Archeage

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER ranks 1293rd out of 1727 tested combos for Archeage, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the database. This ranking reflects a configuration that is capable of smooth gameplay at reasonable settings but falls well short of high-refresh-rate or maximum-quality territory. The data shows that the combination is heavily constrained by the graphics card, particularly at higher resolutions, while the processor provides ample headroom to avoid becoming the primary bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo’s rank of 1293 out of 1727 places it in the 25th percentile of all tested systems for Archeage. This is a modest position, indicating that while the hardware is not obsolete, it is significantly outclassed by the majority of configurations in the database. The ranking is driven by the RTX 2060 SUPER, which sits at the 63rd percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-12600KF is far stronger, sitting at the 84th percentile among all CPUs. The disparity between these two percentiles is the key story: the CPU is capable of much more than the GPU can deliver in this MMORPG.

The GPU’s average benchmark score of 19774 places it just ahead of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN by 0.3%, and only 0.5% ahead of the RTX 2070. This near-tie with the RTX 2070 suggests that the 2060 SUPER’s performance ceiling is well understood, and the measured FPS figures in Archeage are consistent with a mid-range Turing card. The CPU, by contrast, has an average benchmark score of 27827, which is essentially identical to the Intel Core i9-10900K (0% delta) and only 0.1% behind the i5-12600K. This means the processor is not the limiting factor; the data indicates that swapping the GPU for a stronger model would yield far larger gains than any CPU upgrade.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo better suited for 1080p or 4K gaming in Archeage?

A: The measured FPS strongly favors 1080p. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 127 FPS, while at 4K Ultra it drops to 19.8 FPS. The playable range is clearly 1080p, with 1440p being borderline depending on settings.

Q: How much faster is the CPU compared to its nearest rival?

A: The i5-12600KF’s average benchmark score of 27827 is exactly matched by the Intel Core i9-10900K (0% delta) and is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Core i7-13700H. There is no meaningful performance gap among these processors.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p to maintain a playable frame rate?

A: At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers 84.7 FPS, which is the only setting above 60 FPS. Medium drops to 78.3 FPS, High falls to 51.6 FPS, and Ultra is significantly lower at 33.7 FPS.

Q: Does the GPU have enough memory for 4K resolution?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with a 256-bit bus and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth. The measured 4K results show that memory capacity is not the issue; the GPU’s compute power is insufficient, as 4K High yields only 28.7 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its closest competitor?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER’s average score of 19774 is 0.3% higher than the GTX TITAN and 0.5% higher than the RTX 2070. This places it in a tight competitive cluster where differences are negligible.

Q: Is the CPU overkill for this GPU in Archeage?

A: The data suggests yes. The CPU’s 84th percentile ranking versus the GPU’s 63rd percentile indicates that the processor has significant unused potential, especially at 1080p where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals a GPU-bound scenario. At Low settings, the system goes from 127 FPS at 1080p to 48.7 FPS at 4K, a reduction of approximately 62%. At High settings, the drop is from 77 FPS at 1080p to 28.7 FPS at 4K, a 63% decrease. This consistent scaling pattern across settings indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER’s pixel throughput is the limiting factor; the CPU’s performance is not affected by resolution changes.

The 1440p results sit in between, with Low at 84.7 FPS and High at 51.6 FPS. The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a 44% drop, while from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings shows a 33% drop. This non-linear degradation is typical of a GPU that is running out of shader and texture processing headroom as pixel count increases. The GPU’s 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 224.4 GTexel/s texture rate are simply not enough for 4K in this MMORPG, which has heavy draw calls and particle effects.

For the CPU, the story is different. The i5-12600KF’s single-thread score of 1016 in 3dmark and passmark single-thread score of 3925 suggest that it can handle the game’s logic and AI calculations without issue. The fact that 1080p Low reaches 127 FPS confirms that the CPU is not holding back the frame rate; if it were, the 4K results would not show such a steep decline. The limiting component is unambiguously the GPU.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system performs admirably. The Low preset achieves 127 FPS, which is excellent for a 60Hz or even 144Hz monitor. Medium follows at 118 FPS, representing a small 7% drop from Low, indicating that the GPU can handle moderate visual upgrades without major penalties. High drops further to 77 FPS, a 35% reduction from Medium, suggesting that High introduces significant effects like shadows and ambient occlusion. Ultra is the outlier, falling to 54.1 FPS, which is 30% below High and below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the pattern is similar but with lower absolute numbers. Low delivers 84.7 FPS, which is still very playable. Medium comes in at 78.3 FPS, a small 8% drop, keeping it above 60 FPS. High falls to 51.6 FPS, making it marginal for fast-paced action. Ultra drops to 33.7 FPS, which is nearly unplayable for an MMORPG with frequent combat.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low produces 48.7 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but technically playable. Medium is 45.5 FPS, a 7% drop from Low. High falls to 28.7 FPS, and Ultra is 19.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium at 4K is only 3.2 FPS, indicating that the GPU is already saturated and additional settings have diminishing returns.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF is a 10-core, 16-thread processor with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. Its architecture is Alder Lake-S on a 10 nm process, with a 20 MB shared L3 cache. For Archeage, which is an MMORPG from 2014, the game’s engine is likely to be more sensitive to single-thread performance than multi-thread scaling. The CPU’s 3dmark single-thread score of 1016 and passmark single-thread score of 3925 are strong, and its cinebench R23 single-core score of 3309 confirms that it has excellent per-core performance.

The multi-thread results are also robust, with cinebench R23 multicore at 23444 and passmark multithread at 27575. However, the game’s measured FPS does not change dramatically between 1080p and 4K in a way that would indicate CPU limitation. At 1080p Low, the system hits 127 FPS, which is close to the CPU’s practical limit for this title, but the GPU’s performance at higher resolutions shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck. The CPU’s percentile rank of 84 versus the GPU’s 63 reinforces this: the processor has more headroom than the graphics card.

The CPU’s 20 PCIe Gen 4 lanes and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory are irrelevant to the measured FPS, as the game is not memory-bandwidth intensive. The 125 W TDP and unlocked multiplier suggest that overclocking could provide a small boost, but the data does not show the CPU as a limiting factor in any resolution or setting combination.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal experience depends on the target resolution. For 1920x1080, the Medium preset at 118 FPS offers the best balance of visual quality and performance. High at 77 FPS is also acceptable, but Medium provides a 35% higher frame rate for a modest visual downgrade. Ultra at 54.1 FPS is not recommended, as it falls below 60 FPS and the visual gains are not worth the performance hit.

For 2560x1440, the Low preset at 84.7 FPS is the only option that maintains a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Medium at 78.3 FPS is also viable, with a 7% drop from Low. High at 51.6 FPS is borderline, and players who prioritize smoothness should stick to Medium. Ultra at 33.7 FPS should be avoided for any competitive or combat-heavy content.

For 3840x2160, the data shows that no setting provides a fully smooth experience. Low at 48.7 FPS is the highest achievable, but even this is below 60 FPS. Medium at 45.5 FPS is nearly identical, and High at 28.7 FPS is too low for practical use. Ultra at 19.8 FPS is effectively a slideshow. The recommendation is to play at 1080p with Medium settings for the best overall experience, as the GPU cannot handle 4K with this combo.