Archeage

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 580 pairing produces a profoundly limited experience in Archeage, landing in the 2528th position out of 2761 tested combinations. Benchmark results place this system firmly in the lower percentile of tested hardware, where the GPU’s age becomes the dominant constraint across most resolutions. While the processor demonstrates modern capability, the combination struggles to maintain playable frame rates at higher settings, making this a configuration best suited for older or less demanding MMO scenarios.

FAQ

Q: What is the overall ranking of this CPU and GPU combination in Archeage?

A: The combo ranks 2528 out of 2761 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 10% of all systems benchmarked for this game.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The CPU sits at the 89th percentile among all processors. Its average benchmark score of 46062 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375 (46030, 0.1% higher) and the Intel Core i9-13900HX (46098, 0.1% lower), showing parity with high-end laptop and desktop chips.

Q: What is the best performance this combo achieves at 1080p?

A: The highest average frame rate is 69 FPS at 1920x1080 with Low settings. At Medium settings, the average drops to 61 FPS, while High settings yield 42 FPS and Ultra falls to 28 FPS.

Q: How does the RX 580 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The GPU sits at the 53rd percentile. Its average benchmark score of 12928 is within 0.4% of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (12986) and 0.5% below the AMD Radeon 740M (12870), indicating near-identical raw performance to these mid-range options.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the primary bottleneck in this configuration?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU ranks at the 89th percentile while the GPU ranks at the 53rd percentile, and frame rates drop sharply with resolution increases, a classic sign of GPU-bound performance.

Q: What is the launch MSRP of the CPU?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 has a launch MSRP of $257.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 235 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to this benchmark, a configuration that reflects modern desktop design but offers no hyper-threading. Its base clock of 3.40 GHz boosts up to 5.00 GHz, providing substantial single-thread headroom that MMO titles like Archeage often depend on for game logic and UI rendering. The processor’s L3 cache totals 24 MB shared across all cores, with 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 per core, which helps maintain responsiveness in crowded zones.

Benchmark data shows this CPU performing at the 89th percentile against all tested processors, with an average score of 46062. In Cinebench R23, it achieves 14769 points in multi-core and 2085 points in single-core tests, demonstrating balanced throughput. Its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 375, scores 46030 (0.1% higher), while the Intel Core i9-13900HX scores 46098 (0.1% lower), placing the Ultra 5 235 in a tightly contested performance tier where no clear winner emerges.

For Archeage specifically, the CPU’s single-threaded strength is relevant because the game’s engine, originally designed for earlier hardware, benefits from high clock speeds rather than sheer core counts. The 5.00 GHz boost clock provides a decisive edge in maintaining minimum frame rates during large-scale player interactions. However, the processor’s 65 W TDP and 3 nm process node from TSMC suggest efficiency rather than extreme performance, and in this pairing, the CPU rarely becomes the limiting factor.

The Passmark single-thread score of 4516 reinforces the CPU’s capability for this genre, while multi-thread results (37816) show ample headroom for background tasks like streaming or voice chat. Given that the GPU ranks at the 53rd percentile, the CPU’s 89th percentile standing means Archeage’s frame pacing will consistently be dictated by graphics rendering rather than processor throughput.

GPU Role

The AMD Radeon RX 580 is a veteran of the Polaris architecture, built on a 14 nm process with 5,700 million transistors. It operates with a base clock of 1257 MHz and a boost clock of 1340 MHz, paired with 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering 256.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is adequate for 1080p gaming but becomes strained at higher resolutions, as the measured FPS data will demonstrate.

In synthetic benchmarks, the GPU scores 8813 in Passmark G3D and 45235 in Geekbench Metal, placing it at the 53rd percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti Mobile, scores 12940 (0.1% higher), while the desktop GTX 1660 SUPER scores 12986 (0.4% higher). These small deltas indicate that the RX 580 performs essentially on par with entry-level modern GPUs, despite its end-of-life production status.

The GPU’s 2304 shading units and 144 texture mapping units provide 6.175 TFLOPS of FP32 compute, which is modest by modern standards. Its 32 ROPs limit pixel throughput to 42.88 GPixel/s, a figure that directly impacts high-resolution rendering. For Archeage, which is not graphically intensive by today’s standards, this GPU can handle low to medium settings at 1080p but falls apart at 4K.

The 185 W TDP and dual-slot cooler suggest the card draws significant power for its performance class, and the 1x 8-pin power connector requires a 450 W power supply. The 8 GB VRAM is sufficient for the game’s textures, but the memory bandwidth of 256.0 GB/s becomes a bottleneck when resolution scales, as seen in the dramatic FPS drops from 1080p to 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 5 235 and AMD Radeon RX 580 achieves a rank of 2528 out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the bottom 8.5% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the severe imbalance between the modern CPU and the aging GPU, where the latter’s 53rd percentile standing drags down the overall experience despite the former’s 89th percentile performance.

Compared to other tested combos, this system sits in a territory where most users would likely opt for lower resolutions or reduced settings to achieve playable frame rates. The rank suggests that roughly 91.5% of tested hardware combinations deliver better performance in Archeage, which is a stark indicator of the GPU’s limitations. The data shows that while the CPU could support higher frame rates in a different pairing, the RX 580 cannot translate that potential into actual gaming performance.

The gap between the CPU’s high percentile and the GPU’s mid-range percentile creates a situation where upgrading the graphics card alone would yield significant improvements. Conversely, the CPU’s performance is effectively wasted in this configuration, as the GPU becomes the ceiling for frame output. This combo rank is a clear example of how component pairing matters more than individual component strength.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the benchmark results show a wide range of performance across settings. Low settings produce an average of 69 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combo. Medium settings drop to 61 FPS with a minimum of 52 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS, indicating playable but inconsistent frame pacing. High settings fall to 42 FPS, while Ultra settings plummet to 28 FPS, making the highest preset nearly unplayable for smooth gameplay.

Moving to 2560x1440, the impact of resolution becomes evident. Low settings yield 46 FPS, which is still playable but a 33% reduction from 1080p. Medium settings average 41 FPS with a range of 35 to 47 FPS, while High settings drop to 28 FPS. Ultra settings at 1440p produce only 19 FPS, rendering the preset unusable for any serious gaming.

At 3840x2160, the GPU’s limitations are fully exposed. Low settings manage 26 FPS, Medium settings average 24 FPS with a range of 20 to 27 FPS, and High settings fall to 16 FPS. Ultra settings at 4K produce just 11 FPS, which is effectively a slideshow. These numbers confirm that the RX 580 is not designed for 4K gaming in Archeage, even at the lowest presets.

The medium settings rows provide the only complete data with min and max FPS values, showing a 20 FPS spread at 1080p (52-70), a 12 FPS spread at 1440p (35-47), and a 7 FPS spread at 4K (20-27). This tightening range at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is consistently hitting its limits, leaving little headroom for scene complexity or player count fluctuations.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1920x1080 with Low settings, where the average frame rate of 69 FPS provides smooth gameplay for an MMORPG. This setting avoids the frame rate dips seen at Medium settings, which, while averaging 61 FPS, can drop to 52 FPS during intense combat or crowded areas. The 1080p Low preset is the only configuration that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, making it the recommended choice for maintaining fluidity.

For users willing to accept slightly lower frame rates, 1080p Medium settings offer a reasonable trade-off with an average of 61 FPS and a maximum of 70 FPS. However, the minimum of 52 FPS may be noticeable during large-scale events. High settings at 1080p, averaging 42 FPS, are borderline playable but will feel sluggish compared to the lower presets. Ultra settings at any resolution should be avoided, as the 28 FPS average at 1080p and 11 FPS at 4K are too low for practical use.

At 2560x1440, Low settings provide the best balance with 46 FPS, though this is below the ideal 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings at 1440p (41 FPS) are acceptable for less demanding play, but the 35 FPS minimum may cause stuttering. High and Ultra settings at 1440p are not recommended due to their sub-30 FPS averages. At 4K, no setting is playable, with the best result being 26 FPS at Low, which is still below playable standards for an MMORPG.

The data suggests that users should prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity with this hardware. Low settings at 1080p deliver the best experience, while Medium settings at 1080p are a viable alternative for those who prefer slightly better visuals. Any attempt to run higher presets will result in a degraded experience that undermines the game’s responsiveness.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic, with the Low setting average falling from 69 FPS at 1920x1080 to 46 FPS at 2560x1440 (a 33% reduction) and then to 26 FPS at 3840x2160 (a 62% reduction from 1440p). This steep decline indicates that the GPU is the primary limiting component, as the CPU’s performance remains constant regardless of resolution. The RX 580’s 256.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 32 ROPs cannot keep up with the pixel workload at higher resolutions.

The pattern is consistent across all settings. At Medium, the average FPS drops from 61 at 1080p to 41 at 1440p (33% decrease) and then to 24 at 4K (41% decrease from 1440p). High settings show a similar trend: 42 FPS at 1080p, 28 FPS at 1440p (33% decrease), and 16 FPS at 4K (43% decrease). Ultra settings follow the same trajectory, falling from 28 FPS at 1080p to 19 FPS at 1440p (32% decrease) and 11 FPS at 4K (42% decrease).

The consistent ~33% drop from 1080p to 1440p across all settings suggests that the GPU is scaling linearly with pixel count, which is typical of a fill-rate-limited scenario. The smaller percentage drops from 1440p to 4K (around 41-43%) indicate that other factors, such as memory bandwidth, are also becoming involved. This behavior confirms that the RX 580’s 8 GB VRAM is not the issue, but rather its raw rendering throughput.

For users of this combo, the resolution scaling data implies that 1080p is the only viable resolution for acceptable performance. Attempting to play at 1440p requires dropping to Low settings and accepting a 46 FPS average, while 4K is entirely out of reach. The GPU’s 53rd percentile ranking and 6.175 TFLOPS of compute power simply cannot support higher resolutions in Archeage, making this a strictly 1080p configuration.