Archeage

# Archeage Performance Analysis: Intel Core Ultra 7 265 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650

The pairing of Intel's 20-core Core Ultra 7 265 with NVIDIA's entry-level GTX 1650 creates a striking imbalance when running Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG. The measured frame rates across resolutions and settings tell a clear story: this is a configuration where the GPU consistently caps performance, while the CPU's substantial headroom goes largely unused. The combo ranks 2659th out of 2761 tested combinations in this game, placing it in the bottom 4% of all tested pairings—a position that reflects the GPU's age and tier rather than any deficiency in the processor.

Resolution Scaling

The FPS drop from 1080p to 4K is dramatic and reveals the GTX 1650 as the limiting component. At 1080p Low settings, the combo achieves 62 FPS, but at 4K Low, that figure falls to 24 FPS—a 61% reduction. The scaling pattern across all settings shows a consistent halving of performance as resolution increases from 1080p to 4K. For High settings, the drop goes from 37 FPS at 1080p to 25 FPS at 1440p, then to 14 FPS at 4K. This progressive decline with each resolution step is classic GPU-bound behavior; if the CPU were the constraint, we would expect frame rates to hold more steady across resolutions, particularly at lower settings where pixel throughput dominates.

The Medium preset illustrates the point most clearly. At 1080p Medium, the combo delivers 55 FPS average with a minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 63 FPS. Moving to 1440p Medium drops the average to 37 FPS (with min 31, max 42), and at 4K Medium it falls to 21 FPS (min 18, max 24). The frame time consistency also degrades as resolution climbs—the gap between minimum and maximum frames widens at 4K relative to 1080p, suggesting the GPU is struggling to maintain steady output when pixel count quadruples. The data implies that the GTX 1650's 128-bit memory bus and 128.1 GB/s bandwidth become increasingly inadequate as resolution demands more data throughput.

Interestingly, the scaling between Low and Ultra at each resolution shows the GPU's workload range. At 1080p, Low produces 62 FPS while Ultra produces 25 FPS—a 2.5x difference purely from settings. At 4K, the same comparison yields 24 FPS versus 10 FPS. The absolute gap narrows at higher resolutions because the GPU is already saturated, leaving less headroom for settings to influence performance. This pattern strongly indicates that the GTX 1650's 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 896 shading units are the bottleneck, not the Core Ultra 7 265's 20 threads.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2659 out of 2761 tested combinations places it in the bottom 3.7% of all pairings tested in Archeage. This is a remarkably low position for a system built around a 93rd-percentile CPU (the Core Ultra 7 265 outperforms 93% of all CPUs in the database). The disconnect between the CPU's high percentile ranking and the combo's near-bottom game ranking underscores the GPU's dominance in determining this game's playability. The GTX 1650 sits at the 40th percentile among all GPUs, which is modest, but when paired with a top-tier processor in a GPU-bound title, the result is a system that underperforms relative to what the CPU alone suggests.

The nearest CPU rivals provide context for the processor's capability. The AMD EPYC 4464P scores 64,823 on average benchmark, just 0.3% above the Core Ultra 7 265's 64,640 average. The Intel Core Ultra 7 265F scores 64,438, a 0.3% deficit, while the AMD EPYC 7343 and EPYC 9124 sit 0.7% above and 0.7% below respectively. These margins are negligible, confirming that the 265 is a well-positioned mid-range-to-high-end desktop processor. Yet in Archeage, these CPU differences would be invisible because the GPU is the limiting factor at every resolution and setting combination tested.

The GPU's nearest rivals tell a similar story about its tier. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7,447 (0.3% below), the Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7,441 (0.4% below), and the AMD Radeon R7 350 scores 7,425 (0.6% below). The Intel Arc A310 scores 7,550, which is 1% higher. This cluster of GPUs around the 7,400-7,550 mark indicates the GTX 1650 is competing with integrated and low-end discrete solutions. In a game like Archeage, which launched in 2014, this GPU tier was already entry-level at the time of the GTX 1650's 2019 release, and it shows in the measured FPS.

GPU Role

The GTX 1650's specifications reveal why it struggles with Archeage at higher resolutions. The GPU features 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 128.1 GB/s of bandwidth. Its 896 shading units, 56 texture mapping units, and 32 raster output units operate at base and boost clocks of 1485 MHz and 1665 MHz respectively. The 12 nm Turing chip contains 4,700 million transistors on a 200 mm² die, with a pixel rate of 53.28 GPixel/s and texture rate of 93.24 GTexel/s. The FP32 performance of 2.984 TFLOPS places this firmly in the entry-level segment.

For Archeage, an MMORPG that relies heavily on draw calls and geometry, the GTX 1650's 32 ROPs become a limiting factor at high resolutions. The 4K Ultra result of 10 FPS average is essentially unplayable, while 4K Low at 24 FPS barely crosses into playable territory. The GPU's 75 W TDP and lack of external power connectors indicate its intended market was budget builds and office PCs, not high-refresh gaming. The 128-bit memory interface means that as resolution increases, the GPU cannot feed its shaders quickly enough, which explains the steep performance cliffs between 1080p and 4K.

The GPU's benchmark scores contextualize its gaming performance. The PassMark G3D score of 7,880 and DirectX 11 score of 58 suggest moderate DirectX 11 capability, which is relevant since Archeage primarily uses DirectX 11. The Vulkan score of 33,042 and OpenCL score of 29,629 show the GPU is more capable in compute tasks than in traditional rasterization. The 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 305 is particularly low, indicating the GPU is not suited for modern DirectX 12 workloads—though Archeage's older engine likely does not stress this. The GTX 1650's performance in this game reflects its age: it launched in 2019 with a $149 MSRP, and by the time Archeage had matured, the GPU was already two generations behind.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured data covers four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) across three resolutions (1080p, 1440p, 4K). At 1080p Low, the combo achieves 62 FPS average, which is the highest recorded figure in the entire dataset. The 1080p Medium preset produces 55 FPS average with a narrow 47-63 FPS range, indicating reasonably stable performance. High settings at 1080p drop to 37 FPS average, while Ultra falls to 25 FPS. These numbers suggest that 1080p is the only resolution where this combo can approach playable frame rates across multiple presets.

At 1440p, the performance degrades noticeably. Low settings produce 41 FPS, Medium averages 37 FPS (min 31, max 42), High drops to 25 FPS, and Ultra falls to 17 FPS. The Medium preset at 1440p is the only setting that maintains a minimum above 30 FPS, which is often considered the threshold for acceptable playability in an MMORPG. The High and Ultra results at 1440p are marginal at best, with the Ultra preset producing frame rates that would feel stuttery in combat scenarios.

At 4K, the results are uniformly poor. Low settings yield 24 FPS, Medium averages 21 FPS (min 18, max 24), High drops to 14 FPS, and Ultra falls to 10 FPS. None of these results approach playable levels for an MMORPG where responsive controls matter. The 4K Medium range of 18-24 FPS shows that even the best-case scenario at this resolution remains below 25 FPS. The data suggests that 4K is simply not viable with this combination, regardless of settings.

The pattern across all rows is consistent: the GTX 1650 cannot maintain 60 FPS at any resolution above 1080p Low, and at 4K, no setting achieves even 30 FPS. The 1080p Low result of 62 FPS is the only measured average above 60, and even that is marginal. For a game that requires smooth performance for group content and PvP, these numbers indicate significant compromises are necessary.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265 is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on Arrow Lake architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It features a base clock of 2.40 GHz and boost clock of 5.30 GHz, with a 65 W TDP. The CPU includes 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 30 MB of shared L3 cache. Its memory support is DDR5 in dual-channel configuration, providing 102.4 GB/s of bandwidth. The processor supports PCIe Gen 5 with 20 lanes and includes integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 32 execution units.

In terms of raw processing power, the Core Ultra 7 265 is formidable. Its Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 42,216 and single-core score of 5,960 place it among the top desktop processors. The PassMark multi-thread score of 49,682 and single-thread score of 4,689 further confirm its capability. The processor's 93rd percentile ranking among all CPUs means it outperforms the vast majority of processors in the database. The nearest rivals—AMD EPYC 4464P, EPYC 7343, EPYC 9124, and Intel Core Ultra 7 265F—all score within 0.7% of the 265, showing that this is a well-balanced mid-to-high-end desktop part.

However, in Archeage, the CPU's capabilities are largely irrelevant. The game, released in 2014, is not known for heavy multi-threading, and the GTX 1650 becomes the bottleneck long before the CPU's 20 cores are stressed. The measured FPS data shows no evidence of CPU limitation: frame rates scale consistently with resolution and settings, which is the signature of a GPU-bound scenario. If the CPU were the constraint, we would expect to see similar frame rates across different resolutions at the same settings, which is not the case here. The 2.40 GHz base clock and 5.30 GHz boost clock provide ample single-thread performance for an older MMORPG, but that performance is wasted when the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize it.

The CPU's memory bandwidth of 102.4 GB/s and 30 MB L3 cache are more than sufficient for Archeage's data requirements. The PassMark data compression score of 522,983 and encryption score of 40,456 show the CPU excels at data-intensive tasks, but these have no bearing on gaming performance in this title. The processor's 3 nm process and 17,800 million transistors give it excellent efficiency, but again, this does not translate to higher frame rates when the GPU is the limiting factor.

FAQ

Q: What is the best resolution and settings combination for this system in Archeage?

A: The 1080p Low preset produces the highest average FPS at 62, while 1080p Medium achieves 55 FPS with a minimum of 47 FPS. The 1440p Medium preset averages 37 FPS with a minimum of 31 FPS, which is the lowest resolution-settings combination that maintains a minimum above 30 FPS.

Q: Is this combo CPU-bound or GPU-bound in Archeage?

A: The data strongly indicates GPU-bound performance. Frame rates drop by roughly half when moving from 1080p to 4K at the same settings, which is the expected pattern when the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU's 20 cores and high clock speeds are never the constraint at any measured setting.

Q: How does this combo rank compared to other tested combinations in Archeage?

A: It ranks 2659th out of 2761 tested combinations, placing it in the bottom 3.7% of all tested pairings. This low ranking reflects the GTX 1650's modest 40th percentile GPU score, despite the CPU's strong 93rd percentile ranking.

Q: Can this system run Archeage at 4K?

A: Not at playable frame rates. The best 4K result is 24 FPS at Low settings, with Medium at 21 FPS, High at 14 FPS, and Ultra at 10 FPS. All 4K results fall below 25 FPS, making this resolution impractical for gameplay.

Q: What FPS can be expected at 1080p Ultra settings?

A: The measured average at 1080p Ultra is 25 FPS. This is substantially lower than the 62 FPS at Low settings and 55 FPS at Medium, indicating that Ultra settings impose a heavy load on the GTX 1650 that results in marginal playability.

Q: How does the GTX 1650 compare to its nearest rival GPUs?

A: The GTX 1650's average benchmark score of 7,472 is 0.3% above the AMD Radeon HD 8850M (7,447), 0.4% above the Intel UHD Graphics 750 (7,441), 0.6% above the AMD Radeon R7 350 (7,425), and 1% below the Intel Arc A310 (7,550). These differences are minimal, placing the GTX 1650 at the entry level of GPU performance.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal experience with this combo is at 1080p using Medium settings. The Medium preset delivers 55 FPS average with a minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 63 FPS, providing a smooth gameplay experience that stays above 45 FPS even in demanding moments. The Low preset at 1080p achieves 62 FPS average but likely sacrifices visual quality that Medium restores while still maintaining playable frame rates. The 1080p High preset offers 37 FPS, which is acceptable for an MMORPG but leaves less headroom for frame drops during busy scenes with many players.

At 1440p, the Medium preset is the only viable option, producing 37 FPS average with a range of 31-42 FPS. This is playable but not ideal for competitive content. The 1440p Low preset at 41 FPS is also acceptable, though the visual downgrade may not justify the modest FPS gain over Medium. The High and Ultra presets at 1440p are not recommended, as they fall to 25 FPS and 17 FPS respectively, which would feel sluggish in combat.

For 4K, no settings are recommended. The best result is 24 FPS at Low, which is below the threshold for comfortable gameplay. Players with 4K displays should consider lowering resolution to 1080p or 1440p for this game, as the GTX 1650 simply lacks the memory bandwidth and pixel throughput to handle 4K rendering. The 128.1 GB/s bandwidth and 4 GB VRAM are insufficient for 4K textures and geometry in Archeage.

The Ultra preset should be avoided entirely with this combo. At 1080p Ultra, the 25 FPS average is less than half of the Medium preset's 55 FPS, and the visual difference between Medium and Ultra in a 2014 MMORPG is unlikely to justify the massive performance cost. The data shows diminishing returns beyond Medium settings, making Medium the sweet spot for this configuration. For players prioritizing frame rate, the Low preset at 1080p provides the highest measured FPS at 62, but the 7 FPS gain over Medium comes at a significant visual quality cost.