Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents an interesting scaling profile for the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT combination. The measured frames per second (FPS) data shows a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the High preset, the system delivers 136.7 FPS at 1080p, which falls to 95 FPS at 1440p, and further to 53.5 FPS at 4K. This represents a 61% reduction in average FPS from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering load scales heavily with pixel count.

The pattern across all settings presets is consistent. For the Low preset, the drop is from 229.1 FPS at 1080p to 154.4 FPS at 1440p and 89 FPS at 4K, a 61% decrease. The Medium preset shows a similar trajectory, moving from 200.3 FPS at 1080p to 134 FPS at 1440p and 77.8 FPS at 4K, a 61% decline. The Ultra preset exhibits the most significant absolute drop, going from 93.7 FPS at 1080p to 63.7 FPS at 1440p and finally 38 FPS at 4K, also a 59% decrease from the starting point.

This scaling behavior suggests that at lower resolutions like 1080p, the game is likely limited by the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls, a common trait in MMORPG titles where many on-screen elements and player characters tax the processor. The fact that the FPS at 1080p Low (229.1 FPS) is so high indicates the GPU is not the bottleneck there. As resolution increases to 4K, the GPU becomes progressively more saturated, and the FPS drops become more pronounced, showing that the RX 7900 XT is taking on the primary workload. The gap between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K (89 FPS vs 38 FPS) highlights how much the visual fidelity settings impact the GPU load at higher resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all hardware combinations tested for Archeage, this pairing of the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT holds a specific position. The data shows that this combo ranks 322nd out of 1727 total tested combinations, placing it within the top 18.6% of all systems. This is a strong showing, indicating that this hardware pairing delivers above-average performance for this specific game.

The CPU itself is a high-end part, sitting in the 94th percentile when compared to all CPUs in the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score of 54097 places it very close to its nearest rivals. The AMD Ryzen 9 9900X scores 54450, which is a negligible 0.6% difference. Similarly, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D scores 54681, just 1.1% higher. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 and AMD EPYC 7313P score 53469 and 53206 respectively, with the i7-14700F being 1.2% and 1.7% faster than those parts. This indicates that the Core i7-14700F is a very capable processor, performing essentially on par with the top competitors.

The GPU also performs admirably, ranking in the 82nd percentile for all GPUs. Its average benchmark score of 38358 is almost identical to its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 Mobile, which scores 38349, a 0% difference. The NVIDIA CMP 70HX scores 38225, just 0.3% behind, while the NVIDIA GeForce MX570 scores 38494, a 0.4% difference. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile trails slightly with a score of 38135, making the RX 7900 XT 0.6% faster. These scores confirm that the RX 7900 XT is positioned as a high-performance card, comparable to the top mobile GeForce offerings in raw compute benchmarks, even though the game performance will vary by title.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT is built on the RDNA 3.0 architecture, specifically using the Navi 31 chip, also known as Plum Bonito. It is manufactured on a 5 nm process by TSMC and packs 57,700 million transistors on a 529 mm² die. The card's memory subsystem is substantial, featuring 20 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 320-bit bus, which provides a bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. This large memory pool is more than sufficient for a game like Archeage, which is not known for being extremely VRAM-hungry, but it future-proofs the system for higher-resolution textures and other demanding titles.

In terms of clock speeds, the GPU has a base clock of 1387 MHz, a game clock of 2025 MHz, and a boost clock of 2394 MHz. The memory operates at an effective speed of 20 Gbps. These clocks, combined with the 5376 shading units and 192 ROPs, contribute to its compute power. The card achieves a pixel rate of 459.6 GPixel/s and a texture rate of 804.4 GTexel/s. Its FP32 performance is rated at 51.48 TFLOPS. These specifications explain why the card is able to push high frame rates at 1440p and remains capable at 4K, even if it cannot maintain 60 FPS at the Ultra preset, where it measured an average of 38 FPS.

The role of the GPU in this game becomes more critical at higher resolutions. The measured data shows a clear inverse relationship between resolution and FPS. While the CPU can push 229.1 FPS at 1080p Low, the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, where even the High preset produces only 53.5 FPS. The performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 4K (89 FPS vs 38 FPS) demonstrates the GPU's significant workload when processing additional graphical effects, shadows, and post-processing at high pixel counts.

FAQ

Q: What is the average FPS for this combo at 1440p on High settings?

A: The measured average FPS for the Intel Core i7-14700F and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT combo at 2560x1440 with High settings is 95 FPS.

Q: How does this combo's performance at 1080p Low compare to 4K Ultra?

A: At 1080p Low, the system achieves an average of 229.1 FPS. In stark contrast, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 38. This represents a dramatic 83.4% reduction in performance, highlighting the immense load difference between the two settings and resolutions.

Q: Is this hardware combination ranked highly for Archeage?

A: Yes, the combo ranks 322nd out of 1727 tested combinations, which places it in the top 18.6% of all systems tested for this game. This indicates a strong performance level relative to other hardware pairings.

Q: What is the boost clock of the GPU in this combo?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT has a boost clock of 2394 MHz. Its base clock is 1387 MHz, and its game clock is 2025 MHz.

Q: How much VRAM does the RX 7900 XT have?

A: The GPU is equipped with 20 GB of GDDR6 memory, which provides a memory bandwidth of 800.0 GB/s. This is a large amount of memory for an MMORPG.

Q: What is the CPU's ranking compared to all other CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F is in the 94th percentile when compared to all CPUs in the benchmark database. Its average benchmark score is 54097.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend heavily on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1920x1080, all presets are highly playable. The High preset delivers 136.7 FPS, which is excellent for a smooth experience. The Medium preset offers 200.3 FPS, and Low gives 229.1 FPS. Even the Ultra preset is very playable at 93.7 FPS. For competitive play or use with a high refresh rate 1080p monitor, the Medium preset is recommended, as it provides a massive FPS boost over High while likely maintaining a good visual quality. The Low preset delivers even higher frame rates, but the visual compromise may be significant for some users.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the best balance of visual fidelity and performance, delivering a solid 95 FPS. The Medium preset is also a strong choice, providing 134 FPS for those who prefer higher frame rates. The Ultra preset, at 63.7 FPS, is still playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced gameplay. The Low preset at 154.4 FPS seems unnecessary at this resolution, as High already provides a very good experience with better graphics.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes. The Ultra preset is not recommended, as it only achieves 38 FPS, which is below the threshold for smooth gameplay. The High preset, at 53.5 FPS, is borderline. For a consistently smooth experience at 4K, the Medium preset is the best choice, delivering 77.8 FPS. The Low preset offers 89 FPS but at a significant visual cost. The data indicates that to get a comfortable frame rate at 4K, users should select Medium settings. This allows the RX 7900 XT to deliver a playable experience without overburdening the GPU with the most demanding visual effects.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture, specifically the Raptor Lake Refresh generation. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz. This high core count and boost clock are significant for a modern MMORPG like Archeage, which can be heavily reliant on single-thread performance for game logic and multi-thread performance for handling the many entities and player actions in the game world. The CPU supports both DDR4 and DDR5 memory, though the benchmark data does not specify which was used.

The CPU's benchmark scores are strong. It scores 35443 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 5003 in single-core. In Geekbench, it scores 16571 multi-core and 2711 single-core. Its Passmark multi-thread score is 41765, and its single-thread score is 4261. These numbers show a processor with immense compute capability. Its average benchmark score of 54097 places it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, and its performance is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, which is only 0.6% faster.

In the context of this game, the CPU's role is most apparent at lower resolutions. The measured FPS at 1080p Low (229.1 FPS) is extremely high, suggesting that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution. Instead, the CPU is likely the primary driver of performance, feeding the GPU with data quickly enough to sustain such high frame rates. The fact that the FPS drops significantly at 4K, even on Low settings (89 FPS), indicates that the GPU becomes the bottleneck as the pixel workload increases. This means the Core i7-14700F is more than capable of keeping up with the RX 7900 XT, ensuring that the system is not held back by the processor in this title. The high core count also helps maintain stable performance in crowded areas, which are common in MMORPGs, where multiple characters and effects can strain a CPU.