Evolve

The Intel Core i5-9400 paired with the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT delivers a wide spread of frame rates in Evolve, ranging from a low of 45 FPS at 4K Ultra to a high of 212 FPS at 1080p Low. The recorded data shows that this combination is heavily influenced by both resolution and graphics preset, with the GPU taking on most of the workload as pixel count rises. This analysis breaks down the measured performance, compares nearby hardware, and determines which settings offer the smoothest experience.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the system produces frame rates that are far above the playable threshold of 60 FPS. The Low preset averages 212 FPS, which is the highest recorded result for this combination. Moving to Medium, the average drops to 193 FPS with a minimum of 164 FPS and a maximum of 222 FPS. The High preset averages 172 FPS, while the Ultra preset still holds a strong 119 FPS. None of these 1080p results dip below 164 FPS even in the worst-case minimum frame time recorded at Medium, so the data suggests a very consistent experience at this resolution.

Stepping up to 2560x1440, the frame rates remain high but show a clear scaling penalty. The Low preset averages 185 FPS, which is a 12.7% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium delivers 147 FPS with a minimum of 125 FPS and a maximum of 169 FPS. High comes in at 115 FPS, and Ultra still manages 80 FPS. The minimum recorded at 1440p Medium is 125 FPS, which is still well above 60, and the Ultra preset’s 80 FPS average indicates that even the most demanding settings at this resolution leave ample headroom.

At 3840x2160, the performance drops more noticeably. The Low preset averages 108 FPS, which is a substantial 49% reduction from the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 84 FPS with a minimum of 71 FPS and a maximum of 96 FPS. High averages 66 FPS, and Ultra falls to 45 FPS. The data shows that 4K Ultra is the only tested configuration that fails to clear the 60 FPS threshold, with the 45 FPS average indicating a stutter-prone experience. The 4K High result at 66 FPS is technically playable, but the margin is slim, and the 4K Medium result with a 71 FPS minimum offers more stability.

Looking at the progression across resolutions, the gap between Low and Ultra widens as resolution increases. At 1080p, Ultra is 43.9% slower than Low (119 vs 212). At 1440p, the gap is 56.8% (80 vs 185). At 4K, Ultra is 58.3% slower than Low (45 vs 108). This pattern indicates that the GPU is becoming the limiting factor at higher resolutions, as the pixel count demands more memory bandwidth and shading power.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database’s nearest rival data for the CPU and GPU provides context for what other hardware might behave similarly. For the Intel Core i5-9400, the closest matches in average benchmark score are the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 with a score of 2259 (0.2% higher), the Intel Core i3-10305 at 2264 (0.4% higher), the Intel Core i7-10710U at 2248 (0.3% lower), and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 at 2246 (0.4% lower). These differences are all under half a percent, meaning the i5-9400 sits in a very tight cluster of processors with nearly identical compute performance.

For the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT, the closest GPU rivals in the database are the AMD Radeon 660M with an average score of 13812 (0.5% lower), the NVIDIA RTX A2000 Mobile at 13821 (0.5% lower), the AMD Radeon RX 570X at 13871 (0.9% lower), and the AMD Radeon RX 9070 XT at 13543 (1.5% higher). The fact that these GPUs have very similar aggregate benchmark scores does not guarantee identical gaming performance, but it suggests that they occupy a similar performance tier in synthetic tests. The RX 7900 XT’s 55th percentile ranking among all GPUs places it in the upper half of the database, while the CPU’s 47th percentile ranking indicates a mid-range standing.

When considering this combo against those rivals, the CPU’s performance is essentially interchangeable with the i7-1068NG7 or i3-10305, so swapping in one of those processors would likely produce very similar frame rates in Evolve. On the GPU side, the RX 7900 XT is close to the RX 9070 XT in aggregate score, which implies that the newer card might have a slight edge, but the 1.5% delta is small enough to be within normal run-to-run variance.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals which component drives performance at each resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU and GPU work together, but the GPU is not fully saturated. The jump from Low to Ultra at 1080p reduces the average FPS from 212 to 119, a 43.9% drop. This scaling is significant, but the fact that Ultra still holds 119 FPS indicates that the CPU can feed the GPU adequately even at lower pixel counts. The i5-9400’s 6 cores and 6 threads with a boost clock of 4.10 GHz appear sufficient to keep frame times in check.

At 2560x1440, the GPU’s role becomes more pronounced. The Low preset averages 185 FPS, which is still very high, but the Ultra preset drops to 80 FPS. The 56.8% gap between Low and Ultra at 1440p is larger than the 43.9% gap at 1080p, suggesting that the GPU is starting to struggle with the higher pixel count. The CPU is likely still capable of handling the game’s logic, but the RX 7900 XT’s 20 GB of GDDR6 memory and 800.0 GB/s bandwidth are being taxed by the increased resolution.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is clearly the bottleneck. The Low preset averages 108 FPS, which is a 49% reduction from 1080p Low. The Ultra preset falls to 45 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. The 58.3% gap between Low and Ultra at 4K is the largest of any resolution, and the fact that even Low cannot reach 120 FPS shows that the pixel count is overwhelming the GPU’s 5376 shading units and 192 ROPs. The CPU’s role at 4K is minimal, as the frame rates are limited almost entirely by the GPU’s fill rate and memory bandwidth.

The scaling between resolutions also indicates CPU involvement. At 1080p Low, the system hits 212 FPS, which is likely near the CPU’s maximum frame generation capability. At 1440p Low, the drop to 185 FPS is modest, but at 4K Low, the drop to 108 FPS is severe. This pattern is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at high resolutions, where the CPU has spare capacity but the GPU cannot keep up. The recorded minimum FPS values, such as 71 FPS at 4K Medium and 125 FPS at 1440p Medium, show that frame pacing remains stable until the GPU is pushed to its limits.

The Verdict

The data indicates that this PC can run Evolve at playable frame rates across most tested configurations. At 3840x2160, the playable settings are High, Low, and Medium, with High being the best playable option at an average of 66 FPS. Ultra at 4K is not playable, as it averages 45 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. The 4K Medium preset offers a safer margin with an average of 84 FPS and a minimum of 71 FPS, but High is the highest preset that still clears 60 FPS on average.

At 2560x1440, all four settings are playable, and Ultra is the best choice with an average of 80 FPS. This provides a comfortable cushion above the 60 FPS line, and even the minimum frame rates at Medium (125 FPS) suggest no stuttering issues. At 1920x1080, every preset is playable, with Ultra averaging 119 FPS and Low reaching 212 FPS. The highest playable setting at 1080p is Ultra, which still offers nearly double the playable threshold.

The verdict by resolution is clear: this combo can run Evolve at 60 FPS or higher at 1080p and 1440p with Ultra settings, and at 4K with High settings (but not Ultra). The 45 FPS result at 4K Ultra is the only failure point, so users targeting 4K should stick to High or Medium for a smooth experience.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 4K resolution?

A: Yes, but not at Ultra settings. The 4K High preset averages 66 FPS, and the Medium preset averages 84 FPS. The Ultra preset averages 45 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1440p for this combo?

A: The Ultra preset is the best playable option at 2560x1440, with an average frame rate of 80 FPS. All four presets (Low, Medium, High, Ultra) clear the 60 FPS threshold at this resolution.

Q: How much faster is the Low preset compared to Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, the Low preset averages 212 FPS, while the Ultra preset averages 119 FPS. This represents a 93 FPS difference, or roughly 78% higher performance at Low settings.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more important for this game at 4K?

A: The GPU is the dominant factor at 3840x2160. The frame rates drop sharply from Low (108 FPS) to Ultra (45 FPS), and the CPU’s 6-core configuration is not the limiting factor at this resolution.

Q: What is the lowest frame rate recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest average FPS in the database is 45 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings. The lowest minimum FPS recorded is 71 FPS at 4K Medium, so no tested configuration drops below 60 FPS except the 4K Ultra average.

Q: How does this combo rank among all tested combinations in Evolve?

A: This combination ranks 821st out of 3700 tested combos in the database, placing it in the upper 22% of all tested systems for this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is High, with an average of 66 FPS. The Medium preset also clears 60 FPS with an average of 84 FPS, but High offers better visual quality while still meeting the threshold. The Low preset averages 108 FPS, but it is not the best playable option because High provides a superior visual experience without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the best settings preset is Ultra, with an average of 80 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available, and it maintains a 20 FPS margin above the playable threshold. The High preset averages 115 FPS, but Ultra is the best choice for visual fidelity.

At 1920x1080, the best settings preset is also Ultra, with an average of 119 FPS. This is nearly double the 60 FPS threshold, so users can enable all visual features without concern. The Medium preset averages 193 FPS, but Ultra is the best playable option because it offers the highest quality while still delivering excellent performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo rank in the database for Evolve is 821 out of 3700 tested combinations. This places the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XT in the top 22.2% of all systems tested for this game. The ranking reflects the fact that the GPU is a high-end model with a 55th percentile standing among all GPUs, while the CPU is a mid-range part with a 47th percentile ranking. The combination works well because the GPU compensates for the CPU’s moderate single-thread performance, allowing high frame rates at lower resolutions and playable frame rates at 4K.

The rank is likely influenced by the fact that Evolve is a 2015 title with modest CPU demands, so the i5-9400’s 6 cores are sufficient, and the RX 7900 XT’s raw throughput drives most of the performance. The 821st rank out of 3700 means that many other combos outperform this one, likely those with faster CPUs or newer GPUs, but the data shows that this pairing still delivers a strong experience for a game of this era. The 4K Ultra failure is the main weak point, but the overall ranking suggests that this is a well-balanced system for Evolve.