Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, remains surprisingly demanding on modern hardware at higher settings. For the combination of the Intel Core i5-10400F and the AMD Radeon RX 9060, the data reveals a system that can deliver smooth 1080p and 1440p gameplay at medium settings, but struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K. The benchmark results indicate that this pairing is balanced at lower resolutions, where the CPU and GPU share the load, but shifts decisively to a GPU bottleneck as resolution and graphical fidelity increase.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on Intel's 14 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz. This configuration provides a substantial amount of processing power for a game like Archeage, which is an MMORPG where many player characters and NPCs can be present in a single area, creating significant CPU load.

The CPU's benchmark scores paint a clear picture of its capability. In synthetic tests, the i5-10400F achieves a multi-threaded score of 10,283 in Cinebench R23, while its single-thread score is 1,451. This indicates a strong balance between multi-core performance for handling the game's background simulation and single-core performance, which is often critical for the main game logic and rendering thread. Furthermore, the processor sits at the 68th percentile when compared to all CPUs, placing it above the majority of processors in terms of overall performance.

In the context of Archeage, the CPU's role is evident when examining the measured FPS at 1080p. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves an average of 142 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, it reaches 126 FPS. These high frame rates suggest that the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU with enough data to keep it busy. The data indicates that the processing power of the i5-10400F provides a solid foundation for high frame rates, even in an older MMORPG known to be sensitive to CPU performance. The 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support also contribute to the system's responsiveness.

When compared to its nearest rivals, the i5-10400F's position is clear. Its average benchmark score of 14,185 is virtually identical to that of the Intel Xeon 6756E, which scores 14,163, a negligible 0.2% difference. This places the i5-10400F in the same performance tier as server-class processors in aggregate benchmarks. Interestingly, it also trades blows with the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, which has an average score of 14,277, putting the i5-10400F slightly behind at -0.6%. This shows that while the CPU is not a top-tier part, it holds its own against a range of other options, ensuring it is not the primary limiting factor in most gaming scenarios.

The boost clock of 4.30 GHz is the key to its single-threaded performance, which is essential for maintaining high frame rates in Archeage. The benchmark results show that the system can push past 140 FPS at lower settings, which is a direct result of this CPU's ability to quickly process game logic. The data suggests that for players targeting high refresh rate monitors at 1080p, the i5-10400F provides ample performance, even if it is not the absolute fastest option available, as indicated by its 68th percentile ranking.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is a modern graphics card built on the RDNA 4.0 architecture with the Navi 44 chip, manufactured on a 4 nm process by TSMC. It comes equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 288.0 GB/s. The card's boost clock is rated at 2990 MHz, with a game clock of 2400 MHz, which are high frequencies that contribute to its strong computational throughput.

The GPU's synthetic performance scores show that it is a capable mid-range part. It achieves a Passmark G3D score of 17,631 and an average benchmark score of 16,014, placing it in the 59th percentile of all GPUs. Its performance is closely matched with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16,129, a difference of only -0.7%. This suggests that the RX 9060 delivers a similar level of raw graphical performance to a well-known previous-generation card.

In Archeage, the GPU's role becomes increasingly dominant as the resolution and settings are raised. The measured FPS data shows a clear progression of the GPU becoming the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 142 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 58 FPS. This steep decline indicates that the more demanding settings are placing a heavy load on the GPU's shading units and texture mapping units. The card has 1,792 shading units, 112 TMUs, and 64 ROPs, which are tasked with rendering the game's world.

The 8 GB of VRAM is a crucial factor for playing at higher resolutions. While the card can handle 1080p and 1440p easily, the 4K results suggest a potential VRAM limitation. At 4K Medium, the average FPS is 49, and at 4K High, it drops to 33. The step up to 4K Ultra yields only 23 FPS. These numbers indicate that the GPU is severely strained at 4K, and the 128-bit memory bus, while fast, may not have sufficient bandwidth to feed the large amount of data required for high-resolution textures. The GPU's performance relative to the RTX 3060 Ti suggests that users can expect similar frame rates in this game, meaning it is a solid choice for 1080p and 1440p gaming but not for 4K at high settings.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. The data shows an average of 126 FPS with minimum and maximum values of 107 and 145 FPS, respectively. This ensures a consistently smooth experience without the frame rate dipping below 100 FPS, which is ideal for fast-paced gameplay. While the Low preset offers a higher average of 142 FPS, the jump to Medium is worth the slight performance cost for a significant visual upgrade.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice. The benchmark results show an average of 85 FPS, with a minimum of 72 FPS and a maximum of 98 FPS. This is well within the range of playable frame rates and provides a much better visual experience than the Low preset, which averages 95 FPS. The High preset at this resolution averages 58 FPS, which is still playable but begins to show a noticeable dip in smoothness, making Medium the safer choice for maintaining a stable frame rate.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes drastically. The only preset that achieves a playable frame rate is Low, with an average of 55 FPS. The Medium preset averages 49 FPS, which is borderline, but the minimum FPS drops to 41, which can lead to noticeable stuttering in busy areas. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended for 4K, as they average 33 and 23 FPS, respectively, making the game feel sluggish and unresponsive. Therefore, for a 4K experience, users must significantly lower graphical settings to maintain playability.

Overall, the sweet spot for this system is the Medium preset at 1080p or 1440p. It delivers frame rates that are high enough for a responsive experience while still allowing the game to look visually appealing. The data strongly suggests that pushing to High or Ultra at 1440p, or any setting above Low at 4K, will result in a compromised experience. This configuration is best suited for high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming or solid 60 FPS gaming at 1440p.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: Can this system run Archeage at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, where it achieves an average of 55 FPS. At Medium settings, the average drops to 49 FPS, and at High and Ultra, it falls to 33 and 23 FPS, respectively, which are not playable.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1080p gameplay?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice. It provides an average of 126 FPS with a minimum of 107 FPS, ensuring a smooth experience. While the Low preset offers a higher average of 142 FPS, the Medium preset provides a better visual experience with a minimal performance penalty.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14,185. This is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon 6756E, which scores 14,163, a 0.2% difference. It is also very close to the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C, which scores 14,277, putting the i5-10400F slightly behind at -0.6%.

Q: How does the GPU's performance compare to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is very closely matched with the RTX 3060 Ti. The RX 9060 has an average benchmark score of 16,014, while the RTX 3060 Ti has a score of 16,129, representing a performance difference of only -0.7%.

Q: Is the GPU or the CPU the limiting factor at 1440p High settings?

A: The data indicates that the GPU becomes the limiting factor at this setting. The system averages 58 FPS at 1440p High, a significant drop from the 85 FPS at Medium. This steep decline is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck, as the CPU's performance is less affected by the increased graphical load.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this system in Archeage?

A: The lowest average FPS is 23, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset. This is the most demanding configuration measured and results in a very poor frame rate.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured FPS data provides a clear illustration of how performance scales with resolution. Examining the Medium settings preset, which has the most complete data, shows a dramatic decline as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the average FPS is 126. Moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 85 FPS. Finally, at 3840x2160, the average plummets to 49 FPS.

This scaling pattern reveals the nature of the bottleneck. From 1080p to 1440p, there is a 32.5% drop in frame rate. From 1440p to 4K, there is an additional 42.4% drop. The increasing rate of decline as resolution rises is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p, the CPU is able to keep up with the GPU's output, but as the pixel count increases, the GPU has to work much harder to fill each frame, and its performance becomes the limiting factor.

The same pattern is visible in the High settings preset. The system averages 86 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. This shows that the GPU's rendering capabilities are the primary constraint. The i5-10400F, with its strong single-threaded performance, is not the bottleneck in these scenarios. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the frame rates would be more consistent across resolutions. Instead, the data shows that the RX 9060 is being pushed to its limits as resolution increases.

This analysis confirms that the AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the component that determines the system's gaming ceiling in Archeage. The CPU provides enough headroom to allow the GPU to be the limiting factor. Consequently, players looking to improve performance at 1440p or 4K would need to upgrade the graphics card, as the current CPU is unlikely to be a significant constraint. The data indicates a well-balanced system for 1080p, but one where the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus limit high-resolution performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for each resolution and settings combination:

1920x1080

• Low: The average FPS is 142. This is the highest frame rate recorded for this system, indicating a CPU-limited scenario where the GPU has plenty of headroom.
• Medium: The average FPS is 126, with a minimum of 107 and a maximum of 145. This shows a stable performance window, making it the ideal choice for high-refresh-rate monitors.
• High: The average FPS is 86. This represents a significant drop from Medium, indicating increased load on the GPU.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 58. This is the most demanding setting at 1080p and shows that the GPU is starting to struggle.

2560x1440

• Low: The average FPS is 95. This remains a very playable frame rate for most users.
• Medium: The average FPS is 85, with a minimum of 72 and a maximum of 98. This is a solid performance level for a 1440p experience.
• High: The average FPS is 58. This is a playable, but noticeably less smooth experience compared to Medium.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 39. This frame rate is on the edge of playability and may cause issues in fast-paced combat.

3840x2160

• Low: The average FPS is 55. This is the only 4K setting that provides a reasonably smooth experience.
• Medium: The average FPS is 49, with a minimum of 41 and a maximum of 56. The minimum FPS suggests potential for stuttering.
• High: The average FPS is 33. This is not a playable frame rate for an MMORPG.
• Ultra: The average FPS is 23. This is the lowest recorded score and is not recommended.

These numbers show that the system is most comfortable at 1080p, where it can handle even Ultra settings at a playable 58 FPS. At 1440p, the Medium preset is the sweet spot, offering a good balance. At 4K, however, the system is only viable at Low settings, with all other presets resulting in frame rates that are below 60 FPS and often much lower.