Archeage

# Archeage with Intel Core i5-9400 + AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT

This combination delivers playable frame rates across most of the tested settings and resolutions, but the data reveals a clear pattern: the Intel Core i5-9400 (6 cores, 6 threads, 2.90 GHz base, 4.10 GHz boost) becomes the limiting factor at lower resolutions and higher settings, while the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT (RDNA 3.0, 5376 shading units, 20 GB GDDR6) provides ample headroom that the CPU cannot fully exploit. The combo ranks 1008th out of 3708 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows how this system's performance shifts dramatically as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates range from 94 FPS on Ultra to 161 FPS on Low, with High and Medium landing at 134 and 155 FPS respectively. Moving to 2560x1440, those numbers drop to 63 FPS on Ultra, 92 FPS on High, 136 FPS on Medium, and 141 FPS on Low. At 3840x2160, the averages fall to 36 FPS on Ultra, 53 FPS on High, 78 FPS on Medium, and 87 FPS on Low.

The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 30% reduction in average FPS for Low settings (from 161 to 141 FPS), a 31% drop for Medium (155 to 136 FPS), a 31% drop for High (134 to 92 FPS), and a more severe 33% drop for Ultra (94 to 63 FPS). The 1440p to 4K transition is steeper across the board: Low drops 38% (141 to 87 FPS), Medium drops 43% (136 to 78 FPS), High drops 42% (92 to 53 FPS), and Ultra drops 43% (63 to 36 FPS).

These scaling patterns indicate that at 1080p, the CPU is the primary constraint, particularly at Low and Medium settings where the GPU is not being fully utilized. The RX 7900 XT is capable of far higher frame rates than the i5-9400 can feed it at 1080p, as evidenced by the relatively small gap between Low (161 FPS) and Medium (155 FPS) compared to the larger drop to High (134 FPS) and Ultra (94 FPS). At 4K, the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck, with the frame rates dropping to levels that suggest the rendering load is now the limiting factor. The 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS indicates that this setting is too demanding for smooth gameplay, while 4K Low at 87 FPS remains playable.

Settings Recommendations

The data strongly favors Medium settings as the optimal choice for this combination. At 1080p, Medium delivers 155 FPS average with a minimum of 131 FPS and maximum of 178 FPS, which is only 6 FPS below Low but provides substantially better visual quality. At 1440p, Medium produces 136 FPS average with 115 FPS minimum and 156 FPS maximum, maintaining smooth performance while High drops to 92 FPS. At 4K, Medium is the only setting above 60 FPS besides Low, achieving 78 FPS average with 66 FPS minimum and 90 FPS maximum.

High settings are viable at 1080p (134 FPS) and 1440p (92 FPS), but the 4K High result of 53 FPS falls below the 60 FPS threshold that many players target. Ultra settings are only recommended at 1080p, where 94 FPS is still smooth, but the 1440p Ultra result of 63 FPS is marginal and 4K Ultra at 36 FPS is not playable for most users. The Medium preset at 1440p offers the best balance, delivering 136 FPS average with a 115 FPS floor, which keeps frame times consistent even in demanding scenes. For 4K users, Medium is the clear choice, as it provides 78 FPS average compared to 53 FPS on High and 87 FPS on Low — the extra 9 FPS from dropping to Low does not justify the significant visual downgrade.

FAQ

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

A: At 4K, only Low (87 FPS) and Medium (78 FPS) settings achieve average frame rates above 60 FPS. High drops to 53 FPS and Ultra falls to 36 FPS, so smooth 4K gameplay requires Medium or lower settings.

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

A: The data shows 1440p Medium provides the best overall experience, with 136 FPS average, 115 FPS minimum, and 156 FPS maximum. This resolution balances the CPU's limitations against the GPU's capabilities, avoiding the CPU bottleneck visible at 1080p.

Q: How much performance is lost going from 1080p to 1440p?

A: The average FPS drops by 30-33% depending on settings: Low goes from 161 to 141 FPS, Medium from 155 to 136 FPS, High from 134 to 92 FPS, and Ultra from 94 to 63 FPS.

Q: Is the RX 7900 XT being held back by the i5-9400?

A: Yes, particularly at 1080p. The close results between Low (161 FPS) and Medium (155 FPS) suggest the CPU cannot feed the GPU enough frames to differentiate these settings substantially. At 4K, the GPU becomes the limiting factor, with frame rates scaling more predictably with settings.

Q: What frame rates can I expect at 1440p Ultra?

A: The measured average is 63 FPS, which is playable but close to the 60 FPS threshold. For comparison, High at 1440p delivers 92 FPS, so dropping from Ultra to High recovers 29 FPS.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested systems for Archeage?

A: This combination ranks 1008th out of 3708 tested combos, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all tested systems for this game.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its highest frame rates. Low settings produce 161 FPS average, Medium produces 155 FPS (131 minimum, 178 maximum), High produces 134 FPS, and Ultra produces 94 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is just 6 FPS, while the gap between Medium and High is 21 FPS, and between High and Ultra is 40 FPS. This pattern suggests that the CPU limits performance at lower settings, while higher settings increase GPU load enough to create more differentiation.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are: Low at 141 FPS, Medium at 136 FPS (115 minimum, 156 maximum), High at 92 FPS, and Ultra at 63 FPS. The Low-to-Medium gap narrows to just 5 FPS, confirming the CPU bottleneck persists at this resolution for lower settings. The Medium-to-High gap widens to 44 FPS, and High-to-Ultra drops 29 FPS. The minimum FPS on Medium (115 FPS) is still well above the 60 FPS threshold, indicating consistent performance.

At 3840x2160, the results are: Low at 87 FPS, Medium at 78 FPS (66 minimum, 90 maximum), High at 53 FPS, and Ultra at 36 FPS. The Low-to-Medium gap is now 9 FPS, and the Medium-to-High gap is 25 FPS, while High-to-Ultra drops 17 FPS. The 4K Medium minimum of 66 FPS shows that even the worst-case frame times stay above 60 FPS, making this the most consistent 4K option. The 4K Ultra result of 36 FPS is the only setting across all resolutions that falls below 40 FPS, making it unsuitable for smooth gameplay.

How This Combo Ranks

This combination ranks 1008th out of 3708 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all tested systems. The rank reflects a system that can handle the game well at most settings but cannot reach the top-tier performance of higher-end CPU-GPU pairings. The i5-9400's position in the overall CPU benchmark percentile is 47th, while the RX 7900 XT sits at the 55th percentile among GPUs. The gap between these percentile rankings suggests the CPU is the weaker link in this pairing.

The CPU's nearest rivals in overall benchmark scores are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (avg score 2259, 0.2% faster), Intel Core i3-10305 (avg score 2264, 0.4% faster), Intel Core i7-10710U (avg score 2248, 0.3% slower), and AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (avg score 2246, 0.4% slower). These deltas are all within 0.5%, indicating the i5-9400 is tightly grouped with its direct competitors. In contrast, the GPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon 660M (avg score 13812, 0.5% faster), NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile (avg score 13821, 0.5% faster), AMD Radeon RX 570X (avg score 13871, 0.9% faster), and AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT (avg score 13543, 1.5% slower). The RX 7900 XT's avg benchmark score is 13745, placing it in a similar competitive cluster.

The combination's rank of 1008 out of 3708 means roughly 73% of tested systems perform better in Archeage. This is consistent with the measured FPS data, which shows excellent 1080p and 1440p performance but struggles at 4K Ultra. The rank also reflects that this game appears to favor CPU performance, given the i5-9400's modest 47th percentile standing, and the system cannot reach the frame rates of combos featuring high-end CPUs paired with this GPU.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i5-9400 provides 6 cores and 6 threads, with a base clock of 2.90 GHz and boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its benchmark results include a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 and single-core score of 935, a Geekbench multicore score of 5141 and single-core score of 1389. The CPU has 9 MB of shared L3 cache, with 64 KB L1 and 256 KB L2 per core, and supports DDR4 memory in dual-channel configuration with 42.7 GB/s bandwidth.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where the frame rate differences between Low and Medium are minimal (161 vs 155 FPS). This indicates the CPU cannot deliver more frames than roughly 160 FPS regardless of GPU load. The fact that 1440p Low (141 FPS) is only 20 FPS below 1080p Low (161 FPS) further confirms that the CPU is the limiting factor at lower resolutions, since the GPU would normally show larger drops when resolution increases. At 4K, the frame rates scale more strongly with settings (87 FPS Low to 36 FPS Ultra), showing the GPU takes over as the primary constraint.

The i5-9400's 6 cores and 6 threads without hyperthreading may be a limitation in Archeage's MMO environments, which often have many characters and effects that can tax CPU resources. The CPU's 47th percentile rank among all CPUs, combined with its benchmark scores, places it in the mid-range of processors. The 2.90 GHz base clock is modest, but the 4.10 GHz boost provides reasonable single-thread performance, as shown by the Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935. The data suggests that upgrading to a CPU with more threads or higher single-thread performance would allow the RX 7900 XT to reach higher frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, particularly at Low and Medium settings where the CPU bottleneck is most pronounced.