Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents a demanding workload for the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination. The measured FPS data reveals a system where the GPU becomes the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, while the CPU's strength is masked by the graphics card's limitations. This analysis breaks down the performance metrics, scaling behavior, and component roles to provide a data-driven picture of what players can expect from this pairing.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop as resolution increases is steep and consistent, clearly pointing to the GPU as the limiting factor. At 1080p with High settings, the combo averages 37 FPS. Moving to 1440p High drops that to 25 FPS, a 32% reduction. The jump to 4K High is more severe, landing at just 14 FPS, which is a 44% drop from the 1440p figure and a 62% decline from 1080p. This pattern of diminishing returns with each resolution step is a classic sign of a GPU that is running out of pixel-pushing capacity.

The scaling behavior is further illuminated by the Low settings preset. Here, the frame rates are dramatically higher, but the relative drop between resolutions remains large. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 62 FPS. At 1440p Low, it falls to 41 FPS, and at 4K Low, it reaches only 24 FPS. The percentage drops between these steps are 34% and 41%, respectively. This indicates that even when the graphical load is lightened, the GTX 1650’s raw throughput is still the ceiling, preventing the CPU from ever becoming the primary constraint.

The data suggests that the performance curve is not linear. The gap between 1080p and 1440p is significant, but the gap between 1440p and 4K is even more punishing. For instance, at Medium settings, the average FPS goes from 55 at 1080p to 37 at 1440p, then plummets to 21 at 4K. The 4K result is less than half of the 1440p result, showing that the GTX 1650’s 128-bit memory bus and 4 GB VRAM are severely overtaxed at that resolution. This is a clear indication that 4K is not a viable target for this hardware combo in Archeage, regardless of the settings used.

The implication is that the component limiting the experience changes with resolution. At 1080p, the system is more balanced, though still GPU-bound. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck, and the CPU's performance headroom is left on the table. The measured data shows a system that is best suited for 1080p gaming, where the FPS is at least playable on lower presets.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is an end-of-life product with a Turing architecture chip. Its specifications are modest by modern standards, featuring 896 shading units and 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, yielding a bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s. This limited memory bandwidth is a likely culprit for the poor 4K performance, as the GPU struggles to feed the large frame buffers required at that resolution.

The GPU's benchmark scores place it in the 40th percentile of all GPUs, indicating it is a below-average performer. Its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305 is very low, and its Passmark G3D score of 7880 confirms its entry-level positioning. When compared to its nearest rivals, it is only 1% slower than the Intel Arc A310, and just 0.3% faster than the AMD Radeon HD 8850M. This shows that the GTX 1650 is barely keeping pace with integrated and low-end discrete solutions in synthetic tests.

In Archeage, the GPU's role is defined by its inability to maintain high frame rates at higher settings. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is just 10, which is unplayable. Even at 1080p Ultra, the average is only 25 FPS, suggesting the GPU is overwhelmed by the game's effects and draw distance. The clock speeds of 1485 MHz base and 1665 MHz boost are not enough to compensate for the low shader count and memory bandwidth. The data shows that the GTX 1650 is a capable card for very light e-sports titles, but it is out of its depth in a demanding MMORPG like Archeage at higher presets.

The memory configuration is also a critical factor. With only 4 GB of VRAM, the card is likely hitting capacity limits at 1440p and 4K, causing texture swapping and stuttering. The measured min FPS of 18 at 4K Medium and 31 at 1440p Medium suggest that frame pacing is inconsistent, which is often a symptom of VRAM or bandwidth constraints. This combination of low memory capacity and narrow bus width makes the GTX 1650 the definitive performance limiter in this pairing.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 is a modern 14-core, 14-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture. It has a base clock of 3.50 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz, with 24 MB of shared L3 cache. Its benchmark performance is strong, placing it in the 90th percentile of all CPUs. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 32924 and single-core score of 4648 are indicative of a high-performing desktop processor.

The CPU's nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 7900 and the Intel Core i5-14600K, with the Core Ultra 5 245 being 0.5% slower and 0.8% faster than them, respectively. This places it in a competitive performance tier. The high single-thread performance is particularly relevant for an MMORPG like Archeage, which often relies on a single main thread for game logic and physics.

However, the measured FPS data shows that this CPU power is largely untapped in this configuration. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 62 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 24 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see similar FPS across different resolutions when the settings are low, but the data shows a massive decline. This confirms that the GPU is the limiting factor, and the Core Ultra 5 245 is not being fully utilized.

The CPU's 14 cores and 14 threads are more than sufficient for the game's multi-threaded tasks, but the GTX 1650 cannot generate frames fast enough to push the CPU to its limits. The 5.10 GHz boost clock and 24 MB L3 cache are excellent for gaming, but they are irrelevant when the frame rate is capped by the GPU. The data suggests that this CPU would perform significantly better with a more powerful GPU, as it has ample headroom to drive higher frame rates.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution for this CPU and GPU combo in Archeage?

A: The data indicates that 1920x1080 is the only resolution with consistently playable frame rates. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 25 on Ultra to 62 on Low. At 1440p, the best average is 41 FPS on Low, and at 4K, the best average is 24 FPS on Low.

Q: Why is the 4K performance so poor?

A: The 4K performance is severely limited by the GTX 1650's hardware. The GPU has only 4 GB of VRAM and a 128-bit memory bus, which provides 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. The data shows a maximum average of 24 FPS at 4K Low, which drops to 10 FPS at 4K Ultra, indicating the GPU cannot handle the pixel count.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 a bottleneck for the GTX 1650?

A: No. The measured FPS shows that performance scales down significantly as resolution increases, which is a hallmark of a GPU bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system hits 62 FPS, but at 4K Low, it drops to 24 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the FPS would remain similar across resolutions.

Q: What is the difference in performance between Medium and High settings at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, the Medium preset yields an average of 55 FPS, while the High preset yields 37 FPS. This is a difference of 18 FPS, or about a 33% reduction in performance, when moving from Medium to High.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rival, the Intel Arc A310?

A: According to the benchmark data, the GTX 1650 has an average benchmark score of 7472, which is 1% lower than the Intel Arc A310's score of 7550. This makes the two GPUs nearly identical in synthetic performance.

Q: What is the lowest FPS recorded in the data?

A: The lowest average FPS recorded is 10 frames per second, which occurs at 3840x2160 resolution with the Ultra settings preset. The lowest min FPS recorded is 18 frames per second, at 3840x2160 with Medium settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS, the optimal experience for this combo is at 1080p. The data shows that the High preset yields a 37 FPS average, which is playable but not smooth. The Medium preset provides a 55 FPS average, which is a significant improvement and offers a much better balance between visual quality and performance. The Low preset gives 62 FPS, which is the highest average measured, but it comes with a substantial reduction in visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the High preset is not viable, with a 25 FPS average. The Medium preset is slightly better at 37 FPS, but it is still below the 40 FPS threshold that many consider the minimum for a playable experience. The Low preset at 1440p achieves 41 FPS, which is acceptable but requires sacrificing most graphical features. The 4K resolution should be avoided entirely, as all presets fail to reach 25 FPS.

The data suggests a clear hierarchy for the best experience. For a smooth and visually pleasing experience, the 1080p Medium preset is the recommended choice. It offers a 55 FPS average with a min of 47 FPS, indicating decent frame pacing. If the player prioritizes frame rate over visuals, the 1080p Low preset is the best option, providing a 62 FPS average. The Ultra preset is not recommended at any resolution, as it delivers the lowest frame rates, including a 10 FPS average at 4K. Therefore, the best "preset per the measured rows" is 1080p Medium, as it provides the best balance of performance and quality without dropping to unplayable levels.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the performance is consistently poor. The High settings produce an average of 14 FPS. The Low settings improve this to 24 FPS, while the Medium settings average 21 FPS with a minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS. The Ultra settings yield a mere 10 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are higher but still limited. The High settings average 25 FPS. The Low settings produce an average of 41 FPS. The Medium settings average 37 FPS, with a minimum of 31 FPS and a maximum of 42 FPS. The Ultra settings drop to an average of 17 FPS.

At 1920x1080, the performance is the most reasonable. The High settings average 37 FPS. The Low settings achieve an average of 62 FPS. The Medium settings average 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS. The Ultra settings average 25 FPS. These numbers show a clear trend: the GTX 1650 can handle 1080p with lower presets, but it struggles with anything higher.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 combination ranks 2659 out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage. This places it in the bottom 4% of all configurations, indicating that it is a very low-performing pairing for this specific game. The ranking reflects the GPU's limitations, which drag down the overall score despite the CPU's strong performance.

This low rank is consistent with the measured FPS data. The combo's inability to maintain high frame rates at 1440p and 4K, and its struggle to hit 60 FPS even at 1080p Low, puts it far behind more balanced systems. The data suggests that the CPU is vastly more powerful than the GPU, and this imbalance is a major factor in the poor ranking. If the CPU were paired with a stronger GPU, the ranking would likely be much higher, as the Core Ultra 5 245 is a top-tier processor. The current rank is a direct result of the GTX 1650 holding the system back, making this combo one of the weakest tested for Archeage.