Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents a demanding workload that scales significantly with resolution and graphical presets. The measured performance for the Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER reveals a configuration that is firmly positioned for 1080p play, with capabilities that diminish rapidly as resolution increases. The data indicates a clear hierarchy in performance bottlenecks, shifting from a balanced load at lower resolutions to a GPU-bound scenario at 4K, while the CPU's six-core architecture proves sufficient for the game's threading demands.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate data demonstrates a steep performance drop as resolution climbs from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers an average of 61 FPS, which is a playable baseline for an MMORPG. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same High preset, the average FPS falls to 43.1, a reduction of approximately 29%. The most severe decline occurs at 3840x2160, where the average FPS plummets to 23.8, representing a further 45% drop from the 1440p figure and a total decline of over 61% from the 1080p result. This scaling pattern strongly indicates that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The behavior across different quality presets reinforces this conclusion. At 1440p, the difference between Low (65.8 FPS) and High (43.1 FPS) settings is substantial, but the gap between High and Ultra (27.3 FPS) is even more pronounced, showing a 37% performance hit. This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU that is running out of pixel processing headroom. At 4K, the situation becomes critical; even the Low preset only achieves 36.2 FPS, and the Ultra preset collapses to 13.6 FPS, which is effectively unplayable. The data suggests that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit memory interface are insufficient for the demands of 4K rendering in this title, as the performance cliff from High to Ultra at 4K (from 23.8 to 13.6 FPS) indicates a severe bandwidth or capacity constraint.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER, built on the Turing architecture with a TU116 chip, is the dominant factor in this combo's performance profile. Its specifications, including a boost clock of 1785 MHz and 1408 shading units, provide the raw compute power for rendering. The memory subsystem, featuring 6 GB of GDDR6 on a 192-bit bus with a bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s, is a critical component. The measured FPS data shows that at 1080p, the GPU manages to keep up with the CPU, delivering 97.8 FPS at Low settings and 87.1 FPS at Medium. However, the 61 FPS result at High and 43.1 FPS at Ultra indicate that the card's fill rate and memory bandwidth are being taxed heavily by the higher-quality textures and effects.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 55 among all GPUs places it in the mid-range tier, and its average benchmark score of 14286 is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, including the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 and Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics, with deltaPct values of -0.2% and -0.2%, respectively. This indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER is a solid, but not exceptional, performer. In Archeage, the GPU's role is clear: it determines the ceiling for frame rates at higher resolutions and presets. The 4K data, where even Low settings yield only 36.2 FPS, confirms that the GPU's 6 GB memory capacity is a limiting factor, as the game likely exceeds this allocation at higher detail levels, causing significant stuttering and frame drops. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for the massive texture loads at 4K Ultra, resulting in the catastrophic 13.6 FPS average.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, provides the computational foundation for this combo. Its base clock of 2.60 GHz and boost clock of 4.40 GHz are adequate for gaming workloads. The CPU's benchmark results, such as a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 14372 and a single-core score of 2029, indicate strong multi-threaded and single-threaded performance. In the context of Archeage, an MMORPG that often has many players and NPCs on screen, the CPU's threading capability is crucial for maintaining frame rates in crowded areas. The CPU's percentile ranking of 75 among all CPUs is notably higher than the GPU's 55, suggesting that the processor has more headroom than the graphics card.

The measured FPS data supports this analysis. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 97.8 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit for the game's engine. However, as resolution increases, the FPS drops, which is a classic sign of the GPU becoming the bottleneck. The CPU's 12 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support (with a bandwidth of 51.2 GB/s) are sufficient for feeding the GPU at lower resolutions. The fact that the FPS at 1440p High (43.1 FPS) is identical to 1080p Ultra (43.1 FPS) further suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor in both scenarios, as the CPU is able to maintain the same level of input processing. The CPU's nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 5700U with a deltaPct of 0%, show that the i5-11400F is performing exactly as expected for its class, with no anomalies in its compute output. In this game, the CPU is not the primary constraint, but its six physical cores are essential for avoiding stutters in complex scenes.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Archeage?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 is the only resolution where the combo consistently achieves playable frame rates. At High settings, it averages 61 FPS, while at Low and Medium it reaches 97.8 and 87.1 FPS, respectively. The 1440p and 4K results fall below the 60 FPS threshold for most presets.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: The average frame rate drops from 61 FPS at 1920x1080 to 23.8 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a performance reduction of over 61%, confirming that the GPU is the limiting component at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB of VRAM enough for Archeage?

A: The data suggests it is insufficient at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS collapses to 13.6. The severe drop from 4K High (23.8 FPS) to 4K Ultra (13.6 FPS) indicates that the memory capacity or bandwidth is being exceeded, causing a significant performance cliff.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this configuration?

A: At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 97.8 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's limit. However, since frame rates drop consistently as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck. The CPU, with a percentile rank of 75, appears to have more headroom than the GPU, which ranks in the 55th percentile.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its closest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17181, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 7 5700U has a deltaPct of 0%, while the Intel Core i7-1260P and Core Ultra 7 164U are both -0.2%, indicating virtually no performance difference in aggregate.

Q: What is the impact of Ultra settings on frame rates at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset yields an average of 27.3 FPS, which is a 53% drop from the High preset's 43.1 FPS. This is a substantial hit, making Ultra settings unsuitable for smooth gameplay at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination ranks 1536 out of 1727 tested combos in Archeage. This places it in the bottom 11% of all configurations, which is a low position given the hardware's specifications. The ranking is heavily influenced by the GPU's mid-range performance and the game's demanding nature at higher resolutions. While the CPU performs well relative to its peers, the GPU's limitations drag the overall combo down.

The rank suggests that most other tested combinations deliver better frame rates in this specific title. This is not surprising, as the GTX 1660 SUPER is an end-of-life product with a percentile rank of only 55, meaning it outperforms just over half of all GPUs in the database. The combo's performance is further constrained by the fact that Archeage appears to be highly sensitive to GPU memory bandwidth and capacity, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra performance collapse. In contrast, the CPU's percentile rank of 75 indicates that it is a stronger component relative to its peers, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's shortcomings in this game. For a user seeking a better experience in Archeage, the data indicates that a more powerful GPU would be a more impactful upgrade than a CPU change, as the current configuration is clearly GPU-bound in most scenarios.