Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, responds predictably to the Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination, with performance scaling heavily tied to resolution and preset. The benchmark data shows a clear progression: as resolution increases, the GPU becomes the dominant factor, while at lower resolutions, the CPU’s capabilities are more exposed. This analysis walks through the measured frames per second (FPS) to understand where this combo excels and where it falls short.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial, indicating a shift in the bottleneck. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 260 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 Low reduces that to 181 FPS, a 30% decrease. The jump to 3840x2160 Low yields 104 FPS, another 43% drop from the 1440p figure. This steep decline at higher resolutions is classic GPU-bound behavior—the RTX 4080’s rendering workload at 4K becomes the limiting factor.

However, the scaling pattern changes with higher settings. At Ultra settings, the drop from 1080p to 1440p is 111 FPS to 75 FPS, a 32% reduction. The subsequent drop to 4K Ultra is 75 FPS to 43 FPS, a 43% reduction. This shows that the relative performance hit from increasing resolution is consistent across settings, but the absolute FPS values are much lower at Ultra due to the increased graphical load. The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU can keep up with the GPU, but at 4K, the RTX 4080 is clearly the component determining the frame rate.

The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens with resolution. At 1080p, the difference is 260 FPS to 111 FPS, a 149 FPS spread. At 4K, the spread narrows to 104 FPS to 43 FPS, a 61 FPS difference. This indicates that at higher resolutions, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even lowering settings to Low cannot fully alleviate the bottleneck, whereas at 1080p, the CPU has more headroom to push higher frame rates when the GPU load is reduced. For players targeting high refresh rates, 1080p is the only resolution where the combo consistently exceeds 200 FPS, while 1440p offers a playable experience above 100 FPS on most presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is a high-end card with 16 GB of GDDR6X memory and a 256-bit bus, providing 716.8 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 2205 MHz with a boost clock of 2505 MHz. In Archeage, the GPU’s role is most evident in the 4K results, where even with Low settings, the average FPS is 104. This suggests that the card’s raw compute power, measured at 48.74 TFLOPS FP32, is sufficient for the game’s demands but is still taxed by the 3840x2160 resolution.

The VRAM capacity of 16 GB is likely not a limiting factor in this game, as Archeage is not known for massive texture loads that would exceed this amount. The memory clock of 1400 MHz (22.4 Gbps effective) contributes to the high bandwidth, which helps at higher resolutions. Compared to its nearest rivals, the RTX 4080 sits between the RTX 4080 SUPER (0.1% faster) and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB (2.6% slower) in average benchmark scores. In actual gameplay, the data shows that the GPU can push 260 FPS at 1080p Low, indicating that the card is not the bottleneck at that resolution, but at 4K Ultra, the 43 FPS average shows the card’s limits under maximum graphical stress.

The GPU’s percentile ranking is 86, meaning it outperforms 86% of all GPUs in the database. This high ranking is reflected in the game’s 4K Medium result of 92 FPS, which is still smooth for most displays. The RTX 4080’s performance in Archeage suggests that it is a capable card for this title, but its strengths are best utilized at 1440p where it can maintain high frame rates without the extreme load seen at 4K.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo achieves in Archeage?

A: The highest average FPS is 260, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that exceeds 250 FPS.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 43. This is the lowest measured performance in the dataset, indicating that the game’s maximum graphical preset is too demanding for smooth play at this resolution.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, the data shows a notable gap. At 2560x1440, Medium settings achieve 161 FPS, while High settings achieve 110 FPS. This 51 FPS difference suggests that High settings impose a considerably heavier load on the GPU.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The minimum FPS recorded is 79, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The only other min FPS data point is at 2560x1440 Medium (137 FPS) and 1920x1080 Medium (204 FPS), both of which are higher.

Q: How does the combo’s performance at 1080p High compare to 1440p High?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average FPS is 163. At 2560x1440 High, the average FPS is 110. This represents a 32% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same settings.

Q: Does the combo maintain above 60 FPS at 4K on any setting?

A: Yes, at 4K Low settings, the average FPS is 104, and at 4K Medium, it is 92. Both are above 60 FPS. However, at 4K High, the average drops to 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination ranks 242nd out of 3708 tested combos in Archeage. This places it in the top 6.5% of all configurations, indicating that it is a high-performing setup for this game. The rank of 242 suggests that while the combo is strong, there are 241 other combinations that achieve higher average FPS in this specific title.

The CPU’s nearest rivals provide context for its contribution. The Intel Core i9-10900K has an average score 0.3% higher, while the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D is also 0.3% higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE is 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U is 0.3% higher. This tight grouping indicates that the i5-12600KF’s performance is on par with these alternatives, with deltas of less than 1%. The GPU’s nearest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is 0.1% faster, while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB is 2.6% slower.

Given the combo’s rank, it outperforms the vast majority of systems tested. The data suggests that this setup is well-balanced for Archeage, though not the absolute top-tier. The 242nd rank is likely influenced by the game’s tendency to favor certain CPU architectures or GPU configurations that are not present in this combo. In practical terms, this rank means the combo delivers a smooth experience at 1440p and can handle 4K with adjusted settings, but it is not the ultimate choice for maximum frame rates.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, Low settings yield an average of 260 FPS, Medium yields 240 FPS (with a min of 204 and max of 276), High yields 163 FPS, and Ultra yields 111 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is minimal (20 FPS), but the drop from Medium to High is significant (77 FPS), and from High to Ultra is another 52 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 181 FPS (Low), 161 FPS (Medium, min 137, max 186), 110 FPS (High), and 75 FPS (Ultra). The pattern is similar to 1080p, but the absolute values are lower. The drop from Medium to High is 51 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 35 FPS. At 3840x2160, the averages are 104 FPS (Low), 92 FPS (Medium, min 79, max 106), 63 FPS (High), and 43 FPS (Ultra).

The data shows that the combo is most comfortable at 1080p, where even Ultra settings exceed 100 FPS. At 1440p, Medium and Low settings are the most viable for high refresh rates, while High and Ultra are playable but not ideal for competitive play. At 4K, only Low and Medium settings provide frame rates above 90 FPS, while High and Ultra fall below 63 FPS. The min FPS values at Medium settings show a consistent pattern: 204 at 1080p, 137 at 1440p, and 79 at 4K, indicating that frame pacing becomes more variable as resolution increases.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings depend on the target resolution and frame rate. For 1080p, Ultra settings are recommended for the best visual quality, as the average FPS of 111 is still above 100 and provides a smooth experience. If higher frame rates are desired for a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor, High settings at 163 FPS or Medium at 240 FPS are better choices, with Low at 260 FPS being the maximum.

At 1440p, Medium settings offer the best balance, with an average of 161 FPS and a minimum of 137 FPS. This ensures that the frame rate rarely drops below 120 FPS, suitable for high refresh rate displays. High settings at 110 FPS are also acceptable, but the trade-off in visual fidelity may not be worth the 51 FPS loss. Low settings at 181 FPS provide the highest frame rate, but the visual degradation might be noticeable. Ultra settings at 75 FPS are playable but not recommended for fast-paced gameplay.

For 4K, Medium settings at 92 FPS are the best option, providing a smooth experience above 60 FPS with a minimum of 79 FPS. Low settings at 104 FPS are also viable if maximum frame rate is prioritized. High settings at 63 FPS are borderline, as the average is just above 60, but any dips could cause noticeable stuttering. Ultra settings at 43 FPS are not recommended, as the frame rate is too low for a responsive experience. The data suggests that Medium is the sweet spot for 4K, balancing visual quality and performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-12600KF has 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. It features 20 MB of shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. In Archeage, the CPU’s role is most evident at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully utilized. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 260 FPS, indicating that the CPU can feed the GPU with enough frames to reach this high number.

The CPU’s benchmark scores provide context. In Cinebench R23, it scores 23391 multicore and 3302 singlecore. Its PassMark multithread score is 27575, and its single-thread score is 3925. These scores place the CPU at the 79th percentile, with its nearest rival being the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D, which is 0.3% higher in average score. The CPU’s high single-thread performance is likely beneficial for Archeage, which may rely on a few cores for game logic.

The data shows that at 1080p, the CPU is not the limiting factor, as the FPS scales well with GPU load. However, at 4K Ultra, the FPS drops to 43, which is likely due to the GPU’s limits rather than the CPU. The CPU’s 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample processing power for the game’s background tasks, and its boost clock of 4.90 GHz ensures responsiveness. Compared to its rivals, the i5-12600KF performs within 0.3% of the i9-10900K and Ryzen 7 5800X3D, showing that it is a competitive choice for this game. The CPU’s overall percentile of 79 indicates it is better than most CPUs, and its performance in Archeage reflects this, as it does not bottleneck the RTX 4080 until the highest resolutions and settings.