Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400 paired with the Intel Arc B370 is a combination that only delivers a playable experience at 1080p, and even then, only on lower presets. The data shows that the system fails to reach the 60 FPS threshold at 1440p and 4K on any settings. For gamers targeting high refresh rates or higher resolutions, this combo is insufficient.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average frame rate of 62 FPS. The recorded data shows a range between 53 FPS minimum and 72 FPS maximum at this setting. This makes Medium the optimal choice for a smooth experience at 1080p, as it remains above the 60 FPS playability threshold on average while providing a better visual experience than Low.

At 2560x1440, no preset achieves the 60 FPS target. The best available option is Low, which produces an average of 54 FPS. This falls short of the playable threshold, meaning users at this resolution will have to accept sub-60 FPS performance. The Medium preset at 1440p averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 FPS and a maximum of 48 FPS, while High averages 33 FPS and Ultra drops to 23 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more challenging. The highest average FPS is achieved on Low at 31 FPS, followed by Medium at 24 FPS (with a minimum of 20 FPS and a maximum of 27 FPS), High at 19 FPS, and Ultra at 13 FPS. None of these presets come close to the 60 FPS threshold, making 4K gaming impractical with this hardware combination.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the primary bottleneck in this configuration. The scaling between resolutions and presets demonstrates that the Intel Arc B370 is severely limited in its rendering capabilities. At 1080p Low, the system produces 80 FPS, but dropping to 1440p Low reduces this to 54 FPS, a significant decline that points to GPU-bound performance. The difference between 1440p Low and 4K Low is even more pronounced, with the average falling from 54 FPS to 31 FPS.

The CPU's role becomes more apparent at lower resolutions and settings where the GPU is less stressed. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 80 FPS, suggesting the Intel Core i5-12400 can feed the GPU adequately at this level. However, as resolution increases, the GPU workload scales up dramatically, and the Arc B370's limitations dominate the performance profile. The gap between Low and Ultra presets at each resolution further illustrates this: at 1080p, the spread is from 80 FPS (Low) down to 34 FPS (Ultra), a 46 FPS difference, while at 4K the spread narrows to a range of 31 FPS to 13 FPS, a smaller absolute difference but on a much lower base level.

The GPU's 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 1184 points places it in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, confirming its position near the bottom of the performance hierarchy. This low percentile ranking, combined with its nearest rivals averaging scores between 1168 and 1192, underscores that the Arc B370 is not equipped to handle demanding games like Evolve at high resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-12400's nearest rivals in the database show that its compute performance is closely matched by several other processors. The AMD EPYC 7643 scores 18697 with a delta of -0.1%, the Intel Core i7-1355U scores 18730 with a delta of -0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen AI 5 330 scores 18811 with a delta of -0.7%. The Intel Core i3-14100F scores 18519, which is 0.9% lower. These deltas indicate that swapping the i5-12400 for any of these alternatives would result in virtually identical CPU-bound performance in Evolve, as the differences are minimal, ranging from -0.7% to 0.9% relative to the i5-12400's average benchmark score of 18683.

For the GPU side, the Intel Arc B370's nearest rivals in the database include the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 with an average score of 1186 and a delta of -0.2%, the ATI Radeon HD 5770 with a score of 1190 and a delta of -0.5%, the AMD Radeon HD 7650M with a score of 1192 and a delta of -0.7%, and the AMD FirePro M2000 with a score of 1168 with a delta of 1.4%. Systems using any of these GPUs would produce gameplay results very close to those recorded for the Arc B370, meaning they too would struggle to maintain 60 FPS at 1440p or 4K in Evolve.

Since the CPU and GPU alternatives have such small performance deltas, a user building with any of these near-identical components would see similar frame rates. The database shows that the CPU has a 72nd percentile ranking among all CPUs, indicating it is a competent processor, but the GPU's 5th percentile ranking is the limiting factor for this game.

The Verdict

This PC cannot run Evolve at 60 FPS at 2560x1440 or 3840x2160, regardless of the quality preset selected. The verdict data indicates no playable settings exist at those resolutions. At 1440p, the highest average FPS achieved is 54 FPS on Low, which is below the 60 FPS threshold, and all other presets score lower. At 4K, even the Low preset only manages 31 FPS, making the game effectively unplayable.

At 1920x1080, the system does clear the 60 FPS bar, but only on Low and Medium presets. The best playable setting is Medium, which yields an average of 62 FPS. This provides a playable experience with a margin of just 2 FPS over the threshold. The Low preset offers a higher average of 80 FPS, providing more headroom, but at lower visual quality. High and Ultra presets at 1080p fall short, with averages of 49 FPS and 34 FPS respectively, so they should be avoided if aiming for smooth gameplay.

In summary, the Intel Core i5-12400 with the Intel Arc B370 is only suitable for 1080p gaming in Evolve, and users must stick to Medium or Low settings to maintain playable frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Is Evolve playable at 1080p with the Intel Core i5-12400 and Intel Arc B370?

A: Yes, at 1080p the system achieves playable frame rates on Low and Medium presets. The best playable setting is Medium with an average of 62 FPS, staying above the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo at 1440p?

A: At 1440p, the highest average FPS is 54 FPS on Low settings. This is below the 60 FPS playable threshold, so no preset at this resolution is considered playable.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B370 compare to its nearest GPU rivals in the database?

A: The Arc B370 scores 1184 in 3Dmark Steel Nomad DX12. Its nearest rivals score 1186 (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570), 1190 (ATI Radeon HD 5770), 1192 (AMD Radeon HD 7650M), and 1168 (AMD FirePro M2000). Performance differences range from -0.7% to 1.4%, meaning they are nearly equivalent.

Q: What is the minimum FPS observed at 1080p Medium for this system?

A: At 1080p Medium, the minimum FPS recorded is 53 FPS, while the maximum is 72 FPS, with an average of 62 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more in Evolve?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, and frame rates drop steeply as resolution increases, for example from 80 FPS at 1080p Low to 31 FPS at 4K Low, indicating GPU-bound performance.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 4K for this combination?

A: No preset is playable at 4K. The highest average FPS is 31 FPS on Low, which is far below the 60 FPS threshold, so using any 4K setting will result in a sub-par experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400 with the Intel Arc B370 combination ranks 3414 out of 3700 tested combos in the database for Evolve. This places it in the bottom portion of all configurations tested, reflecting its inability to deliver smooth performance at higher resolutions. The GPU's very low percentile ranking (5th) compared to the CPU's more respectable 72nd percentile is the primary cause of this low overall ranking. The data indicates that while the CPU is capable of handling modern gaming workloads reasonably well, the GPU cannot keep up with the demands of Evolve at 1440p and 4K, dragging the entire system's performance down to the lower end of the ranking spectrum. Users seeking a better experience in this game would need a significantly more powerful graphics card to complement the i5-12400.