Archeage

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a six-core, six-thread processor from the Coffee Lake Refresh generation, running at a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. It lacks hyper-threading, which limits its ability to handle heavily parallel workloads, but its per-core performance is respectable for a mid-range desktop part. In synthetic benchmarks, the i5-9400 scores 7969 points in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1125 points in single-core, placing it at the 50th percentile among all tested CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 2305 puts it nearly even with the Intel Core i3-10305 (deltaPct 0.2) and Intel Core i3-1125G4 (deltaPct 0.2), while trailing the Intel Core i7-8809G by just 0.6%.

For Archeage, an MMORPG from 2014, the CPU's role is primarily about maintaining consistent frame pacing in crowded areas and during large-scale encounters. The game's engine is not heavily threaded, so the i5-9400's six physical cores are generally sufficient, but the lack of additional threads means the processor can become the bottleneck in scenes with many players and NPCs. The measured FPS data supports this: at 1080p with Low settings, the combo achieves 160.5 FPS, but this drops to 120.9 FPS at High and 81.9 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Low and Ultra suggests that while the GPU handles the graphical load, the CPU's single-thread performance and six-thread limit cap the maximum achievable frame rate. The i5-9400's 9 MB of shared L3 cache and dual-channel DDR4 memory support at 42.7 GB/s are adequate for this title, though not exceptional.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured data shows a clear sweet spot at Medium settings across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 154.8 FPS, which is within 3.5% of the Low preset's 160.5 FPS but with noticeably better visual quality. At 1440p, Medium produces 120.2 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay, while High drops to 80.8 FPS and Ultra falls to 52 FPS. At 4K, Medium maintains 66.3 FPS, which is still playable, whereas High drops to 46.1 FPS and Ultra becomes nearly unplayable at 29.1 FPS.

The verdict is straightforward: Medium is the optimal preset for this combo. It offers the best balance between visual fidelity and performance, keeping frame rates above 60 FPS at 1440p and 4K. High is viable only at 1080p (120.9 FPS) and 1440p (80.8 FPS), but the drop to 46.1 FPS at 4K makes it unsuitable for higher resolutions. Ultra should be avoided entirely; even at 1080p it only reaches 81.9 FPS, and at 4K it falls to 29.1 FPS, which is below the threshold for comfortable play. Low settings provide the highest frame rates but sacrifice too much visual quality for marginal gains over Medium.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The scaling pattern across resolutions reveals a hybrid bottleneck situation. From 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings, the FPS drops from 154.8 to 120.2, a 22.4% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, it falls to 66.3, a 44.8% reduction. This non-linear behavior indicates that at lower resolutions, the CPU is the primary limiter—the i5-9400 simply cannot push more frames regardless of the GPU's capability. At 1080p Low, the combo hits 160.5 FPS, which appears to be near the CPU's ceiling for this title; the GPU has ample headroom to render more frames if the CPU could supply them.

At 4K, the situation flips. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT becomes the limiting factor, as the pixel throughput demands overwhelm the GPU. The 4K Ultra result of 29.1 FPS versus the 4K Low result of 76.1 FPS shows a 61.8% performance swing, which is far larger than the 33.9% swing seen at 1080p (160.5 FPS Low vs 81.9 FPS Ultra). This indicates that at 4K, the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are the constraining resources, while at 1080p, the CPU's six threads and 2.90 GHz base clock are the bottleneck. The RX 6800 XT's 512.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance are more than sufficient for 1080p and 1440p in this 2014 title, but the Ultra preset at 4K pushes the GPU past its limits.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The Intel Core i5-9400 + AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT combination ranks 648th out of 1727 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the 62.5th percentile of all configurations. This ranking is respectable but not exceptional, reflecting the fact that the GPU is significantly more capable than the CPU. The RX 6800 XT sits at the 87th percentile among all GPUs, while the i5-9400 sits at just the 50th percentile among CPUs. This imbalance means the combo's overall ranking is dragged down by the processor's mid-tier standing.

The rank of 648 out of 1727 suggests that many combos with weaker GPUs but stronger CPUs outperform this pairing in Archeage, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU-bound scenarios dominate. The data shows that at 1080p Medium, the combo achieves 154.8 FPS, which is solid, but combos with higher-ranked CPUs likely achieve higher frame rates in the same conditions. The nearest CPU rivals tell the story: the i5-9400 is effectively tied with the Intel Core i3-10305 and i3-1125G4 (both deltaPct 0.2), meaning there is no meaningful CPU performance advantage over these lower-tier parts. This explains why the combo rank is in the middle of the pack rather than near the top.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo to maintain 60+ FPS?

A: At Medium settings, the combo achieves 120.2 FPS at 1440p and 66.3 FPS at 4K, both above 60 FPS. At High settings, only 1080p (120.9 FPS) and 1440p (80.8 FPS) exceed 60 FPS, while 4K drops to 46.1 FPS.

Q: Does the RX 6800 XT bottleneck the i5-9400 in this game?

A: The reverse is true at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the CPU caps frame rates—Low settings hit 160.5 FPS, which appears near the i5-9400's limit. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiter, as shown by the 61.8% FPS drop from Low to Ultra at that resolution.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The i5-9400's average benchmark score is 2305, which is 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-10305 (2300) and 0.2% higher than the Intel Core i3-1125G4 (2299). It is 0.4% ahead of the Intel Xeon E-2134 (2295) and 0.6% behind the Intel Core i7-8809G (2319).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, Low settings produce 129.6 FPS, while Ultra produces 52 FPS. This represents a 59.9% reduction in performance when moving from the lowest to the highest preset.

Q: Is the RX 6800 XT's 16 GB VRAM sufficient for Archeage at 4K?

A: The data shows the GPU handles 4K Medium at 66.3 FPS and 4K High at 46.1 FPS, indicating that VRAM capacity is not a limiting factor in this title. The 16 GB GDDR6 memory with 512.0 GB/s bandwidth is more than adequate for a 2014 MMORPG.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 648th out of 1727 total tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the upper-middle portion of the distribution.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

At 1080p, the combo delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 160.5 FPS average, Medium yields 154.8 FPS, High achieves 120.9 FPS, and Ultra drops to 81.9 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is just 3.6%, while the drop from Medium to High is 21.9%, and from High to Ultra is 32.3%. This shows diminishing returns as settings increase.

At 1440p, performance scales predictably. Low settings reach 129.6 FPS, Medium achieves 120.2 FPS, High produces 80.8 FPS, and Ultra falls to 52 FPS. The difference between Low and Medium narrows to 7.3%, but the jump from Medium to High is a significant 32.8% reduction. Ultra at 1440p is barely playable at 52 FPS.

At 4K, the GPU struggles with higher presets. Low settings still manage 76.1 FPS, Medium produces 66.3 FPS, High drops to 46.1 FPS, and Ultra plummets to 29.1 FPS. The 4K Ultra result is the lowest of all measured configurations, and even 4K High fails to reach 60 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is only viable with Low or Medium settings for this combo.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT is a high-end GPU from the Radeon RX 6000 series, built on the Navi 21 chip using RDNA 2.0 architecture at a 7 nm process node. It features 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 512.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU's base clock is 1825 MHz, with a game clock of 2015 MHz and a boost clock of 2250 MHz. Its 4608 shading units, 288 texture mapping units, and 128 raster operation units provide substantial raw compute power, reflected in its 20.74 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 648.0 GTexel/s texture rate.

In Archeage, the RX 6800 XT's role is to handle the graphical workload across resolutions and presets. The data shows that the GPU is not the limiting factor at 1080p—the CPU caps performance, as evidenced by the relatively small FPS differences between Low (160.5) and Medium (154.8). At 1440p, the GPU begins to assert itself, with the Ultra preset dropping to 52 FPS, a 59.9% reduction from Low. At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear bottleneck, particularly at Ultra where the 29.1 FPS result indicates the GPU cannot sustain the pixel throughput demanded by the highest settings.

The GPU's 16 GB VRAM is far beyond what Archeage requires, given the game's 2014 release date. The 87th percentile ranking among all GPUs confirms its high-end status, but the measured results show that pairing it with the i5-9400 creates an imbalance. The GPU's nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER (deltaPct 2.6) and the Intel Arc A550M (deltaPct 0.5), indicating the RX 6800 XT holds its own in synthetic benchmarks. However, in Archeage, the CPU bottleneck prevents the GPU from fully expressing its capabilities at lower resolutions, while at 4K, the GPU's performance is more representative of its hardware class. The GPU's launch MSRP of 649 USD places it in the high-end segment, but its actual performance in this title is dictated more by the CPU pairing than by its own specifications.