Evolve

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a wide spread of frame rates in Evolve, ranging from a demanding 43.2 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 250.2 FPS at 1080p Low. The measured data, drawn directly from benchmark runs, shows that this combination is capable of high refresh rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, while 4K requires a reduction in settings to maintain smooth gameplay. The following analysis breaks down the measured FPS across resolutions and presets, identifies optimal settings, and compares this combo against similar hardware.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for Evolve provides average FPS figures for four settings presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) at three resolutions. Minimum and maximum FPS values were not recorded in this dataset, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the combo produces its highest performance. The Low preset reaches an average of 250.2 FPS. Moving to Medium drops the average to 194.7 FPS, a 22% reduction. The High preset yields 152.5 FPS, and Ultra settles at 105.3 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a total performance drop of 58%, with each successive preset costing a significant but predictable margin. The gap between Low and Medium (55.5 FPS) is larger than the gap between High and Ultra (47.2 FPS), indicating that the first step up in quality carries the heaviest load.

At 2560x1440, the same pattern holds but with lower absolute numbers. Low averages 168.5 FPS, Medium 129.5 FPS, High 100.2 FPS, and Ultra 69.1 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 99.4 FPS, or 59% of the Low value. The delta between Medium and High is 29.3 FPS, while the delta between High and Ultra is 31.1 FPS, showing a slightly steeper penalty at the top end in percentage terms. Notably, even Ultra at 1440p stays above the 60 FPS threshold, which is a key indicator of the GPU’s strength at this resolution.

At 3840x2160, performance falls considerably. Low averages 93.7 FPS, Medium 73 FPS, High 55.5 FPS, and Ultra 43.2 FPS. The drop from Low to Ultra is 50.5 FPS, or 54% of the Low value. Here, the High preset dips below the 60 FPS playable threshold, and Ultra falls even further, making these presets less suitable for smooth play at 4K. The difference between Medium and High (17.5 FPS) is smaller than the difference between Low and Medium (20.7 FPS), which suggests the GPU is beginning to hit a ceiling as pixel count rises.

Across all resolutions, the data shows a consistent pattern: the RTX 3080 scales well with resolution changes, but the CPU’s influence becomes less apparent at higher pixel counts. At 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high, indicating that the Core i3-12100F is not a bottleneck in most presets, though the 250.2 FPS Low result suggests the CPU is capable of feeding very high frame rates. At 4K, the GPU’s workload dominates, and the frame rates reflect the pure rendering load rather than any CPU limitation.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold for this benchmark is 60 FPS. Based on the measured data, the most demanding preset that stays at or above this threshold varies by resolution.

At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is Medium, which averages 73 FPS. High falls below the threshold at 55.5 FPS, and Ultra is even lower at 43.2 FPS. Low averages 93.7 FPS, but Medium is the highest quality preset that still clears the 60 FPS line. This leaves a 17.5 FPS gap between Medium and the next preset up, so there is headroom, but not enough to justify the visual drop to High.

At 2560x1440, all four presets clear the 60 FPS threshold. The best setting is Ultra, which averages 69.1 FPS. This is just 9.1 FPS above the threshold, but it is still playable. High averages 100.2 FPS, Medium 129.5 FPS, and Low 168.5 FPS, so the user has the option to prioritize visual quality without sacrificing playability. Ultra at 1440p is the recommended choice for the highest fidelity while maintaining a playable frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is also Ultra, averaging 105.3 FPS. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a comfortable margin. High averages 152.5 FPS, Medium 194.7 FPS, and Low 250.2 FPS. Since Ultra clears the threshold by a wide margin, it is the clear choice for maximum quality at this resolution. The 45.2 FPS gap between Ultra and the next lower preset (High) shows that there is no need to compromise on settings at 1080p.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the CPU and GPU share the workload differently across resolutions. At 1080p, the frame rates are extremely high across all presets, reaching 250.2 FPS on Low. This suggests that the GPU is not fully saturated, and the CPU’s single-thread performance, reflected in its 3DMark single-thread score of 893, is sufficient to drive these frame rates. The Core i3-12100F has 4 cores and 8 threads, and its benchmark scores (Cinebench R23 multi-core 11860, single-core 1674) indicate it can handle the game’s logic without becoming a limiting factor at lower resolutions.

As resolution increases to 1440p, the frame rates drop, but the pattern remains similar. The gap between Low and Ultra is 99.4 FPS, which is proportionally similar to the 1080p gap. This indicates that the GPU is still the primary scaling factor, as the CPU has less impact on the frame rate difference between presets. The RTX 3080’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for this resolution, and the GPU’s 29.77 TFLOPS FP32 performance is the main driver of the 69.1 FPS Ultra result.

At 4K, the CPU’s role diminishes further. The RTX 3080’s workload increases significantly, and the frame rates drop to 43.2 FPS on Ultra. The CPU’s scores, such as its PassMark multi-thread score of 14015, are unlikely to be the bottleneck here; instead, the GPU’s raw pixel throughput is the limiting factor. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 50.5 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms than at lower resolutions, confirming that the GPU is struggling to keep up with the 3840x2160 pixel count. The CPU’s role is to feed the GPU, and at 4K, the GPU is clearly the component that determines playability.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly in this game.

For the Intel Core i3-12100F, the closest alternatives in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Core 3 N355 (avg score 13492, delta 0%), Intel Core i5-9500 (avg score 13452, delta 0.3%), Intel Core 5 120UL (avg score 13594, delta -0.7%), and Intel Core i7-1250U (avg score 13351, delta 1.1%). The Core i5-9500, with its 0.3% higher score, would likely produce nearly identical frame rates in Evolve, particularly in CPU-bound scenarios at 1080p. The Core 3 N355 is essentially a match, with a 0% delta. The Core 5 120UL is slightly faster (by 0.7%), which could translate to marginally higher minimum frame rates, though the average FPS would be within a rounding error. The Core i7-1250U is 1.1% slower, which is negligible in practice.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA P106-100 (avg score 23249, delta -0.3%), AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16 (avg score 23250, delta -0.3%), AMD Radeon RX 6600M (avg score 23273, delta -0.4%), and AMD Radeon R9 M290X (avg score 23276, delta -0.4%). These scores are all within a fraction of a percent of the RTX 3080’s average benchmark score of 23172. In Evolve, this means that swapping the RTX 3080 for any of these GPUs would result in nearly identical frame rates at all resolutions and presets. The P106-100 and Radeon Pro Vega 16, despite being older or workstation-oriented, would match the RTX 3080’s performance in this specific title according to the data. The RX 6600M and R9 M290X, both 0.4% slower, would be indistinguishable in practice.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1081 out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the top 29% of all configurations, which is a strong showing for a CPU that is not a top-tier part. The rank reflects the balance between the CPU’s moderate processing power and the GPU’s high-end performance. The RTX 3080 is clearly the dominant component, as its benchmark scores (PassMark G3D 25086, Geekbench OpenCL 152423) far exceed what the CPU alone could achieve. The 1081st position suggests that while the combo is not among the fastest configurations, it still outperforms the majority of systems tested for this game. The rank is likely driven by the GPU’s ability to handle high resolutions, as the CPU’s 68th percentile ranking among all CPUs is lower than the GPU’s 68th percentile, but the combination still lands in the top third of all combos.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve at all three tested resolutions, but the playable settings vary. At 1920x1080, the combo clears the 60 FPS threshold on every preset, with Ultra averaging 105.3 FPS. This is the ideal resolution for this pairing, offering high frame rates even at maximum quality. At 2560x1440, the combo also clears 60 FPS on all presets, with Ultra averaging 69.1 FPS. This resolution provides a good balance between visual fidelity and performance, though the Ultra preset has less headroom above the threshold. At 3840x2160, the combo cannot maintain 60 FPS on High (55.5 FPS) or Ultra (43.2 FPS). The best playable setting is Medium, which averages 73 FPS, while Low averages 93.7 FPS. For 4K gaming, the user must accept Medium settings or lower to stay above the 60 FPS line. Overall, the system is well-suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming with max settings, and it can handle 4K with reduced quality presets.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1920x1080?

A: Ultra is the highest preset at 1080p, averaging 105.3 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 4K Ultra?

A: No, 4K Ultra averages 43.2 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable 4K setting is Medium, at 73 FPS.

Q: How much slower is 1440p Ultra compared to 1080p Ultra?

A: At 1440p Ultra, the average FPS is 69.1, while at 1080p Ultra it is 105.3. This represents a 34% reduction in frame rate when moving from 1080p to 1440p.

Q: Which component is more important for performance at 3840x2160?

A: The GPU is the primary factor at 4K, as the frame rates drop significantly with resolution, and the CPU’s role is reduced. The RTX 3080’s rendering load dominates the results.

Q: Are there any CPUs that would perform nearly identically to the Core i3-12100F in this game?

A: Yes, the Intel Core i5-9500 has a benchmark score just 0.3% higher, and the Intel Core 3 N355 matches it exactly, so both would produce nearly identical frame rates in Evolve.

Q: Does the combo rank in the top half of all tested configurations?

A: Yes, it ranks 1081 out of 3700 combos, placing it in the top 29% of all tested systems for Evolve.