Archeage

Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B390 is a deeply lopsided pairing for ArcheAge. The CPU is a high-end desktop part, while the GPU is an integrated-class solution that ranks near the bottom of all tested graphics cards. Benchmark data shows the combo lands at rank 2453 out of 2761 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. This is not a combination that delivers smooth, competitive frame rates at common resolutions; instead, it is a pairing that consistently falls below playable thresholds except at the lowest settings and resolution. The data is clear: the Arc B390 is the overwhelming bottleneck, and the i7-13700K’s substantial processing power is largely left unused in this MMORPG.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 2453 out of 2761 tested combinations places this system in the 11th percentile of all tested pairings for ArcheAge. That is a poor overall position, and the reason is obvious when examining the GPU’s standalone standing. The Intel Arc B390 sits at the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1482. Its nearest rivals are all legacy or entry-level parts: the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, delta +1.3%), the GeForce 800M (1460, +1.5%), the GeForce GT 625 OEM (1446, +2.5%), and the GeForce GT 710 (1443, +2.7%). The Arc B390 is only 1.3% faster than the GT 520MX, a GPU from over a decade ago. This is not a modern gaming part; it is a mobile-oriented integrated processor that delivers performance in the same league as ancient discrete cards.

Meanwhile, the CPU is a completely different story. The Intel Core i7-13700K ranks at the 89th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals are the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, delta -0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, -0.3%), the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, +0.5%), and the Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653, +0.5%). The i7-13700K is essentially tied with these processors, all within a 0.5% band. The CPU is a top-tier part, but the combo’s overall rank is dragged down by the GPU. In ArcheAge, the measured FPS data confirms this: the system never exceeds 71 FPS average at 1080p Low, and that is the best case scenario. At higher resolutions and settings, the numbers drop precipitously. The combination of a 89th-percentile CPU with a 9th-percentile GPU yields a bottom-decile result, meaning the GPU is not just a weak link; it is the sole limiter of performance.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-13700K is a 16-core, 24-thread processor based on Raptor Lake architecture, built on Intel’s 10 nm process. It has a base clock of 3.40 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 80 KB of L1 per core, 2 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3. It supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory in dual-channel configuration, and features PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes from the CPU. In synthetic benchmarks, the CPU shows strong scaling: 3DMark 16-thread score is 10717, while 8-thread is 8193 and 2-thread is 2262. The single-thread score is 1136, which is relevant for an MMORPG like ArcheAge that may rely on a few main threads for game logic. Cinebench R23 multicore is 30745, and single-core is 2116, while Geekbench multicore is 19429 and single-core is 2529. PassMark multithread is 45887, and single-thread is 4333.

However, in ArcheAge, the CPU’s role is largely theoretical because the GPU cannot keep up. The measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, the average is 71 FPS, which suggests the CPU is capable of feeding frames at that level. But the GPU’s limitations show up immediately: at 1080p High, the average drops to 43 FPS, and at 1080p Ultra it falls to 29 FPS. The CPU is not the bottleneck in any of these scenarios; the GPU is. The i7-13700K’s 16 cores and 24 threads are far beyond what ArcheAge needs, and the single-thread performance (3DMark single-thread 1136, Cinebench R23 single-core 2116) is more than adequate for MMORPG logic. The data shows that the CPU’s percentile versus all CPUs is 89, meaning it is faster than 89% of all processors, but none of that headroom translates into playable frame rates because the GPU is holding the system back. In practical terms, the i7-13700K is overkill for this pairing; a far weaker CPU would deliver nearly identical FPS in ArcheAge because the GPU is the hard ceiling.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is the polar opposite of the CPU. It is an integrated graphics processor (IGP) based on Panther Lake architecture, using the Xe3-LPG design on a 3 nm process. Its base clock is 300 MHz, and its boost clock is 2500 MHz. The GPU has 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 ROPs, along with 12 ray tracing cores. Its memory is system shared, meaning it uses the host system’s RAM rather than dedicated VRAM, with bandwidth described as system dependent. The FP32 performance is 7.680 TFLOPS, and the pixel rate is 60.00 GPixel/s with a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s. The TDP is 80 W, and it is classified as an IGP with no power connectors, making it suitable only for laptops or integrated designs.

The GPU’s only benchmark in the data is a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482, which places it at the 9th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rivals are the GT 520MX and GeForce 800M, both of which are ancient or low-end parts. This is not a gaming GPU in any meaningful sense. In ArcheAge, the GPU’s limitations are stark. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 11, which is unplayable. At 4K High, it is 17 FPS, and at 4K Medium it is 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 28. Even at 4K Low, the average is only 28 FPS. Moving to 1440p, the situation improves slightly but remains poor: Ultra averages 20 FPS, High 29 FPS, Medium 43 FPS (min 36, max 49), and Low 48 FPS. At 1080p, the best results appear: Low averages 71 FPS, Medium 64 FPS (min 54, max 73), High 43 FPS, and Ultra 29 FPS. The GPU’s 1536 shading units and 24 ROPs are simply too few for modern rendering at higher resolutions, and the system-shared memory bandwidth is a further constraint. The 3DMark score of 1482 confirms that this GPU is in the same class as decade-old discrete cards, and the measured FPS in ArcheAge reflects that reality.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo’s performance across resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160 (4K), the results are uniformly poor. Low settings yield an average of 28 FPS, Medium averages 25 FPS with a minimum of 21 and maximum of 28, High averages 17 FPS, and Ultra averages 11 FPS. None of these are playable for an MMORPG, where stable frame rates are critical for combat and movement. The gap between Low and Ultra is 17 FPS, which is a 60% drop, indicating that the GPU is severely overworked at 4K regardless of settings. The minimum FPS at Medium (21) shows that even the best-case 4K scenario has dips into the high teens, which would cause noticeable stutter.

At 2560x1440, the numbers improve but remain below acceptable thresholds for most players. Low settings average 48 FPS, Medium averages 43 FPS (min 36, max 49), High averages 29 FPS, and Ultra averages 20 FPS. The jump from Low to Medium is a small 5 FPS drop, suggesting that Medium is only slightly more demanding than Low at this resolution. However, High and Ultra are significantly worse, with 29 and 20 FPS respectively. The minimum FPS at Medium (36) is the only reading above 30 at 1440p, and it is still below the 60 FPS target that most players prefer. The data shows that 1440p is not viable for this combo beyond Low or Medium settings.

At 1920x1080, the best performance is achieved, but it is still inconsistent. Low settings average 71 FPS, which is the only reading above 60 FPS in the entire dataset. Medium averages 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73, which is borderline playable but with occasional dips below 60. High averages 43 FPS, and Ultra averages 29 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a steep decline: 71 to 64 to 43 to 29, a total drop of 42 FPS or 59%. The minimum FPS at Medium (54) indicates that even at 1080p Medium, there are moments where the frame rate falls below the smooth threshold. The data suggests that 1080p Low is the only setting where this combo consistently maintains a playable frame rate, while 1080p Medium is acceptable for less demanding play but not for competitive or raid-heavy content.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for playable FPS?

A: The only setting that achieves an average FPS above 60 is 1920x1080 with Low settings, averaging 71 FPS. At 1080p Medium, the average is 64 FPS, but the minimum drops to 54 FPS, which may cause noticeable stuttering. For a stable experience, 1080p Low is the only reliable choice.

Q: How does the Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1443). These are all entry-level or legacy GPUs, indicating the B390 is not a modern gaming part.

Q: Is the Core i7-13700K a bottleneck in this pairing?

A: No. The CPU ranks at the 89th percentile among all CPUs with an average score of 46881, and its nearest rivals are within 0.5% of its performance. In ArcheAge, the measured FPS is limited entirely by the GPU, as evidenced by the large drops between Low and Ultra settings at the same resolution.

Q: What is the combo’s overall rank among tested systems?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K and Intel Arc B390 combo ranks 2453 out of 2761 tested combinations for ArcheAge, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. This poor rank is driven by the GPU’s 9th-percentile standing, not the CPU.

Q: Can this system handle 4K gaming in ArcheAge?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 11 on Ultra to 28 on Low. Even the highest average (28 FPS at Low) is below playable thresholds, and the minimum FPS at Medium is 21. 4K is not viable for this combo.

Q: How does the CPU’s single-thread performance compare to its multi-thread performance?

A: The CPU’s 3DMark single-thread score is 1136, while its 16-thread score is 10717, showing strong scaling. However, in ArcheAge, the GPU is the limiting factor, so the CPU’s single-thread capabilities (Cinebench R23 single-core 2116, Geekbench single-core 2529) are more than sufficient but go unused.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the only setting that provides a consistently smooth experience is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which averages 71 FPS. This is the sole configuration where the average exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for any playable session. At 1080p Medium, the average is 64 FPS, but the minimum of 54 FPS means that in crowded areas or during heavy combat, the frame rate will dip below the smooth threshold. For players who prioritize visual quality over absolute smoothness, 1080p Medium is the highest setting that remains mostly playable, but it comes with a risk of stutter.

At 1440p, no setting is truly viable. Low settings average 48 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS target, and Medium averages 43 FPS with a minimum of 36. High and Ultra are even worse, with averages of 29 and 20 FPS respectively. For 1440p, the data suggests that even Low settings will result in a suboptimal experience, and players should avoid this resolution entirely if they want stable performance. At 4K, all settings are unplayable, with averages ranging from 11 to 28 FPS, and no minimum FPS data is available for most settings, indicating severe performance issues.

The practical recommendation is to run ArcheAge at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This provides the best balance of playability and stability, as the 71 FPS average is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the lack of minimum FPS data for Low settings suggests that it does not dip as severely as Medium. If a player insists on Medium settings, they should accept the 64 FPS average and the 54 FPS minimum, which may be tolerable for non-competitive play. For all other resolutions and settings, the data clearly shows that this combo cannot deliver a playable experience, and players should lower their expectations or consider a different GPU. The Intel Arc B390 is a 9th-percentile part, and no amount of CPU power can compensate for its fundamental lack of rendering capability.