Archeage

Archeage is a 2014 MMORPG that remains sensitive to both CPU and GPU performance depending on resolution and settings. This analysis pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, using measured frame rate data across three resolutions and four quality presets. The combination ranks 1487th out of 2761 tested combos in this title, placing it in the upper-middle tier of systems. The data shows a clear split: at 1080p the processor dominates the frame rate ceiling, while at 4K the graphics card becomes the limiting factor.

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 desktop processor based on the Arrow Lake Refresh architecture, built on a 3 nm process by TSMC. It runs at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and boosts to 5.80 GHz, with a 125 W TDP. The cache hierarchy includes 192 KB of L1 per core, 3 MB of L2 per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Memory support is DDR5 over a dual-channel bus, providing 115.2 GB/s of bandwidth. This processor sits in the 96th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 84003.

In synthetic tests, the CPU scores 5214 points in Cinebench R15 multi-core and 736 in single-core, while Cinebench R23 yields 51731 multi-core and 7303 single-core. PassMark results show a multi-thread score of 60860, a single-thread score of 4823, and a physics score of 3315. The nearest rival, the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K, scores 83807 on average, a mere 0.2% difference, meaning the two are effectively interchangeable in this game. The AMD EPYC 4584PX (83090, +1.1%) and EPYC 9135 (82980, +1.2%) trail slightly, while the EPYC 7F72 leads by 1.3% at 85072.

For Archeage, the CPU's role is most evident at 1080p, where frame rates reach 153 FPS on Low settings — nearly triple the 4K High result. The 24 cores and high boost clock ensure that even heavily populated zones with many NPCs and player characters do not bottleneck the GPU at lower resolutions. The single-thread performance, measured at 4823 in PassMark, is particularly relevant for an MMORPG engine that often relies on main-thread logic for game state updates. At 1080p Medium the average is 136 FPS, and even at Ultra it stays at 63 FPS, indicating the processor can feed the GPU well beyond the 60 FPS threshold in most scenarios. The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary constraint until the resolution drops to 1080p and settings are lowered, where the frame rate scales with the processor's capabilities rather than the GPU's.

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

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with the AD107 chip, fabricated on a 5 nm process by TSMC. It has 3072 shading units, 96 texture mapping units, and 48 raster output units, along with 24 ray tracing cores and 96 tensor cores. The GPU runs at a base clock of 1830 MHz and boosts to 2460 MHz, with memory clocked at 2125 MHz (17 Gbps effective). It features 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 128-bit bus, delivering 272.0 GB/s of bandwidth. The card is rated at 115 W TDP and connects via PCIe 4.0 x8. It ranks in the 61st percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 17639.

Synthetic GPU benchmarks show a PassMark G3D score of 19545, a DirectX 12 score of 76, and a DirectX 11 score of 175. In 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, it scores 2302. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon HD 7790 (17666, -0.2%), the AMD Radeon 780M (17588, +0.3%), and the AMD Radeon Pro 560 (17551, +0.5%). These comparisons indicate the RTX 4060 is a mid-range card, not a high-end part, which becomes apparent in Archeage's 4K results.

At 4K, the GPU's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit memory bus become limiting factors. The measured average frame rate drops to 36 FPS on High settings and 24 FPS on Ultra, which is below the playable threshold for most users. The 272.0 GB/s bandwidth is sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 3840x2160 the card struggles to maintain fluid motion. The boost clock of 2460 MHz helps at lower resolutions, where the card achieves 92 FPS at 1080p High and 103 FPS at 1440p Low, but the architecture's limited memory throughput prevents it from scaling to 4K effectively. The data shows that the RTX 4060 is the primary bottleneck at 4K, while at 1080p it is the CPU that dictates performance.

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

The measured frame rates reveal a clear pattern of diminishing returns as resolution increases. At 1080p Low, the system delivers 153 FPS; at 1440p Low, it drops to 103 FPS; and at 4K Low, it falls to 59 FPS. That is a 61% reduction from 1080p to 4K at Low settings. The trend is even more pronounced at High settings: 92 FPS at 1080p, 62 FPS at 1440p, and 36 FPS at 4K — a 61% drop as well. This consistency across presets indicates that the scaling is driven by the GPU's rendering load, not by CPU limitations.

The data suggests that at 1080p, the CPU is the limiting component. The frame rate gap between Low (153 FPS) and High (92 FPS) is 61 FPS, but the CPU can still push beyond 90 FPS even at High. At 4K, however, the GPU becomes the bottleneck: Low yields 59 FPS, High yields 36 FPS, and Ultra yields just 24 FPS. The difference between 1440p Medium (91 FPS) and 1080p Medium (136 FPS) is 45 FPS, while the difference between 4K Medium (52 FPS) and 1440p Medium is 39 FPS. This shows that the RTX 4060's performance degrades proportionally with pixel count, which is typical for a mid-range GPU.

The 4K Ultra result of 24 FPS is particularly telling. It is less than half of the 4K Low result, indicating that the Ultra preset adds significant shading and post-processing effects that the GPU cannot handle at this resolution. Conversely, at 1080p, the CPU's 24 cores allow the GPU to run at near its maximum potential, as evidenced by the 153 FPS Low result. The scaling analysis points to a balanced system at 1440p, where neither component is severely overstretched, making that resolution the sweet spot for this combination.

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

For this CPU-GPU combo, the data supports 1440p Medium as the best balance of visual quality and performance. At 2560x1440 Medium, the system averages 91 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay in an MMORPG, where combat responsiveness matters. The 1440p High preset averages 62 FPS, which is playable but leaves less headroom for demanding areas with many players. The 1440p Low preset hits 103 FPS, but the visual downgrade is unnecessary given that Medium provides near-identical frame rates.

At 1080p, the Ultra preset delivers 63 FPS, which is acceptable but not ideal for a game that relies on quick reactions. The 1080p Medium preset at 136 FPS is overkill for most monitors, and the visual difference between Medium and High (92 FPS) is not worth the 44 FPS penalty. For users with 4K displays, the data shows no playable preset: even Low only reaches 59 FPS, and the minimum frame rates are not recorded for most 4K settings, suggesting instability. The Medium preset at 4K averages 52 FPS with a minimum of 45 FPS, which may be tolerable in less crowded zones but risks stuttering in combat.

The recommendation is to prioritize 1440p Medium for the best experience, as it provides a 91 FPS average with a tight minimum-to-maximum range of 78 to 105 FPS. If a user prefers higher visual fidelity, 1440p High at 62 FPS is viable, but the 29 FPS drop from Medium is significant. At 1080p, High is the best choice for those with high-refresh monitors, as it balances the CPU and GPU loads without pushing the system to its limits. The Ultra preset should be avoided at 4K entirely, as the 24 FPS average is unplayable.

FAQ

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

A: The data shows 2560x1440 Medium as the optimal choice, with an average of 91 FPS and a minimum of 78 FPS. This resolution balances the CPU and GPU loads, avoiding the 4K bottleneck while providing better visual detail than 1080p.

Q: Can this system run Archeage at 4K?

A: Yes, but only at Low settings, which averages 59 FPS. Medium at 4K drops to 52 FPS, High falls to 36 FPS, and Ultra is unplayable at 24 FPS. The RTX 4060's 8 GB VRAM and 128-bit bus limit high-resolution performance.

Q: How does the CPU affect frame rates at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the CPU is the primary limiter. The system achieves 153 FPS on Low and 136 FPS on Medium, but even at Ultra it maintains 63 FPS, indicating the 24-core processor can handle the game's logic without bottlenecking the GPU.

Q: Is the RTX 4060 a good match for the Core Ultra 9 290K Plus?

A: The combination is balanced at 1440p, where neither component is severely overstressed. At 1080p, the GPU is underutilized, while at 4K, the GPU is insufficient. The data suggests they are well-matched only in the mid-resolution range.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1080p, Low averages 153 FPS and Ultra averages 63 FPS, a difference of 90 FPS. This large gap shows that the Ultra preset heavily increases GPU load, even though the CPU can still deliver high frame rates.

Q: How does the combo rank among other systems in Archeage?

A: The combination ranks 1487th out of 2761 tested combos, placing it in the 54th percentile of all systems. This is consistent with the mid-range GPU and high-end CPU pairing, which performs well at 1440p but not at 4K.

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

1920x1080 (1080p)

• Low: Average 153 FPS. This is the highest frame rate recorded across all settings and resolutions, showing the CPU's ability to push the GPU to its limits.
• Medium: Average 136 FPS, with a minimum of 115 FPS and a maximum of 156 FPS. The narrow range indicates stable performance.
• High: Average 92 FPS. This is a 44 FPS drop from Medium, reflecting the increased GPU workload from better textures and effects.
• Ultra: Average 63 FPS. This is the lowest 1080p result, but still above the 60 FPS threshold, making it playable on standard monitors.

2560x1440 (1440p)

• Low: Average 103 FPS. The 50 FPS drop from 1080p Low shows the GPU's rendering load increasing with pixel count.
• Medium: Average 91 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS. This is the recommended setting, offering smooth gameplay with visual quality.
• High: Average 62 FPS. This is just above the 60 FPS playability line, but the 29 FPS drop from Medium is significant.
• Ultra: Average 42 FPS. This is below the playable threshold for most users, indicating the GPU cannot handle Ultra at this resolution.

3840x2160 (4K)

• Low: Average 59 FPS. This is the only 4K setting that approaches playability, but it still falls short of a solid 60 FPS.
• Medium: Average 52 FPS, with a minimum of 45 FPS and a maximum of 60 FPS. The minimum frame rate suggests occasional drops in demanding scenes.
• High: Average 36 FPS. This is a 23 FPS drop from Medium, showing the GPU's struggle with increased detail.
• Ultra: Average 24 FPS. This is unplayable, confirming that the RTX 4060 is not suited for 4K Ultra in Archeage.