Evolve

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i5-9400 sits in the 47th percentile of all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its closest comparable processors, based on aggregate benchmark scores, are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (2259, 0.2% slower), the Intel Core i7-10710U (2248, 0.3% faster), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (2246, 0.4% faster), and the Intel Core i3-10305 (2264, 0.4% slower). These deltas are all within a fraction of a percent, meaning any of these chips would deliver essentially identical CPU-bound performance in Evolve. The Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 is particularly notable as a four-core part from an older generation, yet its aggregate score lands within 0.4% of the six-core i5-9400, suggesting that Evolve's engine does not heavily reward additional cores beyond what the i5 provides.

On the GPU side, the AMD Radeon RX 7700 ranks in the 58th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15852. The nearest rivals are the AMD Radeon R9 370X (15862, 0.1% slower), the AMD Radeon RX 9060 (16014, 1% faster), the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 (15679, 1.1% slower), and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti (16129, 1.7% faster). The RX 7700 and RTX 3060 Ti are separated by only 1.7% in aggregate score, which places them in a very close performance band. The R9 370X, despite being an older architecture, scores within 0.1% of the RX 7700 in the database's aggregate metric, though this likely reflects the specific weighting of the benchmark suite rather than real-world gaming equivalence. The RX 9060, a newer part, is a full 1% ahead, while the Pro W5500 trails by 1.1%. For Evolve specifically, the measured FPS data for this CPU/GPU combination is what ultimately matters, and the rival hardware listed here would be expected to land in a similar frame rate envelope, give or take the small aggregate deltas.

CPU and GPU Roles

The recorded data for Evolve shows a clear shift in which component dominates as resolution changes. At 1920x1080, the CPU is heavily engaged. The average FPS ranges from 201 at Low settings to 85 at Ultra, a span of 116 FPS. This wide spread indicates that at 1080p, rendering overhead is relatively low, so the i5-9400 can feed frames quickly at lower presets, but the GPU still scales meaningfully with settings. The jump from Low to Medium at 1080p costs 45 FPS (201 to 156), and Medium to High costs another 34 FPS (156 to 122), and High to Ultra costs another 37 FPS (122 to 85). None of these drops are small, which suggests the RX 7700 is doing substantial work at every preset.

At 2560x1440, the pattern shifts. The Low preset delivers 135 FPS, down 66 FPS from the 1080p Low figure. Medium drops to 105 FPS (down 30 from 1440p Low to Medium, and down 51 from 1080p Medium's 156). High lands at 82 FPS (down 40 from 1440p Low to High, and down 23 from 40 from 1080p High's 122). Ultra falls to 57 FPS, down 25 from 1440p Low to Ultra. The scaling between 1080p and 1440p at the same preset shows reductions of roughly 30% to 40% FPS as pixel count rises, which is consistent with GPU-bound scaling. The CPU is less of a factor here because frame rates are lower, so the i5-9400 has more headroom.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is the dominant constraint. Low delivers 77 FPS, down 58 from 1440p Low, and down 124 from 1080p Low's 201. Medium hits 60 FPS, down 45 from 1440p Medium's 105, and down 96 from 1080p Medium's 156. High drops to 47 FPS, down 35 from 1440p High's 82. Ultra falls to 32 FPS, down 25 from 1440p Ultra's 57, and down 53 from 1080p Ultra's 85. The 4K data shows the RX 7700 struggling to maintain 60 FPS at Medium exactly, and the gap between Low (77 and 60 FPS at Medium, 47 at High shows how steeply the GPU curve falls as settings increase. The CPU's role at 4K is minimal the i5-9400 is far less likely to bottleneck at 47 to 77 FPS range, so the GPU alone determines the outcome.

The verdict data by resolution confirms this split: at 1080p, all four presets clear 60 FPS, at 1440p, Ultra drops below 60 FPS (57 average), and at 4K, High drops below 60 (47 average) and Ultra falls to 32 average FPS.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the full set of recorded data shows an average of 122 FPS at High settings. The Low preset reaches 201 FPS, Medium hits 156 FPS with minimum 133 FPS and maximum 179 FPS, and Ultra lands at 85 FPS. No min or max values are recorded for High, Low, or Ultra at 1080p, only the averages. The 1080p Medium frame time variance of 133 to 179 FPS spans 46 FPS, indicating stable frame pacing at mid presets.

At 2560x1440, High averages 82 FPS, Low reaches 135 FPS, Medium hits 105 FPS with minimum 89 FPS and maximum 120 FPS, and Ultra averages 57 FPS. The 1440p Medium range of 89 to 120 FPS spans 31 FPS, tighter than the 1080p Medium range. The 1440p Ultra at 57 FPS sits just below the 60 FPS playable threshold, a narrow miss for the highest preset.

At 3840x2160, High averages 47 FPS, Low reaches 77 FPS, Medium hits 60 FPS with minimum 51 FPS and maximum 68 FPS, and Ultra averages 32 FPS. The 4K Medium frame time span of 51 to 68 FPS is wide, and the average exactly touches the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K Ultra result of 32 FPS is nearly half the Medium average, showing a severe performance cliff at the highest preset. The 4K High result of 47 FPS and Low result of 77 FPS bracket the Medium figure.

The Verdict

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7700 can run Evolve, but the playable envelope depends heavily on resolution and preset. The database's playable threshold is 60 FPS. At 1920x1080, the system clears 60 FPS at every preset: Low (201), Medium (156), High (122), and Ultra (85). All four settings are playable at 1080p. At 2560x1440, the system clears 60 FPS at Low (135), Medium (105), and High (82), but Ultra drops to 57 FPS, just below the threshold. At 3840x2160, the system clears 60 FPS only at Low (77) and Medium (60). High falls to 47 FPS and Ultra to 32 FPS, neither of which meets the threshold.

The verdict by resolution is clear: 1080p is fully playable at all presets, 1440p is playable up to High, and 4K is playable only at Low and Medium. The best settings per resolution, where the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is selected, are 1080p Ultra at 85 FPS average, 1440p High at 82 FPS average, and 4K Medium at 60 FPS average. The 4K Medium result is exactly at the threshold, with a minimum of 51 FPS, so it technically qualifies but frame pacing may dip below 60 FPS in demanding scenes. The 1440p Ultra miss at 57 FPS is close enough that a slight settings reduction in settings would bring it into playable territory, but as measured, it does not meet the threshold.

FAQ

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

A: No. The measured average FPS at 3840x2160 Ultra is 32 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold. High at 4K is 47 FPS average, also below 60 FPS. Only Low (77 FPS) and Medium (60 FPS average) are playable at 4K.

Q: What is the best 4K preset for this system?

A: The best settings per resolution for 4K is Medium at Medium settings, with an average FPS of 60 FPS average FPS. This is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS at 3840x2160. The Medium preset has a recorded average of 60 FPS, ranging from 51 FPS minimum to 68 FPS maximum FPS.

Q: How does the i5-9400 compare to its nearest CPU rivals?

A: The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254, placing it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs. Its nearest rivals are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 (0.2% slower), the Intel Core i7-10710U (0.3% faster), the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 (0.4% faster), and the Intel Core i3-10305 (0.4% slower). All are within 0.4% of the i5-9400's aggregate score.

Q: What GPU is the RX 7700 closest to in performance?

A: The AMD Radeon RX 7700 has an average benchmark score of 15852 and ranks in the 58th percentile of all GPUs. Its nearest rival is the AMD Radeon R9 370X, which scores 15862, a delta of 0.1%. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti scores 16129, which is 1.7% faster. The AMD Radeon RX 9060 is 1% faster, and the AMD Radeon Pro W5500 is 1.1% slower.

Q: Can this system hold 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: At 2560x1440, the system averages 135 FPS at Low, 105 FPS at Medium, and 82 FPS at High, all above 60 FPS. Ultra averages 57 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold. So 1440p High is the most demanding playable setting.

Q: Why does 1080p Ultra perform better than 1440p Ultra?

A: At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average FPS is 85, while at 2560x1440 Ultra, it drops to 57 FPS. The higher pixel count at 1440p increases GPU load, which reduces frame rates by a significant margin. The CPU is less of a bottleneck at the lower 1080p resolution, allowing the RX 7700 to run the Ultra preset at a higher frame rate.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average FPS of 85. All presets (Low at 201, Medium at 156, High at 122, Ultra at 85) clear the threshold, so Ultra is the recommended setting for maximum visual quality while maintaining a comfortable margin above 60 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average FPS of 82. Low (135) and Medium (105) also clear the threshold, but High provides the best visual quality within the playable envelope. Ultra at 57 FPS does not meet the 60 FPS threshold, so it is not recommended.

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Medium, with an average FPS of exactly 60. Low (77) also clears the threshold, but Medium is the highest visual quality that still achieves a playable average. High (47) and Ultra (32) both fall below the 60 FPS threshold. The Medium preset's minimum FPS of 51 and maximum of 68 indicate some frame pacing variance, but the average meets the playable standard.