Archeage

The Intel Core i5-12400F pairs a 6-core, 12-thread Alder Lake design with a 2.50 GHz base clock and a 4.40 GHz boost clock. This is a desktop part on the Intel Socket 1700 platform, built on a 10 nm process with an 18 MB shared L3 cache. For a game like Archeage, an MMORPG that originated in 2014, the CPU’s single-thread performance often dictates the feel of crowded player hubs and large-scale combat. The benchmark data shows a 3dmark single-thread score of 909 and a 2-thread score of 1699, while the 16-thread score jumps to 5895 and the max-thread score reaches 5912. This scaling pattern indicates that while the chip has 12 threads available, the performance headroom is concentrated in the first few cores. The Cinebench R23 results reinforce this: a single-core score of 2332 versus a multi-core score of 16518. For Archeage, which rarely uses more than a handful of threads efficiently, the strong single-core showing is likely more relevant than the multi-core throughput. The CPU sits at the 77th percentile versus all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 19221. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-8700K, scores 19210, a delta of just 0.1%, meaning the 12400F essentially matches a previous-generation flagship in overall synthetic performance. The AMD Ryzen 5 7533HS is 0.7% faster, while the AMD EPYC 7773X is 1.3% slower. These tight margins suggest the 12400F is a well-balanced mid-range contender, but the data implies that for Archeage, the CPU’s ability to push high frame rates at lower resolutions will depend heavily on its single-threaded efficiency.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-12400F compare to its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-8700K, in overall CPU benchmarks?

A: The data shows the i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19221, while the i7-8700K scores 19210. This is a delta of 0.1%, meaning the 12400F is effectively tied with the older i7, despite having fewer cores and threads (6 cores/12 threads vs. the i7’s 6 cores/12 threads, though the architecture differs).

Q: What is the CPU’s multi-threaded performance ceiling based on the benchmark results?

A: The Cinebench R23 multi-core score is 16518, and the 3dmark max-thread score is 5912. The gap between the 16-thread score of 5895 and the max-thread score of 5912 is minimal, indicating that adding more threads beyond 16 yields almost no benefit, which suggests the chip is effectively saturated by that point.

Q: Does the GPU’s synthetic benchmark score align with its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 29024. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, scores 29011, a 0% delta, meaning they are statistically identical. The Intel Arc A370M is 0.5% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 470 is 0.1% slower, placing the RX 6650 XT in a tightly contested performance band.

Q: What is the best-case frame rate for this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average FPS recorded is 133.2 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is significantly higher than the Ultra preset, which yields 57.3 FPS at the same resolution, showing a large performance gap between the lowest and highest graphical presets.

Q: How does the combo’s ranking in Archeage compare to other tested configurations?

A: This particular combination of CPU and GPU ranks 1139 out of 1727 tested combos in the game. This places it in the lower-mid tier of all possible pairings, suggesting that while it can run the game, many other hardware combinations achieve better overall performance.

Q: What is the GPU’s memory bandwidth and how might it affect high-resolution play?

A: The Radeon RX 6650 XT features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 280.3 GB/s. This is a moderate amount of bandwidth, and the measured FPS drops suggest it becomes a limiting factor at 4K, where the average frame rate at High settings is only 28.7.

How This Combo Ranks

In the specific context of Archeage, the pairing of the Intel Core i5-12400F and the AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT achieves a combo rank of 1139 out of 1727 tested combinations. This position, roughly in the 34th percentile of all combos, is notable because it contradicts the individual component percentiles. The CPU sits in the 77th percentile for all CPUs, and the GPU is in the 72nd percentile for all GPUs. If the two components performed proportionally to their synthetic scores, the combo would likely rank much higher. The fact that it ranks so low implies that Archeage is not well-optimized for this specific hardware pairing. The data suggests a bottleneck or an inefficiency in how the game utilizes the combination of these parts. For instance, the CPU’s strong 3dmark single-thread score of 909 does not translate into a high combo ranking, indicating that the game might be more dependent on other factors, such as the GPU’s driver overhead or the game’s engine limitations with RDNA 2.0 architecture. The combo’s performance is closer to the bottom quartile, suggesting that users should look toward other configurations if they prioritize Archeage specifically, as this pairing’s raw compute power is not being fully realized in this title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of performance scaling across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 133.2 FPS on Low, 117.6 FPS on Medium, 78.8 FPS on High, and 57.3 FPS on Ultra. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 91.9 FPS on Low, 79.4 FPS on Medium, 53.9 FPS on High, and 37.8 FPS on Ultra. At 3840x2160, the performance falls further to 51.7 FPS on Low, 43.5 FPS on Medium, 28.7 FPS on High, and 19.8 FPS on Ultra. The data reveals a consistent pattern: the delta between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, the gap between Low and Ultra is 75.9 FPS, but at 4K, that gap narrows to 31.9 FPS. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU is capable of driving high frame rates, and the GPU can handle the load, but at 4K, both components are struggling, with the Ultra preset becoming nearly unplayable at 19.8 FPS. The High preset at 1440p yields 53.9 FPS, which is just above the threshold for smooth play, while the Medium preset at 1080p offers a comfortable 117.6 FPS, indicating that this combo is best suited for 1080p gaming with medium-to-high settings.

Resolution Scaling

Examining the FPS drop from 1080p to 4K reveals the limiting component. At Low settings, the average FPS drops from 133.2 at 1080p to 91.9 at 1440p (a 31.0% decrease) and then to 51.7 at 4K (a 43.7% decrease from 1440p). At High settings, the progression is 78.8 at 1080p, 53.9 at 1440p (a 31.6% decrease), and 28.7 at 4K (a 46.8% decrease from 1440p). The percentage drop accelerates as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU limitation. The RX 6650 XT’s 280.3 GB/s memory bandwidth and 8 GB VRAM are likely being saturated at 4K, particularly on High settings where textures and effects demand more memory. The CPU’s role becomes less significant as resolution climbs; the gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 75.9 FPS, but at 4K, the gap is only 31.9 FPS. This narrowing indicates that at 1080p, the CPU can still push frames when the GPU load is low, but at 4K, the GPU is the primary bottleneck, and even dropping settings to Low only recovers to 51.7 FPS. The data implies that for a smooth 60 FPS experience, the user must stick to 1080p or 1440p with lower presets, as the 4K performance is consistently below 60 FPS across all settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and frame rate is achieved at 1920x1080 with Medium settings, yielding an average of 117.6 FPS. This provides a high refresh rate experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold for most displays. For users with 1440p monitors, the Medium preset at 2560x1440 delivers 79.4 FPS, which is still smooth, but the High preset drops to 53.9 FPS, which may introduce noticeable stutter in fast-paced combat. At 4K, no preset achieves a playable frame rate; the best option is Low at 51.7 FPS, which is borderline, but the Medium preset at 43.5 FPS and High at 28.7 FPS are below acceptable thresholds. The data suggests that the Ultra preset is not viable at any resolution, as it only reaches 57.3 FPS at 1080p and falls to 19.8 FPS at 4K. The recommendation is to prioritize Medium settings for a competitive frame rate, or High settings if the user prefers visual quality and can tolerate frame rates in the 50-80 FPS range at lower resolutions. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as the performance cost outweighs the visual benefit.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is built on the RDNA 2.0 architecture with a Navi 23 chip, featuring 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. It has a base clock of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost clock of 2635 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, providing 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is a significant factor in the game’s performance. The GPU’s FP32 performance is 10.79 TFLOPS, and it has 32 ray tracing cores, though Archeage likely does not utilize these. In terms of synthetic benchmarks, the GPU scores 17166 in Passmark G3D and 93769 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it in the 72nd percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, has a nearly identical average score with a 0% delta, indicating that the RX 6650 XT performs on par with a mobile flagship. The data implies that the GPU’s raw compute power is sufficient for 1080p gaming, but the 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become bottlenecks at 4K, particularly on High settings where the average FPS is just 28.7. The GPU’s end-of-life production status suggests it is a last-generation part, but its performance in this game is still competitive with newer entry-level options, as long as the resolution is kept to 1440p or lower.