Evolve

Evolve, the 2015 asymmetrical FPS, presents an interesting test for the Intel Core i5-12600KF paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER. The measured data shows this combination delivers high frame rates across most settings, with the primary constraint emerging at the highest resolution. The benchmark results indicate a clear scaling pattern where the GPU becomes the defining factor as resolution increases.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data for this combination covers three resolutions and four quality presets, providing a complete picture of performance scaling. All figures represent average FPS, as the data does not include separate minimum or maximum frame rate values.

At 1920x1080, the frame rates are exceptionally high across all settings. The Low preset delivers an average of 294.2 FPS, which is the highest recorded for this combination. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 226.1 FPS, a 23.1% reduction from Low. The High preset produces 180.1 FPS, while the demanding Ultra preset still maintains a strong 121.9 FPS average. This resolution shows the least GPU constraint, allowing the CPU to push frame rates well beyond typical display refresh rates.

At 2560x1440, the scaling becomes more pronounced. Low settings yield 198.1 FPS, which is 32.6% lower than the 1080p result. Medium follows with 153.8 FPS, High with 120.9 FPS, and Ultra with 83.3 FPS. The gap between Ultra and Low at this resolution is 114.8 FPS, indicating that the GPU workload increases substantially at higher settings. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent reduction in frame rate, with each preset tier costing roughly 25-30% performance relative to the previous tier.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. Low settings produce 110.4 FPS, which is 44.3% lower than the 1440p result. Medium settings average 85.3 FPS, High settings 68.4 FPS, and Ultra settings fall to 49.7 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K is the only configuration in the entire dataset that fails to reach 60 FPS, confirming that this combination approaches its limits at this resolution. The performance delta between Low and Ultra at 4K is 60.7 FPS, showing that quality settings have a significant impact on the experience.

The data reveals a consistent pattern: as resolution increases, the impact of quality settings grows. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 172.3 FPS; at 1440p, it is 114.8 FPS; at 4K, it narrows to 60.7 FPS. This indicates that at lower resolutions, the GPU has sufficient headroom to absorb quality increases without proportional frame rate penalties, while at higher resolutions, the GPU is already working near its capacity.

Best Settings per Resolution

The playable threshold for this analysis is 60 FPS average, and the data shows which settings meet this criterion at each resolution.

At 3840x2160, the best playable preset is High, which delivers an average of 68.4 FPS. This is the only resolution where the maximum quality preset fails to maintain the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings provide 85.3 FPS and Low settings 110.4 FPS, both comfortably above the threshold, but High represents the highest visual quality that maintains playability. Ultra at 4K averages 49.7 FPS, falling short of the 60 FPS requirement.

At 2560x1440, all four presets exceed the 60 FPS threshold. The best settings are Ultra, which produces an average of 83.3 FPS. This indicates that the combination has enough performance headroom at 1440p to run the game at maximum quality without dropping below playable frame rates. The next tier down, High, averages 120.9 FPS, offering a substantial performance buffer for those preferring higher refresh rates.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are also Ultra, with an average of 121.9 FPS. This result is 46.4% higher than the 1440p Ultra score, demonstrating that the GPU has considerable unused capacity at this resolution. All presets at 1080p exceed 120 FPS, making this resolution the most accommodating for high-refresh-rate displays.

The verdict data confirms these findings: for 4K, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium; for 1440p and 1080p, all four settings are playable. The best settings per resolution are High at 4K, Ultra at 1440p, and Ultra at 1080p.

CPU and GPU Roles

The performance data reveals distinct roles for the CPU and GPU across different resolutions. The Intel Core i5-12600KF, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, provides a strong foundation that does not appear to bottleneck the GPU at any tested configuration. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, with 7168 shading units and 12 GB of GDDR6X memory, demonstrates clear scaling behavior tied to resolution.

At 1920x1080, the CPU plays a more prominent role relative to the GPU. The frame rates at Low settings (294.2 FPS) suggest that the GPU is not fully taxed, allowing the CPU to drive frame generation. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution shows a 58.6% reduction in frame rate, which is the largest percentage drop across all resolutions. This indicates that the GPU begins to become more relevant as settings increase, but the overall performance ceiling is high enough that the CPU is still a meaningful contributor.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts toward the GPU. The frame rates at Low settings (198.1 FPS) are 32.6% lower than at 1080p, showing that the increased pixel count directly impacts GPU workload. The scaling from Low to Ultra at this resolution is a 58.0% reduction, nearly identical to the 1080p percentage. This suggests that the GPU is now the primary constraint, with the CPU providing sufficient throughput to avoid introducing a bottleneck.

At 3840x2160, the GPU dominates the performance equation. The frame rates at Low settings (110.4 FPS) are 44.3% lower than at 1440p, and the scaling from Low to Ultra shows a 55.0% reduction. The Ultra preset at 4K falls below 60 FPS, which is the clearest evidence that the GPU has reached its practical limit. The CPU, while still capable, is no longer a limiting factor at this resolution; the GPU's raw throughput determines the outcome.

Resolution scaling confirms this interpretation. Moving from 1080p to 1440p reduces frame rates by 32.6% at Low settings and 31.7% at Ultra settings. Moving from 1440p to 4K reduces frame rates by 44.3% at Low and 40.3% at Ultra. The larger percentage drop at 4K indicates that the GPU is operating closer to its maximum capacity, where any additional pixel load has a disproportionately large impact.

FAQ

Q: Is the Intel Core i5-12600KF sufficient for this game at 4K Ultra settings?

A: No. The measured data shows that this combination produces 49.7 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The CPU is not the limiting factor; the GPU workload at 4K Ultra exceeds what the RTX 4070 SUPER can deliver.

Q: What is the highest quality setting that maintains 60 FPS at 4K?

A: High settings produce an average of 68.4 FPS at 3840x2160, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. Medium settings deliver 85.3 FPS and Low settings 110.4 FPS, but High is the most demanding preset that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the frame rate scale from 1080p to 1440p at Ultra settings?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average is 121.9 FPS. At 2560x1440 Ultra, the average drops to 83.3 FPS. This represents a 31.7% reduction in frame rate when increasing the resolution by 77.8% in pixel count.

Q: Can this combination run the game at 1440p with maximum quality?

A: Yes. The measured data shows 83.3 FPS at 2560x1440 with Ultra settings, which is 38.8% above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets at this resolution exceed 60 FPS.

Q: What is the highest average frame rate recorded for this combination?

A: The highest average is 294.2 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. Medium at 1080p produces 226.1 FPS, and High at 1080p produces 180.1 FPS.

Q: Does the Ultra preset at 4K require a different hardware configuration?

A: The data indicates that the RTX 4070 SUPER reaches its limit at 4K Ultra, producing 49.7 FPS. To achieve 60 FPS at this setting would require a GPU with higher raw performance than the benchmark data shows for this model.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-12600KF and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER combination ranks 593rd out of 3700 tested combinations in Evolve. This places the combo in the 84th percentile of all tested systems, meaning that approximately 16% of tested configurations perform better in this game.

The ranking reflects the combination's balanced performance profile. The CPU sits in the 79th percentile among all tested CPUs, while the GPU sits in the 83rd percentile among all tested GPUs. The combined result of 593rd out of 3700 is consistent with both components performing above the median, though neither is in the top tier of its respective category.

The average benchmark scores support this positioning. The CPU has an average benchmark score of 27799, while the GPU has an average benchmark score of 43223. These scores, combined with the measured FPS data, indicate that the pair is well-matched for Evolve at most resolutions, with the 4K Ultra preset being the primary exception.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve, but the playable experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution and quality settings. The verdict by resolution is clear:

At 1920x1080, every preset clears the 60 FPS threshold with substantial margin. Ultra settings deliver 121.9 FPS, High delivers 180.1 FPS, Medium delivers 226.1 FPS, and Low delivers 294.2 FPS. This resolution offers the most flexibility, with performance headroom for high-refresh-rate displays.

At 2560x1440, all presets also clear the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra settings produce 83.3 FPS, which is above the playability threshold. High delivers 120.9 FPS, Medium 153.8 FPS, and Low 198.1 FPS. This resolution provides a good balance between visual fidelity and performance.

At 3840x2160, the experience is more constrained. High settings produce 68.4 FPS, which is playable, but Ultra settings drop to 49.7 FPS, falling short of the 60 FPS requirement. Medium and Low settings are playable at 85.3 FPS and 110.4 FPS respectively. The best visual quality that maintains playability at 4K is High.

The data shows that this combination is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, where it can run the game at maximum quality with frame rates well above the playable threshold. At 4K, users must compromise on quality settings to maintain smooth gameplay.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware would behave similarly in this combination.

For the Intel Core i5-12600KF, the closest competitors are the Intel Core i9-10900K, AMD Ryzen 5 8500GE, AMD Ryzen 7 6800U, and AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D. The data shows that each of these CPUs performs within 0.3% of the i5-12600KF in average benchmark score. The i9-10900K is 0.3% faster, the Ryzen 5 8500GE is 0.3% slower, the Ryzen 7 6800U is 0.3% faster, and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D is 0.3% faster. In practical terms, swapping the i5-12600KF for any of these CPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Evolve, as the performance differences are within measurement noise.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER, the nearest rivals include the NVIDIA Quadro M6000 24 GB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 Mobile, NVIDIA Quadro M6000, and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Mobile. The Quadro M6000 24 GB is 0.1% faster, the RTX 5050 Mobile is 0.1% faster, the Quadro M6000 is 0.2% faster, and the RTX 4090 Mobile is 1.0% faster. These differences are minimal, suggesting that a system with the RTX 4070 SUPER and any of these GPUs would deliver comparable performance in Evolve.

The combination of these rival components suggests that systems built around similarly performing CPUs and GPUs would produce results within 1% of this configuration. Users considering alternative hardware should expect essentially identical performance characteristics, with the same 4K Ultra limitation and the same strong showing at 1080p and 1440p.