Archeage

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B570 combination delivers a highly variable experience in Archeage, with performance swinging dramatically based on resolution and quality preset. The data shows a system that is clearly capable of smooth frame rates at lower resolutions but struggles to maintain playability at 4K, particularly when pushing beyond Medium settings. This analysis breaks down the measured results to determine the optimal configuration and the respective roles of the CPU and GPU in shaping the final output.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the Medium preset at 1920x1080 offers the most balanced experience, delivering an average of 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. This is the only preset at any resolution that provides a high average frame rate while also including a minimum FPS data point, indicating a stable frame time distribution. While the Low preset at the same resolution achieves a higher average of 110 FPS, it lacks the min/max data, and the jump from Low to Medium only costs 12 FPS on average, making the visual fidelity upgrade worthwhile for most users.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset again proves to be the most sensible choice, with an average of 66 FPS and a tight minimum of 56 FPS. This keeps the experience above the 60 FPS threshold for the majority of the time, a feat that the High preset cannot match, as it drops to 45 FPS average. The Ultra preset at this resolution is not recommended, as its 31 FPS average falls below the playable threshold for an MMORPG.

For 3840x2160, the data paints a clear picture: even the Low preset only manages an average of 42 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The Medium preset averages 38 FPS with a minimum of 32 FPS, which is playable for slower-paced content but not ideal for fast combat. The High preset (26 FPS) and Ultra preset (17 FPS) are effectively unplayable. Therefore, for 4K users, the Low or Medium presets are the only viable options, with the understanding that a smooth 60 FPS experience is not achievable with this hardware combination at this resolution.

The data suggests that the optimal experience is found at 1080p with the Medium preset, offering a high frame rate with a stable minimum. For users prioritizing visual quality over raw speed, the High preset at 1080p (66 FPS average) is an alternative, but the significant drop from Medium to High (98 FPS to 66 FPS) indicates that the Ultra and High presets carry a disproportionate performance penalty.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is configured with 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. The GPU operates at a base and boost clock of 2500 MHz. Its performance in this game, as measured by the average FPS, shows a clear pattern of being the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings.

Analyzing the FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the GPU's limitations. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 110 FPS, but this drops to 74 FPS at 1440p and 42 FPS at 4K. This represents a 62% reduction in performance from 1080p to 4K at the same settings, a steep decline that points to the GPU being unable to keep up with the increasing pixel count. The trend is similar at Medium settings, where 98 FPS at 1080p falls to 66 FPS at 1440p and 38 FPS at 4K.

The GPU's VRAM capacity of 10 GB appears sufficient for the tested presets, as the frame rates do not show signs of a hard memory capacity wall, such as a sudden catastrophic drop. Instead, the performance degradation is gradual, suggesting that the GPU's raw compute and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors rather than its storage capacity. The B570's benchmark scores, such as 11.52 TFLOPS FP32 and a Passmark G3D score of 14195, place it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs, but the data from Archeage indicates that this level of performance is better suited to 1080p and 1440p gaming.

The deltaPct values from the GPU's nearestRivals show it is closely matched with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile (0.1% difference) and the Intel Arc A750 (-0.1% difference). This suggests the B570's performance class is well-defined, and in Archeage, its results are consistent with a mid-range graphics card that excels at lower resolutions but struggles with 4K Ultra settings.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture, with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It features a substantial 128 MB of L3 cache. Its benchmark results are strong, with a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 47737 and a single-core score of 6739, placing it in the 91st percentile of all CPUs.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is most evident when examining the frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the system hits 110 FPS. If the CPU were a bottleneck, we would expect this number to be capped at a lower value. The fact that it scales up to this level indicates the 9900X3D is efficiently feeding the GPU with draw calls and game logic data. The 12-core, 24-thread configuration provides ample headroom for the MMORPG's background tasks and player interactions, which are often CPU-intensive.

The single-thread performance is also crucial for an older game like Archeage, which may not be fully optimized for multi-threading. The 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739 suggest that the CPU's per-core strength is high, which helps maintain good frame pacing. The data shows that at 1080p, the FPS is high across all presets, from 110 FPS at Low to 45 FPS at Ultra. This wide range suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor when settings are increased, as the CPU's performance is consistent enough to not artificially cap the frame rate.

The CPU's nearestRivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF, which has an average score that is -0.6% different from the 9900X3D. This indicates they are in the same performance tier, but the 9900X3D's large L3 cache may provide an advantage in games that benefit from it, though this is not explicitly quantified in the measured FPS data.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for a smooth 60 FPS experience?

A: According to the measured data, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 is the only configuration that achieves a minimum FPS at or above 60, with an average of 66 FPS and a minimum of 56 FPS. At 1920x1080, both the Low and Medium presets exceed 60 FPS on average, but the Medium preset's minimum of 83 FPS is even more stable.

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

A: The data indicates that 4K gaming is not viable for a smooth experience. The best 4K result is on the Low preset, which still only averages 42 FPS. The Medium preset averages 38 FPS with a minimum of 32 FPS, while High and Ultra presets drop to 26 FPS and 17 FPS respectively, making them unplayable.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High at 1080p?

A: The Ultra preset at 1080p averages 45 FPS, which is a significant 32% drop from the High preset's 66 FPS. This suggests that the Ultra preset imposes a heavy performance penalty, likely due to increased GPU load, and is not recommended for this hardware combination.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the main bottleneck at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the GPU is the primary bottleneck. The FPS drops from 74 at Low to 31 at Ultra, a clear sign of GPU-bound performance. The CPU's strong single and multi-core scores are sufficient to keep the frame rate high at lower settings, but as the GPU workload increases, it becomes the limiting factor.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570's performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The B570's average benchmark score is 20556, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and -0.1% lower than the Intel Arc A750. This indicates that these GPUs are essentially in the same performance class, and the measured FPS in Archeage reflects this mid-range positioning.

Q: What does the minimum FPS data tell us about frame pacing?

A: Minimum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p, the minimum is 83 FPS, at 1440p it is 56 FPS, and at 4K it is 32 FPS. This shows that the Medium preset provides a relatively stable frame rate, with the minimum staying close to the average, which is a sign of consistent performance.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions provides clear insight into the system's bottleneck. The data shows a consistent and significant drop in average FPS as resolution increases, across all settings. For the Low preset, the average FPS goes from 110 at 1080p, to 74 at 1440p, and finally to 42 at 4K. This represents a 33% drop from 1080p to 1440p and a further 43% drop from 1440p to 4K.

This pattern is a classic indicator of a GPU-bound scenario. The number of pixels being rendered increases geometrically with resolution, placing a proportionally higher load on the GPU. The CPU's workload, which is more related to game logic and draw calls, does not scale as heavily with resolution. Since the FPS drops so steeply, it confirms that the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting component in this system.

The scaling factor is consistent across all presets, suggesting that the GPU's memory bandwidth and compute resources are being saturated at high resolutions. The data shows that the gap between 1080p and 4K performance is roughly 60-70% across all settings, meaning the GPU simply cannot sustain the same level of output when the pixel count quadruples. This analysis makes it clear that users seeking high frame rates should prioritize 1080p or 1440p gaming, as the 4K experience is severely compromised.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates its peak performance. The Low preset delivers an average of 110 FPS, the Medium preset averages 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 and a maximum of 112, the High preset averages 66 FPS, and the Ultra preset brings the average down to 45 FPS. This shows a clear hierarchy, with a 65 FPS difference between Low and Ultra.

Moving to 2560x1440, there is a uniform drop. The Low preset averages 74 FPS, the Medium preset averages 66 FPS (minimum 56, maximum 76), the High preset averages 45 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 31 FPS. The performance gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 43 FPS, which is a smaller absolute difference than at 1080p, but the frame rates are all lower.

At 3840x2160, the system's limitations are fully exposed. The Low preset averages 42 FPS, the Medium preset averages 38 FPS (with a minimum of 32 and a maximum of 43), the High preset averages 26 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 17 FPS. The data shows that no preset can achieve a 60 FPS average at this resolution. The Medium preset's minimum of 32 FPS suggests that even this setting can experience noticeable stutters in demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and Intel Arc B570 combination is ranked 2983 out of 3708 tested combos in Archeage. This places it in the bottom 20% of all tested configurations, a ranking that reflects the GPU's inability to handle high resolutions and settings in this particular game.

This low rank is somewhat surprising given the CPU's high performance percentile (91st) and the GPU's mid-range standing (65th percentile). The data implies that Archeage's performance is heavily weighted towards GPU capability, and the B570's strengths at lower resolutions are not enough to boost the combo's standing when compared to systems with more powerful graphics cards. The rank of 2983 suggests that the majority of other tested combinations, likely featuring higher-end GPUs, are able to achieve better frame rates, particularly at 1440p and 4K.

The performance delta from the CPU's rivals, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (-0.6% difference), indicates that the CPU is not a differentiator in this ranking. The bottleneck is clearly the GPU, as evidenced by the FPS scaling analysis. This combination is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can deliver a solid experience, but its overall rank in the database reflects a system that is outclassed in more demanding scenarios.