Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents a demanding workload for older hardware, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 with the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 produces a dataset that clearly separates the capabilities of each component. The measured frames per second across resolutions and settings reveal a system where the GPU is the primary constraint, but the CPU's architectural choices also play a role in maintaining minimum performance. This analysis examines the measured results to understand the balance between the 14-core Arrow Lake processor and the Pascal-based graphics card.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep performance cliff as resolution increases, which is the classic signature of a GPU-bound scenario. At 1080p with High settings, the combo delivers 64 FPS, but moving to 1440p drops that to 43 FPS, a 33% reduction. The jump to 4K (3840x2160) further reduces the average to 25 FPS, which is a 61% loss from the 1080p figure. This pattern is consistent across all settings, indicating that the GTX 1070's rendering throughput is the limiting factor.

The scaling from Low to Ultra settings at each resolution reinforces this conclusion. At 1080p, the spread between Low (106 FPS) and Ultra (44 FPS) is 62 FPS, showing that the GPU has headroom at lower presets but is quickly saturated by more complex shading and effects. At 4K, the same settings spread from 41 FPS on Low to just 17 FPS on Ultra, a 24 FPS difference. The fact that even Low settings at 4K cannot reach 60 FPS confirms that pixel count alone overwhelms the GPU, independent of the quality preset.

What is more telling is the relationship between resolution and the performance gap between settings. At 1080p, Medium (94 FPS) is nearly double the Ultra (44 FPS) result. At 1440p, Medium (63 FPS) is still more than double Ultra (29 FPS). However, at 4K, the Medium preset (36 FPS) is only 19 FPS ahead of Ultra (17 FPS), and Low (41 FPS) is just 5 FPS faster than Medium. This compression of the settings delta at high resolutions indicates that the GPU is so pixel-bound that the additional work from higher settings has a diminishing absolute impact, even though the relative percentage loss remains large.

The data implies that for a smooth experience, the GTX 1070 must be paired with a resolution ceiling. The 1440p Medium result of 63 FPS is the only sub-4K configuration that approaches a playable 60 FPS threshold while maintaining some visual fidelity. The 4K results, ranging from 17 to 41 FPS, are uniformly below playable standards for an action-oriented MMORPG. This suggests that the limiting component is unequivocally the GPU's fillrate and memory bandwidth, as the CPU's 5.10 GHz boost clock is unlikely to be the bottleneck at these low frame rates.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 brings 14 cores and 14 threads to the system, a configuration that is unusual for a desktop chip, as it lacks Hyper-Threading. Its base clock of 3.50 GHz and boost clock of 5.10 GHz are high, and its PassMark single-thread score of 4394 places it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. For an MMORPG like Archeage, which often relies on a primary game thread for simulation and physics, this single-core strength is crucial.

Benchmark results show the CPU's multi-threaded capability is also robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924. However, the measured FPS in Archeage does not scale with this multi-core power. At 1080p Low, the system produces 106 FPS, which is high, but the CPU's percentile rank versus all CPUs (90th) suggests it has more headroom than the GPU. The nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (avg score 49196, -0.4% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (avg score 49228, -0.5% delta), have nearly identical average benchmark scores, indicating that the Ultra 5 245 is competitive in general compute tasks.

In the context of Archeage, the CPU's role appears to be that of a capable facilitator rather than a bottleneck. The 14 cores may help with background tasks and asset streaming, but the frame rate is dictated by the GPU's ability to render the scene. The 1080p Low result of 106 FPS is likely near the CPU's practical limit for this game's engine, but since the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at higher settings, the CPU's full potential is never stressed. The PassMark data compression score of 400942 and integer math score of 91187 indicate strong general processing, but Archeage does not appear to be a workload that leverages this heavily, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra result of 17 FPS, which is far below any CPU-induced ceiling.

The L3 cache of 24 MB shared is ample, but the lack of threads (14 threads for 14 cores) may reduce efficiency in heavily multi-threaded scenarios. Still, for this game, the data suggests the CPU is a stable platform that allows the GPU to be the sole determinant of performance, as the frame rate drops are consistent with GPU-bound rendering rather than CPU polling or draw call limitations.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Archeage at 4K with a playable frame rate?

A: No. The measured 4K results are all below playable thresholds, with the highest being 41 FPS on Low settings and the lowest being 17 FPS on Ultra. Even the Medium preset at 4K only achieves 36 FPS, which is not smooth for a MMORPG.

Q: What is the best resolution for this hardware to maintain a 60 FPS average?

A: At 1080p, the Low and Medium presets achieve 106 FPS and 94 FPS respectively, both above 60. The High preset at 1080p drops to 64 FPS, which is still playable. At 1440p, only the Low preset (71 FPS) exceeds 60 FPS, while High (43 FPS) and Medium (63 FPS) are below or near the threshold.

Q: How does the CPU's single-thread performance affect Archeage?

A: The CPU has a PassMark single-thread score of 4394, which is high (90th percentile). This likely prevents the CPU from bottlenecking the GPU at lower resolutions like 1080p Low (106 FPS), but the GPU becomes the limiting factor as resolution and settings increase.

Q: Is the GTX 1070's 8 GB VRAM sufficient for higher settings?

A: The data does not show a direct VRAM capacity issue, but the GPU's overall performance is weak. The 4K Ultra result of 17 FPS suggests the GPU's compute and memory bandwidth are overwhelmed, not necessarily a capacity limit, as the 256.3 GB/s bandwidth is the more likely constraint.

Q: What settings preset provides the best balance of quality and performance at 1440p?

A: The Medium preset at 1440p yields 63 FPS, which is close to 60 FPS and provides a better visual experience than Low (71 FPS). The High preset drops to 43 FPS, making Medium the optimal choice for a smoother experience at that resolution.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to all other tested configurations?

A: The combo ranks 2294 out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the lower 17% of all tested systems. This low rank is primarily due to the GTX 1070's age, as the CPU is in the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the data shows a clear hierarchy. The Low preset achieves an average of 106 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combo. Medium follows at 94 FPS, with a minimum of 80 FPS and a maximum of 108 FPS, indicating reasonable frame pacing. High drops to 64 FPS, and Ultra falls to 44 FPS. This 62 FPS spread between Low and Ultra at 1080p demonstrates the GPU's sensitivity to settings, with Ultra being nearly unplayable for fast-paced combat.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages decrease significantly. Low produces 71 FPS, which is still above 60, but Medium drops to 63 FPS (min 54, max 73). High yields only 43 FPS, and Ultra is at 29 FPS. The Medium result at 1440p is the only preset at this resolution that approaches a smooth experience, but its minimum of 54 FPS suggests occasional stutters during heavy scenes. The Low preset at 71 FPS is the only 1440p option that provides a consistent 60+ FPS experience.

At 3840x2160, all presets are below playable thresholds. Low averages 41 FPS, Medium 36 FPS (min 31, max 42), High 25 FPS, and Ultra just 17 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is only 24 FPS, which is modest compared to the 62 FPS spread at 1080p. This indicates that pixel fill rate is the dominant factor, and the settings have less relative impact on the final frame rate. The Medium preset's minimum of 31 FPS shows that even the mid-range option struggles to maintain consistency at 4K.

The data indicates that the GTX 1070 is a 1080p-class card in this game, with only the Low and Medium presets at that resolution offering truly smooth performance. The 1440p Medium result is a borderline playable option, but 4K is entirely out of reach for a quality experience.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a Pascal architecture GPU with 1920 shading units, 120 TMUs, and 64 ROPs. Its base clock is 1506 MHz with a boost of 1683 MHz, and it has 8 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing a bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s. These specifications are from 2016, and the benchmark data reflects its age.

The GPU's PassMark G3D score is 13498, placing it in the 47th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W5000 (avg score 9803, -0.2% delta) and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (avg score 9832, -0.5% delta), which are professional or mobile parts with similar overall performance. This low percentile rank is the primary reason for the combo's poor showing in Archeage at high resolutions.

In the measured FPS data, the GPU's role is clear. At 1080p Low, the 106 FPS result is likely near the GPU's maximum throughput for this game, but as settings increase, the shader and texture work load the GPU quickly. The 4K Ultra result of 17 FPS is a stark illustration of the GPU's limits, as the 8.3 million pixels at 4K overwhelm the 256.3 GB/s bandwidth and 6.463 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

The GPU's memory clock of 2002 MHz (effective 8 Gbps) is a bottleneck for higher resolutions. The 256-bit bus width is adequate for 1080p, but at 1440p and 4K, the bandwidth requirement increases, and the data shows a disproportionate drop in performance. For example, at Medium settings, the frame rate drops from 94 FPS at 1080p to 63 FPS at 1440p (a 33% loss) and then to 36 FPS at 4K (a 43% loss from 1440p). This non-linear scaling is typical of a GPU that is hitting its memory bandwidth ceiling.

The GPU's 47th percentile ranking versus all GPUs and its position against rivals like the Quadro M2000M (delta -0.5%) indicate that it is a mid-range part that was powerful in 2016 but is now outclassed by modern hardware. For Archeage, this means the GPU is the definitive limiting factor, and no CPU upgrade can mitigate the frame rate drops observed at higher resolutions.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings for this combo depend on the target resolution and the user's preference for frame rate versus visual quality. At 1080p, the Medium preset offers the best balance, with an average of 94 FPS and a minimum of 80 FPS, ensuring a smooth and consistent experience. The High preset at 64 FPS is also playable, but the minimum frame rate is not recorded, and the 30 FPS drop from Medium suggests a significant visual cost for a potentially minor quality gain. Ultra at 44 FPS is not recommended for gameplay, as it falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

For users with a 1440p monitor, the Low preset is the only configuration that maintains an average above 60 FPS, at 71 FPS. The Medium preset at 63 FPS is close, but its minimum of 54 FPS indicates that it may dip below 60 FPS during intense moments. If a higher visual quality is desired, the Medium preset is the best choice, as the High preset at 43 FPS is too low for a responsive MMORPG experience.

At 4K, no preset is recommended for playable performance. The Low preset at 41 FPS is the highest achievable, but it is still below 60 FPS and will feel sluggish. Users should avoid 4K entirely with this GPU, as even the lowest settings cannot provide a smooth frame rate.

The data suggests that the "Medium" preset is the sweet spot for this combo, as it provides a substantial improvement over Low in visual terms while keeping the frame rate at acceptable levels at both 1080p and 1440p. The High and Ultra presets offer diminishing returns and are not justified by the significant frame rate penalties. Therefore, the recommended configuration is 1080p Medium for the smoothest experience, or 1440p Medium for a slightly higher resolution with a still-playable frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 2294 out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the bottom 17% of all configurations. This low rank is directly attributable to the GPU's performance, as the CPU is a modern part with a 90th percentile ranking among all CPUs.

To put this in perspective, the CPU's average benchmark score is 48995, which is nearly identical to its nearest rivals, such as the AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G (49196, -0.4% delta) and the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 (49228, -0.5% delta). This indicates that the CPU is competitive with high-end desktop parts from other manufacturers. However, the GPU's average benchmark score is 9780, which is only slightly above the AMD FirePro W5000 (9803, -0.2% delta) and the NVIDIA Quadro M2000M (9832, -0.5% delta), both of which are not gaming-focused parts.

The rank of 2294 out of 2761 means that the majority of tested combos outperform this pairing in Archeage. This is expected, as the GTX 1070 is an end-of-life product from 2016, and most modern GPUs, even entry-level ones, offer better performance. The CPU's high single-thread score (4394) and multi-thread score (38706 in PassMark) are not sufficient to overcome the GPU's limitations in a graphically demanding game like Archeage.

The data implies that this combo is a legacy system that is best suited for 1080p gaming at medium settings, and its rank reflects that. Users with this hardware should consider it a capable 1080p machine, but not one that can handle higher resolutions or maximum settings in modern MMORPGs. The rank also suggests that upgrading the GPU would yield a significant performance boost, as the CPU has ample headroom to support a more powerful graphics card.