Evolve

The pairing of an Intel Core i5-12400 with an AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT is an interesting one to test against Evolve, an asymmetric FPS that shipped back in early 2015. On paper, this hardware is many years newer than the game, and the database measurements largely confirm that expectation: at 1080p and 1440p the combo sails through, while 4K is where the aging RDNA-based GPU finally runs out of headroom. The recorded data, averaged across preset runs at three resolutions, tells a clean scaling story worth unpacking.

Measured FPS Breakdown

All figures below are average frame rates measured by the database; minimum and maximum values were not recorded for these runs, so the analysis rests entirely on the averages.

At 1920x1080, the results are:

• Low: 156 FPS
• Medium: 120 FPS
• High: 97.4 FPS
• Ultra: 66.5 FPS

The full-preset spread at 1080p is enormous, from 156 down to 66.5. Even the most demanding preset stays above the 60 FPS playability threshold, which is remarkable given that Ultra costs this system more than half of its Low-setting frame rate. The drop from High to Ultra alone is roughly 32 FPS, suggesting the top preset's heavier effects push the RX 5700 XT considerably harder.

At 2560x1440, the results shift downward:

• Low: 107.4 FPS
• Medium: 83.7 FPS
• High: 61.9 FPS
• Ultra: 44.6 FPS

Here the picture tightens. Low and Medium remain comfortable, High clings to the playability line at 61.9 FPS, and Ultra falls well short at 44.6 FPS. The High-to-Ultra penalty at 1440p is proportionally steeper than at 1080p, indicating the GPU is nearing its throughput limits as pixel count rises.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes completely:

• Low: 59.6 FPS
• Medium: 48.5 FPS
• High: 34.9 FPS
• Ultra: 22.7 FPS

Not a single 4K preset clears 60 FPS. Low comes heartbreakingly close at 59.6 FPS, just 0.4 frames shy. From there the curve falls off a cliff: Medium loses roughly 11 frames relative to Low, High drops further to 34.9, and Ultra lands at 22.7, roughly a third of the 1080p Ultra result. Averaging mid-20s at 4K Ultra is far from playable in a competitive FPS where fast reactions matter.

One curious detail: the 4K Low average of 59.6 FPS is close to a third of the 1080p Low figure of 156, which is exactly what you'd expect going from roughly two million pixels to roughly eight million if the GPU were the sole bottleneck. That near-perfect linear scaling at the Low preset is strong evidence that this game, on this hardware, is GPU-bound rather than CPU-bound at higher resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can the i5-12400 + RX 5700 XT run Evolve at 1080p?

A: Yes, comfortably at every preset. The lowest recorded average is 66.5 FPS at Ultra, and lighter presets reach 97.4 (High), 120 (Medium), and 156 FPS (Low).

Q: Is 4K gaming possible on this combo in Evolve?

A: No. None of the four 4K presets reach the 60 FPS playability threshold. The best case is Low at 59.6 FPS, and Ultra averages only 22.7 FPS.

Q: What is the highest setting that stays above 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: High, at 61.9 FPS. Ultra falls to 44.6 FPS and is not considered playable.

Q: How big is the performance gap between Ultra and Low at 1080p?

A: The recorded averages span from 156 FPS at Low to 66.5 FPS at Ultra, meaning maxed-out settings cost the system well over half of its baseline frame rate even at the least demanding resolution tested.

Q: Were minimum frame rates recorded?

A: No, minimum and maximum values were not captured for these runs, so the analysis is based on average frame rates only.

Q: Is this pairing a strong one for this game overall?

A: In the database's rankings for Evolve, this combo ranks 2735 out of 3700 tested combinations, which places it in the lower portion of tested hardware despite handling 1080p and 1440p with ease.

Best Settings per Resolution

Based strictly on the recorded averages and the 60 FPS playability threshold:

• 1920x1080: Ultra at 66.5 FPS. Every preset is playable, so the most demanding option is also the best-looking playable choice. High at 97.4 FPS is the pick for players who prefer extra frame headroom in an FPS.
• 2560x1440: High at 61.9 FPS. Ultra at 44.6 FPS is out of reach, making High the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Medium at 83.7 FPS offers a comfortable margin instead.
• 3840x2160: none. No preset qualifies. Low at 59.6 FPS is the closest result, but it sits below the threshold.

The pattern is consistent: each step up in resolution knocks exactly one preset tier off the playable list, a sign of clean, predictable GPU scaling rather than erratic behavior.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals by average benchmark score, the database lists the AMD EPYC 7643 (0.1% behind), the Intel Core i7-1355U (0.3% behind), the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 (0.7% behind), and the Intel Core i3-14100F (0.9% ahead). A system built around any of these processors would deliver nearly identical CPU-side throughput in Evolve, though given the measured GPU-bound behavior at 1440p and 4K, even wider CPU differences would likely go unnoticed in this title.

On the graphics side, the RX 5700 XT's nearest rivals by average score are the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M (0.1% behind), the NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell (0.3% behind), the AMD Radeon PRO W7500 (0.3% behind), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 D V2 (0.9% ahead). The clustering here is tight, within a single percentage point in either direction, so any of these GPUs would produce frame rates within a fraction of the numbers recorded above. The GPU sits in the 59th percentile against all GPUs in the database, while the CPU sits in the 72nd percentile against all CPUs, which hints that the graphics card is the softer half of this pairing.

CPU and GPU Roles

The scaling data points firmly at the GPU as the limiting component. Consider the evidence: going from 1080p to 4K cuts the Low-preset average from 156 FPS to 59.6 FPS, a reduction to roughly a third, while resolution changes should barely affect a CPU-bound system. The i5-12400, with its 12 threads, 2.50 GHz base and 4.40 GHz boost clocks, is clearly not the constraint here. Its strong single-thread scores (910 in 3DMark single thread, 2257 in Cinebench R23 single core) and its 3456 PassMark single-thread result describe a processor with ample pace for a 2015-era FPS.

At 1080p, the margin between presets, 156 down to 66.5 FPS, still shows the GPU dictating outcomes, since the CPU would otherwise cap all presets near the same frame rate. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU's dominance is total. If the RX 5700 XT were replaced with something substantially faster, the 4K results would be the first to improve, while the i5-12400 would likely continue to keep up given how far below its capabilities this game's demands sit.

The interesting question the data raises: would a faster GPU push 1080p Ultra well past 100 FPS, or would the CPU finally become the ceiling? The recorded 66.5 FPS at 1080p Ultra gives no direct answer, but the absence of any flattening across presets at 1080p suggests CPU overhead is nowhere near being reached.

The Verdict

Yes, this PC can run Evolve, with one clear exception. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low through Ultra is playable, topping out at 66.5 FPS on Ultra and reaching 156 FPS on Low. At 2560x1440, Low, Medium, and High all clear 60 FPS, with High at 61.9 FPS marking the practical ceiling. At 3840x2160, the verdict flips: no preset is playable, with Low at 59.6 FPS narrowly missing the mark and Ultra at 22.7 FPS far below it.

The straightforward recommendation from the data: play at 1080p on Ultra or 1440p on High, and avoid 4K entirely on this hardware.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database's Evolve rankings, this pairing sits at rank 2735 out of 3700 tested combinations. That is a low placement, and at first glance it seems at odds with the comfortable 1080p and 1440p results. The explanation is straightforward: the ranking spans all tested hardware, and the RX 5700 XT, sitting in the 59th percentile of GPUs, is the weaker link against a modern field that includes far faster cards. For a game released in February 2015, the pairing is more than sufficient at mainstream resolutions; against the full spectrum of tested combinations, it lands in the bottom third. Both components reflect their launch positioning, the CPU at a launch MSRP of $199 and the GPU at a launch MSRP of 399 USD, and together they deliver exactly what the measurements show: smooth play up to 1440p, and nothing playable beyond it.