Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents a demanding workload that clearly separates the capabilities of this mobile platform. The benchmark results for the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 combination reveal a system that is fundamentally more capable at 1080p and 1440p, but one that struggles to maintain playable frame rates at 4K. The data indicates a pairing where the GPU is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions, while the CPU proves sufficient to keep up with the graphics card at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured frame rates show a steep and predictable decline as resolution increases, but the magnitude of the drop reveals where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with High settings, the combo produces an average of 68 FPS. Moving to 1440p at the same settings, the average falls to 46 FPS, a reduction of roughly 32%. This is a significant hit, but the system remains playable. However, the jump to 4K at High settings is catastrophic, with the average FPS plummeting to 26. This represents a 43% drop from the already-reduced 1440p figure, indicating that the GPU is being overwhelmed by the pixel count.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Low settings, the system achieves 112 FPS at 1080p, which drops to 76 FPS at 1440p and then down to 43 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p shows a 32% performance loss, but the scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 43% loss. This increasing rate of decline as resolution climbs is a classic sign of a GPU-bound scenario. The RTX 5050, with its 8 GB of memory and 128-bit bus, simply does not have the raw throughput to feed the display at 4K resolutions in this title.

The data suggests that the RTX 5050 is the limiting component in this configuration. The CPU, while a mobile part, is able to push frame rates high enough at 1080p that the GPU becomes the wall. The fact that the frame rate drops so severely from 1440p to 4K, rather than plateauing, confirms that the graphics card is saturated. The 4K results are largely academic for playable performance, as even the best-case scenario at Low settings yields only 43 FPS, which is below the threshold for a smooth experience in a fast-paced MMORPG. The system's performance sweet spot is clearly in the 1080p and 1440p ranges, where the scaling is more linear and the GPU can keep pace with the CPU's output.

Settings Recommendations

For players targeting 4K, the benchmark data offers little in the way of a good experience. The Ultra preset is unplayable at 18 FPS, and even the High preset at 26 FPS is too choppy for comfortable gameplay. The Medium preset at 4K provides a marginally better 38 FPS average with a minimum of 33 FPS, but this still falls short of a consistent 60 FPS target. The Low preset at 4K, with an average of 43 FPS, is the only playable option, but it requires significant visual compromises in an MMORPG that can have large-scale battles with many players on screen.

The situation improves substantially at 1440p. The Ultra preset here delivers an average of 31 FPS, which is still not ideal. However, the High preset at 46 FPS is a more viable option for those who prefer visual quality over raw frame rate. The Medium preset offers a solid 67 FPS average with a minimum of 57 FPS, making it the best balance of visual fidelity and smoothness at this resolution. It provides a consistently playable experience that is close to the 60 FPS target, while still offering a meaningful upgrade over the Low preset's 76 FPS.

At 1080p, the system has ample headroom. The Ultra preset, which is often the most demanding, yields an average of 46 FPS. While playable, it is not the optimal choice. The High preset at 68 FPS is a better option, but the Medium preset stands out as the clear winner. With an average of 100 FPS and a minimum of 85 FPS, it provides a high-refresh-rate experience that is smooth and responsive. It is a significant jump from the High preset's 68 FPS, and the visual difference between High and Medium is often negligible in a game like Archeage. The data strongly suggests that for this combo, the Medium preset at 1080p is the recommended configuration, offering the best combination of performance and visual quality. The Low preset at 112 FPS is available for competitive play, but the Medium preset's 100 FPS average is a far better trade-off.

How This Combo Ranks

In the broader context of all tested combinations for Archeage, this specific pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 does not rank highly. The comboRankInGame places it at 2974 out of 3708 tested combos, placing it in the bottom 20% of all configurations. This is a telling statistic, indicating that while the system is functional, it is far from being a top-tier performer for this specific game. The low rank is likely due to the combination of a mobile CPU and a lower-end desktop GPU, which together do not provide the high-end performance needed to excel in Archeage's more demanding scenes.

The GPU's percentile rank of 66% among all GPUs further contextualizes its position. This suggests that the RTX 5050 is a mid-range part, capable of running modern games but not at the highest settings or resolutions. When compared to its nearest rivals in the benchmark database, the RTX 5050 is essentially level with the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, which has a deltaPct of -0.6, and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, with a deltaPct of -1. It is 1.6% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT, and 1.6% slower than the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile. These tiny percentage differences confirm that the RTX 5050 sits in a very competitive but unremarkable performance tier.

The CPU, on the other hand, has a percentile rank of 81% and is nearly identical in average benchmark score to the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, with a deltaPct of -0.1. This indicates that the Intel Core Ultra 5 135H is a strong processor, punching well above its weight in synthetic tests. However, its high CPU rank does not translate to a high combo rank in this game. This disconnect reinforces the conclusion that the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU is capable of driving higher frame rates, but the RTX 5050 cannot keep up, particularly at higher resolutions, dragging the overall combo ranking down.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of the system's performance across all tested configurations. At 1920x1080, the Low preset achieves an average of 112 FPS. The Medium preset delivers an average of 100 FPS, with a minimum of 85 FPS and a maximum of 115 FPS, showing a stable and consistent performance. The High preset drops to an average of 68 FPS, while the Ultra preset falls further to an average of 46 FPS. This shows a clear and expected degradation in frame rate as graphical fidelity increases.

At 2560x1440, the performance scales down accordingly. The Low preset averages 76 FPS. The Medium preset provides an average of 67 FPS, with a minimum of 57 FPS and a maximum of 77 FPS. The High preset averages 46 FPS, and the Ultra preset drops to an average of 31 FPS. The frame rates are still playable at Medium and Low, but the High and Ultra presets begin to show their limitations, pushing the experience towards choppiness.

At 3840x2160, the system is clearly out of its depth. The Low preset is the only one that breaks the 40 FPS barrier, with an average of 43 FPS. The Medium preset averages 38 FPS, with a minimum of 33 FPS and a maximum of 44 FPS. The High preset drops to 26 FPS, and the Ultra preset becomes nearly unplayable at 18 FPS. These numbers highlight the severe performance penalty of rendering at 4K with this hardware. The lack of min/max data for most presets suggests that the frame times are not consistent, further degrading the experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 is the primary determinant of performance in this configuration. The GPU's specifications, including its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, result in a memory bandwidth of 320.0 GB/s. This is a modest figure, and it is likely a key factor in the system's poor performance at 4K. The high pixel count at 4K requires the GPU to access textures and frame buffer data at a much higher rate, and the limited memory bandwidth becomes a bottleneck.

The GPU's clock speeds are relatively modest, with a base clock of 2317 MHz and a boost clock of 2572 MHz. While these clocks are not low, they are not high enough to compensate for the memory bandwidth limitations. The GPU is built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture and has 2560 shading units, but its performance in Archeage is clearly constrained. The benchmark results show that the GPU's performance degrades significantly as resolution increases, confirming that its memory subsystem is a limiting factor.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 66th percentile among all GPUs, with an average score of 21035. This is a mid-range score, and its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M, are all within a 1.6% deltaPct of its score. This suggests that the RTX 5050 is not a high-performance part, but rather a capable mid-range option. In the context of Archeage, it is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p gaming at medium to high settings, but it does not have the raw power to handle 4K. The data clearly shows that the GPU is the component that holds the system back from achieving higher frame rates at higher resolutions.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 135H plays a supporting role in this system, and the data shows it is more than capable of handling the CPU-side demands of Archeage. The processor features 14 cores and 18 threads, with a boost clock of 4.60 GHz. This is a powerful mobile chip, and its benchmark scores reflect this. Its average benchmark score of 29093 places it in the 81st percentile of all CPUs, and it is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X, a highly regarded desktop processor, with a deltaPct of -0.1.

The CPU’s high performance is evident in the 1080p benchmark results. At Low settings, the system achieves 112 FPS, which is a very high frame rate that indicates the CPU is feeding the GPU with enough data to keep it busy. Even at Medium settings, the 100 FPS average suggests that the CPU is not a bottleneck. The 18 MB of shared L3 cache and the high boost clock allow the CPU to efficiently handle the game's logic and draw calls, ensuring that the GPU is not waiting on the processor.

However, the CPU's role is diminished at higher resolutions. At 4K, the frame rates are so low that the CPU is likely idle for much of the time, waiting for the GPU to finish rendering each frame. This is a classic sign of a GPU bottleneck. The CPU is capable of delivering much higher frame rates, but the RTX 5050 cannot keep up. The fact that the combo ranks in the 2974th position out of 3708, despite having a top-tier CPU, further proves this point. The system's overall performance is dictated by the GPU, and the CPU's significant power is left on the table when the resolution is raised.