Archeage

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for Archeage with the Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER reveals a clear pattern of performance scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo delivers 229.2 FPS, while at 1440p the same settings drop to 167.1 FPS, and at 4K they fall further to 94.8 FPS. This represents a 58.7% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings, indicating that the graphics card is becoming more heavily utilized as pixel count rises.

The scaling behavior differs notably across settings presets. At High settings, the transition from 1080p to 1440p shows a drop from 148.2 FPS to 103.1 FPS (a 30.4% decrease), while moving from 1440p to 4K reduces performance from 103.1 FPS to 57.3 FPS (a 44.4% decrease). The Medium preset follows a similar trajectory: 223.3 FPS at 1080p, 147.4 FPS at 1440p, and 87.8 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset shows the steepest relative decline, with 104.4 FPS at 1080p falling to 69.9 FPS at 1440p and then to 41.4 FPS at 4K.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the CPU is likely the limiting component for the Low and Medium presets, as the FPS values (229.2 and 223.3 respectively) are extremely high and suggest headroom in the GPU. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER, with its 44.10 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 672.3 GB/s memory bandwidth, is capable of far higher frame rates than what the i5-12400 can feed at lower resolutions. At 4K, however, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, especially at Ultra settings where the 41.4 FPS figure reflects the heavy load placed on the card's 8448 shading units.

The gap between Low and Ultra at each resolution is instructive. At 1080p, the difference is 124.8 FPS (229.2 versus 104.4), while at 1440p it narrows to 97.2 FPS (167.1 versus 69.9), and at 4K it shrinks to 53.4 FPS (94.8 versus 41.4). This convergence suggests that as resolution increases, the GPU's workload becomes more uniform regardless of settings, reducing the relative impact of preset changes. Conversely, at lower resolutions, the CPU's single-thread performance (3dmark single-thread score of 910) becomes more significant, and the 4.40 GHz boost clock helps maintain high frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution to play Archeage with this combo?

A: The data shows that 1440p with High settings provides a strong balance, delivering 103.1 FPS. This is nearly double the 4K High result of 57.3 FPS while still offering significantly higher visual quality than the 1080p Low preset.

Q: Does the RTX 4070 Ti SUPER bottleneck the i5-12400 in this game?

A: At 1080p with Low settings, the 229.2 FPS result suggests the CPU is limiting performance, as the GPU has substantial headroom. At 4K Ultra, the 41.4 FPS indicates the GPU becomes the bottleneck. The system transitions from CPU-limited at low resolutions to GPU-limited at high resolutions.

Q: How does Ultra settings compare to High settings at 4K?

A: Ultra at 4K delivers 41.4 FPS, while High at 4K delivers 57.3 FPS. The difference of 15.9 FPS represents a 27.7% performance penalty for the Ultra preset, which may not be justified given the visual improvements in an MMORPG context.

Q: Is the 1080p Low preset playable on high refresh rate monitors?

A: Yes, the 229.2 FPS average at 1080p Low comfortably exceeds the refresh rates of most gaming monitors. Even the 1080p Medium preset at 223.3 FPS provides ample headroom for 144Hz or 165Hz displays.

Q: What happens to performance when moving from Medium to High at 1440p?

A: Medium at 1440p delivers 147.4 FPS, while High at 1440p delivers 103.1 FPS. The 44.3 FPS drop represents a 30% reduction, indicating that High settings impose a significant additional load compared to Medium.

Q: Does the combo rank well among all tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 201 out of 1727 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the top 11.6% of all configurations. This is a strong result for an MMORPG, where higher frame rates are often less critical than in competitive shooters.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12400 features 6 cores and 12 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.40 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 18 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU achieves a 3dmark max-thread score of 5890, a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 15935, and a single-thread score of 2249. The Passmark multithread score of 18747 and single-thread score of 3456 further characterize its performance profile.

In Archeage, the CPU's role varies by resolution and settings. At 1080p Low, the 229.2 FPS result suggests the i5-12400's single-thread performance is sufficient to drive high frame rates, but it likely caps the maximum achievable FPS. The 3dmark 2-thread score of 1692 indicates strong dual-core performance, which is relevant for MMOs that often rely heavily on a few threads for game logic and rendering commands. The CPU's 12 threads provide ample parallelism for background tasks and asset streaming, which is important in a persistent online world.

The i5-12400's 65 W TDP and Alder Lake architecture (10 nm process) contribute to its efficiency, but the benchmark data shows it sits in the 77th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19850. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i7-9700 (avg score 19831, delta 0.1%) and the Intel Core i7-8700 (avg score 19894, delta -0.2%). This places the i5-12400 in a competitive position for gaming workloads, though it is not a top-tier processor in absolute terms.

At 4K Ultra, the CPU's influence diminishes because the GPU becomes the primary constraint. The drop from 104.4 FPS at 1080p Ultra to 41.4 FPS at 4K Ultra (a 60.3% reduction) is far steeper than the resolution scaling alone would suggest, indicating that the GPU's rendering load dominates. The i5-12400's boost clock of 4.40 GHz helps maintain consistent frame pacing, but the data does not show any CPU-specific bottlenecks at higher resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are as follows: Low settings deliver 229.2 FPS, Medium delivers 223.3 FPS, High delivers 148.2 FPS, and Ultra delivers 104.4 FPS. The progression from Low to Medium is minimal (a 5.9 FPS difference), suggesting that Medium settings impose negligible additional load on the system. The jump from Medium to High is substantial (a 75.1 FPS drop), indicating that High settings introduce significant visual effects that tax the GPU. The further drop to Ultra (a 43.8 FPS reduction) shows that Ultra settings add even more demanding features.

At 2560x1440, the results show Low at 167.1 FPS, Medium at 147.4 FPS, High at 103.1 FPS, and Ultra at 69.9 FPS. The delta between Low and Medium narrows to 19.7 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High remains significant at 44.3 FPS. Ultra continues to demand a premium, with a 33.2 FPS penalty over High. The overall scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent across presets, with reductions ranging from 27.1% (Low) to 33.0% (Ultra).

At 3840x2160, the measured values are Low at 94.8 FPS, Medium at 87.8 FPS, High at 57.3 FPS, and Ultra at 41.4 FPS. The Low to Medium gap is just 7.0 FPS, while the Medium to High drop is 30.5 FPS, and the High to Ultra reduction is 15.9 FPS. At 4K, even the Low preset struggles to maintain 100 FPS, and Ultra falls below 45 FPS, which may be problematic for smooth gameplay in crowded MMO scenarios.

The data also reveals that the 1080p Medium preset (223.3 FPS) outperforms the 1440p Low preset (167.1 FPS) by 56.2 FPS, and the 1440p Medium preset (147.4 FPS) outperforms the 4K Low preset (94.8 FPS) by 52.6 FPS. This suggests that users prioritizing frame rate over resolution should stay at lower resolutions, while those seeking visual fidelity should consider the trade-offs carefully.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i5-12400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER ranks 201 out of 1727 tested combinations in Archeage. This places it in the top 11.6% of all configurations tested, which is a commendable position given the game's release in 2014 and the fact that newer hardware may not always scale optimally in older titles. The RTX 4070 Ti SUPER itself ranks in the 86th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48704 and nearest rivals including the NVIDIA CMP 50HX (avg score 49071, delta -0.7%) and the Intel Arc A550M (avg score 49737, delta -2.1%).

The CPU's 77th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates that while it is a solid mid-range processor, it is not the primary driver of this combo's strong position in Archeage. The GPU's high percentile and its 16 GB of GDDR6X memory with 672.3 GB/s bandwidth likely contribute more to the combo's ranking, especially at higher resolutions where texture details and memory capacity become critical. The GPU's 8448 shading units and 264 TMUs provide ample raw compute power for the game's rendering pipeline.

Given that Archeage is an MMORPG, the combo's ranking of 201/1727 suggests that it can handle the game's typical scenarios well, including large player gatherings and complex battle effects. The measured FPS data at 1440p High (103.1 FPS) and 1080p High (148.2 FPS) indicate that the combo offers a comfortable margin over the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider essential for smooth gameplay. The 4K High result of 57.3 FPS is slightly below this threshold, which may be a consideration for 4K display owners.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p users, the Medium preset at 223.3 FPS offers the best balance between visual quality and performance, as it delivers nearly the same frame rate as Low (229.2 FPS) while providing improved visuals. The High preset at 148.2 FPS is also viable for users who prioritize image quality, but the 75.1 FPS drop from Medium represents a significant trade-off. Ultra at 104.4 FPS is playable but may not justify the additional visual fidelity.

For 1440p users, the Medium preset at 147.4 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides high frame rates suitable for fast-paced gameplay while still offering decent visual quality. The High preset at 103.1 FPS is a strong alternative for those who want better graphics, and it remains above the 100 FPS mark. The Low preset at 167.1 FPS is excessive for most scenarios and may not be necessary unless the user has a 165Hz or higher refresh rate monitor. Ultra at 69.9 FPS is borderline for competitive play but may be acceptable for casual exploration.

For 4K users, the Low preset at 94.8 FPS is the only option that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold, making it the recommended choice for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset at 87.8 FPS is also viable, though it does not offer a substantial visual improvement over Low (a 7.0 FPS difference). The High preset at 57.3 FPS falls below 60 FPS and may result in noticeable stuttering in crowded areas, while Ultra at 41.4 FPS is not recommended for general play. The data suggests that 4K users should either accept Low settings or consider reducing the resolution to 1440p for a better experience.

The overall recommendation is that this combo is best utilized at 1440p with Medium or High settings, providing a strong balance of performance and visual quality. The 1080p Medium preset offers the highest frame rates without sacrificing too much visual fidelity, making it ideal for high refresh rate displays. Users with 4K monitors should be aware of the significant performance penalties at higher settings and plan their gameplay accordingly.