Archeage

This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i5-14600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 in Archeage. The data presents a clear picture of a system where the GPU is the primary constraint at higher resolutions, but the CPU's strength provides a solid foundation for lower-resolution play.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance cliff as resolution increases. At 1080p with Low settings, the combo produces 64.7 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings drops the average to 40.8 FPS, a 37% reduction. At 4K, the Low preset yields just 26.2 FPS. This pattern indicates that the GTX 1650's rendering throughput is the dominant factor in scaling. The GPU's 128.1 GB/s memory bandwidth and 128-bit bus are simply insufficient to feed the pixel count at higher resolutions, causing frame rates to collapse.

The scaling from Medium to High settings at each resolution further confirms this. At 1080p, the drop from Medium (53.5 FPS) to High (36.2 FPS) is a 32% loss. At 1440p, the same settings transition goes from 34.6 FPS to 28.2 FPS, a smaller 18% loss. This diminishing penalty at higher resolutions suggests that the GPU is already saturated by the resolution itself, leaving less headroom for settings-based performance differences. The Ultra preset is the most punishing, with only 25.2 FPS at 1080p and a mere 12.2 FPS at 4K.

These results show that the CPU is not the limiting factor in this scaling. The i5-14600KF's high single-thread and multi-thread capabilities, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 scores of 4643 and 32889 respectively, are more than adequate for Archeage's demands. The bottleneck is explicitly the GPU's pixel and texture processing rates. The 53.28 GPixel/s pixel rate and 93.24 GTexel/s texture rate are simply not enough for 4K, where the data shows even Low settings cannot maintain playable frame rates.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a Turing-architecture part with 896 shading units, 56 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. Its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The card's boost clock is 1665 MHz, and its FP32 performance is rated at 2.984 TFLOPS. These specifications place it in the 43rd percentile of all GPUs, indicating its position as an entry-level offering.

In Archeage, the GPU's VRAM capacity plays a critical role. The 4 GB frame buffer is a limiting factor at 4K resolution, where texture data and geometry exceed this capacity. This is likely a major reason why the Ultra preset at 4K manages only 12.2 FPS, as the card struggles with memory swapping and reduced effective bandwidth. The 8 Gbps effective memory speed cannot compensate for the insufficient capacity.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its performance. Its Passmark G3D score is 7880, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score is 305. In comparison to its nearest rivals, the GTX 1650 sits within 0.5% of the AMD Radeon 550X and the NVIDIA Quadro P2200. This tight grouping suggests that the GTX 1650 is at a performance parity with these other mid-range cards, and Archeage's results reflect this tier of hardware capability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the i5-14600KF and GTX 1650 ranks 1642 out of 1727 tested combos in Archeage. This places it in the bottom 5% of all system configurations. This low ranking is almost entirely attributable to the GPU, as the processor is a high-end part. The i5-14600KF's average benchmark score is 49367, which places it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. The GPU's average score of 8713 and 43rd percentile standing drag the overall combo performance down.

The pairing is a classic bottleneck scenario. The CPU has the processing headroom to drive much higher frame rates, but the GPU cannot deliver. The i5-14600KF's nearest rivals in CPU performance include the Intel Core i5-14600K (0.4% faster), the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X (0.6% faster), and the AMD EPYC 4345P (0.5% slower). These rivals all have similar processing power, but when paired with a more capable GPU, they would produce far better Archeage results. This data shows that the combo rank is a direct consequence of the GPU's limitations, not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1080p, the data shows a wide spread across settings. The Low preset achieves 64.7 FPS, which is playable for an MMORPG. Medium drops to 53.5 FPS, High to 36.2 FPS, and Ultra falls to 25.2 FPS. The step from Low to Medium is a 17% reduction, while the step from Medium to High is a 32% reduction. This suggests that the High preset introduces significant shading and texture costs that the GTX 1650 cannot handle smoothly.

At 1440p, the numbers decrease across the board. Low produces 40.8 FPS, Medium 34.6 FPS, High 28.2 FPS, and Ultra 17.7 FPS. The gap between Medium and High narrows to 18%, but the gap between High and Ultra expands to 37%. The Ultra preset at 1440p is nearly unplayable, with a frame rate below 20 FPS.

At 4K, the results are consistently poor. Low manages 26.2 FPS, Medium 18.3 FPS, High 16.1 FPS, and Ultra 12.2 FPS. No setting at 4K reaches 30 FPS, making this resolution impractical for this combo in Archeage. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is a 53% drop, indicating that the GPU is completely overwhelmed by the pixel count and can only offer marginal improvements from settings reductions.

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 a 24 MB shared L3 cache. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 38697, and its single-thread score is 4273. These figures place it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs, far above the GPU's standing.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, NPC AI, and network processing, which is typical for an MMORPG. The high boost clock of 5.30 GHz provides excellent single-thread performance, which is often critical for MMO titles. The Geekbench single-core score of 2778 and Cinebench R15 single-core score of 468 confirm that the CPU can handle the per-thread demands of the game. However, the measured FPS data shows that the CPU is rarely the bottleneck in this configuration. The FPS at 1080p Low (64.7) is likely near the CPU's limit, but the GPU's limitations become apparent at higher settings and resolutions.

The CPU's 125W TDP and support for DDR4 and DDR5 memory indicate a high-end part. Its nearest CPU rivals, such as the Ryzen 9 5950X and the i5-14600K, show similar performance deltas of 0.6% and 0.4% respectively, meaning the i5-14600KF is well-positioned within its class. The data suggests that if this CPU were paired with a stronger GPU, the FPS in Archeage would be significantly higher, as the CPU would not be the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance this combo can achieve in Archeage?

A: The highest measured FPS is 64.7 at 1080p with Low settings. This is the only configuration that exceeds 60 FPS in the data.

Q: Is 4K resolution viable with this hardware?

A: No. The best 4K result is 26.2 FPS at Low settings, and Ultra settings drop to 12.2 FPS. All 4K settings are below 30 FPS.

Q: How does the GPU's memory bandwidth affect the results?

A: The GTX 1650 has 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth over a 128-bit bus. This is a key limiting factor at higher resolutions, contributing to the steep FPS drops from 1080p to 4K.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the low combo rank?

A: The GPU. The combo ranks 1642 out of 1727, and the i5-14600KF is in the 93rd CPU percentile. The GTX 1650 is in the 43rd GPU percentile, making it the clear bottleneck.

Q: What settings are recommended for a playable experience?

A: At 1080p, Low settings provide 64.7 FPS, and Medium provides 53.5 FPS. At 1440p, Low provides 40.8 FPS, which may be acceptable for some players. Higher settings are not recommended.

Q: How does this CPU compare to its nearest rival in processing power?

A: The i5-14600KF is 0.4% slower than the Intel Core i5-14600K and 0.6% slower than the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X. It is 0.5% faster than the AMD EPYC 4345P. These differences are minimal and do not affect gaming performance.