Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents a demanding workload for modern hardware, and the pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER produces a dataset that clearly illustrates the balance between CPU and GPU limitations. The measured FPS across resolutions and settings reveals a system that is capable of high refresh rates at 1080p but struggles to maintain playability at 4K, particularly with higher graphical presets. This analysis breaks down the benchmark results for this specific combination, focusing on scaling, settings, component roles, and its standing among other tested combos.

Resolution Scaling

The performance drop from 1080p to 4K is steep and non-linear, indicating a shift in the bottleneck from the CPU to the GPU as resolution increases. At High settings, the average frame rate falls from 86 FPS at 1920x1080 to 58 FPS at 2560x1440, a reduction of 28 FPS. Moving to 3840x2160 High yields only 33 FPS, which is a 53 FPS drop from the 1080p result. This trend is consistent across all settings, confirming that the RTX 2070 SUPER is the primary limiting factor at higher resolutions.

The scaling pattern is more revealing when examining the Low preset. At 1920x1080 Low, the combo achieves 142 FPS, which drops to 96 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 55 FPS at 3840x2160. The significant gap between the 1080p and 1440p results at Low settings (46 FPS) suggests that even at lower graphical loads, the GPU’s raw throughput is being heavily taxed by the increased pixel count. In contrast, the jump from 1440p to 4K at Low settings (a 41 FPS drop) shows the GPU is still the dominant constraint, as the CPU has ample headroom at this low graphical load.

Ultra settings present a particularly challenging scenario. The average FPS at 1920x1080 Ultra is 59 FPS, which is already near the edge of smooth gameplay. At 2560x1440 Ultra, this falls to 39 FPS, and at 3840x2160 Ultra, it plummets to 23 FPS. The data shows that the gap between Medium and Ultra is substantial at every resolution; for instance, at 1080p, the difference is 67 FPS (126 vs. 59). This suggests that the Ultra preset’s additional graphical features have a disproportionately high cost on this GPU, making it unsuitable for demanding resolutions.

This data indicates that the system is CPU-bound at 1080p Low, where the 142 FPS is likely near the maximum the Core Ultra 7 270K Plus can deliver in this MMORPG. However, as resolution and settings increase, the load shifts decisively to the GPU. The RTX 2070 SUPER, with its 8 GB of GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, begins to saturate, causing the frame rate to drop dramatically. The 4K results, which hover between 23 and 55 FPS depending on settings, clearly show that this resolution is not viable for a consistent experience with this GPU.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured rows, the optimal balance between visual fidelity and performance is found at Medium settings. At 1920x1080 Medium, the combo produces an average of 126 FPS with a minimum of 107 FPS, ensuring a smooth and responsive experience. This is a significant improvement over High settings, which average 86 FPS, and it retains a much higher frame rate than the 59 FPS average seen at Ultra. For competitive play or high-refresh-rate monitors, Medium at 1080p offers the best experience, as the 126 FPS average is more than double the 59 FPS at Ultra.

For users with 2560x1440 displays, Medium settings are also the recommended choice. The average of 85 FPS with a minimum of 72 FPS provides a solid gameplay experience that is superior to the 58 FPS on High and the 39 FPS on Ultra. While the Low preset achieves a higher average of 96 FPS, the visual compromise is significant, and the Medium preset’s 85 FPS average is generally sufficient for a playable and more visually appealing experience.

At 3840x2160, no preset provides a fully satisfactory frame rate. The best option is Low, which averages 55 FPS, but this is still below the 60 FPS target for many players. Medium at 4K averages 49 FPS with a minimum of 41 FPS, which may be tolerable for slower-paced content but is not ideal for action-heavy scenarios. High and Ultra at 4K are effectively unplayable, with averages of 33 FPS and 23 FPS, respectively. Therefore, the data strongly suggests that 4K resolution should be avoided for this game with this hardware combination.

The Low preset at 1080p yields the highest average FPS at 142, but the Medium preset offers the best overall package. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs only 16 FPS on average (from 142 to 126), while providing improved visual quality. The jump from Medium to High is much more costly, losing 40 FPS (from 126 to 86). This shows that the High preset’s enhancements are not efficiently implemented on this GPU, making Medium the sweet spot for the RTX 2070 SUPER.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER is a Turing-architecture GPU with 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 448.0 GB/s of memory bandwidth. Its base clock is 1605 MHz with a boost clock of 1770 MHz. In the context of Archeage, these specifications are the primary determinant of frame rates at higher resolutions and settings. The GPU’s 65th percentile ranking among all GPUs, based on an average benchmark score of 20282, places it as a mid-range performer, and the measured FPS reflects this position.

The VRAM capacity of 8 GB is a critical factor. At 1080p and 1440p, the card’s memory allocation appears sufficient, as the FPS drops are more attributable to compute and bandwidth limits. However, at 4K, the combination of higher resolution textures and increased geometry may be pushing against the 8 GB limit, contributing to the severe performance degradation seen at High and Ultra settings. The benchmark data shows that at 3840x2160, the average FPS falls from 55 on Low to 49 on Medium, a smaller drop than the 49 to 33 transition from Medium to High, which could indicate a memory or bandwidth bottleneck being hit.

The GPU’s raw compute power, rated at 9.062 TFLOPS for FP32, is the limiting factor at 4K. The data shows that the FPS at 4K Ultra (23 FPS) is less than half of the FPS at 1440p Ultra (39 FPS), demonstrating that the pixel fill rate and shading complexity of 4K overwhelm the GPU’s capabilities. The RTX 2070 SUPER’s performance is also closely matched by its nearest rivals, such as the Intel Arc B570 (with a deltaPct of -1.3) and the Intel Arc A750 (with a deltaPct of -1.5), indicating that its performance profile is well understood within its class.

The GPU’s DirectX 12 benchmark score of 67 (Passmark) is notably lower than its DirectX 11 score of 151, which may be relevant for a game like Archeage that may rely on older APIs. However, the measured FPS data is the definitive source, showing that the GPU handles 1080p and 1440p Medium settings well, but its architecture and memory subsystem are not equipped for the demands of 4K gaming in this title. The 14 Gbps effective memory speed and 256-bit bus are adequate for 1440p, but the data clearly shows a wall at 4K.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested combinations for Archeage, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER holds a rank of 1594 out of 2761 combos. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the ranking, which is consistent with its performance profile. The rank is likely dragged down by the GPU, as the CPU is a top-tier performer, but the overall frame rates in this MMORPG are not exceptional due to the GPU’s limitations at higher settings.

The combo’s rank of 1594 out of 2761 means that roughly 42% of tested configurations perform better than this one in Archeage. This is a direct consequence of the RTX 2070 SUPER’s mid-range standing, as indicated by its 65th percentile among GPUs. While the CPU is in the 96th percentile among CPUs, the GPU’s average benchmark score of 20282 is only 65th percentile, creating an imbalance. The system is essentially held back by the GPU in most gaming scenarios.

The CPU’s nearest rivals, such as the Intel Xeon 6520P (with a deltaPct of 0) and the AMD EPYC 4564P (with a deltaPct of -1.5), have nearly identical average CPU scores. However, in the context of this game, the GPU is the deciding factor for the combo’s rank. A combo with a similar CPU but a faster GPU would rank significantly higher. The data suggests that the Ultra 7 270K Plus has the headroom to support a more powerful GPU, but with the RTX 2070 SUPER, the system’s potential is capped by the graphics card’s performance.

The rank also reflects the game’s demanding nature at high settings. While the combo can achieve 142 FPS at 1080p Low, the 23 FPS at 4K Ultra is a severe outlier that pulls down its overall standing. The rank of 1594 indicates that this is a capable 1080p and 1440p system, but it is not optimized for high-resolution or max-settings play in Archeage. The data shows that for this specific game, the GPU is the bottleneck, and the combo’s ranking is a direct reflection of that.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.50 GHz. It has 36 MB of shared L3 cache and supports dual-channel DDR5 memory with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s. In Archeage, this processor provides a strong foundation, but its role is largely to feed the GPU and handle game logic and NPC AI. The data shows that its influence on FPS is most apparent at lower resolutions and settings.

At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the combo achieves 142 FPS. This high frame rate is likely near the CPU’s limit for the game’s single-threaded or lightly-threaded tasks, despite the processor’s 24 cores. The CPU’s Passmark single-thread score of 5068 and Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2439 indicate strong per-core performance, which is critical for MMORPGs that often have a primary game thread. The boost clock of 5.50 GHz is instrumental in achieving these high single-thread results.

The CPU’s 24 cores and 24 threads provide ample multi-threaded capacity, as evidenced by its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 44253 and Passmark multithread score of 68574. However, Archeage may not be able to utilize all 24 cores effectively, meaning that the high core count is not a primary factor in its gaming performance. Instead, the high boost clock and efficient architecture are more relevant. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs confirms that it is a top-tier processor, but its gaming performance is often limited by the GPU in this combination.

The data shows that the CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios. For example, at 2560x1440 High, the FPS drops to 58, which is a significant reduction from the 86 FPS at 1080p High. If the CPU were the limiting factor, the FPS would remain more constant across resolutions. The fact that FPS drops with resolution confirms that the GPU is the primary constraint. The CPU’s role is to maintain a high enough frame rate ceiling so that the GPU can work at its maximum potential, and at 1080p Low, it does exactly that, achieving 142 FPS.

FAQ

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

A: Based on the measured data, 1920x1080 is the best resolution. At Medium settings, it averages 126 FPS with a minimum of 107 FPS, which is the best balance of performance and visual quality. 2560x1440 is also viable, averaging 85 FPS on Medium, but 3840x2160 should be avoided as even Low settings only average 55 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2070 SUPER’s 8 GB VRAM affect 4K performance?

A: The 8 GB VRAM, combined with the GPU’s 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, appears insufficient for 4K. The data shows a severe drop in performance at 3840x2160, with the average FPS falling to 33 on High and 23 on Ultra, indicating that the GPU is overwhelmed by the memory and compute demands of 4K rendering.

Q: Is the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus a bottleneck for the RTX 2070 SUPER?

A: The data indicates that the CPU is not the bottleneck in most scenarios. The FPS scales inversely with resolution, dropping from 142 FPS at 1080p Low to 55 FPS at 4K Low, which shows the GPU is the limiting factor. The CPU’s high single-thread performance, with a boost clock of 5.50 GHz, is sufficient to drive the GPU at lower resolutions.

Q: What is the difference in average FPS between Medium and Ultra at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the Medium preset averages 85 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 39 FPS. This represents a 46 FPS difference, showing that the Ultra preset’s graphical enhancements have a very high cost on this GPU, making Medium the recommended setting for this resolution.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combos in Archeage?

A: This specific combo, the Intel Core Ultra 7 270K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER, ranks 1594 out of 2761 tested combos in Archeage. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the ranking, primarily due to the GPU’s mid-range performance.

Q: At 1080p, which settings provide the highest average FPS?

A: The Low preset provides the highest average FPS at 1920x1080, achieving 142 FPS. However, the Medium preset is only slightly slower at 126 FPS and offers better visual quality, making it the recommended choice for the best overall experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The following table details the exact average FPS measurements for each resolution and settings combination. Where available, minimum and maximum FPS values are included for the Medium preset.

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 142 FPS
• Medium: Average 126 FPS, Minimum 107 FPS, Maximum 145 FPS
• High: Average 86 FPS
• Ultra: Average 59 FPS

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 96 FPS
• Medium: Average 85 FPS, Minimum 72 FPS, Maximum 98 FPS
• High: Average 58 FPS
• Ultra: Average 39 FPS

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 55 FPS
• Medium: Average 49 FPS, Minimum 41 FPS, Maximum 56 FPS
• High: Average 33 FPS
• Ultra: Average 23 FPS

The data shows a clear progression: performance degrades as both resolution and settings increase. The most playable configuration is 1080p Medium, which provides an average of 126 FPS. The 1440p Medium setting is a strong alternative, maintaining an average of 85 FPS. The 4K resolution is only marginally playable on Low settings, with an average of 55 FPS, while Ultra settings at 4K result in an unplayable 23 FPS average. The minimum FPS values for Medium settings also show that 1080p has a higher floor (107 FPS) compared to 1440p (72 FPS) and 4K (41 FPS), indicating more consistent frame pacing at lower resolutions.