Archeage

# Archeage with Intel Core i7-12700K + AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT

The data for Archeage with the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT shows a combo that scales predictably across resolutions and settings, though with notable performance cliffs at higher quality presets. This pairing sits at rank 2418 out of 3708 tested combos in this game, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the field. The measured frames per second reveal a system that can deliver smooth gameplay at 1080p with moderate settings, but struggles to maintain playable rates at 4K with demanding presets. The following analysis walks through resolution scaling, settings behavior, component roles, and the exact measured performance data.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is substantial across all settings, indicating that the GPU becomes the primary limiting factor as pixel count increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 81 FPS at 1920x1080 to 54 FPS at 2560x1440, then to 31 FPS at 3840x2160. That represents a 33% reduction from 1080p to 1440p and a further 43% reduction from 1440p to 4K. The overall drop from 1080p to 4K at High settings is 62%, which is a typical pattern for a mid-range GPU when resolution scales linearly with pixel count.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more dramatic in absolute terms but proportionally similar. The average FPS goes from 134 at 1080p to 90 at 1440p to 52 at 4K. The 1080p to 4K reduction here is 61%, nearly identical to the High preset. This suggests that even at Low settings, the RX 6650 XT is still the bottleneck at higher resolutions, since the CPU has enough headroom to push more frames if the GPU could render them.

Medium settings show a similar trajectory: 119 FPS at 1080p, 80 FPS at 1440p, and 46 FPS at 4K. The percentage drop from 1080p to 4K is 61%, again consistent with the other presets. Ultra settings are the most demanding, with 55 FPS at 1080p, 37 FPS at 1440p, and just 21 FPS at 4K. The 1080p to 4K reduction is 62%, matching the pattern.

The consistency of the scaling percentages across all four settings—hovering around 61-62% from 1080p to 4K—strongly indicates that the GPU is the limiting component at resolutions above 1080p. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller percentage drops at higher resolutions because the GPU would be less stressed and the CPU would cap the frame rate. Instead, the linear scaling with pixel count confirms a GPU-bound scenario at 1440p and 4K.

At 1080p, the picture is more nuanced. With Low settings hitting 134 FPS and Medium reaching 119 FPS, the CPU is likely becoming more relevant, though the i7-12700K with its 12 cores and 20 threads has ample capacity. The fact that Ultra at 1080p still manages 55 FPS suggests the GPU is handling the increased shading load without completely collapsing.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal experience depends heavily on the target resolution and the user's tolerance for frame rate fluctuations. At 1920x1080, Medium settings deliver 119 FPS average with a minimum of 101 FPS and maximum of 137 FPS, providing a strong balance between visual quality and smoothness. High settings drop to 81 FPS average, which is still playable but represents a 32% reduction for relatively modest visual gains. Low settings hit 134 FPS, but the visual compromise is likely too severe for most users. Ultra at 55 FPS is borderline, dipping below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider essential for smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the situation shifts. Medium settings produce 80 FPS average with a minimum of 68 FPS and maximum of 92 FPS, making it the clear recommendation for this resolution. High settings fall to 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target and may introduce noticeable stutter in fast-paced combat. Low settings at 90 FPS are viable for competitive play, but Medium offers a better visual experience at a still-smooth frame rate. Ultra at 37 FPS is not recommended for general play.

At 3840x2160, none of the settings achieve a fully smooth experience. Medium settings average 46 FPS with a minimum of 39 FPS and maximum of 53 FPS, which is the best compromise between visuals and playability. Low settings at 52 FPS are slightly smoother but sacrifice significant detail. High settings at 31 FPS and Ultra at 21 FPS are both below playable thresholds for most users. For 4K, Medium is the only realistic choice, and even then, users should expect occasional dips below 40 FPS in demanding scenes.

The data suggests that Medium settings provide the best overall experience across all three resolutions, offering a consistent balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. The minimum FPS values at Medium are also the only ones recorded in the dataset, at 101 FPS for 1080p, 68 FPS for 1440p, and 39 FPS for 4K, indicating that this preset has the most stable frame pacing.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT is the clear performance limiter in this combo, particularly at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 280.3 GB/s of bandwidth. With a base clock of 2055 MHz, a game clock of 2410 MHz, and a boost clock of 2635 MHz, the card operates at relatively high frequencies for its class. The 2048 shading units and 64 ROPs provide the raw compute throughput, with a pixel rate of 168.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 337.3 GTexel/s.

The 8 GB VRAM capacity is sufficient for Archeage at 1080p and 1440p with the tested settings, but at 4K, the memory bandwidth and capacity may become limiting factors. The 280.3 GB/s bandwidth is modest by modern standards, and at 4K with High or Ultra settings, the GPU must move significantly more texture and geometry data, which likely contributes to the sharp FPS drops observed at those settings.

The GPU's average benchmark score is 19765, placing it in the 65th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score include the NVIDIA Tesla K40m at 19885 (-0.6% delta), the AMD FirePro W7000 at 19905 (-0.7% delta), and the AMD FirePro D300 at 19637 (0.7% delta). These are all older workstation or professional cards, which highlights that the RX 6650 XT sits in a performance tier where consumer gaming GPUs of similar age are generally faster.

The clocks are worth noting in context. The boost clock of 2635 MHz is high, and the data suggests that the card is able to sustain near-boost frequencies during gameplay, as evidenced by the relatively stable FPS at Medium settings. However, the 176 W TDP and 450 W suggested PSU indicate that the card is power-constrained, which may limit its ability to maintain boost clocks under sustained load in demanding scenes.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core i7-12700K and AMD Radeon RX 6650 XT ranks 2418 out of 3708 tested combinations in Archeage. This places it in the 35th percentile of all combos tested for this game, meaning roughly 65% of tested systems perform better. This ranking is consistent with the GPU's 65th percentile standing among all GPUs, suggesting that the combo's performance is largely dictated by the graphics card rather than the processor.

The rank indicates that while this system can play Archeage, it does so at a level below the median of tested configurations. This is not surprising given that the RX 6650 XT is an end-of-life product from the Radeon RX 6000 series, and the i7-12700K, while still active, is from the 12th generation of Intel Core processors. Users with newer or higher-end components would likely achieve better results.

The delta between the combo's rank and the individual component percentiles is informative. The CPU sits in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 65th percentile. The combo's 35th percentile ranking suggests that in Archeage specifically, the GPU is heavily weighted in determining overall performance. This is typical for an MMORPG, where large player counts and complex scenes can stress the GPU significantly, but the i7-12700K's strong single-thread performance (as evidenced by its 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 1850.5) helps maintain acceptable frame rates in CPU-bound scenarios.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K contributes significantly to this combo's performance, though its role is secondary to the GPU in Archeage. The processor features 12 cores and 20 threads with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, making it a capable multi-threaded and single-threaded performer. The 25 MB of shared L3 cache and 1.25 MB per core of L2 cache provide ample data storage for game logic and physics calculations.

In synthetic benchmarks, the i7-12700K delivers strong results. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 19784 and single-core score of 1850.5 indicate robust performance across both heavily threaded and lightly threaded workloads. The 3DMark results show a scaling pattern from 2065 at 2 threads to 9979 at max threads, demonstrating good multi-thread scaling. The PassMark multi-thread score of 34404 and single-thread score of 4013 reinforce this picture.

The CPU's nearest rivals in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Core i5-13600T at 35305 (-0.1% delta), the Intel Core i7-12700KF at 35365 (-0.2% delta), and the Intel Core i7-13700T at 35403 (-0.3% delta). These are all closely matched processors, with the i7-12700K's average score of 35287 trailing them by minimal margins. The i7-12700KF is essentially the same chip without integrated graphics, so the near-identical scores are expected.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p with lower settings, where the frame rates exceed 100 FPS. At 134 FPS on Low settings and 119 FPS on Medium settings, the CPU is able to feed the GPU sufficiently to avoid bottlenecking. However, the fact that these frame rates do not exceed 134 FPS suggests that even at 1080p Low, there is some CPU involvement in limiting absolute performance, though the GPU still plays a significant role.

The CPU's 84th percentile ranking among all CPUs indicates it is well above average, and its 125 W TDP with a boost clock of 5.00 GHz provides strong performance for MMORPGs that may have complex AI, pathfinding, and player interaction calculations. The integrated UHD Graphics 770 is irrelevant for gaming with a discrete GPU, but it does provide a fallback for troubleshooting.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this combo in Archeage?

A: The data shows that 1920x1080 delivers the most consistently playable frame rates, with Medium settings achieving 119 FPS average and High settings at 81 FPS. At 2560x1440, Medium drops to 80 FPS, while 3840x2160 only reaches 46 FPS on Medium.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 21, which is below playable thresholds for most users. This setting is not recommended based on the measured data.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at 1440p and 4K, as indicated by the consistent 61-62% FPS drops from 1080p to 4K across all settings. At 1080p, the CPU may become more relevant, but the i7-12700K's strong performance prevents it from being a significant limitation.

Q: What is the combo's ranking among all tested systems?

A: This combo ranks 2418 out of 3708 tested combinations in Archeage, placing it in the lower-middle portion of the field at roughly the 35th percentile.

Q: How does the RX 6650 XT compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RX 6650 XT has an average benchmark score of 19765, which is slightly below the NVIDIA Tesla K40m at 19885 (-0.6% delta) and above the AMD FirePro D300 at 19637 (0.7% delta) and NVIDIA Quadro K5200 at 19602 (0.8% delta).

Q: What is the minimum FPS at Medium settings?

A: The measured minimum FPS values at Medium settings are 101 FPS at 1920x1080, 68 FPS at 2560x1440, and 39 FPS at 3840x2160, providing insight into frame pacing stability.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table presents the exact measured average FPS values for each resolution and settings combination. Where available, minimum and maximum FPS values are also provided for Medium settings.

3840x2160 (4K):

• High: 31 FPS average
• Low: 52 FPS average
• Medium: 46 FPS average (minimum 39 FPS, maximum 53 FPS)
• Ultra: 21 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• High: 54 FPS average
• Low: 90 FPS average
• Medium: 80 FPS average (minimum 68 FPS, maximum 92 FPS)
• Ultra: 37 FPS average

1920x1080 (1080p):

• High: 81 FPS average
• Low: 134 FPS average
• Medium: 119 FPS average (minimum 101 FPS, maximum 137 FPS)
• Ultra: 55 FPS average

The data reveals a clear hierarchy: 1080p Low offers the highest frame rate at 134 FPS, while 4K Ultra is the lowest at 21 FPS. The Medium preset provides the only complete dataset with min/max values, showing that frame pacing becomes more variable as resolution increases, with the gap between minimum and maximum FPS growing from 36 FPS at 1080p to 14 FPS at 4K. The 4K High and Ultra settings fall below 60 FPS, making them unsuitable for smooth gameplay, while 1440p High at 54 FPS is borderline. The 1080p Medium and High settings, along with 1440p Medium, offer the best balance of visual quality and performance based on the measured data.