Archeage

Archeage is a 2014 MMORPG that remains sensitive to both CPU and GPU performance, and the data for the Intel Core i5-14600K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D shows a configuration that scales predictably across resolutions and settings. This combination ranks 16th out of 2,761 tested combos in the game, placing it in the top 1% of all systems. The measured frame rates reveal that the game is heavily influenced by preset selection, with the gap between Low and Ultra settings widening significantly as resolution increases, which points to a system that is GPU-limited at high loads but capable of extreme frame rates when the graphical load is reduced.

Resolution Scaling

The frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K is steep but consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At Low settings, the average FPS falls from 284 at 1920x1080 to 219 at 2560x1440, a reduction of 65 FPS, and then to 125 at 3840x2160, another drop of 94 FPS. This shows that even at the lowest preset, the RTX 5090 D is being pushed harder as pixel count rises, but it still maintains a very playable 125 FPS at 4K, indicating that the GPU has substantial headroom.

At Medium settings, the scaling is similar but with slightly lower starting points. The average drops from 273 FPS at 1080p to 195 FPS at 1440p (a loss of 78 FPS) and then to 112 FPS at 4K (a further loss of 83 FPS). The min FPS at Medium also scales down, from 232 at 1080p to 166 at 1440p and finally to 95 at 4K, which shows that the lower percentile performance follows the same trend as the average, suggesting no sudden bottlenecks.

High settings present a more pronounced drop. The average goes from 197 FPS at 1080p to 132 FPS at 1440p, a loss of 65 FPS, and then to 76 FPS at 4K, another drop of 56 FPS. This pattern indicates that the High preset introduces effects that are increasingly expensive at higher resolutions, but the system remains fluid even at 4K. Ultra settings, however, show the most dramatic scaling, with the average falling from 134 FPS at 1080p to 90 FPS at 1440p (a 44 FPS drop) and then to 52 FPS at 4K, a further 38 FPS loss. The 4K Ultra result is the only sub-60 FPS reading in the entire dataset, which clearly identifies Ultra as the breaking point for this hardware at the highest resolution.

The limiting component in this game is clearly the GPU at higher settings. The CPU, a 14-core Raptor Lake part with a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, is more than capable of feeding the GPU at lower resolutions, as evidenced by the 284 FPS Low reading at 1080p. However, the consistent reduction in FPS as resolution climbs, regardless of preset, shows that the RTX 5090 D's rendering load is the primary constraint. The data suggests that for a smooth 4K experience, players should avoid Ultra, while 1080p and 1440p are manageable even at higher presets.

Settings Recommendations

The measured rows provide clear guidance on which preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance for this configuration. At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset delivers an average of 134 FPS, which is well above the standard 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. However, the Medium preset achieves 273 FPS, which is more than double the Ultra result, and the Low preset reaches 284 FPS. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, the Medium preset is the sensible choice, as it provides a significant FPS boost over Ultra with only a modest drop in visual fidelity, given that the max FPS at Medium is 314.

At 2560x1440, the High preset delivers 132 FPS, which is excellent for a 1440p panel. The Ultra preset drops to 90 FPS, which is still playable but leaves less headroom for dips. The Medium preset, at 195 FPS, is the standout option here, offering a high frame rate that exceeds most 144Hz monitors' refresh rates. The Low preset at 219 FPS is only marginally better than Medium, so the visual upgrade from Low to Medium is worth the slight FPS cost.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more constrained. The High preset provides 76 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and suitable for most 4K displays. The Medium preset offers 112 FPS, which is a substantial improvement and the best option for a 4K high-refresh experience. The Ultra preset at 52 FPS is below the 60 FPS threshold and should be avoided for consistent smoothness. The Low preset at 125 FPS is playable but sacrifices too much visual quality for the modest gain over Medium. The data indicates that Medium is the optimal preset across all resolutions, as it consistently delivers high frame rates without the steep performance penalty seen at Ultra, and it provides a better visual experience than Low.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU with 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. This large memory pool and high bandwidth are directly relevant to Archeage's performance, as the game's texture and asset loading at 4K can benefit from the available VRAM. The GPU's boost clock of 2407 MHz and base clock of 2017 MHz contribute to its compute capability, which is reflected in its benchmark scores, including a Passmark G3D score of 44,065 and a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326.

The GPU's performance in this game is consistent with its high-end positioning. At 4K Low, it achieves 125 FPS, which shows that even with minimal graphical load, the card is not bottlenecked by the CPU. At 4K Ultra, the frame rate drops to 52 FPS, indicating that the GPU is fully utilized by the most demanding settings. The GPU's percentile rank of 92 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712, places it near the top of the hierarchy, but its nearest rivals in the benchmark database include the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, which scores 78,940 (a 1.6% advantage), and the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, which scores 76,904 (a 1.1% deficit). This suggests that while the RTX 5090 D is powerful, its raw benchmark performance is closely matched by some mobile and older desktop parts.

In practical terms for Archeage, the GPU's role is to handle the resolution and settings scaling. The data shows that the GPU is the primary driver of frame rate changes when moving between presets. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 150 FPS (from 284 to 134), which is a direct result of the GPU's workload increasing with visual complexity. At 4K, the same preset change results in a 73 FPS difference (from 125 to 52), confirming that the GPU is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The GPU's memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s ensures that high-resolution textures do not cause stuttering, as evidenced by the min FPS values at Medium settings, which remain above 95 FPS even at 4K.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the Low preset yields an average of 284 FPS, the highest of any configuration. The Medium preset averages 273 FPS, with a min of 232 and a max of 314, showing tight frame pacing. The High preset drops to 197 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 134 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the system is capable of driving high-refresh-rate monitors, even at Ultra, though the Medium preset offers the best combination of high FPS and visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 219 FPS, which is still exceptionally high. The Medium preset averages 195 FPS, with a min of 166 and a max of 224. The High preset delivers 132 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 90 FPS. The 1440p results show a similar pattern to 1080p, with Medium being the sweet spot for frame rate, while Ultra remains playable for most users.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 125 FPS, which is a solid result for 4K. The Medium preset averages 112 FPS, with a min of 95 and a max of 128, ensuring smooth gameplay. The High preset delivers 76 FPS, which is playable but not as fluid. The Ultra preset averages 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may cause noticeable judder in fast-moving scenes. The data shows a clear hierarchy: Medium is the best preset for 4K, providing a high average FPS with a reassuring min FPS of 95.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Archeage at 4K with maximum settings?

A: The data shows an average of 52 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. For a consistent experience at 4K, the Medium preset, at 112 FPS, is the recommended choice.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming on this hardware?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset delivers 195 FPS on average, with a min FPS of 166, making it the best option for high-refresh-rate displays. The High preset at 132 FPS is also viable, but Medium offers a significant frame rate advantage.

Q: How does the RTX 5090 D compare to its closest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 5090 D has an average benchmark score of 77,712. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT, scores 78,940, which is 1.6% higher, while the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT scores 76,904, which is 1.1% lower.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p with Low settings?

A: The data shows an average of 284 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings, which is extremely high. Given the Intel Core i5-14600K's strong single-threaded performance, as indicated by its Geekbench single-core score of 2,491, it is unlikely to be a bottleneck at this resolution and preset.

Q: What is the frame time consistency at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 112, with a minimum of 95 and a maximum of 128. This narrow range indicates consistent frame pacing without significant drops.

Q: Does the GPU's memory capacity affect performance in this game?

A: The RTX 5090 D has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory, which is more than sufficient for Archeage. The high memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s helps maintain stable frame rates at high resolutions, as evidenced by the solid min FPS values at 4K.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600K is a 14-core, 20-thread processor from the Raptor Lake Refresh generation, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In the context of Archeage, an MMORPG that often has complex scenes with many players and objects, the CPU's multi-threading capabilities are relevant. The processor scores 24,491 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 2,064 in single-core, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 16,673 and a single-core score of 2,491. These synthetic benchmarks indicate strong overall performance.

In this game, the CPU's role is less prominent than the GPU's, as evidenced by the frame rate scaling with resolution. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 284 FPS, which suggests the CPU can handle the game's logic and draw calls at high frame rates. At 1080p Ultra, the frame rate drops to 134 FPS, which is a GPU limitation rather than a CPU one, as the CPU's workload remains similar while the GPU's rendering load increases. The CPU's strong single-core performance is crucial for Archeage, which may rely on a single main thread for game logic. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz helps ensure that this thread does not become a bottleneck, even at high frame rates.

The i5-14600K's overall benchmark percentile of 90, with an average score of 48,618, places it well above most CPUs. Its nearest rivals in the database include the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, which scores 48,698 (0.2% higher), and the AMD EPYC 4345P, which scores 48,470 (0.3% lower). This indicates that the i5-14600K is competitive with server-grade parts in synthetic tests. For Archeage, the practical takeaway is that the CPU provides ample headroom, allowing the GPU to be the primary determinant of frame rate. The data shows that even at 4K, the CPU does not cause frame rate drops, as the min FPS at Medium settings is 95, which is well above playable levels.