Archeage

Archeage, the 2014 MMORPG, is not typically used as a benchmark stress-test, but the data captured for this specific combination of the Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 reveals a clear performance landscape. The measured frames per second (FPS) across three resolutions and four quality presets show a system that is overwhelmingly GPU-bound at higher settings, while the aging six-core processor begins to show its limits at lower resolutions and settings. The RTX 5080, a 5nm Blackwell part with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivers 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which proves critical as resolution scales. The i5-11400F, a Rocket Lake chip with 6 cores and 12 threads boosting to 4.40 GHz, holds its own but is clearly the secondary component in this pairing, as indicated by a combo rank of 366 out of 3708 tested configurations.

FAQ

Q: How does the RTX 5080 compare to its closest rivals in overall benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5080's average benchmark score is 56,083. Its nearest competitor, the AMD Radeon 8060S, scores 55,757, which is 0.6% slower. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 GRE is slightly faster, with a score of 57,367, putting it 2.2% ahead of the RTX 5080.

Q: What is the CPU's standing relative to other processors in general performance?

A: The Intel Core i5-11400F holds a percentile rank of 71 among all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 17,177 places it extremely close to the AMD EPYC 7H12, which scores 17,120 (a 0.3% difference), and the Intel Core i5-12450H, which scores 17,239 (a -0.4% difference).

Q: What is the best measured FPS result for this combo?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 198, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. The peak frame rate recorded in any test was 219 FPS, observed at the same resolution with Medium settings.

Q: At which setting does the frame rate become unplayable?

A: The only measured configuration that falls below 60 FPS is at 4K (3840x2160) resolution with Ultra settings, where the average FPS drops to 44. This is the only data point in the entire set that dips below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the GPU's memory bandwidth compare to its direct rivals?

A: The FACT PACK does not provide memory bandwidth figures for the rival GPUs. However, the RTX 5080's own bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s is a key specification that supports its high-resolution performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU becomes more of a limiting factor at 1080p. While the GPU is still strong, the performance scaling from 1440p to 1080p is not linear, indicating that the Intel Core i5-11400F's processing power is capping the frame rates in certain scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 is the dominant component in this system, and its specifications directly dictate the high-resolution performance seen in the data. The GPU's 16 GB of GDDR7 memory with a 256-bit bus provides a raw bandwidth of 960.0 GB/s, a figure that is crucial for feeding the massive amount of data required at 4K resolutions. The card has a base clock of 2295 MHz and a boost clock of 2617 MHz, and with 10,752 shading units, it is a compute powerhouse. This is reflected in its benchmark scores, such as a Geekbench Vulkan score of 255,450 and a Passmark G3D score of 36,565, which places it in the 87th percentile of all GPUs.

The GPU's role becomes clearer when examining the frame rates. At 4K, the performance scales significantly with settings. The GPU manages an average of 108 FPS at Low settings, but this drops to 96 FPS at Medium, 65 FPS at High, and finally 44 FPS at Ultra. This steep decline as settings increase is a classic sign of the GPU's shading and texturing units being saturated by the higher graphical fidelity. The RTX 5080's architecture is built for this, but even its substantial 56.28 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is challenged by Ultra settings in Archeage at 4K. The 84 RT cores and 336 tensor cores are present, but the traditional rasterization load is what these frame rate numbers reflect.

The GPU's strength is most evident at 1440p, where it produces very playable frame rates. At Medium settings, it averages 167 FPS, and at High, it hits 114 FPS. This suggests a sweet spot where the GPU's capabilities are balanced with the CPU's ability to feed it. However, the transition to 1080p reveals a shift in the bottleneck. The RTX 5080 is capable of far more than 198 FPS at Low settings, as evidenced by its raw power, but the CPU prevents it from reaching higher numbers. This indicates that while the GPU is the star of the show, its performance is partially held in check by the rest of the system at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data shows a clear and expected trend: performance degrades as resolution increases, but the rate of that degradation reveals the system's bottleneck. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS at High settings drops from 164 to 114, a significant 30.5% decrease. This is a substantial hit, but it is less than the drop seen when moving from 1440p to 4K. At High settings, the 1440p average of 114 FPS falls to 65 FPS at 4K, a 43% reduction. This steeper decline at 4K indicates that the GPU is working much harder to fill the additional pixels, and its resources are becoming more constrained.

The scaling behavior changes depending on the settings preset. At Low settings, the FPS drops from 198 at 1080p to 174 at 1440p (a 12.1% drop) and then to 108 at 4K (a 37.9% drop from 1440p). The relatively small drop from 1080p to 1440p at Low settings is a strong indicator of a CPU bottleneck. The i5-11400F is likely hitting its limit in terms of draw call processing and physics calculations, preventing the GPU from stretching its legs. The GPU is so fast that at 1080p Low, it is waiting on the CPU to send it work. As resolution increases, the GPU takes longer to render each frame, which allows the CPU to catch up, and the bottleneck shifts more toward the GPU.

This is further confirmed by the Medium settings data. At 1080p, the average is 190 FPS. At 1440p, it is 167 FPS, a modest 12.1% drop. But at 4K, it falls to 96 FPS, a 42.5% drop from 1440p. The pattern is consistent: the frame rate penalty for moving to 4K is always around 40-43% from 1440p, regardless of the preset. This suggests that the GPU's raw fillrate and memory bandwidth are the primary constraints at 4K. The RTX 5080's 960.0 GB/s of bandwidth is being heavily taxed, and the 256-bit memory bus is the limiting factor, not the processor.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested hardware combinations, the pairing of the Intel Core i5-11400F with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 achieves a rank of 366 out of 3708 combos in Archeage. This places it in the top 10% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. The rank reflects the overall performance across all measured scenarios, and it makes sense given the hardware. The RTX 5080 is a top-tier GPU, as evidenced by its 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs, and it carries the combo to a high position.

However, the combo's rank is likely held back by the CPU. The i5-11400F, while a capable processor in its own right with a 71st percentile ranking among all CPUs, is not a top-tier part. Its average benchmark score of 17,177 is close to its rivals, but it lacks the headroom of newer, higher-core-count processors. In a game like Archeage, which can be CPU-intensive in large player battles, the 6-core/12-thread design of the i5-11400F might be a limiting factor in certain scenarios, even if the average FPS numbers are high.

The combo rank of 366 confirms the GPU's raw power. The RTX 5080's average benchmark score of 56,083 is far above its rivals, and it is this GPU dominance that propels the combo up the ranks. If the CPU were a more powerful model, the combo would likely rank higher. But as it stands, the data shows a system that is exceptionally strong for most gaming scenarios, but leaves some performance on the table at lower resolutions due to the processor. This is a classic example of a high-end GPU being paired with a mid-range CPU, resulting in a system that is very fast but not perfectly balanced.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this hardware combination depend heavily on the target resolution and the player's preference for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For a smooth and responsive experience, the data points to Medium settings as the best overall choice for most resolutions. At 1080p, Medium settings yield an average of 190 FPS, which is only slightly below the 198 FPS of Low settings, but offers better visual quality. The minimum FPS recorded at 1080p Medium was 162, ensuring that even in busy scenes, the frame rate remains well above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, Medium settings continue to be the sweet spot. The average of 167 FPS is excellent, and the minimum of 142 FPS ensures a consistent and fluid experience. High settings at this resolution drop to 114 FPS, which is still very playable, but the jump from Medium to High does not offer a proportional improvement in visual quality for the 31.8% reduction in frame rate. For players who prioritize frame rate, Medium is the clear choice at 1440p.

At 4K, the recommendation shifts. Medium settings produce an average of 96 FPS, which is a great experience. High settings drop to 65 FPS, which is still acceptable, but the 32.3% drop in performance is noticeable. Ultra settings at 4K are not recommended, as the 44 FPS average falls below the ideal playable threshold for fast-paced action. Given the data, Medium settings at 4K offer the best balance, providing a high frame rate while maintaining a good level of detail. Low settings at 4K, with 108 FPS, are an option for competitive play, but the visual compromise is significant.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following is a detailed breakdown of the measured average FPS for every resolution and settings combination in the data.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: 198 FPS average. This is the highest average FPS recorded for the entire combo, indicating a CPU-bound scenario.
• Medium: 190 FPS average, with a minimum of 162 FPS and a maximum of 219 FPS. This shows a very stable frame rate with a tight window.
• High: 164 FPS average. This is a substantial drop from Medium, showing the impact of increased graphical detail.
• Ultra: 115 FPS average. Still a very playable frame rate, but the scaling from High to Ultra incurs a 29.9% performance penalty.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: 174 FPS average. A significant drop from 1080p Low, indicating the GPU is beginning to work harder.
• Medium: 167 FPS average, with a minimum of 142 FPS and a maximum of 192 FPS. This is a very consistent performance profile.
• High: 114 FPS average. This is a 31.7% drop from Medium, a clear step down in performance.
• Ultra: 78 FPS average. This is a playable frame rate, but it is 31.6% lower than the High preset at this resolution.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: 108 FPS average. This is an excellent result for 4K, showing the GPU's strength even at lower settings.
• Medium: 96 FPS average, with a minimum of 81 FPS and a maximum of 110 FPS. This is a very good 4K experience.
• High: 65 FPS average. This is a playable frame rate, but it is on the edge of what is considered smooth for some users.
• Ultra: 44 FPS average. This is the only measured result below 60 FPS, making it the least desirable configuration for this game.