Evolve

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 combination delivers a clear performance profile in Evolve, with the data showing a strong 1080p experience, a solid 1440p experience at reduced settings, and a 4K experience that falls short of the 60 FPS threshold. The recorded measurements provide a complete picture of how this hardware handles the game across all settings.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The database places the Intel Core i5-9400 at the 47th percentile among all CPUs, with an average benchmark score of 2254. Its nearest rivals in the CPU segment are remarkably close in aggregate performance. The Intel Core i7-1068NG7 scores 2259, a delta of -0.2%, meaning it is essentially identical in overall throughput. The Intel Core i7-10710U sits at 2248, a 0.3% difference, while the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a 0.4% delta. The Intel Core i3-10305 rounds out the group with a score of 2264, a -0.4% delta. For Evolve specifically, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly indistinguishable frame pacing and average results, as the game's engine does not appear to be heavily dependent on the small differences between these processors.

On the GPU side, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 holds the 58th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 15290. Its nearest rivals include the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 at 15283 (0% delta), the AMD Radeon 680M at 15270 (0.1% delta), the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 OEM at 15199 (0.6% delta), and the AMD Radeon RX 7600 at 15171 (0.8% delta). These delta values are all under one percent, indicating that in a game like Evolve, swapping the RTX 2060 for any of these alternatives would produce very similar performance. The GTX 580 is an especially close match, with a zero percent delta, meaning the recorded frame rates for the RTX 2060 can serve as a reliable proxy for what a GTX 580 would deliver in the same scenarios.

The practical takeaway is that the CPU has more headroom relative to its rivals than the GPU does. The CPU's rivals are all within 0.4% of its score, while the GPU's rivals are within 0.8%. Neither component is an outlier in its respective field, so system builders looking at this pairing should expect the GPU to be the primary determinant of frame rates in Evolve, with the CPU providing consistent support across all tested resolutions.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 1080p with maximum settings?

A: Yes. The recorded data shows an average of 63.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the highest settings preset that maintains playability at this resolution.

Q: What is the best playable settings preset at 1440p?

A: The database lists High as the best playable setting at 2560x1440, with an average of 61 FPS. Low and Medium also clear the threshold at 99.1 FPS and 75.5 FPS respectively, but High offers the highest visual quality while still staying above 60 FPS. Ultra at 1440p drops to 39.7 FPS, which is not playable.

Q: Is 4K playable with any settings?

A: No. At 3840x2160, the best recorded average is 56.6 FPS with Low settings, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold. High averages 36 FPS, Medium averages 45.9 FPS, and Ultra averages 23.9 FPS. The verdictByResolution field for 4K lists no playable settings.

Q: How much performance is lost when moving from 1080p to 1440p at High settings?

A: At 1920x1080 High, the average is 86.5 FPS. At 2560x1440 High, the average is 61 FPS. This represents a drop of 25.5 FPS, or roughly 29% lower performance when increasing the resolution from 1080p to 1440p at the same preset.

Q: What is the performance gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p?

A: At 1920x1080, Low averages 147.4 FPS while Ultra averages 63.7 FPS. The difference is 83.7 FPS, meaning Low delivers more than double the frame rate of Ultra at this resolution. Medium sits between them at 114.4 FPS.

Q: Does lowering the resolution from 1440p to 1080p help at Ultra settings?

A: Yes, significantly. At 2560x1440 Ultra, the average is 39.7 FPS, which is below the playable threshold. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the average jumps to 63.7 FPS, clearing the threshold by 3.7 FPS. This makes 1080p Ultra the only way to play at the highest preset with this combo.

CPU and GPU Roles

The measured FPS data across resolutions and presets reveals a clear division of labor between the Intel Core i5-9400 and the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060. At 1920x1080, the frame rates range from 147.4 FPS at Low to 63.7 FPS at Ultra. The very high Low-setting frame rate indicates that the GPU is not the limiting factor at this resolution when visual load is light. The CPU, with its six cores and six threads, is capable of feeding the GPU enough data to sustain these high numbers, and the gap between Low and Ultra (83.7 FPS) shows that the GPU's workload scales heavily with settings.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates compress downward across all presets. Low drops from 147.4 to 99.1 FPS, a reduction of 48.3 FPS. High drops from 86.5 to 61 FPS, a reduction of 25.5 FPS. Ultra drops from 63.7 to 39.7 FPS, a reduction of 24 FPS. The proportional impact of the resolution increase is larger at Low settings, which suggests that at lower visual loads, the GPU is still doing most of the work, but the CPU's contribution becomes relatively more important as the GPU finishes its tasks faster. The 1440p data still shows a wide spread between presets, meaning the GPU remains the dominant factor in frame rate determination.

At 3840x2160, the picture changes dramatically. The best average is 56.6 FPS at Low, and the highest preset, Ultra, averages just 23.9 FPS. The spread between Low and Ultra at 4K is 32.7 FPS, which is smaller in absolute terms than the 83.7 FPS spread at 1080p. This compression indicates that the GPU is now the overwhelming bottleneck at 4K. The RTX 2060's 6 GB of GDDR6 memory and 192-bit bus are being pushed to their limits, and no amount of CPU headroom can compensate. The CPU's role at 4K is reduced to maintaining a baseline, and the data shows that even with Low settings, the GPU cannot reach 60 FPS.

Across all three resolutions, the pattern is consistent: the GPU dictates the frame rate ceiling, while the CPU ensures that the ceiling is not artificially lowered. At 1080p, the CPU is sufficient to allow the GPU to run near its maximum potential, as evidenced by the 147.4 FPS Low result. At 1440p and 4K, the GPU's workload increases to the point where CPU differences would have minimal impact. The 47th percentile CPU ranking for the i5-9400 is adequate for this game, and the recorded data shows no signs of CPU-induced stuttering or frame drops, as all average FPS values scale smoothly with resolution.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve, but the playability depends entirely on the chosen resolution. At 1920x1080, the system clears the 60 FPS threshold at every preset: Low averages 147.4 FPS, Medium averages 114.4 FPS, High averages 86.5 FPS, and even Ultra averages 63.7 FPS. This makes 1080p a fully playable experience at any settings level, with Ultra providing a comfortable margin above the threshold.

At 2560x1440, the system remains playable but with restrictions. The database lists High, Medium, and Low as playable settings, with High being the best at 61 FPS. This is a tight margin of just 1 FPS above the threshold, so users should expect occasional dips below 60 FPS during intense scenes, though the average holds. Medium at 75.5 FPS offers more headroom, and Low at 99.1 FPS provides a very smooth experience. Ultra at 1440p is not playable, averaging 39.7 FPS.

At 3840x2160, the system cannot reach 60 FPS at any preset. The best result is 56.6 FPS at Low, which is 3.4 FPS short of the threshold. High, Medium, and Ultra all fall further behind, with averages of 36, 45.9, and 23.9 FPS respectively. The verdictByResolution data confirms that 4K has no playable settings for this combo.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data provides exact average FPS values for each resolution and settings preset. At 1920x1080, the system delivers 147.4 FPS at Low, 114.4 FPS at Medium, 86.5 FPS at High, and 63.7 FPS at Ultra. The progression from Low to Ultra shows a consistent step-down of roughly 30 FPS per preset tier, with the largest single drop occurring between Low and Medium at 33 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the averages are 99.1 FPS at Low, 75.5 FPS at Medium, 61 FPS at High, and 39.7 FPS at Ultra. The gap between Medium and High is 14.5 FPS, while the gap between High and Ultra is 21.3 FPS. This indicates that the Ultra preset imposes a disproportionately heavy load at 1440p, likely due to increased shading and post-processing demands.

At 3840x2160, the averages are 56.6 FPS at Low, 45.9 FPS at Medium, 36 FPS at High, and 23.9 FPS at Ultra. The step from Low to Medium is 10.7 FPS, from Medium to High is 9.9 FPS, and from High to Ultra is 12.1 FPS. These smaller absolute differences compared to 1080p and 1440p reflect the GPU's diminishing ability to handle the increased pixel count, as the RTX 2060 is saturated at this resolution.

The database does not include separate minimum or maximum FPS values for these measurements, so the analysis relies on averages. The absence of min and max data means that frame time consistency cannot be assessed directly, but the smooth scaling across presets suggests stable performance within each configuration.

How This Combo Ranks

Among all 3700 tested combinations in the database for Evolve, this specific pairing of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 ranks 2853rd. This places it in the lower portion of the overall distribution, which is expected given the age of both components. The rank reflects the aggregate performance across all resolutions and settings, and the measured FPS data confirms that the combo is well-suited for 1080p gaming but struggles at higher resolutions.

The rank of 2853 out of 3700 means that roughly 77% of tested combos outperform this one in Evolve. However, this does not diminish the practical value of the system for 1080p play, as the data shows it handles Ultra settings comfortably at that resolution. The ranking is influenced by the fact that many newer and higher-end GPUs and CPUs achieve much higher frame rates, particularly at 1440p and 4K. Within its own hardware generation, the RTX 2060's 58th percentile GPU ranking and the i5-9400's 47th percentile CPU ranking indicate that this is a mid-pack combination that delivers solid, if not exceptional, performance in this game.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 63.7 FPS. This is the highest visual quality setting available in the game, and the system maintains playability with a 3.7 FPS margin. Users who prefer higher frame rates can drop to High for 86.5 FPS or Medium for 114.4 FPS, but Ultra is the optimal choice for visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is High, averaging 61 FPS. This is a marginal result, just 1 FPS above the threshold, so users seeking a more consistent experience may prefer Medium at 75.5 FPS or Low at 99.1 FPS. The data recommends High as the best settings option, but the tight margin suggests that Medium might be a more reliable choice for competitive play or scenes with heavy action.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS, so there is no recommended best setting. The closest result is Low at 56.6 FPS, but this falls short of the playable threshold. Users who insist on 4K would need to accept frame rates below 60 FPS, with Low providing the highest average. The verdictByResolution data explicitly lists no playable settings for 4K, confirming that this resolution is not viable for this combo in Evolve.