Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, exhibits a performance profile that is heavily dependent on resolution and graphics settings when paired with an Intel Core i5-12400 and an AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT. The measured data reveals a system that can deliver high refresh rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain playable framerates at 4K Ultra, indicating a clear shift in bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU as resolution increases.

Resolution Scaling

The scaling from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 demonstrates a predictable but steep decline in average framerates across all settings. At High settings, the system drops from 137 FPS at 1080p to 92 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 53 FPS at 4K. This represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 42% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The absolute frame rate drop of 84 FPS from 1080p to 4K highlights the immense pixel-pushing demand placed on the GPU at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern at Low settings is even more dramatic. The system achieves 227 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 153 FPS at 1440p and then to 87 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are substantial, but the absolute values remain high enough for smooth gameplay even at 4K, suggesting that the low graphical load allows the GPU to work less and the CPU to keep up more effectively.

Medium settings show a similar trend to High, with framerates of 202 FPS at 1080p, 136 FPS at 1440p, and 78 FPS at 4K. The Ultra settings produce the most constrained results, with only 94 FPS at 1080p, 63 FPS at 1440p, and a mere 36 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is the only configuration that falls below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, indicating that this setting is too demanding for the combination at that resolution.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the system is likely CPU-bound, as even the highest settings produce nearly 100 FPS, and the difference between Low and Ultra is only 133 FPS. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, as the framerate drops significantly regardless of the settings, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 51 FPS. The RX 7900 XT, with its 20 GB of memory, has the capacity to handle the data, but the rendering load at 4K Ultra is simply too heavy.

FAQ

Q: What is the average framerate for this combination at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: The system achieves an average of 137 FPS at 1080p with High settings. This is a very playable framerate for an MMORPG, providing a smooth experience.

Q: How does the performance at 4K Ultra compare to 1080p Ultra?

A: The average framerate drops from 94 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 36 FPS at 4K Ultra. This is a 58 FPS reduction, or a 62% decrease in performance, making 4K Ultra the only tested configuration that is not consistently playable.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12400 a bottleneck for the Radeon RX 7900 XT in this game?

A: At 1080p, the data suggests the CPU is the primary limiter, as framerates remain high even on Ultra. However, at 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, as the framerates drop significantly across all settings, indicating the CPU has less of an impact on overall performance.

Q: What is the best settings configuration for a 1440p monitor based on the data?

A: At 2560x1440, the High settings provide an average of 92 FPS, while Low settings yield 153 FPS. For a balance between visual quality and performance, High settings would provide a solid experience, while those prioritizing framerate could select Low.

Q: Does the game scale well with the Radeon RX 7900 XT's memory capacity?

A: The RX 7900 XT has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory. The game was released in 2014 and does not appear to be memory-constrained at 4K Ultra, as the bottleneck is more likely the raw rendering performance rather than memory capacity.

Q: How does the measured performance at 1080p Medium compare to 4K Medium?

A: The average framerate at 1080p Medium is 202 FPS, while at 4K Medium it is 78 FPS. This shows a significant drop of 124 FPS, demonstrating the heavy impact of resolution scaling on the GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 is a 6-core, 12-thread processor from the Alder Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its 18 MB of shared L3 cache and support for both DDR4 and DDR5 memory make it a versatile modern processor. In this MMORPG, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully taxed.

At 1920x1080, the framerates are high across all settings, with a range from 94 FPS on Ultra to 227 FPS on Low. The relatively small spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p, compared to the spread at 4K, indicates that the CPU is keeping up with the game's logic and draw calls, and the GPU can render frames quickly. The processor's single-thread performance, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2257, is likely crucial for an MMORPG that often relies on a primary thread for game logic.

The data shows a clear ceiling at 1080p Low settings, where the system peaks at 227 FPS. This suggests that even with low graphical demands, the CPU's ability to feed the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The processor's multi-threaded performance is respectable, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 15989, but the game's engine, released in 2014, may not fully utilize all 12 threads, making single-core performance more important.

At higher resolutions, the CPU's influence wanes. The framerate difference between 1440p and 4K is more pronounced, which points to the GPU becoming the primary constraint. The i5-12400 has enough processing power to maintain a stable frame delivery, but it is not the component that prevents the system from achieving higher framerates at 4K Ultra. The processor's 65W TDP and active production status indicate it is a mainstream part, and its performance in this game is solid for 1080p and 1440p play.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-12400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is ranked 693 out of 3708 tested combos for Archeage. This places it in the top 18.7% of all tested configurations, indicating that it is a high-performing setup for this specific game. The rank reflects a balance between the CPU's capability and the GPU's raw power.

The CPU itself has a percentile rank of 72 against all CPUs, based on its average benchmark score of 18683. Its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks include the AMD EPYC 7643, which scores 18697 (a 0.1% difference), and the Intel Core i7-1355U at 18730 (a 0.3% difference). These results show that the i5-12400 is a competitive mid-range processor, but its performance is closely matched by other parts.

The GPU's percentile rank is 55, with an average benchmark score of 13745. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 660M (a 0.5% difference) and the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (a 0.5% difference), which are significantly lower-tier products. The large disparity between the GPU's rank and the combo's rank suggests that the CPU is a more significant contributor to the overall system ranking in Archeage than the GPU's raw benchmark score would indicate.

The combo's high rank of 693 out of 3708 is driven by the fact that the i5-12400 is a strong performer in the CPU-bound scenarios at lower resolutions. While the GPU is powerful, its rank against all GPUs is lower than the CPU's rank, which might indicate that its performance potential is somewhat held back by the game's engine or the CPU in certain situations. The data shows that this combo is well-suited to deliver high framerates, but it is not at the very top of the leaderboard, leaving room for more powerful processors or graphics cards to achieve better results.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is a high-end graphics card built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, featuring the Navi 31 chip. It has 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. The GPU's boost clock is 2394 MHz, and it has 5376 shading units. These specifications make it a formidable card for modern games, but its performance in Archeage is varied.

The GPU's role becomes the dominant factor at higher resolutions. At 4K, the framerate is heavily constrained by the GPU's rendering capabilities. The average framerate at 4K High is 53 FPS, which is a significant drop from the 137 FPS at 1080p High. This demonstrates the GPU is working much harder to fill the increased number of pixels. The fact that 4K Low (87 FPS) performs worse than 1080p Ultra (94 FPS) further illustrates that the resolution has a more substantial impact on performance than the graphics settings.

The card's 20 GB of VRAM is ample for this game, as it is a 2014 title that is unlikely to exceed that capacity even at 4K Ultra. The bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the system only manages 36 FPS, is more likely due to the card's raw compute throughput and pixel fill rate. The GPU's theoretical pixel rate is 459.6 GPixel/s, but the demands of the game's Ultra settings, likely including high-resolution textures and effects, prove too much.

In contrast, at 1080p, the GPU is not the limiting factor. The card can produce framerates well above 200 FPS on Low and Medium settings, and even at Ultra, it maintains an average of 94 FPS. This indicates that the RX 7900 XT is more than capable of handling the game at lower resolutions, and its potential is only fully realized when the resolution increases. The data suggests that for a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this GPU provides an excellent experience, but for 4K Ultra, a more powerful card or reduced settings would be necessary.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system's performance is consistently high. With Low settings, the average framerate is 227 FPS. Medium settings yield 202 FPS, with a minimum of 172 FPS and a maximum of 232 FPS. High settings produce 137 FPS, and Ultra settings drop to 94 FPS. These results show that the system can easily handle 1080p gaming, even with a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor for less demanding settings.

At 2560x1440, the framerates are still very playable. Low settings provide an average of 153 FPS, while Medium settings produce 136 FPS, with a minimum of 116 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS. High settings average 92 FPS, and Ultra settings average 63 FPS. The 1440p High and Medium settings are ideal for a smooth experience, while Ultra settings are still viable for those who prioritize visual fidelity over absolute framerate.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops considerably. Low settings average 87 FPS, which is still above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth play. Medium settings average 78 FPS, with a minimum of 66 FPS and a maximum of 90 FPS. High settings drop to 53 FPS, which may not be ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra settings are the most demanding, averaging only 36 FPS. This makes 4K Ultra unplayable for a smooth experience, but 4K Low and Medium are viable options for 60Hz displays.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is for maximum framerates, 1440p is the sweet spot for a balance between performance and visual quality, and 4K is only recommended on Low or Medium settings. The Medium setting at 4K, with its 78 FPS average, is the most effective way to get a high-refresh-rate experience at 4K, while the Ultra setting at any resolution below 4K provides a solid visual upgrade without sacrificing too much performance.