Archeage

Archeage is a 2014 MMORPG that remains sensitive to both CPU and GPU performance, and the Intel Core i5-9400 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER combination delivers playable results only under specific conditions. This pairing ranks 3169 out of 3708 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower half of the database. The measured data shows that this system can handle Archeage at 1080p with medium settings comfortably, but pushing higher resolutions or ultra settings quickly exposes its limits. The following analysis breaks down exactly where this combo excels, where it struggles, and which settings you should use based on the measured frame rates.

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

The Intel Core i5-9400 is a 6-core, 6-thread processor based on the Coffee Lake architecture, built on a 14 nm process. It has a base clock of 2.90 GHz and a boost clock of 4.10 GHz, with 9 MB of shared L3 cache and 256 KB of L2 cache per core. This is a desktop-class chip with a 65 W TDP, and it supports DDR4 memory on a dual-channel bus with 42.7 GB/s of bandwidth. The processor’s benchmark scores place it at the 47th percentile of all CPUs, meaning it sits just below the median in overall processing power. Its average benchmark score is 2254, which is nearly identical to its closest rivals: the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259, delta -0.2%), the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248, delta +0.3%), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246, delta +0.4%). The i5-9400 essentially trades blows with these chips, with a negligible 0.4% difference at most.

In Archeage, an MMORPG with large player populations and complex world states, the CPU’s 6 cores and 6 threads matter because the game engine must handle many simultaneous actors, network events, and scripted interactions. The base clock of 2.90 GHz is modest by modern standards, but the boost clock of 4.10 GHz provides headroom for single-threaded tasks, which MMORPGs often rely on. The single-core Cinebench R23 score of 935 and Geekbench single-core score of 1389 indicate that this chip is capable of handling the primary game thread, but it will not be exceptional. The multi-core Cinebench R23 score of 6629 shows that the six cores can handle background tasks and the game’s auxiliary threads without becoming a bottleneck, assuming the GPU is not the limiting factor.

The measured FPS data suggests that at 1080p with low settings, the system achieves 99 FPS average, which is the highest recorded in this dataset. This indicates that the CPU is not a hard bottleneck at lower graphical loads, because the GPU has enough headroom to render frames quickly, and the i5-9400 can feed it adequately. However, at 4K with ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 16, which is far below any playable threshold. This dramatic drop is primarily due to the GPU struggling with the resolution and settings, but the CPU’s modest multi-core performance does not help. The i5-9400’s 47th percentile ranking means it is not a high-end part, and in a game like Archeage where large-scale battles can hammer the CPU, this could cause stutter or frame dips in crowded areas, even if the average FPS looks acceptable at lower settings.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the best experience for this combo is at 1080p with medium settings. The medium preset at 1920x1080 yields an average FPS of 88, with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102. This is a smooth, stable experience that stays well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the minimum of 75 ensures that even demanding scenes will not drop into unplayable territory. The high preset at 1080p drops to 60 FPS average, which is exactly at the refresh rate of many monitors, but without a minimum FPS figure in the data, it is riskier because any dip below 60 would become noticeable. The low preset at 1080p offers 99 FPS average, which is the highest of any setting, but the visual quality loss is likely not worth the extra 11 FPS over medium, especially since medium already exceeds 60 FPS with a comfortable margin.

At 1440p, the medium preset is the only viable option for consistent playability. It delivers 59 FPS average, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 68. This is borderline playable; 59 FPS is just under the 60 FPS target, and the 51 FPS minimum means that heavy scenes will dip noticeably. The high preset at 1440p drops to 40 FPS average, which is too low for an MMORPG where responsive controls matter. The low preset at 1440p hits 67 FPS average, which is smooth, but again, the visual compromise is significant. For most players, 1080p medium is the sweet spot because it offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with 88 FPS average and a high minimum. If you insist on 1440p, medium is the only choice, but be prepared for occasional dips below 60 FPS.

At 4K, no setting is playable. The high preset yields 23 FPS, medium yields 34 FPS, and low yields 38 FPS, all of which are far too low for any action-oriented gameplay. The ultra preset at 4K is a slideshow at 16 FPS. There is no reason to consider 4K on this hardware for Archeage. The data clearly shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER lacks the raw power to handle this resolution, regardless of settings.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions reveals that the GPU is the primary limiting component for this combo in Archeage. At 1080p with low settings, the system achieves 99 FPS. Moving to 1440p low drops that to 67 FPS, a reduction of 32 FPS or about 32%. Moving to 4K low further drops to 38 FPS, which is a 61% reduction from 1080p. This pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario: as the pixel count increases, the GPU’s workload grows proportionally, and the frame rate falls accordingly. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain relatively flat across resolutions, because the CPU’s workload does not change much with resolution. Instead, the steep drops indicate that the GTX 1660 SUPER is running out of pixel-pushing power.

Looking at the medium settings, the scaling is similar but slightly different. At 1080p medium, the average is 88 FPS. At 1440p medium, it drops to 59 FPS, a 33% reduction. At 4K medium, it drops to 34 FPS, a 61% reduction from 1080p. The consistency of these percentage drops across settings suggests that the GPU’s fillrate and memory bandwidth are the bottlenecks, not the CPU. The GTX 1660 SUPER has 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus with 336.0 GB/s bandwidth, which is respectable but insufficient for 4K in a modern title. At 4K, the GPU is also limited by its pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s, which are mid-range figures.

The high settings show a similar trend: 60 FPS at 1080p, 40 FPS at 1440p (a 33% drop), and 23 FPS at 4K (a 62% drop from 1080p). The ultra settings are the most extreme, with 41 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p, and 16 FPS at 4K. The fact that ultra at 1080p only achieves 41 FPS suggests that even at the lowest resolution, the GPU is struggling with the additional effects and draw distances that ultra settings impose. This reinforces that the GTX 1660 SUPER is the limiting factor, and the i5-9400 is not holding back the system at any resolution, because the FPS scales with resolution in a way that points squarely at the GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Archeage at 1080p with high settings?

A: Yes, but barely. The measured average FPS at 1080p high is 60, which is exactly at the standard refresh rate. However, there is no minimum FPS data for this setting, so it is possible that frame drops occur in crowded areas. The medium preset at 1080p offers a safer experience with an average of 88 FPS and a minimum of 75.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the GTX 1660 SUPER in this game?

A: The data suggests no. Across all resolutions, FPS scales with pixel count, which is the signature of a GPU-bound system. At 1080p low, the i5-9400 feeds the GPU well enough to hit 99 FPS. The CPU’s benchmark scores are competitive with its nearest rivals, and its 6-core configuration is sufficient for this MMORPG.

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo?

A: 1920x1080 is the clear choice. At 1080p, medium settings provide 88 FPS average, and even high settings hit 60 FPS. At 1440p, the medium preset only manages 59 FPS average with a 51 FPS minimum, which is borderline. At 4K, no setting reaches a playable frame rate.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in terms of overall GPU performance?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 12986, placing it at the 53rd percentile of all GPUs. It is nearly identical to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile (12940, delta +0.4%) and the AMD Radeon RX 580 (12928, delta +0.4%). It slightly trails the NVIDIA Tesla M2090 (13075, delta -0.7%) and slightly beats the AMD Radeon 740M (12870, delta +0.9%). These differences are all under 1%, so its performance is essentially on par with these parts.

Q: Why does the ultra preset perform so poorly at all resolutions?

A: The ultra preset at 1080p yields only 41 FPS average, which is far below the medium preset’s 88 FPS. This suggests that ultra settings add a significant load on the GPU, likely through higher-resolution textures, more complex shadows, and additional post-processing effects. The GTX 1660 SUPER’s 6 GB of VRAM and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient to handle these demands smoothly.

Q: Is the 4K performance ever acceptable on this hardware?

A: No. The highest 4K average FPS recorded is 38 at low settings, which is below the 40 FPS threshold most players consider playable. Medium and high settings drop to 34 and 23 FPS respectively, and ultra is at 16 FPS. There is no scenario where 4K is viable for this combo in Archeage.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU built on a 12 nm process at TSMC, with 6,600 million transistors on a 284 mm² die. It has a base clock of 1530 MHz and a boost clock of 1785 MHz, with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus running at 1750 MHz (14 Gbps effective), providing 336.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GPU has 1408 shading units, 88 texture mapping units, and 48 ROPs, with a pixel rate of 85.68 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 157.1 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is 5.027 TFLOPS, and it supports DirectX 12 (12_1), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4. The card has a 125 W TDP and requires a 1x 8-pin power connector, with a suggested PSU of 300 W.

In Archeage, the GPU’s memory bandwidth and capacity are critical because MMORPGs often load large textures and many assets simultaneously. The 6 GB VRAM is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p with medium settings, but at 4K, the game may exceed this capacity, causing texture streaming issues or performance drops. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher resolutions, as evidenced by the steep FPS drops from 1080p to 1440p to 4K. The GPU’s average benchmark score of 12986 places it at the 53rd percentile, meaning it is slightly above the median GPU. Its nearest rival, the RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, scores 12940 with a delta of +0.4%, and the RX 580 scores 12928 with a delta of +0.4%, so the 1660 SUPER is essentially a peer of these parts.

The GPU’s boost clock of 1785 MHz is relatively high for its class, which helps with single-frame rendering times at lower resolutions. However, the 192-bit memory bus and 336.0 GB/s bandwidth are the limiting factors when resolution increases. At 4K, the GPU must move far more pixel data, and its bandwidth is insufficient to maintain playable frame rates. The passmark G3D score of 12699 and the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1278 confirm that this is a mid-range GPU, not suited for 4K gaming. For Archeage, the GTX 1660 SUPER is best paired with a 1080p monitor, where it can deliver 88 FPS on medium settings, or even 60 FPS on high, which is the typical target for a smooth MMORPG experience.

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

The measured FPS data for this combo in Archeage covers three resolutions (1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160) and four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra). The full breakdown is as follows.

At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers an average FPS of 99, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Medium preset delivers an average of 88 FPS, with a minimum of 75 and a maximum of 102. The High preset delivers an average of 60 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 41 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. This resolution is the only one where all settings except Ultra achieve at least 60 FPS average, making it the recommended target for this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset delivers an average of 67 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Medium preset delivers an average of 59 FPS, with a minimum of 51 and a maximum of 68. The High preset delivers an average of 40 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 28 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. At this resolution, only the Low preset stays above 60 FPS, and Medium is borderline at 59 FPS with a 51 FPS minimum, indicating occasional dips below the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset delivers an average of 38 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Medium preset delivers an average of 34 FPS, with a minimum of 29 and a maximum of 39. The High preset delivers an average of 23 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. The Ultra preset delivers an average of 16 FPS, with no minimum or maximum recorded. No setting at 4K reaches even 40 FPS average, confirming that this resolution is not viable for this combo.

The data shows a clear pattern: 1080p Medium is the best all-around choice, offering 88 FPS average with a 75 FPS minimum, which provides a stable and responsive experience. 1440p Medium is the only acceptable option at that resolution, but its 51 FPS minimum means it will feel less smooth. 4K is entirely out of the question. The GPU’s 53rd percentile ranking and the CPU’s 47th percentile ranking combine to place this system in the lower half of all tested combos for Archeage, but with the right settings, it can still deliver a solid 1080p experience.