Evolve

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for this combination in Evolve shows a clear performance ladder across the three tested resolutions. At 1920x1080, the frame rates are consistently high. With Low settings, the average reaches 212 FPS. Medium settings deliver an average of 189 FPS, with a minimum of 161 FPS and a maximum of 217 FPS. High settings produce an average of 148 FPS. Ultra settings still clear triple digits, averaging 103 FPS.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain strong. Low settings hit 163 FPS on average. Medium settings average 127 FPS, with a minimum of 108 FPS and a maximum of 146 FPS. High settings average 99 FPS. Ultra settings drop to 69 FPS on average, which is still above the 60 FPS playable threshold.

At 3840x2160, the demand increases noticeably. Low settings average 93 FPS. Medium settings average 72 FPS, with a minimum of 61 FPS and a maximum of 83 FPS. High settings fall to 57 FPS on average. Ultra settings drop further to 39 FPS on average. The pattern is consistent: every resolution step down from 1080p to 4K costs a significant portion of performance, and the gap between presets widens as resolution increases.

The minimum and maximum values are only recorded for Medium settings at each resolution. At 1080p Medium, the spread from 161 to 217 FPS indicates a wide variance during gameplay. At 1440p Medium, the range is 108 to 146 FPS. At 4K Medium, the range narrows to 61 to 83 FPS, which keeps the minimum exactly at the playable threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

Within the database of tested combinations for Evolve, this pairing ranks 1226 out of 3700 total combos. That places it in the upper third of all tested systems for this game. The percentile position suggests the hardware is well above average for Evolve, but not at the very top tier.

The ranking reflects a balance between the CPU and GPU. The Intel Core i5-9400 sits at the 47th percentile among all CPUs in the database. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT sits at the 85th percentile among all GPUs. The GPU is clearly the stronger component in this pairing, and the overall combo rank reflects that the graphics card carries most of the performance weight.

Compared to other tested combos, this system should handle Evolve comfortably at most settings. The rank of 1226 out of 3700 means roughly two-thirds of tested configurations are slower in this game. The high GPU percentile and mid-range CPU percentile combine to produce a result that is consistently playable at 1080p and 1440p, with only the heaviest 4K preset falling below 60 FPS.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data shows that the GPU dominates performance scaling in Evolve. Looking at the 1080p to 1440p transition, the average FPS drops by roughly 20 to 30 percent across all presets. For example, High settings fall from 148 FPS at 1080p to 99 FPS at 1440p. Medium settings fall from 189 to 127 FPS. Low settings fall from 212 to 163 FPS. This consistent drop indicates the graphics card is the primary bottleneck as resolution increases.

The 1440p to 4K transition shows an even steeper decline. High settings drop from 99 FPS to 57 FPS, a reduction of over 40 percent. Medium settings drop from 127 to 72 FPS. Ultra settings drop from 69 to 39 FPS. These large percentage losses point to the GPU being heavily taxed at 4K, especially with higher presets.

The CPU role is less prominent but still relevant. At 1080p Low, the system reaches 212 FPS, which is high enough that the processor could theoretically become a limiting factor in certain scenes. The i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads, with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz. Its multi-core benchmark scores, such as 6629 in Cinebench R23, are modest compared to newer processors. However, the game's release date of 2015 means Evolve was designed for hardware of that era, so the CPU is unlikely to bottleneck at typical settings.

The scaling between presets at the same resolution reinforces the GPU-centric nature. At 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra reduces the average from 212 to 103 FPS, a 51 percent reduction. At 4K, the same preset change reduces the average from 93 to 39 FPS, a 58 percent reduction. The percentage loss is similar across resolutions, which suggests the game's preset scaling is consistent and that the GPU handles the additional load proportionally.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve at 60 FPS or above in all tested scenarios except for two specific cases. At 3840x2160, the High preset averages 57 FPS, which falls just below the playable threshold. The Ultra preset at 4K averages 39 FPS, which is clearly below 60 FPS. However, the Low and Medium presets at 4K both clear the threshold, with averages of 93 and 72 FPS respectively.

At 2560x1440, every preset is playable. Low averages 163 FPS, Medium averages 127 FPS, High averages 99 FPS, and even Ultra averages 69 FPS. The minimum recorded value at Medium settings is 108 FPS, so there is no risk of dropping below 60 FPS during typical gameplay.

At 1920x1080, every preset is comfortably playable. The lowest average across all presets is 103 FPS on Ultra. The minimum recorded value at Medium settings is 161 FPS. Even the heaviest settings leave a large margin above the 60 FPS threshold.

The overall verdict is positive. For 1080p and 1440p gaming, this combination delivers smooth performance across all presets. For 4K gaming, users should stick to Low or Medium settings to stay above 60 FPS. The High preset at 4K is borderline, and the Ultra preset is not recommended.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 4K with maximum settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average FPS is 39, which is well below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The highest playable preset at 4K is Medium, which averages 72 FPS.

Q: What is the best preset to use at 1440p?

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 average 69 FPS, which is above 60 FPS. This is the most demanding preset that remains playable at this resolution.

Q: How does the CPU compare to similar processors?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rival, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, which is 0.2 percent higher. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4 percent lower. These differences are negligible in practice.

Q: Is the GPU strong enough for this game?

A: Yes. The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT sits at the 85th percentile among all GPUs. Its nearest rival, the NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile, scores 1.5 percent lower on average. The GPU is the dominant component in this pairing and provides ample performance for Evolve.

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

A: The average FPS at 1920x1080 with High settings is 148. This leaves a large margin above the 60 FPS threshold and should provide a smooth experience.

Q: Are there any settings where the frame rate drops below 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: No. All presets at 2560x1440 average above 60 FPS. The lowest average is 69 FPS on Ultra. The minimum recorded value across all 1440p presets is 108 FPS at Medium settings.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the best preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium. The average FPS at this setting is 72, with a minimum of 61 FPS. The Low preset averages 93 FPS, but Medium offers better visual quality while still maintaining a playable frame rate. High and Ultra are not recommended at this resolution.

At 2560x1440, the best preset is Ultra. The average FPS at this setting is 69, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets are playable at this resolution, so users can choose the highest visual quality without sacrificing playability.

At 1920x1080, the best preset is also Ultra. The average FPS at this setting is 103, which provides a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Even the heaviest preset leaves substantial headroom, making 1080p the most flexible resolution for this combination.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The closest rival is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, which scores 2259, a difference of 0.2 percent. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, which is 0.3 percent lower. The AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, which is 0.4 percent lower. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, which is 0.4 percent higher. Any of these processors would deliver nearly identical CPU performance in Evolve.

For the GPU, the AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT has an average benchmark score of 48477. The NVIDIA RTX A1000 Mobile scores 47743, which is 1.5 percent lower. The Intel Arc A550M scores 49737, which is 2.5 percent higher. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti scores 49957, which is 3 percent higher. The AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 scores 50001, which is 3 percent higher. These GPUs would produce very similar frame rates in Evolve, with differences of only a few percentage points.

Users with any of these alternative components should expect comparable performance. The CPU differences are within 0.4 percent, which is effectively a tie. The GPU differences range from 1.5 percent lower to 3 percent higher, which translates to a few frames per second in practice. For Evolve specifically, the GPU is the dominant factor, so the RX 6800 XT and its near rivals will all handle the game well at 1080p and 1440p, with similar limitations at 4K Ultra settings.