Archeage

Archeage, a 2014 MMORPG, presents an interesting challenge for modern hardware. The data for the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile reveals a combination that is powerful, yet its performance is heavily dictated by the game's engine and the settings chosen. This analysis examines the measured FPS data to understand the role of each component and how this specific combo ranks among the thousands tested.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is a 16-core, 22-thread mobile processor based on the Meteor Lake architecture. It operates on a 7 nm process node and features a base clock of 3.90 GHz, which can boost up to 5.10 GHz. This high boost clock is crucial for gaming, as many game engines, including those from the MMORPG genre, often rely on single-thread performance for core game logic and physics. The processor also has a substantial 24 MB of shared L3 cache, which helps keep frequently accessed data close to the cores, reducing latency.

In the context of Archeage, the CPU's role appears to be significant, especially at lower resolutions. When comparing the 1080p Low setting (212 FPS) to the 4K High setting (49 FPS), the performance drop is substantial. This suggests that at 1080p, the GPU is not the primary bottleneck; instead, the CPU's ability to feed the GPU with draw calls and game state updates is being tested. The Cinebench R23 scores of 17984.5 (multi-core) and 1810.5 (single-core) provide a general indication of its compute capability, but the game's specific engine behavior is what ultimately matters.

The processor's standing relative to its peers is solid, sitting in the 85th percentile of all CPUs. Its average benchmark score of 35670 places it in close competition with several others. For instance, it is just 0.1% behind the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350 and 0.2% behind the Intel Core 7 250H. This indicates that while the Core Ultra 9 185H is a high-tier performer, it is not overwhelmingly ahead of its direct competitors in synthetic tests. However, the real-world gaming data for Archeage shows that this CPU, when paired with a top-tier GPU, can deliver high frame rates, particularly when the resolution is lowered to reduce the GPU load.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

The combined performance of the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is ranked 815th out of 3708 tested combos for Archeage. This places the pairing in the top 22% of all tested systems, which is a strong showing. However, it is not at the very top, which is surprising given the high-end nature of both components. This suggests that there are other combinations that yield higher frame rates in this specific game, likely due to differences in CPU single-thread performance or platform-level advantages.

The rank indicates that while this system is capable of running Archeage very well, it is not the absolute best. The data shows that the combination excels at 1080p and 1440p, but its 4K performance is more modest. This is a critical distinction. A rank of 815 out of 3708 means that roughly 2,893 other combinations perform worse, but 814 perform better in this game. This could be due to the fact that Archeage, being an older title, may not fully utilize the multi-core capabilities of the Core Ultra 9 185H or the advanced features of the RTX 4090 Mobile, such as its 76 RT cores or 304 Tensor cores, which are not relevant for a game without ray tracing or DLSS support. The performance is instead tied to raw rasterization power and CPU clock speed.

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

The FPS scaling across resolutions provides a clear picture of where the bottleneck lies. At 1080p with Low settings, the system achieves 212 FPS. Moving to 1440p Low drops that to 143 FPS, a reduction of 32.5%. At 4K Low, the frame rate falls to 82 FPS, a 42.6% drop from 1440p. This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming increasingly stressed as the pixel count rises.

The trend is similar for High settings: 128 FPS at 1080p, 86 FPS at 1440p, and 49 FPS at 4K. The percentage drops are consistent, suggesting a predictable scaling curve. The fact that the frame rate scales down with resolution indicates that the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is the limiting factor at higher resolutions. The 16 GB of GDDR6 memory and 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth are substantial, but the sheer number of pixels at 4K requires more graphical work, which the GPU must perform.

However, the scaling from 1080p to 1440p is not perfectly linear. At Low settings, the drop is 69 FPS, while at High settings, it is 42 FPS. This suggests that at 1080p Low, the CPU might be holding the system back slightly, preventing the GPU from reaching even higher frame rates. At 1080p High, the GPU is already working harder, so the CPU bottleneck is less pronounced. By 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant constraint, as evidenced by the 4K Ultra setting dipping to just 34 FPS. The data implies that for this combo, 1440p is the sweet spot where the balance between CPU and GPU load yields excellent performance without severe frame rate drops.

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

The measured FPS data provides a detailed view of performance across various settings. At 1920x1080, the system is exceptionally fast. With Low settings, it averages 212 FPS. Medium settings see a reduction to 188 FPS, with a minimum of 160 and a maximum of 217 FPS. High settings produce an average of 128 FPS, and Ultra settings drop the average to 87 FPS. This shows a clear performance hierarchy, with each step up in quality costing a significant number of frames.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance remains strong but shows the expected decrease. Low settings yield 143 FPS. Medium settings average 127 FPS, with a window of 108 to 146 FPS. High settings drop to 86 FPS, and Ultra settings average 59 FPS. These numbers indicate that 1440p is highly playable across all settings, with even the most demanding preset maintaining a near-60 FPS average.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is pushed to its limits. Low settings produce an average of 82 FPS. Medium settings average 73 FPS, with a range of 62 to 84 FPS. High settings drop to 49 FPS, which is playable but not ideal for fast-paced action. Ultra settings bottom out at 34 FPS, which is a significant compromise. The data shows that for 4K gaming, users must select Low or Medium settings to achieve smooth frame rates, as the higher presets push the RTX 4090 Mobile beyond its comfort zone in this particular title.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile is a powerful GPU built on the Ada Lovelace architecture and fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It features 9728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output units. Its base clock is 1335 MHz with a boost clock of 1695 MHz. The GPU is equipped with 16 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 576.0 GB/s of bandwidth. This memory configuration is more than sufficient for Archeage, which is not a VRAM-intensive title.

The GPU's role in the measured results becomes more prominent as resolution increases. At 1080p, the GPU is often idle waiting for the CPU, as evidenced by the high frame rates. However, at 4K, the GPU's raw pixel-pushing power determines the outcome. The PassMark G3D score of 27212 and the Geekbench OpenCL score of 180831 indicate high compute capability, but the game's engine does not appear to leverage all of it. The 32.98 TFLOPS of FP32 performance is theoretically massive, but Archeage's engine, which likely relies on older DirectX 11 or 12 paths, may not be able to utilize the GPU's full potential.

The GPU's 84th percentile ranking among all GPUs and its close competition with the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (0.8% faster) and RTX 5050 Mobile (0.9% faster) in synthetic benchmarks is interesting. This suggests that while the RTX 4090 Mobile is a top-tier consumer part, its performance in synthetic tests is not dramatically higher than some workstation or newer mid-range parts. In Archeage, this translates to strong but not exceptional 4K performance, where the 4K Ultra setting struggles to maintain a playable frame rate.

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

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings depend on the user's resolution and preference for frame rate. For 1080p gaming, the High preset at 128 FPS offers an excellent balance of visual quality and smoothness. While Ultra at 87 FPS is still very playable, the visual difference between High and Ultra in a 2014 game may not justify the 32% performance drop. The Medium preset at 188 FPS is ideal for competitive play on high refresh rate monitors, but the visual fidelity is noticeably lower.

For 1440p, the High preset at 86 FPS provides a great experience for most players, offering good detail and a frame rate that is well above the 60 FPS standard. The Medium preset at 127 FPS is better for those with 144Hz displays who prioritize smoothness. The Ultra preset at 59 FPS is playable but sits right on the edge of the 60 FPS threshold, making it a less desirable choice.

For 4K gaming, the data strongly suggests using the Medium preset, which averages 73 FPS with a minimum of 62 FPS. This provides a smooth and consistent experience. The Low preset at 82 FPS is even faster but sacrifices visual quality. The High preset at 49 FPS is playable for slower, more methodical gameplay, but the Ultra preset at 34 FPS should be avoided, as it results in a choppy and less responsive experience. The recommendation is to prioritize the Medium preset at 4K to maintain a stable frame rate.

FAQ

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

A: The measured data shows the best balance at 2560x1440 with High settings, yielding 86 FPS. At 1920x1080, the system can reach 128 FPS on High, but 1440p offers a better visual experience with only a 33% performance drop.

Q: How does the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H compare to its closest rivals?

A: The processor's average benchmark score of 35670 is 0.1% lower than the AMD Ryzen AI 7 PRO 350's 35719 and 0.2% lower than the Intel Core 7 250H's 35728, indicating a very close performance tier.

Q: How does the RTX 4090 Mobile perform against the RTX 5050 Mobile in synthetic tests?

A: The RTX 4090 Mobile has an average benchmark score of 43667, which is 0.9% higher than the RTX 5050 Mobile's 43268. This indicates a slight performance advantage for the 4090 Mobile.

Q: Is the 16 GB VRAM of the RTX 4090 Mobile a limiting factor in Archeage?

A: Based on the data, the VRAM is not a limiting factor. The frame rate drops at 4K are due to the GPU's compute load, not memory capacity. The game is from 2014 and does not require high VRAM, so the 16 GB allocation is more than sufficient.

Q: What is the expected frame rate at 1080p with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Medium settings is 188 FPS, with a minimum of 160 FPS and a maximum of 217 FPS.

Q: How well does this combo rank among all tested systems?

A: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile combination is ranked 815th out of 3708 tested combos for Archeage, placing it in the top 22% of all systems.