Archeage

# How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-13400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 3,169th out of 3,708 tested combos in ArcheAge. This places the combination in the lower 15% of all tested systems for this specific game, indicating that while the hardware can run the title, it does so with significant limitations at higher settings. The rank reflects a pairing where the GPU is the primary constraint, as the CPU's strong multi-threaded performance cannot compensate for the graphics card's modest throughput in a game that scales heavily with resolution and visual fidelity.

Benchmark results show this combo sits well below the median tested system, and the data suggests that users should expect playable frame rates only at 1080p with moderate settings. The gap between this combo and higher-ranked configurations is substantial, particularly at 4K where average frame rates drop below 40 FPS even on Low settings. For context, the CPU alone ranks in the 77th percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 53rd percentile among all graphics cards — a mismatch that becomes evident in the measured FPS results.

# GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is built on the Turing architecture with a 12 nm process node from TSMC. It features 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU's base clock runs at 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz, and its memory operates at 1750 MHz with 14 Gbps effective speed. With 1,408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, the card delivers a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s, a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s, and 5.027 TFLOPS of FP32 performance.

In ArcheAge, the GPU's 6 GB VRAM capacity becomes a limiting factor at higher resolutions and settings. The measured data shows that at 4K Ultra, the combo averages only 16 FPS, while 4K High reaches 23 FPS — both well below playable thresholds. The card's DirectX 11 score of 104 and DirectX 12 score of 50 in Passmark benchmarks indicate that the GPU handles older APIs reasonably well but struggles with more demanding rendering paths. The GTX 1660 SUPER's average benchmark score of 12,986 places it near the AMD Radeon RX 580 (which scores 12,928, a 0.4% difference) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940, also 0.4% ahead), showing that it performs in line with mid-range GPUs from its era.

The GPU's percentile ranking of 53rd among all graphics cards underscores its position as a mid-tier solution. In ArcheAge, this translates to a clear ceiling: the card cannot maintain 60 FPS at 1440p on any setting above Low, and at 1080p it only achieves 60 FPS on High settings. The memory bandwidth of 336.0 GB/s is sufficient for 1080p gaming but becomes a bottleneck at higher resolutions where texture streaming demands increase.

# Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of performance degradation as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 99 FPS, which drops to 67 FPS at 1440p Low (a 32% reduction) and further to 38 FPS at 4K Low (a 62% reduction from 1080p). This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU's performance headroom cannot offset the increased pixel count at higher resolutions.

The same trend appears across all settings. At Medium, 1080p yields 88 FPS, 1440p drops to 59 FPS (33% lower), and 4K falls to 34 FPS (61% lower). High settings show 60 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p (33% lower), and 23 FPS at 4K (62% lower). Ultra settings produce 41 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p (32% lower), and 16 FPS at 4K (61% lower). The consistency of these percentage drops — roughly one-third from 1080p to 1440p and another one-third from 1440p to 4K — strongly suggests that the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the constraining factors.

The resolution scaling data also reveals that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this configuration. If the CPU were limiting performance, the FPS drops between resolutions would be less pronounced, as the CPU workload would remain relatively constant while GPU load increases. The observed pattern shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 48 ROPs and 192-bit memory bus simply cannot keep up with the pixel demands of 1440p and 4K rendering in ArcheAge.

# Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its best performance. Low settings produce an average of 99 FPS, making the game highly playable with responsive frame pacing. Medium settings average 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 102 FPS, indicating smooth gameplay with occasional dips but generally consistent performance. High settings drop to 60 FPS on average, which is acceptable for an MMORPG but leaves little headroom for demanding scenes with many players. Ultra settings fall to 41 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target but still playable for less action-intensive activities.

At 2560x1440, the performance picture changes significantly. Low settings average 67 FPS, which remains playable but represents a substantial drop from the 99 FPS seen at 1080p. Medium settings average 59 FPS with a minimum of 51 FPS and maximum of 68 FPS, placing the experience right at the edge of playability — most players would find this acceptable, but frame drops during crowded events could be noticeable. High settings average 40 FPS, which is borderline for an MMORPG where combat responsiveness matters. Ultra settings drop to 28 FPS, making the game feel sluggish and unresponsive.

At 3840x2160, the combo struggles to maintain playable frame rates. Low settings average 38 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and would feel choppy during fast-paced gameplay. Medium settings average 34 FPS with a minimum of 29 FPS and maximum of 39 FPS, indicating significant frame time variation that could cause stuttering. High settings average 23 FPS, which is barely playable for non-combat activities. Ultra settings produce just 16 FPS, making the game essentially unplayable at this resolution.

The data shows that the only fully playable configuration is 1080p with Medium or High settings, where the combo maintains averages above 60 FPS. At 1440p, only Low settings achieve 60+ FPS, and at 4K, no settings reach playable levels.

# FAQ

Q: Is this combo capable of running ArcheAge at 60 FPS?

A: Yes, but only at 1080p. The measured data shows 99 FPS at 1080p Low, 88 FPS at 1080p Medium, and 60 FPS at 1080p High. At 1440p, only Low settings exceed 60 FPS (67 FPS), and at 4K, no settings reach 60 FPS.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in ArcheAge?

A: 1080p is the only resolution where the combo consistently maintains playable frame rates across multiple settings. At 1440p, performance drops below 60 FPS on Medium and higher settings, while 4K is not playable at any setting.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The GPU scores 12,986 on average benchmarks, which is 0.4% ahead of the AMD Radeon RX 580 (12,928) and 0.4% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12,940). It also trails the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 (13,075) by 0.7% and leads the AMD Radeon 740M (12,870) by 0.9%.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this configuration?

A: The GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The Intel Core i5-13400F ranks in the 77th percentile among CPUs, while the GTX 1660 SUPER ranks in the 53rd percentile among GPUs. The resolution scaling pattern — consistent FPS drops of about one-third from 1080p to 1440p and another one-third to 4K — confirms that GPU throughput is the bottleneck.

Q: What settings should I use for the best experience at 1080p?

A: Medium settings at 1080p provide the best balance, with 88 FPS average, a 75 FPS minimum, and a 102 FPS maximum. High settings at 1080p also work at exactly 60 FPS average, but Medium offers more headroom for demanding scenes.

Q: Can this combo handle 4K gaming in ArcheAge?

A: No. The highest 4K average FPS is 38 on Low settings, with Medium at 34 FPS, High at 23 FPS, and Ultra at 16 FPS. All of these are below the minimum threshold for smooth gameplay in an MMORPG.

# CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 13th-generation Raptor Lake processor with 10 cores and 16 threads, running at a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. It features 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 1.25 MB of L2 cache per core, and 20 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration and connects via PCIe Gen 5 with 16 lanes. Its 65 W TDP makes it a power-efficient choice, and it was released on January 3, 2023.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-13400F demonstrates strong multi-threaded performance. It scores 22,604 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3,191 in single-core, 8,892 in Cinebench R20 multi-core, and 2,278 in Cinebench R15 multi-core. Passmark results show 25,032 in multi-thread tests and 3,634 in single-thread tests. The CPU's average benchmark score of 25,292 places it in the 77th percentile among all processors, with nearest rivals including the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS (25,284, 0% difference), Intel Core 5 120 (25,362, -0.3%), AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D (25,365, -0.3%), and AMD Ryzen 7 6800H (25,201, 0.4%).

In ArcheAge, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, NPC AI, and network processing, which are typically single-threaded or lightly threaded workloads. The i5-13400F's single-core performance — scoring 3,191 in Cinebench R23 single-core and 960 in 3DMark single-thread — is more than sufficient for these tasks. The 10 cores and 16 threads provide ample headroom for background processes and any multi-threaded game systems. The CPU's strong performance means it is never the limiting factor in this configuration, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data showing consistent GPU-bound behavior.

The CPU's 77th percentile ranking indicates it outperforms the majority of processors in the database, making it a strong pairing for the GTX 1660 SUPER in CPU-bound scenarios. However, in ArcheAge, the GPU's mid-range performance caps overall results, meaning the CPU's capabilities are underutilized at higher resolutions.

# Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal configuration for this combo is 1080p with Medium settings. This preset delivers an average of 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 102 FPS, providing smooth gameplay with sufficient headroom for frame drops during crowded events or combat-heavy scenarios. The 75 FPS minimum ensures that the game rarely dips below playable thresholds, making this the most consistent experience available.

For players who prefer higher visual fidelity, 1080p High settings are viable at exactly 60 FPS average. This configuration is playable but leaves no margin for demanding scenes, meaning players may experience noticeable frame drops during large-scale PvP or world boss encounters. The 60 FPS average is precisely at the standard target, so any additional load could push it below acceptable levels.

At 1440p, Low settings are the only option that maintains 60+ FPS, averaging 67 FPS. This configuration sacrifices visual quality for playability and is recommended only for players with 1440p displays who cannot tolerate the lower frame rates of higher settings. Medium settings at 1440p average 59 FPS, which is technically playable but sits below the 60 FPS target and shows a minimum of 51 FPS — a potentially noticeable dip during intense moments.

4K is not recommended for this combo. Even on Low settings, the average of 38 FPS falls well below playable thresholds for an MMORPG where responsiveness matters. Players with 4K displays should either lower their resolution or accept that the game will run at sub-30 FPS on most settings.

For the best overall experience, the data supports 1080p Medium as the sweet spot, balancing visual quality, frame rate consistency, and headroom for demanding scenes. Players seeking maximum frame rates can use 1080p Low for 99 FPS, while those prioritizing visuals over performance can attempt 1080p Ultra at 41 FPS — though the latter is not recommended for competitive gameplay.