Archeage

# Archeage with AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + Intel Arc B370

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D paired with the Intel Arc B370 presents an extreme asymmetry in Archeage: a top-tier 12-core processor (91st percentile vs all CPUs) driving an integrated-class GPU (5th percentile vs all GPUs). The measured frame rates confirm this bottleneck, with the combo ranking 3423rd out of 3708 tested combinations in this game. This analysis explores how resolution scaling, CPU capabilities, and GPU limitations interact across the measured settings.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a steep and consistent FPS drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At Low settings, the average frame rate falls from 65 FPS at 1920x1080 to 43 FPS at 2560x1440 — a 33.8% reduction — and then to 25 FPS at 3840x2160, which is another 41.9% drop from 1440p. This pattern strongly indicates that the Intel Arc B370 is the limiting component, as the GPU must render progressively more pixels with no change to CPU workload.

The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Low settings shows a 61.5% total performance loss (65 to 25 FPS). At Medium settings, the same resolution progression yields 57 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p, and 22 FPS at 4K — a 61.4% total decline. High settings follow suit: 39 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p, and 15 FPS at 4K, representing a 61.5% drop. The consistency of these percentage declines across all three settings presets is remarkable, suggesting a purely pixel-bound workload where the CPU's role remains constant.

Ultra settings show the most dramatic scaling, with 27 FPS at 1080p falling to 18 FPS at 1440p (33.3% drop) and then to 10 FPS at 4K (44.4% further drop). The total decline from 1080p Ultra to 4K Ultra is 63.0%, slightly steeper than lower presets. This hints that at Ultra, additional GPU-intensive effects amplify the resolution penalty beyond simple pixel count scaling.

Notably, the gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution is substantial: at 1080p, Ultra delivers 27 FPS versus 65 FPS for Low — a 58.5% reduction. At 1440p, the gap narrows slightly (18 vs 43 FPS, a 58.1% reduction), and at 4K it remains similar (10 vs 25 FPS, a 60.0% reduction). The consistent ~60% penalty for maxing out settings suggests the GPU's limited shading units (1280) and texture units (40) are overwhelmed by the extra visual effects, independent of resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration sits at rank 3423 out of 3708 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of all tested pairings. The percentile ranking for the GPU alone (5th percentile vs all GPUs) provides context: the Arc B370's average benchmark score of 1184 places it near the very bottom of the GPU hierarchy. Its nearest rivals in synthetic testing include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (score 1186, 0.2% ahead) and the ATI Radeon HD 5770 (score 1190, 0.5% ahead), both legacy parts from a different era.

The CPU, by contrast, is a powerhouse. The Ryzen 9 9900X3D's average benchmark score of 54762 puts it in the 91st percentile, with its closest competitors being the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (score 55093, 0.6% ahead), Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (score 54053, 1.3% behind), Intel Xeon 6505P (score 53701, 2.0% behind), and Intel Core i7-14700F (score 53620, 2.1% behind). The CPU is essentially at parity with these rivals, all within a 2.7% band.

The massive disparity between the CPU's top-tier standing and the GPU's bottom-tier performance explains the poor overall combo rank. In Archeage, the game's frame rate is dictated almost entirely by the GPU's output capability, which is severely constrained. The data shows that even with one of the fastest consumer CPUs available, this combo cannot escape the GPU bottleneck. The 3423rd rank reflects not CPU inadequacy but rather the GPU's inability to translate the CPU's processing power into playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Why does the combo rank so low (3423rd of 3708) despite having a top-tier CPU?

A: The Intel Arc B370 GPU holds only a 5th percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. Archeage's frame rates are GPU-bound at all measured settings and resolutions, so the CPU's 91st percentile standing (avg score 54762) cannot compensate for the GPU's rendering limitations.

Q: What is the best achievable frame rate with this combo?

A: The highest measured average is 65 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At 1440p Low, the average drops to 43 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 25 FPS. No measured configuration exceeds 65 FPS average.

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

A: The Arc B370's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 is nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, 0.2% faster), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, 0.5% faster), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, 0.7% faster). The AMD FirePro M2000 trails at 1168, 1.4% slower.

Q: Is the Ryzen 9 9900X3D competitive with other high-end CPUs?

A: Yes, its average score of 54762 places it just 0.6% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55093) and 1.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053). It also beats the Intel Xeon 6505P (53701) by 2.0% and the Intel Core i7-14700F (53620) by 2.1%.

Q: Does increasing resolution affect all settings presets equally?

A: The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is remarkably consistent: 61.5% for Low, 61.4% for Medium, 61.5% for High, and 63.0% for Ultra. This uniformity indicates the GPU is purely pixel-bound, with no CPU limitations emerging at higher resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded across all measurements?

A: The only minimum FPS values provided are for Medium settings: 49 FPS at 1080p, 33 FPS at 1440p, and 19 FPS at 4K. Other presets lack minimum data, but the 4K Medium minimum of 19 FPS is the lowest recorded minimum in the dataset.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 65 FPS, which is the single highest measurement across all configurations. Medium settings yield 57 FPS average with a minimum of 49 and maximum of 66. High settings drop to 39 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 27 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a 58.5% performance loss.

Moving to 2560x1440, all averages decline substantially. Low settings average 43 FPS, a 33.8% drop from 1080p. Medium averages 39 FPS (minimum 33, maximum 44), representing a 31.6% decline. High averages 26 FPS (33.3% drop), and Ultra averages 18 FPS (33.3% drop). The relative ordering remains consistent, with Low outperforming Medium by 4 FPS at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU struggles to maintain playable rates. Low settings average 25 FPS, Medium averages 22 FPS (minimum 19, maximum 25), High averages 15 FPS, and Ultra averages 10 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium narrows to just 3 FPS at 4K, whereas at 1080p the gap was 8 FPS. This compression suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily pixel-bound that the difference between Low and Medium settings has diminished impact.

Across all resolutions, Ultra settings consistently deliver approximately 40-45% of Low's frame rate. The maximum FPS recorded for any setting is 66 (1080p Medium), and the minimum is 19 (4K Medium). No min or max values are provided for Low, High, or Ultra presets, limiting the analysis to averages for those configurations.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D brings substantial processing power to this pairing. With 12 cores and 24 threads based on Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), it operates at a base clock of 4.40 GHz and boosts to 5.50 GHz. The 128 MB of L3 cache and 4 nm TSMC process node position it as a high-end desktop part, released in January 2025 with a launch MSRP of $599. Its DDR5 memory support with dual-channel configuration provides 89.6 GB/s bandwidth, along with ECC capability and PCIe Gen 5 with 24 CPU lanes.

Synthetic benchmarks show exceptional multi-threaded performance: Cinebench R23 multicore scores 47737, while single-core reaches 6739. Geekbench multicore hits 22884 and single-core 3041. Passmark multithread scores 56154 with single-thread at 4646. The 3DMark tests reveal scaling from 1269 (single thread) to 13795 (max threads), demonstrating strong thread scaling across the 12-core design.

In Archeage, however, the CPU's capabilities appear underutilized. The consistent FPS drops proportional to pixel count — 61.5% from 1080p to 4K at Low — indicate a pure GPU bottleneck. Even at 1080p Low, where the CPU would be most likely to limit performance, the 65 FPS average suggests the GPU is still the constraint, given the Arc B370's 5th percentile standing. The CPU's nearest rivals (all within 2.1% in average score) would likely produce identical frame rates in this scenario, confirming that CPU choice is irrelevant for this game with this GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Given the measured data, the optimal experience depends on resolution priorities. At 1920x1080, Low settings deliver 65 FPS, which is the only configuration exceeding 60 FPS. This makes Low the only preset that can fully utilize a standard 60 Hz display. Medium achieves 57 FPS, which is playable but slightly below 60, while High drops to 39 FPS and Ultra to 27 FPS. For a smooth 1080p experience, Low is the clear recommendation, with Medium as a viable alternative if the user accepts slightly lower frame rates.

At 2560x1440, no preset reaches 60 FPS. Low averages 43 FPS, Medium 39 FPS, High 26 FPS, and Ultra 18 FPS. Low provides the best playability, though the 43 FPS average may still feel sluggish in fast-paced scenarios. Medium's 39 FPS with a minimum of 33 FPS offers a reasonable balance if visual quality matters more than maximum smoothness. High and Ultra are not recommended at this resolution due to sub-30 FPS averages.

At 3840x2160, all presets fall below 30 FPS. Low averages 25 FPS, Medium 22 FPS (minimum 19), High 15 FPS, and Ultra 10 FPS. None of these are truly playable for an MMORPG with dynamic combat. If 4K is mandatory, Low provides the least-bad experience, but the data suggests that 1080p Low is the only configuration that approaches acceptable performance.

The pattern across resolutions shows that Low settings consistently outperform Ultra by roughly 60%, making the visual quality trade-off substantial. For any resolution above 1080p, users should prioritize Low settings to maximize frame rates, accepting the graphical compromise as necessary for this GPU's limited capabilities.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics solution based on Xe3-LPG architecture (Panther Lake), manufactured on Intel's 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 300 MHz and boost of 2400 MHz, with system-shared memory whose bandwidth is system-dependent. The GPU contains 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 ROPs, along with 10 ray tracing cores. Its compute capabilities include 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 and 12.29 TFLOPS FP16 (2:1 ratio), with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. The 25 W TDP and IGP slot width confirm its integrated nature, with no power connectors required.

The GPU's single benchmark result — 1184 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 — places it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are all legacy ATI/AMD parts from over a decade ago, underscoring its limited performance envelope. Released in January 2026, the Arc B370 is a recent product but occupies the lowest tier of GPU performance.

In Archeage, the GPU's limitations are evident across every measurement. The 1280 shading units and 40 TMUs struggle with the game's rendering demands, particularly at higher settings. The 20 ROPs likely contribute to the poor 4K performance, where fill-rate requirements exceed the GPU's pixel throughput. The system-shared memory arrangement means bandwidth is dependent on the CPU's DDR5 configuration (89.6 GB/s), which may further constrain performance in texture-heavy scenes.

The data shows that the GPU is the definitive bottleneck in this combo. The CPU's top-tier performance cannot compensate for the GPU's bottom-tier output, resulting in frame rates that peak at 65 FPS (1080p Low) and fall to single digits at 4K Ultra. For Archeage, this GPU is only suitable for low-resolution, low-settings play, and even then, the experience will be marginal by modern standards.