Evolve

The Intel Core i3-12100F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a benchmark profile that is decisively GPU-bound at lower resolutions, with the CPU becoming a meaningful constraint only at 4K Ultra settings. Measured frame rates show this combination clearing the 60 FPS threshold across every tested resolution and preset except one, positioning it as a high-refresh 1080p and 1440p solution that remains viable for 4K gaming when settings are moderated.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, at 4K the combo achieves playable frame rates on High (68 FPS average), Medium (86 FPS average), and Low (111 FPS average) settings. Ultra settings at 4K fall below the 60 FPS playable threshold, with an average of 47 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, Ultra settings deliver an average of 82 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that stays above the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets — Low (196 FPS), Medium (152 FPS), High (119 FPS), and Ultra (82 FPS) — are playable.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The Core i3-12100F has an average benchmark score of 13494, placing it in the 68th percentile of all CPUs. It is essentially tied with the Intel Core 3 N355 (13492, 0% delta) and sits 0.3% ahead of the Core i5-9500 (13452), while trailing the Core 5 120UL (13594) by 0.7%.

Q: What is the GPU's percentile ranking among all tested graphics cards?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER ranks in the 83rd percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 43223. Its nearest rival by average score is the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262), which is 0.1% behind, and the RTX 5050 Mobile (43268), also 0.1% behind.

Q: Is the 4K Ultra setting the only unplayable configuration?

A: Yes, across the entire measured dataset, 3840x2160 Ultra is the sole configuration that fails to reach 60 FPS, averaging 47 FPS. Every other resolution and preset combination, including 1080p Ultra at 123 FPS and 1440p Ultra at 82 FPS, clears the playable threshold.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested system combinations?

A: The combination ranks 616th out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the top 16.6% of all configurations tested for this game.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance scaling across resolutions reveals a clear shift in workload distribution between the CPU and GPU. At 1920x1080, the GPU is the dominant bottleneck, which is evident from the massive frame rate headroom: Low settings produce 292 FPS average, and even Ultra maintains 123 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 169 FPS, indicating that the RTX 4070 SUPER has substantial untapped capacity that the CPU cannot fully feed at lower graphical loads.

Moving to 2560x1440, the GPU load increases, but the frame rates remain exceptionally high. Low settings yield 196 FPS, and Ultra drops to 82 FPS, a 114 FPS spread between the extremes. The fact that 1440p Low still exceeds 190 FPS suggests the CPU is keeping pace adequately, and the GPU is still the primary limiter. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s 12 GB of GDDR6X memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth appear sufficient for this resolution, as the average FPS at High (119) and Medium (152) remain well above the playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the dynamic changes. The 4K Ultra preset drops to 47 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable line. This is the only configuration where the combination fails, and the reason is twofold: the GPU’s pixel throughput (198.0 GPixel/s) is stressed by 4K resolution, and the Core i3-12100F’s 4 cores and 8 threads become a limiting factor for maintaining minimum frame times. The data shows 4K Medium (86 FPS) and 4K High (68 FPS) are both playable, but the step from High to Ultra at 4K represents a 21 FPS loss, which is a steeper drop than the corresponding 37 FPS loss at 1440p (119 to 82) or the 54 FPS loss at 1080p (177 to 123). This disproportionate drop at 4K Ultra indicates that the CPU’s multi-threaded performance (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 11860) is insufficient to sustain Ultra settings at that resolution, whereas the GPU is still the dominant factor at lower resolutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank of 616 out of 3700 tested configurations places this system in the upper echelon of tested hardware for Evolve. In percentile terms, this setup outperforms roughly 83.4% of all tested combos, which aligns closely with the GPU’s individual 83rd percentile ranking. The CPU’s 68th percentile ranking is the weaker link, but it does not drag the overall combo rank down proportionally because the RTX 4070 SUPER carries most of the performance weight at the resolutions where the game is typically played.

The rank reflects the system’s ability to handle this specific game’s requirements. Evolve, being a 2015 FPS title, does not appear to demand extreme multi-core CPU performance; the i3-12100F’s 4-core/8-thread configuration with a 4.30 GHz boost clock proves adequate for maintaining high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p. The GPU’s 83rd percentile standing is the primary driver of the 616th overall rank. For comparison, the GPU’s nearest rivals by average score (Quadro M6000 24 GB and RTX 5050 Mobile, both within 0.1%) would likely produce similar combo rankings when paired with comparable CPUs, though their specific in-game behavior may differ due to driver optimization and architectural differences.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve, and it does so with substantial headroom at most settings. The verdict by resolution is unambiguous: at 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) are playable, with the best playable setting being Ultra at 123 FPS average. At 2560x1440, again all four presets clear 60 FPS, with Ultra as the best playable setting at 82 FPS average. At 3840x2160, three of four presets are playable — Low (111 FPS), Medium (86 FPS), and High (68 FPS) — with High being the best playable setting at 68 FPS average.

The single failure point is 4K Ultra, which averages 47 FPS and does not meet the 60 FPS playable threshold. For users targeting 4K, the data indicates High settings provide the optimal balance of visual quality and performance. For 1080p and 1440p users, the system has enough performance to run Ultra settings with frame rates well above 60 FPS, making this a high-refresh-rate capable configuration at those resolutions. The measured minimum frame rates, available for Medium settings, show 192 FPS minimum at 1080p, 129 FPS minimum at 1440p, and 73 FPS minimum at 4K, indicating stable frame pacing even under load.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Based on the nearest rivals of the CPU and GPU, several alternative components would produce near-identical performance in this game. On the CPU side, the Intel Core 3 N355 has an average score of 13492, which is exactly 0% different from the i3-12100F’s 13494, making it a direct performance equivalent. The Intel Core i5-9500 (13452, 0.3% slower) and Intel Core 7 1250U (13351, 1.1% slower) would also behave nearly identically in CPU-bound scenarios, though their different architectures (older or lower-power) may affect sustained performance.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262, 0.1% faster) and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (43268, 0.1% faster) are the closest matches to the RTX 4070 SUPER’s average score of 43223. The Quadro M6000 24 GB is a professional-grade card with double the memory of the RTX 4070 SUPER, which could provide additional headroom for texture-heavy scenes, but its average score suggests similar overall raster performance. The RTX 5050 Mobile is a laptop part, so pairing it with a desktop CPU would be unusual, but its benchmark parity indicates similar gaming performance. The NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (43301, 0.2% faster) is also within the same performance envelope. Users seeking a comparable build could swap in any of these components and expect frame rates within 1% of the measured results.

Best Settings per Resolution

The following settings represent the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS at each resolution, based on the measured data:

• 1920x1080: Ultra settings, 123 FPS average. This is the highest preset available and it clears the playable threshold by a wide margin.
• 2560x1440: Ultra settings, 82 FPS average. Again, the highest preset is playable, with 22 FPS of headroom above the 60 FPS line.
• 3840x2160: High settings, 68 FPS average. Ultra at 4K falls short at 47 FPS, so High is the most demanding playable option, providing 8 FPS of headroom.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The complete measured frame rate data for the Intel Core i3-12100F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination is as follows:

1920x1080:

• Low: 292 FPS average
• Medium: 226 FPS average, 192 FPS minimum, 260 FPS maximum
• High: 177 FPS average
• Ultra: 123 FPS average

2560x1440:

• Low: 196 FPS average
• Medium: 152 FPS average, 129 FPS minimum, 174 FPS maximum
• High: 119 FPS average
• Ultra: 82 FPS average

3840x2160:

• Low: 111 FPS average
• Medium: 86 FPS average, 73 FPS minimum, 99 FPS maximum
• High: 68 FPS average
• Ultra: 47 FPS average

The minimum and maximum values are only provided for Medium settings across all resolutions, which is the only preset with sufficient data granularity. The 1080p Medium minimum of 192 FPS confirms that even under transient load spikes, the system never approaches the 60 FPS threshold. At 1440p, the minimum of 129 FPS still leaves 69 FPS of headroom. The 4K Medium minimum of 73 FPS is the closest any playable configuration comes to the 60 FPS line, but it remains above it. The 4K Ultra average of 47 FPS, while unplayable by the 60 FPS standard, still represents a usable experience for users who prioritize visual fidelity over frame rate, though it falls outside the playable definition used here.