Archeage

Archeage, an MMORPG released on January 14, 2014, exhibits demanding performance characteristics that stress the combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the AMD Radeon RX 580. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while still delivering playable frame rates at 1080p with optimized settings. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results for this specific hardware pairing.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall performance ranking of this CPU and GPU combo in Archeage?

A: The combination ranks 3387 out of 3708 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower percentile of systems. This indicates that while the CPU is powerful, the GPU is a significant limiting factor for achieving high frame rates in this title.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600KF compare to its nearest CPU rivals based on average benchmark scores?

A: The Core i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49394. It is 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (score 49228), 0.4% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (score 49196), and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (score 48995). It trails the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 388 by 0.8%, which scores 49796.

Q: What is the best average FPS achievable with this combo at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 69 FPS, achieved at the Low settings preset at 1920x1080 resolution. The Medium preset at the same resolution delivers 61 FPS, while High and Ultra presets yield 42 and 28 FPS, respectively.

Q: Is the Radeon RX 580's performance comparable to any other GPUs in the database?

A: The RX 580 has an average benchmark score of 12928, placing it in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. It is virtually tied with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, which scores 12940 (-0.1% delta). It also performs within 0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (score 12986) and is 0.5% ahead of the AMD Radeon 740M (score 12870).

Q: What are the minimum and maximum FPS recorded at the 2560x1440 Medium preset?

A: At 2560x1440 with Medium settings, the benchmark shows an average of 41 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 47 FPS. This data point provides a frame time variance indicator, suggesting a playable but not perfectly consistent experience.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread score?

A: The CPU's single-core performance is strong, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4594 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2445. Its multi-core capabilities are also substantial, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544 and a Geekbench multi-core score of 17085, indicating it is not a bottleneck in this configuration.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is the primary determinant of frame rates in this configuration. Based on the measured FPS, the GPU's performance ceiling is quickly reached as resolution and settings increase. The card features 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s, with memory clocked at 2000 MHz (8 Gbps effective). Its base clock is 1257 MHz with a boost clock of 1340 MHz.

The GPU's compute capabilities are defined by 2304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 32 ROPs. Its raw throughput is rated at 6.175 TFLOPS for both FP32 and FP16 operations. The pixel rate is 42.88 GPixel/s, and the texture rate is 193.0 GTexel/s. These specifications, while adequate for 1080p gaming, struggle to maintain high frame rates at 4K. The benchmark data shows that at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only averages 26 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls to 11 FPS. This severe drop confirms the GPU's architecture is not designed for 4K rendering in a demanding MMORPG like Archeage.

The RX 580's position in the market is clear from its benchmark scores. With an average benchmark score of 12928, it sits in the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. Its closest rivals, such as the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile and GTX 1660 SUPER, have extremely similar average scores (12940 and 12986 respectively), indicating that its performance level is well-known and consistent. The data suggests that the GPU's 8 GB VRAM buffer is sufficient for this game's textures, but the core computational power is the limiting factor at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14600KF and the AMD Radeon RX 580 achieves a rank of 3387 out of 3708 tested system combinations in Archeage. This places the system in the bottom 9% of all tested hardware pairings. This low ranking is not indicative of a faulty CPU, but rather highlights the significant performance gap between this mid-range GPU and the top-tier processors it is paired with.

The CPU itself is a high-performance part, ranking in the 90th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 49394. It outperforms its nearest rivals, including the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245, in aggregate benchmark scores. However, the GPU's 53rd percentile ranking and much lower average score of 12928 create a substantial bottleneck. The system's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's inability to keep pace with the CPU's processing power in a graphics-intensive scenario like gaming.

This rank indicates that while the system is capable of running the game, it will not provide a high-end experience. Users with this combo will be limited to lower settings to achieve smooth gameplay, a situation that is typical of pairing a powerful modern CPU with a previous-generation or budget-oriented GPU. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the limiting component, and any upgrade path to improve gaming performance in Archeage would need to focus on replacing the graphics card.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a detailed look at how the system performs across different resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the system shows its best results. The Low preset yields an average of 69 FPS, which is the highest recorded in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 and a maximum of 70. The High preset averages 42 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 28 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance takes a significant hit. The Low preset averages 46 FPS, while Medium averages 41 FPS (with a min of 35 and max of 47). The High preset averages 28 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages only 19 FPS. At 3840x2160, the system is clearly overburdened. The Low preset averages 26 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS (with a min of 20 and max of 27), High averages 16 FPS, and Ultra averages just 11 FPS.

These numbers illustrate a clear pattern. At 1080p, the system can achieve playable frame rates on Medium and Low settings, with High being borderline. At 1440p, only the Low and Medium presets provide averages above 40 FPS. At 4K, the system is not capable of delivering a smooth experience on any setting, as all average FPS values are below 30. The data suggests that 1080p is the intended resolution for this hardware combination.

Resolution Scaling

The performance degradation from 1080p to 4K is stark and reveals the system's bottleneck. At 1080p Medium, the average FPS is 61. At 1440p Medium, it drops to 41 FPS, a reduction of approximately 33%. At 4K Medium, the average FPS falls to 24, which is a 61% reduction from the 1080p Medium result. This scaling pattern is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario.

When comparing the Low preset across resolutions, the trend is similar. 1080p Low averages 69 FPS, 1440p Low averages 46 FPS (a 33% drop), and 4K Low averages 26 FPS (a 62% drop from 1080p). The proportional decrease in performance as resolution increases is a textbook sign that the GPU's fill rate and pixel processing capabilities are saturated. The CPU, while powerful, is not the limiting factor here, as its performance does not scale with resolution.

The data indicates that the Radeon RX 580 is the primary constraint. The CPU's high benchmark scores (e.g., a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32544) and 14 cores are more than sufficient to feed the GPU with draw calls and game logic data. The GPU, however, simply cannot render frames fast enough at higher resolutions. To improve 1440p or 4K performance, a GPU upgrade would be necessary. The current setup is best utilized at 1080p, where the GPU can maintain a reasonable frame rate.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF plays a supporting role in this configuration, providing ample processing power that is not fully utilized by the GPU. This CPU features 14 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 cache per core, 2 MB of L2 cache per core, and a shared 24 MB of L3 cache. This architecture, based on Raptor Lake, is built on a 10 nm process.

The CPU's benchmark results demonstrate its high level of performance. It scores 32544 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4594 in single-core. Its Geekbench scores are 17085 for multi-core and 2445 for single-core. In Passmark tests, it achieves a multi-thread score of 38697 and a single-thread score of 4273. These figures place it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, ahead of rivals like the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and Intel Core Ultra 5 245.

In the context of Archeage, a game that often relies on single-thread performance for game logic and network handling, the Core i5-14600KF's strong single-core scores (Cinebench R23 score of 4594) ensure that the CPU is not the cause of low frame rates. The measured FPS data shows that performance scales with resolution and settings, which is a GPU-dependent characteristic. The CPU is capable of delivering high frame rates, but it is held back by the GPU's lower performance ceiling.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this hardware combination is at 1920x1080 resolution. The Low preset delivers the highest average frame rate at 69 FPS, which is ideal for fast-paced gameplay and competitive scenarios. However, the Medium preset offers a better balance between visual fidelity and performance, with an average of 61 FPS and a minimum of 52 FPS, ensuring a smoother experience without significant graphical compromises.

For players who prioritize visual quality over frame rate, the High preset at 1080p is playable, with an average of 42 FPS. This is a viable option for those who prefer a more detailed environment, but it is not recommended for gameplay that requires quick reactions. The Ultra preset at 1080p, with an average of 28 FPS, should be avoided as it falls below the threshold for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (46 FPS) and Medium preset (41 FPS) are recommended. The High and Ultra presets at this resolution are not advisable due to average frame rates of 28 and 19 FPS, respectively. At 3840x2160, none of the presets are recommended for a playable experience, as even the Low preset only averages 26 FPS. The data suggests that users should stick to 1080p with Medium or Low settings for the best combination of smoothness and visual quality.