Archeage

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 delivers a performance profile in Archeage that is heavily dictated by resolution and settings, with the data showing a clear transition from a CPU-bound state at 1080p to a GPU-bound state at 4K. This combination ranks in the 1487th position out of 2761 tested combos for this title, placing it in the upper-middle tier of the database, and the measured frame rates reveal that the experience is highly dependent on the user’s display target and graphical expectations. The following analysis breaks down the specific scaling behaviors, component roles, and optimal configurations derived directly from the measured data.

Resolution Scaling

The measured FPS data shows a steep and consistent drop in performance as resolution increases, which is typical for a GPU-intensive title like Archeage. At 1920x1080 with High settings, the average frame rate is 92 FPS, but this falls to 62 FPS at 2560x1440 and further to 36 FPS at 3840x2160. This represents a 33% reduction moving from 1080p to 1440p, and a 61% reduction from 1080p to 4K, indicating that the rendering load scales aggressively with pixel count. The trend is similar across all settings presets, but the absolute drop is most pronounced at the highest quality levels.

The scaling pattern reveals that at 1080p, the system is not fully utilizing the GPU’s potential, as the frame rates are high enough to suggest the CPU is the limiting factor. For instance, at Low settings, the jump from 153 FPS at 1080p to 103 FPS at 1440p is a 33% drop, but the drop from 1440p to 4K is only 43% (from 103 to 59 FPS), which is less severe in relative terms. This suggests that at lower resolutions, the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H’s single-thread performance is the bottleneck, preventing the RTX 4070 from reaching even higher frame rates. Conversely, at 4K, the GPU’s raw throughput becomes the dominant constraint, as evidenced by the more uniform scaling across all settings.

The most telling data point for identifying the limiting component comes from the Ultra preset. At 1080p Ultra, the average FPS is 63, which is a dramatic drop from the 92 FPS at High settings. This 31% decrease when moving from High to Ultra at the same resolution indicates that the graphical settings are heavily taxing the GPU, even at lower resolutions. However, at 4K Ultra, the average FPS is just 24, which is a 62% drop from the 1080p Ultra figure. This shows that the combination of high resolution and maximum quality settings pushes the RTX 4070 to its limits, making the GPU the unequivocal bottleneck in this scenario. The data suggests that for a balanced experience, users should target 1440p High or 1080p High, where the frame rates are playable and the system is more evenly matched.

FAQ

Q: What is the average frame rate at 2560x1440 with Medium settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 2560x1440 with Medium settings is 91 FPS, with a minimum of 78 FPS and a maximum of 105 FPS, indicating a smooth and consistent experience for most gameplay scenarios.

Q: How does the performance at 1920x1080 Low compare to 3840x2160 Low?

A: At 1920x1080 Low, the average FPS is 153, while at 3840x2160 Low, it drops to 59 FPS. This represents a 61% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 4K, highlighting the significant impact of resolution on performance.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 capable of running Archeage at 4K Ultra settings?

A: The data shows that at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 24, which is below the generally accepted threshold for smooth gameplay. This indicates that while the game is playable, it may not provide a satisfactory experience for fast-paced action.

Q: What is the best resolution for achieving over 100 FPS on average?

A: Based on the measured data, the only configuration that exceeds 100 FPS on average is 1920x1080 with Low settings, which achieves 153 FPS. The 1440p Low setting also comes close at 103 FPS, but it is the only other preset to break the 100 FPS barrier.

Q: How does the combo rank in the overall database for this game?

A: The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 combination ranks 1487th out of 2761 tested combos for Archeage, placing it in the 54th percentile of tested configurations.

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

A: At 2560x1440, the average FPS for Medium settings is 91, while for High settings it is 62. This represents a 32% performance cost for moving up one quality tier, which is a substantial trade-off for the visual improvement.

GPU Role

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 is the primary driver of frame rates in Archeage, particularly at higher resolutions and quality settings. The GPU features 12 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 192-bit bus, providing a memory bandwidth of 504.2 GB/s, which is sufficient for the texture and asset loads in this MMORPG. The card’s base clock is 1920 MHz with a boost clock of 2475 MHz, and it is built on the Ada Lovelace architecture with 5888 shading units. The data shows that the GPU’s performance scales predictably with load, with the most significant frame rate drops occurring when both resolution and settings are increased.

The VRAM capacity of 12 GB is a key factor in the 4K performance. At 3840x2160, the frame rates drop significantly across all settings, with the Ultra preset falling to 24 FPS. This is likely due to the combination of high resolution and maximum texture quality consuming a large portion of the available VRAM, which can lead to memory pressure and reduced performance. The 504.2 GB/s bandwidth is also a potential bottleneck at 4K, as the GPU must move larger amounts of data to and from memory to render each frame. The measured data shows that the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the frame rates are consistently lower than at 1440p or 1080p, regardless of the CPU’s capabilities.

The RTX 4070’s compute capabilities, including its 29.15 TFLOPS of FP32 performance, are evident in the scaling of frame rates from Low to Ultra settings. At 1080p, the average FPS ranges from 153 at Low to 63 at Ultra, a 59% reduction. This indicates that the GPU’s shading units and texture units are heavily taxed by the higher quality presets, which include more complex lighting, shadows, and particle effects. The GPU’s 184 texture mapping units and 64 raster output units handle the increased workload, but the performance cost is significant. For users aiming for high frame rates, the data suggests that Medium settings at 1440p (91 FPS) provide a better balance than High settings at 1080p (92 FPS), as the former offers a higher resolution with only a marginal FPS difference.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 achieves a rank of 1487 out of 2761 tested combos for Archeage. This places the setup in the middle of the performance distribution, which is a reasonable result given the mobile-oriented CPU and the mid-range desktop GPU. The rank is determined by the overall performance across all measured resolutions and settings, and it reflects the system’s ability to handle the game’s demands consistently.

When breaking down the rank, it is important to consider the individual component strengths. The CPU has a percentile rank of 88 among all tested CPUs, indicating that it is a high-performing processor for its class. Its average benchmark score is 44466, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D, with a delta of -0.2%. This suggests that the CPU is not a limiting factor in the overall combo rank, as it performs on par with other top-tier processors. On the other hand, the GPU has a percentile rank of 81 among all tested GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 37648. This is slightly above its nearest rival, the NVIDIA Tesla P4, with a delta of 0.1%, but it is notably behind the GeForce RTX 4080 Mobile, which has a delta of -1.3%.

The discrepancy between the CPU’s high percentile and the GPU’s slightly lower percentile suggests that the combo rank is primarily influenced by the GPU’s performance in Archeage. The game is not particularly CPU-intensive, as evidenced by the high frame rates at 1080p Low (153 FPS), which are likely limited by the GPU’s rendering capabilities rather than the CPU’s processing power. The combo rank of 1487 out of 2761 places the system in the 54th percentile, which is a solid mid-pack result. However, for users seeking a top-tier experience, the data indicates that a more powerful GPU would be necessary to push the frame rates higher, especially at 4K resolution.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a comprehensive view of the system’s performance across three resolutions and four settings presets. At 1920x1080, the average frame rates are 153 FPS for Low, 136 FPS for Medium, 92 FPS for High, and 63 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset also shows a min FPS of 115 and a max FPS of 156, indicating a stable frame time distribution. This resolution offers the highest overall performance, with even the Ultra preset reaching a playable 63 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 59% reduction in frame rate, which is expected given the increased graphical complexity.

Moving to 2560x1440, the average frame rates drop to 103 FPS for Low, 91 FPS for Medium, 62 FPS for High, and 42 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset maintains a decent frame time consistency with a min of 78 FPS and a max of 105 FPS. The reduction from 1080p to 1440p is most pronounced at Low settings (a 33% drop) and least at Ultra settings (a 33% drop as well), showing a consistent scaling across all presets. The 1440p High setting at 62 FPS is the first configuration where the frame rate falls below the 60 FPS threshold, which is often considered the minimum for smooth gameplay.

At 3840x2160, the performance takes a significant hit, with average frame rates of 59 FPS for Low, 52 FPS for Medium, 36 FPS for High, and 24 FPS for Ultra. The Medium preset has a min FPS of 44 and a max FPS of 60, showing that even at this resolution, there is some headroom in frame times. However, the High and Ultra presets are below the 60 FPS target, and the Ultra preset at 24 FPS is barely playable. The scaling from 1440p to 4K shows a 43% reduction at Low settings, a 43% reduction at Medium, a 42% reduction at High, and a 43% reduction at Ultra, indicating that the GPU is the primary bottleneck at this resolution. Overall, the data shows that the system is best utilized at 1080p or 1440p, where it can achieve high frame rates, while 4K is only viable for lower quality settings.

Settings Recommendations

Based on the measured data, the optimal settings for this combination depend on the user’s priority for frame rate versus visual fidelity. For the best overall experience, the 2560x1440 Medium preset is a strong recommendation, as it achieves an average of 91 FPS with a minimum of 78 FPS. This provides a smooth and responsive gameplay experience while still offering a reasonable level of visual quality. The frame time consistency is also good, with a max FPS of 105, ensuring that there are no major stutters during intense combat or large-scale battles common in MMORPGs.

For users who prioritize maximum frame rates, the 1920x1080 High preset is a viable alternative, achieving an average of 92 FPS. While this is slightly lower than the 1440p Medium preset, it offers a higher quality setting at a lower resolution. However, the data shows that the 1080p High and 1440p Medium settings have nearly identical average FPS (92 vs 91), so the choice comes down to whether the user prefers a higher resolution or higher graphical details. Given that the 1440p Medium preset offers a higher resolution, it is generally the better choice for most users.

For those who want to push the visual quality to its limits, the 1920x1080 Ultra preset at 63 FPS is the only Ultra configuration that exceeds the 60 FPS threshold. This provides the best visual experience without sacrificing playability, but it requires a significant performance trade-off compared to the High preset, which is 29 FPS higher on average. The 4K resolution is not recommended for this combination, as even the Low preset at 59 FPS is barely above the 60 FPS target, and the higher settings are all below 36 FPS. The data clearly shows that the sweet spot for this system is either 1080p Ultra or 1440p Medium, depending on whether the user prefers higher resolution or higher quality settings.

CPU Role

The Intel Core Ultra X9 388H plays a supporting role in Archeage, providing sufficient processing power to avoid bottlenecking the GPU at most settings. The CPU features 16 cores and 16 threads, with a base clock of 2.10 GHz and a boost clock of 5.10 GHz. This high boost clock is crucial for the game’s single-threaded performance, as Archeage is an MMORPG that relies heavily on a single primary thread for game logic and physics. The CPU’s benchmark scores reflect this strength, with a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2200.5 and a multi-core score of 18911. These scores place it in the 88th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 44466, which is nearly identical to its nearest rival, the AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D.

The data suggests that the CPU is not the primary limiting factor in most scenarios, as the frame rates scale more with resolution and settings than with CPU load. At 1080p Low, the system achieves 153 FPS, which is likely the maximum the GPU can render at that setting. The CPU’s high single-thread performance ensures that it can keep up with the GPU’s output, even at lower resolutions where the frame rate is high. However, the CPU’s role becomes more apparent at higher frame rates, as the 1080p Low and Medium presets show only a 11% difference in average FPS (153 vs 136), indicating that the CPU is beginning to be a factor in limiting the maximum frame rate.

The CPU’s 18 MB of shared L3 cache and 3 MB of L2 cache per core also contribute to the game’s performance, particularly in complex scenes with many NPCs or player characters. The data shows that the CPU is capable of handling the game’s demands without being a bottleneck, as the frame rates at 1080p are consistently higher than at 1440p or 4K, which are more GPU-bound. The CPU’s TDP of 25 W is also notable, as it indicates that the processor is power-efficient, which is important for maintaining sustained performance in a mobile platform. Overall, the Intel Core Ultra X9 388H provides a solid foundation for this combination, ensuring that the RTX 4070 can perform to its potential without being held back by the processor.