Archeage

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates for ArcheAge with the Intel Core i7-12700KF and AMD Radeon RX 9060 show a clear, predictable drop as resolution increases, but the magnitude of that drop reveals where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p Low, the combo delivers 142 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 95 FPS, a 33% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 55 FPS, which is 61% below the 1080p result. This scaling pattern indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strong single-thread performance keeps the 1080p numbers high.

The gap between settings widens dramatically at 4K. At 1080p, the difference between Low (142 FPS) and Ultra (58 FPS) is 84 FPS. At 1440p, that spread is 56 FPS (95 Low vs. 39 Ultra). At 4K, the spread compresses to 32 FPS (55 Low vs. 23 Ultra). This compression at 4K is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario: when the renderer is saturated, setting changes have less absolute impact because the graphics card is already working near its limit.

Looking at the medium preset specifically, which has the only complete min/max data, the scaling pattern holds. At 1080p Medium, the average is 126 FPS with a 107 FPS minimum and 145 FPS maximum. At 1440p Medium, the average drops to 85 FPS with a 72 FPS minimum and 98 FPS maximum. At 4K Medium, the average falls to 49 FPS with a 41 FPS minimum and 56 FPS maximum. The 1080p-to-4K drop for Medium is 61%, nearly identical to the Low preset's 61% drop. This consistency suggests the GPU's rendering workload scales linearly with pixel count in this engine.

The data indicates that at 1080p, the i7-12700KF is still feeding the RX 9060 adequately. The 142 FPS Low result is high enough that the CPU's 3DMark single-thread score of 1043 and PassMark single-thread score of 3984 are not holding back the frame rate. However, the 4K numbers tell a different story. The 55 FPS Low result at 4K is only 39% of the 1080p Low result, which is close to the theoretical pixel-count ratio (4K has 4x the pixels of 1080p, but the game's engine and shader complexity don't scale perfectly linearly). The RX 9060's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 288.0 GB/s bandwidth are likely contributors to this ceiling, as ArcheAge's open-world rendering demands significant memory throughput.

The min FPS data at Medium settings provides additional insight into frame pacing. At 1080p, the minimum of 107 FPS is 85% of the average, indicating relatively stable frame delivery. At 1440p, the minimum of 72 FPS is also 85% of the average. At 4K, the minimum of 41 FPS drops to 84% of the average. This consistency in the min-to-avg ratio across resolutions suggests that the frame time variance is not resolution-dependent — the game's stutter profile is similar whether the GPU is rendering 2 million or 8 million pixels.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average FPS this combo can achieve in ArcheAge?

A: The highest measured average is 142 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. The next best is 126 FPS at 1080p Medium, followed by 95 FPS at 1440p Low.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in ArcheAge?

A: At 4K, the combo delivers 55 FPS on Low settings and 49 FPS on Medium. The High preset drops to 33 FPS, and Ultra falls to 23 FPS. Playable 4K is possible only on Low or Medium presets.

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

A: At Low settings, the average drops from 142 FPS to 95 FPS, a 33% reduction. At Medium, it drops from 126 FPS to 85 FPS, a 32.5% reduction. At High, 86 FPS becomes 58 FPS, a 32.6% reduction.

Q: What is the performance difference between Low and Ultra settings?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 142 FPS while Ultra averages 58 FPS, meaning Ultra is 59% slower. At 1440p, Low is 95 FPS and Ultra is 39 FPS, a 59% difference. At 4K, Low is 55 FPS and Ultra is 23 FPS, a 58% difference.

Q: Does the system maintain consistent frame rates at Medium settings?

A: The Medium preset has the only complete min/max data. At 1080p, the range is 107-145 FPS around a 126 average. At 1440p, it's 72-98 FPS around an 85 average. At 4K, it's 41-56 FPS around a 49 average. The min-to-avg ratio stays near 85% at all resolutions.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested configurations for this game?

A: This specific CPU-GPU combination ranks 1603 out of 2761 tested combos in ArcheAge, placing it in the upper-middle tier of all systems tested.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is the decisive component in ArcheAge's performance ceiling, particularly as resolution increases. The GPU's 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus provides 288.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is the likely reason the 4K results drop so sharply — the texture streaming and draw calls in ArcheAge's large open-world environments demand more memory bandwidth than the 128-bit bus can efficiently deliver at 4K.

The GPU's clock behavior is notable. The base clock is 1700 MHz, the game clock is 2400 MHz, and the boost clock reaches 2990 MHz. The gap between base and boost is 76%, which gives the card substantial headroom for thermal and power management. The 132 W TDP with a 300 W suggested PSU indicates a power-efficient design that should sustain boost clocks under sustained gaming loads.

The RX 9060's benchmark profile places it at the 59th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 16014. Its nearest rival is the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, which scores 16129 — just 0.7% higher. The AMD Radeon R9 370X and AMD Radeon RX 7700 are also close, at 15862 and 15852 respectively, representing 1% deltas. This positioning suggests the RX 9060 is a mid-range performer that trades blows with previous-generation upper-midrange cards.

In ArcheAge specifically, the GPU's DirectX 12 benchmark score of 44 (PassMark) and DirectX 11 score of 182 indicate that the card's performance varies significantly by API. The game's engine, originally released in 2014, likely uses older rendering paths. The DirectX 11 score being 4.1x higher than DirectX 12 suggests the card is better optimized for the legacy API that ArcheAge likely employs.

The 21.43 TFLOPS FP32 compute throughput and 334.9 GTexel/s texture rate are strong on paper, but the game's actual results show that raw compute is not the limiting factor. The 4K Ultra result of 23 FPS is particularly telling — this is far below what the compute numbers would suggest, pointing to memory bandwidth or driver overhead as the bottleneck. The GPU's 64 ROPs and 1792 shading units are adequate for modern titles, but ArcheAge's older engine may not fully utilize RDNA 4.0's architecture.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i7-12700KF with AMD Radeon RX 9060 combination ranks 1603 out of 2761 tested combos in ArcheAge. This places it at the 58th percentile of all tested configurations — slightly below the GPU's standalone percentile of 59, suggesting the CPU is not the limiting factor. The CPU itself ranks at the 85th percentile among all CPUs, so the combo's mid-tier ranking is driven by the GPU's position.

The i7-12700KF's nearest CPU rivals in synthetic benchmarks are the Intel Core i7-13700T (avg score 35403, delta -0.1%), the Intel Core i5-13600T (avg score 35305, delta 0.2%), the Intel Core 5 213PE (avg score 35428, delta -0.2%), and the Intel Core i7-12700K (avg score 35287, delta 0.2%). The 12700KF's average benchmark score of 35365 sits essentially at parity with all four rivals, with deltas under 0.2%. This means CPU choice among these five parts would produce nearly identical ArcheAge frame rates.

The GPU's nearest rivals tell a similar story. The RX 9060's average score of 16014 is 0.7% below the RTX 3060 Ti (16129), 1% above the R9 370X (15862), 1% above the RX 7700 (15852), and 2.1% above the Radeon Pro W5500 (15679). These small deltas mean the RX 9060 and RTX 3060 Ti would deliver nearly identical ArcheAge performance, while the R9 370X and RX 7700 would be marginally slower.

The combo's rank of 1603/2761 means there are 1158 tested combos that perform better and 1602 that perform worse. Given that the CPU is at the 85th percentile and the GPU is at the 59th percentile, the overall rank being at the 58th percentile aligns closely with the GPU's standalone position. This confirms that ArcheAge's frame rates in this configuration are predominantly GPU-limited. Users seeking higher rankings would need to upgrade the GPU rather than the CPU.

Settings Recommendations

The measured data provides clear guidance for optimal settings based on target resolution and frame rate preferences. For 1080p gaming, the Medium preset is the sweet spot. It delivers 126 FPS average with a 107 FPS minimum, which comfortably exceeds 60 FPS and approaches high-refresh-rate territory. The jump from Medium to High costs 40 FPS (126 down to 86), while Ultra costs 68 FPS (126 down to 58). The Medium preset's minimum of 107 FPS ensures no drops below 60 FPS, making it the safest choice for smooth gameplay.

At 1440p, Medium is again the recommended preset. The 85 FPS average with a 72 FPS minimum keeps the experience above 60 FPS with a margin for demanding scenes. High drops to 58 FPS average, which would occasionally fall below 60 FPS in busy areas. Ultra's 39 FPS average is only suitable for players who prioritize visual fidelity over responsiveness. Low at 95 FPS is viable for competitive play, but the visual compromise is substantial for an MMORPG where environments are a core draw.

At 4K, the choice narrows significantly. Low at 55 FPS is the only preset that approaches playable frame rates. Medium at 49 FPS is borderline, with a 41 FPS minimum that will cause noticeable stutter in crowded cities. High at 33 FPS and Ultra at 23 FPS are not recommended for any gameplay scenario. Players targeting 4K should accept Low settings or consider reducing resolution to 1440p with Medium for a better balance.

The Ultra preset is consistently problematic across all resolutions. At 1080p it produces 58 FPS, at 1440p 39 FPS, and at 4K 23 FPS. The visual gain from High to Ultra does not justify the 32-39% performance loss at any resolution. The data suggests Ultra is a showcase preset rather than a practical gaming option for this hardware combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080:

• Low: 142 FPS average
• Medium: 126 FPS average, 107 FPS minimum, 145 FPS maximum
• High: 86 FPS average
• Ultra: 58 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 95 FPS average
• Medium: 85 FPS average, 72 FPS minimum, 98 FPS maximum
• High: 58 FPS average
• Ultra: 39 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 55 FPS average
• Medium: 49 FPS average, 41 FPS minimum, 56 FPS maximum
• High: 33 FPS average
• Ultra: 23 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern across all three resolutions: Low is the fastest, followed by Medium, then High, with Ultra slowest. The Medium preset's min/max data provides the only frame-time variance information available. At 1080p, the 107 FPS minimum is 84% of the average, indicating good frame pacing. At 1440p, the 72 FPS minimum is 85% of the average. At 4K, the 41 FPS minimum is 84% of the average. This consistency suggests the game's frame time distribution is stable regardless of resolution.

The ratio between Low and Medium is remarkably consistent: 142/126 = 1.13 at 1080p, 95/85 = 1.12 at 1440p, and 55/49 = 1.12 at 4K. Similarly, the Medium-to-High ratio is consistent: 126/86 = 1.47 at 1080p, 85/58 = 1.47 at 1440p, and 49/33 = 1.48 at 4K. The High-to-Ultra ratio is 86/58 = 1.48 at 1080p, 58/39 = 1.49 at 1440p, and 33/23 = 1.43 at 4K. These stable ratios indicate that each settings tier imposes a fixed proportional cost on the GPU, independent of resolution.

The resolution scaling factor from 1080p to 4K is 2.58x for Low (142 to 55), 2.57x for Medium (126 to 49), 2.61x for High (86 to 33), and 2.52x for Ultra (58 to 23). The near-identical scaling factors across all settings reinforce that the GPU's performance ceiling is consistent regardless of the workload intensity.