Archeage

ArcheAge is an older MMORPG, but its engine can still punish modern hardware, especially at high settings and 4K resolution. The data for the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 combination shows a wide performance spread across presets and resolutions, making settings selection critical for a smooth experience. The benchmark results indicate that the RTX 3070 is more than capable of driving high frame rates, but the CPU can become a limiting factor in specific scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where the GPU has less work to do.

Settings Recommendations

The measured FPS data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual fidelity and performance for this combo. At 1920x1080, Medium produces an average of 155.4 FPS, which is only 7.1 FPS less than the Low preset's 162.5 FPS. This indicates that the jump from Low to Medium carries a minimal performance penalty while likely providing a significantly better visual experience. High is also viable at 1080p, with 104.6 FPS, but the drop from Medium to High is more substantial at 50.8 FPS, suggesting a heavier load on the system.

For 2560x1440, the Medium preset is again the sweet spot, delivering an average of 104.1 FPS. This is a smooth, playable frame rate for most users and leaves headroom for demanding MMO raids. The High preset at 1440p drops to 73.7 FPS, which is still playable but less fluid. At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Medium drops to 62 FPS, and High falls to 43.1 FPS. While 62 FPS is acceptable, the Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution. At 1080p, Ultra yields 69.5 FPS, at 1440p it is 46.4 FPS, and at 4K it falls to an unplayable 24.5 FPS. The data clearly shows that Ultra is too demanding for this combination, and the performance cost is not justified when Medium provides such strong results.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 is the dominant component in this pairing. Its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus provides 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth, which is ample for a game like ArcheAge. The GPU's high boost clock of 1725 MHz and 5888 shading units are key to its performance. The benchmark results show that the GPU is capable of pushing frame rates well over 150 FPS at 1080p on Medium and Low settings. Its PassMark G3D score of 22214 and percentile ranking of 72 against all GPUs confirm it is a high-end part. The GPU's 20.31 TFLOPS of FP32 compute power is more than sufficient for the game's DirectX 11-era rendering. The RTX 3070’s performance relative to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT (0.9% faster), is close, but the data shows it handles the load well.

The GPU is not the bottleneck in most measured scenarios. The frame rate scaling from Medium to Low at 1080p is small (162.5 vs 155.4 FPS), which suggests that even at Low settings, the GPU is still working hard. The only place where the GPU seems to be fully saturated is at 4K, where even the Medium preset drops to 62 FPS. This indicates that the game's engine begins to hit the memory bandwidth and fill-rate limits of the RTX 3070 at that resolution, but for the vast majority of 1080p and 1440p play, the GPU has performance to spare.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is significant and reveals the limiting component. At Medium settings, the average frame rate drops from 155.4 FPS at 1080p to 104.1 FPS at 1440p, a reduction of 51.3 FPS. Moving from 1440p to 4K, the frame rate falls to 62 FPS, another drop of 42.1 FPS. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. The RTX 3070's raw compute and memory bandwidth are being taxed more heavily as the pixel count increases.

However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is less severe than the drop from 1440p to 4K, which suggests the CPU is still contributing to the frame time at 1080p. At 1080p Medium, the 155.4 FPS result is close to the 162.5 FPS of the Low preset. The small delta between these two presets implies that the Intel Core i5-9400 is starting to limit the maximum frame rate, preventing the GPU from fully stretching its legs. At 4K, the CPU has less impact on the overall frame rate because the GPU is the clear bottleneck. The 43.1 FPS at 4K High versus 69.1 FPS at 4K Low shows a 26 FPS swing, demonstrating that the GPU's workload is the primary factor at this resolution. The data suggests the i5-9400 is sufficient for 60+ FPS gaming, but it will cap performance in high-FPS scenarios at 1080p.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 ranks 800th out of 1727 tested combos for ArcheAge. This places it in the upper-middle tier of all tested systems. The ranking is a direct result of the balance between the CPU and GPU. The RTX 3070 is a powerful card, and the i5-9400 is a competent six-core processor, but it is not a top-tier pairing.

The CPU's benchmark scores are modest. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 7969 and a 50th percentile ranking against all CPUs show it is an average performer by modern standards. Its single-core score of 1125 in R23 is more important for gaming, but it still lags behind newer chips. The data shows the i5-9400 is within 0.6% of the Intel Core i7-8809G and 0.2% of the Intel Core i3-10305, which are its closest rivals. This indicates that while the CPU is not weak, it is not providing the same level of performance as the GPU. The 800th rank out of 1727 is a fair representation of this pairing; it is a strong system for 1440p gaming but is not at the top end due to the CPU's limitations in CPU-bound scenarios.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo handle ArcheAge at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but only with adjusted settings. The data shows an average of 62 FPS at 4K Medium and 69.1 FPS at 4K Low. The High preset drops to 43.1 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 24.5 FPS, so sticking to Medium or Low is necessary for a smooth 4K experience.

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-9400 a bottleneck for the RTX 3070 in this game?

A: The data indicates it can be at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rate difference between Low (162.5 FPS) and Medium (155.4 FPS) is small, suggesting the CPU is limiting the maximum FPS. At higher resolutions like 1440p and 4K, the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck, and the CPU's impact is lessened.

Q: What is the best preset for a high-refresh-rate 1080p monitor?

A: The Medium preset is the best choice. It delivers 155.4 FPS, which is well above the 144 Hz refresh rate threshold. Using Low only gains 7.1 FPS, while dropping to High loses 50.8 FPS, so Medium offers the best performance-per-visual-quality trade-off.

Q: How does the RTX 3070's performance compare to its closest rivals?

A: The data shows the RTX 3070's average benchmark score is 28238. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT, has a score of 27985, which is 0.9% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980 Ti is 1% slower with a score of 27956. This indicates the 3070 is competitive with these cards but not significantly ahead.

Q: Should I use the Ultra preset if I have a high-end monitor?

A: No. The benchmark results show the Ultra preset is too demanding for this combo. At 1440p, it only achieves 46.4 FPS, and at 1080p it drops to 69.5 FPS. The visual quality increase does not justify the severe performance hit compared to the Medium preset.

Q: Is the RTX 3070's 8 GB of VRAM sufficient for ArcheAge?

A: Yes, the benchmark data shows that the GPU's memory configuration is not a limiting factor at the tested settings. The 8 GB of GDDR6 memory with 448.0 GB/s of bandwidth is more than enough, as the performance declines are more closely tied to the compute load and resolution scaling rather than a memory capacity issue.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high across all presets. The Low preset yields an average of 162.5 FPS. The Medium preset is nearly as fast, with 155.4 FPS. The High preset is still very playable, delivering 104.6 FPS. The Ultra preset is the only one that falls below the 100 FPS mark, with 69.5 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops are noticeable but expected. The Low preset remains fluid at 118.3 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 104.1 FPS, which is still excellent for 1440p gaming. The High preset provides 73.7 FPS, which is acceptable for most players. The Ultra preset struggles at this resolution, with an average of 46.4 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the RTX 3070 is clearly pushed to its limits. The Low preset is the only one that provides a consistently smooth experience, with an average of 69.1 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 62 FPS, which is borderline playable but may have stutters in busy areas. The High preset is not recommended at this resolution, as it only manages 43.1 FPS. The Ultra preset is effectively unplayable, with a dismal 24.5 FPS average. The data shows a clear pattern: Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, providing the best experience across all resolutions without the punishing performance cost of the Ultra preset.