Evolve

FAQ

Q: What is the playable threshold for Evolve, and how does this combo perform at 1080p?

A: The database uses a 60 FPS playable threshold. At 1920x1080, this combination clears that bar in Low (129 FPS), Medium (99.4 FPS), and High (81.9 FPS) presets. Only Ultra falls short at 54.3 FPS.

Q: Is 1440p viable with the Intel Core i5-14600K and GTX 1070?

A: Yes, but with limits. At 2560x1440, Low (86.4 FPS) and Medium (66.2 FPS) presets stay above 60 FPS. High drops to 54.9 FPS, and Ultra falls to 36.2 FPS. The best playable setting at this resolution is Medium, averaging 66.2 FPS.

Q: Can this system handle 4K in Evolve?

A: No. At 3840x2160, every preset fails the 60 FPS threshold. Low averages 47.7 FPS, Medium 37 FPS, High 28.2 FPS, and Ultra 22.4 FPS. There are no playable settings at 4K according to the recorded data.

Q: How does the GTX 1070 compare to its nearest rivals in raw benchmark scores?

A: The GTX 1070 has an average benchmark score of 9780, placing it in the 47th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the AMD FirePro W5000, scores 9803 (0.2% higher). The NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 9832 (0.5% higher), while the NVIDIA Tesla M10 and Tesla C2070 score 9724 and 9716 respectively, trailing by 0.6% and 0.7%.

Q: Where does the CPU sit in overall performance rankings?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K is in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48618. Its closest competitor, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, scores 48698, which is 0.2% higher. The AMD EPYC 4345P trails by 0.3%, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 sits 0.8% ahead. The Core Ultra 5 245HX is 0.7% behind.

Q: What is the overall rank of this CPU-GPU combination in Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 3097 out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the lower portion of the database. This rank reflects the pairing's capability to run Evolve at playable frame rates only at 1080p and select 1440p settings.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals a clear pattern: the GTX 1070 is the dominant constraint in Evolve, and its influence grows as resolution increases. At 1920x1080, the gap between Low and Ultra presets is substantial, with Low delivering 129 FPS and Ultra dropping to 54.3 FPS. This 74.7 FPS spread indicates that GPU load scales heavily with graphical fidelity. The i5-14600K, with its 90th percentile CPU ranking, is unlikely to bottleneck at these settings; the frame rate movement tracks the GPU's workload almost entirely.

Moving to 2560x1440, the picture shifts further toward GPU dependence. Low preset yields 86.4 FPS, while Ultra collapses to 36.2 FPS, a difference of 50.2 FPS. Interestingly, the percentage drop from Low to Ultra is steeper at 1440p than at 1080p, suggesting that the GTX 1070's memory bandwidth of 256.3 GB/s and its 8 GB GDDR5 buffer become more strained as pixel count rises. The CPU's role remains secondary; the i5-14600K's 14 cores and 20 threads are far beyond what Evolve, a 2015 title, would demand from a processor.

At 3840x2160, the GPU bottleneck becomes absolute. Even Low preset only reaches 47.7 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The scaling from Low to Ultra (47.7 to 22.4 FPS) shows a 25.3 FPS collapse, but the key observation is that no setting reaches 60 FPS. This is purely a GPU limitation; the i5-14600K's single-core performance, evidenced by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064, is ample for the game's logic, but the GTX 1070's Pascal architecture, with 1920 shading units and a 256-bit memory bus, cannot sustain high frame rates at 4K.

The preset scaling behavior also hints at where the bottleneck shifts. At 1080p, the jump from Medium (99.4 FPS) to High (81.9 FPS) is a 17.5 FPS loss, while the jump from High to Ultra (54.3 FPS) is a 27.6 FPS loss. This nonlinear degradation suggests that certain Ultra effects, likely shadow quality and post-processing, disproportionately tax the GPU. At 1440p, the same pattern appears: Medium to High loses 19.3 FPS, but High to Ultra loses 18.7 FPS, nearly identical. At 4K, the losses are more uniform, indicating the GPU is saturated across all settings.

In practical terms, the CPU is never the limiting factor in these measurements. The i5-14600K's Passmark multi-thread score of 38682 and single-thread score of 4270 place it far above what Evolve requires. The game's FPS is dictated entirely by the GTX 1070's ability to fill pixels. For players seeking higher frame rates, reducing resolution or preset has a direct, predictable effect, whereas upgrading the CPU would yield no measurable benefit based on this data.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded measurements cover three resolutions and four presets each, providing a complete picture of this combo's performance envelope. At 1920x1080, the system delivers its strongest results. Low preset averages 129 FPS, which is more than double the playable threshold. Medium follows at 99.4 FPS, a 29.6 FPS drop from Low. High averages 81.9 FPS, still comfortably above 60 FPS. Ultra is the outlier at 54.3 FPS, falling 5.7 FPS short of the threshold. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 74.7 FPS range, demonstrating significant headroom at lower settings but a hard ceiling at the highest preset.

At 2560x1440, the performance contracts noticeably. Low preset averages 86.4 FPS, which is a 42.6 FPS reduction compared to the same preset at 1080p. Medium averages 66.2 FPS, just 6.2 FPS above the playable line. High drops to 54.9 FPS, below the threshold by 5.1 FPS. Ultra averages 36.2 FPS, which is barely more than half of the playable target. The range from Low to Ultra is 50.2 FPS, narrower than at 1080p, indicating that the GPU is approaching its limits even at lower settings.

At 3840x2160, all presets fail the threshold. Low averages 47.7 FPS, which is 12.3 FPS short of playable. Medium averages 37 FPS, a 10.7 FPS drop from Low. High averages 28.2 FPS, and Ultra averages 22.4 FPS. The total range from Low to Ultra is 25.3 FPS, the smallest spread across all resolutions. This compression suggests that at 4K, the GTX 1070 is so overloaded that even reducing settings has diminishing returns. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is 25.3 FPS, whereas at 1080p the same preset gap yields 74.7 FPS.

The min and max FPS values are not recorded in the database, so the analysis relies solely on average frame rates. However, the averages are consistent with the hardware's known characteristics. The GTX 1070's Passmark G3D score of 13498 and its 47th percentile GPU ranking align with the observed mid-range performance. The i5-14600K's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 24491 confirms that the CPU can feed the GPU without introducing stalls, as evidenced by the smooth scaling between presets.

The data shows a clear inflection point at 1440p Medium. This is the highest resolution and preset combination that maintains a 60 FPS average. At 1080p High, the system has 21.9 FPS of headroom above the threshold. At 1440p Medium, the headroom shrinks to 6.2 FPS. This narrow margin indicates that any additional GPU load, such as dynamic scenes or particle effects, could push the frame rate below playable levels, even though the average remains above 60 FPS.

The Verdict

This system can run Evolve, but with significant caveats depending on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, the verdict is a clear yes for Low, Medium, and High presets. The best playable setting at this resolution is High, which averages 81.9 FPS, providing 21.9 FPS of headroom over the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra is not playable, falling short with an average of 54.3 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the verdict is a conditional yes. Low and Medium presets clear 60 FPS, with Medium being the best playable option at 66.2 FPS. However, the margin is thin, only 6.2 FPS above the threshold. High and Ultra fail, averaging 54.9 FPS and 36.2 FPS respectively. Players who want to run 1440p should stick to Medium or lower and expect frame rates that hover near the playable line.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is a definitive no. No preset reaches 60 FPS. The closest is Low at 47.7 FPS, which is 12.3 FPS below the threshold. Ultra averages 22.4 FPS, which is not a playable experience by any reasonable standard. The database lists no playable settings for this resolution, and the best settings field is null, indicating that no configuration meets the minimum requirement.

The overall verdict, based on the recorded data, is that this combination is suitable for 1080p gaming with high settings and 1440p gaming with medium settings. The GTX 1070, despite its age and 47th percentile ranking, still delivers playable performance in Evolve at lower resolutions. The i5-14600K's substantial CPU headroom means that the system's limitations are entirely GPU-driven. Players who own this combo should target 1080p High for the best balance of visual fidelity and frame rate stability.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the Intel Core i5-14600K provide context for CPU-bound scenarios, though Evolve is not CPU-limited in this configuration. The Intel Xeon Gold 5318H scores 48698, which is 0.2% higher than the i5-14600K's 48618. The AMD EPYC 4345P scores 48470, trailing by 0.3%. The Intel Core Ultra 5 245 scores 48995, leading by 0.8%, while the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX scores 48287, trailing by 0.7%. These processors would deliver nearly identical performance in Evolve, as the game's CPU demands are minimal compared to the i5-14600K's capabilities.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the GTX 1070 are all within 1% of its average benchmark score of 9780. The AMD FirePro W5000 scores 9803, which is 0.2% higher. The NVIDIA Quadro M2000M scores 9832, 0.5% higher. The NVIDIA Tesla M10 scores 9724, 0.6% lower, and the NVIDIA Tesla C2070 scores 9716, 0.7% lower. In Evolve, these GPUs would produce frame rates within a few FPS of the GTX 1070's measurements. None of them would meaningfully change the verdict: 1080p High would remain playable, 1440p Medium would remain borderline, and 4K would remain unplayable.

The practical implication is that swapping the GTX 1070 for any of its nearest rivals would not alter the gaming experience in Evolve. The differences in average FPS would be less than 1 FPS in most cases, well within measurement noise. Similarly, replacing the i5-14600K with a comparable CPU would have no observable effect on frame rates, since the game is entirely GPU-bound in this setup. The combination's rank of 3097 out of 3700 reflects the GPU's mid-tier position, not the CPU's strength.

For players considering upgrades, the data suggests that moving to a GPU with a significantly higher benchmark score would be the only way to unlock higher presets or resolutions. The GTX 1070's 47th percentile ranking means that roughly half of all GPUs outperform it, and those would likely deliver playable frame rates at 1440p High or 4K Low. However, among its immediate peers, there is no meaningful performance differentiation.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the best playable setting is High, which averages 81.9 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. Low averages 129 FPS, Medium averages 99.4 FPS, but High offers the best visual quality while still maintaining 21.9 FPS of headroom. Ultra is not recommended, as it drops to 54.3 FPS, below the playable threshold.

At 2560x1440, the best playable setting is Medium, averaging 66.2 FPS. This is the highest preset that clears 60 FPS, but the margin is slim at 6.2 FPS. Low averages 86.4 FPS, providing more comfortable headroom, but Medium delivers better visuals. High and Ultra fail the threshold at 54.9 FPS and 36.2 FPS respectively. Players who prioritize frame rate stability over visual fidelity may prefer Low, but Medium is the maximum playable preset according to the data.

At 3840x2160, there are no playable settings. The database records no playable settings for this resolution, and the best settings field is null. The closest option is Low at 47.7 FPS, but this is 12.3 FPS below the 60 FPS threshold. Players who attempt 4K will need to accept sub-60 FPS performance or reduce the resolution. The data clearly indicates that 4K is outside this combination's capability for Evolve.

The overarching pattern is that the system has enough GPU headroom for 1080p High and 1440p Medium, but no configuration reaches the threshold at 4K. The i5-14600K's CPU performance is never a limiting factor at any of these settings, as evidenced by the consistent scaling between presets. The best settings per resolution are determined entirely by the GTX 1070's pixel-pushing capacity.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i5-14600K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 combination ranks 3097 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places the system in the lower 16th percentile of all tested configurations. The rank is driven primarily by the GPU, which sits in the 47th percentile of all GPUs, rather than the CPU, which sits in the 90th percentile of all CPUs.

This disparity between CPU and GPU rankings is the defining characteristic of this combo. The i5-14600K is a top-tier processor that would pair well with a much stronger GPU, but the GTX 1070 anchors the system's gaming performance. In Evolve, the CPU's capabilities are effectively wasted, as the game's frame rates are constrained by the GPU at every resolution and preset.

The rank of 3097 means that 603 tested combinations perform worse, while 3096 perform better. Given that the database includes many older or lower-end GPUs, the GTX 1070's position is not surprising. The combo's performance in Evolve aligns with its overall benchmark scores: the CPU contributes to a high average benchmark score of 48618, but the GPU's average score of 9780 limits real-world gaming results.

For context, the nearest GPU rivals all score within 1% of the GTX 1070, meaning that combinations using those GPUs would rank similarly. The nearest CPU rivals all score within 1% of the i5-14600K, but since Evolve is GPU-bound, swapping the CPU would not change the rank. The only way to meaningfully improve this combo's rank in Evolve would be to replace the GPU with a higher-performing model, which would likely move the system into a higher percentile.

The recorded data shows that this combo is adequate for 1080p gaming and acceptable for 1440p at medium settings, but it is not a high-performance configuration for Evolve. The rank reflects this reality, placing it in the lower third of tested combinations. Players using this system should focus on GPU upgrades to improve their experience, as the CPU has ample headroom for future graphics card upgrades.