience, the data suggests prioritizing resolution over the highest settings. At 1080p, the Medium preset provides an excellent balance, delivering 187 FPS, which is more than enough for smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1080p still offers a very playable 125.4 FPS, but the jump from Medium to High costs over 60 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 89.1 FPS, which is a significant reduction for marginal visual gains.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the recommended choice, as it delivers 125.4 FPS, which is identical to the 1080p High preset. The High preset at 1440p drops to 87.4 FPS, which is still smooth, but the Medium preset offers a higher frame rate with likely minor visual differences. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the only viable option for a consistently smooth experience, providing 70.7 FPS. The High preset at 4K falls to 47.4 FPS, which may be acceptable for some, but the Medium preset offers a better balance of visual quality and performance. The Ultra preset should be avoided at all resolutions due to the substantial frame rate penalties.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured results shows the following performance at each resolution and setting:

• 1920x1080: Low settings yield an average of 208.9 FPS. Medium settings produce 187 FPS. High settings drop to 125.4 FPS. Ultra settings result in 89.1 FPS.
• 2560x1440: Low settings deliver 143.8 FPS. Medium settings achieve 125.4 FPS. High settings provide 87.4 FPS. Ultra settings fall to 60.1 FPS.
• 3840x2160: Low settings reach 79 FPS. Medium settings sustain 70.7 FPS. High settings manage 47.4 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 32.2 FPS.

The data shows a consistent hierarchy, with performance decreasing as both resolution and settings increase. Notably, the 1440p Medium and 1080p High settings both produce exactly 125.4 FPS, suggesting that the GPU is the limiting factor in both scenarios.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X features 12 cores and 24 threads, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.60 GHz. This processor, built on the Zen 5 architecture, scores in the 94th percentile of all CPUs. In synthetic benchmarks, it achieves a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 46438 and a single-core score of 6555. The 3DMark single-thread test yields a score of 1286.

For Archeage, the CPU's high single-thread performance is crucial, as MMORPGs often rely heavily on a few cores for game logic and world simulation. The data indicates that the CPU is not a bottleneck at 1080p, as the frame rates are very high. However, the game's engine likely has a frame rate ceiling that prevents the CPU from pushing much beyond the 208.9 FPS seen at 1080p Low. The CPU's large L3 cache of 64 MB may help with open-world game data, but the overall frame rate is more limited by the GPU at higher resolutions. The CPU's performance is strong, but the game's scalability limits its impact at 4K.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti is a high-end Ampere architecture GPU with 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 384-bit memory bus, providing a bandwidth of 912.4 GB/s. Its boost clock is 1665 MHz, and it features 10240 shading units. The GPU scores in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with a Passmark G3D score of 26896.

In Archeage, the GPU's role becomes more prominent as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p, the GPU is capable of producing very high frame rates, but the CPU may be the limiting factor. At 1440p, the GPU is heavily tasked, and the frame rates drop accordingly. At 4K, the GPU is the definitive bottleneck, especially on the High and Ultra presets, where the 12 GB of VRAM and the GPU's compute power are stretched to their limits. The 4K Ultra performance of 32.2 FPS clearly shows the GPU is overwhelmed. The RTX 3080 Ti's performance is strong, but the demands of 4K gaming with maximum settings exceed its capabilities for this title.