Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents an interesting challenge for the Intel Core i7-14700F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER pairing. The benchmark data places this specific combination at rank 1538 out of 1727 tested combos for this game, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. This is a surprisingly low standing given the individual components' benchmark scores, suggesting that Archeage's engine has specific bottlenecks that prevent this hardware from reaching its full potential. The measured FPS data across resolutions and settings reveals a pattern of performance that is highly dependent on both the graphics preset and the resolution, with the combo showing its best results at 1080p with lower settings.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 1538 out of 1727 tested configurations places it firmly in the lower percentile of performers for Archeage. This is a significant underperformance relative to what the individual component benchmarks might suggest. The CPU, for instance, sits in the 94th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 54097. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, which scores 54450, and the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X3D, which scores 54681. The i7-14700F is only 0.6% behind the 9900X and 1.1% behind the 9900X3D, making it a top-tier processor by raw compute power.

The GPU, on the other hand, is far more modest in its standing. The GTX 1660 SUPER sits in the 55th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 14286. Its nearest rivals are closely packed, including the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11 (14314, -0.2% delta), Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics (14315, -0.2% delta), and AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT (14389, -0.7% delta). This indicates the GPU is an average performer, but the data suggests it is the primary constraint in this combination for Archeage. The massive gap between the CPU's high percentile and the combo's low in-game rank points to a scenario where the GPU is overwhelmed, or the game's engine is not effectively utilizing the CPU's 20 cores and 28 threads.

FAQ

Q: What is the best performance this combo can achieve in Archeage?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 97.7, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the data that approaches a 100 FPS average, indicating that high refresh rate play is only possible at the lowest graphical fidelity and resolution.

Q: How much of a performance drop is seen when moving from 1080p to 4K?

A: At High settings, the average FPS drops from 62 at 1920x1080 to 20.4 at 3840x2160. This represents a 67% reduction in frame rate, a dramatic fall that suggests the GPU's memory bandwidth and processing power are heavily taxed at higher resolutions.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in this game?

A: The data strongly suggests the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU has a 94th percentile ranking and is competitive with high-end AMD Ryzen 9 processors. However, the combo’s in-game rank of 1538 is very low. The FPS scaling from 1080p to 4K shows a steep decline, which is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck rather than a CPU one.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Low and Ultra settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS at Low settings is 65.6, while at Ultra it drops to 28.1. This is a 57% decrease in performance, showing that the Ultra preset places a heavy load on the GTX 1660 SUPER.

Q: How does the GTX 1660 SUPER compare to its closest rivals in terms of raw GPU score?

A: The GTX 1660 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 14286. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega 11, scores 14314, which is only 0.2% higher. The Intel Iris Xe MAX Graphics also scores 14315, a 0.2% difference, showing these GPUs are statistically similar in overall compute performance.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU in this combo?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700F has a launch MSRP of $359. This information is provided for reference, and the analysis does not assess the cost-effectiveness of this component.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of how the combo scales with resolution. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 at High settings, the average FPS drops from 62 to 43.2, a 30% reduction. The subsequent step to 3840x2160 at High settings is more brutal, with the frame rate falling to 20.4, another 53% reduction from the 1440p figure. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets.

At Low settings, the drop from 1080p (97.7 FPS) to 1440p (65.6 FPS) is a 33% decrease, and then to 4K (37.3 FPS) is another 43% decrease. The scaling shows that the GTX 1660 SUPER's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are increasingly insufficient as pixel count rises. The performance degradation is not linear; the largest relative drop occurs when moving from 1440p to 4K. This indicates that at 4K, the GPU is running out of memory bandwidth and raw shading power, making the game nearly unplayable at higher settings. The data implies that 1080p is the intended resolution for this GPU in this title, with 1440p being a playable but compromised experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark results provide a comprehensive matrix of average FPS across four resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers 97.7 FPS on Low, 89.1 on Medium, 62 on High, and 40.4 on Ultra. This is the only resolution where the combo achieves a playable frame rate at all presets, though Ultra dips below 60 FPS. Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS scores are 65.6 (Low), 59.4 (Medium), 43.2 (High), and 28.1 (Ultra). Here, Medium is the only preset that maintains an average above 60 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the performance is severely limited. The average FPS figures are 37.3 (Low), 32.6 (Medium), 20.4 (High), and 15.8 (Ultra). None of these results are playable for a smooth experience, indicating that 4K is not a viable option for this hardware. The spread between Low and Ultra settings widens as resolution decreases; at 1080p, the delta between Low and Ultra is 57.3 FPS, while at 4K, it narrows to 21.5 FPS. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the CPU has enough headroom to feed the GPU, but at 4K, the GPU is the absolute bottleneck regardless of the graphical load.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor based on the Raptor Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.40 GHz, with 33 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark scores are impressive, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35443 and a single-core score of 5003. The data from the measured FPS, however, shows that this processing power is not being fully utilized in Archeage.

The game's rank of 1538 suggests that the i7-14700F's high multi-threaded performance (PassMark multi-thread score of 41765) is not translating into higher frame rates. The CPU is 94th percentile and its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 9 9900X, has a nearly identical average score. Despite this, the in-game performance is poor, especially when compared to the CPU's capabilities. This implies that Archeage's engine is likely single-threaded or lightly threaded, meaning the 20 cores and 28 threads are underutilized. The high boost clock of 5.40 GHz helps, but the game's engine limitations seem to prevent the CPU from overcoming the GPU's performance ceiling. The CPU is not the bottleneck, but it is also not the solution.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo would be to prioritize frame rate at 1080p. At this resolution, the Medium preset provides an average of 89.1 FPS, which is a smooth and responsive experience for an MMORPG. The Low preset offers a slightly higher 97.7 FPS, but the visual quality difference between Low and Medium is likely substantial. For players who prefer higher visual fidelity, the High preset at 1080p, with an average of 62 FPS, is a viable option that remains above the 60 FPS threshold.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the only one that maintains an average above 60 FPS, at 59.4 FPS, which is borderline. The Low preset (65.6 FPS) is the safest choice for a consistent frame rate. The data shows that the Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended, as it pushes the average FPS down to 40.4 at 1080p and 28.1 at 1440p, which would result in a noticeably less fluid experience in a fast-paced MMORPG environment. The 4K resolution is not recommended for any preset, as even the Low preset only manages an average of 37.3 FPS. The best balance of visual quality and performance in the data is the Medium preset at 1080p.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU with 6 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit bus, providing 336.0 GB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock is 1530 MHz with a boost clock of 1785 MHz. The GPU has an average benchmark score of 14286, placing it in the 55th percentile. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT, has a score of 14389, which is 0.7% higher, indicating they are closely matched in raw performance.

However, in Archeage, the GTX 1660 SUPER appears to be the primary limiting factor. The data shows a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, which is a classic sign of GPU memory bandwidth saturation. The 6 GB VRAM capacity is also a concern; while the fact pack does not list VRAM usage, the significant FPS drops at 4K suggest the GPU is struggling to manage the larger textures and rendering load. The GPU's compute score of 5076 in PassMark is low, and its DirectX 12 score of 50 is particularly weak, which may explain poor performance in a modern rendering context. The data implies that the GPU's 1408 shading units are not sufficient for high-resolution gaming in this title, making it the clear bottleneck.