Evolve

Measured FPS Breakdown

Starting with the highest resolution, 3840x2160, this combo manages a 36 FPS average on High settings, which falls well short of the 60 FPS playability threshold. Dropping to Medium improves the average to 46 FPS, with recorded min and max values of 39 and 53 FPS respectively. The Low preset is the only playable option at 4K, hitting exactly 60 FPS on average. Ultra settings at this resolution yield a 25 FPS average, making that preset effectively unusable for smooth play.

At 2560x1440, the picture improves considerably. The High preset delivers a 64 FPS average, just barely crossing the 60 FPS line. Medium sits comfortably at 81 FPS, with a minimum of 69 FPS and a maximum of 94 FPS, meaning even dips stay above the playability threshold. Low reaches 105 FPS on average. Ultra, however, drops to 44 FPS, which is below the playable mark.

Moving to 1920x1080, all four presets clear the 60 FPS requirement. Ultra runs at 66 FPS average, High at 95 FPS, Medium at 121 FPS with a min/max range of 103 to 140 FPS, and Low at 157 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 1080p shows a steep curve: Low is more than double the frame rate of Ultra, indicating that visual quality settings have a substantial impact on performance.

The data shows a clear pattern across all resolutions: every step up in settings from Low to Ultra costs roughly 20 to 40 percent of the frame rate. The gap between Medium and High is particularly notable at 1080p, where the average drops from 121 to 95 FPS, a 26 FPS reduction.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT shows a GPU-bound profile at higher resolutions, but the balance shifts as resolution decreases. At 3840x2160, the frame rate differences between presets are large, and even Low only reaches 60 FPS. This indicates the GPU is the limiting factor at 4K, as the pixel throughput demand overwhelms the Radeon RX 5700 XT's 9.754 TFLOPS of FP32 compute.

At 2560x1440, the GPU still carries most of the load, but the CPU begins to show its capability. The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, provide enough headroom to keep the GPU fed at this resolution. The jump from 4K Low at 60 FPS to 1440p Low at 105 FPS is a 45 FPS increase, a scaling that reflects the reduced pixel count rather than CPU limitations.

At 1920x1080, the CPU's role becomes more prominent. The 157 FPS average on Low settings approaches the point where the i3-12100F's single-thread performance, measured at 893 in 3dmark_single_thread, could start to constrain the GPU. However, the recorded numbers show no evidence of CPU bottlenecking at 1080p, as even Ultra maintains 66 FPS. The data suggests that for this game, which released on 2015-02-09, the i3-12100F is more than sufficient, and the RX 5700 XT dictates the performance ceiling across all tested settings.

The scaling between resolutions tells a consistent story. Moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings reduces the average from 95 to 64 FPS, a 33 percent drop. Moving from 1440p to 4K at High reduces further from 64 to 36 FPS, a 44 percent drop. These diminishing returns are classic GPU-bound behavior, confirming that the Radeon RX 5700 XT is the primary constraint at every resolution tested.

How This Combo Ranks

In the overall database of tested combinations, this pairing of Intel Core i3-12100F and AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT ranks 2752 out of 3700 combos for Evolve. That places it in the 74th percentile of all tested systems, meaning roughly a quarter of tested combos deliver better performance in this game.

The rank reflects a balanced mid-tier setup. The CPU sits at the 68th percentile among all processors in the database, with an average benchmark score of 13494. The GPU ranks at the 59th percentile among all graphics cards, with an average benchmark score of 16361. Neither component is a standout, but their combination produces playable results at 1080p and 1440p, with only 4K High and Ultra settings falling below the 60 FPS threshold.

Given that the game is from 2015, many older and newer systems will outperform this combo. The 3700 combos tested include high-end configurations with far more powerful CPUs and GPUs, which explains the 2752 rank. Still, the rank indicates that this combo is not at the bottom of the pile; it outperforms 948 other tested combinations.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 60 FPS on a 4K monitor?

A: Only on Low settings. The recorded data shows a 60 FPS average at 3840x2160 with Low presets. Medium yields 46 FPS, High 36 FPS, and Ultra 25 FPS, all below the playable threshold.

Q: What is the best setting for 1440p gaming?

A: High settings produce a 64 FPS average, which is the highest preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Medium reaches 81 FPS and Low hits 105 FPS, but High offers the best visual quality while remaining playable.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more in Evolve?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limiter at all resolutions. The frame rate drops between presets and resolutions follow patterns consistent with GPU-bound rendering, and the RX 5700 XT's 59th percentile ranking among GPUs is lower than the CPU's 68th percentile ranking.

Q: Is Ultra settings playable at 1080p?

A: Yes, Ultra at 1920x1080 averages 66 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. This is the only resolution where Ultra is playable, as 1440p Ultra drops to 44 FPS and 4K Ultra to 25 FPS.

Q: How does this combo compare to the average tested system?

A: It ranks 2752 out of 3700 combos for Evolve, placing it below the median but not in the bottom tier. The CPU's average benchmark score of 13494 and GPU's average score of 16361 both fall in the mid-range of the database.

Q: What frame rates can I expect on Medium settings at 1080p?

A: The recorded average is 121 FPS, with a minimum of 103 FPS and a maximum of 140 FPS. This provides a smooth experience with no dips below 100 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals in the database, the Intel Core i3-12100F has a 0 percent delta versus the Intel Core 3 N355, meaning they score nearly identically in average benchmark performance. The Intel Core i5-9500 is 0.3 percent faster, and the Intel Core i7-1250U is 1.1 percent faster. The Intel Core 5 120UL is 0.7 percent slower. Systems using any of these processors with the same GPU would produce very similar frame rates in Evolve, with differences well within measurement noise.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT's closest rivals include the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M, which scores 0.1 percent higher, and the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell at 0.3 percent higher. The AMD Radeon PRO W7500 also sits 0.3 percent above, while the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 is 0.9 percent higher. These deltas are so small that swapping the RX 5700 XT for any of these cards would yield nearly identical performance in this game, assuming the rest of the system remains unchanged.

A user considering a similar build could pair the i3-12100F with any of these comparable GPUs and expect the same playability profile: 1080p fully playable at all settings, 1440p playable up to High, and 4K limited to Low. Conversely, pairing the RX 5700 XT with a comparable CPU such as the i5-9500 would not shift the bottleneck, as the GPU remains the limiting factor.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the only preset that maintains the 60 FPS playability threshold is Low, which averages exactly 60 FPS. Medium falls to 46 FPS, High to 36 FPS, and Ultra to 25 FPS, so none of these are recommended for 4K play.

At 2560x1440, High settings are the best playable option, achieving a 64 FPS average. Medium runs at 81 FPS and Low at 105 FPS, but High offers superior visual quality while still clearing the threshold. Ultra at 44 FPS is not playable.

At 1920x1080, Ultra settings are fully playable with a 66 FPS average, making this the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. High runs at 95 FPS, Medium at 121 FPS, and Low at 157 FPS, all comfortably above the threshold. For maximum visual fidelity at 1080p, Ultra is the recommended choice, and the 66 FPS average leaves enough headroom that occasional dips are unlikely to become noticeable.

The overall recommendation from the data is clear: users with a 1080p monitor can enable Ultra settings without concern, 1440p users should cap at High, and 4K users must drop to Low for a playable experience. This combo delivers its best experience at 1080p, where even the most demanding preset remains fluid.