Archeage

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER delivers a playable but resolution-sensitive experience in Archeage. The data shows a clear pattern: this combo is firmly anchored to 1080p gaming, with performance degrading predictably as resolution climbs. At 1080p, the setup handles most presets comfortably, but pushing to 1440p or 4K quickly exposes the GPU as the primary bottleneck.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a steep performance cliff as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 99 FPS. Dropping to 1440p Low yields 67 FPS, a 32% reduction. Moving to 4K Low, the average falls to 38 FPS, representing a 62% drop from 1080p Low. This scaling pattern indicates that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB GDDR6 memory and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated at higher resolutions.

The High preset tells a similar story. At 1080p High, the system produces 60 FPS. At 1440p High, that falls to 40 FPS—a 33% loss. At 4K High, the average is just 23 FPS, which is a 62% decline from the 1080p figure. This consistent ~60% performance loss from 1080p to 4K across both Low and High presets suggests the GPU is the limiting component, as the CPU's workload does not scale as dramatically with resolution.

Medium settings show the same trend with slightly different numbers. The 1080p Medium average is 88 FPS, 1440p Medium is 59 FPS, and 4K Medium is 34 FPS. The 1440p to 4K transition is particularly harsh: a 42% drop from 59 to 34 FPS. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 1080p Ultra at 41 FPS, 1440p Ultra at 28 FPS, and 4K Ultra at a nearly unplayable 16 FPS.

The data indicates that 1080p is the sweet spot for this hardware combination, with 1440p being borderline for competitive play and 4K being impractical for anything above Low settings. The scaling curve shows diminishing returns: the gap between 1080p and 1440p is significant but manageable, while the 1440p to 4K jump destroys playability on all presets. This is classic GPU-bound behavior, as the GTX 1660 SUPER's 125 W TDP and 5.027 TFLOPS FP32 compute are modest by modern standards.

Settings Recommendations

For 1080p gaming, the data strongly favors Medium or High settings. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 88 FPS average with a minimum of 75 FPS and maximum of 102 FPS. This provides smooth gameplay with headroom for dips. High settings at 1080p yield exactly 60 FPS average, which is acceptable for most players but leaves less margin for demanding scenes. Low settings at 1080p hit 99 FPS, but the visual compromise is unnecessary given Medium's superior frame stability.

At 1440p, the recommended preset shifts to Medium. The 1440p Medium average of 59 FPS with a 51 FPS minimum is playable, though the 68 FPS maximum shows variance. High settings at 1440p drop to 40 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold most players prefer. Low settings at 1440p achieve 67 FPS, but Medium offers better visuals with only a 12% performance penalty, making it the better trade-off.

For 4K, the data suggests Low settings are the only viable option. The 4K Low average of 38 FPS is marginal but technically playable. Medium at 4K drops to 34 FPS, and High falls to 23 FPS. Ultra at 4K is unusable at 16 FPS. Given that 4K Medium only provides a 12% FPS improvement over Low—wait, the data shows 4K Medium at 34 FPS versus 4K Low at 38 FPS, meaning Low is actually 12% faster than Medium. This small gap does not justify the visual downgrade from Medium to Low, but the 38 FPS average is the only preset that approaches playability at 4K.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. At 1080p Ultra, the combo manages 41 FPS, which is worse than 1440p Medium. At 1440p Ultra, 28 FPS is stuttery, and at 4K Ultra, 16 FPS is effectively a slideshow. The performance gap between Ultra and High at 1080p is 32% (60 to 41 FPS), which is a steep price for the visual upgrade.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14400F provides 10 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.50 GHz and boost clock of 4.70 GHz. This is a solid mid-range CPU with a 65 W TDP, and its benchmark scores reflect strong multi-threaded performance. The Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 21,645 and single-core score of 3,055 indicate the CPU is capable of feeding the GTX 1660 SUPER in most scenarios.

The CPU's 83rd percentile ranking among all processors, with an average benchmark score of 32,279, places it well above the GTX 1660 SUPER's 53rd percentile GPU ranking (average score 12,986). This disparity suggests the CPU is not the limiting factor in Archeage at 1080p, where the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U, scores 32,233, a 0.1% difference, confirming the i5-14400F is competitively positioned.

In Archeage, an MMORPG, the CPU's role is significant for handling many player characters and game logic. The i5-14400F's 20 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel memory support (DDR4 and DDR5) provide ample bandwidth for these tasks. The 2.50 GHz base clock is modest, but the 4.70 GHz boost clock ensures responsive single-threaded performance, which is critical for MMO gameplay.

The data suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU can push the GPU to 99 FPS, but at 1080p Ultra, the framerate drops to 41 FPS. This 58 FPS gap between Low and Ultra at the same resolution indicates the GPU is the limiting factor, as the CPU workload does not increase proportionally with graphics settings. The CPU's multi-threaded capabilities, evidenced by the PassMark multi-thread score of 25,470, are sufficient for Archeage's MMO demands.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER ranks 3,169 out of 3,708 tested combos in Archeage. This places it in the bottom 15% of all tested configurations, which is expected given the GTX 1660 SUPER's age and mid-range positioning. The combo's ranking reflects that while the CPU is strong, the GPU holds the system back in this title.

The GPU's benchmark data shows its limitations. The PassMark G3D score of 12,699 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1,278 are modest figures. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, scores 12,940, a 0.4% difference, while the AMD Radeon RX 580 scores 12,928, also 0.4% higher. These close margins indicate the GTX 1660 SUPER is at performance parity with its direct competitors.

The combo's rank of 3,169 out of 3,708 (85.5th percentile from the bottom) suggests that most other tested combinations perform better in Archeage. This is not surprising, as the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB VRAM and 192-bit memory bus are modest for modern MMO graphical demands at higher resolutions. The CPU's strong performance cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations, as evidenced by the resolution scaling data.

For context, the CPU alone ranks in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU ranks in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. This mismatch means the combo's overall performance is dragged down by the GPU. The data indicates that pairing this CPU with a stronger GPU would yield significantly better Archeage performance, as the CPU has headroom to drive higher framerates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is the clear bottleneck in this combo for Archeage. Its 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus provides 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is adequate for 1080p but strained at higher resolutions. The GPU's 1,408 shading units and 48 ROPs deliver 5.027 TFLOPS FP32 performance, which is modest for modern titles.

The GPU's clock speeds are 1,530 MHz base and 1,785 MHz boost, with memory running at 1,750 MHz (14 Gbps effective). These clocks are typical for the Turing architecture, but the 12 nm process node and 284 mm² die size limit efficiency. The GPU's 53rd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 12,986, shows it sits in the middle of the pack, but its nearest rivals are all within 1% of its score, indicating a crowded performance tier.

In Archeage, the GPU's VRAM capacity is a critical factor. At 4K Ultra, the combo produces just 16 FPS, which suggests the 6 GB frame buffer is overwhelmed. Even at 4K Low, the 38 FPS average indicates memory bandwidth constraints. The 1080p Medium results (88 FPS average, 75 FPS minimum) show the GPU is comfortable at this resolution, but the 102 FPS maximum suggests occasional frame spikes that could indicate memory pressure.

The GPU's PassMark DirectX 11 score of 104 and DirectX 12 score of 50 highlight its aging architecture. Archeage, being a 2014 MMORPG, likely relies on older DirectX paths, which the GTX 1660 SUPER handles reasonably well. However, the GPU's 1408 shading units are simply not enough to maintain high framerates at 1440p and above, as the resolution scaling data clearly demonstrates.

The GTX 1660 SUPER's 125 W TDP and single 8-pin power connector make it an easy card to install, but its 229 mm length and dual-slot design are typical for its generation. The GPU's predecessor, the GeForce 10 series, and successor, GeForce 20, bracket its position in NVIDIA's lineup, but the data shows it remains a viable 1080p option in 2024, though not for high refresh rates in demanding MMO scenarios.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 1080p is the only resolution where this combo achieves consistently playable framerates. At 1080p Medium, the average is 88 FPS, while 1440p Medium drops to 59 FPS and 4K Medium falls to 34 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle Archeage at 4K?

A: Only at Low settings, where it averages 38 FPS. Medium drops to 34 FPS, High to 23 FPS, and Ultra to 16 FPS. The 6 GB VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for smooth 4K gameplay.

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

A: The GPU scores 12,986 on average, with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile scoring 12,940 (0.4% higher), the AMD Radeon RX 580 scoring 12,928 (0.4% higher), and the AMD Radeon 740M scoring 12,870 (0.9% lower). Performance is essentially identical among these cards.

Q: Is the CPU holding back performance in this game?

A: No. The i5-14400F ranks in the 83rd percentile of all CPUs with an average score of 32,279, while the GPU ranks in the 53rd percentile. The resolution scaling data shows the GPU is the limiting component.

Q: What preset should I use at 1440p?

A: Medium is the best option, averaging 59 FPS with a 51 FPS minimum. High drops to 40 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, while Low achieves 67 FPS but with worse visuals.

Q: Why does the combo rank so low (3,169 out of 3,708) in Archeage?

A: The ranking reflects the GPU's modest performance. The GTX 1660 SUPER's 53rd percentile GPU ranking and 6 GB VRAM are below the median for tested combos. The CPU's strong performance cannot overcome the GPU's limitations in this title.