Archeage

This analysis examines the measured performance of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H paired with the AMD Radeon 890M in ArcheAge. The data, collected at three resolutions and four quality presets, reveals a configuration that is heavily constrained by its integrated graphics, with CPU headroom that goes largely unused in this MMORPG. The findings below detail how each component contributes to the final frame rates, where the optimal settings lie, and how this specific combination stacks up against a broad field of tested hardware.

CPU Role — cores, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is a 16-core, 22-thread processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture, built on a 7 nm process. It features a base clock of 3.80 GHz and a boost clock of 5.00 GHz, with a thermal design power of 28 W. The chip carries 24 MB of shared L3 cache, alongside a 2 MB L2 cache per core and 112 KB of L1 cache per core. In synthetic benchmarks, the processor demonstrates solid multi-threaded capability, scoring 14,551 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 1,759 in single-core. Its Passmark multithread score is 25,933, and it achieves a single-thread score of 3,509.

In the context of ArcheAge, the CPU’s role is significant but not the primary limiting factor. The game is an MMORPG from 2014, and the measured frame rates across all settings and resolutions suggest that the processor is more than capable of feeding the integrated GPU. The data shows that at 1080p Low, the system reaches an average of 63 FPS, which is the highest result recorded for this combo. If the CPU were the bottleneck at this setting, we would expect the frame rate to be capped at a level that does not improve with lower graphical loads. However, the performance scales almost linearly with resolution and settings, indicating that the GPU is the component being stressed.

Benchmark results place the Core Ultra 7 165H in the 84th percentile of all CPUs. Compared to its nearest rivals, it is 0.3% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H, and it is 0.4% behind the AMD EPYC 4244P and the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350. It also trails the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X by 0.5%. These are marginal differences in aggregate scores, but they paint a picture of a capable mobile processor. In ArcheAge, the CPU’s 22 threads are likely underutilized, as the game’s engine typically does not scale perfectly with many cores. The high boost clock of 5.00 GHz is more relevant for the game’s single-threaded logic, but even that does not appear to be a constraint, given that the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates even at the lowest settings.

The Passmark data compression score of 291,161 and the floating-point math score of 66,273 suggest strong general-purpose performance, which is typical for this class of processor. However, the key takeaway for this game is that the CPU is not the source of the low frame rates. The measured averages of 15 FPS at 4K High and 10 FPS at 4K Ultra are far below what a processor with this level of single-thread performance would permit if the graphics load were lighter. The bottleneck lies elsewhere, specifically with the integrated graphics solution.

GPU Role — VRAM, clocks, and how they relate to this game's results

The AMD Radeon 890M is an integrated graphics processor based on the RDNA 3.5 architecture, built on a 4 nm process at TSMC. It has a base clock of 400 MHz and a boost clock of 2900 MHz. The GPU features 1024 shading units, 64 texture mapping units, and 32 render output units, along with 16 ray tracing cores. Its peak pixel rate is 92.80 GPixel/s, and its texture rate is 185.6 GTexel/s, with a theoretical FP32 performance of 5.939 TFLOPS. The memory configuration is entirely system-shared, meaning the VRAM size, bus width, and bandwidth are all system-dependent rather than fixed specifications.

This GPU is the clear limiting factor in this combination. The benchmark data shows that the Radeon 890M sits in the 45th percentile of all GPUs, which is a mid-pack ranking. Its nearest rivals in terms of average score include the AMD Radeon Vega 8, which is 0.1% faster, and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960, which is 0.7% faster. The GTX 465 and GTX 850M are 0.9% and 1% faster, respectively. These are older discrete parts, and the 890M’s proximity to them in aggregate benchmarks highlights its performance class: it is a modern integrated solution that competes with older entry-level discrete cards.

In ArcheAge, the GPU’s limitations are starkly visible. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 63 FPS, but this drops to 38 FPS at 1080p High and 26 FPS at 1080p Ultra. This scaling pattern is a classic sign of a GPU that is running out of shading and texture throughput as the quality settings increase. The 890M’s reliance on shared system memory for VRAM also means that bandwidth is limited, which can impact texture-heavy scenes common in MMORPGs. The Passmark G3D score of 8,076 and the DirectX 11 score of 73 are moderate, but they do not translate to high frame rates in this title. The GPU’s boost clock of 2900 MHz is high for an integrated part, but it cannot compensate for the relatively low shader count and memory bandwidth constraints. The data suggests that for playable frame rates, the settings must be kept low, and even then, the resolution must be managed carefully.

Settings Recommendations — which preset gives the best experience per the measured rows

The measured frame rates across the four presets and three resolutions provide a clear picture of where the playable envelope lies for this combo. The primary goal is to achieve a stable frame rate above 30 FPS, which is generally considered the minimum for a playable experience in a game like ArcheAge. The data shows that the Low preset is the only one that consistently offers this level of performance, and only at lower resolutions.

At 1080p, the Low preset delivers 63 FPS, which is smooth and responsive. The Medium preset at the same resolution yields 57 FPS with a minimum of 48 FPS, indicating that it is also a viable option if you want slightly better visuals without a major performance hit. The High preset drops to 38 FPS, which is playable but noticeably less smooth, while Ultra falls to 26 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. For 1080p, the Low or Medium presets are the optimal choices, with Medium offering a better visual experience at a cost of only 6 FPS on average.

At 1440p, the situation becomes more constrained. The Low preset delivers 43 FPS, which is still playable, but the Medium preset drops to 38 FPS with a minimum of 32 FPS. The High preset falls to 26 FPS, which is borderline, and Ultra is at 18 FPS, which is not recommended. For 1440p, the Low preset is the safest choice for consistent performance, though Medium may be acceptable for players willing to tolerate occasional dips. At 4K, none of the presets are playable by conventional standards. The Low preset is the best at 24 FPS, followed by Medium at 22 FPS, High at 15 FPS, and Ultra at 10 FPS. The data indicates that 4K is not a viable option for this hardware combination in ArcheAge.

The best experience per the measured rows is found at 1080p with the Medium preset. It provides a 57 FPS average, which is 90% of the performance of the Low preset, while offering improved visual fidelity. The minimum recorded frame rate of 48 FPS ensures that the experience remains smooth even in busier scenes. For players who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1080p is the only option that approaches 60 FPS, but the Medium preset offers a superior balance of visual quality and performance.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and the AMD Radeon 890M ranks 2596 out of 2761 tested combos for ArcheAge. This places it in the bottom 6% of all configurations in the database, which is a poor showing. The rank is a direct consequence of the GPU’s limitations, as the CPU is a relatively strong performer in its own right. The data suggests that the integrated graphics solution is simply not suited for this game at higher settings or resolutions.

This ranking means that the vast majority of other tested systems, including those with older discrete GPUs, outperform this combo. The nearest GPU rivals, such as the GTX 960 and GTX 850M, are older parts, but they are discrete solutions with dedicated VRAM and higher bandwidth, which makes them more effective in a game like ArcheAge. The 890M’s reliance on shared system memory is a significant disadvantage, as it competes with the CPU for bandwidth. The fact that this combo ranks so low in a game from 2014 is telling, as it indicates that the integrated GPU is not powerful enough to provide a satisfactory experience even in older titles.

The high CPU percentile of 84 does not help the overall ranking because the game is not CPU-bound in this configuration. The data shows that the frame rates scale with resolution and settings in a way that is characteristic of a GPU bottleneck. If the CPU were the limiting factor, we would expect the frame rates to remain relatively flat across different graphics presets at the same resolution. Instead, we see a significant drop from Low to Ultra, confirming that the GPU is the weak link. In the context of all tested combos, this pairing is near the bottom, and users should be aware that the performance is more in line with entry-level integrated graphics than with a gaming-capable system.

Resolution Scaling — how FPS drops from 1080p to 4K and what it says about the limiting component

The measured frame rates show a clear and consistent drop as resolution increases, which provides insight into the bottleneck. At the Low preset, the average frame rate is 63 FPS at 1080p, 43 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. This represents a 31.7% drop from 1080p to 1440p, and a 61.9% drop from 1080p to 4K. The scaling is not linear, which is typical for a GPU-bound scenario, as the number of pixels increases by 1.78 times from 1080p to 1440p, and by 4 times from 1080p to 4K.

These drops are consistent with a GPU that is severely limited by its memory bandwidth and compute throughput. The Radeon 890M’s system-shared memory is a major factor here, as higher resolutions require more memory bandwidth to feed the framebuffer. The 4K results are particularly telling, with the Low preset only managing 24 FPS, which is a 62% reduction from the 1080p result. This indicates that the GPU is not just struggling with the increased pixel count, but also with the memory traffic required to support it.

The same pattern is visible at the Medium preset, where the average drops from 57 FPS at 1080p to 38 FPS at 1440p and 22 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows a similar trend, going from 38 FPS at 1080p to 26 FPS at 1440p and 15 FPS at 4K. The scaling from 1080p to 4K is roughly a 60-65% reduction across all presets, which strongly suggests that the GPU is the limiting component. If the CPU were the bottleneck, the frame rates would not drop so dramatically with resolution, as the CPU workload for the game logic would remain relatively constant. The data confirms that the integrated GPU is the primary constraint, and the system is not capable of delivering playable frame rates at 4K under any settings.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest average frame rate this combo can achieve in ArcheAge?

A: The highest measured average is 63 FPS at 1080p with the Low preset. The Medium preset at the same resolution achieves 57 FPS.

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

A: No. The best 4K result is 24 FPS at the Low preset, with the Ultra preset falling to 10 FPS. None of the 4K settings reach a playable 30 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the AMD Radeon 890M compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The 890M is 0.1% slower than the AMD Radeon Vega 8, and 0.7% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960. It is also 0.9% slower than the GTX 465 and 1% slower than the GTX 850M.

Q: What is the performance difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1440p?

A: The Low preset averages 43 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 18 FPS. This is a reduction of 25 FPS, or about 58% lower performance when moving to the highest quality settings.

Q: How does the CPU’s rank compare to the GPU’s rank?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H is in the 84th percentile of all CPUs, which is a strong ranking. The AMD Radeon 890M is in the 45th percentile of all GPUs, which is a mid-pack ranking. This disparity highlights the GPU as the bottleneck.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: The minimum recorded frame rate for the Medium preset at 1080p is 48 FPS, with a maximum of 65 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown — resolution by resolution, settings by settings, exact numbers

1080p (1920x1080)

| Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Low | 63 | Not provided | Not provided |

| Medium | 57 | 48 | 65 |

| High | 38 | Not provided | Not provided |

| Ultra | 26 | Not provided | Not provided |

1440p (2560x1440)

| Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Low | 43 | Not provided | Not provided |

| Medium | 38 | 32 | 44 |

| High | 26 | Not provided | Not provided |

| Ultra | 18 | Not provided | Not provided |

4K (3840x2160)

| Settings | Average FPS | Minimum FPS | Maximum FPS |

| :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |

| Low | 24 | Not provided | Not provided |

| Medium | 22 | 19 | 25 |

| High | 15 | Not provided | Not provided |

| Ultra | 10 | Not provided | Not provided |