Evolve

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160, this combination struggles to produce playable frame rates across all presets. The High preset averages 19 FPS, Low averages 31 FPS, Medium averages 24 FPS with a minimum of 20 and a maximum of 27, and Ultra drops to 13 FPS. None of these settings approach the 60 FPS playable threshold, and even the fastest preset at this resolution, Low at 31 FPS, delivers less than half the required performance.

Moving to 2560x1440, the situation improves but remains below playability. High averages 33 FPS, Low averages 54 FPS, Medium averages 42 FPS with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48, and Ultra averages 23 FPS. The Low preset comes closest to the 60 FPS mark but still falls 6 FPS short. Medium and High deliver playable-looking averages only in isolation, yet their minimums would likely dip further during intense combat sequences.

At 1920x1080, the combination finally reaches playable territory. Low averages 80 FPS, which is the highest recorded score for this hardware in Evolve. Medium averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72, placing it just above the 60 FPS threshold. High averages 49 FPS, and Ultra averages 34 FPS. The data shows a clear pattern: lower resolutions and lower presets yield progressively higher frame rates, with 1080p Low and Medium being the only configurations that clear the playable bar.

The recorded measurements show no min or max values for most presets, meaning only the averages are available for High, Low, and Ultra at each resolution. The Medium preset alone provides the full range of FPS data, with 1080p Medium showing a 19 FPS spread between minimum and maximum, 1440p Medium showing a 13 FPS spread, and 4K Medium showing a 7 FPS spread. This suggests that variance increases as resolution drops, which is consistent with the GPU being pushed harder at higher resolutions.

CPU and GPU Roles

The Intel Core i7-14700F is a 20-core, 28-thread processor from the Core 14th Gen series, built on Intel's 10 nm process with a 33 MB shared L3 cache. It ranks in the 91st percentile among all CPUs in the database, with an average benchmark score of 53620. Its nearest rivals include the Intel Xeon 6505P (0.2% higher score), Intel Xeon Phi 7290 (0.3% lower), AMD Ryzen 9 7900X (0.6% lower), and AMD EPYC 7313P (0.8% lower). This processor clearly has substantial compute headroom for a game from 2015.

The Intel Arc B370, by contrast, ranks in the 5th percentile among all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rivals are the ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 (0.2% higher), ATI Radeon HD 5770 (0.5% higher), AMD Radeon HD 7650M (0.7% higher), and AMD FirePro M2000 (1.4% lower). This integrated graphics solution, with its 1280 shading units, 40 texture mapping units, and 20 raster output units, is the clear bottleneck in this pairing.

The scaling between resolutions confirms this diagnosis. From 1080p Low to 1440p Low, average FPS drops from 80 to 54, a 32.5% reduction. From 1440p Low to 4K Low, average FPS drops from 54 to 31, a 42.6% reduction. Across all presets, the average FPS roughly halves each time resolution doubles, which is the signature of a GPU-bound workload. The CPU's strong single-threaded performance, evidenced by its Cinebench R23 single-core score of 4958 and Geekbench single-core score of 2429, is not the limiting factor here.

Preset scaling tells a similar story. At 1080p, moving from Low to Medium reduces average FPS from 80 to 62, a 22.5% drop. Moving from Medium to High reduces it from 62 to 49, a 21.0% drop. Moving from High to Ultra reduces it from 49 to 34, a 30.6% drop. These consistent double-digit percentage reductions across presets indicate that the GPU is saturated at every quality level, with the CPU having ample headroom to feed frames.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU side, the Intel Core i7-14700F sits in a tight cluster of comparable processors. The Intel Xeon 6505P scores 53701, just 0.2% above the i7-14700F's 53620. The Intel Xeon Phi 7290 scores 53469, 0.3% below. The AMD Ryzen 9 7900X scores 53288, 0.6% below. The AMD EPYC 7313P scores 53206, 0.8% below. Any of these CPUs would deliver essentially identical performance in Evolve, since the game's demands are well within the capabilities of all four processors.

For the GPU side, the Intel Arc B370's nearest rivals are all significantly older hardware. The ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5570 scores 1186, 0.2% above the Arc B370's 1184. The ATI Radeon HD 5770 scores 1190, 0.5% above. The AMD Radeon HD 7650M scores 1192, 0.7% above. The AMD FirePro M2000 scores 1168, 1.4% below. This cluster of sub-1200 scores represents the bottom tier of the GPU benchmark database, and the Arc B370 fits squarely within it.

When considering alternative builds, the data indicates that swapping the CPU to any of the four nearest rivals would change Evolve performance by less than 1%. Swapping the GPU to any of its four nearest rivals would likewise produce nearly identical frame rates. The limiting factor is the GPU tier, not the specific model within that tier.

The Verdict

This PC can run Evolve, but only at 1920x1080 and only with specific presets. The verdict data shows that 1080p Low averages 80 FPS and 1080p Medium averages 62 FPS, both clearing the 60 FPS playable threshold. The best playable setting at 1080p is Medium, which delivers 62 FPS on average.

At 2560x1440, no settings are playable. The closest is Low at 54 FPS, which falls 6 FPS short of the threshold. At 3840x2160, no settings are playable either, with Low at 31 FPS being the best available option.

The practical takeaway is straightforward: this combination is suitable for 1080p gaming in Evolve at Medium settings or lower. Players seeking higher resolutions or more demanding presets would need to consider different hardware, as the Arc B370's 5th percentile GPU ranking clearly indicates its limitations. The CPU is not the constraint, as its 91st percentile ranking demonstrates ample headroom.

FAQ

Q: What is the highest playable setting at 1080p for this combination?

A: Medium preset is the most demanding playable setting at 1920x1080, averaging 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72.

Q: Can this PC run Evolve at 1440p?

A: No. At 2560x1440, the best available preset is Low at 54 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS playable threshold. No playable settings exist at this resolution.

Q: How does the Arc B370 compare to other GPUs in the database?

A: The Arc B370 ranks in the 5th percentile of all GPUs, with an average benchmark score of 1184. Its nearest rival, the ATI Radeon HD 5770, scores 1190, which is 0.5% higher.

Q: How much faster is 1080p Low compared to 4K Ultra?

A: 1080p Low averages 80 FPS, while 4K Ultra averages 13 FPS. The 1080p Low setting delivers approximately six times the frame rate of 4K Ultra.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the bottleneck in Evolve?

A: The GPU is the bottleneck. The Arc B370 ranks in the 5th GPU percentile, while the i7-14700F ranks in the 91st CPU percentile. Frame rate drops consistently with resolution increases, indicating GPU saturation.

Q: What frame rate can be expected at 1440p Medium?

A: 2560x1440 Medium averages 42 FPS, with a minimum of 35 and a maximum of 48. This remains below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

How This Combo Ranks

This specific combination of Intel Core i7-14700F and Intel Arc B370 ranks 3414 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places it in the bottom 8% of all configurations in the database, which aligns with the GPU's 5th percentile ranking. The CPU's high percentile ranking does little to offset the GPU's limitations in this game.

The rank reflects the overall playability across all resolutions and presets. Since only two settings at one resolution clear the 60 FPS threshold, the combination scores poorly relative to other tested hardware. The data suggests that most other combos in the database achieve playable frame rates at more resolutions and presets than this one.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves 60 FPS. The best available option is Low at 31 FPS average, but this falls far short of the playable threshold. No recommended settings can be provided for this resolution.

At 2560x1440, no preset achieves 60 FPS either. Low comes closest at 54 FPS average, but this still misses the threshold by 6 FPS. Medium averages 42 FPS, High averages 33 FPS, and Ultra averages 23 FPS.

At 1920x1080, Medium is the most demanding preset that stays at or above 60 FPS. It averages 62 FPS with a minimum of 53 and a maximum of 72. Low averages 80 FPS and is also playable, but Medium provides better visual quality while still clearing the threshold. High at 49 FPS and Ultra at 34 FPS are not playable at this resolution.