Archeage

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 combination produces a highly unusual performance profile in Archeage, one where the CPU's 16 cores and 22 threads prove insufficient to feed the GPU's immense rendering capacity at lower resolutions. The measured frame rates reveal a system that is heavily CPU-limited at 1080p and 1440p, with the GPU only beginning to flex its capabilities as the resolution increases to 4K. This analysis dissects the measured data to explain how this specific pairing behaves in a 2014 MMORPG that remains sensitive to single-thread performance.

The CPU, a Meteor Lake mobile part with a 3.80 GHz base clock and 5.00 GHz boost clock, sits in the 84th percentile of all tested CPUs with an average benchmark score of 34083. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (average score 33989, 0.3% higher) and the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (average score 34260, 0.5% higher), placing it in a competitive middle tier. The 24 MB of shared L3 cache and 22 threads suggest strong multi-threaded potential, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14551, yet Archeage's engine appears to rely on fewer, faster cores. The single-core Cinebench R23 score of 1759 and Passmark single-thread score of 3509 are modest figures for a modern processor, indicating that the CPU's strength lies in parallel workloads rather than raw single-thread speed. This becomes the primary bottleneck at lower resolutions where the GPU is underutilized.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 7 165H presents a paradox for Archeage: its 16 cores and 22 threads are largely wasted by a game that prioritizes a handful of fast execution threads. The CPU's architecture, Meteor Lake, is built on a 7 nm process with a 28 W TDP, which is a mobile-class power envelope. The base clock of 3.80 GHz and boost clock of 5.00 GHz are respectable, but the measured FPS data shows that these clocks cannot sustain high frame rates in Archeage when the GPU is not the limiting factor.

At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combination produces 221 FPS average. This is the highest measured frame rate in the entire dataset, yet it is far below what the RTX 5090 could theoretically deliver. The data suggests the CPU reaches its limit around this point. Moving from Low to Medium at 1080p only drops the average to 197 FPS (a 10.9% reduction), while High settings yield 134 FPS and Ultra drops to 91 FPS. This progressive decline with increasing graphical settings indicates that the GPU begins to take on more work, but the CPU still imposes a ceiling. The gap between Low and Medium is relatively small, while the gap between Medium and High is substantial (197 to 134 FPS, a 32% drop), suggesting a setting threshold where GPU load increases dramatically.

The CPU's Passmark data compression score of 291161 and integer math score of 89415 show strong throughput, but these do not translate to Archeage performance. The Passmark physics score of 1806 is particularly telling, as physics calculations often rely on single-thread performance. A score of 1806 places this CPU below many desktop parts from earlier generations, which explains why Archeage's crowded player scenarios and environmental effects struggle. The benchmark results indicate that the 165H's performance is consistent with its nearest rivals — the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is only 0.5% ahead in average score, yet that desktop part often outperforms mobile chips in games due to sustained clock behavior. The 165H's boost clock of 5.00 GHz appears to be a short-duration boost, not a sustained all-core frequency, which limits its ability to maintain high FPS over extended play sessions.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average FPS achievable with this CPU-GPU combo in Archeage?

A: The highest measured average FPS is 221, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This represents the peak of the CPU's capability in this game, as the RTX 5090 is not fully utilized at this resolution and settings level.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 7 165H compare to its closest rivals in overall CPU benchmarks?

A: The 165H has an average benchmark score of 34083, placing it 0.3% behind the Intel Core Ultra 5 338H (score 33989) and 0.4% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 350 (score 34222). It is 0.5% behind the AMD Ryzen 7 3700X (score 34260). These are all statistically similar scores, indicating that the 165H performs within a tight band of its peers.

Q: Does the RTX 5090 show its full potential in this game at any resolution?

A: No. Even at 4K Ultra, which produces the lowest average FPS of 35, the GPU is not the sole bottleneck. The CPU limits performance at lower resolutions, and at 4K the combination of CPU and GPU load results in a 52 FPS average on High settings. The GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs is not reflected in Archeage's frame rates.

Q: What is the impact of raising settings from Medium to High at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Medium settings produce 133 FPS average, while High drops to 90 FPS — a 32.3% reduction. This is a larger drop than from Low to Medium at the same resolution (149 to 133 FPS, a 10.7% reduction), indicating that High settings introduce significantly more GPU workload.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for frame rate drops at 4K?

A: The data shows that at 4K, the GPU becomes the more significant factor. From 1080p High (134 FPS) to 4K High (52 FPS), the frame rate drops by 61.2%. This is a much larger reduction than the CPU alone could account for, as the GPU's workload increases with pixel count. However, the CPU still contributes to the limit, as evidenced by the 4K Low score of 85 FPS, which is still below what the GPU could theoretically produce.

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

For players seeking the smoothest experience, the 1920x1080 Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, with an average FPS of 197 and a minimum FPS of 167. This is the only setting combination at 1080p with a recorded minimum frame rate, indicating that the frame pacing is consistent enough to avoid stutters below 167 FPS. The Low preset at 1080p delivers 221 FPS average but sacrifices visual fidelity, and the 24 FPS gap to Medium is a worthwhile trade for improved graphics.

At 2560x1440, Medium settings again provide the optimal experience, with an average of 133 FPS and a minimum of 113 FPS. This maintains a playable frame rate above 60 FPS while offering better detail than Low. High settings at 1440p drop to 90 FPS average, which is still smooth but shows a noticeable visual improvement over Medium. The Ultra presets at both 1080p and 1440p are not recommended, as they produce 91 FPS and 61 FPS averages respectively, and the visual gains over High are marginal relative to the performance cost.

For 4K displays, the High preset at 52 FPS average is the highest measured frame rate at this resolution. The Medium preset at 4K produces 76 FPS average with a minimum of 65 FPS, which is the more playable option for demanding scenes. The Low preset at 4K reaches 85 FPS, but the visual degradation at such a high resolution defeats the purpose of using a 4K panel. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 35 FPS average, is best avoided. The data suggests that 4K gaming with this combo requires accepting either Medium settings for smoothness or High settings for visual quality at the cost of frame rate.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

This specific combination of Intel Core Ultra 7 165H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 ranks 770th out of 3708 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the top 20.8% of all configurations. This rank reflects the measured FPS data, which shows that the combo is faster than the vast majority of systems tested for this game, but far from the top performers. The 770th rank is a significant underperformance for a GPU that sits in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, and a CPU in the 84th percentile of all CPUs.

The rank disparity suggests that Archeage's engine does not scale well with the combination of a high-end GPU and a mid-range mobile CPU. The data shows that the combo's performance at 1080p Low (221 FPS) is its peak, which would rank it higher than the 4K results drag it down to. The 4K Ultra score of 35 FPS is particularly damaging to the overall rank, as it represents a scenario where the hardware is pushed to its limits and the CPU's weaknesses are exposed. The combo's rank of 770 indicates that there are 769 other configurations that achieve higher average FPS across the measured settings, likely including systems with stronger desktop CPUs paired with lower-tier GPUs that are better balanced for this MMORPG.

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

The resolution scaling data reveals a classic CPU-bound scenario at lower resolutions, transitioning to a GPU-bound scenario at 4K. At 1080p High, the combo produces 134 FPS. Scaling to 1440p High reduces this to 90 FPS, a 32.8% drop. Scaling further to 4K High reduces to 52 FPS, a 42.2% drop from 1440p and a 61.2% drop from 1080p. This progressive decline is steeper than what would be expected from pixel count alone, indicating that both components are contributing to the limits.

At Low settings, the scaling is even more revealing. 1080p Low produces 221 FPS, 1440p Low drops to 149 FPS (a 32.6% reduction), and 4K Low drops to 85 FPS (a 43.0% reduction from 1440p). The near-identical percentage drops from 1080p to 1440p across Low and High settings (32.6% vs 32.8%) indicate that the CPU is the primary limiter at these resolutions, as the GPU's load is not yet saturated. However, the 4K drops are larger (42.2% for High, 43.0% for Low), suggesting the GPU becomes more involved at this resolution.

The Ultra settings tell a different story. 1080p Ultra produces 91 FPS, 1440p Ultra drops to 61 FPS (a 33.0% reduction), and 4K Ultra drops to 35 FPS (a 42.6% reduction from 1440p). The Ultra preset consistently shows the largest absolute drops, confirming that the GPU's workload is the dominant factor at this setting level. The data indicates that the CPU can sustain roughly 220 FPS at best, but the GPU cannot maintain high frame rates at 4K Ultra due to the sheer pixel count.

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

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS values are: Low 221, Medium 197 (minimum 167, maximum 227), High 134, and Ultra 91. The Medium preset has the only recorded minimum and maximum values at this resolution, showing a 60 FPS spread between the 167 minimum and 227 maximum. This indicates that frame times are variable, with occasional dips that could affect gameplay in crowded areas.

At 2560x1440, the average FPS values are: Low 149, Medium 133 (minimum 113, maximum 152), High 90, and Ultra 61. The Medium preset's minimum of 113 is only 24 FPS below the 1080p Medium minimum, suggesting that the resolution increase has a modest impact on frame stability at this setting. The gap from High to Ultra at 1440p is 29 FPS (90 to 61), which is a significant drop for a single setting tier.

At 3840x2160, the average FPS values are: Low 85, Medium 76 (minimum 65, maximum 87), High 52, and Ultra 35. The Medium preset at 4K has the smallest spread between minimum and maximum (22 FPS) of all measured settings, indicating that the frame rate is more consistent at this resolution. The Ultra preset at 4K, at 35 FPS average, is the lowest measured performance in the entire dataset, representing a 84.2% reduction from the 1080p Low peak of 221 FPS.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is a colossal GPU, built on the Blackwell 2.0 architecture with a 5 nm process and 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. It features 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. The base clock is 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and the memory runs at 1750 MHz (28 Gbps effective). This hardware is ranked in the 92nd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 79842, yet in Archeage it is consistently underutilized.

The GPU's Passmark G3D score of 39650 and 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 18355 indicate massive raw performance, but Archeage does not stress the GPU proportionally. The 32 GB VRAM is far more than the game requires, and the 1.79 TB/s bandwidth is irrelevant for a title from 2014. The measured FPS data shows that the GPU's performance only becomes the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where it produces 35 FPS average. At lower resolutions, the GPU is effectively idle, as evidenced by the 221 FPS at 1080p Low being the ceiling imposed by the CPU.

The RTX 5090's nearest rivals in the GPU benchmark database include the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (average score 79605, 0.3% lower) and the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (average score 78940, 1.1% lower). These comparisons are based on synthetic benchmarks, not Archeage performance. In this game, the GPU's 575 W TDP and dual-slot design are wasted on a workload that could be handled by a far less powerful card. The data indicates that the RTX 5090's role in this combo is to provide headroom for other games, not to excel in Archeage, where the CPU's limitations cap the experience.