Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents an interesting scaling profile for the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination. The measured FPS data across three resolutions and four settings tiers reveals a system that is heavily influenced by both CPU and GPU limits depending on the configuration. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results to show where the bottlenecks lie and how to get the best experience.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1080p to 4K shows a classic shift in system limitation. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 269 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440 at the same settings drops the average to 181 FPS, a reduction of 88 FPS. Pushing further to 3840x2160 brings the average down to 104 FPS. This steep decline at lower settings indicates that the CPU is the primary limiter at 1080p, but the GPU becomes increasingly stressed as pixel count rises.

The data reveals a different pattern at higher visual fidelity. At Ultra settings, the frame rates are 111 FPS at 1080p, 75 FPS at 1440p, and 43 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p is roughly 32%, while the drop from 1440p to 4K is roughly 43%. This non-linear scaling suggests the GPU is the dominant constraint at Ultra settings across all resolutions, with the 4K resolution pushing the RTX 4080 to its limits.

Examining the Medium preset provides additional insight. The average FPS at 1080p is 240, at 1440p it is 161, and at 4K it is 92. The 1440p to 4K drop of 69 FPS is substantial, showing that even a high-end GPU like the RTX 4080 cannot maintain the same headroom when pixel count quadruples. The High preset, which is often the sweet spot for modern titles, shows a similar trend: 163 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p, and 63 FPS at 4K.

The scaling behavior indicates that at 1080p, especially on Low and Medium settings, the CPU is likely the limiting component, as the frame rates are high enough to expose per-core performance limits. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the FPS drops are more severe and consistent with the increased rendering load. The 4K Low result of 104 FPS versus the 1080p Low result of 269 FPS highlights that the RTX 4080's raw throughput, while substantial, cannot fully compensate for a 4x increase in resolution.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 24491 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2064 in single-core, placing it in the 90th percentile versus all CPUs. Its average benchmark score is 48618, which is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, which scores 48698 with a delta of -0.2%.

For an MMORPG like Archeage, the CPU's role is critical in handling game logic, physics, and the many entities present in the world. The high boost clock of 5.30 GHz is particularly relevant for single-threaded performance, which is often the bottleneck in MMO settings. The measured data supports this: at 1080p Low, the system reaches 269 FPS, a figure that is likely limited by the CPU's ability to process frames rather than the GPU's rendering speed.

The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064 indicates strong per-core performance, which translates to high frame rates in scenarios where the game is not GPU-bound. The multi-core score of 24491 suggests that the 14 cores and 20 threads can handle the parallel workloads that an MMO might present, such as rendering distant players or processing world events. However, the benchmark data shows that even with this capable CPU, the frame rates at 1080p Low (269 FPS) are lower than some might expect from a top-tier GPU, suggesting that the CPU's per-core speed, while excellent, still establishes a ceiling.

The CPU's TDP is 125 W, and it supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory with a dual-channel bus. The fact that the combo ranks 203 out of 3708 tested combos in Archeage indicates that this CPU-GPU pairing is above average for this specific game, but not at the very top. This ranking reflects that while the CPU is powerful, other combinations with even faster per-core performance or more cores might yield higher frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 is based on the Ada Lovelace architecture and features 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. Its boost clock is 2505 MHz, and it has 9728 shading units. The GPU's synthetic performance is strong, with a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 6567 and a Passmark G3D score of 34457, placing it in the 86th percentile versus all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 54247, which is nearly identical to the RTX 4080 SUPER at 54209, a delta of only 0.1%.

In Archeage, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 43, which is a demanding scenario for any GPU. The 16 GB of VRAM is sufficient for high-resolution textures, and the 716.8 GB/s bandwidth ensures that memory bandwidth is not a bottleneck at these settings. The pixel rate of 280.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 761.5 GTexel/s are high, but the data shows that the GPU is still the limiting factor at 4K Ultra.

The scaling from 1440p to 4K at High settings shows a drop from 110 FPS to 63 FPS. This 47 FPS decrease is substantial and points to the GPU's rendering load being the primary constraint. The RTX 4080's 48.74 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is impressive, but the jump in pixel count from 1440p to 4K is a 2.25x increase, which explains the significant FPS hit. At 1080p High, the GPU is capable of 163 FPS, but this is likely not the ceiling, as the CPU may be limiting at this resolution and setting.

The GPU's memory clock is listed as 1400 MHz with 22.4 Gbps effective, which is a fast GDDR6X implementation. This high memory bandwidth helps in scenarios with large textures and high resolutions. The data shows that at 4K Medium, the system achieves 92 FPS, which is a playable frame rate, but at 4K Ultra, the drop to 43 FPS suggests that the GPU is overwhelmed by the combination of high resolution and maxed-out settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the best experience depends on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, the Medium preset delivers 240 FPS on average, with a minimum of 204 FPS and a maximum of 276 FPS. This is a smooth, high-refresh-rate experience that is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 1080p offers 163 FPS, which is also excellent, but the Medium preset provides a higher frame rate with a marginal visual difference in most MMO scenarios. The Ultra preset at 1080p drops to 111 FPS, which is still playable but does not justify the performance loss unless the visual fidelity is paramount.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the recommended choice, with an average of 161 FPS and a minimum of 137 FPS. This ensures that the frame rate does not dip below 137 FPS, which is important for maintaining smooth gameplay. The High preset at 1440p yields 110 FPS, which is also good, but the Medium preset offers a 31% higher average frame rate. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 75 FPS, which is playable but may struggle in crowded areas with many players on screen.

At 3840x2160, the Medium preset provides an average of 92 FPS, which is the best balance between visual quality and performance. The High preset at 4K drops to 63 FPS, which is just above the 60 FPS target but may experience dips in demanding scenes. The Low preset at 4K offers 104 FPS, but the visual quality is significantly reduced, making it less appealing for a game that is often played for long sessions. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as the 43 FPS average is below the playable threshold for a smooth experience.

The data suggests that the Medium preset is the sweet spot for this combo across all resolutions. It provides high frame rates that are well above 60 FPS even at 4K, while the low preset sacrifices too much visual quality for a marginal FPS gain. The High preset is a viable alternative for users who prioritize visuals over raw frame rate, but the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and image quality.

How This Combo Ranks

In the benchmark database for Archeage, the Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 combination holds the 203rd rank out of 3708 tested combos. This places it in the top 5.5% of all combinations tested. This ranking is a strong indicator that this pairing is well-suited for Archeage, delivering performance that is significantly above the median.

The high ranking is likely due to the combination of the CPU's strong single-core performance and the GPU's high raw throughput. The CPU's boost clock of 5.30 GHz ensures that the game logic is processed quickly, while the GPU's 16 GB of VRAM and high memory bandwidth handle the rendering load efficiently. The combo's rank of 203 out of 3708 demonstrates that it outperforms the vast majority of other configurations, but it is not the absolute top performer. This suggests that there are a few other combinations that offer even higher frame rates, likely those with even more powerful CPUs or GPUs.

The rank also reflects the game's age and its tendency to be CPU-bound in certain scenarios. While the RTX 4080 is a top-tier GPU, the CPU's performance is the more critical factor in achieving the highest frame rates in Archeage. The data shows that this combo is capable of exceeding 100 FPS at 4K on Low settings and 240 FPS at 1080p on Medium settings, which puts it in a performance tier that is well above what most users would require for a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS at 1080p with High settings?

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 163 FPS.

Q: Does the combo maintain 60 FPS at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No, at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 43 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target.

Q: What is the best preset for a balance of quality and performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 2560x1440 provides an average of 161 FPS with a minimum of 137 FPS, making it the best balance for smooth gameplay.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rival in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618, which is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H at 48698, with a delta of -0.2%.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the measured data?

A: The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 79 FPS at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. Other settings do not have a listed minimum FPS.

Q: What is the combo's rank among all tested combinations in Archeage?

A: The combo ranks 203rd out of 3708 tested combinations, placing it in the top 5.5% of all tested combos.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS for each resolution and settings combination, along with the minimum and maximum FPS where available.

| Resolution | Settings | Avg FPS | Min FPS | Max FPS |

|---|---|---|---|---|

| 3840x2160 | High | 63 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Low | 104 | N/A | N/A |

| 3840x2160 | Medium | 92 | 79 | 106 |

| 3840x2160 | Ultra | 43 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | High | 110 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Low | 181 | N/A | N/A |

| 2560x1440 | Medium | 161 | 137 | 186 |

| 2560x1440 | Ultra | 75 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | High | 163 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Low | 269 | N/A | N/A |

| 1920x1080 | Medium | 240 | 204 | 276 |

| 1920x1080 | Ultra | 111 | N/A | N/A |

The data shows a clear progression. At 1080p, the system is capable of very high frame rates, with the Low setting reaching 269 FPS and the Medium setting at 240 FPS. The High setting at 163 FPS is still excellent. The Ultra setting at 111 FPS is the only 1080p configuration that drops below 150 FPS.

At 1440p, the Low setting still provides a high 181 FPS, but the Medium setting drops to 161 FPS, and the High setting to 110 FPS. The Ultra setting at 75 FPS is noticeably lower, indicating a smooth transition to GPU-bound territory.

At 4K, the Low setting provides 104 FPS, which is playable, but the Medium setting drops to 92 FPS, and the High setting to 63 FPS. The Ultra setting at 43 FPS is the lowest measured performance, showing that this combination is not suitable for maxed-out 4K gaming in this title. The Medium preset at 4K offers the best compromise, with an average of 92 FPS and a minimum of 79 FPS, ensuring a mostly smooth experience.