Archeage

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the AMD Radeon RX 570 delivers a deeply unbalanced experience in Archeage, one that is heavily constrained by the graphics card. The data shows a CPU with flagship-class headroom and a GPU that is end-of-life, resulting in performance that caps out at playable levels only at 1080p with the lowest settings. This analysis walks through the core specifications, measured frame rates, and the implications for each component’s role in this specific MMO.

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

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a 24-core, 24-thread processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, manufactured on a 3 nm process. It operates with a base clock of 3.70 GHz and a boost clock of 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The processor features a substantial 36 MB of shared L3 cache, alongside 192 KB of L1 and 3 MB of L2 cache per core. Its memory bandwidth is rated at 115.2 GB/s over a dual-channel DDR5 interface. This specification sheet places the CPU in the 96th percentile among all tested processors, with an average benchmark score of 84003.

In synthetic tests, the processor demonstrates its strength: a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51731 and a single-core score of 7303. The Passmark single-thread score is 4823, and the multi-thread score reaches 60860. These figures indicate a processor with immense capability for both lightly-threaded and heavily-threaded workloads. However, in Archeage, the measured frame rates do not reflect this potential. At 1080p Low settings, the system delivers 62 FPS, which is the highest average in the dataset. The pattern across all resolutions and settings suggests a bottleneck that is not the CPU.

The game’s release date of 2014-01-14 is a key factor. Archeage is an MMORPG from that era, and its engine is unlikely to scale with 24 physical cores. While the CPU’s high single-core performance is theoretically beneficial for older game engines, the frame rate data shows that even at 1080p Low, the system cannot exceed 62 FPS. This is far below what the CPU’s single-core score of 736 in Cinebench R15 would suggest. The limiting factor is the graphics card, which saturates its resources long before the CPU can be stressed. The data points to a scenario where the CPU is essentially idle, waiting on the GPU to complete its rendering tasks. The 24 threads are irrelevant for this workload; the game simply does not use them. The CPU’s 96th percentile ranking is moot when the GPU’s percentile is 74, and the actual bottleneck is the latter.

FAQ — 4-6 Q&A pairs answerable from FACT PACK data

Q: What is the highest average frame rate achieved by this combo in Archeage?

A: The highest average frame rate recorded is 62 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 resolution with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the measured data that reaches a level generally considered smooth for an MMO.

Q: How does the combo perform at 4K resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, the performance is severely limited. The average frame rates are 24 FPS on Low, 21 FPS on Medium, 14 FPS on High, and 10 FPS on Ultra settings. These figures are far below playable thresholds, indicating the GPU is overwhelmed at this resolution.

Q: Is there a significant difference between Medium and High settings at 1440p?

A: Yes, there is a 12 FPS difference. At 2560x1440, the Medium preset yields an average of 37 FPS, while the High preset drops to 25 FPS. This suggests a steep performance cost for the visual improvements in the High preset.

Q: What is the minimum frame rate recorded for the Medium preset at 1080p?

A: For the 1920x1080 Medium preset, the minimum frame rate is 47 FPS, with a maximum of 63 FPS. The average is 55 FPS, indicating some frame-time variance but a generally stable experience.

Q: How does the GPU’s benchmark score compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 570 has an average benchmark score of 28766. Its closest rival, the AMD Radeon RX 6800M, scores 28874, which is 0.4% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 470 scores 28996, 0.8% higher, while the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 8000 scores 28421, 1.2% lower.

Q: Does the CPU’s performance ranking suggest it is the limiting factor in this game?

A: No. The CPU is in the 96th percentile of all CPUs, while the GPU is in the 74th percentile. The measured frame rates, which cap at 62 FPS, suggest the GPU is the primary bottleneck, as the CPU has ample headroom to handle the game’s demands.

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

The frame rate data across resolutions reveals a classic symptom of a GPU-bound system. Moving from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 and then to 3840x2160 causes a predictable and severe drop in performance, which is characteristic of a graphics card that is unable to handle the increasing pixel count. At Low settings, the average frame rate drops from 62 FPS at 1080p to 42 FPS at 1440p, a 32% reduction. From 1440p to 4K, the frame rate drops further to 24 FPS, another 43% reduction. This pattern is consistent across all settings presets.

For the Medium preset, the average frame rate at 1080p is 55 FPS, dropping to 37 FPS at 1440p and 21 FPS at 4K. The High preset shows a similar trend: 37 FPS at 1080p, 25 FPS at 1440p, and 14 FPS at 4K. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding, yields 26 FPS at 1080p, 17 FPS at 1440p, and 10 FPS at 4K. The consistency of these drops—roughly halving or more with each step up in resolution—indicates that the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors.

If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see frame rates that are similar across resolutions, since the CPU’s workload does not scale with resolution. Instead, the data shows a steep decline, confirming that the AMD Radeon RX 570, with its 4 GB of GDDR5 memory and 224.0 GB/s bandwidth, is saturated. The GPU’s pixel rate of 39.81 GPixel/s and texture rate of 159.2 GTexel/s are simply insufficient for higher resolutions in a modern rendering context. The data strongly suggests that the CPU is not the limiting component; it is the GPU that dictates the performance ceiling.

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

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of this combo’s performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the system is barely adequate for playable frame rates on lower presets. The Low preset achieves an average of 62 FPS, which is the best result in the entire dataset. The Medium preset averages 55 FPS, with a minimum of 47 FPS and a maximum of 63 FPS, showing some fluctuation. The High preset drops to 37 FPS, and the Ultra preset falls to 26 FPS. These numbers indicate that at 1080p, the user must choose between visual fidelity and smoothness, with only Low and Medium offering acceptable averages.

At 2560x1440, the performance becomes more constrained. The Low preset averages 42 FPS, which is still technically playable but lacks headroom. The Medium preset averages 37 FPS, with a minimum of 32 FPS and a maximum of 43 FPS. The High preset averages 25 FPS, which is borderline for an MMO where quick reactions may be needed. The Ultra preset averages just 17 FPS, which is not a viable choice for gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the combo is effectively unusable for any serious gaming. The Low preset averages 24 FPS, the Medium preset averages 21 FPS, the High preset averages 14 FPS, and the Ultra preset averages 10 FPS. The Medium preset has a recorded minimum of 18 FPS and a maximum of 24 FPS, showing that even the best-case scenario is below 25 FPS. These frame rates are far below the threshold for a responsive experience, and the data indicates that 4K is not a feasible resolution for this hardware combination in Archeage.

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

The AMD Radeon RX 570 is a 14 nm GPU based on the GCN 4.0 architecture, featuring the Polaris 20 chip. It has 2048 shading units, 128 TMUs, and 32 ROPs. The GPU operates at a base clock of 1168 MHz and a boost clock of 1244 MHz, with memory running at 1750 MHz (7 Gbps effective). It is equipped with 4 GB of GDDR5 memory on a 256-bit bus, providing 224.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The GPU’s FP32 performance is rated at 5.095 TFLOPS. This is an end-of-life product, released on 2017-04-17, with a launch MSRP of 169 USD.

The GPU’s benchmark scores are modest: a 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 880, a Geekbench OpenCL score of 32084, a Geekbench Vulkan score of 42752, and a Geekbench Metal score of 39349. Its average benchmark score is 28766, placing it in the 74th percentile of all GPUs. This performance level is insufficient for the demands of Archeage at higher resolutions. The 4 GB VRAM is a particular concern, as it is likely to be a limiting factor for texture loading and memory allocation at 1440p and 4K, even if the GPU’s compute power could theoretically handle the load.

The data shows that the GPU is the bottleneck in this pairing. The CPU’s performance is head and shoulders above the GPU’s, and the frame rates are consistently low across all settings. The GPU’s memory bandwidth of 224.0 GB/s is a key constraint; at 4K, the pixel throughput required to fill the screen exceeds what the GPU can deliver, resulting in the sub-25 FPS averages seen in the measured data. The GPU’s end-of-life status and its 74th percentile ranking are consistent with the observed performance, which is a far cry from the CPU’s 96th percentile ranking.

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

Based on the measured data, the optimal preset for this combo is the Low settings at 1920x1080 resolution. This is the only configuration that achieves an average frame rate above 60 FPS, with a score of 62 FPS. This is the baseline for a smooth experience in an MMORPG, where consistent frame rates are important for combat and world navigation. The Medium preset at 1080p, with an average of 55 FPS, is also a viable option, offering a better visual experience with a modest performance penalty. The minimum of 47 FPS and maximum of 63 FPS for this preset show that it is mostly stable, though it can dip below 50 FPS.

For users who prioritize visuals over frame rate, the High preset at 1080p, with an average of 37 FPS, is the highest quality setting that remains technically playable. However, this comes with a significant drop from the Medium preset, and the frame rate is likely to feel less responsive. The Ultra preset at any resolution is not recommended, as the average frame rates are below 30 FPS at 1080p and drop to single digits at 4K. Similarly, any preset above Low at 1440p or 4K is not advisable, as the average frame rates fall below 45 FPS, and the experience will be marred by stuttering and lag.

The data shows a clear trade-off: to achieve a smooth experience, the user must drop to the Low preset at 1080p. The Medium preset at 1080p offers a compromise, but it is the highest setting that can maintain an average above 50 FPS. For this hardware combination, the recommendation is to stick to 1080p and choose between Low and Medium based on personal preference for visual quality versus performance. Higher resolutions are simply not viable with this GPU.

How This Combo Ranks — use comboRankInGame vs other tested combos

In the overall ranking of tested hardware combinations for Archeage, this pairing of the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus and the AMD Radeon RX 570 ranks 2647 out of 2761 combos. This places it in the bottom 5% of all tested systems, which is a direct reflection of the GPU’s limitations. The rank is a composite measure of performance, and the data suggests that the CPU’s high benchmark scores are dragged down by the GPU’s inability to deliver playable frame rates at higher settings.

The ranking is particularly poor when considering the CPU’s capabilities. The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus is a top-tier processor, scoring in the 96th percentile of all CPUs. The fact that this combo ranks so low underscores the severe imbalance between the CPU and GPU. The GPU’s performance, which is in the 74th percentile, is the primary driver of this low rank. The GPU’s nearest rivals, such as the AMD Radeon RX 6800M (scoring 0.4% higher) and the AMD Radeon RX 470 (scoring 0.8% higher), would likely perform similarly in this game, confirming that the GPU’s tier is the limiting factor.

The rank of 2647 out of 2761 indicates that most other tested combinations, even those with older or weaker CPUs but stronger GPUs, would outperform this setup in Archeage. The data implies that the CPU is overqualified for the job, and the GPU is underqualified. For a game that is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, this combination is a poor match, and the ranking reflects that reality. The high-end CPU cannot compensate for the low-end GPU, and the overall experience is limited by the weakest link in the chain.