Archeage

Archeage is an older MMORPG, but that does not mean it is easy to run at maximum settings. The benchmark data for the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the Intel Arc B570 shows a wide performance spread depending on how you configure the game. The results indicate that this combination is capable of delivering smooth gameplay at 1080p, but struggles significantly at 4K with higher presets. The data reveals a system where the graphics card becomes the primary bottleneck as resolution increases, while the CPU provides a solid foundation for frame rates at lower resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a clear and predictable pattern as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the average frame rate drops from 66 FPS at 1080p to 45 FPS at 1440p, and finally to 26 FPS at 4K. This represents a 61% performance loss from 1080p to 4K, which is a substantial hit. The scaling from 1440p to 4K is particularly steep, with a 42% drop in average FPS, indicating that the graphics card is running out of pixel-pushing capability.

The Low preset tells a similar story, though the absolute numbers are higher. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 110 FPS, which falls to 74 FPS at 1440p and 42 FPS at 4K. The relative drop from 1080p to 4K is 62%, nearly identical to the High preset. This consistency suggests that the bottleneck is primarily resolution-driven rather than settings-driven. When the resolution increases, the GPU must render more pixels, and the Arc B570's 10 GB of VRAM and 160-bit memory bus become limiting factors.

Looking at the Medium preset, which includes min and max FPS data, the pattern holds. At 1080p Medium, the average is 98 FPS with a minimum of 83 and maximum of 112. Moving to 1440p Medium drops the average to 66 FPS with a range of 56 to 76. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 38 FPS with a min of 32 and max of 43. The gap between min and max FPS narrows as resolution increases, suggesting that the frame time variance becomes less about CPU spikes and more about consistent GPU load.

The Ultra preset is where the system really struggles. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 45 FPS, which is already below the 60 FPS target for smooth play. At 1440p Ultra, it drops to 31 FPS, and at 4K Ultra, it falls to just 17 FPS. This makes Ultra settings essentially unplayable at 4K and marginal at 1440p. The scaling from 1080p to 4K at Ultra represents a 62% loss, consistent with the other presets. The data clearly shows that this game, at this resolution range, is heavily GPU-bound. The CPU is not the limiting factor here; the Arc B570 simply does not have enough raw throughput to maintain high frame rates at 4K with demanding settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-14600KF is a 14-core, 20-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache. In synthetic benchmarks, this CPU scores 32,544 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 4,594 in single-core, placing it in the 90th percentile against all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 49,394 puts it 0.3% ahead of the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and 0.8% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245, showing it is a competitive high-end part.

In Archeage, the CPU role is evident in the frame rates at lower resolutions. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 110 FPS, which is a strong result that suggests the CPU can feed the GPU effectively. The fact that 1080p Medium hits 98 FPS and 1080p High hits 66 FPS indicates that the CPU is not bottlenecking at these settings. The boost clock of 5.30 GHz is likely helping with single-threaded game logic, which is common in MMORPGs where player counts and game world calculations can be CPU-intensive.

However, the data shows that the CPU's influence diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K, regardless of preset, the frame rates are all below 45 FPS, and the gap between Low and High presets narrows. At 4K Low, the system hits 42 FPS, while at 4K High it hits 26 FPS. This suggests that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, and the CPU has headroom that is not being utilized. The 14 cores and 20 threads are more than enough for Archeage, which likely does not scale well beyond a few cores. The single-core Cinebench R15 score of 462 and R20 score of 1,929 confirm strong per-core performance, which is what matters for this game's engine.

The processor's 125W TDP and Intel Socket 1700 platform are standard for this class. The fact that it supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory gives builders flexibility, though the benchmark data does not specify which was used. The CPU's performance in Passmark multi-thread (38,697) and single-thread (4,273) tests reinforces that it is a capable gaming processor. In Archeage specifically, the data suggests that the CPU is not the bottleneck at any resolution tested. The frame rate drops from 1080p to 4K are entirely attributable to the GPU's rendering limits.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B570 is a Battlemage-generation graphics card based on the Xe2-HPG architecture. It has 2,304 shading units, 144 texture mapping units, and 80 raster output units, with 18 ray tracing cores. The GPU runs at a fixed 2500 MHz boost clock and has 10 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 160-bit bus, providing 380.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its FP32 performance is 11.52 TFLOPS, and it has a 150W TDP. In synthetic benchmarks, the GPU scores 14,195 in Passmark G3D and 96,844 in Geekbench Vulkan, placing it in the 65th percentile against all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 20,556 is 0.1% behind the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile and 0.1% ahead of the Intel Arc A750.

In Archeage, the GPU's role is dominant, as shown by the resolution scaling data. The GPU's 10 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p at all presets, but at 4K Ultra, the combination of high-resolution textures and effects likely pushes memory usage to its limits. The 160-bit memory bus and 380 GB/s bandwidth are modest by modern standards, which explains the steep performance drop at 4K. The GPU's pixel rate of 200.0 GPixel/s and texture rate of 360.0 GTexel/s are respectable, but they are not enough to sustain high frame rates at 4K with Ultra settings.

The benchmark results show that the Arc B570 performs best at 1080p, where it can deliver 110 FPS on Low and 98 FPS on Medium. At High settings, it drops to 66 FPS, which is still playable but not ideal for competitive play. The Ultra preset at 1080p yields 45 FPS, which is a significant hit from High, suggesting that Ultra settings introduce effects that are particularly demanding on this GPU. The 18 ray tracing cores are present, but the game likely does not use them, so they are not a factor in these results.

At 1440p, the GPU shows its limits more clearly. Low settings yield 74 FPS, Medium yields 66 FPS, and High yields 45 FPS. The Medium preset's minimum of 56 FPS and maximum of 76 FPS show that there is some frame time variance, but the average is acceptable for most players. At 4K, the GPU is clearly overwhelmed. Even on Low settings, the average is only 42 FPS, and on High it drops to 26 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is nearly unplayable at 17 FPS. The GPU's 65th percentile ranking against all GPUs puts it in the mid-range, and these results reflect that positioning. It is not a 4K gaming card, but it handles 1080p and 1440p reasonably well.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this system is at 1920x1080 with Medium settings. The average FPS of 98 is well above the 60 FPS target, and the minimum of 83 FPS ensures smooth gameplay even in busy scenes. This preset offers a good balance between visual quality and performance. The jump from Low to Medium is only a 12 FPS loss (from 110 to 98), which is a small price for the visual improvement. In contrast, the jump from Medium to High costs 32 FPS (from 98 to 66), which is a significant drop for what is likely a modest visual gain.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the recommended choice. The average of 66 FPS is above 60, and the minimum of 56 FPS is borderline but acceptable for an MMORPG. The Low preset at 1440p delivers 74 FPS, but the visual quality is noticeably reduced. The High preset at 1440p drops to 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and may feel less smooth. For players who prioritize frame rate over visuals, Low at 1440p is an option, but Medium is the sweet spot.

At 3840x2160, none of the presets deliver a consistently smooth experience. The Low preset at 42 FPS is the most playable, but it is still below 60 FPS. The Medium preset at 38 FPS and High at 26 FPS are marginal. The Ultra preset at 17 FPS is not recommended. For 4K gaming, players would need to lower the resolution or accept lower frame rates. The data suggests that this system is not well-suited for 4K Archeage, and 1080p or 1440p are the intended resolutions.

The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. Even at 1080p, it only achieves 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target. The performance cost from High to Ultra is significant, and the visual difference is likely minimal in an older MMORPG. Players should stick with Medium or High at 1080p, or Medium at 1440p, for the best balance of visual quality and gameplay smoothness. The measured data consistently shows that Medium offers the best frame time consistency, with narrower min-max ranges compared to other presets.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Archeage at 4K smoothly?

A: No. The measured data shows that at 3840x2160, even the Low preset only achieves 42 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to 17 FPS. None of the 4K presets reach the 60 FPS target for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU-GPU combo?

A: The data indicates 1920x1080 is the ideal resolution. At 1080p Medium, the system achieves 98 FPS average with a minimum of 83 FPS. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 66 FPS with a minimum of 56 FPS, which is still playable but less comfortable.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B570 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score of 20,556 is 0.1% higher than the Intel Arc A750 and 0.1% lower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Mobile. It also sits 0.4% ahead of the NVIDIA Quadro M4000M and 0.5% behind the AMD Radeon R9 M390X.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Archeage?

A: The data shows the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the system can reach 110 FPS on Low settings, indicating the CPU is capable. But at 4K, frame rates drop below 45 FPS even on Low, showing the GPU cannot keep up with the pixel count.

Q: What settings should I use for the smoothest experience?

A: For the highest frame rates, use 1080p Low, which delivers 110 FPS. For a balance of visuals and performance, use 1080p Medium at 98 FPS or 1440p Medium at 66 FPS. Avoid Ultra settings, as they provide the lowest frame rates at all resolutions.

Q: How does the Intel Core i5-14600KF compare to the AMD Ryzen 9 7900?

A: The i5-14600KF has an average benchmark score of 49,394, which is 0.3% higher than the Ryzen 9 7900's score of 49,228. This puts the two processors at near parity in synthetic performance.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best performance across all presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 110 FPS with no reported minimum or maximum. The Medium preset averages 98 FPS, with a minimum of 83 FPS and a maximum of 112 FPS. The High preset drops to 66 FPS average. The Ultra preset is the weakest at 1080p, with an average of 45 FPS. These numbers show a clear progression where each step up in settings costs a significant amount of performance.

At 2560x1440, the performance drops across the board. The Low preset averages 74 FPS. The Medium preset averages 66 FPS, with a minimum of 56 FPS and a maximum of 76 FPS. The High preset averages 45 FPS. The Ultra preset drops to 31 FPS average. The gap between Low and Medium is only 8 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 21 FPS, suggesting that High settings introduce a heavy load on the GPU.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles to maintain playable frame rates. The Low preset averages 42 FPS. The Medium preset averages 38 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS. The High preset drops to 26 FPS average. The Ultra preset averages just 17 FPS. None of these presets reach 60 FPS, and even the Low preset is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The minimum FPS of 32 at Medium shows that there are moments where the system dips significantly below the average.

The data reveals that the Intel Core i5-14600KF is more than sufficient for this game, while the Intel Arc B570 is the limiting factor. The CPU's high single-core performance ensures that frame rates are not CPU-bound at any resolution. The GPU, with its 10 GB VRAM and 160-bit bus, is capable at 1080p and 1440p but falls short at 4K. For players using this combination, the optimal configuration is 1080p Medium or 1440p Medium, depending on monitor resolution and preference for visual fidelity versus frame rate. The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely, as it provides the worst performance at every resolution.