Evolve

Evolve is a fast-paced FPS title with a heavy reliance on both GPU throughput and CPU consistency. The recorded data for this specific configuration, pairing an Intel Core i5-11400F with an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, shows a system that is dramatically overqualified for the game’s demands at most settings, with the only real pressure point appearing at 4K Ultra. The measurements in the database cover three resolutions and four quality presets, and the overall pattern is one of high headroom, with the GPU becoming the limiting factor only when the resolution and preset combine to push pixel count and shading complexity.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The database includes measured FPS for this combo across 1920x1080, 2560x1440, and 3840x2160, with each resolution tested at Low, Medium, High, and Ultra settings. The data shows that at 1080p, the system is effectively never strained. At Low settings, the average FPS is 260. Moving to Medium, the average is 237, with a recorded minimum of 202 and maximum of 273. High settings produce an average of 203 FPS, while Ultra drops to an average of 140 FPS. None of these numbers approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, meaning even the most demanding 1080p preset leaves massive performance on the table.

At 2560x1440, the scaling is predictable but still leaves the system far beyond the playable mark. Low settings yield an average of 224 FPS. Medium shows an average of 173 FPS, with a minimum of 147 and maximum of 199. High settings produce 136 FPS on average. Ultra, the most demanding preset at this resolution, still manages an average of 94 FPS. The gap between Medium and Ultra at 1440p is 79 FPS, which is a substantial drop but still keeps the game well above 60 FPS even in the heaviest preset.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes more dramatically. Low settings produce an average of 127 FPS, which is still excellent. Medium shows an average of 99 FPS, with a minimum of 84 and maximum of 113. High settings average 77 FPS. The outlier is Ultra at 4K, which drops to an average of 54 FPS. This is the only measured configuration in the entire dataset that falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The minimum FPS for 4K Ultra is not recorded in the data, but the average itself tells the story: the RTX 4080 SUPER can handle Evolve at 4K High without issue, but Ultra at that resolution exceeds what this combination can sustain.

The min and max values are only available for Medium presets across all three resolutions. At 1080p Medium, the 202 to 273 range shows a 71 FPS variance, which is normal for a game with variable scene complexity. At 1440p Medium, the range is 147 to 199, a 52 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the range is 84 to 113, a 29 FPS spread. The narrowing range as resolution increases suggests that the GPU is becoming more consistently saturated, which is typical behavior when the pixel workload dominates frame time variance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals in the database for the CPU and GPU provide context for how this combination compares to other hardware that would produce similar frame rates. For the Intel Core i5-11400F, the closest matching processors by average benchmark score are the AMD EPYC 7H12, Intel Core i5-12450H, AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G, and Intel Core Ultra 7 164U. The i5-11400F has an average benchmark score of 17177. The AMD EPYC 7H12 scores 17120, which is 0.3% slower. The Intel Core i5-12450H scores 17239, which is 0.4% faster. The AMD Ryzen 3 PRO 8300G scores 17278, 0.6% faster. The Intel Core Ultra 7 164U scores 17074, 0.6% slower. These deltas are all within one percent, meaning any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Evolve. For a game like this, where the GPU is the dominant factor at higher resolutions, the choice between these processors would be imperceptible.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 SUPER, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, AMD Radeon Pro W5700X, AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB, and AMD Radeon 8060S. The RTX 4080 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 54209. The RTX 4080 scores 54247, which is 0.1% faster. That effectively means the two cards are identical in real-world performance, which is expected given that the SUPER variant is a minor refresh. The AMD Radeon Pro W5700X scores 54828, 1.1% faster than the RTX 4080 SUPER. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 GRE 12 GB scores 55698, 2.7% faster. The AMD Radeon 8060S scores 55757, 2.8% faster. These are all very small margins, so a user who owns any of these GPUs would see essentially the same FPS in Evolve as the RTX 4080 SUPER produces.

What this means in practice is that if you were to swap the i5-11400F for any of its nearest rivals, or the RTX 4080 SUPER for any of its nearest rivals, the measured FPS in Evolve would stay within a rounding error of the numbers recorded here. The only scenario where a difference might be noticeable is if the CPU became the bottleneck, which does not happen in this game at these settings because the GPU is almost always the limiting factor.

CPU and GPU Roles

Determining which component matters more for Evolve requires looking at how FPS scales with resolution and preset changes. The data shows that lowering the preset from Ultra to Low at a fixed resolution has a much larger impact on FPS than changing the resolution at a fixed preset. This is a strong indicator that the GPU is the primary driver of performance in this game.

At 1920x1080, the difference between Ultra and Low is 120 FPS (140 minus 260). At 2560x1440, the difference between Ultra and Low is 130 FPS (94 minus 224). At 3840x2160, the difference between Ultra and Low is 73 FPS (54 minus 127). If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect the gap between presets to shrink as resolution increases, because the CPU workload stays constant while the GPU workload grows. Instead, the gap remains large at all resolutions, confirming that the GPU is doing the heavy lifting.

Looking at resolution scaling, going from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra drops FPS from 140 to 94, a 33% reduction. Going from 1440p to 4K at Ultra drops FPS from 94 to 54, a 43% reduction. This progressive drop with resolution is classic GPU-bound behavior. The CPU is responsible for issuing draw calls and game logic, but at these frame rates, the i5-11400F is never close to being saturated. The 6-core, 12-thread processor with a 4.4 GHz boost clock has more than enough headroom for a 2015-era FPS title.

The one place where the CPU might start to matter is at 1080p Low, where the system is producing 260 FPS. At such high frame rates, CPU overhead can become significant, but the data does not show any signs of a CPU bottleneck here. The i5-11400F has a single-thread benchmark score of 2981 in Passmark and a 3DMark single-thread score of 868, both of which are strong enough for high-FPS gaming. The recorded 260 FPS at 1080p Low is likely near the game engine’s own frame rate ceiling rather than a hardware limitation.

The GPU’s role is even clearer when looking at the RTX 4080 SUPER specifications. With 10240 shading units, 80 RT cores, and a boost clock of 2550 MHz, the card delivers 52.22 TFLOPS of FP32 compute. The 16 GB of GDDR6X memory on a 256-bit bus provides 736.3 GB/s of bandwidth. Evolve is not a memory-bandwidth-intensive game, so the GPU’s compute throughput dominates. The 4K Ultra result, which falls to 54 FPS, is the only data point where the GPU’s limits are genuinely visible.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Evolve? The answer is yes, with caveats only at the very top end of the settings scale. The verdict by resolution in the database is clear. At 1920x1080, all four presets (Low, Medium, High, and Ultra) are playable, with the best playable setting being Ultra at an average of 140 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets are also playable, with Ultra at 94 FPS being the best option. At 3840x2160, three of the four presets are playable: Low at 127 FPS, Medium at 99 FPS, and High at 77 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K falls below the 60 FPS threshold with an average of 54 FPS.

The practical takeaway is that this system will run Evolve flawlessly for the vast majority of users. Anyone playing on a 1080p or 1440p display can max out the settings and see frame rates far above what most monitors can even display. At 4K, the game is still highly playable at High settings, with 77 FPS average, which is smooth for a shooter. The only scenario where you need to make a compromise is if you insist on 4K Ultra. The 54 FPS average would be noticeable on a high-refresh 4K monitor, and you would need to drop to High to get back above 60 FPS.

The combo rank in the database, 371 out of 3700 tested combinations, places this system in the top 10% of all recorded configurations for Evolve. That ranking is consistent with the measured FPS, which show a system that is overkill for most settings and only marginally underpowered for the absolute maximum at 4K.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the best setting is defined as the most demanding preset that still maintains an average FPS at or above 60. The database provides exact numbers for this.

At 1920x1080, the best setting is Ultra, with an average FPS of 140. This is the highest preset available, and the system clears the playable threshold by a wide margin. There is no reason to use anything other than Ultra at 1080p.

At 2560x1440, the best setting is also Ultra, with an average FPS of 94. Again, the highest preset is fully playable, and the 94 FPS average leaves enough headroom for demanding scenes. Even the minimum FPS at Medium, which is 147, suggests that Ultra would not dip below 60 in any realistic scenario.

At 3840x2160, the best setting is High, with an average FPS of 77. Ultra is not playable because it averages 54 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. High is the most demanding preset that stays above 60, and it provides a 23 FPS buffer over the playable mark. If you want to use Medium at 4K, you get 99 FPS, but High offers a better visual experience while still maintaining smooth gameplay.

These settings recommendations are based on the average FPS. The database does not record minimum FPS for High or Ultra presets, so there is a small risk that brief dips could occur below the average. However, given the large margins between the average FPS and the 60 FPS threshold at these settings, any dips would have to be severe to cause a noticeable stutter. For 4K High, the 77 FPS average provides a 17 FPS cushion, which is generally sufficient for a stable experience in a game like Evolve.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K with all settings maxed out?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 54, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings at 4K produce 77 FPS, which is the highest playable preset at that resolution.

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

A: Ultra settings at 1440p produce an average of 94 FPS, making it the best choice. All four presets at 1440p clear the 60 FPS threshold, so you can safely use the highest quality options.

Q: How much faster is this system at 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: At 1080p Low, the average FPS is 260. At 4K Ultra, the average FPS is 54. That is a difference of 206 FPS, or roughly 4.8 times higher frame rate at the lower resolution and settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the dominant factor. Changing presets at a fixed resolution causes larger FPS swings than changing resolutions at a fixed preset, which is typical of GPU-bound workloads. The i5-11400F has sufficient single-thread performance to avoid bottlenecking even at 1080p Low, where the system reaches 260 FPS.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 4K Medium settings?

A: At 3840x2160 with Medium settings, the average FPS is 99, with a minimum of 84 and maximum of 113. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold and provides a smooth experience.

Q: How does this system compare to others in the database for Evolve?

A: The combination ranks 371 out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the top 10% of all recorded systems. The RTX 4080 SUPER is within 3% of its nearest rival GPUs by average benchmark score, and the i5-11400F is within 1% of its nearest rival CPUs, so the measured performance is representative of a wide range of comparable hardware.