Evolve

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the recorded FPS data shows a narrow band of performance that falls below smooth playability across every preset. The Low preset delivers an average of 34 FPS, Medium drops to 26 FPS with a minimum of 22 and maximum of 30, High averages 21 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 14 FPS. No resolution at 4K reaches the 60 FPS threshold, and even the most forgiving Low preset leaves a substantial gap.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture improves but remains constrained. Low is the only preset that reaches the 60 FPS playability mark, averaging exactly 60 FPS. Medium averages 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 53, High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra manages just 25 FPS. The scaling from 4K to 1440p shows a clear performance uplift, with Low improving from 34 to 60 FPS, but the higher presets still struggle to approach playable frame rates.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally shows meaningful headroom. Low averages 89 FPS, Medium averages 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 and maximum of 79, High averages 54 FPS, and Ultra averages 37 FPS. The Medium preset is the most demanding option that stays at or above the 60 FPS threshold, though its 59 FPS minimum means occasional dips below the target are possible. The 1080p Low preset provides the largest safety margin, with an average well above the playability line.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data across resolutions and presets indicates this pairing is heavily GPU-limited, with the Intel Arc B390 acting as the primary constraint. The evidence lies in the scaling patterns: at 1080p Low, the system produces 89 FPS, but at 1440p Low it drops to 60 FPS, and at 4K Low it falls to 34 FPS. This steep resolution-dependent degradation points to the graphics processor saturating well before the CPU becomes a bottleneck.

The Intel Core i5-11400F, with its 6 cores, 12 threads, and boost clock of 4.40 GHz, shows no signs of limiting performance in this title. The CPU's benchmark scores, including a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 14340 and single-core of 2024, place it in the 71st percentile among all CPUs. The GPU, by contrast, sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, with its single 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1482 indicating a very low-end graphics solution.

Preset scaling further confirms the GPU-bound nature. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces average FPS from 89 to 69, a 22% drop. From Medium to High, the average falls to 54, another 22% reduction. From High to Ultra, it drops to 37, a 31% decrease. These consistent, large performance penalties across quality settings are characteristic of a graphics-limited scenario where the renderer's workload increases faster than the GPU can compensate.

At 1440p, the same pattern holds with even sharper drops: Low to Medium sees a 23% reduction, Medium to High another 22%, and High to Ultra a 31% decline. The CPU's role becomes even less relevant at higher resolutions, as the GPU must process more pixels per frame. The fact that 4K Ultra produces only 14 FPS while 4K Low produces 34 FPS underscores how much of the performance envelope is determined by the graphics processor's fill rate and shader throughput.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS playability threshold. The best recorded average is 34 FPS at Low settings, which is well below the playable target. The database records no playable settings for this resolution, meaning users must either reduce resolution or accept sub-60 FPS performance.

At 2560x1440, the Low preset is the only configuration that reaches 60 FPS, averaging exactly 60 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above the playability line at this resolution. Medium averages 46 FPS and falls short, so Low represents the ceiling for smooth gameplay at 1440p.

At 1920x1080, the Medium preset is the best playable option, averaging 69 FPS. While Low averages 89 FPS and provides more headroom, Medium offers the highest visual quality that still clears the 60 FPS threshold. Its minimum of 59 FPS is just below the line, so users seeking a strict 60 FPS floor might prefer Low, but by average measure Medium qualifies.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve, but only within specific resolution and preset boundaries. At 1920x1080, the system delivers playable performance on Low and Medium presets, with Medium averaging 69 FPS and Low averaging 89 FPS. The 1080p High preset fails to reach 60 FPS at 54 FPS average, and Ultra falls to 37 FPS.

At 2560x1440, only the Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold, averaging exactly 60 FPS. All other presets at 1440p fall below the playability line, with Medium at 46, High at 36, and Ultra at 25 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot achieve playable performance on any preset. The best result is 34 FPS at Low settings, which remains far below the 60 FPS target. The verdict data confirms this: 4K has no playable settings, 1440p has only Low, and 1080p has Low and Medium.

The overall ranking reinforces this assessment. This combination ranks 3288 out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the lower portion of the database. The system is suitable for 1080p gaming at medium quality, marginally suitable for 1440p at low quality, and unsuitable for 4K gaming in this title.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database provide context for its performance level. The Intel Core i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17120, a 0.3% difference. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, 0.4% higher. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, 0.6% higher. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, 0.6% lower. These four processors would behave nearly identically in Evolve, as their synthetic benchmark deltas are all within roughly one percent.

The GPU's nearest rivals paint a different picture. The Intel Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX scores 1463, 1.3% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce 800M scores 1460, 1.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM scores 1446, 2.5% lower. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 scores 1443, 2.7% lower. These GPUs are all clustered within a narrow performance band, meaning any of them would produce nearly identical frame rates in Evolve at the same settings and resolution.

For users considering alternatives, swapping the CPU for any of these four rivals would change performance by less than one percent, which is within measurement noise. Swapping the GPU for any of the four rivals would change performance by between 1.3% and 2.7%, also a minor shift. The system's playability profile would remain essentially unchanged with any of these substitutions.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-11400F paired with the Intel Arc B390 ranks 3288 out of 3700 tested combinations for Evolve. This places the system in the bottom 11% of tested hardware configurations. The ranking reflects the GPU's very low percentile standing (9th among all GPUs) rather than the CPU's more respectable position (71st among all CPUs).

The combination's rank is consistent with the measured FPS data. A system that cannot exceed 34 FPS at 4K, reaches only 60 FPS at 1440p Low, and manages 69 FPS at 1080p Medium will naturally sit low in a database that includes many higher-performing graphics cards. The CPU contributes enough headroom that it never becomes the limiting factor, but the GPU caps the system's overall capability.

Users should interpret this rank as a relative measure within the database's tested combinations. It indicates that most other tested systems deliver higher frame rates in Evolve, but it does not change the practical verdict: 1080p Medium is playable, 1080p High is not, and 1440p is limited to Low.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 60 FPS on 1080p?

A: Yes, at Low and Medium presets. Low averages 89 FPS and Medium averages 69 FPS, both above the 60 FPS threshold. High averages 54 FPS and Ultra averages 37 FPS, which fall below the target.

Q: What is the best visual quality preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The Low preset is the only playable option at 2560x1440, averaging exactly 60 FPS. Medium averages 46 FPS and does not meet the playability threshold.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware in Evolve?

A: No. The best 4K result is 34 FPS at Low settings, with Medium at 26 FPS, High at 21 FPS, and Ultra at 14 FPS. No preset at 3840x2160 reaches the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 scores 1482 in 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12. The NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX is 1.3% lower at 1463, the GeForce 800M is 1.5% lower at 1460, the GeForce GT 625 OEM is 2.5% lower at 1446, and the GeForce GT 710 is 2.7% lower at 1443.

Q: Which component limits performance in this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Intel Arc B390 sits in the 9th percentile among all GPUs, while the Intel Core i5-11400F sits in the 71st percentile among all CPUs. Performance drops steeply as resolution increases, indicating the graphics processor saturates before the CPU becomes a bottleneck.

Q: What rank does this combination hold among tested systems for Evolve?

A: The combination ranks 3288 out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This is consistent with its measured FPS profile, which supports playable performance only at 1080p Medium and below.