Archeage

# Archeage with Intel Core Ultra 5 245 + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 delivers a fascinating performance profile in Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG that remains surprisingly demanding at high settings. This combination ranks 32nd out of 2,761 tested combos, placing it in the top 1.2% of all configurations. The data reveals a system that excels at high refresh rate gameplay at 1440p and 1080p, while 4K Ultra settings push the engine to its limits.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS across resolutions shows Archeage's scaling behavior is far from linear. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 305 FPS average, which drops to 271 FPS at Medium and 184 FPS at High. The jump to Ultra at 1080p cuts performance nearly in half compared to High, landing at 126 FPS. This steep drop from High to Ultra suggests the Ultra preset introduces rendering features that disproportionately tax the hardware.

Moving to 1440p, the scaling pattern repeats with lower absolute numbers. Low settings produce 205 FPS average, Medium delivers 183 FPS, and High settles at 124 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p yields 85 FPS, which represents a 59% reduction from the Low setting at the same resolution. The gap between Medium and High at 1440p (183 vs 124 FPS) is notably larger than the corresponding 1080p gap (271 vs 184 FPS), indicating that resolution amplifies the cost of higher quality settings.

At 4K, the performance curve becomes more constrained. Low settings deliver 117 FPS average, Medium drops to 105 FPS, and High falls further to 71 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K produces just 48 FPS average, which is below the 60 FPS threshold many players consider playable. The scaling from 1080p Low (305 FPS) to 4K Low (117 FPS) represents a 62% performance reduction, while the same resolution jump at High settings shows a 61% drop (184 to 71 FPS). This consistent reduction across settings suggests the rendering workload scales predictably with pixel count.

The 4K Medium measurement includes min and max FPS data: 89 FPS minimum and 120 FPS maximum against a 105 FPS average. This 31 FPS spread indicates notable frame time variance at 4K Medium. Similarly, 1440p Medium shows a 155 FPS minimum and 210 FPS maximum around a 183 FPS average, while 1080p Medium spans from 231 to 312 FPS. The relative variance increases with resolution, suggesting that even with this high-end GPU, 4K gameplay introduces inconsistent frame pacing in Archeage.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 serves as the primary driver for high-resolution performance in this configuration. Its 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus provides 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth, which is substantial for a game like Archeage that can load extensive texture data. The GPU's 21,760 shading units, 680 TMUs, and 176 ROPs deliver the raw throughput needed for the measured frame rates.

Clock speeds show a base of 2017 MHz and boost up to 2407 MHz. The GPU's memory runs at 1750 MHz, effective 28 Gbps. These clocks, combined with the architecture's 104.8 TFLOPS FP32 performance, explain why the system maintains triple-digit frame rates at lower resolutions. The RTX 5090's 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores are present, though Archeage's rendering pipeline from 2014 does not appear to leverage these features based on the performance scaling.

The GPU's DirectX 12 Ultimate support (12_2) and Vulkan 1.4 compatibility suggest it can handle modern rendering APIs, but Archeage's engine likely relies on older API paths. The benchmark results show the GPU operating well within its capabilities at 1080p and 1440p, but the 4K Ultra result of 48 FPS indicates the card is being pushed hard at that resolution. The GPU's PassMark G3D score of 39,650 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18,355 place it in the 92nd percentile among all GPUs, confirming its high-end positioning.

The RTX 5090's 575 W TDP and 950 W suggested PSU requirement are relevant for system builders, though the measured FPS data shows the GPU delivering strong performance across most settings. The nearest rival comparisons show the RTX 5090 averaging 0.3% ahead of the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB and 0.6% ahead of the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB in GPU benchmarks, while trailing the Radeon Pro Vega 64X by 1.4%. These deltas are small, indicating the RTX 5090 sits at the top of the performance hierarchy.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 contributes significantly to the high frame rates observed at lower resolutions. With 14 cores and 14 threads, the Arrow Lake-S architecture chip runs at a 3.50 GHz base clock and boosts to 5.10 GHz. This single-thread performance is critical for MMORPGs like Archeage, which often have engine logic that scales poorly across many cores.

The CPU's cache hierarchy includes 192 KB L1 per core, 3 MB L2 per core, and 24 MB shared L3. This configuration supports the high frame rates seen at 1080p, where CPU overhead can become the limiting factor. The Cinebench R23 scores of 32,924 multicore and 4,648 singlecore demonstrate strong processing capability. PassMark single-thread score of 4,394 and multithread score of 38,706 further confirm the CPU's balanced performance.

The processor's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s over dual-channel DDR5 provides adequate data throughput for game assets. The 24 MB L3 cache helps maintain performance in scenarios with repeated data access patterns common in MMO environments. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking among all processors places it well above average, though its nearest rivals show close competition: the Ryzen 7 PRO 5755G scores 0.4% higher, the Ryzen 9 7900 scores 0.5% higher, while the Xeon Gold 5318H scores 0.6% lower and the Core i5-14600K scores 0.8% lower.

The 14-core, 14-thread configuration (no hyperthreading) means the CPU relies on physical cores only. This design choice can affect games that benefit from additional threads, but Archeage's age suggests it primarily uses a few cores heavily. The 5.10 GHz boost clock provides the high single-thread performance that MMORPGs typically require for smooth gameplay in crowded areas.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core Ultra 5 245 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves rank 32 out of 2,761 tested combos in Archeage. This top 1.2% placement indicates the system performs exceptionally well compared to other configurations in the database. The ranking reflects the synergy between the CPU's strong single-thread performance and the GPU's massive rendering capability.

At 1080p, this combo delivers frame rates that exceed most displays' refresh rates. The 305 FPS average at Low settings and 271 FPS at Medium provide headroom for competitive play or high refresh rate monitors. The 126 FPS at Ultra settings remains well above playable thresholds. The 1440p results show similar strength, with all settings except Ultra exceeding 120 FPS. The 4K results are more mixed, with only Low and Medium settings breaking 100 FPS, while High and Ultra fall to 71 and 48 FPS respectively.

The rank of 32 suggests that while this is a very fast configuration, there are 31 combos that perform better in Archeage. These likely include higher-tier CPUs paired with the same GPU, since the RTX 5090 is near the top of GPU performance charts. The CPU's 90th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 92nd percentile suggests the CPU may be a slight bottleneck in some scenarios, particularly at lower resolutions where CPU overhead dominates.

FAQ

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

A: Based on measured data, 1440p provides the best balance of visual quality and performance. All settings except Ultra exceed 120 FPS, with Low at 205 FPS, Medium at 183 FPS, and High at 124 FPS. The 4K results are playable but limited, with only Low (117 FPS) and Medium (105 FPS) surpassing 100 FPS.

Q: How does the Ultra preset compare to High settings at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Ultra (126 FPS) is 32% slower than High (184 FPS). At 1440p, Ultra (85 FPS) is 31% slower than High (124 FPS). At 4K, Ultra (48 FPS) is 32% slower than High (71 FPS). The consistent ~32% penalty suggests the Ultra preset adds a fixed rendering overhead regardless of resolution.

Q: Is this system capable of 4K gaming in Archeage?

A: Yes, but with caveats. At 4K Low settings, the combo delivers 117 FPS average, and Medium produces 105 FPS with a 89 FPS minimum. High settings drop to 71 FPS, and Ultra falls to 48 FPS. Players wanting 60+ FPS at 4K should use Medium settings or lower.

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

A: The Core Ultra 5 245's 5.10 GHz boost clock and 4,648 Cinebench R23 single-core score support high frame rates in this MMORPG. The PassMark single-thread score of 4,394 indicates strong per-core performance, which is crucial for games with limited multi-threading.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1080p Medium settings?

A: The measured data shows 271 FPS average with a 231 FPS minimum and 312 FPS maximum. This provides a smooth experience even on 240 Hz displays, with enough headroom to avoid drops below refresh rate thresholds.

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

A: It ranks 32nd out of 2,761 combos, placing it in the top 1.2% of all tested systems. This indicates superior performance relative to the vast majority of configurations in the database, though 31 combos achieve higher frame rates in Archeage.

Settings Recommendations

For the best experience balancing visual fidelity and performance, the data supports specific settings at each resolution. At 1080p, the High preset (184 FPS) is the optimal choice because it delivers over 180 FPS while providing better visuals than Medium (271 FPS) or Low (305 FPS). The Ultra preset at 126 FPS is still playable but offers diminishing returns for a 32% performance loss.

At 1440p, High settings (124 FPS) represent the sweet spot. This provides a smooth experience on 120 Hz monitors while maintaining good visual quality. Medium (183 FPS) is preferable for competitive play or 165 Hz+ displays, while Ultra (85 FPS) remains viable for those prioritizing image quality over frame rate. Low (205 FPS) offers maximum performance but sacrifices significant visual detail.

For 4K, the Medium preset (105 FPS) is the recommended choice. It delivers the highest frame rate above 100 FPS while providing better visuals than Low (117 FPS). The High preset (71 FPS) is playable but approaches the threshold where frame pacing issues become noticeable. Ultra (48 FPS) should be avoided for general gameplay, as the frame rate falls below 60 FPS and the visual improvements over High are marginal relative to the performance cost.

The minimum FPS data reinforces these recommendations. The 4K Medium preset's 89 FPS minimum ensures consistent performance, while the 1440p Medium's 155 FPS minimum and 1080p Medium's 231 FPS minimum demonstrate excellent frame time consistency at lower resolutions. Players seeking the highest possible frame rates should use Low settings at 1080p (305 FPS), while those prioritizing visual quality should accept the 4K Medium compromise at 105 FPS average.