Evolve

Best Settings per Resolution

The most demanding preset that keeps Evolve at or above 60 FPS varies sharply by resolution, and the data shows a clear ceiling for this Intel Core i5-14600K plus NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER combination.

At 3840x2160 (4K), the only playable setting is Low, which delivers an average of 63.3 FPS. Medium drops to 47.2 FPS, High falls further to 36.1 FPS, and Ultra bottoms out at 24 FPS. The 4K Low preset clears the 60 FPS threshold by a slim margin of just 3.3 FPS, meaning this combo is borderline at 4K even on the lowest quality settings. Pushing 4K beyond Low is not viable for smooth gameplay, as every other preset lands well below the 60 FPS target.

At 2560x1440 (1440p), the best playable setting is High, which reaches 66.7 FPS. This is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS, and it does so with a comfortable 6.7 FPS buffer. Medium runs at 83.8 FPS, Low at 104.7 FPS, but Ultra drops to 43.5 FPS, which is not playable. The recorded data shows that 1440p High is the sweet spot for this combo: it provides the best visual quality while still maintaining a smooth frame rate. Users who prefer higher refresh rates can drop to Medium or Low for extra headroom, but High is the maximum preset that meets the playability standard.

At 1920x1080 (1080p), the situation is much healthier. The best playable setting is Ultra, which delivers 65.6 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS, and it passes the threshold by 5.6 FPS. High runs at 97.6 FPS, Medium at 126.9 FPS, and Low at 158.6 FPS. The data shows that 1080p Ultra is fully playable, and all four presets clear 60 FPS. This means the combo has enough performance headroom at 1080p to run the game at maximum settings without sacrificing smoothness.

In summary, the best settings per resolution are: 4K Low at 63.3 FPS, 1440p High at 66.7 FPS, and 1080p Ultra at 65.6 FPS. The pattern is consistent: as resolution decreases, the combo can afford increasingly demanding presets while still maintaining playable frame rates. The 4K case is the most fragile, with only the lowest preset barely crossing the 60 FPS line.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the dominant constraint for Evolve at higher resolutions, while the CPU becomes relatively less important as resolution scales down. This is typical for a fast-paced FPS, but the recorded data allows for specific observations.

Looking at the frame rate scaling across resolutions for the same preset, the GPU workload increases substantially as pixel count rises. For the High preset, average FPS drops from 97.6 at 1080p to 66.7 at 1440p, then to 36.1 at 4K. That is a 31.7% reduction from 1080p to 1440p, and a further 45.9% reduction from 1440p to 4K. This steep decline points to the GPU being the primary bottleneck at higher resolutions, as the RTX 2060 SUPER has to process nearly four times as many pixels at 4K compared to 1080p.

For the Ultra preset, the scaling is even more dramatic: 65.6 FPS at 1080p, 43.5 FPS at 1440p, and 24 FPS at 4K. The 4K Ultra result is less than 37% of the 1080p Ultra frame rate. This indicates that the most demanding settings place an overwhelming load on the GPU, and the CPU's role becomes secondary. The Intel Core i5-14600K, with its 14 cores and 20 threads, is unlikely to be the limiting factor at 4K Ultra, given that the GPU is clearly saturated.

However, at 1080p Low, the combo reaches 158.6 FPS, which is a very high frame rate. At this level, the GPU is not as heavily taxed, and the CPU’s single-thread performance becomes more relevant. The i5-14600K has a boost clock of 5.30 GHz and a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 2064, which places it in the top percentile of CPUs. This strong single-thread capability helps maintain high frame rates at lower resolutions where the GPU has spare capacity. The data shows that the 1080p Low result is 2.4 times higher than the 4K High result (158.6 vs 36.1), which suggests that resolution scaling has a larger impact than preset scaling on this combo.

Comparing preset scaling within a fixed resolution reveals the GPU role further. At 1440p, moving from Low to Medium reduces FPS from 104.7 to 83.8, then to 66.7 at High, and finally to 43.5 at Ultra. The drop from Medium to High is 20.4%, while the drop from High to Ultra is 34.8%. The Ultra preset is disproportionately expensive, likely due to additional shading and post-processing effects that heavily load the GPU. At 1080p, the same pattern appears: Low at 158.6, Medium at 126.9, High at 97.6, and Ultra at 65.6. The step from High to Ultra costs 32.8% of performance, which is the largest single-preset penalty at that resolution.

The CPU’s role is more evident when looking at the fact that even at 4K Low, the combo manages 63.3 FPS. This is only slightly below the 1440p High result of 66.7 FPS. If the CPU were the bottleneck, we would expect 4K Low to be much lower relative to 1440p High, since the GPU has to work harder at 4K. Instead, the GPU still has enough headroom at 4K Low to nearly match a higher preset at 1440p. This suggests that the i5-14600K is not holding the system back in most scenarios; the RTX 2060 SUPER is the limiting component once settings or resolution increase.

Overall, the GPU is the decisive factor for Evolve across all resolutions. The CPU provides sufficient throughput for high frame rates at 1080p and maintains playable performance at 4K Low, but the GPU’s raw pixel throughput dictates the maximum settings. Users with this combo should prioritize GPU-affecting options like texture quality, anti-aliasing, and shadow resolution, while CPU-heavy settings such as draw distance or physics are less likely to cause large frame rate swings.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only on the Low preset. The recorded data shows an average of 63.3 FPS at 3840x2160 with Low settings. Medium drops to 47.2 FPS, High to 36.1 FPS, and Ultra to 24 FPS, all below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the highest preset that maintains 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: The High preset at 2560x1440 delivers 66.7 FPS, which is the most demanding playable option. Ultra falls to 43.5 FPS, so it is not recommended for smooth gameplay.

Q: Is 1080p Ultra a viable option for this combo?

A: Yes, 1080p Ultra runs at 65.6 FPS, clearing the 60 FPS bar by 5.6 FPS. All other presets at 1080p are also above 60 FPS, with Low reaching 158.6 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 2060 SUPER compare to its nearest rivals in benchmark scores?

A: The RTX 2060 SUPER has an average benchmark score of 18093, which is -0.4% relative to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (score 18159), -0.5% versus the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (score 18189), -1.5% versus the AMD Radeon RX 460 (score 18373), and -1.6% versus the Intel Arc A770M (score 18383). It sits just below these rivals in overall GPU performance.

Q: What is the CPU’s percentile ranking among all tested CPUs?

A: The Intel Core i5-14600K ranks in the 90th percentile of all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 48618. Its nearest rival, the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H, scores 48698, which is -0.2% relative to the i5-14600K.

Q: Which component is more important for Evolve at 4K?

A: The GPU is clearly more important at 4K. The frame rate drops from 63.3 FPS at Low to 24 FPS at Ultra, a 62% reduction, while the CPU remains constant. This indicates that the RTX 2060 SUPER is the primary bottleneck at high resolutions.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide insight into what other hardware would behave similarly in Evolve. For the Intel Core i5-14600K, the closest competitors in terms of average benchmark score are the Intel Xeon Gold 5318H (score 48698, delta -0.2%), the AMD EPYC 4345P (score 48470, delta +0.3%), the Intel Core Ultra 5 245HX (score 48287, delta +0.7%), and the Intel Core Ultra 5 245 (score 48995, delta -0.8%). All four rivals are within 1% of the i5-14600K’s score of 48618, meaning that in CPU-bound scenarios, these processors would deliver nearly identical frame rates. For Evolve, where the CPU is not the main constraint at 4K or high presets, any of these alternatives would produce similar results at 1080p Low or Medium.

For the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER, the nearest rivals are the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Mobile (score 18159, delta -0.4%), the AMD Radeon Pro 5700 (score 18189, delta -0.5%), the AMD Radeon RX 460 (score 18373, delta -1.5%), and the Intel Arc A770M (score 18383, delta -1.6%). These GPUs have average scores very close to the RTX 2060 SUPER’s 18093, so they would likely produce comparable frame rates in Evolve. The RTX 3060 Mobile is a laptop part, but its score suggests desktop users with a similar desktop GPU would see similar performance. The AMD Radeon RX 460 and Intel Arc A770M are within 2% of the RTX 2060 SUPER, so the measured FPS values for this combo would be nearly identical if those GPUs were substituted, assuming no other system differences.

In practice, this means that if a user cannot find an RTX 2060 SUPER, any of these four GPUs would offer a similar experience in Evolve. The 1440p High preset at 66.7 FPS and 1080p Ultra at 65.6 FPS would be the expected outcomes with these alternatives. The CPU alternatives would not change the GPU-bound results at 4K or high presets, but they would maintain similar high frame rates at 1080p Low, where the i5-14600K’s single-thread score of 2064 in Cinebench R23 is indicative of its strength.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve, but the playable range depends heavily on resolution and settings. The verdict by resolution is clear from the data.

At 3840x2160, the combo achieves playable performance only on the Low preset, with 63.3 FPS. This is a marginal pass, and users should expect occasional dips near the threshold. The High preset at 36.1 FPS and Ultra at 24 FPS are not acceptable for smooth gameplay. So, 4K is technically playable but only with the lowest visual quality.

At 2560x1440, the system is much more capable. The High preset delivers 66.7 FPS, which is a solid result. Medium at 83.8 FPS and Low at 104.7 FPS offer even more headroom for high-refresh-rate monitors. Ultra at 43.5 FPS fails the 60 FPS requirement, so it is not recommended. Overall, 1440p is a sweet spot for this combo, allowing good visual quality with a comfortable frame rate.

At 1920x1080, the combo excels. The Ultra preset runs at 65.6 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets are well above 60 FPS, with High at 97.6 FPS, Medium at 126.9 FPS, and Low at 158.6 FPS. This means the game is fully playable at maximum settings on 1080p, with plenty of performance left for competitive play.

The verdict is that this PC is a reliable 1080p machine for Evolve, a strong 1440p performer, and a marginal 4K option limited to Low settings. Users targeting 60 FPS should stick to 1080p Ultra or 1440p High. Those with 4K displays will need to accept Low settings or consider a more powerful GPU.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database of tested CPU and GPU combinations for Evolve, this Intel Core i5-14600K plus NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER setup ranks 2681 out of 3700 combos. This places it in the 72.5th percentile of all tested systems, meaning it performs better than roughly 72% of configurations but is outclassed by the top 27%. The rank reflects the GPU’s mid-tier positioning (the RTX 2060 SUPER is in the 62nd percentile of all GPUs) and the CPU’s high-tier positioning (the i5-14600K is in the 90th percentile of all CPUs). The combination benefits from a strong CPU that avoids bottlenecks, but the GPU limits overall frame rates, especially at higher resolutions.

The rank of 2681 out of 3700 indicates that this combo is not a high-end gaming system, but it is far from the bottom. For a game like Evolve, which was released in 2015 and is not extremely demanding by modern standards, this rank is sufficient for smooth play at 1080p and 1440p. The data shows that the combo’s 1080p Ultra result of 65.6 FPS is above the 60 FPS threshold, which is a key indicator of playability. At 1440p High, the 66.7 FPS result is also playable, so the combo ranks well for mainstream gaming scenarios.

Comparatively, combos ranked higher would likely feature more powerful GPUs such as the RTX 3060 Mobile or AMD Radeon Pro 5700, which have average scores about 0.5% higher than the RTX 2060 SUPER. These would provide slightly better frame rates in Evolve, particularly at 4K, but the difference is small. Conversely, combos ranked lower would have weaker CPUs or GPUs, leading to sub-60 FPS performance at 1440p or 1080p Ultra. The i5-14600K’s high percentile ensures that CPU-bound scenarios are handled well, so the rank is primarily determined by the GPU.

In summary, this combo ranks in the upper-middle tier of tested systems for Evolve. It is a capable setup for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with the GPU being the limiting factor for 4K. Users seeking higher ranks would need a more powerful GPU, but for the target resolutions of 1080p and 1440p, this combination provides a solid, playable experience.