Evolve

Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 is a pairing that targets 1080p and 1440p gaming. The recorded data for Evolve shows a clear performance hierarchy across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combo delivers an average of 133.1 FPS on Low settings, 99.6 FPS on Medium, 82.4 FPS on High, and 57.8 FPS on Ultra. The 1080p results confirm that the system stays above the 60 FPS playable threshold for Low, Medium, and High presets, with only Ultra falling short. Moving to 2560x1440, the averages drop to 89.2 FPS on Low, 71.0 FPS on Medium, 54.9 FPS on High, and 37.4 FPS on Ultra. At 4K (3840x2160), the same combo produces 49.8 FPS on Low, 42.0 FPS on Medium, 27.8 FPS on High, and 23.5 FPS on Ultra. None of the 4K presets reach 60 FPS, which means this resolution is not playable with this hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for Evolve, recorded with this exact CPU and GPU combination, provides a complete picture of scaling across three resolutions and four quality presets. The lowest resolution tested, 1920x1080, shows the strongest performance. The Low preset averages 133.1 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS threshold. Medium follows at 99.6 FPS, High at 82.4 FPS, and Ultra at 57.8 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 75.3 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load on the GTX 1070. The jump from Medium to High costs 17.2 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra costs 24.6 FPS, making Ultra the least efficient preset in terms of frames per second.

At 2560x1440, the same settings reveal a steeper decline. Low averages 89.2 FPS, Medium 71.0 FPS, High 54.9 FPS, and Ultra 37.4 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra is 51.8 FPS. Medium remains above 60 FPS, but High drops below the playable threshold. The scaling from 1080p to 1440p is consistent: Low loses 43.9 FPS, Medium loses 28.6 FPS, High loses 27.5 FPS, and Ultra loses 20.4 FPS. The percentage drop is most severe on Low, where the 1440p result is 33% lower than 1080p, while Ultra only drops by 35%, showing that the Ultra preset is already heavily GPU-limited at 1080p.

The 3840x2160 results are uniformly below 60 FPS. Low averages 49.8 FPS, Medium 42.0 FPS, High 27.8 FPS, and Ultra 23.5 FPS. The 4K resolution demands 2.25 times the pixel count of 1440p, and the data reflects this: Low at 4K is 44% slower than Low at 1440p. High at 4K delivers only 27.8 FPS, which is below the minimum acceptable frame rate for smooth gameplay. The Ultra preset at 4K produces 23.5 FPS, a result that is only 41% of the 1080p Ultra score. This resolution is not viable for any preset with this hardware.

The recorded data includes only average FPS values, with no minimum or maximum frame times. For a competitive FPS like Evolve, the absence of min FPS data means that frame pacing and stutter cannot be directly assessed. However, the average FPS values at 1080p and 1440p are high enough that even with typical frame time variance, the experience should remain fluid on the playable presets.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for how this combo compares to other hardware in the database. The Intel Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494. Its closest competitor is the Intel Core 3 N355, which scores 13492, a delta of 0%. The Intel Core i5-9500 scores 13452, which is 0.3% lower. The Intel Core 5 120UL scores 13594, which is 0.7% higher. The Intel Core i7-1250U scores 13351, which is 1.1% lower. These deltas are all within 1.1%, meaning the i3-12100F sits in a very tight cluster of CPUs with similar multi-threaded capability. The i3-12100F ranks in the 68th percentile among all CPUs, placing it above the median for modern desktop processors.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 9780. Its nearest rivals include the AMD FirePro W5000 at 9803, which is 0.2% higher. The NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 9832, which is 0.5% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla M10 scores 9724, which is 0.6% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9716, which is 0.7% lower. These four GPUs are all within 0.7% of the GTX 1070's average score. The GTX 1070 ranks in the 47th percentile among all GPUs, meaning it is slightly below the median. In practice, a system using any of these rival GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Evolve, assuming the same CPU and settings. The CPU's 68th percentile ranking indicates that the i3-12100F is not the limiting factor in most scenarios, while the GPU's 47th percentile ranking suggests that the GTX 1070 is the more constrained component.

For Evolve specifically, the combination of a mid-tier CPU and a slightly-below-median GPU means that frame rates are primarily dictated by the GPU at higher resolutions. The CPU's nearest rivals show that even a 1.1% change in CPU score would not meaningfully shift the FPS results. Similarly, the GPU's nearest rivals confirm that swapping to a FirePro W5000 or a Quadro M2000M would yield FPS values within a fraction of a percent of the GTX 1070.

Best Settings per Resolution

The verdict data identifies the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS for each resolution. At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is High, which produces an average of 82.4 FPS. This leaves headroom above the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset delivers 99.6 FPS, and Low delivers 133.1 FPS, but High is the highest quality option that remains playable. Ultra at 1080p averages 57.8 FPS, which is 2.2 FPS below the threshold, so it is excluded.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Medium, with an average of 71.0 FPS. This is 11 FPS above the threshold. Low averages 89.2 FPS, but Medium provides better visual quality while still clearing 60 FPS. High at 1440p averages 54.9 FPS, which is below the threshold, and Ultra averages 37.4 FPS, which is far below.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The verdict data lists no playable settings and no best settings for 4K. The closest result is Low at 49.8 FPS, which is 10.2 FPS short of the threshold. Medium at 42.0 FPS, High at 27.8 FPS, and Ultra at 23.5 FPS are all significantly below playable levels.

For users who prioritize frame rate over visual fidelity, the Low preset at 1440p is the fastest option that remains above 60 FPS. For those who want maximum quality at a playable frame rate, the High preset at 1080p is the optimal choice. The data confirms that this combo is not suitable for 4K gaming in Evolve under any settings.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 1080p with all settings set to Ultra?

A: No. The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 produces an average of 57.8 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The High preset is the most demanding setting that stays above 60 FPS, averaging 82.4 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 2560x1440?

A: The Medium preset is the best option at 1440p, delivering an average of 71.0 FPS. The Low preset averages 89.2 FPS, but Medium offers higher quality while still remaining above the 60 FPS threshold. High and Ultra both fall below 60 FPS.

Q: Is 4K resolution playable with the Intel Core i3-12100F and GTX 1070?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the highest average FPS is 49.8 on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 42.0 FPS, High averages 27.8 FPS, and Ultra averages 23.5 FPS. No preset at 4K is playable.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its closest rivals in the database?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 9780. The AMD FirePro W5000 scores 9803, which is 0.2% higher. The NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 9832, which is 0.5% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla M10 scores 9724, which is 0.6% lower. The NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9716, which is 0.7% lower. All these GPUs would perform nearly identically in Evolve.

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

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 133.1 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 57.8 FPS. This is a difference of 75.3 FPS. The Ultra preset is 56.6% slower than Low.

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

A: The GPU is the primary limiter at higher resolutions. The GTX 1070 ranks in the 47th percentile among all GPUs, while the i3-12100F ranks in the 68th percentile. At 1440p and 4K, the frame rate drops sharply across all presets, which indicates GPU-bound performance. The CPU's nearest rivals are all within 1.1% of its score, so CPU differences would have minimal impact on FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded FPS data across resolutions and presets clarifies which component drives performance in Evolve. At 1920x1080, the CPU has more influence because the GPU has spare capacity. The i3-12100F's 4 cores and 8 threads, with a boost clock of 4.30 GHz, provide sufficient single-thread performance for the game's FPS engine. The CPU's single-thread benchmark score of 893 in 3dmark_single_thread and its 68th percentile ranking indicate that it is not a bottleneck at 1080p. The evidence is the FPS spread: Low at 133.1 FPS, Medium at 99.6 FPS, High at 82.4 FPS, and Ultra at 57.8 FPS. The GPU scales its workload with each preset, and the CPU keeps up even at the highest frame rates.

As resolution increases, the GPU becomes the dominant factor. At 2560x1440, the pixel count increases by 78% compared to 1080p, and the frame rates drop accordingly. Low goes from 133.1 to 89.2 FPS, a 33% reduction. Medium drops from 99.6 to 71.0 FPS, a 29% reduction. High drops from 82.4 to 54.9 FPS, a 33% reduction. Ultra drops from 57.8 to 37.4 FPS, a 35% reduction. The consistent percentage drops across all presets indicate that the GTX 1070's fill rate and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors. The GPU's 256.3 GB/s bandwidth and 6.463 TFLOPS FP32 performance are insufficient to maintain 60 FPS at 1440p on High or Ultra.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck. The pixel count is 4 times that of 1080p, and the frame rates fall to between 23.5 and 49.8 FPS. The CPU's role diminishes because the GPU cannot feed frames fast enough. Even the Low preset at 4K produces only 49.8 FPS, which is below the threshold. This confirms that the GTX 1070's 8 GB of GDDR5 memory and 256-bit bus are not sufficient for 4K gaming in Evolve. The CPU's performance at 4K is irrelevant because the GPU is saturated.

The scaling between presets also shows the GPU's limits. At 1080p, moving from Medium to High costs 17.2 FPS, and from High to Ultra costs 24.6 FPS. At 1440p, the same transitions cost 16.1 and 17.5 FPS respectively. At 4K, the transitions cost 14.2 and 4.3 FPS. The smaller delta between High and Ultra at 4K (4.3 FPS) indicates that the GPU is already at its maximum output, and additional visual effects have diminishing returns.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo of Intel Core i3-12100F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 ranks 3036 out of 3700 tested combinations in Evolve. This places the system in the 18th percentile, meaning it outperforms roughly 18% of all tested combos. This ranking reflects the GPU's 47th percentile position and the CPU's 68th percentile position. The CPU is above average, but the GPU drags the overall ranking down.

The rank of 3036 indicates that most other tested combos deliver higher frame rates in Evolve. The GTX 1070, despite being a capable 1080p card, is now below the median in the database's GPU rankings. The i3-12100F, by contrast, is a modern 12th Gen part with strong single-thread performance, but it cannot compensate for the GPU's limitations at higher resolutions.

Within the context of this game, the combo's ranking is consistent with the measured FPS data. The system handles 1080p High at 82.4 FPS and 1440p Medium at 71.0 FPS, which are respectable results for a mid-range setup. However, the 3700 total combos include many higher-end GPUs, so the 3036 rank is expected. The combo's performance in Evolve is bounded by the GTX 1070's 47th percentile standing, and the CPU's 68th percentile ranking only helps at lower resolutions where the GPU is not the limit.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve at 1080p and 1440p with specific settings, but not at 4K. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold on Low (133.1 FPS), Medium (99.6 FPS), and High (82.4 FPS). The Ultra preset averages 57.8 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The best 1080p setting is High, which delivers 82.4 FPS and provides a balance of visual quality and smooth gameplay.

At 2560x1440, the system is playable on Low (89.2 FPS) and Medium (71.0 FPS). The best 1440p setting is Medium, which averages 71.0 FPS. High at 1440p averages 54.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 37.4 FPS, both below 60 FPS. At 3840x2160, no preset is playable. The highest average is 49.8 FPS on Low, which is 10.2 FPS short of the threshold. The verdict data lists no playable settings for 4K.

The data confirms that this combo is a 1080p-oriented system with 1440p capability on lower presets. For Evolve, the recommended setup is High at 1080p for the best visual experience at a playable frame rate, or Medium at 1440p for a higher resolution with slightly reduced quality. The system is not viable for 4K gaming, and users with a 4K display would need to run the game at a lower resolution or upgrade the GPU. The CPU is not the limiting factor; the GTX 1070's performance ceiling is reached at 1440p High and 1080p Ultra.