Archeage

The Intel Core i5-12400 pairs a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake design with a 2.50 GHz base clock and a 4.40 GHz boost clock. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4/DDR5 memory support position it as a mainstream desktop part, and its 65 W TDP reflects a power-efficient design for its class. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor posts a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15935 and a single-core score of 2249, with a PassMark single-thread result of 3456. Its broader average benchmark score of 19850 places it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs, and its nearest rivals are tightly clustered: the Intel Core i7-9700 scores 19831 (0.1% behind), the Intel Core i7-8700 scores 19894 (0.2% ahead), the AMD Ryzen Threadripper PRO 5995WX scores 19928 (0.4% ahead), and the Intel Core i5-11600K scores 19771 (0.4% behind). For Archeage, an MMORPG from 2014, these figures suggest the CPU provides ample headroom for game logic and world simulation. The data shows that at 1080p Low settings, the combo delivers 191.9 FPS, which is a high frame rate that indicates the processor is not a bottleneck in less demanding scenes. However, the 12-thread count and moderate single-thread performance relative to newer parts mean that in crowded player hubs or large-scale battles, the CPU could become the limiting factor, as the game’s age implies it may not efficiently utilize more than a few cores. The benchmark results align with this: the i5-12400’s 3dmark_2_threads score of 1692 is notably lower than its 3dmark_16_threads score of 5873, showing that while multithreaded scaling exists, single-thread performance is the more critical metric for older titles like Archeage.

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

The Core i5-12400’s 6 cores and 12 threads are the foundation of its performance, but for Archeage, the boost clock of 4.40 GHz is the more decisive factor. The game’s 2014 release date means it was designed for an era of lower core counts, so the i5-12400’s single-thread capability—reflected in a 3dmark_single_thread score of 910 and a PassMark single-thread score of 3456—is what drives the high frame rates seen at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo reaches 191.9 FPS, which is 80.3 FPS higher than the 1080p High result of 111.6 FPS, a gap that widens as resolution drops, indicating that the CPU’s headroom is being exposed only when the GPU is not saturated. The processor’s 18 MB L3 cache helps with keeping game data close, but the lack of a larger cache or higher core count does not penalize this title. The i5-12400’s percentile rank of 77 and its near-tie with the Core i7-9700 (0.1% delta) and Core i7-8700 (0.2% delta) show that it sits in a performance band where small differences in IPC or clock speed matter less than the game’s own engine limits. In practical terms, the CPU is rarely the bottleneck at 1080p Medium settings (169.4 FPS) or 1440p Low (125.4 FPS), but the data suggests that pushing to Ultra settings at any resolution shifts the load toward the GPU. The 65 W TDP and 10 nm process node also mean the processor runs cool enough to sustain its boost clock during long gaming sessions, which is relevant for an MMORPG where frame times can fluctuate in dense environments.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT brings 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 624.1 GB/s of bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for Archeage’s texture and asset loading. Its base clock of 1295 MHz and boost clock of 2430 MHz, with a game clock of 2124 MHz, allow it to scale well with resolution, but the benchmarks reveal that the GPU becomes the primary limiter at higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the combo drops to 28.7 FPS, which is a steep fall from the 4K Low result of 70.5 FPS, a 41.8 FPS difference that underscores the GPU’s workload under maximum graphical load. The card’s 3840 shading units and 96 ROPs provide the raw throughput, but the PassMark G3D score of 24176 and its 76th percentile ranking among all GPUs indicate that while it is a strong performer, it is not a top-tier part. Its nearest rivals are the AMD FirePro S9300 X2 (0.2% ahead), NVIDIA P104-100 (0.4% behind), NVIDIA T600 Mobile (0.7% behind), and AMD FirePro S10000 (0.7% ahead), which are all niche or older workstation parts, showing that the RX 7800 XT’s gaming performance is competitive in its segment. In this game, the GPU’s 16 GB VRAM is never a constraint, as even at 4K Ultra the frame rate drops are more attributable to compute load than memory capacity. The 5 nm process node and RDNA 3.0 architecture deliver efficient power use, but the 263 W TDP means the card needs robust cooling, which is reflected in its dual-slot design and 2x 8-pin power connectors.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT ranks 639th out of 1727 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the top 37% of all configurations. That rank is a product of the CPU’s mid-tier standing and the GPU’s upper-mid-tier performance, but the game’s age means the ranking is more sensitive to GPU choice than CPU. The data shows that the combo’s measured FPS at 1440p High is 77 FPS, which is a solid playable frame rate, but at 4K Ultra, the 28.7 FPS result is below the 30 FPS threshold often considered playable, indicating that this combo is not optimized for maximum fidelity at 4K. Compared to other combos, the i5-12400’s CPU percentile of 77 and the RX 7800 XT’s GPU percentile of 76 are closely matched, which suggests a balanced pairing for most titles. However, in Archeage, the rank of 639 out of 1727 implies that there are 638 configurations that perform better, likely those with higher-end GPUs that can sustain 4K Ultra frame rates. The combo’s best result is at 1080p Low (191.9 FPS), which is 4.2 times higher than the 4K Ultra result, demonstrating that the system excels at high-refresh-rate 1080p gaming but struggles with 4K. The close rival deltas for both components—the CPU is within 0.4% of its nearest rivals, and the GPU is within 0.7%—mean that swapping to an Intel Core i7-9700 or an NVIDIA P104-100 would yield negligible FPS changes in this game, reinforcing that the combo’s rank is determined more by the overall system balance than by any single component’s superiority.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system?

A: The data shows that at 1440p High, the combo achieves 77 FPS, which is a good balance of visual quality and smoothness. At 1080p High, it reaches 111.6 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra, it drops to 80.9 FPS, so 1440p High offers a better resolution-to-performance trade-off than 1080p Ultra.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-9700?

A: The i5-12400 has an average benchmark score of 19850, which is 0.1% higher than the Core i7-9700’s 19831. This negligible delta means the two processors are effectively identical in overall performance, and in Archeage, the choice between them would not change frame rates meaningfully.

Q: Is 16 GB of VRAM necessary for this game?

A: The RX 7800 XT’s 16 GB of GDDR6 memory is far more than Archeage requires. Even at 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 28.7 FPS, which is due to compute load rather than memory capacity, so the VRAM headroom is not a limiting factor in any tested configuration.

Q: What causes the large FPS drop from 1080p to 4K?

A: The FPS drop is driven by the GPU’s rendering workload. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 191.9 FPS, but at 4K Low, it falls to 70.5 FPS, a 121.4 FPS reduction. This indicates that the RX 7800 XT’s pixel throughput, rated at 233.3 GPixel/s, is the limiting component as resolution increases, while the CPU’s 4.40 GHz boost clock maintains consistent performance.

Q: How does the GPU rank against its nearest rivals?

A: The RX 7800 XT’s average benchmark score is 32619, which is 0.2% lower than the AMD FirePro S9300 X2’s 32540 (the FirePro is actually 0.2% lower, so the RX 7800 XT is 0.2% higher, based on deltaPct values), 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA P104-100, and 0.7% ahead of the NVIDIA T600 Mobile. These tiny margins mean the GPU’s performance is closely matched with its listed rivals.

Q: Can this system run Archeage at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: The data shows that at 4K Medium, the combo achieves 66.5 FPS, and at 4K High, it reaches 43.3 FPS, so it is playable at those settings. However, at 4K Ultra, the 28.7 FPS result is below the 30 FPS threshold, making it not recommended for maximum settings at 4K.

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

The measured FPS data shows a clear pattern of degradation as resolution increases, with the limiting component shifting from the CPU at low resolutions to the GPU at high resolutions. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 191.9 FPS, but moving to 1440p Low drops that to 125.4 FPS, a 66.5 FPS reduction, and at 4K Low, it falls to 70.5 FPS, a 121.4 FPS drop from 1080p. This steep decline at Low settings, where the CPU workload is relatively constant, indicates that the GPU’s fill rate is the primary constraint. The RX 7800 XT’s pixel rate of 233.3 GPixel/s and texture rate of 583.2 GTexel/s are the hardware limits that cause this scaling. At High settings, the drop is less severe in absolute terms: 111.6 FPS at 1080p, 77 FPS at 1440p, and 43.3 FPS at 4K, with the 4K result being 68.3 FPS lower than 1080p. The Ultra preset exaggerates the GPU bottleneck, as 1080p Ultra yields 80.9 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 51.7 FPS, and 4K Ultra bottoms out at 28.7 FPS, a 52.2 FPS reduction from 1080p. The proportional drop from 1440p to 4K (e.g., from 51.7 to 28.7 FPS at Ultra, a 44.5% reduction) is larger than the drop from 1080p to 1440p (from 80.9 to 51.7 FPS, a 36.1% reduction), confirming that the GPU’s memory bandwidth of 624.1 GB/s and its compute throughput are saturated as pixel count increases. Conversely, the CPU’s role is evident in the fact that the 1080p Low result of 191.9 FPS is higher than the 1440p Low result of 125.4 FPS, but the CPU’s 3dmark_max_threads score of 5890 suggests it can feed the GPU at those rates. The data indicates that for this combo, the GPU is the definitive limiting component at 1440p and above, while the CPU provides sufficient headroom at 1080p, making the system best suited for 1080p high-refresh-rate or 1440p high-settings gaming.