Archeage

Archeage, an MMORPG released in 2014, presents a unique performance profile when paired with the Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. The measured data reveals a system that is heavily influenced by graphics settings, with the CPU demonstrating robust capabilities that allow the GPU to become the primary bottleneck at higher presets. This analysis walks through the measured FPS across resolutions and settings, detailing the role of each component and how this specific combination ranks among thousands of tested configurations.

Resolution Scaling

The transition from 1920x1080 to 3840x2160 produces a dramatic shift in frame rates, clearly illustrating where the performance ceiling lies for this hardware pairing. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves an average of 212 FPS, but this drops to 143 FPS at 1440p and further to 82 FPS at 4K. This scaling pattern—a reduction of roughly 32% from 1080p to 1440p, and another 43% from 1440p to 4K—indicates that the graphics card is being taxed progressively harder as pixel count increases. The RTX 4090's 24 GB of VRAM and 384-bit memory bus are not the limiting factors here; rather, the sheer rendering workload at higher resolutions is what drives the FPS down.

Examining the High preset tells a similar story but with a different starting point. At 1080p High, the average is 128 FPS, falling to 86 FPS at 1440p and 49 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops between resolutions are consistent with the Low preset, confirming that resolution scaling is the dominant variable. However, the absolute margins between settings reveal that the GPU is the primary constraint once the resolution increases. At 1080p, the delta between Low and High is 84 FPS, but at 4K, that margin shrinks to 33 FPS. This compression suggests that at 1080p, the CPU and GPU are both contributing to the frame rate, whereas at 4K, the GPU's rendering pipeline is saturated, making the FPS more dependent on the graphics workload than on the processor's ability to feed it.

The Ultra preset demonstrates this bottleneck most starkly. At 1080p Ultra, the average is 87 FPS, while at 4K Ultra, it plummets to 34 FPS. The scaling factor from 1080p to 4K on Ultra is approximately 2.5x reduction in performance, which is steeper than the 2.6x reduction seen on Low (212 to 82). This data indicates that Ultra settings introduce effects and shading workloads that disproportionately impact higher resolutions, pushing the RTX 4090 to its limits. The benchmark results show that for this combination, 1080p is the only resolution where frame rates consistently exceed 120 FPS across all presets, while 4K requires a significant compromise in settings to achieve playable performance.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 is the centerpiece of this configuration, and its specifications directly correlate with the measured outcomes. The GPU operates with a base clock of 2235 MHz and a boost clock of 2520 MHz, paired with 16,384 shading units and 128 RT cores. These figures support the high frame rates observed at lower resolutions, but the card's 450 W TDP and triple-slot design indicate it is built for maximum throughput rather than efficiency. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides a bandwidth of 1.01 TB/s, which is sufficient to handle Archeage's textures and geometry without memory throttling, as evidenced by the consistent FPS deltas between settings.

The measured FPS data shows that the RTX 4090's performance scales predictably with settings. At 1440p, the GPU delivers 143 FPS on Low, 127 FPS on Medium, 86 FPS on High, and 59 FPS on Ultra. The step from Medium to High represents a 32% performance drop, while the step from High to Ultra is a 31% drop. This near-uniform scaling suggests that each preset tier adds a comparable computational burden, likely from increased draw distances, shadow quality, and post-processing effects common in MMORPGs. The GPU's percentile ranking of 88 among all tested GPUs places it in the upper tier, but its nearest rivals—such as the Intel Arc Pro A60 and AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48—have significantly lower average benchmark scores, indicating that the RTX 4090's real-world game performance is bolstered by its driver optimization and architecture.

At 4K, the GPU's limitations become apparent. The average FPS on Ultra is 34, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. Even on Low settings, 4K yields only 82 FPS, suggesting that the pixel fill rate and shading capacity are stretched. The 1.01 TB/s memory bandwidth is not the constraint, as the memory clock of 1313 MHz (21 Gbps effective) is ample for this title. Instead, the data points to the GPU's compute units being the limiting factor at high resolutions, as the 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance is distributed across more pixels. The benchmark results indicate that for a 4K experience, Medium settings (73 FPS) offer the best balance, while Ultra is only viable for screenshots or non-competitive play.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS rows, the optimal settings depend entirely on the target resolution and desired frame rate. For 1080p, the High preset delivers 128 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS standard and suitable for most displays. The Medium preset at 188 FPS is excessive unless the user has a 144 Hz or 240 Hz monitor, and the jump to Ultra at 87 FPS introduces a 32% performance penalty for marginal visual gains. The data suggests that High is the sweet spot at 1080p, offering a 47% FPS advantage over Ultra while maintaining high visual fidelity.

At 1440p, the Medium preset stands out with 127 FPS, providing smooth gameplay without the visual compromises of Low (143 FPS). High at 86 FPS is still playable but begins to show the GPU's workload, while Ultra at 59 FPS dips below the 60 FPS threshold, making it unsuitable for fast-paced combat. The recommendation is Medium for 1440p, as it maintains a 48% FPS lead over High and avoids the stutter-prone Ultra setting.

For 4K, the choices are more constrained. Low at 82 FPS is the only preset that consistently exceeds 60 FPS, but it sacrifices most graphical effects. Medium at 73 FPS is a viable alternative, offering a 49% improvement over High (49 FPS) and a 115% improvement over Ultra (34 FPS). The measured min FPS of 62 on Medium at 4K indicates that even the dips remain above the playable threshold, whereas Ultra's lack of min FPS data suggests potential instability. The data-driven recommendation is Medium for 4K, as it provides the best compromise between visual quality and performance, with High and Ultra reserved for environments with low player density.

Measured FPS Breakdown

1920x1080: The resolution delivers the highest frame rates across all settings. Low averages 212 FPS, Medium 188 FPS (min 160, max 217), High 128 FPS, and Ultra 87 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra is 125 FPS, indicating that settings have a profound impact on performance. The Medium preset's max FPS of 217 nearly matches Low's average, suggesting that the GPU is rarely the bottleneck at this resolution.

2560x1440: Performance drops notably. Low averages 143 FPS, Medium 127 FPS (min 108, max 146), High 86 FPS, and Ultra 59 FPS. The delta between Low and Ultra is 84 FPS, a smaller margin than at 1080p, showing that the GPU is beginning to saturate. The Medium preset's min FPS of 108 is still respectable, but Ultra's average of 59 FPS is borderline.

3840x2160: The highest resolution exposes the GPU's limits. Low averages 82 FPS, Medium 73 FPS (min 62, max 84), High 49 FPS, and Ultra 34 FPS. The Low to Ultra spread is 48 FPS, the smallest of any resolution, confirming that pixel throughput is the dominant factor. The Medium preset's min FPS of 62 is the only sub-4K data point that stays above 60 FPS, making it the most consistent option for 4K gaming.

The data shows a clear hierarchy: 1080p is CPU and GPU balanced, 1440p is GPU-limited, and 4K is strictly GPU-bound. The lack of min/max FPS data for most presets limits the analysis of frame time consistency, but the available Medium data points (1080p: 160-217, 1440p: 108-146, 4K: 62-84) indicate that frame pacing is stable within each resolution.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured FPS, 1920x1080 provides the highest frame rates, with all presets exceeding 87 FPS. For a balance of visual quality and performance, 2560x1440 on Medium settings at 127 FPS is recommended, while 3840x2160 requires Medium settings at 73 FPS to stay playable.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 perform at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data shows an average of 34 FPS at 3840x2160 on Ultra, which is below the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. This suggests that Ultra settings are not viable for 4K in Archeage, even with a high-end GPU like the RTX 4090.

Q: Is the Core Ultra 7 265HX a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The 1080p Low preset averages 212 FPS, which is likely near the CPU's maximum frame delivery rate. The 20-core, 20-thread processor with a 5.30 GHz boost clock provides sufficient headroom, but the data indicates that the CPU can limit FPS at lower resolutions and settings.

Q: What is the difference between Low and High settings at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Low averages 143 FPS while High averages 86 FPS, a 66% performance reduction. This significant drop suggests that High settings introduce heavy graphical effects that tax the GPU's shading units, making it a poor trade-off for the visual improvement.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations?

A: The combination ranks 815 out of 3708 tested combos, placing it in the top 22% of all configurations. This ranking reflects the strong performance of both the CPU and GPU, though the 4K results pull the overall score down.

Q: Is the RTX 4090's 24 GB VRAM sufficient for Archeage?

A: The measured data shows no signs of VRAM-related stuttering or performance degradation, even at 4K Ultra. The 24 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 384-bit bus provides ample capacity and bandwidth for this MMORPG, as evidenced by the consistent FPS at higher settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, with a base clock of 2.60 GHz and a boost clock of 5.30 GHz. Its 30 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB per-core L2 cache are designed to handle the massive player counts and complex calculations typical of MMORPGs. The CPU's benchmark scores are robust, with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 40,642 and a single-core score of 5,737, placing it in the 93rd percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-13790F, scores nearly identically with a delta of 0.1%, indicating that the 265HX offers comparable raw computational power.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 212 FPS, which is likely constrained by the CPU's ability to process game logic and draw calls rather than the GPU's rendering capacity. The 20 threads provide ample parallelism for handling multiple players, NPCs, and physics calculations, but the single-thread performance (PassMark single-thread score of 4,500) is what drives the maximum frame rate. The CPU's 102.4 GB/s memory bandwidth with DDR5 support ensures that data can be fed to the GPU without bottlenecks, but the 3 nm process node and 55 W TDP suggest it is optimized for mobile efficiency rather than desktop-class performance.

The benchmark data shows that the CPU's impact diminishes as resolution increases. At 4K Ultra, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck, as the CPU has ample headroom to feed frames that the GPU cannot render quickly enough. The 265HX's PassMark multi-thread score of 47,985 is 1.2% ahead of the AMD Ryzen AI 7 450G, but this advantage does not translate to higher FPS at 4K, where the RTX 4090's 82.58 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the limiting factor. The CPU's 93rd percentile ranking confirms its high-end status, but in this specific game, it is only the primary driver of performance at 1080p Low and Medium presets.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265HX and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 combination ranks 815 out of 3,708 tested combos in Archeage, placing it in the top 22% of all configurations. This ranking is a composite of the CPU's 93rd percentile performance and the GPU's 88th percentile performance, but the game's measured FPS reveals that the pairing is not optimized for this title. The RTX 4090's end-of-life production status and 1,599 USD launch MSRP indicate it is a premium component, yet its performance in Archeage is hampered by the game's 2014-era engine, which may not fully utilize the GPU's modern features like ray tracing or DLSS.

Compared to other combos in the database, this pairing excels at 1080p, where it delivers over 200 FPS on Low settings, but it falls short at 4K Ultra, where the 34 FPS average is below the 60 FPS standard. The GPU's nearest rivals in benchmark scores, such as the AMD Radeon Pro W6600M (which has a 2.5% lower avg score), would likely perform similarly in this game, suggesting that the RTX 4090's raw power is not the differentiator. The CPU's position among rivals, with a 0.1% delta from the Intel Core i7-13790F, further indicates that this combo's ranking is driven more by the GPU's capabilities than the CPU's processing power.

The rank of 815 is respectable but not top-tier, as many combos with older, higher-clock CPUs and equally powerful GPUs likely achieve better frame rates in Archeage. The data shows that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can leverage the CPU's high single-thread performance and the GPU's massive shading throughput. For 4K, users would need to accept Medium settings at 73 FPS to stay playable, which is a significant compromise for a flagship GPU. The ranking reflects a system that is powerful but not perfectly matched to the game's demands, with the 4K Ultra result being the primary drag on its overall position.