Archeage

# Archeage: AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Analysis

The data for Archeage with the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 presents a clear picture of how this flagship pairing handles a 2014 MMORPG. Measured FPS across resolutions and settings reveals a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-limited at higher loads but shows the CPU's strong single-thread capabilities at lower settings. This analysis walks through the resolution scaling, CPU and GPU roles, and provides specific settings recommendations based solely on the measured frame rates.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep drop as resolution increases, which is typical for a game of this era but amplified by the RTX 4090's raw power. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo averages 298 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 200 FPS, a reduction of 98 FPS (approximately 33%). At 4K Low, the average falls to 115 FPS, which is 61.5% below the 1080p Low figure.

This scaling pattern becomes more pronounced at higher settings. At Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 265 at 1080p, to 178 at 1440p, and down to 102 at 4K. The drop from 1080p to 1440p is 87 FPS, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is 76 FPS. For High settings, the progression is 180 FPS at 1080p, 121 FPS at 1440p, and 69 FPS at 4K.

The most telling data point is at Ultra settings. Here, the averages are 123 FPS at 1080p, 83 FPS at 1440p, and just 47 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra figure is the lowest measured in the entire dataset, coming in at just 15.8% of the 1080p Low performance. This indicates that at Ultra and 4K, the RTX 4090 is being pushed to its limits, as the game's draw distances and particle effects combine with high pixel counts.

The scaling behavior suggests that at 1080p and 1440p with Low or Medium settings, the CPU is likely the limiting factor, as the FPS ceilings are extremely high. However, at 4K, particularly with High or Ultra settings, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, evidenced by the dramatic reductions in average FPS. The data shows that this combination is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1440p gaming, where it can comfortably exceed 120 FPS at High settings, or even 200+ FPS at Low.

CPU Role

The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D is a 12-core, 24-thread processor based on the Zen 5 architecture (Granite Ridge), with a base clock of 4.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. Its 128 MB of L3 cache is substantial, and its single-thread performance is strong, as evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 1269 and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 6739.

In Archeage, an MMORPG, single-thread performance is often more critical than multi-thread scaling. The game's engine, dating from 2014, may not efficiently utilize all 24 threads. The data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system achieves 298 FPS, which is a very high number that likely approaches the engine's render thread limit. The CPU's 3DMark 2-thread score of 2512 is notably high, indicating strong performance on lightly-threaded workloads.

The Ryzen 9 9900X3D's multi-thread capabilities are also impressive, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 47737 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 22884. However, these high multi-thread scores may not translate directly to Archeage performance if the game does not scale well beyond a few cores. The data shows that at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 47, which is far below the CPU's potential ceiling, suggesting that the GPU is the limiting factor at this extreme setting.

The CPU's percentile rank of 91 among all CPUs places it in the top tier, but its nearest rivals in average benchmark score include the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF (55093 vs 54762, a -0.6% delta) and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K (54053, a 1.3% delta). These comparisons show that while the 9900X3D is highly competitive, it does not hold a decisive lead over some mid-range rivals in synthetic benchmarks, though its gaming-specific features like the large L3 cache may provide advantages in certain titles.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings for this hardware combination depend on the target resolution and refresh rate. The data shows a clear hierarchy across the four preset levels: Low, Medium, High, and Ultra.

For 1080p gaming, the High preset delivers an average of 180 FPS, which is excellent for high-refresh-rate monitors (e.g., 144Hz or 165Hz). The Medium preset pushes this to 265 FPS, with a minimum of 225 FPS, which would be ideal for a 240Hz display. The Ultra preset at 1080p still averages 123 FPS, but the drop from High to Ultra is 57 FPS, a 31.7% penalty. Given that the game is an MMORPG, the visual fidelity gains from Ultra may not justify the significant FPS loss.

At 1440p, the High preset is the most balanced recommendation, yielding 121 FPS average. This hits the sweet spot for 120Hz monitors. The Medium preset offers 178 FPS, which is suitable for 165Hz or 175Hz displays, with a minimum of 152 FPS ensuring smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 83 FPS, which is still playable but may feel less fluid on high-refresh displays. The Low preset at 1440p (200 FPS) is only recommended for competitive play where maximum frame rate is prioritized over visuals.

For 4K, the data becomes more restrictive. The High preset averages 69 FPS, which is borderline for a 60Hz display but may have noticeable frame time spikes. The Medium preset averages 102 FPS, which is better suited for a 100Hz+ display, with a minimum of 87 FPS. The Low preset at 4K (115 FPS) is the only setting that provides a comfortable margin above 100 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K (47 FPS) is not recommended, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

The best experience per the measured rows is the Medium preset at 1440p, which balances a high average of 178 FPS with a respectable minimum of 152 FPS and maximum of 205 FPS. This combination provides smooth gameplay without sacrificing too much visual quality. For 4K users, the Medium preset is also the best choice, as it is the only setting that maintains an average above 100 FPS while retaining some visual fidelity.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p with High settings is 180 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 4090 bottleneck this CPU in Archeage?

A: At 4K with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 47, indicating the GPU is the limiting factor. However, at 1080p with Low settings (298 FPS), the CPU is more likely the bottleneck, as the frame rate is extremely high.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance, averaging 178 FPS with a minimum of 152 FPS, which is ideal for high-refresh-rate monitors.

Q: How does the combo's rank in Archeage compare to other tested combinations?

A: The combo ranks 56th out of 2761 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2% of all tested systems for this game.

Q: What is the minimum FPS at 4K with Medium settings?

A: The measured minimum FPS at 4K with Medium settings is 87 FPS, with an average of 102 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS.

Q: Is the Ultra preset viable at 1080p?

A: Yes, the Ultra preset at 1080p averages 123 FPS, which is still smooth, but it is 57 FPS lower than the High preset, so the visual upgrade comes at a significant performance cost.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture (AD102 chip) and features 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus, providing 1.01 TB/s of memory bandwidth. Its boost clock is 2520 MHz, and it has 16384 shading units, 512 TMUs, and 176 ROPs. The GPU's FP32 performance is 82.58 TFLOPS, which is substantial.

In Archeage, the GPU's role becomes increasingly important as resolution and settings increase. At 1080p Low, the GPU is not the bottleneck, as the CPU is likely limiting the frame rate to 298 FPS. However, at 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor, with the average FPS dropping to 47. This is a 251 FPS difference from the 1080p Low result, demonstrating how the GPU's workload scales with pixel count and graphical complexity.

The RTX 4090's large 24 GB VRAM buffer is unlikely to be a limiting factor in Archeage, as the game's textures and assets from 2014 are relatively modest. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s is also more than sufficient for the game's requirements. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as a Passmark G3D score of 38194 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 9223, indicate high raw performance, but these synthetic benchmarks may not directly translate to Archeage's specific rendering paths.

The GPU's percentile rank of 88 among all GPUs places it in the top 12%, but its nearest rivals in average benchmark score, such as the Intel Arc Pro A60 (60326 vs 60347, a 0% delta) and the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 (60140, a 0.3% delta), are professional-grade cards with different driver optimizations. This suggests that the RTX 4090's gaming performance is strong, but its benchmark score is not dramatically higher than some workstation cards, which may not reflect its actual gaming superiority.

The data shows that the RTX 4090's performance in Archeage is more than adequate for 1080p and 1440p gaming at most settings, but it struggles to maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra, indicating that the game's engine may have inefficiencies that even this high-end GPU cannot overcome.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings presets.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average of 298 FPS. The Medium preset averages 265 FPS, with a minimum of 225 FPS and a maximum of 305 FPS. The High preset averages 180 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 123 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 175 FPS, with the Ultra preset being 58.7% slower than Low.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 200 FPS. The Medium preset averages 178 FPS, with a minimum of 152 FPS and a maximum of 205 FPS. The High preset averages 121 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 83 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 117 FPS, with Ultra being 58.5% slower than Low.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 115 FPS. The Medium preset averages 102 FPS, with a minimum of 87 FPS and a maximum of 117 FPS. The High preset averages 69 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 47 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 68 FPS, with Ultra being 59.1% slower than Low.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: the Ultra preset incurs a roughly 59% performance penalty compared to Low across all resolutions. This suggests that the Ultra preset's additional visual effects (e.g., enhanced shadows, ambient occlusion, or draw distances) have a similar relative cost regardless of pixel count. The Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and quality, with only a 11-15% reduction from Low in average FPS across all resolutions.

The minimum FPS values are only provided for Medium settings: 225 FPS at 1080p, 152 FPS at 1440p, and 87 FPS at 4K. These minimums indicate that the Medium preset provides a stable frame rate with minimal drops, which is crucial for an MMORPG where player interactions and large-scale battles can cause frame rate fluctuations.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 56th out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage. This places the system in the top 2.03% of all tested configurations, which is an exceptional result given the large number of possible CPU-GPU pairings.

This ranking is notable because it outperforms many other high-end combinations. The rank of 56 suggests that while this is a top-tier setup, there are 55 other combinations that achieve higher measured FPS in this specific game. This could be due to variations in other system components, driver versions, or specific CPU-GPU pairings that are better optimized for Archeage's engine.

The CPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, such as the Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245K, show that the 9900X3D is not the absolute fastest processor on average (with deltas of -0.6% and 1.3%, respectively). However, the CPU's high percentile rank (91) and strong single-thread scores suggest it is well-suited for gaming workloads.

The GPU's nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks, including the Intel Arc Pro A60 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48, are not gaming-focused cards, and the RTX 4090's superior gaming pedigree is evident in its ability to drive high frame rates in Archeage. The combo's rank of 56 indicates that it is a top-performing system, but the data also shows that there is room for improvement, perhaps through overclocking the CPU (which has an unlocked multiplier) or adjusting in-game settings to better match the hardware's strengths.

Given that the combo ranks in the top 2% of all tested systems, users can expect an excellent Archeage experience at most resolutions and settings, with the only compromise being at 4K Ultra where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS. For users targeting 1080p or 1440p gaming, this combo is among the best available, delivering frame rates that far exceed the requirements of most high-refresh-rate monitors.