Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents a demanding environment for modern hardware, particularly at higher resolutions. This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core i7-12700KF paired with the Intel Arc B390, a combination that produces surprisingly low frame rates. The data reveals a profound bottleneck, with the system struggling to achieve playable performance at 4K and only approaching acceptable levels at 1080p on lower settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU and GPU combination for Archeage?

A: The combo ranks 2453 out of 2761 tested combinations. This places it in the bottom 11% of all tested systems for this specific game, indicating it is a very low-performing pairing for Archeage.

Q: How does the Intel Core i7-12700KF compare to its closest rivals in terms of average benchmark score?

A: The i7-12700KF has an average benchmark score of 35365. Its closest rival, the Intel Core i7-13700T, scores 35403, which is a negligible 0.1% difference. The Intel Core i5-13600T scores 35305, a 0.2% difference, and the Intel Core i7-12700K scores 35287, also a 0.2% difference. These scores show the CPU is virtually tied with its direct competitors.

Q: What is the best average FPS achieved by this combo in Archeage?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 71 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration that breaks the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay.

Q: What is the lowest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average frame rate is 11 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 (4K) resolution with Ultra settings. This is a very poor result, making the game essentially unplayable at that configuration.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Intel Arc B390 and its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX?

A: In the 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 benchmark, the Intel Arc B390 scores 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX's score of 1463. The Arc B390 also outperforms the GeForce 800M by 1.5% and the GeForce GT 625 OEM by 2.5%.

Q: How does the game's performance scale when switching from Medium to Ultra settings at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the average frame rate drops from 64 FPS on Medium settings to 29 FPS on Ultra settings. This represents a significant 55% reduction in performance, indicating that the Ultra preset is far too demanding for this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

The data places this specific pairing of the Intel Core i7-12700KF and Intel Arc B390 at a rank of 2453 out of 2761 tested combinations for Archeage. This is a stark indication of poor performance, placing it in the bottom percentile of all systems tested. The rank is more than just a number; it is a direct consequence of the components' individual characteristics. The CPU is a high-end desktop processor, evidenced by its 85th percentile ranking among all CPUs and an average benchmark score of 35365, nearly matching the Intel Core i7-13700T. However, the GPU is an integrated graphics solution that sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of only 1482. This massive disparity in performance class is the primary reason for the combo's low rank. The measurement data shows the system is heavily constrained by the GPU, as the CPU's potential is left largely untapped. The rank of 2453 is not a reflection of the CPU's capabilities but rather a signal of the bottleneck created by the integrated graphics. The combination of a top-tier processor with a bottom-tier graphics solution results in a system that is unable to deliver a playable experience at higher settings or resolutions.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the clear limiting factor in this configuration. Its role as an integrated graphics processor (IGP) is central to understanding the poor performance. With a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, it has the potential for varied performance, but the data shows it is insufficient for Archeage. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units (TMUs), and 24 render output units (ROPs). This configuration, combined with its 3 nm process node and Xe3-LPG architecture, yields a pixel rate of 60.00 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 7.680 TFLOPS. However, the most critical specification is its memory: it uses "System Shared" memory, meaning it relies on the system's main RAM rather than dedicated VRAM. This creates a significant performance penalty, especially at higher resolutions and detail levels. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 is only 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a very old and low-end discrete GPU. This benchmark result confirms that the Arc B390's raw graphics compute power is extremely limited. In Archeage, this translates to the low average FPS figures seen across all tested settings. The data suggests that the GPU is overwhelmed by the game's rendering demands, struggling to maintain fluid frame rates even at 1080p with Low settings, where it achieves its only playable result of 71 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data shows a clear and consistent performance hierarchy based on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo achieves its best results. With Low settings, it manages an average of 71 FPS. Moving to Medium settings, the average drops to 64 FPS, with a minimum of 54 FPS and a maximum of 73 FPS. High settings yield an average of 43 FPS, while Ultra settings produce a significantly lower average of 29 FPS. The step from Medium to Ultra is particularly severe, showing a drop of 35 FPS. At 2560x1440, the performance degrades further. Low settings average 48 FPS, Medium settings average 43 FPS (with a min/max of 36/49), and High settings average 29 FPS. Ultra settings at this resolution fall to an average of just 20 FPS. The 4K resolution provides the most challenging results. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 28 on Low, 25 on Medium (with a min/max of 21/28), 17 on High, and a dismal 11 on Ultra. These numbers indicate that the system is only suitable for 1080p gaming on lower presets. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 17 FPS, which is less than the difference seen at 1080p (42 FPS). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so saturated that even reducing settings has a diminished impact on performance, as the sheer number of pixels is the primary bottleneck.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-12700KF is a powerful processor that plays a secondary role in this pairing's poor performance. It features 12 cores and 20 threads, with a base clock of 3.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz. Its architecture is Alder Lake, built on a 10 nm process. The CPU has a large 25 MB shared L3 cache and supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory. Its benchmark scores are robust, including a Cinebench R23 multicore score of 28838 and a single-core score of 4071. Its Passmark multithread score is 34092, and its Geekbench multicore score is 14367. The CPU's percentile ranking of 85 and average benchmark score of 35365 confirm it is a high-performance part, nearly identical in score to the Intel Core i7-13700T. In the context of Archeage, an MMORPG, the CPU is responsible for game logic, network handling, and rendering commands. The data implies the CPU is more than capable of handling these tasks. The bottleneck is not the CPU's ability to process game data but its ability to feed the GPU. The i7-12700KF's performance is effectively wasted because the Intel Arc B390 cannot keep up with the CPU's output. The measured FPS shows that even at 1080p Low, the system only reaches 71 FPS, which is far below what the CPU could support with a more powerful GPU. The CPU is essentially waiting for the GPU to finish its work, creating a massive imbalance in the system.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration that achieves an average frame rate above 60 FPS, hitting 71 FPS. This should provide a reasonably smooth experience, though the visual quality will be minimal. If a user prefers Medium settings, the average drops to 64 FPS, which is still playable but with more frequent dips, as indicated by the 54 FPS minimum. This may be acceptable for less action-heavy moments in the game. The High preset at 1080p yields 43 FPS, which is borderline playable but may feel sluggish. The Ultra preset at 1080p is not recommended, as the 29 FPS average will likely cause noticeable stuttering and a poor gameplay experience. At 2560x1440, only the Low preset, with an average of 48 FPS, approaches a playable level. All other settings at this resolution fall below 43 FPS. At 4K, none of the settings are playable, with the highest average being 28 FPS on Low. The data suggests that to get the most playable experience, users should prioritize resolution and settings together. The single best experience is 1080p Low, which offers the highest frame rate. For a better balance of visual fidelity and performance, 1080p Medium is a viable option, sacrificing 7 FPS for improved graphics. The performance at higher resolutions is so poor that it should be avoided entirely.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases, highlighting the GPU as the primary limiting component. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 on Low settings, the average FPS drops from 71 to 48, a 32% decrease. The drop from 1080p to 4K on Low settings is even more dramatic, falling from 71 to 28 FPS, a 61% reduction. This pattern is consistent across all settings. For example, on High settings, the average FPS goes from 43 at 1080p to 29 at 1440p and then to 17 at 4K. This scaling behavior is characteristic of a GPU-bound system. The Intel Arc B390, with its shared memory and limited compute power, is simply unable to handle the increasing pixel count. The CPU's role in this scaling is minimal; the i7-12700KF has ample headroom to process the game at all resolutions. If the system were CPU-bound, we would expect the FPS to remain relatively stable across resolutions, since the CPU's workload doesn't change much with resolution. Instead, the FPS drops significantly with each increase in resolution. This indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck. The trend also shows that the performance penalty of higher resolutions is not linear. The jump from 1440p to 4K is more punishing than the jump from 1080p to 1440p, as the pixel count increase is much larger. This data strongly suggests that any attempt to play Archeage at 1440p or 4K will result in an unsatisfactory experience with this hardware combination.