Evolve

Can Intel Core i9-14900K + Intel Arc B580 run Evolve? The benchmark data indicates this combination ranks 2787th out of 3700 tested combos for this specific game, placing it in the lower quartile of all tested systems. That headline rank is sobering for a flagship CPU paired with a mid-range GPU, but the measured frame rates tell a more nuanced story: this combo clears the 60 FPS playability threshold at 1080p and 1440p with the right settings, while 4K remains a stretch. The data shows a system that is perfectly capable at mainstream resolutions but struggles to maintain fluidity at 4K, where only the Low preset approaches playability.

How This Combo Ranks

The combo's rank of 2787 out of 3700 tested combinations (roughly the 75th percentile) might seem low for a Core i9-14900K paired with an Arc B580. This ranking reflects not just raw GPU horsepower but also the game's age and its peculiar optimization patterns. Evolve is a 2015-era FPS, and the data suggests it does not scale particularly well with modern multi-core CPUs or even with the Arc B580's architectural strengths.

The rank becomes more interpretable when placed against the component-level percentiles. The Core i9-14900K sits in the 95th percentile of all CPUs, while the Arc B580 lands in the 68th percentile of all GPUs. Yet the combined system ranks near the 75th percentile for this game, indicating that the GPU is the limiting factor for Evolve specifically. The CPU's massive headroom — 24 cores, 32 threads, and a 36 MB L3 cache — is simply not leveraged by a game from this era.

Looking at the measured FPS, the combo's rank makes sense: at 4K Ultra, it manages only 25 FPS, which drags the overall performance profile down. The rank is a composite across all tested resolutions and settings, so the inability to sustain 60 FPS at 4K in any preset weighs heavily. Even at 1440p, the Ultra preset falls to 44 FPS, and only the top three presets (Low, Medium, High) remain playable. This is a system that ranks poorly because it cannot deliver high-refresh or high-resolution experiences, despite performing admirably at 1080p.

CPU and GPU Roles

The benchmark results reveal a clear division of labor between the CPU and GPU for Evolve. At 1080p, the system achieves 155 FPS on Low settings and 120 FPS on Medium, indicating that the Arc B580 is fully utilized. The CPU is not a bottleneck at this resolution: the i9-14900K's single-thread score of 2262.5 in Cinebench R23 and 4697 in Passmark single-thread tests provide more than enough headroom for a 2015 game engine.

As resolution increases, the GPU's role becomes more dominant. Scaling from 1080p to 1440p at Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 120 to 80 — a 33% reduction. Moving from 1440p to 4K at Medium, the average falls from 80 to 46, another 42% reduction. This steep scaling curve is classic GPU-bound behavior. The Arc B580's 456.0 GB/s memory bandwidth and 13.67 TFLOPS FP32 throughput are the determining factors here.

The CPU's influence is most visible in the delta between Low and Ultra presets at the same resolution. At 1080p, Low yields 155 FPS while Ultra drops to 65 FPS — the 90 FPS gap is entirely attributable to GPU workload, not CPU capability. Similarly at 1440p, Low hits 104 FPS versus Ultra's 44 FPS. The i9-14900K's role is to feed the GPU without becoming a bottleneck, and its performance data suggests it does this effortlessly. The CPU's 95th percentile ranking versus the GPU's 68th percentile confirms that the Arc B580 is the limiting factor across all resolutions.

Measured FPS Breakdown

At 1920x1080, the combo delivers its strongest results. Low settings produce an average of 155 FPS, which is the highest measured across any resolution and preset combination. Medium settings average 120 FPS, with a minimum of 102 and maximum of 138 FPS. High settings average 94 FPS, and Ultra averages 65 FPS. All four presets clear the 60 FPS playability threshold, making 1080p the most versatile resolution for this system.

Moving to 2560x1440, performance drops but remains respectable for lighter presets. Low averages 104 FPS, which is still well above the 60 FPS target. Medium averages 80 FPS, with a range of 68 to 93 FPS. High averages 63 FPS, barely clearing the playability threshold. Ultra falls to 44 FPS, which is below playability. The step from High to Ultra at 1440p represents a 19 FPS loss (from 63 to 44), indicating that Ultra's additional effects are particularly taxing on the Arc B580.

At 3840x2160, the system struggles. Low averages 59 FPS, just one frame short of the 60 FPS threshold. Medium averages 46 FPS, with a minimum of 39 and maximum of 53 FPS. High averages 36 FPS, and Ultra averages 25 FPS. No 4K preset reaches playability, and the gap between Low and Ultra is 34 FPS. The data shows that 4K is only approachable with the lowest preset, and even then, it barely misses the mark.

The min/max data available for Medium presets reveals frame time consistency. At 1080p Medium, the 102-138 FPS range indicates a 36 FPS spread. At 1440p Medium, the 68-93 FPS range shows a 25 FPS spread. At 4K Medium, the 39-53 FPS range has a 14 FPS spread. The narrower spread at higher resolutions suggests the GPU is consistently saturated, while at lower resolutions, CPU or driver overhead may introduce more variance.

The Verdict

The verdict data is unambiguous: this system can run Evolve at 1080p and 1440p, but not at 4K. At 1920x1080, all four presets — Low, Medium, High, and Ultra — are playable, with the most demanding preset (Ultra) averaging 65 FPS. At 2560x1440, three of four presets are playable: Low (104 FPS), Medium (80 FPS), and High (63 FPS). The Ultra preset at 1440p averages 44 FPS, which falls below the 60 FPS threshold.

At 3840x2160, the verdict is clear: no preset achieves playability. The closest is Low at 59 FPS, which is one frame short of the threshold. Medium (46 FPS), High (36 FPS), and Ultra (25 FPS) all fall significantly short. The best playable experience is at 1080p Ultra, which delivers 65 FPS average, followed closely by 1440p High at 63 FPS. For players prioritizing resolution over visual fidelity, 1440p High offers a playable experience with higher detail than 1080p Low.

The system's playable settings list for 1440p includes High, Low, and Medium, but not Ultra. For 1080p, all four settings are playable. This suggests that the Arc B580 is best suited for 1080p gaming with this title, with 1440p viable only at reduced settings. The 4K resolution is effectively out of reach, requiring either lower resolution or a more powerful GPU.

FAQ

Q: Can this system achieve 60 FPS in Evolve at 1440p?

A: Yes. The measured data shows 104 FPS on Low, 80 FPS on Medium, and 63 FPS on High at 2560x1440. The Ultra preset falls to 44 FPS, which is below the 60 FPS threshold.

Q: What is the best preset for 1080p gaming?

A: The Ultra preset at 1920x1080 averages 65 FPS, which is the highest quality setting that remains playable. Lower presets yield higher frame rates: 94 FPS on High, 120 FPS on Medium, and 155 FPS on Low.

Q: Is the Intel Core i9-14900K a bottleneck for the Arc B580 in this game?

A: No. The CPU ranks in the 95th percentile of all processors, while the GPU ranks in the 68th percentile. The frame rate scaling between resolutions indicates GPU-bound performance, with the CPU providing ample headroom.

Q: How does performance scale from 1080p to 4K?

A: At Medium settings, the average FPS drops from 120 at 1080p to 80 at 1440p (33% reduction), then to 46 at 4K (42% reduction from 1440p). This steep scaling indicates the GPU is the limiting factor.

Q: What is the minimum FPS recorded for this combo?

A: The lowest recorded minimum is 39 FPS, measured at 4K Medium settings. At 1440p Medium, the minimum is 68 FPS, and at 1080p Medium, the minimum is 102 FPS.

Q: Can this system run Evolve at 4K with any settings?

A: No preset at 3840x2160 reaches the 60 FPS threshold. The Low preset averages 59 FPS, which is the closest result, but it still falls short of playability.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 1920x1080, the most demanding preset that maintains at least 60 FPS is Ultra, which averages 65 FPS. This is the optimal choice for 1080p, offering maximum visual quality while staying above the playability threshold. Lower presets provide diminishing returns: High at 94 FPS, Medium at 120 FPS, and Low at 155 FPS are all viable but sacrifice visual fidelity.

At 2560x1440, the best playable preset is High, averaging 63 FPS. This barely clears the 60 FPS threshold, making it a viable but tight fit. The Medium preset at 80 FPS offers more headroom and is a safer choice for maintaining consistent performance, while Low at 104 FPS provides the highest frame rate. The Ultra preset at 44 FPS is not playable.

At 3840x2160, no preset achieves the 60 FPS threshold, so there is no recommended setting for this resolution. The Low preset at 59 FPS is the closest to playability, but it still falls short. Players targeting 4K would need to consider a different GPU or accept sub-60 FPS performance.

Similar Performance Alternatives

The Intel Core i9-14900K's nearest rivals show that the CPU's performance is well-matched by several alternatives. The Intel Core i9-14900KF has an average benchmark score of 79371, which is 0.3% lower than the i9-14900K's 79097. This indicates nearly identical performance, making the KF variant a suitable substitute if the integrated graphics are not needed.

The Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus scores 79574, 0.6% higher than the i9-14900K, while the AMD EPYC 7413 scores 80041, 1.2% higher. These alternatives would deliver similar CPU-bound performance in Evolve. The AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, 1.7% lower than the i9-14900K, but still within a close margin. For this game, any of these CPUs would yield comparable frame rates given the GPU-bound nature of Evolve.

For the GPU, the Intel Arc B580's nearest rivals present interesting alternatives. The AMD Radeon RX 580 2048SP has an average score of 23061, just 0.2% higher than the Arc B580's 23021. This suggests nearly identical performance in synthetic benchmarks, though driver optimizations for Evolve may differ. The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 scores 22895, 0.6% lower, while the RTX 3080 scores 23172, 0.7% higher. The NVIDIA P106-100 scores 23249, 1% higher.

These GPU alternatives would likely produce similar frame rates in Evolve, with the RTX 3080 being the strongest performer among the listed rivals. However, the delta percentages are small — all within 1% of the Arc B580's average score — so users would not see a meaningful difference in this game. The choice among these GPUs would come down to other factors like driver stability, feature support, or availability, rather than raw performance in Evolve.