Evolve

Measured FPS Breakdown

The recorded data for Evolve with the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 shows a clear performance curve across resolutions and presets. At 1920x1080, the combination delivers strong frame rates. Low settings average 169 FPS, Medium averages 131 FPS with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 150 FPS, High averages 103 FPS, and Ultra averages 71 FPS. Every preset at this resolution clears the 60 FPS threshold, with Ultra still maintaining a comfortable margin above it.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance drops but remains playable across most presets. Low settings average 113 FPS, Medium averages 88 FPS with a minimum of 75 FPS and a maximum of 101 FPS, and High averages 69 FPS. Ultra is the exception, falling to 48 FPS on average, which places it below the 60 FPS playable threshold. The gap between Medium and High at this resolution is 19 FPS, while the jump from High to Ultra is 21 FPS, indicating a steep cost for the highest preset.

At 3840x2160, the strain becomes significant. Low settings average 64 FPS, which barely clears the playable threshold. Medium averages 50 FPS with a minimum of 42 FPS and a maximum of 57 FPS, High drops to 39 FPS, and Ultra falls to 27 FPS. The data shows that 4K gaming is only viable at the lowest preset for this hardware combination. The difference between Low and Medium at 4K is 14 FPS, and the slide from Medium to High to Ultra is 11 FPS and 12 FPS respectively, showing a consistent degradation as settings increase.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results indicate that the GPU is the dominant factor in Evolve's performance, particularly at higher resolutions. The scaling from 1920x1080 to 2560x1440 to 3840x2160 shows a predictable decline that aligns with pixel count increases. At 1920x1080, the RTX 5050 has enough headroom to push Ultra to 71 FPS, suggesting the CPU is not a limiting factor at this resolution. The i5-9400, with its 6 cores and 6 threads, provides sufficient throughput for the game's FPS mechanics.

At 2560x1440, the GPU begins to show its limits. The drop from 103 FPS at High 1080p to 69 FPS at High 1440p is a 34 FPS reduction, which is consistent with a GPU-bound workload. The CPU's role diminishes further at 3840x2160, where even Low settings only reach 64 FPS. This indicates that the RTX 5050's 8 GB GDDR6 memory and 128-bit bus are the constraining factors, rather than the processor's 2.90 GHz base clock or 4.10 GHz boost clock.

The preset scaling supports this interpretation. At every resolution, the gap between Low and Ultra is substantial: 98 FPS at 1080p, 65 FPS at 1440p, and 37 FPS at 4K. This pattern suggests that the GPU's shading units, 2560 in total, are doing the heavy lifting. The CPU's benchmark scores, such as a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 6629 and a single-core score of 935, place it in the 47th percentile of all CPUs, which is adequate for a game released in 2015 but not exceptional. The recorded data shows that resolution scaling has a larger impact on FPS than preset changes, confirming the GPU-centric nature of Evolve's rendering load.

FAQ

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 1920x1080 with all settings maxed?

A: Yes. The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 71 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS playable threshold. This is the best playable setting at this resolution.

Q: What is the highest preset that stays above 60 FPS at 2560x1440?

A: High settings average 69 FPS at 2560x1440. Medium settings average 88 FPS, and Low averages 113 FPS, all of which are playable, but High is the most demanding preset that clears the threshold.

Q: Is 3840x2160 playable on this hardware?

A: Only at Low settings, which average 64 FPS. Medium drops to 50 FPS, High to 39 FPS, and Ultra to 27 FPS, so 4K gaming requires the lowest preset to remain above 60 FPS.

Q: How does the RTX 5050 compare to its nearest rivals in synthetic benchmarks?

A: The GPU's average benchmark score is 21035. Its nearest rival, the AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL, scores 21153, which is 0.6% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, 1.6% lower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, 1.6% higher.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck the GPU in this game?

A: The data does not indicate a CPU bottleneck. At 1920x1080 Ultra, the system reaches 71 FPS, and at 2560x1440 High it hits 69 FPS, suggesting the i5-9400 can keep up with the RTX 5050 across all tested resolutions.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded in the dataset?

A: The lowest recorded minimum FPS is 42 FPS, which occurs at 3840x2160 with Medium settings. The maximum FPS recorded is 150 FPS, at 1920x1080 with Medium settings.

The Verdict

The data shows that this PC can run Evolve, but the playable range depends heavily on the target resolution. At 1920x1080, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 71 FPS and Low reaching 169 FPS. The verdict for this resolution is clear: the system handles the game without issue at maximum settings.

At 2560x1440, the situation tightens. High settings average 69 FPS, which is the best playable preset. Medium averages 88 FPS and Low 113 FPS, but Ultra falls to 48 FPS, making it unplayable by the 60 FPS standard. Users at this resolution should stick to High or below.

At 3840x2160, only Low settings clear the threshold, averaging 64 FPS. Medium, High, and Ultra all fail to reach 60 FPS, with averages of 50, 39, and 27 FPS respectively. The verdict is that 4K gaming is technically possible but requires the lowest preset, offering a reduced visual experience. Overall, this combo is best suited for 1080p and 1440p gaming, with 4K as a compromise option.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The nearest rivals for the CPU and GPU provide context for what other hardware might behave similarly in Evolve. The Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. Its closest competitor, the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, scores 2259, a delta of -0.2%. The Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, 0.3% lower, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, 0.4% lower. The Intel Core i3-10305 scores 2264, 0.4% higher. These processors would deliver comparable CPU-bound performance in Evolve, though the game's GPU-bound nature means the differences would be minimal.

On the GPU side, the RTX 5050 has an average score of 21035. The AMD Radeon RX Vega M GL scores 21153, 0.6% higher, and the AMD Radeon HD 8970M scores 21237, 1% higher. The AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT scores 20713, 1.6% lower, and the NVIDIA RTX A4000 Mobile scores 21379, 1.6% higher. In practical terms, these GPUs would produce nearly identical frame rates in Evolve, with differences of a few FPS at most. The RX 5600 XT would be slightly slower, while the others would be marginally faster, but all would fall within the same performance tier.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, with an average of 71 FPS. This is the recommended setting for full visual fidelity without sacrificing playability.

At 2560x1440, High is the best choice, averaging 69 FPS. This preset maintains the 60 FPS threshold while offering better detail than Medium or Low. The jump to Ultra is not worth the 21 FPS loss, as it drops to 48 FPS.

At 3840x2160, Low is the only playable option, averaging 64 FPS. Medium falls to 50 FPS, so users must accept the lowest preset to maintain smooth gameplay. The data suggests that 4K is not a practical target for this hardware unless visual quality is severely reduced.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5050 ranks 2269 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the lower half of the database, which is consistent with the measured FPS data. The system performs well at 1080p and adequately at 1440p, but struggles at 4K, aligning with a mid-range ranking.

The CPU's 47th percentile standing among all CPUs and the GPU's 66th percentile among all GPUs suggest that the graphics card is the stronger component in this pairing. The overall combo rank reflects the GPU's capability, but the CPU's modest benchmarks, such as a Geekbench multi-core score of 5141 and a single-core score of 1389, prevent the system from climbing higher. For a game like Evolve, which is not heavily threaded, this pairing offers a balanced experience at mainstream resolutions, but it does not stand out among the 3700 recorded configurations.