Archeage

# Archeage with Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 delivers a broad range of performance in Archeage, spanning from a highly playable 43 FPS at 4K Ultra to a blistering 269 FPS at 1080p Low. This combination ranks in the 203rd position out of 3,708 tested configurations, placing it in the top 5.5% of all hardware pairings for this MMORPG. The data indicates a system that is heavily GPU-limited at higher resolutions and settings, while the CPU's substantial multi-core capabilities become more relevant at lower settings where frame rates exceed 200 FPS.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 1080p with High settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 163 FPS. This is a significant drop from the 269 FPS achieved at Low settings, showing a clear performance scaling curve tied to graphical fidelity.

Q: How does the RTX 4080 compare to its closest rival in raw benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 4080's average benchmark score is 54,247, which is 0.1% higher than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER's score of 54,209. It also leads the AMD Radeon Pro W5700X by 1.1% and the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB by 2.6%.

Q: What is the best resolution for achieving over 200 FPS consistently?

A: At 1920x1080 with Low settings, the system achieves 269 FPS, and with Medium settings, it reaches 240 FPS. These are the only two configurations in the measured data that break the 200 FPS barrier.

Q: Does the CPU have a significant impact on performance in this game?

A: Yes, the Intel Core Ultra 9 290K Plus has 24 cores and 24 threads with a boost clock of 5.80 GHz. Its benchmark scores, such as 51,731 in Cinebench R23 multi-core, suggest strong processing power, which is likely a limiting factor at lower resolutions where the GPU is less stressed.

Q: How does the system perform at 4K resolution with different settings?

A: At 3840x2160, the average FPS ranges from 104 FPS on Low settings to 43 FPS on Ultra settings. Medium settings provide a balanced 92 FPS, while High settings yield 63 FPS.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested GPUs?

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 ranks in the 86th percentile of all GPUs in the benchmark database. Its performance is closely matched by the RTX 4080 SUPER, which has a deltaPct of only 0.1%.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 serves as the primary graphics processor in this configuration, featuring 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus, delivering a memory bandwidth of 716.8 GB/s. The card's architecture, Ada Lovelace, is built on a 5 nm process at TSMC and includes 9,728 shading units, 304 texture mapping units, and 112 raster output pipelines. Operating at a base clock of 2205 MHz and a boost clock of 2505 MHz, the GPU's raw compute capability is rated at 48.74 TFLOPS for FP32 operations.

In the context of Archeage, the GPU's role becomes increasingly critical as resolution and settings increase. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS drops to 43, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck, struggling to render the highest fidelity visuals. Conversely, at 1080p Low, the GPU achieves 269 FPS, suggesting it is not the limiting factor at this lower workload. The measured data shows a clear pattern: the RTX 4080's performance headroom is vast at lower resolutions but is quickly consumed by the demands of 4K rendering. The 16 GB VRAM capacity is likely sufficient for Archeage's textures, even at Ultra settings, but the sheer pixel count at 3840x2160 poses a significant computational challenge. The GPU's benchmark scores, such as 34,457 in Passmark G3D and 6,567 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12, place it in the 86th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its high-end positioning. Its closest rival, the RTX 4080 SUPER, is nearly identical in average score (54,209 vs. 54,247), while the AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB trails by 2.6%, highlighting the RTX 4080's competitive standing in this segment.

CPU Role

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 at TSMC. It operates at a base clock of 3.70 GHz and can boost up to 5.80 GHz, with a TDP of 125 W. The CPU features a substantial cache hierarchy, including 192 KB of L1 cache per core, 3 MB of L2 cache per core, and 36 MB of shared L3 cache. Its memory support includes dual-channel DDR5 with a bandwidth of 115.2 GB/s.

In Archeage, the CPU's role is most evident at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is not the bottleneck. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 269 FPS, a figure that likely relies on the processor's ability to handle game logic, physics, and draw calls quickly. The CPU's multi-threaded performance is exceptional, as evidenced by a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 51,731 and a Passmark multithread score of 60,860. Its single-thread performance is also strong, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 7,303 and a Passmark single-thread score of 4,823. These numbers suggest that the Ultra 9 290K Plus is well-equipped to feed the RTX 4080 at high frame rates, though the data shows that at 4K Ultra, the CPU's power is underutilized as the GPU becomes the limiting factor. The processor's 96th percentile ranking among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 84,003, places it just 0.2% ahead of the Intel Core Ultra 9 285K and 1.1% ahead of the AMD EPYC 4584PX, indicating it competes at the very top tier of desktop processors.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured frame rates for this combination cover three resolutions and four settings presets, providing a comprehensive view of performance scaling. At 1920x1080, the system delivers an average of 269 FPS on Low settings, 240 FPS on Medium settings, 163 FPS on High settings, and 111 FPS on Ultra settings. The Medium preset shows a minimum of 204 FPS and a maximum of 276 FPS, indicating consistent frame delivery. Moving to 2560x1440, the average FPS drops to 181 on Low, 161 on Medium, 110 on High, and 75 on Ultra. The Medium settings at this resolution have a minimum of 137 FPS and a maximum of 186 FPS, showing a wider variance than at 1080p. At 3840x2160, the averages are 104 FPS on Low, 92 FPS on Medium, 63 FPS on High, and 43 FPS on Ultra. The 4K Medium preset is the only one in this resolution with min/max data, showing 79 FPS minimum and 106 FPS maximum.

The data reveals a clear hierarchy: lower settings always yield higher frame rates, and lower resolutions always provide better performance. The gap between Low and Ultra settings widens significantly at higher resolutions. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 158 FPS (269 vs. 111), while at 4K, the difference is only 61 FPS (104 vs. 43). This suggests that at 4K, the GPU is so heavily loaded that even dropping to Low settings cannot fully alleviate the bottleneck, whereas at 1080p, the settings have a more pronounced effect on frame rate. The system's overall rank of 203 out of 3,708 combinations confirms that this hardware pairing is among the most capable for Archeage, but the measured FPS shows that achieving playable frame rates at 4K Ultra requires compromises.

Resolution Scaling

Analyzing the frame rate drop from 1080p to 4K provides insight into which component is limiting performance. At Low settings, the average FPS decreases from 269 at 1080p to 181 at 1440p (a 32.7% drop) and further to 104 at 4K (a 61.3% drop from 1080p). At High settings, the progression is 163 FPS at 1080p, 110 FPS at 1440p (a 32.5% drop), and 63 FPS at 4K (a 61.3% drop). The consistent percentage drops across different settings presets indicate that the GPU is the primary scaling factor, as resolution increases place a linear demand on pixel throughput.

The scaling pattern shows that moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces performance by roughly one-third, while moving from 1080p to 4K reduces it by about three-fifths. This is characteristic of a system where the GPU's fill rate and shading capacity are the dominant constraints. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect to see smaller performance drops at higher resolutions, as the CPU workload remains relatively constant while the GPU workload increases. Instead, the data shows that the RTX 4080's performance scales predictably with pixel count, suggesting that at 4K, the GPU is fully utilized, and the CPU has ample headroom. The impressive single-thread performance of the Ultra 9 290K Plus, with a Passmark single-thread score of 4,823, likely ensures that even at 1080p Low with 269 FPS, the processor is not the limiting factor, as the frame rate is exceptionally high.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured FPS data, the optimal settings preset depends on the user's priority for visual fidelity versus frame rate. For players with a 60 Hz display, the 4K High preset offers an average of 63 FPS, providing a smooth experience with good visual quality. The 4K Medium preset delivers 92 FPS, which is even more comfortable for higher refresh rate displays, though it sacrifices some graphical detail. At 1440p, the High preset yields 110 FPS, making it an excellent choice for 120 Hz monitors, while the Medium preset at 161 FPS is ideal for 144 Hz displays. For competitive play or maximum smoothness, the 1080p Medium preset at 240 FPS is the best option, as it provides a very high frame rate while maintaining a moderate level of visual quality.

The Ultra preset is the most demanding, resulting in 43 FPS at 4K, 75 FPS at 1440p, and 111 FPS at 1080p. These frame rates are playable but may not be ideal for fast-paced gameplay, particularly at 4K where the frame rate dips below 60 FPS. The data suggests that the Medium preset offers the best balance of performance and visual quality across all resolutions, with the 4K Medium setting providing 92 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold for smooth gameplay. For users who prioritize frame rate above all else, the Low preset at 1440p (181 FPS) or 1080p (269 FPS) provides exceptionally high performance, though with reduced graphical fidelity. Ultimately, the measured data indicates that this system can handle Archeage at high settings comfortably at 1440p and below, while 4K gaming requires a choice between Medium settings for high frame rates or High settings for a more visually rich, but less fluid, experience.