Evolve

The Intel Core i7-13700K paired with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 is an exceptionally powerful combination for Evolve, delivering playable frame rates at every preset and resolution tested. The data shows that this system does not merely meet the 60 FPS threshold; it obliterates it, with the only setting dipping near that mark being 4K Ultra, which still averages 61 FPS. This combo ranks 65th out of 3700 tested combinations, placing it in the top 2% of all systems benchmarked for this title.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that remains at or above 60 FPS is Ultra, which achieves an average of 61 FPS. This is a razor-thin margin, but it clears the playable threshold. For players prioritizing visual fidelity at 4K, Ultra is viable, though the data indicates that dropping to High provides a substantial performance cushion, with an average of 88 FPS.

At 2560x1440, the best settings are again Ultra, delivering an average of 107 FPS. This is a comfortable margin above the 60 FPS floor, offering high refresh rate gameplay on 1440p monitors. The jump from High (155 FPS) to Ultra (107 FPS) represents a significant visual upgrade with only a 48 FPS cost, which is a favorable trade-off for most users.

At 1920x1080, the system can run Ultra settings at an average of 160 FPS. This is the optimal choice for competitive play or high refresh rate displays, as the frame rate remains well above 144 FPS. The performance headroom here is enormous, with even the most demanding preset leaving substantial GPU capacity unused.

How This Combo Ranks

The combination of the Intel Core i7-13700K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 achieves a combo rank of 65 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places the system in the 98th percentile of all configurations tested, indicating that it outperforms the vast majority of setups. The ranking reflects the synergy between the 16-core CPU and the flagship GPU, which together eliminate most potential bottlenecks at all tested resolutions.

The CPU itself sits at the 89th percentile against all processors, with an average benchmark score of 46881. Its nearest rivals include the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971, 0.2% faster) and the AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022, 0.3% faster), while it edges out the AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654, 0.5% slower). The GPU, meanwhile, ranks at the 92nd percentile against all graphics cards, with an average score of 79842. Its closest competitors are the NVIDIA Tesla P100 variants, which score 79605 and 79396, respectively, showing the RTX 5090 is only 0.3-0.6% ahead of these data center parts.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, the measured frame rates show a clear scaling pattern. Low settings produce an average of 145 FPS. Medium settings deliver 112 FPS with a minimum of 95 FPS and a maximum of 129 FPS. High settings reduce the average to 88 FPS. Ultra settings are the most demanding, yielding an average of 61 FPS. The progression from Low to Ultra represents a 58% reduction in average frame rate, from 145 FPS down to 61 FPS.

At 2560x1440, performance scales predictably with settings. Low settings reach an average of 254 FPS. Medium settings produce 197 FPS (minimum 168, maximum 227). High settings deliver 155 FPS. Ultra settings maintain an average of 107 FPS. The gap between Low and Ultra here is 147 FPS, showing that 1440p is far less taxing on the GPU than 4K.

At 1920x1080, the system demonstrates extreme performance. Low settings achieve 378 FPS. Medium settings produce 294 FPS (minimum 250, maximum 338). High settings yield 231 FPS. Ultra settings still deliver 160 FPS. Notably, even the minimum frame rate at Medium settings (250 FPS) exceeds the average frame rate of Ultra settings at 1440p, highlighting the resolution's lower GPU load.

FAQ

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 4K Ultra settings?

A: Yes. The data shows an average of 61 FPS at 3840x2160 with Ultra settings, which clears the 60 FPS playable threshold, though with minimal headroom.

Q: What is the best resolution for high refresh rate gaming?

A: At 1920x1080, Ultra settings achieve 160 FPS average, while Medium settings reach 294 FPS. This makes 1080p the best choice for 144Hz or 240Hz displays.

Q: How does the CPU compare to its closest rivals?

A: The Intel Core i7-13700K scores 46881 on average, placing it within 0.5% of the AMD Ryzen 9 5900 (46971), AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX PRO 375 (47022), AMD Ryzen 9 7845HX (46654), and Intel Xeon w3-2535 (46653).

Q: Is the RTX 5090 significantly faster than its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The RTX 5090 averages 79842, which is only 0.3% ahead of the NVIDIA Tesla P100 PCIe 16 GB (79605) and 0.6% ahead of the Tesla P100 PCIe 12 GB (79396). It is 1.1% faster than the AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT (78940).

Q: What frame rate can I expect at 1440p with High settings?

A: The measured average is 155 FPS at 2560x1440 with High settings, which provides a smooth experience on most high refresh rate 1440p monitors.

Q: Does the game run better at Medium or High settings at 4K?

A: Medium settings average 112 FPS, while High settings average 88 FPS. The 24 FPS difference may be worth the visual upgrade, but both are well above the 60 FPS threshold.

CPU and GPU Roles

The data reveals how the balance between CPU and GPU shifts across resolutions. At 1920x1080, the system produces 378 FPS on Low settings, which is extremely high. This suggests the CPU is capable of feeding the GPU at very high frame rates, but the GPU is still the primary limiter, as dropping settings from Ultra (160 FPS) to Low (378 FPS) yields a 136% performance increase. The CPU's 16 cores and 24 threads, along with its 30 MB of shared L3 cache, provide ample processing power for the game's physics and AI.

At 2560x1440, the GPU becomes more dominant. The scaling from Low (254 FPS) to Ultra (107 FPS) shows a 137% frame rate reduction, indicating that the GPU is heavily tasked. The CPU still keeps up, as evidenced by the high Low-settings frame rate, but the rendering load at 1440p consumes more of the GPU's resources.

At 3840x2160, the GPU is unequivocally the bottleneck. The frame rate drops from 145 FPS on Low to 61 FPS on Ultra, a 138% reduction. This pattern mirrors the 1440p results but with lower absolute numbers, confirming that the RTX 5090's 32 GB of GDDR7 memory and 1.79 TB/s bandwidth are being pushed hard at 4K. The CPU's role diminishes at this resolution, as the GPU's pixel fill rate and shader throughput become the limiting factors.

The transition from 1080p to 4K at Ultra settings shows a 62% frame rate drop (from 160 FPS to 61 FPS), which is consistent with the 4x increase in pixel count. This suggests that the CPU overhead is relatively constant across resolutions, while the GPU workload scales exponentially with resolution.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve at every resolution and setting combination tested, clearing the 60 FPS threshold across the board. At 3840x2160, all four presets are playable, with Ultra averaging 61 FPS, High at 88 FPS, Medium at 112 FPS, and Low at 145 FPS. The verdict for 4K is that Ultra is technically playable, but the 61 FPS average leaves no margin for frame drops.

At 2560x1440, the system is exceptionally capable, with Ultra settings achieving 107 FPS and Low settings reaching 254 FPS. This resolution offers the best balance of visual quality and performance, making it the recommended choice for most users with high refresh rate monitors.

At 1920x1080, the system is overpowered for this game, with even Ultra settings averaging 160 FPS. This is ideal for esports-style play or for users who want maximum frame rates. The data confirms that this combination of CPU and GPU is more than sufficient for Evolve, providing a smooth experience at any resolution.