Evolve

The Intel Core i5-14600K paired with the AMD Radeon RX 6600 is a combination that lands near the lower-middle of the tested field for Evolve, ranking 2840 out of 3700 combos. This placement suggests a system that is capable of running the game smoothly at mainstream resolutions, but the data reveals clear limits at higher demands. The pairing of a high-end 14-core CPU with a mid-range RDNA 2 GPU creates an interesting dynamic, where the processor has substantial headroom while the graphics card becomes the primary constraint at 4K. Benchmark results indicate that the sweet spot for this combo is 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K remaining out of reach for a consistent 60 FPS experience.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2840 out of 3700 tested combinations places it in the 77th percentile of tested systems, meaning roughly a quarter of all tested combos perform better in this specific title. This is a respectable position, but it is not a top-tier ranking. The percentileVsAllCpus for the i5-14600K is 90, indicating the processor is in the top 10% of all CPUs tested, while the RX 6600's percentileVsAllGpus is 63, showing the GPU sits comfortably in the upper third of all graphics cards. The disparity between these two percentiles is the first clue that the graphics card, not the CPU, is the limiting factor for this combo in Evolve. For a game released in 2015, this modern hardware combination still has to work hard at 4K, but at lower resolutions, the scores reflect a very playable experience. The data suggests that the combo's overall rank is dragged down by the GPU's relative performance tier, as the CPU is clearly capable of much more demanding workloads.

Best Settings per Resolution

The measured FPS data provides a clear picture of what settings are viable at each resolution, using 60 FPS as the playable threshold. At 3840x2160, no settings preset achieves 60 FPS. The best option is Low, which averages 58.6 FPS, just short of the target. Medium and High average 43 and 36.3 FPS respectively, while Ultra drops to 26.6 FPS. The verdict confirms this, listing no playable settings at 4K.

At 2560x1440, the situation improves dramatically. The High preset averages 60.2 FPS, which just clears the playable threshold and is listed as the best settings for this resolution. Medium averages 78.6 FPS, and Low reaches 95.9 FPS, both providing comfortable margins. Ultra, however, falls to 42.8 FPS, making it unplayable. The verdict lists High, Medium, and Low as playable, with High being the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS.

At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable. Ultra averages 61.7 FPS, which is the best settings option and just clears the threshold. High averages 89.3 FPS, Medium 111.3 FPS, and Low reaches 150 FPS. The verdict confirms all four presets are playable at 1080p, with Ultra being the recommended best setting. This pattern shows that the combo has a very narrow margin at 1440p High and 1080p Ultra, making those the key decision points for users.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a significant shift in which component matters more depending on the resolution. At 3840x2160, the GPU is overwhelmingly the bottleneck. The scaling from Low to Ultra shows a drop from 58.6 FPS to 26.6 FPS, a reduction of 32 FPS or roughly 55%. This steep decline indicates that the RX 6600's 8 GB of memory and 128-bit bus are simply overwhelmed by the pixel count at 4K. The CPU, even with its 14 cores and 20 threads, cannot compensate for the GPU's lack of raw throughput at this resolution. The fact that even Low settings cannot hit 60 FPS at 4K underscores that the graphics card is the sole limiting factor.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts. The GPU is still the primary constraint, but the CPU begins to show its strength. The difference between Low (95.9 FPS) and High (60.2 FPS) is 35.7 FPS, showing that settings still have a major impact. However, the CPU's high single-core performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064, ensures that frame times remain consistent even as the GPU load increases. The fact that Ultra drops to 42.8 FPS suggests that the GPU's shading units and ROPs are maxed out, while the CPU still has headroom.

At 1920x1080, the CPU and GPU roles are more balanced, but the GPU still leads. The jump from Low (150 FPS) to Ultra (61.7 FPS) is a 88.3 FPS difference, showing that the GPU is still the main driver of performance. However, the CPU's capability is evident in the high frame rates at lower settings; 150 FPS at Low would require a strong processor to avoid bottlenecking. The i5-14600K's Passmark single-thread score of 4270 helps ensure that the CPU can feed the GPU enough data at these high frame rates. The data implies that at 1080p, this combo is well-balanced, with the GPU providing the graphical ceiling and the CPU ensuring no frame drops.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provides context for what other hardware would behave similarly. The i5-14600K has an average benchmark score of 48618, which is nearly identical to the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (48698, deltaPct -0.2) and the AMD EPYC 4345P (48470, deltaPct 0.3). The Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (48287, deltaPct 0.7) and Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (48995, deltaPct -0.8) are also within 1% of the i5-14600K's performance. In gaming, these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates in Evolve, meaning any of these would pair equally well with the RX 6600.

For the GPU, the RX 6600's average score of 19036 is essentially tied with the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030, deltaPct 0) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049, deltaPct -0.1). The NVIDIA Tesla K20m (19089, deltaPct -0.3) and the NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada Generation (18954, deltaPct 0.4) are also within 0.5% of the RX 6600's score. This means that in Evolve, swapping the RX 6600 for any of these GPUs would result in very similar frame rates at all resolutions. Notably, the RTX 4050 Mobile is a laptop part, suggesting that even mobile variants of newer GPUs perform at this level. Users with any of these alternative components should expect the same gameplay experience as the i5-14600K + RX 6600 combo.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 4K with 60 FPS?

A: No. The data shows that at 3840x2160, no settings preset reaches 60 FPS. The best option, Low, averages 58.6 FPS, which is just below the playable threshold of 60 FPS.

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

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 averages 60.2 FPS, making it the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Medium and Low also work, averaging 78.6 FPS and 95.9 FPS respectively, but Ultra falls to 42.8 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck at 1080p?

A: The GPU is the primary constraint, as shown by the frame rate drop from 150 FPS at Low to 61.7 FPS at Ultra. However, the CPU's strong single-core performance ensures that frame rates remain high at lower settings, indicating a balanced system at this resolution.

Q: How does the RX 6600 compare to similar GPUs in this game?

A: The RX 6600's average benchmark score of 19036 is nearly identical to the NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (19030) and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 Mobile (19049). Any of these GPUs would deliver nearly identical performance in Evolve.

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1080p with Ultra settings?

A: The measured average FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings is 61.7 FPS, which just clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the best settings option that maintains playability at this resolution.

Q: Does the i5-14600K hold back the RX 6600 in this game?

A: No. The CPU's rank is in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, far above the GPU's 63rd percentile. At all resolutions, the GPU is the limiting factor, and the CPU provides ample headroom for the graphics card.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve, but the experience depends heavily on the chosen resolution. At 1920x1080, the combo is fully capable, with all four presets clearing the 60 FPS threshold. The Ultra preset averages 61.7 FPS, making it the best option for visual quality while staying playable. At 2560x1440, the system is still viable, but the settings must be managed. High averages 60.2 FPS, which is playable, and Medium (78.6 FPS) and Low (95.9 FPS) offer even better performance. However, Ultra is not an option at 1440p, as it drops to 42.8 FPS. At 3840x2160, the combo cannot maintain 60 FPS at any setting; even Low averages only 58.6 FPS, which is just below the threshold. The verdict is clear: this system is a solid 1080p machine and a capable 1440p machine, but it is not suited for 4K gaming in Evolve.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data provides a complete picture of performance across all resolutions and settings. At 3840x2160, the frame rates are consistently below the playable threshold. With Low settings, the average FPS is 58.6, which is the highest at this resolution. Medium drops to 43 FPS, High to 36.3 FPS, and Ultra to 26.6 FPS. The progression shows a clear linear decline as the preset becomes more demanding, with a difference of 32 FPS between Low and Ultra.

At 2560x1440, the frame rates are much healthier. Low averages 95.9 FPS, Medium 78.6 FPS, and High 60.2 FPS. The Ultra preset falls to 42.8 FPS, which is the only unplayable option at this resolution. The gap between Low and Ultra is 53.1 FPS, indicating that the GPU's workload scales significantly with the preset.

At 1920x1080, the combo performs at its best. Low averages 150 FPS, Medium 111.3 FPS, and High 89.3 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 61.7 FPS, which is the lowest playable result but still above the 60 FPS threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra is 88.3 FPS, showing that the RX 6600 has a wide range of performance depending on the settings. No min or max FPS values were recorded in the data, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates, which still provide a clear indication of playability.