Archeage

The Intel Core i5-10400F paired with the Intel Arc B570 delivers a playable experience in Archeage, but the data indicates that the optimal settings depend heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the best balance, delivering a 98 FPS average with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS, ensuring smooth gameplay without the significant performance penalty of the Ultra preset. The Low preset at this resolution pushes the average to 110 FPS, but the jump to Medium only costs 12 FPS while presumably offering better visual fidelity. At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the most sensible choice, as it maintains a 74 FPS average, whereas the Medium preset drops to 66 FPS and High falls to 45 FPS. For 3840x2160, the data shows that even the Low preset only manages a 42 FPS average; the Medium preset is slightly worse at 38 FPS, so the Low preset is the only viable option for maintaining a frame rate near playability, though it remains below the 60 FPS threshold that would be ideal for a smooth experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The benchmark data places this specific combination at rank 2222 out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage, positioning it in the lower-middle tier of all systems tested. This ranking indicates that while the combo is not among the weakest performers, it is far from top-tier for this MMORPG. The percentile data for the individual components provides context for this ranking. The Core i5-10400F sits at the 68th percentile among all CPUs, suggesting it has adequate processing power, while the Arc B570 GPU sits at the 65th percentile among all GPUs. Despite both components being near the 65th-68th percentile in their respective categories, the combination's rank in this specific game suggests that Archeage's engine is particularly demanding on the system as a whole, or that the pairing does not scale as well as other combinations. The data shows that this combo is in the 80th percentile of tested combos (2222/2761), meaning roughly 20% of tested systems perform worse, but a substantial majority perform better. This suggests that users should temper expectations for high-refresh-rate gameplay at higher resolutions and focus on the settings that yield the best playable experience, as detailed in the measurements.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is built on the Xe2-HPG architecture using a 5 nm process from TSMC. It features 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster operation pipelines. The GPU operates at a consistent 2500 MHz for both base and boost clocks, with memory running at 2375 MHz, which translates to 19 Gbps effective. The memory subsystem consists of 10 GB of GDDR6 on a 160-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. These specifications place the GPU at the 65th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 20556. In the context of Archeage, the GPU's role is critical, particularly at higher resolutions. The measured FPS data shows a clear trend: as resolution increases, the frame rate drops significantly, which points to the GPU becoming the primary bottleneck. For example, at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 98, but at 2560x1440 it falls to 66, and at 3840x2160 it drops to 38. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU's 10 GB VRAM and 380.0 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for the game's demands at lower resolutions, but at 4K, the rendering load exceeds what this GPU can handle efficiently. The GPU's closest rivals in the benchmark database include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile, which scores 0.1% higher, and the Intel Arc A750, which scores 0.1% lower, showing that the B570 is positioned exactly between these two cards in overall performance.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Archeage with this combo for a consistent 60+ FPS experience?

A: Based on the measured FPS data, the only resolution that consistently achieves a 60+ FPS average is 1920x1080. At this resolution, the Low preset averages 110 FPS, the Medium preset averages 98 FPS, and the High preset averages 66 FPS. The 2560x1440 Low preset averages 74 FPS, but this is the only 1440p setting that breaks the 60 FPS barrier.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to other settings in terms of performance?

A: The Ultra preset is significantly more demanding than other settings. At 1920x1080, Ultra averages 45 FPS, which is roughly half the performance of the Medium preset (98 FPS). At 2560x1440, Ultra averages 31 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it drops to just 17 FPS. The data indicates that the Ultra preset is not viable for a smooth experience at any resolution with this hardware.

Q: Is the Intel Arc B570's VRAM sufficient for Archeage at 4K?

A: The GPU has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory with a bandwidth of 380.0 GB/s. While the VRAM capacity appears sufficient on paper, the measured FPS at 3840x2160 is low: 42 FPS on Low, 38 FPS on Medium, and 26 FPS on High. The performance drop suggests that the GPU's rasterization and bandwidth limits, rather than raw VRAM capacity, are the primary contributors to the low frame rates at this resolution.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-10400F's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The i5-10400F has an average benchmark score of 14185. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6756E with a score of 14163 (0.2% lower), the Intel Core 7 160UL with a score of 14232 (0.3% higher), the AMD EPYC 7552 with a score of 14115 (0.5% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 3 7320C with a score of 14277 (0.6% higher). These tiny deltas indicate that the i5-10400F is precisely in the middle of a tight performance cluster.

Q: What is the frame time consistency like for the Medium preset?

A: The Medium preset is the only setting where both minimum and maximum FPS values are recorded. At 1920x1080, the average is 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. At 2560x1440, the average is 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS. At 3840x2160, the average is 38 FPS with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS. The spread between minimum and maximum is consistent, suggesting stable frame pacing.

Q: Does the combo rank change my expectations for gameplay in large-scale PvP or crowded areas?

A: The combo rank of 2222 out of 2761 tested combos suggests that this system is in the lower half of performance for Archeage. While the measured FPS data represents specific benchmark conditions, the relatively low rank implies that the system may struggle in CPU-intensive scenarios common in MMORPGs, such as large player gatherings, though the data does not explicitly measure this scenario.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals a clear pattern of GPU limitation. Starting at 1920x1080 with the Medium preset, the average FPS is 98. Moving to 2560x1440, the average drops to 66 FPS, representing a 32.7% decrease in performance. Moving further to 3840x2160, the average drops to 38 FPS, a 42.4% decrease from the 1440p figure and a 61.2% decrease from the 1080p figure. This scaling pattern is consistent across all settings. For the High preset, the FPS drops from 66 at 1080p to 45 at 1440p (31.8% decrease) and then to 26 at 4K (42.2% decrease from 1440p). The Low preset shows a similar trend: 110 FPS at 1080p, 74 FPS at 1440p (32.7% decrease), and 42 FPS at 4K (43.2% decrease). The near-identical percentage drops across all settings when moving from 1080p to 1440p and from 1440p to 4K strongly indicate that the GPU is the limiting component. The pixel count increases by 2.25x from 1080p to 1440p and by 4x from 1080p to 4K, and the FPS drops almost proportionally, confirming that the Arc B570's rasterization throughput is the bottleneck. The CPU appears to have sufficient headroom, as the frame rate scales predictably with resolution rather than being capped by CPU limitations at lower resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-10400F is a 6-core, 12-thread processor based on the Comet Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, with 12 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports dual-channel DDR4 memory with a bandwidth of 42.7 GB/s. Its benchmark scores position it at the 68th percentile among all CPUs, with an average score of 14185. In single-threaded performance, it scores 688 in 3dmark_single_thread and 2541 in PassMark single-thread tests, while its multi-threaded capabilities are shown in scores like 10283 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 12115 in PassMark multi-thread. For an MMORPG like Archeage, which relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and draw calls, the i5-10400F's boost clock of 4.30 GHz and 6 cores provide a solid foundation. The data shows that in this combo, the CPU is not the limiting factor at lower resolutions. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 110 FPS, and at 1440p Low it achieves 74 FPS, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU sufficiently at these settings. However, the CPU's performance relative to its rivals is tightly clustered; the nearest rivals have average scores within 0.6% of the i5-10400F, meaning that upgrading to a similarly-scoring CPU would yield negligible gains. The CPU's 12 MB L3 cache and 6 physical cores are likely sufficient for Archeage's requirements, as the FPS scaling is much more strongly tied to resolution changes than to settings changes, which primarily affect GPU load.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete set of measured FPS data for the Intel Core i5-10400F + Intel Arc B570 combo in Archeage is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: Average 110 FPS; the highest frame rate recorded for this combo, indicating that at this resolution and setting, the system has significant headroom.
• Medium: Average 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS; the minimum stays well above 60 FPS, making this the recommended setting for consistent smoothness.
• High: Average 66 FPS; this setting still provides a playable experience, but the margin above 60 FPS is thin.
• Ultra: Average 45 FPS; this setting is not recommended for smooth gameplay, as the frame rate falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

2560x1440:

• Low: Average 74 FPS; this is the only 1440p setting that maintains a comfortable frame rate above 60 FPS.
• Medium: Average 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS; the minimum dips below 60 FPS, indicating potential stutters in demanding scenes.
• High: Average 45 FPS; a significant drop from the Low preset, showing that the GPU struggles with higher fidelity at this resolution.
• Ultra: Average 31 FPS; this setting is not viable for actual gameplay.

3840x2160:

• Low: Average 42 FPS; this is the best achievable frame rate at 4K, but it is below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel sluggish.
• Medium: Average 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS; the minimum is quite low, suggesting frame drops in busy areas.
• High: Average 26 FPS; the game becomes nearly unplayable at this setting.
• Ultra: Average 17 FPS; this setting produces a slideshow-like experience and should be avoided.

The data shows a consistent pattern: the Ultra preset is disproportionately demanding, costing roughly 50% of the frame rate compared to Medium at each resolution. The difference between Low and Medium is more modest, typically around 10-15%, making Medium a preferable choice when the frame rate allows. The minimum FPS values, only recorded for the Medium preset, show that the frame time variance is manageable, with the minimum staying within 15-20% of the average. This suggests that the game does not exhibit severe frame pacing issues at Medium settings, which is encouraging for players who prioritize stability over maximum visual quality.