Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, responds to hardware in a way that clearly delineates the roles of the CPU and GPU. With the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D, the data reveals a system that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions but shows signs of CPU limitation at 1080p. This analysis walks through the measured FPS data to interpret how this combination behaves across settings and resolutions.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data for this combo shows a predictable but steep decline as resolution increases, which points to the growing burden on the GPU. At 1080p with High settings, the system produces an average of 197 FPS. Moving to 1440p drops that average to 132 FPS, a reduction of 65 FPS. The jump to 4K (3840x2160) further reduces the average to 76 FPS, showing that the cost of rendering at 4K is substantial compared to 1440p.

This scaling pattern indicates that the limiting component shifts depending on the resolution. At 1080p, the high frame rates—266 FPS on Low and 256 FPS on Medium—suggest the CPU is struggling to keep up with the GPU's capacity to render frames. The fact that the RTX 5090 D cannot push past the 266 FPS ceiling on Low settings at 1080p implies a CPU bottleneck, as the graphics card is likely capable of more. The gap between Low and Medium settings at 1080p is only 10 FPS (266 vs 256), which is narrow, further indicating that something other than the GPU is limiting performance.

At 1440p, the scaling is more linear. The drop from Low (219 FPS) to Medium (195 FPS) is 24 FPS, and from Medium to High (132 FPS) is 63 FPS. This suggests the GPU is becoming the primary constraint, as the performance cost of each settings increase is more pronounced. By 4K, the GPU is fully saturated. The difference between Low (125 FPS) and Medium (112 FPS) is 13 FPS, and between Medium and High (76 FPS) is 36 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K yields only 52 FPS, which is a 24 FPS drop from High, showing the extreme cost of the highest quality settings at this resolution.

The data clearly shows that 1080p is where the CPU limits performance, while 4K is where the GPU's raw power is tested to its limits. The RTX 5090 D is a massive GPU, but even it cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K with Ultra settings in this title, indicating that Archeage's rendering engine is demanding at high resolutions.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a formidable graphics card, and its specifications in the data support its high performance. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s. Its boost clock is rated at 2407 MHz, and it has a massive 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. The card's FP32 performance is rated at 104.8 TFLOPS, which is an indicator of its raw compute capability.

In Archeage, the GPU's role becomes more critical as resolution increases. At 4K, the card's memory bandwidth and compute power are put to use, but the frame rates are not exceptionally high. The 76 FPS average on High and 52 FPS on Ultra at 4K suggest that the game is not optimized to take full advantage of the RTX 5090 D's capabilities. The card's 32 GB VRAM is more than sufficient for any settings at 4K, so the frame rate drops are not due to memory capacity but rather the rendering workload.

The RTX 5090 D's high pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s and texture rate of 1,636.8 GTexel/s are theoretical maximums that likely are not reached in this game. The data shows that the card is not the bottleneck at 1080p, as evidenced by the CPU-bound behavior. At 4K, the card is the limiting factor, but its performance is still relatively strong, with 125 FPS on Low settings. This suggests that if the game were more scalable with GPU resources, the 4K numbers could be higher.

The GPU's clock speeds are also relevant. The base clock of 2017 MHz and boost clock of 2407 MHz are high, but the actual performance in Archeage is more dependent on the game's engine efficiency. The card's DirectX 12 Ultimate support is present, but the game's age means it likely does not use the latest features, which could explain why the performance is not scaling as expected with such a powerful GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and performance target. For a smooth 60 FPS experience at 4K, the High preset is the best choice, as it provides an average of 76 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K drops to 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and not recommended for fluid gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K yields 112 FPS, which is excellent for high refresh rate 4K monitors, but the visual quality difference between Medium and High may be significant.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is a sweet spot, offering 195 FPS. The High preset at 132 FPS is also viable for high refresh rate displays, but Medium provides a substantial FPS boost. The Low preset at 219 FPS is only recommended for competitive play where frame rate is paramount, as the visual quality is likely poor. The Ultra preset at 90 FPS is playable, but the performance cost from High to Ultra is 42 FPS, which is steep.

At 1080p, the Medium preset offers 256 FPS, which is ideal for 240Hz monitors. The High preset at 197 FPS is also excellent, and the difference between Medium and High is 59 FPS, which is a significant trade-off. The Ultra preset at 134 FPS is the most demanding, but it still provides a high frame rate. The Low preset at 266 FPS is the maximum, but it is only 10 FPS higher than Medium, suggesting that Medium is a better choice for a balance of visuals and performance.

The data suggests that for most users, the High preset is a safe recommendation at 1080p and 1440p, as it offers a good balance of visual fidelity and frame rate. At 4K, High is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS. The Ultra preset is only viable at 1080p and 1440p if the user prioritizes visual quality over frame rate, as the 4K Ultra average of 52 FPS is below the standard for smooth gameplay.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across three resolutions and four settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 266 FPS. The Medium preset averages 256 FPS, with a minimum of 217 FPS and a maximum of 294 FPS. The High preset averages 197 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 134 FPS. The progression shows a steady decline as settings increase, with the largest single drop being 59 FPS from High to Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset averages 219 FPS. The Medium preset averages 195 FPS, with a minimum of 166 FPS and a maximum of 224 FPS. The High preset averages 132 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 90 FPS. The drop from Medium to High is 63 FPS, which is the largest jump in this resolution, indicating that the High preset introduces a significant rendering cost.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset averages 125 FPS. The Medium preset averages 112 FPS, with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS. The High preset averages 76 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 52 FPS. The drop from High to Ultra is 24 FPS, and the drop from Medium to High is 36 FPS. The 4K resolution shows the most significant performance degradation, with the Ultra preset barely maintaining a playable frame rate.

The minimum and maximum FPS data is only available for the Medium preset at each resolution. At 1080p, the range is 217 to 294 FPS, a spread of 77 FPS. At 1440p, the range is 166 to 224 FPS, a spread of 58 FPS. At 4K, the range is 95 to 128 FPS, a spread of 33 FPS. The narrowing range at higher resolutions indicates a more stable frame time, as the GPU becomes the consistent bottleneck.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-12700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks 21st out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage. This top 1% placement indicates that this is a high-performing system for this game. However, the rank is not the absolute top, which suggests that other combinations of newer or more specialized hardware can achieve higher frame rates.

The CPU itself has a percentile rank of 84 among all CPUs, and its average benchmark score is 35287. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core i5-13600T, which has an average score of 35305 and a delta of -0.1%, meaning the i7-12700K scores slightly lower. The Intel Core i7-12700KF scores 35365 with a delta of -0.2%, and the Intel Core i7-13700T scores 35403 with a delta of -0.3%. These deltas are all within 0.4%, indicating that the CPU's performance is very close to its immediate rivals.

The GPU has a percentile rank of 92 among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77712. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, which has an average score of 76904 and a delta of 1.1%, meaning the RTX 5090 D scores 1.1% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78940 with a delta of -1.6%, and the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79396 with a delta of -2.1%. These deltas are small, but the RTX 5090 D is slightly outperformed by several rivals in synthetic benchmarks.

The combo's rank of 21 out of 2761 is notable, but the data suggests that the CPU is the limiting factor in this pairing. The GPU's high percentile rank is not fully utilized in Archeage, particularly at lower resolutions where the CPU is the bottleneck. This indicates that a stronger CPU could potentially push the combo higher in the rankings.

FAQ

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

A: At 1440p, the combo achieves an average of 195 FPS on Medium settings and 132 FPS on High settings, which is a strong balance of visual quality and frame rate. At 4K, the average drops to 76 FPS on High, which is still above 60 FPS but not as smooth.

Q: Is the RTX 5090 D being fully utilized at 1080p?

A: No. The data shows that at 1080p on Low settings, the average FPS is 266, and on Medium it is 256. The narrow gap suggests the CPU is limiting performance, as the GPU is likely capable of higher frame rates.

Q: How does the Ultra preset affect performance at 4K?

A: The Ultra preset at 4K yields an average of 52 FPS, which is 24 FPS lower than the High preset's 76 FPS. This indicates that Ultra is too demanding for smooth 4K gameplay with this combo.

Q: What is the frame time stability like at different resolutions?

A: The minimum and maximum FPS data for the Medium preset shows a spread of 77 FPS at 1080p, 58 FPS at 1440p, and 33 FPS at 4K. The narrower range at 4K indicates more consistent frame times.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to others in Archeage?

A: This combo ranks 21st out of 2761 tested combinations, placing it in the top 1% of systems. However, the CPU's performance is very close to its rivals, with deltas under 0.4%.

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

A: The bottleneck depends on the resolution. At 1080p, the CPU is the limiting factor, as shown by the small FPS difference between Low and Medium settings. At 4K, the GPU becomes the primary constraint, as evidenced by the significant FPS drops with increased settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700K is a 12-core, 20-thread processor based on the Alder Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its cache configuration includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 1.25 MB of L2 per core, and 25 MB of shared L3 cache. The CPU supports DDR4 and DDR5 memory in a dual-channel configuration and has a TDP of 125 W.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p. The fact that the average FPS on Low settings (266 FPS) is only 10 FPS higher than on Medium (256 FPS) suggests that the CPU is not able to feed the GPU with enough frames to see a larger difference. This is a classic sign of a CPU bottleneck, where the processor's single-threaded performance or the game's engine limitations prevent higher frame rates.

The CPU's benchmark scores provide context for its performance. In Cinebench R23, it scores 19784 in multi-core and 1850.5 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 15790 in multi-core and 2308 in single-core. These scores are respectable, but the i7-12700K's nearest rivals, such as the i5-13600T and i7-12700KF, have very similar average scores, with deltas under 0.4%. This indicates that the CPU is not uniquely capable in this game.

The CPU's 20 threads are likely underutilized in Archeage, which is an older MMORPG that may not scale well with many cores. The single-thread performance, as measured by the 1850.5 score in Cinebench R23, is more relevant for this game. The 5.00 GHz boost clock is high, but the game's engine may not be able to take full advantage of it.

The data shows that at 1440p, the CPU is less of a bottleneck, as the FPS drops from 219 on Low to 195 on Medium, a 24 FPS difference, which is more than at 1080p. This suggests that the GPU is starting to become the limiting factor. At 4K, the CPU is no longer the constraint, as the GPU's performance is the primary driver of frame rates, with the FPS dropping from 125 on Low to 112 on Medium.

The CPU's memory support for DDR4 and DDR5 is dual-channel, and the memory bus is dual-channel, but the data does not specify the exact memory speed used in the tests. The L3 cache of 25 MB is shared, which is beneficial for games that use a larger working set. However, the CPU's overall performance in Archeage is likely limited by its single-thread speed and the game's engine, rather than its core count or cache size.