Archeage

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER presents a striking case study in bottleneck dynamics within ArcheAge. The benchmark data shows a system where the GPU’s raw capability is frequently held in check by the processor’s four-core design, a relationship that becomes more apparent as resolution scales. At 1080p, the frame rates are exceptionally high, but the scaling pattern reveals that the CPU is the primary limiter. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 and finally to 3840x2160, the average frame rate at High settings drops from 163.9 to 108.9 and then to 63.0. This 61% reduction from 1080p to 4K is substantial, yet the absolute numbers at 4K remain respectable, suggesting that while the GPU is increasingly stressed at higher resolutions, the CPU still prevents the system from achieving the frame rates the RTX 4080 SUPER could otherwise deliver in a less CPU-bound title.

Resolution Scaling

The resolution scaling data for ArcheAge is illuminating. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 228.4 FPS, a figure that suggests the CPU is nearing its practical limit for this engine. When the resolution is increased to 2560x1440 at the same Low preset, the frame rate drops to 180.8 FPS, a 20.8% decrease. This relatively modest drop indicates that the GPU is not yet the limiting factor at 1440p Low; the CPU is still the primary constraint. However, the trend changes at 3840x2160, where the Low preset yields 104.9 FPS. This represents a 42% drop from the 1440p figure, showing that the GPU is now being tasked more heavily, but the frame rate remains well above the 63 FPS recorded at 4K High.

The more demanding presets paint a clearer picture of the GPU's role. At High settings, the frame rate drops from 163.9 FPS at 1080p to 108.9 FPS at 1440p, a 32.9% reduction, and then to 63.0 FPS at 4K, another 42.1% reduction. This scaling is closer to what one would expect from a pure GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 4080 SUPER's pixel rate of 285.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 816.0 GTexel/s are being utilized more effectively as resolution increases. The data suggests that at 1080p and 1440p, the i3-12100F's four cores and eight threads are the bottleneck, preventing the GPU from reaching its full potential. At 4K, the load shifts toward the GPU, but the CPU still limits the top-end frame rate, as evidenced by the 104.9 FPS at Low settings, which is far below what the GPU's compute capabilities would suggest.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combo in ArcheAge?

A: The highest recorded average frame rate is 228.4 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13516. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, scores 13534, making the i3-12100F 0.1% slower. It is 0.4% faster than the Intel Core i7-1250U, which scores 13462, and 0.6% faster than the Intel Core i3-10105, which scores 13430.

Q: What is the GPU's performance percentile relative to all GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER is in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610.

Q: At which resolution and settings does the system achieve a frame rate closest to 100 FPS?

A: At 3840x2160 with Low settings, the system achieves 104.9 FPS. The next closest is 1440p Ultra at 72.1 FPS, which is significantly lower.

Q: What is the CPU's single-threaded performance score, and how does it relate to gaming?

A: The CPU's single-threaded score in PassMark is 3444. In Cinebench R23, the single-core score is 1681. These scores indicate solid single-thread performance, which is relevant for ArcheAge's engine, but the four-core limit still binds overall performance.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested combinations for this game?

A: The combo ranks 135th out of 1727 tested combinations for ArcheAge, placing it in the top 8% of all tested systems.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i3-12100F is a four-core, eight-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. Its benchmark results show a significant gap between multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 11912 multi-core and 1681 single-core. The multi-core score is 7.1 times higher than the single-core score, which is expected for a processor with eight threads, but the absolute multi-core figure is modest compared to higher-core-count CPUs. The data indicates that the CPU's performance is sufficient to drive ArcheAge to high frame rates at lower resolutions, but it becomes the limiting factor when trying to push beyond 200 FPS.

The CPU's percentile rank of 72 among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 13516, places it above the median but far from the top. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which has a nearly identical average score, and the Intel Core i7-7700K, which is 1.8% slower. This suggests that the i3-12100F offers competitive multi-threaded performance for its class, but in a game like ArcheAge, which historically relies on fewer cores, the single-thread performance becomes more critical. The CPU's 3dmark single-thread score of 893 and Geekbench single-core score of 2224 are solid, but they are not enough to compensate for the lack of additional cores when the GPU is waiting for data. In the measured results, the CPU's role is evident in the 1080p Low setting, where the frame rate of 228.4 FPS appears to be a ceiling imposed by the processor, not the GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the High preset delivers 163.9 FPS, which is well above the threshold for smooth gameplay on most monitors. The Medium preset offers 217.4 FPS, and Low offers 228.4 FPS, but the jump from High to Medium is more significant than from Medium to Low, suggesting diminishing returns. For a 1080p display, High settings provide a good balance, as the frame rate is already high, and the visual quality improvement from Medium to High is likely worth the 53.5 FPS reduction.

At 2560x1440, the High preset achieves 108.9 FPS, which is still very playable. The Medium preset yields 162.1 FPS, but the visual difference between Medium and High at this resolution may be noticeable. The Ultra preset drops to 72.1 FPS, which is still playable but approaches the lower limit for fast-paced action. For 1440p, High is the recommended preset, as it maintains a high frame rate while offering better visual fidelity than Medium. At 3840x2160, the situation changes. The High preset only achieves 63.0 FPS, which is borderline for a smooth experience. The Medium preset offers 90.3 FPS, and Low offers 104.9 FPS. For 4K gaming, the Medium preset is the best choice, as it provides a substantial frame rate improvement over High while still maintaining acceptable visual quality. The Ultra preset at 42.7 FPS is not recommended for 4K, as the frame rate drops below the playable threshold for most users.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i3-12100F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER ranks 135th out of 1727 tested combinations for ArcheAge. This places it in the top 7.8% of all systems tested, which is a strong showing. However, the ranking is likely held back by the CPU's limitations. The GPU is in the 88th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 53610, while the CPU is in the 72nd percentile, with an average score of 13516. The disparity in percentile ranks suggests that the GPU is capable of much higher performance than the CPU can feed it in this game.

The GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, which scores 53489, making the RTX 4080 SUPER 0.2% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, which scores 52086, making the RTX 4080 SUPER 2.9% faster. This indicates that the GPU is at the top of its class. The CPU's nearest rivals, on the other hand, include the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 3975WX, which is only 0.1% faster, and the Intel Core i7-7700K, which is 1.8% slower. This shows that the CPU is competitive with older high-end processors but lacks the core count of modern top-tier chips. The ranking of 135th overall suggests that while the combo is strong, it is not in the top tier for ArcheAge, which likely favors systems with more balanced CPU-GPU pairings.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of the combo's performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system achieves 228.4 FPS on Low, 217.4 FPS on Medium, 163.9 FPS on High, and 111.7 FPS on Ultra. The drop from Medium to High is 53.5 FPS, while the drop from High to Ultra is 52.2 FPS, showing a consistent step-down. At 2560x1440, the frame rates are 180.8 FPS on Low, 162.1 FPS on Medium, 108.9 FPS on High, and 72.1 FPS on Ultra. The difference between Low and Medium at 1440p is 18.7 FPS, which is much smaller than the 11.0 FPS difference at 1080p, indicating that the CPU is becoming more of a factor at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly: 104.9 FPS on Low, 90.3 FPS on Medium, 63.0 FPS on High, and 42.7 FPS on Ultra. The transition from Low to Medium at 4K is a 14.6 FPS drop, and from Medium to High is a 27.3 FPS drop. The Ultra setting at 4K is nearly 20 FPS lower than High, making it the least playable option. The data shows that the combo is capable of high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K, the user must choose between visual quality and frame rate. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 736.3 GB/s and 16 GB of GDDR6X memory are sufficient for 4K textures, but the CPU's limitations become more pronounced as the resolution increases, preventing the system from maintaining high frame rates at Ultra settings.