Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 delivers a wide spread of performance in Evolve, ranging from a deeply playable 191.3 FPS average at 1080p on Low settings to a stuttering 32 FPS average at 4K on Ultra. The data indicates this combo is a solid 1080p and 1440p machine for this title, but 4K gaming requires significant compromises. With a playable threshold of 60 FPS, the combination clears that bar in seven of the twelve tested configurations, showing that the hardware is well-matched for the game's demands at mainstream resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo shows its strongest performance. The Low preset yields an average of 191.3 FPS, which is more than triple the playable threshold. Moving up to Medium, the average drops to 149 FPS, still a massive margin of headroom. The High preset delivers 116.1 FPS, and even the most demanding Ultra preset holds an average of 78.9 FPS. All four 1080p settings remain comfortably above 60 FPS, with the gap between Low and Ultra being 112.4 FPS—a clear sign that the RTX 4060 has ample compute headroom at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the performance curve steepens. The Low preset still produces an excellent 124.8 FPS average. Medium follows at 101.4 FPS, and High manages 76.4 FPS. However, the Ultra preset falls to 53.9 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. This marks the first resolution where the most demanding preset fails to maintain playability. The drop from High to Ultra is 22.5 FPS, a significant penalty for the extra visual fidelity.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes drastically. The Low preset is the only configuration that stays above 60 FPS, with an average of 71.1 FPS. Medium drops to 58.1 FPS, just under the threshold, while High falls further to 44.8 FPS. The Ultra preset bottoms out at 32 FPS, which is roughly half the playable threshold and indicates a slideshow-like experience. The scaling from 1080p Low to 4K Low shows a loss of 120.2 FPS, illustrating how heavily this game's pixel throughput demands scale with resolution.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 1080p on Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 78.9 FPS, which is 18.9 FPS above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the most demanding preset that remains fully playable at this resolution.

Q: What is the best settings preset for 1440p gaming?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 produces an average of 76.4 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that stays above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at this resolution falls short at 53.9 FPS.

Q: Is 4K gaming possible with this hardware?

A: Yes, but only with significant compromises. At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only one that clears the 60 FPS threshold, achieving 71.1 FPS. The Medium preset drops to 58.1 FPS, which is below the playable threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K on the same settings?

A: On the Low preset, the average FPS drops from 191.3 at 1920x1080 to 71.1 at 3840x2160, a reduction of 120.2 FPS. On the High preset, the drop is from 116.1 to 44.8, a loss of 71.3 FPS.

Q: Which resolution offers the most headroom above the 60 FPS threshold?

A: The 1920x1080 Low preset offers the most headroom, with an average FPS of 191.3—that is 131.3 FPS above the playable threshold. Even at 1080p Ultra, the margin is 18.9 FPS.

Q: Does the Ultra preset ever become playable?

A: Yes, but only at 1920x1080, where it averages 78.9 FPS. At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset averages 53.9 FPS, and at 3840x2160, it averages 32 FPS, both below the 60 FPS threshold.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding configuration that remains at or above 60 FPS, with an average of 78.9 FPS. This provides the full visual experience without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the High preset is the top choice, delivering an average of 76.4 FPS. This maintains a comfortable margin above the threshold while offering higher fidelity than Medium or Low.

At 3840x2160, the Low preset is the only viable option, producing an average of 71.1 FPS. While this is above the threshold, it requires sacrificing nearly all graphical enhancements to achieve playability at this resolution.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060 combination ranks 1986th out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve. This places it in the lower-middle portion of the overall distribution, meaning roughly 54% of tested hardware combinations perform better in this specific game. However, this rank reflects the entire spectrum of tested systems, including those with far more powerful CPUs and GPUs. Within the context of this specific pairing, the data shows that it is a balanced setup for the game, as evidenced by the fact that it achieves playable frame rates at 1080p and 1440p across most presets. The rank of 1986 suggests that while this combo is not top-tier, it is far from the bottom, and its performance is sufficient for the majority of gaming scenarios at mainstream resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the CPU's nearest rivals, the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS shows a near-identical average benchmark score with a deltaPct of 0, meaning it would deliver virtually the same CPU-bound performance in Evolve. The Intel Core 3 201E is 0.1% slower, and the Intel Core i5-1335U is 0.3% faster, while the AMD EPYC 7773X is also 0.3% faster. These small deltas suggest that swapping the i5-12400F for any of these CPUs would yield imperceptible changes in frame rates, as the GPU is likely the primary bottleneck at most settings.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon HD 7790 is 0.2% slower than the RTX 4060, while the AMD Radeon 780M is 0.3% faster. The AMD Radeon Pro 560 and Pro 460 are 0.5% and 0.7% slower, respectively. These rivals are all within a 1% performance band, meaning that a system with any of these GPUs paired with a similar CPU would produce nearly identical FPS numbers in Evolve. For example, a system with the Intel Core i5-12400F and an AMD Radeon 780M would likely show average FPS within a few frames of the RTX 4060 configuration across all tested settings.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Evolve? The answer is a qualified yes, depending on resolution and settings. At 1920x1080, the combo clears the 60 FPS threshold on all four presets, including Ultra at 78.9 FPS. At 2560x1440, the High preset is playable at 76.4 FPS, but Ultra falls below the line at 53.9 FPS. At 3840x2160, only the Low preset is playable, with an average of 71.1 FPS. The verdict by resolution confirms this: 1080p has four playable settings, 1440p has three, and 4K has only one. For gamers prioritizing high frame rates, the 1080p Low preset at 191.3 FPS is the standout configuration, while those seeking visual quality should target 1440p High or 1080p Ultra. The system is not capable of a fully playable 4K Ultra experience, as that preset averages only 32 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the balance of CPU and GPU load shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the GPU has significant headroom, as shown by the jump from 78.9 FPS at Ultra to 191.3 FPS at Low—a 112.4 FPS swing that is entirely driven by GPU workload changes. This suggests that at 1080p, the RTX 4060 is the limiting factor, but the i5-12400F provides enough processing power to keep up with even the lowest settings. The CPU's multi-threaded benchmark scores, such as 12,380 in Cinebench R23, indicate it has ample capacity for the game's logic and physics at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the GPU load increases, as evidenced by the performance drop on the Ultra preset to 53.9 FPS. The scaling from 1080p Ultra to 1440p Ultra shows a reduction of 25 FPS, indicating that the GPU is becoming more stressed. However, the CPU still appears to be sufficient, as the frame rates remain high on lower presets. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 70.9 FPS, showing that the GPU is still the dominant factor in performance variation.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the overwhelming bottleneck. The Ultra preset drops to 32 FPS, and even the Low preset falls to 71.1 FPS, a reduction of 120.2 FPS compared to 1080p Low. This massive scaling indicates that the RTX 4060's 8 GB of memory and 272.0 GB/s bandwidth are being saturated at this resolution. The CPU's role diminishes further, as the frame rates are almost entirely dictated by the GPU's pixel and texture throughput. In summary, the i5-12400F is never the primary constraint in Evolve; the RTX 4060 is the deciding factor, with its limitations becoming most apparent at 4K and at high preset levels.