Evolve

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the recorded average frame rates show a wide spread across the four quality presets. The Low preset reaches 144.5 FPS, which is the highest value at this resolution. Moving up to Medium, the average drops to 107.7 FPS. High settings deliver 83.4 FPS, while the Ultra preset produces 63.1 FPS. All four settings remain above the 60 FPS playability threshold, but the margin narrows considerably at Ultra, where the average is only 3.1 FPS above the line.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with higher overall numbers. Low settings produce 172.9 FPS. Medium follows at 155.7 FPS, and High comes in at 144.6 FPS. The Ultra preset, which is the most demanding of the group, still manages 107.1 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 65.8 FPS, indicating that the preset choice has a substantial impact on performance, but even the heaviest settings leave a comfortable cushion above the 60 FPS mark.

At 1920x1080, the results are the strongest of the three resolutions. The Low preset records 197 FPS, which is the single highest average in the entire measured dataset. Medium settings deliver 176.7 FPS, and High produces 165.6 FPS. Ultra, despite being the most demanding preset, still reaches 142.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra here is 54.8 FPS, narrower than at 1440p, which suggests that at 1080p the GPU has enough headroom that even the heaviest settings do not cut performance as drastically relative to the lighter presets.

The data does not include separate minimum or maximum frame rate values; only the average frame rates are recorded for each resolution and preset combination. This means the analysis relies on the average as the primary indicator of playability, and the database's playability threshold of 60 FPS is used to judge each configuration.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Ryzen 5 2600 and RTX 4090 combination shows an interesting balance when examined across resolutions. The RTX 4090 is a top-tier GPU with a large memory pool and very high compute throughput, while the Ryzen 5 2600 is a six-core, twelve-thread processor from the 2000 series. In a game like Evolve, which is an FPS title from 2015, the workload distribution shifts depending on how much resolution scaling is applied.

Looking at the scaling from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440, the average FPS at Ultra drops from 142.2 to 107.1, a decline of 35.1 FPS. This is a substantial reduction, which indicates that the GPU is becoming more heavily utilized as pixel count rises. The CPU has less relative influence at 1440p because the rendering load grows, and the GPU must work harder to fill the additional pixels.

From 2560x1440 to 3840x2160, the Ultra preset falls from 107.1 to 63.1 FPS, a drop of 44 FPS. This is the largest absolute decline between adjacent resolutions in the dataset. At 4K, the GPU is clearly the dominant factor. The RTX 4090 is doing most of the heavy lifting, and the CPU's role in frame rate determination shrinks further. The fact that Ultra at 4K still clears 60 FPS suggests that the GPU has enough raw capability to handle the load, but the margin is thin.

At 1920x1080, the results tell a different story. The difference between Low and Ultra is 54.8 FPS, and all presets sit well above 140 FPS. At this resolution, the CPU is more likely to be a limiting factor, since the GPU can produce frames faster than the processor can feed it in some scenarios. The Ryzen 5 2600 has a PassMark single-thread score of 2239 and a multithread score of 13160, which places it in the 75th percentile among all CPUs. For a 2015 FPS game, this level of single-thread performance is adequate, but it does not match the GPU's enormous headroom.

The preset scaling at each resolution reinforces this interpretation. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium adds 176.7 versus 197 FPS, a drop of 20.3 FPS, while Medium to High drops to 165.6 FPS, a further 11.1 FPS decline. High to Ultra drops to 142.2 FPS, another 23.4 FPS reduction. At 1440p, the drops are 17.2, 11.1, and 37.5 FPS respectively. At 4K, the drops are 36.8, 24.3, and 20.3 FPS. The pattern shows that at 4K the heaviest preset (Ultra) causes a smaller relative penalty compared to the jump from Low to Medium, meaning the GPU is already saturated at Medium and the additional settings do not scale linearly.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which records 63.1 FPS. This is the only resolution where the Ultra preset comes close to the playability threshold, but it still clears it. Players who want maximum visual quality at 4K can use Ultra, though the margin is small. High settings at this resolution produce 83.4 FPS, which offers more headroom, but the database's verdict identifies Ultra as the best playable setting.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is also the best setting, with an average of 107.1 FPS. This provides a much larger cushion above the 60 FPS threshold. The High preset at 1440p reaches 144.6 FPS, and Medium reaches 155.7 FPS, but since Ultra is already above 100 FPS, there is no need to compromise on quality.

At 1920x1080, Ultra again qualifies as the best setting, achieving 142.2 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, and the gap between Ultra and the next preset down, High at 165.6 FPS, is 23.4 FPS. The 1080p Ultra result leaves ample room for high refresh rate displays, since it exceeds 140 FPS consistently.

Across all three resolutions, the Ultra preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above 60 FPS. This is an unusual result for a game from 2015, because the RTX 4090 is powerful enough to handle maximum settings even at 4K, despite the older CPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 4K with Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The recorded average at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings is 63.1 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playability threshold.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1440p?

A: Ultra is the best playable preset at 2560x1440, with an average of 107.1 FPS. All presets at this resolution are above 60 FPS, so the choice depends on preference, but Ultra is the highest quality option that stays playable.

Q: How much performance drops when going from 1080p to 4K on Ultra?

A: At 1080p Ultra, the average is 142.2 FPS. At 4K Ultra, it drops to 63.1 FPS. That is a reduction of 79.1 FPS, or roughly 55.6 percent of the 1080p value.

Q: Is the CPU a bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the GPU has more headroom at 1080p, since Ultra reaches 142.2 FPS and Low reaches 197 FPS. The Ryzen 5 2600's single-thread performance is in the 75th percentile among all CPUs, which is adequate, but the GPU can produce frames faster than the CPU may be able to feed at the lowest presets.

Q: Does the RTX 4090's performance in Evolve match its overall benchmark ranking?

A: The RTX 4090 has a PassMark G3D score of 38194 and sits in the 88th percentile among all GPUs. Its average benchmark score is 60347. In Evolve, the combination with the Ryzen 5 2600 ranks 657th out of 3700 tested combos, meaning it places in the top 17.8 percent of all tested systems.

Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate falls below 60 FPS?

A: No. Every resolution and preset combination in the measured data produces an average above 60 FPS. The lowest recorded average is 63.1 FPS at 4K Ultra.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Ryzen 5 2600's average benchmark score is 21484. The Intel Core Ultra 5 228V scores 21440, which is 0.2 percent lower. The Intel Core i9-11900H scores 21367, 0.5 percent lower. The Intel Xeon D-1746TER scores 21635, which is 0.7 percent higher. The AMD EPYC 9454 scores 21223, 1.2 percent lower. These processors would behave similarly in CPU-bound scenarios, meaning that if the game engine relies heavily on the processor, swapping the Ryzen 5 2600 for any of these would yield a comparable experience, within roughly one percent.

For the GPU, the RTX 4090's average benchmark score is 60347. Its nearest rival, the Intel Arc Pro A60, scores 60326, which is essentially identical at 0 percent difference. The AMD Radeon Pro Vega 48 scores 60140, 0.3 percent lower. The AMD Radeon Pro W6600M scores 61896, which is 2.5 percent higher. The AMD Radeon PRO V710 scores 58657, 2.9 percent lower. These GPUs would deliver frame rates very close to the RTX 4090 in Evolve, provided the rest of the system remains the same. The differences are small enough that players would be unlikely to notice the variation in average FPS.

It is important to note that these rival comparisons are based on aggregate benchmark scores, not on Evolve-specific measurements. The actual in-game performance could vary based on driver optimization and game engine quirks, but the close scores suggest that these alternatives would land in the same performance band.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Evolve at all three tested resolutions with every preset. At 3840x2160, the Ultra preset produces 63.1 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS playability threshold. High settings reach 83.4 FPS, Medium reaches 107.7 FPS, and Low reaches 144.5 FPS. At 2560x1440, Ultra reaches 107.1 FPS, High reaches 144.6 FPS, Medium reaches 155.7 FPS, and Low reaches 172.9 FPS. At 1920x1080, Ultra reaches 142.2 FPS, High reaches 165.6 FPS, Medium reaches 176.7 FPS, and Low reaches 197 FPS.

The verdict by resolution confirms that all four settings at each resolution are playable, with Ultra being the best setting at every resolution. The narrowest margin is at 4K Ultra, where the average sits just 3.1 FPS above the threshold. This means that while the game is playable at maximum settings on 4K, users who want a safety buffer against frame dips might prefer High at 4K, which offers 83.4 FPS. However, based on the recorded averages, the system does not fail the playability test at any configuration.

The Ryzen 5 2600's role is more visible at lower resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are high enough that the CPU's single-thread performance may become a factor, but the game still runs well above the threshold. The RTX 4090 clearly drives the high-end results, especially at 4K, where the GPU's 24 GB of memory and 1.01 TB/s bandwidth help maintain smooth performance even on a demanding preset.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the AMD Ryzen 5 2600 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 ranks 657th out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places the system in the top 17.8 percent of all recorded configurations. The rank reflects the overall performance of the pair, not just the GPU or CPU individually.

The CPU's percentile rank among all CPUs is 75, meaning it performs better than three quarters of the processors in the database. The GPU's percentile rank among all GPUs is 88, meaning it outperforms 88 percent of graphics cards. The fact that the combo ranks 657th out of 3700, rather than higher, suggests that the older CPU holds the system back relative to what the GPU alone could achieve. If the RTX 4090 were paired with a faster processor, the combo would likely rank higher, since the GPU is the stronger component.

Still, a rank of 657 out of 3700 is solidly above average. The system is not a top-tier pairing, but it is far from the bottom. The measured frame rates in Evolve confirm that the combination is more than capable of running the game smoothly at every resolution, with the caveat that 4K Ultra leaves only a narrow margin above the playability threshold. For a game released in 2015, this hardware is more than sufficient, and the data indicates that players can expect a consistently playable experience across all settings.