Archeage

# Archeage Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + Intel Arc B370

This combination pairs Intel's 10-core Core Ultra 5 225 desktop processor with the integrated Arc B370 graphics solution, producing a system that sits near the bottom of the measured performance spectrum for Archeage. The data shows a combo ranking of 3423 out of 3708 tested configurations, placing this pairing in the bottom 8% of all systems evaluated. The CPU itself is a competent mid-range part — its average benchmark score of 36938 places it at the 85th percentile among all processors — but the integrated GPU dramatically limits real-world gaming performance, as evidenced by the measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides the computational foundation for this system with 10 cores and 10 threads running at a 3.30 GHz base clock and 4.90 GHz boost clock. This Arrow Lake-S architecture chip, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC, carries 20 MB of shared L3 cache along with 192 KB L1 and 3 MB L2 per core. In synthetic workloads, the processor demonstrates solid capability: Cinebench R23 multi-core scores reach 25891, while single-core performance hits 3655. PassMark results show a multi-thread score of 30459 and single-thread score of 4412, with the processor's overall percentile ranking at 85% of all CPUs.

In the context of Archeage, an MMORPG that typically relies heavily on single-thread performance for game logic and network handling, the CPU's 4.90 GHz boost clock and strong single-core Cinebench score of 368 in R15 suggest it can handle the game's computational demands. The nearest CPU rivals provide context for its positioning: the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F scores an average of 36945 (0% delta), the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D scores 37018 (-0.2%), the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 scores 37093 (-0.4%), and the Intel Core i9-12900T scores 37112 (-0.5%). These negligible differences indicate the Core Ultra 5 225 performs essentially on par with its closest competitors in general processing tasks.

However, the measured FPS data reveals that the CPU is rarely the limiting factor in this configuration. At 1080p Low settings, the system achieves 65 FPS average, which climbs from the 39 FPS at High settings — a pattern that suggests the integrated GPU is the primary bottleneck. The CPU's 65-watt TDP and dual-channel DDR5 memory support with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provide adequate resources for the game, but the integrated graphics solution cannot leverage this processing power effectively in Archeage.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B370 is an integrated graphics processor based on the Xe3-LPG architecture, built on Intel's 3 nm process. It operates with a 300 MHz base clock and 2400 MHz boost clock, featuring 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 render output units. The GPU includes 10 ray tracing cores and achieves 6.144 TFLOPS FP32 performance, with a pixel rate of 48.00 GPixel/s and texture rate of 96.00 GTexel/s. Its power envelope is remarkably low at 25 W TDP, and it uses system-shared memory with system-dependent bandwidth.

The GPU's benchmark presence is minimal — a single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 places it at the 5th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals in that benchmark include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5%), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7%), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1168, +1.4%). These comparisons show the Arc B370 performing in the same league as graphics solutions from over a decade ago, which directly explains the Archeage results.

The measured frame rates demonstrate this GPU's limitations clearly. At 1080p Ultra, the system manages only 27 FPS average; at 4K Ultra, that drops to 10 FPS. Even at the lowest settings, 4K resolution yields just 25 FPS. The GPU's system-shared memory architecture means it relies on the CPU's DDR5 memory bandwidth, which is system-dependent and cannot provide the dedicated bandwidth of a discrete graphics card. The 25 W TDP further constrains performance, as the integrated solution cannot sustain high clock speeds under sustained gaming loads.

Resolution Scaling

The data reveals a steep performance drop as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K, which is characteristic of a GPU-limited configuration. At Low settings, the system delivers 65 FPS at 1080p, dropping to 43 FPS at 1440p (a 34% reduction), and further to 25 FPS at 4K (a 62% reduction from 1080p). This pattern indicates significant pixel-throughput limitations in the integrated GPU.

Medium settings show a similar trend: 57 FPS at 1080p, 39 FPS at 1440p (32% lower), and 22 FPS at 4K (61% lower). High settings follow with 39 FPS at 1080p, 26 FPS at 1440p (33% lower), and 15 FPS at 4K (62% lower). Ultra settings produce 27 FPS at 1080p, 18 FPS at 1440p (33% lower), and 10 FPS at 4K (63% lower).

The consistency of these scaling percentages — roughly one-third reduction from 1080p to 1440p and another third from 1440p to 4K — strongly indicates that the GPU is the bottleneck across all settings. If the CPU were limiting performance, the scaling between resolutions would be much flatter, as the same computational work would be required regardless of pixel count. Instead, each resolution increase demands proportional GPU resources, and the Arc B370 cannot keep up beyond 1080p.

At 1080p, the system can approach playable frame rates at Low settings (65 FPS) and Medium settings (57 FPS), but the 39 FPS at High and 27 FPS at Ultra fall below smooth gameplay thresholds. The 1440p results are marginal at best, with only Low settings exceeding 40 FPS. At 4K, all settings produce results below 25 FPS, making the resolution impractical for this combination.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS values, the optimal experience for this configuration occurs at 1080p with Medium settings, where the system achieves 57 FPS average with a minimum of 49 FPS and maximum of 66 FPS. This represents the sweet spot between visual quality and playability, as the frame rate stays consistently above 45 FPS even in demanding scenes.

For players prioritizing smoothness over visuals, 1080p Low settings deliver 65 FPS average, which is the highest frame rate recorded for this combination. The jump from Low to Medium costs 8 FPS (from 65 to 57) but likely provides noticeably better visuals, making Medium the recommended balance. High settings at 1080p drop to 39 FPS, which falls below the 40 FPS threshold for comfortable MMORPG gameplay, while Ultra at 27 FPS becomes noticeably choppy.

At 1440p, only Low settings (43 FPS) approach playability, with Medium at 39 FPS being borderline and High at 26 FPS and Ultra at 18 FPS being too slow for enjoyable gameplay. The 4K resolution is not viable for this combination, as even Low settings produce only 25 FPS.

The Medium preset at 1080p offers the best compromise, maintaining frame rates above 49 FPS while providing more visual detail than Low. Players who cannot tolerate any frame rate drops should select Low at 1080p, while those who accept lower frame rates for better visuals should stay at Medium rather than jumping to High, which nearly halves the performance.

How This Combo Ranks

This configuration ranks 3423 out of 3708 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of all systems evaluated. This low ranking is directly attributable to the integrated Arc B370 GPU, which lags behind even entry-level discrete graphics solutions from previous generations.

The CPU component alone would not predict such poor gaming performance — the Core Ultra 5 225's 85th percentile ranking among all processors and its competitive benchmark scores against similar CPUs suggest it is more than capable for MMORPG gaming. The nearest CPU rivals all score within 0.5% of the Core Ultra 5 225 in average benchmark performance, indicating the processor is well-positioned among its peers.

The GPU, however, sits at the 5th percentile among all graphics solutions, with its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1184 rivaling decade-old discrete cards. This massive disparity between CPU and GPU capability creates a severely unbalanced system for gaming, where the integrated graphics cannot utilize the CPU's processing power effectively. The combo rank of 3423 reflects this bottleneck, with over 92% of tested systems outperforming this configuration in Archeage.

The data suggests that pairing this CPU with any discrete GPU would yield dramatically better results, as the processor's single-thread performance (evidenced by the 368 Cinebench R15 single-core score) is sufficient for the game's demands. However, as configured, the integrated Arc B370 holds the entire system back to near-bottom-tier performance.

FAQ

Q: Is this system capable of running Archeage at 1080p?

A: Yes, but only at lower settings. The measured data shows 65 FPS at Low and 57 FPS at Medium settings with 1920x1080 resolution. High settings drop to 39 FPS, and Ultra produces 27 FPS, which may be too choppy for comfortable play.

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU/GPU combination?

A: Based on the measured frame rates, 1080p is the only resolution that provides consistently playable performance. At 1440p, only Low settings exceed 40 FPS (43 FPS), while 4K produces no results above 25 FPS across all settings.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, the Arc B370 scores 1184, placing it nearly identical to the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (1186, -0.2%), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (1190, -0.5%), and AMD Radeon HD 7650M (1192, -0.7%). It scores 1.4% higher than the AMD FirePro M2000 (1168).

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor in Archeage?

A: The GPU is clearly the bottleneck. Evidence comes from resolution scaling: frame rates drop by roughly one-third from 1080p to 1440p and another third to 4K, which indicates pixel-throughput limitations rather than CPU constraints. The CPU's strong performance relative to rivals (within 0.5% of similar processors) confirms it is not holding back the system.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows 39 FPS average at 2560x1440 with Medium settings, with a minimum of 33 FPS and maximum of 44 FPS. This is borderline playable but may feel inconsistent during crowded scenes.

Q: How does this system's performance rank among all tested combos?

A: This configuration ranks 3423 out of 3708 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 7.7% of systems evaluated for Archeage. The ranking reflects the integrated GPU's limitations rather than CPU performance, which ranks at the 85th percentile among all processors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080 (1080p):

• Low: 65 FPS average
• Medium: 57 FPS average (min 49, max 66)
• High: 39 FPS average
• Ultra: 27 FPS average

2560x1440 (1440p):

• Low: 43 FPS average
• Medium: 39 FPS average (min 33, max 44)
• High: 26 FPS average
• Ultra: 18 FPS average

3840x2160 (4K):

• Low: 25 FPS average
• Medium: 22 FPS average (min 19, max 25)
• High: 15 FPS average
• Ultra: 10 FPS average

The data shows a consistent pattern across all settings: each resolution step from 1080p to 1440p costs approximately one-third of the frame rate, and stepping to 4K costs another third. This linear degradation is typical of GPU-bound scenarios, where the integrated Arc B370's limited throughput cannot scale with increasing pixel counts. The minimum FPS values recorded at Medium settings — 49 at 1080p, 33 at 1440p, and 19 at 4K — provide insight into worst-case performance during demanding scenes, which in an MMORPG often include large player gatherings and complex spell effects.