Evolve

The Intel Core i9-14900K paired with the Intel Arc B390 presents a highly unusual performance profile for Evolve, a game that is now over a decade old. The database measurements show a system that is severely constrained by its graphics processor, with the data indicating that the GPU is operating at a percentile rank of only 9 among all tested GPUs. The Arc B390’s average benchmark score of 3DMark Steel Nomad 1482 places it within 1.3% of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, a comparison that reinforces its position at the lower end of the performance spectrum.

The central finding across all resolutions is that playable frame rates are the exception rather than the norm. At 1920x1080, the system achieves an average of 89 FPS on Low settings, which is the highest raw average recorded for this configuration. The only other instance where the 60 FPS playable threshold is cleared at this resolution comes at Medium settings, with an average of 69 FPS. The data also recorded a High preset average of 54 FPS at this resolution, and an Ultra preset average of 37 FPS. At 2560x1440, the only playable setting is Low with an exact average of 60 FPS. The database rates this as 100% of the required threshold, meaning it is exactly at the boundary of playability. The situation at 4K is more restrictive, where even at Low settings the average FPS drops to 34, well below the 60 FPS target.

The measured FPS data across the board shows a consistent pattern of the GPU being the limiting factor. The CPU is a high-end Intel Core i9-14900K with a Cinebench R23 multi-core score of 39399.5, a PassMark multi-thread score of 58674, and a percentile rank of 95 among all CPUs. The recorded game performance does not reflect this computing power, as the system’s frame rates are dictated by the graphics solution. The measurement data shows that the Arc B390, with a boost clock of 2500 MHz and a texture rate of 120.0 GTexel/s, is the primary source of performance bottlenecks across all tested presets.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 3840x2160 resolution, the system struggles to maintain usable frame rates across all settings. The recorded data shows an average of 21 FPS on High settings, 26 FPS on Medium settings with a minimum of 22 FPS and a maximum of 30 FPS, 34 FPS on Low settings, and 14 FPS on Ultra settings. The spread between the lowest and highest average FPS at 4K is only 20 FPS, from Low at 34 to Ultra at 14, indicating that the GPU is saturated even at the lowest settings.

At 2560x1440 resolution, the measurements show a significant improvement over 4K but still limited performance. The Low preset achieves an average of 60 FPS exactly, which is the only setting that meets the playable threshold. The Medium preset records an average of 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 53 FPS, while High settings produce 36 FPS on average and Ultra settings drop to 25 FPS. The gap between Low at 60 FPS and Ultra at 25 FPS at this resolution is 35 FPS, demonstrating a wide variance between presets.

At 1920x1080 resolution, the best performance is recorded. The Low preset averages 89 FPS, the highest of any measurement in the database for this game. The Medium preset averages 69 FPS with a minimum of 59 FPS and a maximum of 79 FPS, meaning its minimum dips just below the 60 FPS threshold. High settings average 54 FPS, while Ultra settings produce an average of 37 FPS. This represents a spread of 52 FPS from the lowest to the highest average, from Low at 89 FPS to Ultra at 37 FPS, showing the full impact of quality scaling on this GPU.

The database also shows no recorded minimums or maximums for High, Low, and Ultra presets at most resolutions, so the analysis relies on the average FPS for these configurations. The available min/max data for Medium presets shows a 30 FPS average with a 8 FPS range at 4K, and a 46 FPS average with a 14 FPS range at 1440p, and a 69 FPS average with a 20 FPS range at 1080p.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the data indicates no playable settings exist for this hardware configuration. The highest average FPS recorded at 4K is 34 FPS on Low settings, which falls far short of the 60 FPS threshold required for smooth gameplay. No preset at this resolution reaches 60 FPS, so the best settings at 4K are none, with the system failing to achieve a playable state.

At 2560x1440, the best settings that remain at or above 60 FPS are Low, with an exact average of 60 FPS. This preset hits the playable threshold precisely, with no other settings at this resolution achieving 60 FPS. The Medium preset comes closest with an average of 46 FPS, but the data shows it is not sufficient.

At 1920x1080, the best settings are Medium, which achieves an average of 69 FPS. This represents a 15% improvement over the 60 FPS threshold and is the highest recorded average that maintains playability. The Low preset at this resolution averages 89 FPS, but Medium offers higher visual quality while still exceeding the threshold. High settings drop to 54 FPS and Ultra to 37 FPS, so the database confirms Medium as the optimal choice at 1080p.

The data also indicates that the playable settings list for 1080p includes both Low and Medium, while 1440p includes only Low. The 4K resolution has an empty playable settings list, meaning no preset meets the 60 FPS requirement.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results clearly show that the GPU is the dominant component in Evolve for this system. The Intel Arc B390 has a 3DMark Steel Nomad score of 1482 and a percentile rank of 9 among all GPUs, which places it in competition with older, entry-level discrete graphics cards. The CPU, an Intel Core i9-14900K, has a PassMark multi-thread score of 58674 and a percentile rank of 95 among all CPUs, showing it is a top-tier processor. Despite this powerful CPU, the game performance is consistently low, which points to the GPU as the bottleneck.

The scaling between resolutions supports this conclusion. When moving from 1080p to 1440p, the Low preset drops from 89 FPS to 60 FPS, a reduction of 29 FPS. When moving from 1440p to 4K, the Low preset drops from 60 FPS to 34 FPS, a further reduction of 26 FPS. This steep decline with increasing resolution is characteristic of a GPU-limited scenario, where the graphics processor cannot keep up with the pixel count.

The preset scaling further confirms this finding. At 1080p, the difference between Low and Ultra is 52 FPS, from 89 FPS to 37 FPS. At 1440p, the difference is 35 FPS, from 60 FPS to 25 FPS. At 4K, the difference is 20 FPS, from 34 FPS to 14 FPS. The diminishing absolute impact of settings at higher resolutions indicates that the GPU is already saturated, leaving little headroom for quality adjustments.

The CPU’s role in this game appears minimal based on the recorded data. The Core i9-14900K has a Geekbench multi-core score of 21697 and a Cinebench R23 multi-thread score of 39399.5, but these strengths do not translate into high frame rates in Evolve. The game’s performance is consistently below 60 FPS at 4K across all settings, and only reaches exactly 60 FPS at 1440p on Low, which indicates that the GPU is the sole determining factor in playability.

Given the Arc B390’s position relative to its nearest rivals, including the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710 at a 2.7% performance difference, the data suggests the graphics solution is equivalent to very old, low-end hardware. The CPU would not be a limiting factor for any game workload at these frame rates, so the bottleneck is squarely on the GPU.

The Verdict

This system cannot run Evolve at 4K with playable performance. The verdict data shows an empty playable settings list for 3840x2160, with the best average FPS reaching only 34 FPS on Low settings. This is well below the 60 FPS threshold, so the answer is no for 4K gaming.

At 2560x1440, the system can run the game, but only on Low settings. The average FPS at this preset is exactly 60 FPS, which meets the playable threshold. This is a marginal result, with no headroom for drops, but the database confirms it as playable.

At 1920x1080, the system can run the game comfortably on Medium settings, with an average of 69 FPS. The Low preset achieves 89 FPS, which is the highest recorded average and provides a more comfortable margin above 60 FPS. The data shows 1080p Medium as the best playable configuration, with High settings falling to 54 FPS and Ultra to 37 FPS, both below the threshold.

In summary, the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B390 combination is playable at 1080p on Medium and Low, and at 1440p on Low only. The system is not playable at 4K under any preset. The recommendation based on the data is to use 1080p Medium for the best balance of quality and performance, or 1080p Low for the highest frame rates.

FAQ

Q: Is Evolve playable at 4K with the Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B390?

A: No. The database shows no playable settings at 3840x2160. The best average FPS is 34 FPS on Low settings, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 1920x1080 for this system?

A: The best playable preset is Medium, with an average FPS of 69. The Low preset achieves 89 FPS, but Medium offers higher quality while still exceeding 60 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 2560x1440?

A: Yes, but only on Low settings. The average FPS at 1440p Low is exactly 60 FPS, which meets the playable threshold. All other presets at this resolution fall below 60 FPS.

Q: How does the Intel Arc B390 compare to its nearest GPU rivals?

A: The Arc B390 has an average benchmark score of 1482. It is 1.3% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 520MX, 1.5% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce 800M, 2.5% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 625 OEM, and 2.7% faster than the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710.

Q: What frame rates are recorded for the Medium preset at each resolution?

A: At 3840x2160, Medium averages 26 FPS with a range of 22 to 30 FPS. At 2560x1440, Medium averages 46 FPS with a range of 39 to 53 FPS. At 1920x1080, Medium averages 69 FPS with a range of 59 to 79 FPS.

Q: Is the CPU or GPU the limiting factor for this game?

A: The GPU is the limiting factor. The Arc B390 has a GPU percentile rank of 9, while the Core i9-14900K has a CPU percentile rank of 95. The frame rates scale steeply with resolution changes, which is a sign of GPU-limited performance.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and Intel Arc B390 combination ranks 3288th out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve. This places the system in the 89th percentile of all tested combinations, meaning it performs worse than the majority of tested hardware pairings. This rank reflects the GPU’s low performance, as the Arc B390 scores in the 9th percentile among GPUs for 3DMark Steel Nomad, and sits at 2.7% behind the NVIDIA GeForce GT 710.

The CPU-only benchmark data shows the i9-14900K is a strong processor, with a PassMark multi-thread score of 58674 and a single-thread score of 4697. However, its rank in this game is dragged down by the GPU pairing. The performance is consistent with a system that cannot clear 60 FPS at 4K, and only reaches 60 FPS at 1440p Low and 1080p Medium at 69 FPS.

The rank of 3288 out of 3700 is a direct result of the GPU’s inability to deliver playable frame rates in modern rendering conditions. The Arc B390 has a boost clock of 2500 MHz and a memory system shared type, which limits its bandwidth, and the data confirms this limitation with the measured frame rates. The system’s performance in Evolve is a clear case of a high-end CPU being paired with a low-end GPU, and the game’s frame rates reflect the GPU’s capabilities, not the CPU’s. The 60 FPS average at 1440p Low is exactly at the playable threshold, and the 69 FPS average at 1080p Medium is the only preset that provides a comfortable margin above it.