Evolve

The Intel Core i5-9400 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 combination delivers a wide spread of performance in Evolve, depending on resolution and quality preset. The recorded data shows that this pairing is capable of smooth gameplay at 1080p across every tested setting, while 1440p drops Ultra just below the 60 FPS threshold, and 4K requires a moderate preset to stay playable. This analysis breaks down the measured FPS figures, examines the CPU and GPU balance, answers common questions, ranks the combo, and lists nearby alternatives.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combination produces high frame rates across all four settings. On Low, the average FPS is 198.5, which is the fastest result recorded for this pairing in any configuration. Medium drops to an average of 155.9 FPS, still far above the 60 FPS playable threshold. High settings yield 122.8 FPS on average, a strong result for a modern shooter. Ultra is the most demanding preset at this resolution, yet the data shows an average of 85.7 FPS, which remains comfortably playable. The gap between Low and Ultra at 1080p is substantial: from 198.5 down to 85.7, a reduction of roughly 57 percent. Even the lowest figure at this resolution clears the playable line by a wide margin.

Moving to 2560x1440, the frame rates scale down as expected. Low settings average 133.5 FPS, which is still excellent for competitive play. Medium produces 105.6 FPS on average, keeping the experience very smooth. High settings average 80.4 FPS, which remains well above the 60 FPS threshold. Ultra, however, averages 59.1 FPS, just barely missing the 60 FPS mark. This is the only sub-60 result at 1440p, and it is marginal. The spread from Low to Ultra at this resolution is from 133.5 down to 59.1, indicating that the preset choice matters heavily for maintaining high refresh rates.

At 3840x2160, the demands increase significantly. Low settings average 76.7 FPS, which is playable but noticeably lower than the 1080p Low result. Medium averages 60.7 FPS, just clearing the playable threshold. High settings drop to an average of 48.5 FPS, which falls short of 60. Ultra is the most demanding configuration in the entire dataset, averaging only 31.5 FPS. The difference between Low and Ultra at 4K is stark: from 76.7 down to 31.5, a reduction of more than half. The data indicates that only Low and Medium settings are viable at this resolution for a 60 FPS target.

Across all resolutions, the pattern is consistent: Lower presets yield higher frame rates, and the cost of Ultra is steep. The largest absolute gap between Low and Ultra appears at 1080p, where the difference is 112.8 FPS (198.5 minus 85.7). At 1440p, that gap narrows to 74.4 FPS, and at 4K it is 45.2 FPS. The relative penalty for Ultra is present at every resolution, but the absolute frame rate floor rises as resolution decreases.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data suggests that at 1080p, the GPU is the primary driver of performance, but the CPU is not a bottleneck. The frame rates at Low settings (198.5 FPS) are high enough that the game is clearly not limited by the i5-9400's six cores and six threads. When moving from Low to Ultra at 1080p, the average FPS drops from 198.5 to 85.7, a change driven almost entirely by increased GPU load from higher quality settings. The CPU's role at this resolution is likely to maintain a stable frame delivery, and the recorded numbers show no signs of a CPU-side ceiling.

At 1440p, the balance shifts. Low settings still produce 133.5 FPS, indicating the GPU has enough headroom. But the transition to Medium (105.6 FPS) and High (80.4 FPS) shows a steady decline that tracks with GPU workload. Ultra at 59.1 FPS is the only sub-60 result, and the small gap below the threshold suggests that a minor reduction in GPU load, such as dropping one or two quality options, would bring it back above 60. The i5-9400's single-core performance, as measured by a Cinebench R23 single-core score of 935, is sufficient to keep up with these GPU-driven frame rates.

At 4K, the GPU becomes the clear limiting factor. The difference between Low (76.7 FPS) and Medium (60.7 FPS) is only 16 FPS, and High (48.5 FPS) and Ultra (31.5 FPS) show a steep decline. This scaling pattern is typical of a GPU-bound scenario: the CPU has less work to do at higher resolutions relative to the GPU, and the RTX 5060's 8 GB of GDDR7 memory and 128-bit bus are likely under heavy strain. The CPU's multicore score of 6629 in Cinebench R23 is far beyond what a 2015 game like Evolve would need, so at no point does the data point to CPU limitation.

Comparing resolution scaling, the 1080p to 1440p drop at High settings is from 122.8 to 80.4 FPS, a reduction of about 35 percent. The 1440p to 4K drop at High is from 80.4 to 48.5 FPS, a reduction of about 40 percent. This shows that the GPU's workload grows roughly in line with pixel count. The CPU's performance, however, does not change with resolution, so the fact that frame rates drop consistently with resolution confirms that the RTX 5060 is the dominant factor in this pairing.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 1080p with all settings maxed?

A: Yes. The measured data shows an average of 85.7 FPS at 1920x1080 with Ultra settings. This clears the 60 FPS playable threshold by a wide margin, making it a smooth experience for most players.

Q: What is the best preset for 1440p to stay above 60 FPS?

A: The verdictByResolution data lists High as the best playable setting at 2560x1440, with an average of 80.4 FPS. Low and Medium also work, but High offers the best visual quality while remaining well above 60 FPS. Ultra falls short at 59.1 FPS.

Q: Is 4K playable with this hardware?

A: It is playable, but only on Low or Medium presets. Low averages 76.7 FPS, and Medium averages 60.7 FPS, just clearing the threshold. High and Ultra are not playable at 60 FPS, with averages of 48.5 and 31.5 FPS respectively.

Q: How much performance is lost when going from Low to Ultra at the same resolution?

A: At 1080p, the drop is from 198.5 FPS on Low to 85.7 FPS on Ultra, a reduction of 112.8 FPS. At 1440p, it drops from 133.5 to 59.1 FPS, a reduction of 74.4 FPS. At 4K, it drops from 76.7 to 31.5 FPS, a reduction of 45.2 FPS.

Q: Does the CPU bottleneck this GPU in Evolve?

A: No. The Intel Core i5-9400 has 6 cores and 6 threads, and its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 is more than sufficient for a game from 2015. The frame rate scaling across resolutions and presets aligns with GPU workload, not CPU limits.

Q: What is the highest average FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The highest average is 198.5 FPS, achieved at 1920x1080 with Low settings. This is the only configuration in the dataset that approaches 200 FPS, indicating a very light load on both components.

How This Combo Ranks

The database places this combination at rank 1783 out of 3700 tested combos for Evolve. That puts it in the middle of the pack, which makes sense given the hardware mix. The i5-9400 is an older CPU, released in late 2018, and its percentileVsAllCpus is 47, meaning it sits just below the median of all tested processors. The RTX 5060, on the other hand, is a current-generation GPU with a percentileVsAllGpus of 72, placing it well above the majority of graphics cards in the database.

The rank of 1783 out of 3700 suggests that while the GPU is strong, the CPU drags the overall combo down slightly. For a game like Evolve, which is not especially CPU-demanding, the i5-9400 is adequate, but the ranking reflects that many other combos pair the RTX 5060 with newer or higher-core-count processors. The measured FPS data shows that this combo can still achieve high frame rates, but the rank indicates that in the broader field of tested systems, there is room for improvement.

The combo's performance is more GPU-dependent than CPU-dependent, as the FPS scaling shows. The RTX 5060's average benchmark score of 26331 is strong, and its 3DMark Steel Nomad DX12 score of 3628 confirms it can handle modern workloads. The i5-9400's average benchmark score of 2254 is modest by comparison, and its Cinebench R23 multicore score of 6629 is far from top-tier. In Evolve, the combination works because the game does not heavily tax the CPU, but the ranking reflects that other combinations would offer more headroom in more demanding titles.

Similar Performance Alternatives

Looking at the nearest rivals for the CPU, the Intel Core i5-9400 has an average benchmark score of 2254. The closest match is the Intel Core i7-1068NG7, with an average score of 2259, a delta of -0.2 percent, meaning the i7 is essentially identical. The Intel Core i3-10305 is also very close, scoring 2264, a delta of -0.4 percent. On the other side, the Intel Core i7-10710U scores 2248, a delta of 0.3 percent, and the AMD Ryzen 5 PRO 1500 scores 2246, a delta of 0.4 percent. For Evolve, any of these CPUs would deliver nearly identical frame rates, as the game is not CPU-bound in this pairing. The i7-1068NG7 and i3-10305 would behave almost exactly like the i5-9400, with no measurable difference in average FPS.

For the GPU, the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 has an average benchmark score of 26331. The nearest rivals are all within a few percent. The AMD Radeon 860M scores 26401, a delta of -0.3 percent, meaning it is virtually tied. The NVIDIA GeForce MX550 scores 26421, also -0.3 percent. The AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary scores 26553, a delta of -0.8 percent, slightly higher. The AMD Radeon RX 6750 XT scores 26011, a delta of 1.2 percent, slightly lower. In Evolve, these GPUs would produce very similar average FPS at each resolution and preset. The RX 5700 XT 50th Anniversary might edge out the RTX 5060 by a frame or two, while the RX 6750 XT could be a few frames behind, but the differences are small enough that the playable settings and verdict would remain unchanged.

When considering a full system swap, combining the i5-9400 with any of these rival GPUs, or swapping the CPU for one of the listed rivals while keeping the RTX 5060, would result in nearly identical performance in Evolve. The deltas are all under 1.2 percent, so no configuration would push a borderline preset over or under the 60 FPS threshold in a meaningful way.

The Verdict

Can this PC run Evolve? Yes, but the answer depends on resolution and preset. The verdictByResolution data is clear.

At 1920x1080, all four settings are playable. The best setting is Ultra, with an average of 85.7 FPS. This is the easiest scenario: a player can max out the game and still have a comfortable margin above 60 FPS. Even at 1440p, High settings deliver 80.4 FPS, which is excellent. Low and Medium also work, at 133.5 and 105.6 FPS respectively. Ultra at 1440p is the only miss, averaging 59.1 FPS, just under the line. A small tweak to one or two quality options would bring it back above 60.

At 3840x2160, the situation is more restrictive. Low settings are playable at 76.7 FPS, and Medium just clears at 60.7 FPS. The best playable setting is Medium, which offers a reasonable balance of visual quality and frame rate. High and Ultra are not playable, with averages of 48.5 and 31.5 FPS respectively. For 4K gaming, a player would need to stick to Medium or lower.

The overall verdict is that this combo is a solid 1080p and 1440p machine for Evolve, with 4K possible only on lower presets. The CPU is not a limiting factor, and the GPU has enough power to deliver high frame rates at mainstream resolutions. The rank of 1783 out of 3700 is respectable, and the measured data shows no major flaws. For a player targeting 1080p or 1440p, this system will run Evolve smoothly with high settings. For 4K, expect to compromise on quality to stay above 60 FPS. The RTX 5060's 8 GB of memory is adequate for this game, and the i5-9400's six cores handle the load without issue. In short, this is a capable combination for Evolve, with clear guidance on which settings to choose for each resolution.