Archeage

Archeage is a 2014 MMORPG, and this benchmark pairing uses the Intel Core Ultra 7 265K with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D. The data shows a combo that ranks first out of 2,761 tested configurations in this game, which is an exceptional result. The measured frames per second are consistently high across all tested resolutions, but the scaling patterns reveal where each component carries the load.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K is a 20-core, 20-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It has a base clock of 3.90 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, with a 30 MB shared L3 cache and 3 MB L2 cache per core. The processor supports DDR5 memory over a dual-channel bus with 102.4 GB/s bandwidth, and it houses integrated Arc Xe-LPG Graphics with 64 execution units for basic display output. The CPU benchmarks show a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 35,850 and a single-core score of 2,020, with a Geekbench multi-core score of 23,085 and single-core score of 2,713. Its passmark multi-thread score reaches 58,594, while single-thread performance sits at 4,928. The processor holds a 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs tested, with an average benchmark score of 70,879.

Comparing to nearest rivals, the Core Ultra 7 265K is essentially tied with the Intel Xeon 6511P, which scores 71,051, representing a delta of -0.2 percent. The Intel Xeon Platinum 8270 scores 71,370, putting the 265K behind by 0.7 percent. Against consumer chips, the Core i7-14700KF scores 70,163, which means the 265K is ahead by 1 percent, and the AMD Ryzen 7 9700F scores 69,996, trailing by 1.3 percent. These deltas are small, indicating the 265K sits in a competitive performance band for general compute workloads.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is evident from the low-settings results. At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the average FPS reaches 325, which is the highest figure recorded in this dataset. This high frame rate at a resolution where the GPU is less stressed indicates the CPU is capable of feeding the graphics card effectively. The 20 cores and 20 threads provide ample headroom for the game's background tasks and network handling, typical of MMORPG titles. The boost clock of 5.50 GHz helps with single-threaded game logic, which Archeage relies on for its simulation and UI updates. The data suggests the CPU is not a bottleneck at any tested resolution, as the frame rates scale predictably with resolution and settings changes.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D is a Blackwell 2.0 architecture GPU built on a 5 nm process by TSMC, with 92,200 million transistors on a 750 mm² die. It features 21,760 shading units, 680 texture mapping units, and 176 raster output units, alongside 170 ray tracing cores and 680 tensor cores. The GPU has 32 GB of GDDR7 memory on a 512-bit bus, delivering 1.79 TB/s of bandwidth. Its base clock runs at 2017 MHz with a boost clock of 2407 MHz, and memory operates at 1750 MHz, effective 28 Gbps. The compute capability is substantial, with FP32 performance reaching 104.8 TFLOPS and a pixel rate of 423.6 GPixel/s. The GPU benchmarks show a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 14,326, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 310,674, and a Vulkan score of 376,915. Passmark G3D scores 44,065, with GPU compute at 28,396. The GPU holds a 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 77,712.

Nearest rivals include the AMD Radeon RX 6650M XT, which scores 76,904, meaning the 5090 D is ahead by 1.1 percent. The AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT scores 78,940, putting the 5090 D behind by 1.6 percent. The NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB scores 79,396, trailing the 5090 D by 2.1 percent, and the Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB scores 79,605, behind by 2.4 percent. These deltas are modest, suggesting the 5090 D's raw compute benchmarks are in a similar range to these accelerators, though its gaming-specific features like the 32 GB VRAM and GDDR7 memory set it apart.

In Archeage, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced at higher resolutions and settings. The 32 GB VRAM is far more than this game requires, even at 4K Ultra, so memory capacity is not a limiting factor. The boost clock of 2407 MHz and the high memory bandwidth of 1.79 TB/s contribute to the smooth frame delivery seen in the data. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS drops to 52, which shows the GPU is working harder at the highest visual quality. The RTX 5090 D's architecture handles the draw calls and particle effects common in MMORPG combat, and the measured results indicate it can maintain playable frame rates even at 4K Ultra, though the margin is thinner than at lower settings.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows clear scaling patterns across the three tested resolutions. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 134 at Ultra settings to 325 at Low settings. Moving to 1440p, the range shifts to 90 at Ultra and 219 at Low. At 4K, the range tightens to 52 at Ultra and 125 at Low. The percentage drops from 1080p to 4K are substantial: at Low settings, the FPS falls from 325 to 125, a reduction of roughly 61.5 percent. At Medium settings, the drop is from 289 to 112, about 61.2 percent. High settings see a drop from 197 to 76, approximately 61.4 percent, and Ultra settings fall from 134 to 52, which is a 61.2 percent reduction. These near-uniform percentage drops across all settings indicate that the limiting component is consistent.

The consistent scaling suggests the GPU is the primary limiter as resolution increases, because the CPU performance is fixed regardless of resolution. At 1080p Low, the CPU-driven frame rate of 325 shows the processor's capability, but as resolution climbs, the GPU's fill rate and shading throughput take over. The fact that the percentage drops are almost identical across settings—around 61 percent—points to a linear relationship between pixel count and frame time, which is typical of a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions. At 1440p, the frame rates remain high, with Low settings hitting 219 FPS and Medium at 195 FPS, indicating that this combo can drive high refresh rate monitors at 1440p without issue. At 4K, the frame rates are still playable, but the Ultra preset drops to 52 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold some players prefer. The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck at 4K, as the frame rates would not scale so predictably with resolution if the CPU were holding back performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core Ultra 7 265K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D ranks first out of 2,761 tested combinations in Archeage. This top ranking is supported by the measured FPS data, which shows no other combo in the database achieving higher average frame rates at any tested setting. The CPU's 94th percentile ranking among all CPUs and the GPU's 92nd percentile ranking among all GPUs combine to create a pairing that is well-balanced for this title. The CPU's nearest rivals are all within a 1.3 percent delta in average benchmark score, meaning the 265K is not dramatically ahead of its competition in synthetic tests, yet the combo still achieves the top spot in this game. This suggests that Archeage benefits from the specific combination of the 265K's single-thread performance and the 5090 D's raw throughput, rather than relying on one component being overwhelmingly superior.

The GPU's nearest rivals include laptop-class GPUs like the RX 6650M XT and RX 6850M XT, as well as enterprise Tesla P100 cards. The 5090 D's 1.1 percent lead over the RX 6650M XT in average benchmark score is small, but in gaming workloads, the 5090 D's 32 GB VRAM and higher memory bandwidth provide advantages that synthetic benchmarks may not fully capture. The combo's first-place rank indicates that this pairing is the best tested for Archeage, and the measured FPS numbers confirm that no other configuration in the database delivers higher frame rates at any resolution or settings level tested. This is a meaningful distinction for a game that is over a decade old, as it shows the hardware is more than sufficient to max out the game's engine.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the measured average FPS is 325 at Low settings, 289 at Medium, 197 at High, and 134 at Ultra. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 246 FPS and maximum of 333 FPS, showing some variance but staying well above playable thresholds. The Low preset at 1080p produces the highest average FPS of any configuration tested, at 325. At 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 219 at Low, 195 at Medium, 132 at High, and 90 at Ultra. The Medium preset at 1440p shows a minimum of 166 FPS and a maximum of 224 FPS, indicating consistent performance with minor dips. At 3840x2160, the average FPS is 125 at Low, 112 at Medium, 76 at High, and 52 at Ultra. The Medium preset at 4K records a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 128 FPS, which is the only preset at 4K with min/max data available.

The progression from Low to Ultra at each resolution shows a predictable drop as settings increase. At 1080p, the jump from Low to Medium costs 36 FPS, from Medium to High costs 92 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 63 FPS. At 1440p, the same steps cost 24, 63, and 42 FPS respectively. At 4K, the steps cost 13, 36, and 24 FPS. The largest single-step drop is from Medium to High at 1080p, losing 92 FPS, which suggests that the High preset introduces significant visual effects that impact performance. The smallest drop is from Low to Medium at 4K, losing only 13 FPS, indicating that the Medium preset at 4K is not much more demanding than Low. The data shows that the Ultra preset is the most demanding, with the 4K Ultra average of 52 FPS being the lowest measured figure in the entire dataset.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the Medium preset offers the best balance of visual quality and performance across all resolutions. At 1080p, Medium delivers 289 FPS, which is more than enough for any high refresh rate monitor, and the minimum of 246 FPS ensures no noticeable stutter. At 1440p, Medium produces 195 FPS with a minimum of 166 FPS, still comfortably above 144 Hz displays. At 4K, Medium achieves 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS, which is smooth for most gaming scenarios. The Medium preset provides a substantial visual upgrade over Low while maintaining frame rates that are roughly 61 percent higher than High settings at each resolution. The step from Low to Medium offers the smallest performance cost, with only a 36 FPS drop at 1080p, a 24 FPS drop at 1440p, and a 13 FPS drop at 4K.

For players with 1080p or 1440p monitors, the High preset is also viable, delivering 197 FPS at 1080p and 132 FPS at 1440p. These frame rates are still excellent for competitive play, and the visual improvements over Medium may be worth the performance trade-off. However, at 4K, the High preset drops to 76 FPS, which is below the Medium preset's 112 FPS but still playable. The Ultra preset is only recommended for players with 1080p monitors, where 134 FPS is still smooth, or for those who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate at 1440p, where 90 FPS is acceptable. At 4K, the Ultra preset's 52 FPS average is below the 60 FPS threshold that many players consider the minimum for a smooth experience, so it should be avoided unless the player is willing to tolerate lower frame rates. The data clearly shows that Medium is the sweet spot for this combo, providing the best experience per the measured rows across all resolutions.