Evolve

The Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER delivers a wide spread of frame rates in Evolve, depending on resolution and quality preset. Across the recorded measurements, the combo ranges from a playable 63.2 FPS average at 4K on Low settings down to 25 FPS at 4K on Ultra, with the most comfortable experience occurring at 1080p where even the Ultra preset holds above the 60 FPS threshold. The data indicates this is a setup that can handle Evolve at high refresh rates on standard monitors, but 4K gaming requires significant settings compromises.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the recorded average frame rates are consistently strong across all four presets. Low settings produce an average of 159.5 FPS, which gives substantial headroom for high refresh rate displays. Medium settings drop the average to 121.6 FPS, still well above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. High settings yield 97.1 FPS average, and even the most demanding Ultra preset maintains a 70.2 FPS average. No minimum or maximum frame rate data was recorded for any resolution or settings combination, so the analysis relies on average FPS values alone. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is 89.3 FPS, which shows that Evolve scales noticeably with quality settings on this hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain playable on three of the four presets. Low settings reach 110 FPS average, Medium comes in at 81.6 FPS, and High holds at 62.8 FPS. The Ultra preset falls below the playable threshold with a 45.5 FPS average. The difference between Low and Ultra at 1440p is 64.5 FPS, a smaller absolute spread than at 1080p but still a significant performance cost for the highest quality settings. The High preset at 1440p is the most demanding configuration that stays above 60 FPS, though it sits only 2.8 FPS above the threshold, leaving little margin for scene complexity spikes.

At 3840x2160, the situation becomes more restrictive. Low settings produce a 63.2 FPS average, which is playable but not by a large margin. Medium settings drop to 46.7 FPS, High falls to 38 FPS, and Ultra manages only 25 FPS. The scaling from Low to Ultra at 4K is extreme, with the Ultra preset delivering 38.2 FPS less than Low. This indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 448.0 GB/s bandwidth are insufficient for high quality presets at 4K in this title, while the Alder Lake CPU's 10 cores and 16 threads are not the limiting factor at these low frame rates.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this CPU and GPU combination at rank 2591 out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve. This puts the pairing in the lower third of all tested configurations, which aligns with the measured frame rates showing playable performance only at certain settings and resolutions. The rank reflects both the CPU and GPU contributions, and for a game released in 2015, the RTX 2060 SUPER is not a top-tier card by current standards, while the i5-12600KF is a strong mid-range processor.

The CPU alone sits at the 79th percentile among all tested CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 27799. The GPU, by contrast, is at the 62nd percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 18093. The disparity between these percentiles suggests that in Evolve, the GPU is the more likely bottleneck, especially at higher resolutions where frame rates drop sharply despite the CPU having ample headroom.

The combo rank of 2591 out of 3700 means that roughly 70% of tested combinations deliver better performance in Evolve. This is not surprising given that the GPU is from the Turing generation and has been marked as end-of-life in production status. The CPU, being from the Alder Lake generation and still active, is comparatively newer and stronger relative to its peers. The combination of a modern CPU with an older mid-range GPU creates a system where CPU-bound scenarios at low settings and resolutions perform very well, but GPU-bound scenarios at high settings and 4K suffer.

Best Settings per Resolution

For 1920x1080, the best settings that stay at or above 60 FPS are Ultra, with an average of 70.2 FPS. This is the most demanding preset available, and it still clears the playable threshold by 10.2 FPS. The data shows that all four presets at 1080p are playable, so the recommendation is to run Ultra for maximum visual quality without sacrificing smoothness.

At 2560x1440, the best playable settings are High, which delivers a 62.8 FPS average. This is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS or more, but it is close to the threshold. Medium at 81.6 FPS offers more safety margin, while Low at 110 FPS gives the most headroom for competitive play. For users who prioritize image quality, High is the choice, but for those who prefer consistent frame pacing, Medium or Low may be safer given the lack of recorded minimum frame rate data.

For 3840x2160, the only playable preset is Low, with a 63.2 FPS average. This is the best settings option at 4K, but it is only 3.2 FPS above the playable threshold. Medium at 46.7 FPS and High at 38 FPS are not playable by the database's 60 FPS standard, and Ultra at 25 FPS is far below. The recommendation for 4K is to use Low settings and accept the visual compromise, or alternatively, drop to 1440p for a much better experience.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799, which is nearly identical to several other processors. The Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27872, a delta of -0.3%, meaning the i9-10900K is essentially equal in performance. The AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27712, a delta of +0.3%, also effectively tied. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887, a delta of -0.3%, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896, a delta of -0.3%. For Evolve, swapping the i5-12600KF for any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates, since the differences are all within a fraction of a percent. The i5-12600KF, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, is already well matched to this workload.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile at 18159, a delta of -0.4%, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 at 18189, a delta of -0.5%, the AMD Radeon RX 460 at 18373, a delta of -1.5%, and the Intel Arc A770M at 18383, a delta of -1.6%. These deltas are all small, meaning that within the database's measurements, these GPUs perform within 1.6% of each other on average. In practice, using any of these GPUs instead of the RTX 2060 SUPER would result in very similar frame rates in Evolve, with the Arc A770M being the closest at just 1.6% faster on average. The RTX 2060 SUPER has 8 GB of GDDR6 memory on a 256-bit bus with 448.0 GB/s bandwidth, and its nearest rivals are all within the same performance envelope.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows a clear pattern where the GPU becomes the dominant bottleneck as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the frame rates scale from 159.5 FPS on Low to 70.2 FPS on Ultra, a drop of 56%. This scaling is steep, but even the lowest result is above 60 FPS. At 2560x1440, the range is 110 FPS on Low to 45.5 FPS on Ultra, a drop of 58.6%. At 3840x2160, the range is 63.2 FPS on Low to 25 FPS on Ultra, a drop of 60.4%. The percentage drop from Low to Ultra is remarkably consistent across resolutions, hovering around 56-60%, which suggests that the GPU's workload scales similarly with settings regardless of pixel count.

The CPU's role is more apparent at low settings and low resolutions. At 1080p Low, the 159.5 FPS average is limited by the GPU, since the i5-12600KF with a 79th percentile ranking among CPUs has ample single-thread and multi-thread performance. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 23391 and single-core score of 3302 indicate strong processing power, and its 3DMark single-thread score of 1016 shows it can handle lightly threaded games. Evolve, being a 2015 FPS title, likely benefits from strong single-thread performance, which the i5-12600KF provides.

As resolution increases, the GPU's limitations become more pronounced. At 4K Ultra, the 25 FPS average is clearly GPU-bound, as the RTX 2060 SUPER's 7.181 TFLOPS FP32 compute and 105.6 GPixel/s pixel rate are insufficient for this workload. The GPU's 62nd percentile ranking among all GPUs means it is below average, and the combination rank of 2591 out of 3700 reflects this. The CPU is not the limiting factor at any resolution, as evidenced by the fact that the frame rates drop consistently with resolution and settings, which is a classic GPU-bound signature. For users looking to improve performance in Evolve, upgrading the GPU would yield the largest gains, particularly at 1440p and 4K.

FAQ

Q: Is this combo playable at 1080p in Evolve?

A: Yes, all four presets at 1920x1080 are playable. The lowest average is 70.2 FPS on Ultra, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. Low settings reach 159.5 FPS, Medium 121.6 FPS, and High 97.1 FPS.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: High settings, which produce a 62.8 FPS average, is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Medium at 81.6 FPS and Low at 110 FPS are also playable, while Ultra drops to 45.5 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K?

A: Only on Low settings, which yields a 63.2 FPS average. Medium at 46.7 FPS, High at 38 FPS, and Ultra at 25 FPS all fall below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

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

A: The Intel Core i5-12600KF has an average benchmark score of 27799. The Intel Core i9-10900K scores 27872, the AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE scores 27712, the AMD Ryzen 7 6800U scores 27887, and the AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D scores 27896. All are within 0.3% of the i5-12600KF, so performance in Evolve would be nearly identical.

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

A: The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile scores 18159, the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 scores 18189, the AMD Radeon RX 460 scores 18373, and the Intel Arc A770M scores 18383. The largest delta is 1.6%, so all these GPUs perform within a very close margin.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Evolve?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions and settings. The frame rates drop from 159.5 FPS at 1080p Low to 25 FPS at 4K Ultra, a pattern consistent with GPU limitations. The CPU ranks at the 79th percentile among all CPUs, while the GPU ranks at the 62nd percentile, supporting the conclusion that the RTX 2060 SUPER limits performance more than the i5-12600KF.