Evolve

The Intel Core i5-14400F paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 produces a wide spread of frame rates in Evolve, from a barely playable 25.2 FPS at 4K Ultra to a fluid 143.9 FPS at 1080p Low. The recorded data shows a system that is clearly capable at 1080p across all quality presets, but which loses ground quickly as resolution climbs. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS, the division of labor between CPU and GPU, and what the numbers imply for someone running this specific hardware combination.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. The Low preset averages 143.9 FPS, which is a high refresh rate experience. Medium drops to 111.2 FPS, still well above the 60 FPS playability threshold. High comes in at 88.8 FPS, and Ultra, the most demanding preset, manages 61.7 FPS. Every preset at 1080p clears the 60 FPS bar, with Ultra being the only one that sits close to the line. The gap between Low and Ultra is substantial, a 82.2 FPS difference, showing how much headroom the settings menu offers at this resolution.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture changes noticeably. Low averages 97.6 FPS, which remains strong. Medium drops to 76.3 FPS, still comfortably playable. High falls to 58.5 FPS, just under the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra sinks to 42.2 FPS, a clear step down. The data shows that at 1440p, only Low and Medium qualify as playable based on the 60 FPS standard. The delta between Low and Ultra here is 55.4 FPS, a smaller spread than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is beginning to become the limiting factor.

At 3840x2160, the results are mostly below the playability line. Low averages 57.4 FPS, which is just shy of 60 FPS. Medium drops to 44.5 FPS, High to 31.9 FPS, and Ultra to 25.2 FPS. None of these reach the playable threshold, and the progression is steep: from Low to Ultra, the frame rate falls by 32.2 FPS. The 4K data indicates that this hardware combination is not suited for Evolve at that resolution, even on the lowest settings.

The measurements do not include min or max FPS values, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. The consistency of the scaling, with each preset step producing a clear change, suggests the game is responding predictably to the graphics load.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded FPS scaling across resolutions reveals which component dominates. At 1080p, the CPU has more room to assert itself, since the GPU is less burdened by pixel count. The jump from Low at 143.9 FPS to Medium at 111.2 FPS is a 32.7 FPS reduction, and High to Ultra another 27.1 FPS drop. This shows the GPU struggling more with each setting increase, but the overall frame rates remain high, meaning the Intel Core i5-14400F has enough single-thread headroom to keep feeding the GPU.

At 1440p, the GPU's role becomes more pronounced. The drop from 1080p Low to 1440p Low is 46.3 FPS, a massive decline that cannot be attributed to CPU limitations. The i5-14400F, with its 10 cores and 16 threads, shows strong multi-core performance in the database, scoring 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3055 in single-core. Such a CPU would not bottleneck a mid-range GPU like the RTX 2060 in a 2015-era FPS title. The data implies the GPU is the primary constraint at 1440p and above.

At 4K, the GPU is clearly the limiting factor. The difference between 1440p Ultra at 42.2 FPS and 4K Ultra at 25.2 FPS is a 17 FPS drop, while the CPU workload changes little relative to the pixel count. The RTX 2060, with 1920 shading units and a 192-bit memory bus delivering 336.0 GB/s, simply runs out of pixel throughput at 4K. The CPU side remains underutilized, as evidenced by the fact that lowering settings at 4K only recovers 32.2 FPS from Ultra to Low, whereas at 1080p that same settings change recovers 82.2 FPS.

The pattern is consistent: at 1080p, both components matter, but the CPU has enough power to keep up. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU dictates the outcome. The i5-14400F's benchmark scores, including a Passmark single-thread score of 3701 and a Geekbench single-core score of 2058, place it far above what Evolve requires for CPU-bound scenes. The recorded frame rates thus reflect GPU scaling rather than CPU scaling.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the Ultra preset is the most demanding that still stays at or above 60 FPS. The measured average is 61.7 FPS, which clears the threshold by a slim margin. This is the best visual quality available while maintaining playability. High at 88.8 FPS and Medium at 111.2 FPS are also viable, but Ultra offers the highest fidelity within the 60 FPS constraint.

At 2560x1440, the Medium preset is the best option. It averages 76.3 FPS, which is above 60 FPS and provides a better visual experience than Low, which runs at 97.6 FPS. High at 58.5 FPS falls below the threshold, so Medium is the ceiling. The data from verdictByResolution confirms this: the playable settings at 1440p are Low and Medium, with Medium as the best.

At 3840x2160, no preset reaches 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 57.4 FPS, but that is still below the playable threshold. The verdictByResolution list shows no playable settings at 4K, so there is no recommended preset. Users at this resolution would need to accept frame rates below 60 FPS or consider other hardware.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 1080p with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 61.7 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. All four presets at 1080p clear 60 FPS, with Low at 143.9 FPS, Medium at 111.2 FPS, High at 88.8 FPS, and Ultra at 61.7 FPS.

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

A: Medium is the best playable option at 2560x1440, averaging 76.3 FPS. Low runs faster at 97.6 FPS, but Medium offers higher quality while staying above 60 FPS. High falls to 58.5 FPS, which is below the threshold.

Q: Is 4K playable on this hardware?

A: No. At 3840x2160, even the Low preset averages 57.4 FPS, which is below 60 FPS. Medium averages 44.5 FPS, High 31.9 FPS, and Ultra 25.2 FPS. No preset at 4K reaches the playable threshold.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from 1080p to 1440p?

A: At the Low preset, the drop from 143.9 FPS to 97.6 FPS is a 46.3 FPS reduction. At Medium, 111.2 FPS drops to 76.3 FPS, a 34.9 FPS loss. At High, 88.8 FPS drops to 58.5 FPS, and at Ultra, 61.7 FPS drops to 42.2 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU or GPU limit performance more in Evolve?

A: The data indicates the GPU is the primary limit at 1440p and 4K, while the CPU has sufficient headroom. The i5-14400F scores 21645 in Cinebench R23 multi-core and 3701 in Passmark single-thread, which far exceeds the demands of a 2015 FPS title. The frame rate drops between resolutions are much larger than any CPU bottleneck would cause.

Q: What is the frame rate difference between Low and Ultra at each resolution?

A: At 1080p, Low is 143.9 FPS and Ultra is 61.7 FPS, a gap of 82.2 FPS. At 1440p, Low is 97.6 FPS and Ultra is 42.2 FPS, a gap of 55.4 FPS. At 4K, Low is 57.4 FPS and Ultra is 25.2 FPS, a gap of 32.2 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The CPU nearest rivals in the database show that the i5-14400F sits in a tight cluster of processors with nearly identical average benchmark scores. The AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8840U has an average score of 32233, a delta of 0.1% relative to the i5-14400F. The Intel Core i9-11900 scores 32226, a 0.2% delta. The AMD Ryzen 7 6800HS scores 32354, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-14400F. The Intel Core i7-12800H scores 32121, a 0.5% delta. In practice, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly the same frame rates in Evolve, since the game is not CPU-bound at the tested resolutions. The i5-14400F ranks in the 83rd percentile among all CPUs, meaning it outperforms most processors, so swapping to a rival would not change the gaming outcome.

The GPU nearest rivals are similarly close. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 has an average score of 15283, a delta of 0% versus the RTX 2060's average of 15290. The AMD Radeon 680M scores 15270, a 0.1% delta. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM scores 15199, a 0.6% delta. The AMD Radeon RX 7600 scores 15171, a 0.8% delta. All four rivals fall within a 0.8% range of the RTX 2060, so the measured FPS in Evolve would be nearly identical. The RTX 2060 ranks in the 58th percentile among all GPUs, which is mid-pack, and these alternatives would all behave similarly in this game.

For a user considering upgrades or replacements, the data suggests that changing either component within these rival sets would not meaningfully alter Evolve's frame rates. The differences are within noise margins for benchmark scores.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2941 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places the system in the lower 20% of all combinations in the database, which is surprising given the 1080p results. The rank is driven by the GPU's middle-tier position, as the CPU itself is high-performing. The percentile data supports this: the CPU is in the 83rd percentile, while the GPU is in the 58th percentile.

The rank of 2941 means that most other combos achieve higher frame rates in Evolve, likely due to more powerful GPUs. However, the rank does not tell the full story. At 1080p, this combo outperforms many others because the CPU is strong enough to avoid bottlenecking, and the RTX 2060 can handle the game's demands at that resolution. At 4K, the rank would be lower, as the GPU falls behind. The database records 3700 combos, and being at 2941 indicates that while not a top-tier setup, it is far from the worst. The 1080p playability across all presets suggests that for users targeting that resolution, the rank is less relevant than the actual measured FPS.

The Verdict

The Intel Core i5-14400F and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 can run Evolve, but the answer depends heavily on resolution. At 1920x1080, the system is fully playable at every preset, with Ultra averaging 61.7 FPS, High at 88.8 FPS, Medium at 111.2 FPS, and Low at 143.9 FPS. This is the sweet spot for this hardware.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable on Low and Medium, with Medium at 76.3 FPS as the best visual option that clears 60 FPS. High at 58.5 FPS and Ultra at 42.2 FPS are below the threshold.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot maintain 60 FPS on any preset. Low comes closest at 57.4 FPS, but that is still short. The verdictByResolution data lists no playable settings at 4K.

The verdict is clear: this PC is a solid 1080p machine for Evolve, a decent 1440p machine with settings compromises, and not a 4K machine. Users with a 1080p monitor will have the best experience, able to max out the game while staying above 60 FPS. Those with 1440p displays should stick to Medium for smooth play. The data does not support 4K gaming with this combination.