Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER delivers a dominant performance in Evolve, clearing the 60 FPS threshold at every resolution tested. The data shows this combination is exceptionally well-suited for high-refresh-rate gaming at 1080p and 1440p, while still providing a smooth experience at 4K with adjusted settings. At 1080p, the combo achieves an average of 123.4 FPS on the Ultra preset, and at 1440p it maintains 81.4 FPS on the same preset, proving that the system’s headroom is substantial. Only at 4K with the Ultra preset does the frame rate dip below the playable threshold, hitting 45.1 FPS, but the High preset at that resolution still delivers a comfortable 70.8 FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination reveals a clear scaling pattern across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the system is profoundly overqualified for the game’s demands. On the Low setting, the average frame rate is 292 FPS. Moving to Medium yields 225.7 FPS, while High produces 177.2 FPS. The most demanding Ultra preset at 1080p still maintains an average of 123.4 FPS, which is more than double the 60 FPS playable threshold. This indicates that at 1080p, the bottleneck is almost entirely removed, and the system is delivering frame rates that exceed the refresh rate of most standard monitors.

At 2560x1440, the performance remains stellar but shows a predictable decline as resolution increases. The Low preset averages 197.8 FPS, Medium averages 151.2 FPS, and High averages 121.8 FPS. The Ultra preset at 1440p achieves 81.4 FPS, which is still comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. The data shows a 38% reduction in frame rate from the Low to Ultra preset at this resolution, but the absolute numbers remain high enough for competitive play and immersive single-player experiences.

The 3840x2160 results are where the system starts to show its limits under maximum load. The Low preset at 4K averages 112.9 FPS, which is remarkably high for a 4K resolution. Medium drops to 88 FPS, and High settles at 70.8 FPS. The Ultra preset, however, falls to an average of 45.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the only configuration in the entire dataset where the system fails to maintain smooth performance. The gap between High (70.8 FPS) and Ultra (45.1 FPS) at 4K is substantial, a 36% performance drop, indicating that the Ultra preset’s additional graphical demands at this resolution are too heavy for the GPU’s 12 GB of memory and 504.2 GB/s bandwidth to handle at full speed.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data indicates that the GPU is the primary performance driver in Evolve, particularly at higher resolutions, but the CPU provides a strong foundation that prevents it from becoming a limiting factor. The Intel Core i5-12400F, with its 6 cores and 12 threads, scores a Cinebench R23 multi-core result of 12380 and a single-core score of 1680, placing it in the 73rd percentile of all CPUs. This level of processing power is more than sufficient for a game released in 2015, as the CPU’s 3DMark 16-thread score of 5895 and Passmark multi-thread score of 19433 demonstrate ample headroom for game logic and physics calculations.

The scaling between resolutions confirms that the GPU is the bottleneck at higher settings. Going from 1080p Ultra (123.4 FPS) to 1440p Ultra (81.4 FPS) results in a 34% drop in performance. Conversely, from 1440p Ultra to 4K Ultra (45.1 FPS), the drop is 45% again. This steep decline as resolution increases is a classic sign of GPU-bound performance, as the rendering workload expands exponentially with pixel count. The RTX 4070 SUPER’s FP32 throughput of 35.48 TFLOPS and pixel rate of 198.0 GPixel/s are the decisive factors here.

At 1080p, the frame rates are so high (292 FPS on Low) that the CPU’s single-thread performance becomes more relevant. The 3DMark 2-thread score of 1699 and Passmark single-thread score of 3481 suggest that the i5-12400F can keep up with the GPU’s output at this low resolution, as the frame rates do not decrease proportionally to the GPU’s workload. The data shows that between 1080p Low and 1440p Low, the frame rate drops from 292 to 197.8 FPS, a 32% reduction. This is smaller than the drop from 1440p to 4K on Low (197.8 to 112.9 FPS, a 43% reduction), further confirming that the GPU’s memory bandwidth and compute units are the primary constraint at higher pixel counts.

Best Settings per Resolution

For each resolution, the best settings are defined as the highest preset that maintains an average frame rate at or above 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, the system can run the Ultra preset with an average of 123.4 FPS. This is the highest preset available, and the frame rate is more than double the playable threshold, meaning users can enable every visual enhancement without concern for smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the Ultra preset also remains the best option, achieving an average of 81.4 FPS. While this is lower than the 1080p result, it still provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS, ensuring that high-refresh-rate monitors can be utilized effectively. The data shows that dropping to High at 1440p would yield 121.8 FPS, but the Ultra preset’s 81.4 FPS is sufficient for a smooth experience.

At 3840x2160, the best playable setting is High, which averages 70.8 FPS. The Medium preset runs at 88 FPS and Low at 112.9 FPS, but High offers the best visual fidelity while staying above the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset at 4K is not recommended, as its 45.1 FPS average falls below the playable threshold. Users targeting 4K should opt for High settings to balance visual quality and performance.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 4K with the Ultra preset?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with the Ultra preset, the combination averages 45.1 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best setting at 4K is High, which averages 70.8 FPS.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 81.4 FPS, making it the highest playable setting at this resolution. All lower presets (High, Medium, Low) also exceed 60 FPS, with averages of 121.8, 151.2, and 197.8 FPS respectively.

Q: How does the CPU’s performance compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-12400F has an average benchmark score of 19039, which is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (19047, 0% difference) and the Intel Core 3 201E (19056, -0.1% difference). It slightly outperforms the Intel Core i5-1335U (18982, 0.3% ahead) and the AMD EPYC 7773X (18979, 0.3% ahead).

Q: What is the frame rate difference between the Low and Ultra presets at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 292 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 123.4 FPS. This represents a 57.7% reduction in frame rate when moving from Low to Ultra, highlighting the significant graphical load of the Ultra settings.

Q: Is the RTX 4070 SUPER significantly faster than its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 4070 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 43223. It is 0.1% slower than the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB (43262) and 0.1% slower than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile (43268). It is 0.2% faster than the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 (43301) and 1% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile (43667).

Q: Does the system hit 60 FPS at 4K with the Medium preset?

A: Yes. At 3840x2160 with the Medium preset, the average frame rate is 88 FPS, which is well above the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset at 4K runs at 112.9 FPS, while High runs at 70.8 FPS.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12400F + NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 602nd out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve, placing it in the top 16.3% of all systems tested for this game. This is a strong showing, indicating that the combination is well above average for this specific title, even though the game is older and less demanding than modern releases. The GPU’s 83rd percentile ranking among all GPUs (with a Passmark G3D score of 29995) contributes heavily to this high placement, as does the CPU’s 73rd percentile ranking.

The rank of 602 out of 3700 suggests that while this combo is not at the absolute top tier, it outperforms the vast majority of systems tested. The nearest GPU rivals, such as the RTX 4090 Mobile (score 43667, -1% delta) and the Quadro M6000 (score 43301, -0.2% delta), are extremely close in raw synthetic benchmarks, meaning the 4070 SUPER’s placement is competitive. For a game like Evolve, which is not particularly demanding by modern standards, this combination offers performance that is far beyond what most users would need, justifying its high rank.

The Verdict

This PC can absolutely run Evolve with excellent performance across nearly all settings and resolutions. The data confirms playable frame rates (above 60 FPS) at 1080p and 1440p on every preset, including Ultra. At 4K, the system is playable on the High, Medium, and Low presets, with average frame rates of 70.8, 88, and 112.9 FPS respectively. The only configuration that fails the 60 FPS test is 4K Ultra, which dips to 45.1 FPS.

For users with a 1080p or 1440p monitor, this combination is a powerhouse, delivering frame rates that are suitable for high-refresh-rate displays. At 1080p Ultra, the 123.4 FPS average is smooth and responsive. At 1440p Ultra, the 81.4 FPS average is still excellent, though users with 144Hz or higher refresh rate monitors might prefer the High preset at 121.8 FPS for even smoother motion. For 4K users, the High preset at 70.8 FPS is the recommended choice, as it provides a good balance of visual fidelity and performance. The Ultra preset at 4K should be avoided unless the user is willing to accept frame rates below the playable threshold. Overall, the verdict is clear: this system is more than capable of running Evolve to its full potential at all common gaming resolutions.