Archeage

The data for Archeage with the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 570 presents a clear picture of a system constrained by its graphics card at higher resolutions, while the processor provides ample headroom. The measured frame rates show a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, performance drops sharply, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this configuration for this MMORPG.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep decline in performance as resolution scales from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160. At the Low preset, the system delivers 62 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 42 FPS at 1440p and further to 24 FPS at 4K. This represents a 61% reduction in frame rate from 1080p to 4K, a significant drop that highlights the GPU's limitations at higher pixel counts.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At the Medium preset, the system achieves 55 FPS at 1080p but falls to 37 FPS at 1440p and 21 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows 37 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and only 14 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset is the most demanding, with 26 FPS at 1080p dropping to 17 FPS at 1440p and a nearly unplayable 10 FPS at 4K.

This scaling behavior indicates that the limiting component is the GPU. The CPU's performance is not the constraint here, as the frame rate drops are proportional to the increase in pixel count, which is a classic sign of GPU-bound rendering. The RX 570, with its 4 GB of VRAM and 256-bit memory bus, is simply overwhelmed by the demands of 4K rendering in Archeage. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is notable but manageable for lower presets, while the jump to 4K makes the game unplayable at all settings except Low, which still only manages 24 FPS.

CPU Role

The Intel Core i7-14700KF is a high-end desktop processor from the Core 14th Gen series, featuring 20 cores and 28 threads. Its base clock is 3.40 GHz with a boost clock of 5.60 GHz, and it has a 33 MB shared L3 cache. The CPU's benchmark scores confirm its strength: it achieves a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 44167 and a single-core score of 6235, placing it in the 94th percentile of all CPUs.

In the context of Archeage, the CPU's role is to handle game logic, physics, and the many concurrent entities typical of an MMORPG. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in this system. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 62 FPS, which is well above what the GPU can sustain at higher settings. The CPU's high single-thread performance, evidenced by the 6235 Cinebench R23 single-core score, is sufficient for the game's demands. The multi-core performance, with 20 cores and a 44167 Cinebench R23 multi-core score, ensures that background tasks and the game's multi-threaded aspects are handled without issue.

The percentile ranking of 94 means this CPU outperforms 94% of all tested CPUs, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F (0.2% slower), AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX (0.4% slower), and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X (0.9% slower). Only the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is faster by 1%. This places the i7-14700KF firmly in the top tier of processors, and its capabilities far exceed what this GPU pairing can utilize in Archeage.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a much older graphics card, released in 2017, based on the Polaris 20 chip with GCN 4.0 architecture. It features 2048 shading units, 128 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units. Its base clock is 1168 MHz with a boost clock of 1244 MHz, and it has 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth.

The GPU's role in this configuration is the primary limiting factor. Its benchmark scores show a percentile ranking of 74, and its nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (0.4% faster) and AMD Radeon RX 470 (0.8% faster), with the AMD Radeon R9 M295X being 0.7% slower and the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 being 1.2% slower. The RX 570's 5.095 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is modest by modern standards, and its 4 GB VRAM is insufficient for high-resolution textures in Archeage.

The measured FPS data confirms the GPU's limitations. At 1080p, the card can manage playable frame rates at Low (62 FPS) and Medium (55 FPS), but drops to 37 FPS at High and 26 FPS at Ultra. The 4 GB VRAM likely causes texture swapping at higher settings, contributing to the performance drop. At 1440p, the card struggles more, with only Low (42 FPS) and Medium (37 FPS) providing acceptable performance. At 4K, the card is clearly overmatched, with all settings producing frame rates below 25 FPS, making the game unplayable at that resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-14700KF and AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 3544 out of 3708 tested combos in Archeage. This places the system in the bottom 5% of tested configurations, which is a poor result given the CPU's high-end status. The ranking reflects the severe bottleneck created by the GPU, which drags down the overall performance of the system.

The fact that the CPU is in the 94th percentile while the GPU is in the 74th percentile highlights the imbalance. The combo rank of 3544 suggests that the GPU is holding the system back significantly. Other systems with lower-tier CPUs but better GPUs would likely rank much higher in this game. The data indicates that this configuration is not well-balanced for Archeage, as the CPU's potential is largely wasted due to the GPU's inability to keep pace at higher resolutions and settings.

The rank of 3544 out of 3708 means that only 164 tested combos perform worse. This positions the system in the lower quartile of performance, and the measured FPS data supports this, with even the best-case scenario (1080p Low) only achieving 62 FPS. For a system with a top-tier CPU, this is a disappointing result that underscores the importance of GPU selection in gaming builds.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this configuration depend on the target resolution and desired frame rate. At 1080p, the Low preset provides the best experience with 62 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The Medium preset offers 55 FPS, a slight drop but still playable. The High preset at 37 FPS is borderline, while the Ultra preset at 26 FPS is not recommended for a good experience.

At 1440p, the Low preset provides 42 FPS, which is acceptable for gameplay, while the Medium preset at 37 FPS is also playable. The High preset at 25 FPS is below the threshold for smooth gameplay, and the Ultra preset at 17 FPS is not viable. For 4K, none of the settings provide a playable experience, with the Low preset at 24 FPS being the best but still insufficient.

The data shows that the Low preset offers the best performance-to-quality trade-off for this system. At 1080p, it delivers 62 FPS, which is 7 FPS higher than Medium and 25 FPS higher than High. The Medium preset is a reasonable alternative if visual quality is a priority, as it maintains 55 FPS at 1080p and 37 FPS at 1440p. The High and Ultra presets are not recommended due to their significant frame rate drops, which fall below the 30 FPS threshold for playability at most resolutions.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest FPS achievable with this CPU and GPU combo in Archeage?

A: The highest measured FPS is 62, achieved at 1920x1080 with the Low preset. The Medium preset at the same resolution reaches 55 FPS, while the High preset drops to 37 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Archeage at 4K resolution?

A: The data shows that 4K performance is not playable. The best result at 3840x2160 is 24 FPS with the Low preset, and the Ultra preset only reaches 10 FPS. None of the settings provide a smooth experience at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-14700KF scores 0.2% higher than the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F, 0.4% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7940HX, and 0.9% higher than the AMD Ryzen 9 7950X. It is 1% slower than the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K.

Q: What settings should be used for the best experience at 1440p?

A: The Low preset at 2560x1440 provides 42 FPS, which is the best result at this resolution. The Medium preset offers 37 FPS, which is also acceptable. The High and Ultra presets are below 30 FPS and not recommended.

Q: How does the GPU rank among its peers?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 is in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. It is 0.4% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, 0.8% slower than the AMD Radeon RX 470, 0.7% faster than the AMD Radeon R9 M295X, and 1.2% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in this system?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the bottleneck. The CPU is in the 94th percentile, while the GPU is in the 74th percentile. The frame rates drop significantly with increasing resolution, which is a sign of GPU limitation, not CPU limitation.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, the Low preset delivers 62 FPS, the Medium preset delivers 55 FPS with a min of 47 and max of 63, the High preset delivers 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset delivers 26 FPS. The Medium preset shows the most consistent frame times, with a narrow range between 47 and 63 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset achieves 42 FPS, the Medium preset achieves 37 FPS with a min of 32 and max of 43, the High preset achieves 25 FPS, and the Ultra preset achieves 17 FPS. The frame time variance at Medium is wider at this resolution, ranging from 32 to 43 FPS, indicating less stability than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset reaches 24 FPS, the Medium preset reaches 21 FPS with a min of 18 and max of 24, the High preset reaches 14 FPS, and the Ultra preset reaches 10 FPS. The Medium preset at 4K has the tightest frame time range, but all values are below the playability threshold. The data shows a clear progression: each step up in resolution or settings results in a significant FPS drop, with the most severe penalties occurring at 4K Ultra. This breakdown confirms that the system is best suited for 1080p gaming with Low or Medium settings, with 1440p possible only at Low settings.