Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents a unique challenge for hardware: it must handle large player counts and complex world states, often making CPU performance critical, while also rendering detailed environments that stress the GPU. The data for the Intel Core i5-13400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combo reveals a system that can play the game very well at 1080p and 1440p, but struggles to maintain a smooth experience at 4K on higher presets. This analysis breaks down the measured performance to understand where the bottlenecks lie and how to best configure the game.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1920x1080 with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1080p with High settings is 78. This suggests a solid experience for most gameplay, though it is notably lower than the 115 FPS average seen at Medium settings, indicating a significant performance cost for the High preset.

Q: How does the CPU's multi-threaded performance compare to its nearest rival?

A: The Intel Core i5-13400F has an average benchmark score of 25292. Its closest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS, has an average score of 25284, resulting in a deltaPct of 0. This indicates the two processors have nearly identical overall benchmark performance.

Q: What is the best resolution for a consistently high frame rate?

A: According to the measured FPS data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution for high frame rates. Even at Ultra settings, the combo achieves an average of 53 FPS, while at Low settings it reaches 129 FPS. This is the only resolution where all presets average above 50 FPS.

Q: Does the RTX 2060 SUPER have enough VRAM for this game?

A: The GPU comes with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory. The data does not indicate any VRAM-related performance issues or limitations at the tested resolutions and settings, suggesting that 8 GB is sufficient for Archeage under these conditions.

Q: How does the combo rank compared to all other tested combinations?

A: The combo rank for this specific CPU and GPU pairing in Archeage is 2624 out of 3708 total tested combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the performance distribution, indicating that while it is not a top-tier setup, it is still viable for a specific range of settings.

Q: What is the performance drop from Low to Ultra at 2560x1440?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops from 87 on Low settings to 36 on Ultra settings. This represents a significant 51 FPS decrease, showing that the Ultra preset is particularly demanding at this resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-13400F is a 10-core, 16-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.50 GHz and a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. For an MMORPG like Archeage, which often involves simulating numerous entities and player actions, the CPU's multi-threaded capabilities are frequently the primary determinant of performance, especially in crowded areas. The benchmark data shows the i5-13400F has a strong multi-threaded presence, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 22604 and a 3DMark max threads score of 7307.

The data reveals that the i5-13400F holds its own against its nearest rivals. It has an average benchmark score of 25292, placing it in the 77th percentile of all CPUs. Its deltaPct compared to the AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS is 0, meaning they are functionally equivalent in overall performance. It also edges out the Intel Core 5 120 and AMD Ryzen 5 5600X3D, which both show a deltaPct of -0.3. This suggests that at lower resolutions, where the CPU is more likely to be the limiting factor, the i5-13400F provides a solid foundation for the game's logic and physics.

The performance scaling across resolutions offers a clue into the CPU's role. At 1080p, the average FPS on Low settings is 129. When resolution increases to 1440p, the FPS drops to 87, and at 4K it drops further to 50. This steady decline as resolution increases points to the GPU becoming a more significant bottleneck at higher pixel counts. However, the fact that the CPU can push frame rates well above 100 at 1080p indicates it is not the limiting factor at that resolution, and the 78 FPS average at High settings is more likely influenced by the increased graphical load on the GPU. The single-thread performance, evidenced by a 3DMark single-thread score of 960 and a Passmark single-thread score of 3634, is still robust and sufficient for the game's primary game logic thread.

Settings Recommendations

Analyzing the measured FPS for this combo in Archeage, the best experience depends heavily on the target resolution. The data provides a clear picture of the performance trade-offs at each preset level. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset offers the most balanced experience, delivering an average of 115 FPS with a minimum of 97 FPS. This ensures smooth gameplay without the significant frame rate cost seen when moving to High (78 FPS) or Ultra (53 FPS). The Low preset at 1080p achieves 129 FPS, but the Medium preset provides a substantial visual upgrade for only a 14 FPS penalty.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is still the recommended choice. It provides an average of 77 FPS with a minimum of 66 FPS, which is well within the range for a playable and responsive experience. The High preset at 52 FPS is playable but may feel less fluid in fast-paced combat. The Ultra preset drops to an average of 36 FPS, which is likely too low for a comfortable experience in a dynamic MMORPG environment. For the smoothest experience at 1440p, the Low preset, with an average of 87 FPS, is an option, but Medium appears to be the sweet spot for visual fidelity and performance.

The situation at 3840x2160 is more challenging. The Low preset is the only viable option for a consistently playable experience, with an average of 50 FPS. The Medium preset averages 44 FPS, which may be acceptable for less demanding scenarios, but its minimum of 38 FPS could lead to noticeable stuttering. High settings at 4K yield an average of 30 FPS, and Ultra drops to 20 FPS, both of which are too low for a game that requires quick reactions. Therefore, for a 4K display, users must compromise significantly on visual quality to achieve acceptable performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combined performance of the Intel Core i5-13400F and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER in Archeage is represented by a combo rank of 2624 out of 3708 tested combinations. This places the setup in the 70th percentile of all combos, meaning it outperforms a majority of systems but is not near the top of the charts. This ranking suggests that while this is a competent mid-range pairing, there are many other combinations that can deliver higher frame rates in this specific title.

The rank reflects the balance between the CPU and GPU. The i5-13400F's strong multi-threaded performance ensures the game's logic is handled well, but the RTX 2060 SUPER, which sits in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs, acts as a limiting factor, especially at higher resolutions. The GPU's average benchmark score is 18093, and it is closely matched with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile, which has a deltaPct of -0.4. This indicates that the GPU's performance is a known quantity and is the primary reason the combo doesn't rank higher. The 2624th rank out of 3708 is a clear indicator that for Archeage, the RTX 2060 SUPER is the component holding the system back from higher performance tiers, particularly when aiming for high refresh rate monitors or 4K gaming.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU with a base clock of 1470 MHz and a boost clock of 1650 MHz. It is equipped with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 448.0 GB/s. The GPU's role in this combo becomes more pronounced as resolution and graphical settings increase. The data shows a clear trend: the GPU is capable of providing high frame rates at 1080p, but its performance degrades significantly at higher resolutions.

At 1080p, the RTX 2060 SUPER is able to produce an average of 129 FPS on Low settings, demonstrating its capacity for high refresh rate gaming when the graphical load is light. However, the performance drops by 51 FPS when moving from Low to Ultra at this resolution, showing that its raw shading power is limited. The GPU's FP32 performance is 7.181 TFLOPS, and its texture rate is 224.4 GTexel/s, but these figures are insufficient to maintain high frame rates on the most demanding presets.

The GPU's limitations become even more apparent at 1440p and 4K. At 1440p, the Ultra preset only manages an average of 36 FPS, and at 4K, the High preset struggles to hit 30 FPS. This is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The 8 GB of VRAM is not the issue here, as the game is older and likely does not exceed that capacity at these settings. Instead, the 2060 SUPER's compute throughput and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth is simply not enough to feed the rendering pipeline at 4K resolutions with high detail, resulting in frame rates that are too low for a smooth experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of this combo's performance across different resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the results are consistently low. The Ultra preset yields an average of 20 FPS, which is unplayable. The High preset averages 30 FPS, still well below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The Medium preset provides an average of 44 FPS, with a minimum of 38 FPS and a maximum of 51 FPS, which is borderline playable but may suffer from stuttering in busy scenes. The Low preset is the only one that approaches playability, with an average of 50 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the performance is significantly better. The Ultra preset averages 36 FPS, which is playable but not ideal. The High preset improves this to an average of 52 FPS. The Medium preset offers a good balance, with an average of 77 FPS, a minimum of 66 FPS, and a maximum of 89 FPS. The Low preset is the strongest performer at this resolution, achieving an average of 87 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its full potential. The Ultra preset averages 53 FPS, which is just above the playable threshold. The High preset reaches an average of 78 FPS, providing a smooth experience. The Medium preset is excellent, with an average of 115 FPS, a minimum of 97 FPS, and a maximum of 132 FPS. The Low preset achieves a very high average of 129 FPS, making it ideal for competitive play or high refresh rate displays. The overall pattern shows that the combo is best suited for 1080p gaming, where it can handle even the Ultra preset, and 1440p gaming, where Medium or Low settings are recommended.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K reveals the fundamental bottleneck of this system. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS is 129. When moving to 2560x1440, the FPS drops by 32.6% to 87. Moving further to 3840x2160, the FPS drops another 42.5% to 50. This trend is consistent across all settings, indicating that the GPU is the primary limiting factor as resolution increases. The CPU's performance is relatively constant, but the GPU's workload quadruples from 1080p to 4K, causing the frame rate to plummet.

The data implies that the RTX 2060 SUPER is well-matched for 1080p and acceptable for 1440p, but it is severely outclassed at 4K. The performance drop from 1080p to 1440p is significant, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is even more severe, highlighting the GPU's inability to handle the pixel throughput required at 4K. For example, at High settings, the FPS drops from 78 at 1080p to 52 at 1440p (a 33% drop), and then to 30 at 4K (a 42% drop). This non-linear scaling suggests that the GPU's memory bandwidth and shading units are saturated at 4K, leading to a disproportionate performance loss. The system is clearly a 1080p/1440p performer, and attempting to use it at 4K requires sacrificing most graphical fidelity to maintain a playable frame rate.