Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 delivers a powerful performance profile for Evolve, a 2015 FPS title. Benchmark data places this combination at rank 688 out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the top 18.6% of all systems evaluated. The CPU sits at the 73rd percentile among all processors, while the GPU ranks at the 82nd percentile among all graphics cards, indicating a balanced pairing where neither component is a significant bottleneck at most settings. The measured frame rates across all resolutions and presets confirm this is a high-performance configuration, though the data reveals interesting scaling patterns that merit closer examination.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 688 out of 3700 tested configurations places it firmly in the upper tier of systems tested for Evolve. This ranking reflects the synergy between the six-core, twelve-thread Intel Core i5-12400F, which boosts to 4.40 GHz, and the Blackwell-architecture RTX 5070 with its 6144 shading units and 12 GB of GDDR7 memory. The CPU's average benchmark score of 19039 and the GPU's average benchmark score of 40377 both contribute to this strong standing, though the GPU's higher percentile ranking suggests it carries more weight in determining overall position.

The rank becomes more meaningful when considering the game's age relative to the hardware. Evolve launched in February 2015, while the RTX 5070 arrived in March 2025 and the i5-12400F in January 2022. This generational gap means the combo has substantial headroom even at demanding presets. At 4K Ultra, the system still produces 47.1 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold, but every other preset at every resolution clears that bar. The data suggests the rank would be even higher if the game utilized modern multi-threading more effectively, as the CPU's 12-thread capability and 18 MB of shared L3 cache are largely underutilized in this title.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 60 FPS on a 4K display?

A: Yes, but not at the highest preset. At 3840x2160, the system achieves 64.5 FPS on High settings, 84.2 FPS on Medium, and 109.5 FPS on Low. Ultra settings drop to 47.1 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p gaming with this combo?

A: The data shows Ultra settings at 2560x1440 produce 82.7 FPS, which is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold. This is the most demanding preset that maintains playability at this resolution.

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

A: The i5-12400F's average benchmark score of 19039 is nearly identical to the AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS (19047, 0% delta) and the Intel Core 3 201E (19056, -0.1% delta). It edges out the Intel Core i5-1335U (18982, 0.3% delta) and the AMD EPYC 7773X (18979, 0.3% delta) by a negligible margin.

Q: How does the GPU compare to its nearest rivals?

A: The RTX 5070's average benchmark score of 40377 is 0.1% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro 580 (40318) and 0.8% ahead of the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 (40063). It trails the AMD Radeon Pro 5300 (40870) by 1.2% and leads the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile (39568) by 2%.

Q: Is the RTX 5070 the limiting factor at 4K Ultra?

A: The data indicates yes. At 3840x2160, frame rates drop from 84.2 FPS at Medium to 47.1 FPS at Ultra, a 44% reduction. This steep scaling at the highest preset suggests the GPU's 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance are being fully utilized.

Q: Does the game benefit more from CPU or GPU upgrades?

A: The evidence points to the GPU mattering more. At 1080p, the difference between Low (281.6 FPS) and Ultra (120.6 FPS) is 161 FPS, while the CPU's single-thread score of 909 in 3DMark remains constant. The GPU's percentile ranking (82) also exceeds the CPU's (73), reinforcing this conclusion.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the nearest rivals all perform within 0.3% of the i5-12400F's average benchmark score. The AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS matches it exactly at 0% delta, making it a direct substitute in terms of compute performance. The Intel Core 3 201E is 0.1% slower, while the Intel Core i5-1335U and AMD EPYC 7773X are each 0.3% faster. These alternatives would produce virtually identical frame rates in Evolve, though the EPYC 7773X is a server-class chip unlikely to appear in a gaming desktop.

On the GPU front, the RTX 5070's nearest rivals show more variance. The AMD Radeon Pro 580 is 0.1% slower, making it the closest performance match, while the AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100 sits 0.8% behind. The AMD Radeon Pro 5300 is 1.2% faster, and the NVIDIA RTX A500 Mobile trails by 2%. For gaming purposes, the Radeon Pro 580 and Pro WX 7100 would behave nearly identically to the RTX 5070 in Evolve, though they lack the RTX 5070's modern feature set like DirectX 12 Ultimate support.

The combination of these rival components would place a system in the same performance tier. A Ryzen 5 7535HS paired with a Radeon Pro 580 would likely produce frame rates within 1-2% of the measured values across all resolutions and presets. The data shows that this performance band is quite tight, with all four CPU alternatives and all four GPU alternatives clustering within a 2% delta of the tested hardware.

The Verdict

This system can definitively run Evolve, and it does so with substantial headroom at most settings. The verdict by resolution is clear: at 3840x2160, the playable settings are High (64.5 FPS), Medium (84.2 FPS), and Low (109.5 FPS), with Ultra (47.1 FPS) falling short. At 2560x1440, all four presets clear 60 FPS, with Ultra achieving 82.7 FPS. At 1920x1080, the system delivers exceptional performance, with Ultra producing 120.6 FPS and Low reaching 281.6 FPS.

The practical takeaway is that this combo is overkill for 1080p and 1440p gaming in Evolve. Players can max out settings at 1440p and still enjoy frame rates above 80 FPS, while 4K gaming requires dropping to High settings for a stable 60+ FPS experience. The 4K Ultra preset is the only configuration where the hardware falls short of the playable threshold, and even then the 47.1 FPS result is playable for less demanding players.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces its highest frame rates. Low settings yield 281.6 FPS, Medium delivers 221.3 FPS, High manages 171.4 FPS, and Ultra still produces 120.6 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 57% performance drop, indicating the GPU's shading units and memory bandwidth are increasingly taxed at higher presets.

At 2560x1440, the pattern continues with more moderate numbers. Low settings achieve 189.3 FPS, Medium hits 144.8 FPS, High sustains 115.2 FPS, and Ultra maintains 82.7 FPS. The transition from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by approximately 31-33% across all presets, which aligns with the pixel count increase from 2,073,600 to 3,686,400 pixels.

At 3840x2160, the GPU begins to show its limits. Low settings still produce 109.5 FPS, but Medium drops to 84.2 FPS, High falls to 64.5 FPS, and Ultra plunges to 47.1 FPS. The jump from 1440p to 4K represents a 225% increase in pixel count, yet frame rates only decrease by about 42-45% at each preset, suggesting the game's rendering pipeline is not purely pixel-bound.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 3840x2160, the best playable preset is High, which delivers 64.5 FPS. This is the most demanding setting that stays at or above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium (84.2 FPS) and Low (109.5 FPS) also qualify, but High offers the best visual fidelity while maintaining playability.

At 2560x1440, Ultra is the optimal choice, producing 82.7 FPS. This preset provides the highest visual quality while remaining 22.7 FPS above the playable threshold. The margin is comfortable enough that occasional frame drops would still stay above 60 FPS under typical gameplay conditions.

For 1920x1080, Ultra again takes the top spot with 120.6 FPS. This more than doubles the 60 FPS threshold, providing excellent headroom for demanding scenes. The system could even handle higher refresh rate displays, as the 120.6 FPS average exceeds the 120 Hz refresh rate common on modern monitors.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the CPU's single-thread performance (909 in 3DMark single-thread) becomes relatively more important, as the GPU is not fully saturated. The 281.6 FPS at Low settings indicates the CPU can feed frames fast enough to keep the GPU busy, but the game's engine likely has CPU-bound sections at these high frame rates.

As resolution increases to 2560x1440, the GPU's role grows. The RTX 5070's 30.87 TFLOPS FP32 performance and 672.0 GB/s memory bandwidth become the primary drivers of frame rate. The percentage drop from 1080p to 1440p (31-33%) closely tracks the GPU's pixel throughput capabilities, suggesting the system becomes more GPU-bound.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates the performance equation. The 44% drop from Medium to Ultra at 4K, compared to a 31% drop at 1440p and 43% at 1080p, indicates the GPU's 192-bit memory bus and 80 ROPs are the limiting factors. The CPU's 6 cores and 12 threads, while capable, are not the bottleneck at any resolution, as evidenced by the consistent scaling patterns that track GPU workload rather than CPU load.