Evolve

Intel Core i5-11400F with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 is a pairing of a 6-core, 12-thread Rocket Lake processor with a Turing-based entry-level GPU. For a 2015 FPS title like Evolve, the recorded data shows this combo can produce playable frame rates, but only at 1080p and with lowered settings. The measurements indicate the system is heavily GPU-bound at higher resolutions, while the CPU has ample headroom for this game's workload.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The benchmark data for Evolve was recorded at three resolutions and four quality presets, with average FPS values captured for each combination. Minimum and maximum frame rates were not recorded, so the analysis relies on average performance.

At 3840x2160, the results are uniformly below playable thresholds. The High preset delivers an average of 19.5 FPS, Medium produces 24.2 FPS, and Low reaches 28.2 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 14.8 FPS, the lowest recorded value across all settings and resolutions. None of these averages approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and even the best 4K result (Low at 28.2 FPS) is less than half of what would be considered smooth gameplay.

Dropping to 2560x1440 improves matters but still leaves every preset below 60 FPS. The Low preset averages 51.2 FPS, which is close to playable but still short of the target. Medium records 39.1 FPS, High drops to 28.6 FPS, and Ultra manages only 22.7 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is 28.5 FPS, indicating that quality settings have a substantial impact on performance when the GPU is under load.

At 1920x1080, the dataset finally shows playable results. The Low preset averages 76.8 FPS, comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium follows with 61.8 FPS, just barely clearing the playable mark. High falls to 46.8 FPS, below the threshold, while Ultra records 31.2 FPS. The spread from Low to Ultra at 1080p is 45.6 FPS, the largest relative difference across any resolution, which suggests the GTX 1650's shading units and memory bandwidth are the limiting factors when visual complexity increases.

The scaling between resolutions is steep. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, the average drops from 76.8 to 51.2 FPS, a 25.6 FPS loss. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, it falls from 51.2 to 28.2 FPS, another 23 FPS loss. This consistent decline indicates that the GPU's 4 GB GDDR5 memory and 128-bit bus are saturated as pixel count increases.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-11400F and the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 in Evolve. The CPU, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, reaches a 71st percentile ranking among all tested processors, and its benchmark scores suggest it has substantial compute capacity. The GPU, by contrast, sits at the 40th percentile among all tested graphics cards, indicating it is the weaker component in this pairing.

Evidence for GPU dominance comes from the frame rate scaling across resolutions. When moving from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset, the frame rate drops by roughly a third. For example, Low preset goes from 76.8 FPS at 1080p to 51.2 FPS at 1440p, a 33% reduction. This is the classic signature of a pixel-bound workload where the GPU's fill rate and memory bandwidth determine performance.

The CPU's role becomes apparent when examining preset scaling at a fixed resolution. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 45.6 FPS, which is larger than the difference between 1080p and 1440p at the same preset. This indicates that the game's rendering features, such as shadows, textures, and post-processing, tax the GPU more heavily than the CPU. The Core i5-11400F's single-thread score of 868 in 3DMark and its Cinebench R23 single-core result of 2024 points suggest it can handle the game's logic and physics without bottlenecking, but the GPU runs out of throughput first.

At 4K, the GPU is overwhelmed. Even the Low preset only produces 28.2 FPS, and Ultra drops to 14.8 FPS. The CPU's performance is likely irrelevant at this resolution because the GPU cannot render frames fast enough to utilize the CPU's available headroom. The memory bandwidth of 128.1 GB/s on the GTX 1650 is a limiting factor, as higher resolutions require more texture data to be fetched and processed.

The conclusion from the scaling data is that Evolve is GPU-limited on this system at all resolutions. The CPU has enough multi-threaded capability (Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 14340, Passmark multithread score of 16908) to feed the GPU, but the GTX 1650's 896 shading units and 32 ROPs cannot sustain high frame rates once resolution or quality increases.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 1080p with High settings?

A: No. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 46.8, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. Medium settings are required to achieve playable performance.

Q: What is the best playable setting at 1440p?

A: None. At 2560x1440, even the Low preset only averages 51.2 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. The verdict data lists no playable settings for this resolution.

Q: How much faster is Low compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 76.8 FPS while Ultra averages 31.2 FPS. The difference is 45.6 FPS, meaning Low is approximately 2.5 times faster than Ultra in frame rate terms.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for the performance results?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The GTX 1650 ranks at the 40th percentile among all GPUs, and frame rates drop steeply with resolution increases. The Core i5-11400F ranks at the 71st percentile among CPUs, indicating it has more headroom than the graphics card.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 4K with the lowest settings?

A: The Low preset at 3840x2160 averages 28.2 FPS. This is below the 60 FPS playable threshold and represents the best possible result at that resolution.

Q: Are there any settings at 1080p that exceed 60 FPS?

A: Yes. Both Low (76.8 FPS) and Medium (61.8 FPS) at 1920x1080 clear the 60 FPS threshold. Medium is the highest quality preset that remains playable.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU's nearest rivals in the database provide context for its performance level. The AMD EPYC 7H12 has an average score of 17120, which is 0.3% higher than the Core i5-11400F's 17177. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, representing a 0.4% deficit for the i5-11400F. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U are also within 0.6% of the i5-11400F's score. These processors would likely produce similar frame rates in Evolve when paired with the same GPU, as the game does not appear to be CPU-bound.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals show a tight cluster around the GTX 1650's average benchmark score of 7472. The AMD Radeon HD 8850M scores 7447, 0.3% lower, while the Intel UHD Graphics 750 scores 7441, 0.4% lower. The AMD Radeon R7 350 is 0.6% lower at 7425. On the higher side, the Intel Arc A310 scores 7550, which is 1% above the GTX 1650. These cards would exhibit nearly identical performance in Evolve, meaning users with any of these GPUs paired with a similar CPU would see comparable frame rates.

The combination of a high-percentile CPU with a low-percentile GPU means that swapping the processor for one of its rivals would have minimal impact on Evolve's frame rates. Likewise, substituting the GPU with one of its nearest competitors would change results by only a few percentage points, certainly not enough to push 1440p or 4K into playable territory.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve, but only at 1920x1080 resolution. The verdict data identifies Low and Medium settings as playable at 1080p, with Medium being the best playable preset at 61.8 FPS average. The High preset at 1080p falls to 46.8 FPS, and Ultra drops to 31.2 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 2560x1440, no settings are playable. The closest result is Low at 51.2 FPS, which misses the 60 FPS target by 8.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, the situation is worse, with the best preset (Low) only reaching 28.2 FPS.

The system's rank of 3533 out of 3700 tested combos confirms that this is a low-tier configuration for Evolve. It delivers playable performance only at the most common resolution with reduced visual quality. Players who prioritize frame rate over fidelity can use Medium settings at 1080p and maintain 60 FPS, but those who want High or Ultra quality will need to accept sub-60 FPS performance or upgrade the GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of Intel Core i5-11400F and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 ranks 3533rd out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the bottom 5% of all configurations tested, which is consistent with the measured frame rates. The ranking reflects the GPU's limitations more than the CPU's capabilities, as the processor alone would rank much higher if paired with a stronger graphics card.

The gap between this combo and higher-ranked systems is substantial. The measured data shows that even at 1080p Low, the frame rate of 76.8 FPS is modest by modern standards, and the inability to maintain 60 FPS at 1440p or 4K further explains the low ranking. The percentile rankings of the individual components, 71st for the CPU and 40th for the GPU, suggest that the combo's rank is dragged down primarily by the graphics card.

For context, the CPU's nearest rivals all have average scores within 0.6% of each other, meaning the processor choice is not the differentiator. The GPU's nearest rivals are similarly clustered, but all of them are entry-level or integrated solutions. This combo sits at the bottom of the performance spectrum for Evolve, suitable only for 1080p gaming at medium quality.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS does not exist. The highest recorded average is 28.2 FPS at Low settings, which is far below the threshold. No playable settings are available at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the same situation applies. The Low preset averages 51.2 FPS, which misses the 60 FPS target by a significant margin. The verdict lists no playable settings for this resolution.

At 1920x1080, the best playable preset is Medium, which averages 61.8 FPS. This clears the 60 FPS threshold by a narrow margin of 1.8 FPS. Low settings provide more headroom at 76.8 FPS, but Medium offers higher visual quality while still maintaining playable performance. High settings at 46.8 FPS and Ultra at 31.2 FPS are not recommended if the goal is to stay above 60 FPS. For the smoothest experience, Low at 1080p is the safest choice, but Medium is the highest quality option that meets the playable standard.