Archeage

# Archeage with Intel Core Ultra 5 225 + Intel Arc B390

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 paired with the Intel Arc B390 integrated GPU produces a combination that ranks 2453rd out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the bottom 11% of all configurations. This is a 10-core, 10-thread processor from the Core Ultra Series 2 family, built on Arrow Lake architecture with a 3nm process from TSMC, and it carries the Arc Xe-LPG Graphics 16EU integrated solution that shares system memory. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and settings tell a story of a system that is heavily constrained by its graphics subsystem, with CPU compute headroom that never becomes the primary bottleneck in this 2014 MMORPG.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 225 provides 10 physical cores and 10 threads, with a base clock of 3.30 GHz and a boost clock of 4.90 GHz. This single-thread performance is relevant for an MMORPG like Archeage, where game logic, network handling, and UI rendering often depend on a few well-optimized threads. The Cinebench R23 single-core score of 3655 and multi-core score of 25891 indicate a processor that ranks in the 85th percentile against all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 36938. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, scores 36945, a negligible delta of 0%, meaning the Ultra 5 225 is effectively performance-equivalent to that chip in aggregate benchmarks.

The 20 MB shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache provide ample data locality for the CPU-bound aspects of Archeage, though the game's age means it likely does not exploit multi-threading aggressively. The Passmark single-thread score of 4412 suggests strong per-core capability, which should help maintain consistent frame pacing in crowded zones or during large-scale combat. However, the measured FPS data shows that even at 1080p Low, where CPU load is typically highest relative to GPU load, the system only achieves 71 FPS average. This is a modest result that reflects the integrated GPU's limitations rather than any CPU deficiency.

The processor's 65W TDP and DDR5 memory support with dual-channel configuration and 102.4 GB/s bandwidth provide a solid foundation, but the integrated graphics solution shares this memory bandwidth with the CPU, which can create contention in memory-intensive scenes. The CPU's percentile rank of 85 versus the GPU's percentile rank of 9 (detailed later) makes it clear that the processor is not the limiting factor in this combination. The data shows the CPU is performing at a level consistent with mid-range desktop processors, while the GPU is performing at a level consistent with entry-level integrated solutions from over a decade ago.

GPU Role

The Intel Arc B390 is an integrated graphics processor built on the Xe3-LPG architecture with Panther Lake chip design, featuring 1536 shading units, 48 texture mapping units, and 24 raster operation units. It operates at a base clock of 300 MHz and a boost clock of 2500 MHz, with system-shared memory that has system-dependent bandwidth. The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 places it in the 9th percentile of all GPUs, with its nearest rivals being the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (score 1463, delta +1.3%), the NVIDIA GeForce 800M (score 1460, delta +1.5%), the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM (score 1446, delta +2.5%), and the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 (score 1443, delta +2.7%). This places the Arc B390 roughly 1-3% ahead of those decade-old discrete GPUs, which contextualizes its performance in Archeage.

The GPU supports DirectX 12 Ultimate (12_2), OpenGL 4.6, and Vulkan 1.4, meaning it has modern API compatibility despite its modest compute capabilities. The 7.680 TFLOPS FP32 throughput and 60.00 GPixel/s pixel rate are theoretical figures, but the measured Archeage results reveal practical limitations. At 1080p Low, the system averages 71 FPS, which drops to 64 FPS at Medium, 43 FPS at High, and 29 FPS at Ultra. The pattern across resolutions shows that the GPU is the dominant constraint, as frame rates scale directly with resolution and settings in a way that indicates pure rasterization limits.

The 12 ray tracing cores and 15.36 TFLOPS FP16 throughput are features that Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, almost certainly does not utilize, so they provide no practical benefit in this workload. The 80W TDP for the integrated GPU (shared with the CPU package) and the lack of dedicated VRAM means the system must rely on shared system memory, which introduces latency and bandwidth limitations. The GPU's 9th percentile ranking against all GPUs is the single most important data point for understanding this combo's performance ceiling in Archeage.

FAQ

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, which is 1.3% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX (1463), 1.5% higher than the GeForce 800M (1460), 2.5% higher than the GT 625 OEM (1446), and 2.7% higher than the GT 710 (1443). These are all entry-level GPUs from the early 2010s, indicating the Arc B390 performs in that historical tier.

Q: What is the best frame rate this combo achieves in Archeage?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 71 at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At the same resolution, Medium settings yield 64 FPS, High settings yield 43 FPS, and Ultra settings yield 29 FPS. No settings combination at any resolution exceeds 71 FPS average.

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

A: The data strongly indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks in the 85th percentile of all CPUs with an average benchmark score of 36938, while the GPU ranks in the 9th percentile with a score of 1482. The FPS scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution shows dramatic drops that are characteristic of GPU-bound scenarios.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 225 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Ultra 5 225 has an average benchmark score of 36938, which is essentially tied with the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F (36945, 0% delta), 0.2% below the AMD Ryzen 5 5500X3D (37018), 0.4% below the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 (37093), and 0.5% below the Intel Core i9-12900T (37112). These deltas are all within noise.

Q: What is the combo's overall ranking among tested configurations?

A: This combo ranks 2453rd out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage. This places it in the bottom 11.2% of all tested configurations, consistent with the GPU's low percentile ranking.

Q: Does the Arc B390 have dedicated VRAM?

A: No, the memory configuration is "System Shared" for size, type, bus width, and bandwidth. The memory bandwidth is listed as "System Dependent," meaning it varies based on the system's DDR5 memory configuration rather than a dedicated VRAM pool.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 225 and Intel Arc B390 achieves a rank of 2453 out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage. This position in the bottom 11.2% of all configurations is primarily attributable to the GPU, which sits in the 9th percentile of all GPUs based on its 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482. The CPU, by contrast, sits in the 85th percentile of all CPUs, creating a significant imbalance where the processor's capability far exceeds what the integrated graphics can deliver in this game.

The ranking context becomes clearer when examining the delta between the two components' performance tiers. The CPU's nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 5600F, has an average score of 36945 versus the Ultra 5 225's 36938, a 0% delta that shows the processor is performing exactly at its expected level. The GPU's nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, has a score of 1463 versus the Arc B390's 1482, a 1.3% delta that shows the GPU is also performing at its expected level. Neither component is an outlier; the combination simply reflects the inherent limitation of using an integrated GPU for a demanding game.

The 2761 total combos include a wide range of discrete GPU configurations, many of which will have scores multiple times higher than the Arc B390's 1482. The 2453rd rank means approximately 308 combos perform worse, which likely includes systems with even older integrated graphics or severely mismatched CPU-GPU pairings. For an MMORPG like Archeage, the ranking suggests that while the game is playable at lower settings, the experience will be well below what most gaming-focused systems deliver.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data reveals a clear pattern of GPU-bound scaling as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the system averages 71 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops this to 48 FPS, a 32.4% reduction. At 4K Low, the average falls to 28 FPS, a 60.6% reduction from 1080p. This scaling is steeper than what would be expected from a purely CPU-bound scenario, where resolution changes typically have minimal impact on frame rates. The data indicates that the Arc B390's fill rate and memory bandwidth are exhausted quickly as pixel count increases.

The High settings tier shows a similar pattern: 43 FPS at 1080p, 29 FPS at 1440p (a 32.6% drop), and 17 FPS at 4K (a 60.5% drop from 1080p). The consistency of these percentage drops across settings tiers suggests that the GPU is the consistent bottleneck, with the CPU's role remaining relatively constant. The Medium settings tier, which has min/max FPS data, shows 64 FPS average at 1080p with a range of 54-73 FPS, 43 FPS at 1440p with a range of 36-49 FPS, and 25 FPS at 4K with a range of 21-28 FPS. The min FPS values stay close to the averages, indicating relatively stable frame delivery without severe stuttering.

The Ultra settings tier shows the most dramatic degradation: 29 FPS at 1080p, 20 FPS at 1440p, and 11 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result of 11 FPS is essentially unplayable, and even the 1080p Ultra result of 29 FPS would be marginal for an MMORPG where smooth camera movement and ability rotations matter. The data suggests that resolution scaling follows a near-linear relationship with pixel count, which is the hallmark of a fill-rate-limited integrated GPU rather than a bandwidth-limited or CPU-limited scenario.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system delivers its best results across all settings. Low settings produce an average of 71 FPS, Medium produces 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 and maximum of 73, High produces 43 FPS, and Ultra produces 29 FPS. The gap between Low and Medium is only 7 FPS (9.9% reduction), while the gap between Medium and High is 21 FPS (32.8% reduction), and the gap between High and Ultra is 14 FPS (32.6% reduction). This non-linear scaling suggests that certain setting toggles in Archeage have outsized impact on the GPU.

At 2560x1440, the averages drop to 48 FPS at Low, 43 FPS at Medium (minimum 36, maximum 49), 29 FPS at High, and 20 FPS at Ultra. The Medium to High drop is 14 FPS (32.6% reduction), and the High to Ultra drop is 9 FPS (31.0% reduction). The 1440p Low result of 48 FPS is playable, but the High and Ultra results of 29 and 20 FPS respectively fall below the threshold where many players would find the experience acceptable for an MMORPG.

At 3840x2160, the system averages 28 FPS at Low, 25 FPS at Medium (minimum 21, maximum 28), 17 FPS at High, and 11 FPS at Ultra. The 4K results are uniformly below playable thresholds for a game requiring responsive input. The Medium settings at 4K produce an average of 25 FPS, which is borderline for turn-based or slow-paced gameplay but inadequate for Archeage's real-time combat. The minimum FPS of 21 at 4K Medium indicates that even the low point is below 30 FPS, making 4K entirely impractical for this combo.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo in Archeage is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, producing an average of 71 FPS. This is the only configuration that approaches standard 60 FPS playability, and the 71 FPS average provides sufficient headroom for the frame drops that occur in busy MMO environments. The Low preset at 1080p represents the best balance of visual clarity and responsiveness, as the game remains fluid enough for competitive play in PvP or large-scale raids.

The Medium preset at 1920x1080, averaging 64 FPS with a minimum of 54 FPS, is a viable alternative for players who prefer slightly better visual quality. The 54 FPS minimum is still above the 30 FPS playability threshold, and the 73 FPS maximum shows the system can reach high frame rates in less demanding scenes. The 7 FPS average difference between Low and Medium is modest, so players with visual preferences should not hesitate to use Medium if they find Low too sparse.

At 2560x1440, only the Low preset (48 FPS average) is recommended for gameplay. The Medium preset at 43 FPS average is borderline, and the High preset at 29 FPS average falls below the 30 FPS threshold where most players would consider the game responsive enough. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended, as even the best Ultra result (29 FPS at 1080p) fails to maintain 30 FPS on average. For players who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, the 1080p Medium preset offers the highest settings that still maintain a minimum above 50 FPS, making it the most balanced choice for extended play sessions in Archeage.