Evolve

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Evolve on this Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination shows a wide spread of average frame rates depending on resolution and preset. At 1920x1080, the lowest preset delivers an average of 213.3 FPS, while the highest preset, Ultra, still maintains a strong 127.9 FPS average. Medium and High settings sit between these extremes at 193.3 FPS and 178 FPS respectively. The gap between Low and Ultra at this resolution is substantial, roughly 85 FPS, indicating that the Ultra preset imposes a significant load on the hardware.

Moving to 2560x1440, the averages remain high but show more separation between presets. Low produces 184.3 FPS, Medium drops to 155.4 FPS, and High lands at 123.8 FPS. Ultra at 1440p yields 84.9 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS playable threshold but represents a considerable step down from the lower presets. The scaling from Low to Ultra here is about 99 FPS, a larger absolute drop than at 1080p.

At 3840x2160, the performance curve becomes more demanding. Low averages 118.1 FPS, Medium drops to 88.9 FPS, and High falls to 68 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the only preset that fails to clear the 60 FPS mark, averaging just 47.6 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra at this resolution is steep, with a 70.5 FPS difference between the extremes. All recorded values are averages, as the database does not include minimum or maximum frame rate data for this combination.

How This Combo Ranks

In the database's ranking of tested combinations for Evolve, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX sits at rank 794 out of 3700 recorded combos. This places it in the top quarter of all tested systems, roughly the 78th percentile. The ranking reflects the overall capability of the pair across all tested scenarios.

The GPU is the dominant factor in this ranking. The Radeon RX 7900 XTX holds a percentile rank of 64 when compared against all GPUs in the database, meaning it outperforms about two-thirds of all recorded graphics cards. The CPU, by contrast, sits at the 47th percentile among all processors, placing it slightly below the median. Despite the CPU's middling position, the combined rank of 794 out of 3700 suggests that the GPU's strength carries the system to a relatively high overall position for Evolve.

The combination's rank implies that most other tested systems either pair a stronger CPU with a similar GPU or use a more balanced configuration. The data indicates that for Evolve, this pairing is capable but not top-tier; there are 793 other combinations that achieve better results. However, the rank also shows that the vast majority of tested combos, 2906 of them, fall below this system in performance for this game.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark data reveals an interesting division of labor between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX depending on resolution. At 1920x1080, the CPU's six cores and six threads appear to be the limiting factor. The GPU is powerful enough that frame rates at Low and Medium presets, 213.3 and 193.3 FPS, are likely constrained by what the CPU can feed it. The CPU's Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and single-core score of 935 suggest moderate processing power, which becomes the bottleneck at lower resolutions where the GPU is not fully taxed.

At 2560x1440, the balance shifts somewhat. The GPU still has ample headroom, as shown by the 184.3 FPS at Low settings, but the gap between Low and Ultra narrows compared to 1080p. The Ultra preset at 1440p drops to 84.9 FPS, indicating that the GPU is now taking on more of the rendering load. Still, the CPU likely remains a factor, as the jump from Low to Ultra does not cause a catastrophic collapse in frame rates.

At 3840x2160, the GPU becomes the clear dominant component. The 4K resolution demands far more from the graphics card, and the frame rates reflect this. Low at 4K produces 118.1 FPS, which is still high, but Ultra at 4K drops to 47.6 FPS. This 70.5 FPS swing is driven almost entirely by the GPU's ability to handle the increased pixel count and shading work. The CPU's role diminishes at 4K because the GPU is no longer waiting for instructions; it is working at full capacity. The data suggests that users with this combo should expect CPU-bound behavior at 1080p, a more balanced mix at 1440p, and GPU-bound behavior at 4K.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals in the database for both components provides context for what other hardware would behave similarly. For the CPU, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7 has an average benchmark score of 2259, which is only 0.2 percent higher than the i5-9400's score of 2254. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4 percent higher. On the other side, the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3 percent lower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4 percent lower. These four processors all fall within a narrow band of roughly 0.8 percent of each other, meaning any of them would produce nearly identical CPU-bound performance in Evolve.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals are more surprising given the RX 7900 XTX's modern architecture. The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB has an average score of 19334, which is 0.4 percent lower than the RX 7900 XTX's 19410. The NVIDIA TITAN Xp scores 19177, 1.2 percent lower. On the higher side, the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 scores 19602, 1 percent higher, and the AMD FirePro D300 scores 19637, 1.2 percent higher. These deltas are small, but the database ranks these as the closest matches, implying that in synthetic benchmarks, these older cards produce similar average scores. However, for Evolve specifically, the measured FPS data shows the RX 7900 XTX performing strongly, so users should treat these rival comparisons as rough equivalences rather than exact matches for gaming workloads.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 127.9 FPS. This is the highest quality setting available and it clears the playable threshold by a wide margin. Users at 1080p can run the game at maximum settings without concern.

At 2560x1440, Ultra also remains the best playable setting, averaging 84.9 FPS. This is comfortably above the 60 FPS threshold, with nearly 25 FPS of headroom. The data shows that even the heaviest preset at 1440p does not push this combo below the playable mark.

At 3840x2160, the situation changes. Ultra drops to 47.6 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold and therefore not playable by the database's standard. The best playable setting at 4K is High, which averages 68 FPS. This gives a modest 8 FPS of headroom above the threshold. Medium at 4K averages 88.9 FPS and Low averages 118.1 FPS, both of which are also playable, but High offers the best visual quality among the playable options.

FAQ

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

A: No. At 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, the average frame rate is 47.6 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable 4K setting is High, averaging 68 FPS.

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

A: Ultra settings at 2560x1440 average 84.9 FPS, which clears the 60 FPS threshold. All four presets, Low, Medium, High, and Ultra, are playable at this resolution.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 4K at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High averages 178 FPS, while at 3840x2160 High averages 68 FPS. This represents a drop of 110 FPS, or roughly 62 percent of the 1080p performance.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU more responsible for frame rates at 1080p?

A: The data suggests the CPU is the limiting factor at 1080p. The GPU is strong enough that frame rates at Low and Medium, 213.3 and 193.3 FPS, are likely constrained by the i5-9400's processing throughput rather than the graphics card.

Q: What other GPUs perform similarly to the RX 7900 XTX in the database?

A: The nearest rivals by average benchmark score are the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB, which is 0.4 percent lower, the NVIDIA TITAN Xp at 1.2 percent lower, the NVIDIA Quadro K5200 at 1 percent higher, and the AMD FirePro D300 at 1.2 percent higher.

Q: Does the system ever drop below 60 FPS at 1440p?

A: No. All four presets at 2560x1440 exceed 60 FPS, with the lowest being Ultra at 84.9 FPS. The system maintains playable performance across every setting at this resolution.

The Verdict

The data clearly shows that this Intel Core i5-9400 and AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX combination can run Evolve successfully at most resolutions and settings. At 1920x1080, every preset from Low to Ultra clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra averaging 127.9 FPS. At 2560x1440, all four presets also remain playable, with Ultra at 84.9 FPS providing the best visual experience while staying well above the minimum.

At 3840x2160, the system is partially playable. Low, Medium, and High all average above 60 FPS, with High being the best playable option at 68 FPS. The Ultra preset at 4K fails the playability test, averaging only 47.6 FPS, which falls short of the 60 FPS standard. Users who prioritize 4K gaming with maximum settings would need to reduce quality to High or lower.

Overall, the verdict is positive for all resolutions except 4K Ultra. The GPU's strength is evident at higher resolutions, while the CPU's moderate performance becomes apparent only at 1080p, where it likely caps frame rates below what the GPU could otherwise deliver. For most users playing at 1080p or 1440p, this combination provides a smooth, high-frame-rate experience with no need to compromise on quality. For 4K users, High settings offer a playable experience, but Ultra is not viable. The combination ranks 794th out of 3700 tested combos, placing it in the upper portion of the database and confirming its capability for this title.