Evolve

The Intel Core i9-14900K combined with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 delivers a heavily CPU-bound performance profile in Evolve, with the data showing that the combo is playable at every tested resolution but demands a settings trade-off at 4K. At 3840x2160, the average frame rate drops below the 60 FPS threshold on Ultra, hitting 40 FPS, while Medium settings restore fluidity at 74 FPS. Dropping to 2560x1440 changes the picture entirely, as the combo achieves 71 FPS on Ultra, and at 1920x1080 it reaches 106 FPS on the same preset. The measured results indicate that the RTX 3080 is the limiting factor only at 4K Ultra; at lower resolutions, the i9-14900K’s headroom pushes frame rates high enough that the GPU becomes the primary constraint, though the CPU’s 24 cores and 32 threads ensure no bottleneck emerges in this 2015 title.

Measured FPS Breakdown

The measured FPS data covers three resolutions and four settings presets, with average, minimum, and maximum values recorded where available. At 3840x2160, the combo averages 58 FPS on High, which sits just below the playable threshold of 60 FPS, while Low settings produce 96 FPS and Medium reaches 74 FPS with a minimum of 63 FPS and a maximum of 85 FPS. Ultra at 4K is the weakest result, averaging only 40 FPS, making it the sole configuration in the entire dataset that falls clearly outside playable territory.

Moving to 2560x1440, the performance uplift is substantial. High settings average 102 FPS, Low hits 168 FPS, Medium delivers 130 FPS with a minimum of 111 FPS and a maximum of 150 FPS, and Ultra still manages 71 FPS. At 1920x1080, the results scale even higher: High averages 153 FPS, Low reaches 251 FPS, Medium averages 195 FPS with a 165 FPS minimum and 224 FPS maximum, and Ultra produces 106 FPS. The minimum and maximum figures appear only for the Medium preset at each resolution, so the variance data is limited, but the available numbers show a consistent 20-30 FPS spread between the lowest and highest recorded frames at Medium settings.

The progression from 1080p to 1440p shows a performance drop of roughly 33% across most presets, while moving from 1440p to 4K costs another 40-45% of the average frame rate. For example, Ultra falls from 106 FPS at 1080p to 71 FPS at 1440p and then to 40 FPS at 4K. Low settings show a similar pattern, going from 251 FPS to 168 FPS to 96 FPS across the three resolutions. This scaling is consistent with a GPU-bound scenario at higher resolutions, though the CPU’s strength keeps the 1080p numbers exceptionally high.

How This Combo Ranks

The Intel Core i9-14900K and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 combination ranks 1039 out of 3700 tested combos in Evolve, placing it in the upper third of all configurations. This rank reflects the CPU’s 95th percentile standing among all processors, while the GPU sits at the 68th percentile among all graphics cards. The disparity in those percentiles explains why the combo does not rank higher: the RTX 3080 is a capable but not top-tier GPU by current standards, and the i9-14900K’s raw compute power cannot compensate for the GPU’s limits at 4K Ultra.

The combo’s position in the middle of the pack for this game is notable because Evolve is an older title with modest graphical demands. The data indicates that the CPU’s 95th percentile score contributes heavily to the high frame rates at 1080p and 1440p, but the GPU’s 68th percentile becomes the ceiling at 4K. Benchmarks for the CPU show a cinebench_r23_multicore score of 39399.5 and a passmark_multithread score of 58674, while the GPU’s passmark_g3d score is 25086, which aligns with its mid-tier classification. The combo rank of 1039 suggests that many other pairings, likely with stronger GPUs and weaker CPUs, achieve similar or better results in Evolve, particularly at higher resolutions where the GPU matters more.

Best Settings per Resolution

At 3840x2160, the most demanding preset that maintains an average of at least 60 FPS is Medium, which delivers 74 FPS. High falls short at 58 FPS, and Ultra drops to 40 FPS, so Medium is the clear choice for 4K playability. The Medium preset also shows a 63 FPS minimum, meaning even the worst-case frames stay above the playable threshold, which is not guaranteed for High given its 58 FPS average.

At 2560x1440, every preset clears the 60 FPS bar, so the best setting is Ultra, which averages 71 FPS. This gives players the full visual experience without sacrificing smoothness, and the margin above 60 FPS is comfortable. At 1920x1080, Ultra is also the best choice, averaging 106 FPS, which is well above the threshold and leaves room for high refresh rate displays. The data shows no need to compromise at 1440p or 1080p, as even the most demanding preset stays significantly above 60 FPS.

Similar Performance Alternatives

For the CPU, the nearest rivals to the Intel Core i9-14900K are the Intel Core i9-14900KF, which scores 79371 in average benchmarks and is 0.3% lower, and the Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus, which scores 79574 and is 0.6% lower. The AMD EPYC 7413 also sits close with a score of 80041, 1.2% lower, while the AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395 scores 77740, which is 1.7% higher than the i9-14900K’s average benchmark score of 79097. These alternatives would produce nearly identical frame rates in Evolve, as the differences are within a couple of percent and the game is not heavily dependent on CPU performance beyond a certain threshold.

For the GPU, the nearest rivals to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 are the NVIDIA P106-100, scoring 23249 and 0.3% lower, the AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, scoring 23250 and 0.3% lower, and the AMD Radeon RX 6600M, scoring 23273 and 0.4% lower. The AMD Radeon R9 M290X is also close at 23276, 0.4% lower. Given that the RTX 3080’s average benchmark score is 23172, these rivals would yield essentially the same performance in Evolve, meaning a system with any of these GPUs paired with a similar CPU would land in the same FPS range. The data suggests that swapping the i9-14900K for a rival CPU would change results by less than 2%, and swapping the RTX 3080 for a rival GPU would also change results by less than 0.5%.

CPU and GPU Roles

The interplay between the CPU and GPU in Evolve is clear from the resolution scaling data. At 1920x1080, the combo averages 106 FPS on Ultra, which drops to 71 FPS at 2560x1440 and then to 40 FPS at 3840x2160. This steep decline as resolution increases points to the GPU becoming the dominant factor at higher pixel counts. The RTX 3080’s 10 GB of GDDR6X memory and 760.3 GB/s bandwidth are sufficient for 1080p and 1440p, but at 4K the GPU’s 68th percentile performance becomes a hard limit, as evidenced by the 40 FPS Ultra result.

Conversely, the CPU’s role is most apparent at 1080p, where the i9-14900K’s 95th percentile performance allows frame rates to reach 251 FPS on Low and 153 FPS on High. These numbers are far above what the GPU alone would typically produce, indicating that the CPU is feeding the GPU efficiently without bottlenecking. At 1440p, the CPU still provides enough headroom for 168 FPS on Low, but the GPU starts to take over as the primary constraint. The scaling between presets at each resolution reinforces this: at 1080p, moving from Low to Ultra costs 145 FPS (from 251 to 106), while at 4K the same settings change costs only 56 FPS (from 96 to 40). This compression of the performance gap at higher resolutions is a classic sign of GPU saturation.

For players targeting 4K, the GPU is the component that matters most, and the data shows that even a high-end CPU cannot rescue Ultra settings. At 1080p and 1440p, the CPU’s strength shines, but the GPU still sets the ceiling for Ultra presets. The verdict data confirms this: 4K lists only Low and Medium as playable, while 1440p and 1080p list all four presets as playable.

FAQ

Q: Can this combo run Evolve at 4K with playable frame rates?

A: Yes, but only up to Medium settings. The measured data shows 74 FPS average on Medium at 3840x2160, while High drops to 58 FPS and Ultra falls to 40 FPS, both below the 60 FPS playable threshold.

Q: What is the best settings preset at 2560x1440?

A: Ultra is the best choice, as it averages 71 FPS, which is above the 60 FPS threshold. All other presets (Low, Medium, High) also exceed 60 FPS, but Ultra provides the highest visual quality without sacrificing playability.

Q: How does the combo rank among all tested configurations in Evolve?

A: The combo ranks 1039 out of 3700 tested combos. This places it in the upper third, driven by the CPU’s 95th percentile performance, while the GPU’s 68th percentile limits the overall rank.

Q: Which component is the bottleneck at 4K Ultra?

A: The GPU is the primary bottleneck at 4K Ultra, where the average FPS drops to 40. The CPU’s performance is sufficient, but the RTX 3080’s capabilities, reflected in its 68th percentile ranking, cannot sustain 60 FPS at that resolution and preset.

Q: Are there GPUs that perform nearly identically to the RTX 3080 in this game?

A: Yes, the NVIDIA P106-100, AMD Radeon Pro Vega 16, AMD Radeon RX 6600M, and AMD Radeon R9 M290X all have average benchmark scores within 0.4% of the RTX 3080, meaning they would produce very similar frame rates in Evolve.

Q: What frame rates can be expected at 1920x1080 on Ultra?

A: The combo averages 106 FPS at 1080p on Ultra. This is well above the 60 FPS threshold, providing a smooth experience with headroom for high refresh rate monitors.